I think both deserve the blame. Samsung for "premature release," and BD for inferior architecture (1.0, 1.1, 2.0, and so on...when does it end?).
True, but didn't the BDA have to approve Samsung's design?
Yes, I'm biased. I'm not a corporate 'fanboy' for a format but I am biased agaisnt Blu-ray specifically - just certain aspects of the CE business.
... allow me to explain in this long rant...
Warning: The following rant in no way reflects the opinions of Audioholics at large. The views aren’t necessarily shared by Clint, Gene, Tom or anyone else. I take full responsibility for any information and it’s not my intention to start a ‘your format sucks’ thread. Everyone has a right to their opinion, I respect yours, even if your wrong.
I've been a 30-day Best Buy/Future Shop/Sony Store Blu-ray player gypsy for months. I've 'owned' just about all of them including Samsungs BD-1200, BD-1400 and UP5000. I've 'owned' Sony's BDP-S300, Pioneer's BDP-HD50 and a PS3.
I've only owned one HD DVD player. I got to review a HDA1 when it came out but the one I personally use is the lowly but fully operable expansion to the Xbox 360. It plays EVERY disc, I get legacy DD and DTS. All is well.
The only BD player that didn't frustrate the hell out of me due to incompatibility, lock-ups and horrible slowness was the PS3. Pioneer's BD player was a close second.
Over 3 minutes between the time I place the disc into the tray and start watching a movie is unacceptable.
HD DVD starts your movie automatically, usually in under a minute.
Blu-ray makes you sit through 9 or 12 trailers.
Sure you can hit 'chapter advance' between each trailer, it's mandatory unless you don't mind watching your movie tomorrow night.
But - hitting 'chapter advance' too many times, too quickly runs the risk of crashing your Blu-ray player.
The BDJ processing power in most of the players is scant compared to the BD+ tasks it must perform. BD 1.0 players weren't designed to playback today's movies - PERIOD!
You can say get the firmware updates (if available). But, it's been my experience that even if you
can playback the movie, it doesn't mean you're free of stuttering audio, lock-ups, slow load times for EVERYTHING… I mean everything… try selecting a special feature in Ratatouille using any BD player. It’s several frustrating minutes and maybe a lock-up and a reboot of the machine for your troubles.
I exaggerate not!
Can any BD player sold before Dec '07 playback Sunshine? Try the DTS soundtrack and tell me how that's working out for you!
Just try playing back any 2008 BD release in any current Samsung or Sony (PS3 excluded) BD player!
It's a disgrace!
Blu-ray wasn't ready for release in June 2006 and it’s still not ready now.
Pioneer's player and PS3 seems to have adequate processing power to blow through the discs I had at the time and they both handle load times with DVD-like efficiency. Although I didn't get a chance to try any 2008 releases I hear nothing but good things about them.
Here were my
sentiments about BD back in Feb last year.
It's a video blog post on a consumer electronics blog I used to write/shoot video for.
Both formats were new back then and to be honest I hadn't seen either of perform yet. But picture quality or performance of players isn’t an issue in this video.
The information is outdated. The term IHD was changed to HDI and yes, I know BDJ is BD's equivalent - I had to trim a lot of my blabbing to keep the video tight. And I don't know what the heck happened to Managed Copy?? And please... I know more studios sided with BD even at that time... it was a slip... I meant to say most movies are released to both because at the time most titles were doing both formats, format exclusives were a minority.
But the basic idea remains true, it's exactly as I predicted back then. Sony's BD was a shaft to the consumer in the making. BD came AFTER HD DVD was already being developed and many companies
including Sony had agreed to back the format.
The only reason (outside hundred million dollar kick-backs) that the studios went with Sony's BD instead of HD DVD which was already becoming the industry standard was the Studio's own naiveté in regards to DRM / copy protection.
Sony's BD was to be the 'safer' standard. They were promising four layers of copy protection over and above AACS DRM. You see what a nightmare just one extra layer of copy protection has turned out to be.
The feeling I had in the early days of the format was WOA... Sony is going to produce the hardware AND design the format.... AND it's a movie studio!!!!
That's a red flag!
Innovation in consumer electronics depends on going after what the CUSTOMERS want. CE should be what
you and
I , when we sit in our underwear on the living-room couch with a remote in one hand picking lint from our belly buttons with the other, would think is cool.
It shouldn't be about what will help (the studios) an industry that has contempt for Home Theater!
DRM has been a plague to the home media since digital media and DRM first came along. The music industry is finally coming around and learning to adapt with new business models. The movie studios are going to be much slower.
Sony likes DRM! Sony wants MORE DRM. Remember Root-Kit!
Sony today is no longer the cool, hip company that invented the VCR. It's not the same company that went to court against Universal City over the consumer's right to 'timeshift' or record content from television.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studios,_Inc.
Sony today IS the television content - and it doesn't want you to record anything!
Close your eyes and think of a song - any song.
There is about a 50 % chance that song is property of Sony. And Sony now owns movie studios too.
Which do you think is Sony's primary goal? Providing Joe six pack (me and you) with cool, innovative consumer electronics that blur the line between hardware media players, computers and Internet?
No, that would be companies like Slim Devices and Sling Media. They're the true rogues in the industry pissing off the studios and putting smiles on the faces of customers with innovative, affordable products.
Toshiba knows it's on the side of justice and right for the consumer in this battle. That's why it hasn't deigned to play dirty like the BDA. That's why it's going to lose this format war...
Because it tried to fight the good fight and provide consumers with a complete, user friendly and simple-to-use format.
I always encourage healthy debate. I know I might have stuck my neck out but please, no personal attacks. I already know I'm a #@*#*# *&*.
