Blu ray
 

Ok, need input on which blu ray player to get. Appreciate all
Input. Thx ahead!

I have been holding off. One line of thinking predicts the Bluray might go the way of Beta in lieu of HD online and direct downloading. The industry insiders are taking a hard look a the potential non-longevity of it.

There will be discs for a few years, but it is most likely not the long term format.

just my .02

If they get down under $100 and the discs are in the $15 range, I'll consider it. After all, they are backwards compatible with regular DVDs and I don't expect my current $50 DVD player to last forever.

PS3

I'd recommend a Sony 550 - we got one to replace a 1st. generation Samsung player, and its worked out really well for us.

Some things to consider when buying a bluray player is:

- Loading time : A bluray player is basicly a computer - it has an operating system, and depending on what player you have that OS has to boot up before you can use it, which in the case of our old Samsung took 1-2 minuttes. It was slow and I dont have the patience for that :) On our Sony 550 it takes 20 seconds or so.

- Generation : So far there has been 3 generations of Bluray (things move fast). Without getting too technical - discs for the latest generation players may not play at all on 1st generation players. Easy way to make sure is to get a player that has 'BD Live' as a feature.

There are more things to look for, like what audio hookup you are using, how to update firmware (haven't had to do that on our 550), supported audio formats and what not, but without the first two covered the rest is pointless, in my opinion.

Now - having said all that, I must admit that Bluray disapointed me slightly - the quality over DVD is not earthshattering, and unless you are really picky I dont think there is more enjoyment to be had out of a Bluray than a normal DVD. Once the movie starts, you are probably not watching it for how many pixels it has, but rather if its a entertaining movie.

I thought HD is dead and Blue Ray is the new standard?:rolleyes:

This is why I pick the PS3. PS3 is the first blu ray player in the market and it constantly gets updates unlike most players.

I agree with PS3... updates, updates, updates!

PS3 site

Profile 2.0 players is a must. You get regular updates to firmware.
PS3 or S550 as others have suggested are good. You can find S550 for under $300.

thx to all. I am just starting to learn about this. I have a Panny 1080p tv and no HD DVD player at all.