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 And even if there is a 1.0 or 1.1 out there that works great, I don't want a player that is outdated out of the box.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.)

[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