To my fellow HD-DVD player adopters, I recommend...

a PS3. Hear me out, I'm trying to do you a favor.

I'm a (relatively) early HD-DVD adopter. Even though I'm now purple, I still prefer the format.

That as a given, I would reccomend to all of you interested in going purple to seriously look at a PS3, I'm extremely happy with mine, which I purchased abotu a month ago.

i got a 40gb model, since I had no previous games. My understanding is that switching out the hard drive is pretty easy.

I don't play many games. When I do, I can play online for free.

The unit hooked into my wireless network easily. I can play any video or music file anywhere on my network. And external hard drive contains all my rips.

Blu_rays play well, and I will give the format one point against HD-DVD, it fucks up playback a lot less. A LOT less.

It updates right online, and is just a great media center, great for parties. My USB wireless keyboard works on it, and I can surf the internet while on the treadmill.

So, while I have no experience with any other current game system, so I have nothing bad to say about them, the PS3 has made me very happy. I shall now go marry it. What happens next is my business.

You surf the net while on the treadmill, dude you have some issues LOL (just joking)

Thats what I keep hearing, but I will hold out for a reliable dual player.

When you buy a PS3 are you buying a Games console or a Blu-Ray Player?

I have a Wii - I'm happy with that - don't want another games console.

The PS3 - does it truly suck as a games machine that Sony subsidize that side of it so that the 'Games Part" is free?

Or

Do I have to pay for the "Games Part" I don't want or need - just to be able to purchase a media player that is future proof?

I am in total agreement. I have a Wii, I'm happy with it, and I don't want another game system, and even if it is the most reliable Blu player, that's what the PS3 is. So, until someone can release a reliable 2.0 stand alone player, I won't be buying Blu. I have nothing against going neutral eventually, but I bought HD DVD after many months of deliberation because everything I read said that the players and the discs were great. I just haven't seen that from Blu yet, aside from the PS3. And even if there is a 1.0 or 1.1 out there that works great, I don't want a player that is outdated out of the box.

I bought an HD-DVD player the day they started selling them, and yet I'm not really saddened by today's news. However, I certainly also want to plug Sony's PS3, as it is a fantastic machine for both media viewing/listening and gaming (despite what some may say). I almost couldn't recommend it enough, but admittedly I still would like a "proper" standalone player, something I may remedy later by buying a newer one. Honestly, I bought a PS3 because of Blu-ray and because of Gran Turismo 5.

you will only really hear that the ps3 is a bad gaming machine in north america. Every other country has embraced it, payed about twice as much as us for it (due to exchange rates, not sony overpricing as you may think), and have a higher install base percentage.
As a Blu Ray player you will only hear bad talk about it hear in the states " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " ".
(when i say only in the states, i mean that people in the US like to "talk" about things they don't own.)

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[Post edited by theprof00 on Feb 19, 2008]

i own it. bluray/ media features great.

as gamin machine crappy.

You need to realize that if you are buying a ps3 for movie playback there is a chance that extended use for movie watching can wear out your system faster (please Skyhawk, no smart comments again). Anyone in the tech world will tell you that using a piece of technology for multiple tasks will shorten its lifespan. I'm not telling anyone to buy a ps3 or not, just giving you something to take into consideration if you are going to buy one and use it for movies. Also if you are thinking about a ps3 try to get a 60gb system. They're kinda hard to find because they were discontinued awhile ago but they still include the emotion engine chip which allows for the best ps2 backwards compatibility with the least amount of system hiccups. IF you do some research online and read reviews you will see that its the best overall choice if you want to play old ps2 games. I know my local Sams club still has a few of them in stock so you might want to look there.

well if ur planning to use profile 2.0 i reccommend a ps3! it has wifi and if there is extra online stuff for the movie it is easier to view. I never used my hddvd player to view those features cause i really dont want to run a 90 ft cable to the back of it lol. the wifi built in will make it easier to view those movie extra's. If they make a blu ray player other than the ps3 that has wifi i recommend it. and a rumor of netflix useing the ps3 to rent movies is a nice addition if it happens. Blu ray player plus movie download service all in one seems like a great theather center peace to me.

Waiting a year or so before making the move.

Quote:
In the long run, the end of the latest format war is expected to be good for consumers, who will no longer have to agonize over which technology to choose for high-definition movies, and won't have to go to the trouble and expense of buying two players.

But in the short term, Toshiba's defeat not only leaves 1 million HD DVD customers worldwide with dead-end hardware but also ends a rivalry that kept down prices for players and pushed the Blu-ray group to match the features available on HD DVD players.

Analysts say people interested in getting a Blu-ray player would do well to wait. For one thing, it will take 12 to 18 months for Blu-ray players to become as cheap and full-featured as HD DVD players, which have been selling for just over $100, according to ABI Research.

Many people who did buy HD DVD players did so recently. In fact, Toshiba said the holiday season was its best ever. Stephen Brown, a Huntington Beach, Calif., technology manager who bought an HD DVD player in November, doesn't regret it, even though his wife now calls him "Betamax Brown."

"Just the fact that I could go out and spend $119 or $120 and have a really nice player, that was a no-brainer at that point," he said Tuesday.

Brown said it he will probably look at getting a Blu-ray player in a year or so, when the price comes down to around $150 from about $400 now and various features become standard.

Both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs deliver crisp, clear pictures and sound, a perfect match for the high-definition TVs sets Americans have been rushing to buy for the past two years.

But HD DVD players are also able to connect to the Internet to download trailers and other bonus content for discs, and can have a director or actor provide commentary in a small window while the movie plays.

The studios that supported HD DVD took advantage of these features in innovative if not always very useful ways: Viewers of Universal Studios' "Evan Almighty" HD DVD could shop for ecologically friendly items like recycled toilet paper through their player.

Blu-ray players capable of showing picture-in-picture — a feature called "Bonus View" — have only just started to appear. So-called BD-Live players, which can take advantage of Internet content, are expected on the market this spring.
..."But a much bigger challenge now lies ahead if BD is to become as successful as DVD, and content owners, retailers and manufacturers must now demonstrate that they can work together to promote BD effectively."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080219/ap_on_hi_te/blu_ray_triumph_ylt=AlyXzMTBES4OSWxxVTEjQXIjtBAF

There ARE other choices other than the PS3 for us HD guys who want Blu too. I recently bought a Samsung BDP-1400 because I don't care about profile 2.0. Apparently this Samsung player initially had a lot of playback issues WHEN IT WAS FIRST RELEASED, but I have owned it for just 3 weeks now and I haven't had a SINGLE problem after watching roughly 10 Blu discs.

Think about whether you really need the online interactivity crap, if not the Samsung BDP-1400 is a great deck now that the wrinkles are worked out.

While I am sure the PS3 makes a good BD player, $400 is still $400. And as it stands there aren't enough games that I want that would compel me to buy a PS3. Frankly, I'm annoyed that you have to use a Bluetooth remote with the PS3. So I'll wait for a good standalone to be available for cheap. They seriously need a 1080i/720p model at more entry level prices. Since my TV is 720p I have no use for the extra costs of a higher end system.

As i posted on another thread, I don't know if I would recc the PS3 if you have another game machine.

I'm not the expert on the PS3 as a game machine. For the few games I play, they seem fun and impressive to me. Again, I haven't experienced any other machines. I do think its a bit crappy to have to pay for online time for the Xbox, since im used to playing online for free on my pc.

I've heard that playing a lot BRs, or using the machine for multiple purposes extensively can shorten the life of the thing. Which is a why I bought a 3 year service plan. Again, I'm playing movies at least 85% of the time its on. Will that make a difference? I don't know. I've also spoken to people who tell me that's BS. Time will tell.

However, if you have a settop hd-dvd player, and you DON'T have a game system, and if you have a lot of other media on your computer, (Which sounds pretty darn specific, but what the hell), then I stand by my reccomendation. The PS3 is a fantastic media center, with great support by the company that's behind BR, the price is right (when you consider ALL its uses), and its use is easy as pie, even for a non-console gamer like me.

As my wife said when I first showed her around the interface, "its like games are the last thing to do with this thing!"

There you go.

However, all that being said, if you really have NO interest at all in gaming, then obviously I couldn't recc. it as highly. Neither if you don't have a 1080p display.

As for not needing the "online crap," I don't know, sounds like a bit of will to power to me, but whatever, its all good. I can't spending good money on a piece of tech that's already blocked from future upgrades.

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[Post edited by comicgeekoid on Feb 20, 2008]

You can also recommend us updating to profile 2.0....

ps3 great blu player. crappy system

theres alot of benefits to 360 Live service you pay. i dont feel like typing.

i dont play many standard dvds on my ps3. thats what the Tosh is for. or the 360. I like the upscale much better on those.

Quote:
While I am sure the PS3 makes a good BD player, $400 is still $400. And as it stands there aren't enough games that I want that would compel me to buy a PS3. Frankly, I'm annoyed that you have to use a Bluetooth remote with the PS3. So I'll wait for a good standalone to be available for cheap. They seriously need a 1080i/720p model at more entry level prices. Since my TV is 720p I have no use for the extra costs of a higher end system.

Hence why many of us bought those $98 HD-A2s...

I am not a gamer, I don't want a game system, and don't want one in my home (I am single with no kids). I am however an avid movie buff since VNS/Beta days (I never considered Bata back then), then Laserdisc, and DVD. As such it makes no difference to me how good a Blu-Ray player the PS3 is. If it was not for the affordable priced HD-DVD players I would be be waiting out the High Def media market until it was affordable. For now, I will sit back and enjoy the HD-DVD movies that I have and any more that will be released (for under $30 of course) until Blu-Ray gets their act together.

Ok, this thread deserves it:

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[Post edited by Tim Raynor on Feb 20, 2008]

"ps3 great blu player. crappy system

theres alot of benefits to 360 Live service you pay. i dont feel like typing."

Thanks for the useless post that adds nothing to the conversation. Appreciate it.

Quote:
Thanks for the useless post that adds nothing to the conversation. Appreciate it.

Oh no, actually, thank you for the useless post praising the advantages of the PS3 as though we are all hearing this for the first time. There's nothing quite like having REPEATED information shoved down our throats 24/7 -- it truly makes the message boards worthwhile.

.!..

Wow, fuck you Tim. If you didn't find it useful, why'd you feel compelled to read it and comment? Oh yeah, because you're an asshole. i forgot.

For the record, the thread was slanted from the pov of a current HD-DVD owner and what he might find useful in this brave new world of br. Nuance, I take it from your little cute picture MO, is not your forte.

Useful threads, thwarted by jerks. A standard on this board.

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[Post edited by comicgeekoid on Feb 20, 2008]

I agree comicgeekoid. We are all entitled to our opinions whether they are popular/repetitive or not. That is what a forum is about isn't it?

I'm sure they would argue that their opinion is valid is well, and it is, but its poor manners. If you're at a party, not that these dorks would know anything about that, and you overhear a conversation the text of which you simply do not agree, either be prepared to really discuss it, or butt the fuck out. It's common sense.

If people are enjoying a thread, and from the number of posts since yesterday, quite a few are, and all you have to say is "NO ITS NOT", then you know what, just keep it to yourself.

Again, that's not aimed at anyone who actually disagreed and took some time to discuss WHY.

And if all you have to say is "WEVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS, NYAH", well, that happens on boards, keep it to yourself. Especially if people find it interesting enough to comment productively. Who the fuck are you, Tim, the board police? If there we're such a thing, I'm sure you wouldn't pass the phsyical.

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[Post edited by comicgeekoid on Feb 20, 2008]

No, actually, I wanted to get your ire up, and it worked. I find it interesting that you are one of the few posters here that seems to be, how shall I say, "short fussed". Or perhaps like a Sea Bass that is ill-tempered. Plus you do get away with foul language like it's nobody's business, and believe me, you do get away with it. I've been here for years and I can assure you anytime I've posted foul language the thread was immediately deleted. Nevertheless, you might actually consider Prozac since it would seem you have a bipolar disorder (blow up too damn easy). I mean really Comic, with a poster name as yours, one would think you really do have a sense of humor.

Listen, I'm not angry. I'm not "riled up," and if that's your goal, that's a pretty piss-poor waste of time. I'm just going to call a spade a spade.

Quote:
Wow, fuck you Tim. If you didn't find it useful, why'd you feel compelled to read it and comment? Oh yeah, because you're an asshole. i forgot.

Oh yeah, that sounds real cheerful.

Tim, putting aside the idea that you're actually interrupting and thwarting productive conversations in order to "rile" people up for your own amusement, there can be a difference between being irked and saying something about it, and being full blown angry. I can tell you "fuck you" on this thread and carry on a conversation in another thread about M. Night Shaya-mahlan-mahlan-mahlan.

Quote:
I can tell you "fuck you" on this thread and carry on a conversation in another thread about M. Night Shaya-mahlan-mahlan-mahlan.

Actually, you seem to have a problem with that, as well.