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

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

HD and Bluray are both High Def standards. Give me a break.

The HD player and format are dead. Blu Ray won.

The High Definiton (not HD) downloads are not. That is what people are trying to figure out. The download and direct load market is growing rapidly. It could simply bypass the physical Bluray player.

Gresch's recommendation of ps3 is right on. Best Bluray player out there and endless utility just as a game device.

I now understand your comment better, yes download may reduce the need for DVD players.

if i were gonna get a blueray player it would prob be a ps3, this way i could play that F1 game thats on there. other than that i would save my money to download HD videos from cable provider / netflix services and such.

just dont buy this: http://dvice.com/archives/2009/01/panasonic_blu-r.php

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.

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Thanks Benny! Every Breath Bernanke Takes

PS3

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You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

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.

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- Ravenheart

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.

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-Arjay