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I’m a fan of Blu-ray. Sure back when it was first announced, initial speculation leaned in HD-DVD’s favor. But with the PS3 sporting a Blu-ray player, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind now–Blu-ray won the battle of the next-gen DVD player.
And that’s great. Blu-ray is awesome. The picture is clearer and the menu features are much more interactive. Even so, many consumers are saying, “so what?”
Much of this has to do with the fact that Blu-ray is not an entirely new technology. Sure, it’s an improvement on the DVD, but it’s not a brand new thing. Many people wait to upgrade their systems until there’s something totally new (and 100% accepted) on the market. DVDs still outnumber Blu-rays in stores. I mean, some stores don’t even carry Blu-ray at all! And correct me if I’m wrong, but I could have sworn my local Target carried many more Blu-ray movies a few months ago than they do now.
So what does this mean? Has Blu-ray already had its moment in the sun? Will it be phased out to make room for the “next” technology? It’s hard to say. But when the majority of Blu-ray sales are to those with a PS3, (or at least a very significant portion of them) you know there’s a problem. When a stand alone player can’t sell on its own, there’s a definite issue at hand.
Blu-ray also has a unique disadvantage. It’s the first new video technology that has to compete with an actually thriving downloadable movie business. When you factor in iTunes sales and Netflix rentals, there’s a greater emphasis on renting than ever before. In short, people are sidestepping the whole “what player to buy” decision altogether by renting movies or downloading them onto their computers.
Standard DVDs look great. There’s no doubt about it. And sure Blu-ray looks better, but only if you have an HDTV. Otherwise, standard and Blu-ray are playing on the same playing field.
As much as I love Blu-ray, it has a rocky road ahead. With high costs, increased rentals and downloads, and a public without the equipment to appreciate its superior quality, Blu-ray may very well be doomed.
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What you say is all true, but I think one of the main reasons many people aren’t moving up is the high cost of Blu-ray players and the pricey blu-ray discs. Also, many blu-ray players are dog-slow to start playing blu-ray discs. I inserted the Pirates of the Caribbean (first one) blu-ray into a Sony blu-ray player recently, and waited over 2 minutes for it to struggle its way to loading the main menu.
The technology seems glitchy, unpolished, and pricey. Software updates for blu-ray players? Are you kidding? The general public isn’t going to play that game, so the blu-ray camp (Sony) better get its act together. I love the blu-ray picture, and I’m usually an early adopter of technology, but I just can’t justify the expense for hardware or movie discs. I have everything I need to enjoy Blu-ray except the player and discs, but until these players perform as well as DVD players out today, I’m going to hold off.
(Yea, the Playstation 3 does perform well with Blu-ray, and I might jump on that if its price drops a bit more, but mainstream USA will not fork over $400 for a blu-ray player or $24+ for a disc. You can take that to the bank!)
I agree with you. I have a PS3 and love Blu-Ray but the future is with digital downloads and with proposed super fast Broadband coming in the next 4 years, Blu-Ray and HD downloads will be key.
Also Blu-Ray discs need to dramatically come down in price.
I’m no fanboy but that’s just a ridiculous statement. The selection of Blu-ray does seem to have slowed but that due to lack of competition. The price of software and hardware is still too expensive compared to DVD. But once prices come downs to near DVD level, consumers would pick Blu-ray over a standard DVD.
It’s far from died it just having a very slow start.
You think for a second that I want to download The Dark Knight using Netflix over getting it on BR? Never!
Standard DVDs do look great, but if you’re going to replace them with an equally priced superior product like BR then I’m going to get BR. No doubt about it. I don’t have the HDTV yet, but when I do, I’m getting my movies on BR.
Sony really should have just called this Beta Maxxed or UMD2, Why the hell do they feel the need to create some new Super formate that only there products use.
Beta UMD BlueRay and DuoMax that are way to big and no one uses.
Also when 90% of most tv we see is SD, almost all of youtube videos are 640×480.
hell i dont even think seeing a movie in a brand new theater is HD you still go though a projector there is still some fuzzyness when its beamed though the air, doesn’t anyone ever notice all the dust and germs floating in the light path to the screen you have to figure that accounts for some distortion.
Good i hope disc formats fail, everything should be digital download or at least digital in some way, there is no reason to use a optical disc when once you put the info on it you can’t take it off or reuse it.
I have a HDTV at home and yeah HD tv looks awesome, but i didn’t grow up with HD tv, so it really doesn’t matter. My Favorite shows are not in HD, the movies i go see are not in HD the MP3 Music i listen too is not HD, the little screen on my cell phone is not in HD.
The reason digital downloads are not the way to go is because the cable industry has monopolized there nich, Think about it, if your cable operator can send you some movies in HD quality on Demand, there has to be some bandwidth there they are using, we probally already have the capacity just cable industry would loose too much.
All we need is one device that will turn the cloud in your setop and we can do away with cable and dvd’s all together.
blue-what? iTorrent!
I have played around with Bluray — and I don’t see the difference. I will not be buying bluray. BR Player are very slow. Their loading time is over 2minutes! And these are top of the line machines.
This is why I prefer good old DVD Player. Mine two years old DVD player can play VCD, DVD, and DVD +/- R & DL. Blu-ray would not play DVD+/- R and can not play VCD!
For me VCD is big important cause I make them myself.
LOL, you really think digital downloads will replace disc copies? Not happening anytime soon I guarantee you that. You do know that HDTV owners are 30% of the US population, and that Blu ray is already taking over DVD sales in Japan and Europe, right? US economy sucks balls, that’s why it’s not taking over yet. Maybe with a price drop.
And Jese Dorland is such a liar and needs glasses