State of Blu-ray - CEDIA 2008

[admin]

What is on the forefront of many consumers' minds is Blu-ray. Sure, it is all the talk on the forums and with enthusiasts, but when will John Q. Public start to care? We'll tell you when - when prices come down. At CEDIA this year we took a look at some of the newest Blu-ray players that are either already in stores or will be soon. Some companies seem to be pushing for as many features as possible at the lowest price while other seem to be skating along thinking that a Profile 1.1 player should sell just fine at $600 - $1000. Hey, don't forget that you can pay up to $2200 for a player if you really want a flagship model.


Discuss "State of Blu-ray - CEDIA 2008" here. Read the article.

[Seth=L]

The Pioneer Elite seems to crush the Sony flagship in every way, and they are both overpriced. The Pioneer definitely has sex appeal. One does have to wonder why the caps are so back. Is it possible the scaler engine needs 300 watts of constant juice to make DVDs look every bit as good as Blu-ray?

[Clint DeBoer]

I'd like to know just how many of these flagship players are going to be sold to people who end up using them to play back Blu-ray over HDMI...

[Seth=L]

I'm sure there will be plenty. These companies don't hardly even have to market (well) anymore. The marketing is the pretty box and high price. When companies like Marantz can come out with a profile 1.1 player for $799, it's just strange to me that people will still spend on things like that.

[jliedeka]

The manufacturers seem determined to make Blu Ray a niche product. In a couple years pundits will be talking about how the public rejected it just like with high def audio. The difference is I never heard of SACD or DVD-A until I started getting back into audio. I never saw a mention of the formats on any news sites or even gadget sites. At least they are marketing the hell out of Blu Ray but there aren't any great choices for players.

Jim

[aberkowitz]

To me, the PS3 still comes off as the best deal of the bunch... especially with the ability to connect wirelessly for updates.

[allargon]

To me, the PS3 still comes off as the best deal of the bunch... especially with the ability to connect wirelessly for updates.

As much as I detest the thought of bringing a gaming console into my home, I have to admit that the PS3 is still the best value of all the Blu players especially due to its media center capabilities. Some gems are starting to appear like the DMP-BD55. (Normally I would mention my BH200, but it's been acting up with a few Blu titles lately.)

[Emusica]

I don't know why the manufacturers even make profile 1.1. I really don't want a PS3 just yet but that is the only real viable player IMO (I don't want to spend $400 either, not on that anyway).

[emorphien]

As much as I detest the thought of bringing a gaming console into my home, I have to admit that the PS3 is still the best value of all the Blu players especially due to its media center capabilities. Some gems are starting to appear like the DMP-BD55. (Normally I would mention my BH200, but it's been acting up with a few Blu titles lately.)

As much as I hate hate hate Sony for their business practices (they're as good as anyone of convincing me that they absolutely loathe their consumers), I'd have to agree. If nothing better is out that can also replace my Pioneer DV-45A for playing DVD-A and SACD, I may keep the Pioneer and get a PS3 by early next year.

[allargon]

If nothing better is out that can also replace my Pioneer DV-45A for playing DVD-A and SACD, I may keep the Pioneer and get a PS3 by early next year.

The new Oppo player will do profile 2.0 plus play legacy lossless audio optical formats plus offer competent upscaling. (Competent upscaling is something that Sony, Panasonic, Funai and others have stripped from their sub-$500 units.) Sadly, it won't play HD DVD discs. (I'm not naive. It will be awhile before a truly comprehensive optical disc player comes out due to licensing costs, complexities, perceived demand, etc.) That Oppo player is something to consider as well. Denon also plans a Blu-Ray, DVD-A, SACD (dropped HD DVD support due to the end of the war and software complexities) combo, too. I feel it will cost more than the Oppo.