Blu-ray is dead

[DaDude]

It's called a Sony PS3, Xbox 360, a Media Center PC, new Blu-Ray players from Samsung can stream movies from Netflix, ...

No need to watch a movie in front of your PC.... It's 2008 you now... soon 2009....

I doesn't matter anyways. I get more enjoyment going out and buying a movie rather than sitting home just downloading. Get some exercise or something. Don't stay home all day. People are starting to get lazy now. That's how people become overweight and end up with other problems. ;)

[Sandor]

I doesn't matter anyways. I get more enjoyment going out and buying a movie rather than sitting home just downloading. Get some exercise or something. Don't stay home all day. People are starting to get lazy now. That's how people become overweight and end up with other problems. ;)

i'm sure you did that last time you booked a flight and decided it would be more fun to go to your local travel agent rather than just go online and do it.

for a lot of people i think it would be a lot more preferable to spend 2 minutes getting a download started and then walk away and do anything else they want.

or...if connection speeds get fast enough - which they will - you think...hmm i want to watch that movie and then you watch it there and then.

screw going out to buy it :p all that plastic and metal is a waste anyway

[DaDude]

i'm sure you did that last time you booked a flight and decided it would be more fun to go to your local travel agent rather than just go online and do it.

for a lot of people i think it would be a lot more preferable to spend 2 minutes getting a download started and then walk away and do anything else they want.

or...if connection speeds get fast enough - which they will - you think...hmm i want to watch that movie and then you watch it there and then.

screw going out to buy it :p all that plastic and metal is a waste anyway

Good point. Well, if they can get the download quality to match the quality of a DVD or Blu-ray disc, then I guess I'm all for it. And no, I don't want DivX quality. I want something MUCH better.

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

Wow, its still going :p >.<

Anyway, it will take time, transition from VHS to DVD took my mum about 5 years after DVD was clear winner, and what ? we are a year down the line on this one.

On a related note: For xmas (and birthdays for next 2 years :p) i am buying my mum a 32" 720p TV for xmas so she can get a blu-ray player (When i say her, i mean she will buy blu-ray disks and i can steal them :p)

[Emn1ty]

Good point. Well, if they can get the download quality to match the quality of a DVD or Blu-ray disc, then I guess I'm all for it. And no, I don't want DivX quality. I want something MUCH better.

Like what? 720p native since a majority of TV's out there today are that resolution? PS3 and XB360 already provide downloadable movies at this resolution and they take little more than 45 minutes to download (at least on the 360 they do). They both also upscale normal DVD res as well as 720p to 1080p. You are asking for what you already have.

[Coldgunner]

Wow, its still going :p >.<

Anyway, it will take time, transition from VHS to DVD took my mum about 5 years after DVD was clear winner, and what ? we are a year down the line on this one.

Ah yes, the "Mum" factor. A format starts to truly take hold once mums want to know about it :p

I also had similar experience, wherein the "Mum" market took to dvd 4-5 years after launch. VHS was more or less cancelled by about 2003/4, one of the last VHS films I know was released in the EU only was Revenge of the Sith. For the next few years we are going to see DVD and Blu Ray co-exist. When we get to the point of having portable Blu Ray players like we have DVD players, along with very cheap HDTV's (Think about CRT now) and then Blu Ray will be home.

I think myself as a regular broadband subscriber, and I think a fair majority are in the same boat. I live in a suburb, in the last few years my internet speed has been upgraded once to about 1500kbps, then fallen to 1mbps. Although I have an unlimited cap, HD movies via a download are somewhat inconvenient, it would be quicker for me to order via amazon or play and wait for delivery of a nice new Blu Ray, packed with extras, high bitrates and a storage medium I do not need to provide (I don't need to buy HDD's etc).

Edited November 17, 2008 by Coldgunner

[TruckWEB]

Like what? 720p native since a majority of TV's out there today are that resolution? PS3 and XB360 already provide downloadable movies at this resolution and they take little more than 45 minutes to download (at least on the 360 they do). They both also upscale normal DVD res as well as 720p to 1080p. You are asking for what you already have.

We don't have download/streaming of 1080p movies with Dolby TruHD or DTS-HD. Anything below what we have with a Blu-Ray is not going to cut it with me.

I did not pay THAT much money on my HDTV and Home theater setup to enjoy compressed 720p video with standard Dolby sound. I don't care about upscaling.

[Geranium_Z__NL]

im like Yeah blu ray isnt anything for me...

but when i look blu ray movies etc etc on my 1080p screen its definatly worth it (PS3)

anyway why should it DIE?

i just think its a slow start..

[DaDude]

i just think its a slow start..

It's not slow, it's just new technology. It needs time to grow.

[Dysphoria]

Personally, I think HD Download will be the way to go. As netflix is already doing regular streaming, hulu.con, ABC, NBC, etc, etc... Hopefully soon they'll be able to stream 1080p HD movies. That is the way to go.

Disk media such as BluRay, HDDVD, DVD, CDs are things of the past..

[deck]

I won't believe that downloading media is the way to go until my ISP removes the download limit on its services. Sure, I can download all I want. It'll cost me 100+$ a month. Doesn't make sense to me, since I don't buy movies too often.

[Emn1ty]

We don't have download/streaming of 1080p movies with Dolby TruHD or DTS-HD. Anything below what we have with a Blu-Ray is not going to cut it with me.

I did not pay THAT much money on my HDTV and Home theater setup to enjoy compressed 720p video with standard Dolby sound. I don't care about upscaling.

Well you are part of a niche then, exactly what Blu-Ray is made for. The point is, 65% of the viewing community doesn't even have a 1080p television, and probably around 85%-90% don't have 7.1 surround sound nor possibly even 5.1 surround sound in their living rooms if even a sound system at all. I am talking about the general viewing population which I think some people in here are seeming to forget. High quality audio is one of the things most people just don't care about. Why? Because most of their home entertainment centers just don't support it.

So, with that in mind most anyone can enjoy a 720p HD movie at home with compressed sound and not be upset.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Well you are part of a niche then, exactly what Blu-Ray is made for. The point is, 65% of the viewing community doesn't even have a 1080p television, and probably around 85%-90% don't have 7.1 surround sound nor possibly even 5.1 surround sound in their living rooms if even a sound system at all. I am talking about the general viewing population which I think some people in here are seeming to forget. High quality audio is one of the things most people just don't care about. Why? Because most of their home entertainment centers just don't support it.

So, with that in mind most anyone can enjoy a 720p HD movie at home with compressed sound and not be upset.

Where did you pull all those figures from?

As a matter of fact, most TVs being sold nowadays from 32" up are supporting 1080p.

And the funny thing is the people you talk about, who know absolutely "nothing", how likely are they to know all about streaming/HD content over the internet and all of that?

Chances are they buy an HDTV in-store and get told about HD players in-store (eg Blu Ray).

The complete casuals are more likely to go from DVD to Blu Ray, before they go to the world of streaming and downloading.

[Joel]

Where did you pull all those figures from?

As a matter of fact, most TVs being sold nowadays from 32" up are supporting 1080p.

That doesn't mean most people have them, it just means they're selling more than non-1080p. Most people still have their old TVs.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

That doesn't mean most people have them, it just means they're selling more than non-1080p. Most people still have their old TVs.

I'm not one to judge what % of the world has 1080p and what doesn't, I have absolutely no idea.

All I was pointing out was TVs being sold now are largely in part coming with full 1080p at many entry level sizes.

The HDTV market is only ever increasing in size, you're off your rocker if you think it's now saturated, many people still have SDTVs.

[Emn1ty]

As a matter of fact, most TVs being sold nowadays from 32" up are supporting 1080p.

But they don't utilize it fully. You shouldn't buy a 1080p TV that is under 46", even so much as 50". 1080p just isn't noticeable until you hit those larger screen sizes. You are just paying for the 1080p branding at anything under 46".

Chances are they buy an HDTV in-store and get told about HD players in-store (eg Blu Ray).

The complete casuals are more likely to go from DVD to Blu Ray, before they go to the world of streaming and downloading.

True, but what we tell them is about the PS3 and that it is the best Blu-Ray player. And what does the PS3 introduce? Digital downloads. Same with the XB-360 which works as a DVD player and now has Netflix. Not to mention the technologically savy generation is now becoming the main part of the population. Even 50 year olds today are pretty tech-savy (my parents, not the most amazing when it comes to computers but they know about digital downloads at least and how they work).

Five, ten, fifteen years from now we will not only have better download speeds but have almost no-one in the active population that isn't tech-savy to a decent extent.

[DrunkenMaster]

I'd just like to think, instead of investing in Blu-Ray discs, I'd like a format that is more durable than a disc. Might tempt me to buy more.

[Coldgunner]

BD's will last fine so long as you don't store them in a washing machine or something. Considering any downloaded media is DRM'd, what happens when they turn it off or the company goes bust and you cannot verify it?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

But they don't utilize it fully. You shouldn't buy a 1080p TV that is under 46", even so much as 50". 1080p just isn't noticeable until you hit those larger screen sizes. You are just paying for the 1080p branding at anything under 46".

True, but what we tell them is about the PS3 and that it is the best Blu-Ray player. And what does the PS3 introduce? Digital downloads. Same with the XB-360 which works as a DVD player and now has Netflix. Not to mention the technologically savy generation is now becoming the main part of the population. Even 50 year olds today are pretty tech-savy (my parents, not the most amazing when it comes to computers but they know about digital downloads at least and how they work).

Five, ten, fifteen years from now we will not only have better download speeds but have almost no-one in the active population that isn't tech-savy to a decent extent.

I can notice a difference on my 40" set, but true the smaller you go the less important it really gets.

Actually the PS3 will be quickly being phased out as the Blu Ray player to get amongst casuals, as Blu Ray players can now be purchased for cheaper.

For someone not interested in gaming, what's the point in spending the extra cash?

Or someone who isn't invested heavily in specifications, most likely the casuals who in many cases prioritise price over features.

Downloads will always co-inside with physical media for movies, but right now I do not foresee downloads passing physical for the foreseeable future, meaning there HAS to be a physical option on the market, making this whole topic of "is blu ray dead" rather pointless.

[Joel]

Actually the PS3 will be quickly being phased out as the Blu Ray player to get amongst casuals, as Blu Ray players can now be purchased for cheaper.

Good ones?

[Ayepecks]

I'll probably get a Blu-ray player when it hovers around the $100 mark -- same as I did with HD-DVD. I'm going to be so mad if it doesn't take off and I have two deceased formats though :laugh:

[Coldgunner]

Good ones?

I think the new sony and samsung models are pretty cheap, as well as profile 2.0.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Good ones?

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=693040

[Joel]

I think the new sony and samsung models are pretty cheap, as well as profile 2.0.

I said 'good', not 'cheap'.

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=693040

That thing is supposedly more rickety than a 20-year-old 10-speed bike.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I said 'good', not 'cheap'.

That thing is supposedly more rickety than a 20-year-old 10-speed bike.

You clearly didn't read my comment you replied to then...

Actually the PS3 will be quickly being phased out as the Blu Ray player to get amongst casuals, as Blu Ray players can now be purchased for cheaper.

Price is key to them.

If quality is key to you, buy a quality player or wait for them to come down in price.