So You Want A Ray Disc Player?
Currently there are over 500 Blu Ray titles available, but the major networks like Sony, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers and Disney, to name a few, have all agreed to release new movies strictly on Blu Ray discs.
Do you want the Blu Ray disc player version 1.0, version 2.0, a Sony PlayStation3 with Blu Ray compatibility, or just a DVD up-converter? These days, buying your next movie player will be similar to purchasing a computer. You will have to decide what features are worth paying for and consider the idea that upgrades may be necessary in the future.
If you were an early bird buyer, then you have the original prototypical Blu Ray disc 1.0 player. “The earliest Blu-ray player, Profile 1.0, are dinosaurs already,” reports The Courant’s Kevin Hunt. “Consumers who dropped $1,500 on a player a year ago cannot update their players.” These bare bones players offer the high-definition 1920×1080 pixels with superior coding and 7.0 surround-sound audio, but offer little in terms of extra features and menu options. Developers admit they probably should have just waited a year for the unveiling, but they were compelled to hurry up and compete in the Sony vs. Toshiba bidding war.
“Consumers who dropped $1,500 on a player a year ago cannot update their players.” These bare bones players offer the high-definition 1920×1080 pixels with superior coding and 7.0 surround-sound audio, but offer little in terms of extra features and menu options. Developers admit they probably should have just waited a year for the unveiling, but they were compelled to hurry up and compete in the Sony vs. Toshiba bidding war.
The 1.1 Blu Ray disc player quickly followed, featuring “BonusView” picture-in-picture commentary, like the surfing menus on Dish Network, secondary audio-video decoders and 256 MB of local on-disc storage.
BD-Live will allow viewers to chat in real time, get free movie ringtones and wallpaper for their cell phones, play online multiplayer games and upload custom audio commentary from directors, producers and actors. Sony recently announced two new Blu Ray players with 2.0 capacities: the BDP-S350 (available this summer for $399) and the BDP-S550 (available in the fall for $499). They also said that the BR 2.0’s will be able to be upgraded to the latest version via the internet, so eager buyers will be rewarded.
Some consumers are complaining about paying $40 for a Blu Ray disc, as opposed to the $20 for a regular DVD. To offset the cost of upgrading, many distributors and stores are stepping in to help promote the new Blu Ray disc technology. For instance, Amazon is offering a 2-for-1 Blu Ray discs sale on popular titles like Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, 300 and Pan’s Labyrinth. Super-saver shipping is free for orders over $25 while supplies last. They are even offering lesser known titles, like The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb Miniseries, The Last Sentinel or BBC’s Planet Earth Series at an extreme discount of only $10!
Filed under: Computers & Technology