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Hardware Sony, Pioneer Blu-ray Players Delayed
Brandon Hill (Blog) - June 12, 2006 12:20 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 52 comment(s) - last by namechamps.. on Jun 15 at 1:44 PM

Sony BDP-S1
Sony pushes back launch date until mid-August

Sony's BDP-S1 and Pioneer's BDP-HD1 are being delayed. Both Blu-ray players were expected to be released later this month, but Sony now plans to release its $1,000 USD player around August 15th while Pioneer is aiming for September.

No reason was cited for Sony's delay, but Pioneer points to compatibility issues surrounding the launch of its $1,500 USD BDP-HD1. Said Andy Parson, senior vice president of Pioneer Electronics USA, "We decided to hold off for bit just to make sure everything works well relative to all the various studios that are planning to ship BD titles."

For those keeping score, HD-DVD players have been in Best Buy stores for quite some time now. Gameindustry.biz reports:

The delays raise questions about the development process of the Blu-Ray format - and concerns over whether the format will be able to build up significant momentum in time for the launch of the PlayStation 3 this November. However, Samsung is still scheduled to launch its Blu-Ray player on June 25th, around the same time as the first movie titles will appear in shops.

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Blu-Ray slipping
By DrKlahn on 6/12/2006 1:48:06 PM , Rating: 2
There a few things worth noting. First the Toshiba players are not mediocre. The responses on the various A/V forums are very positive, especially in light of the latest firmware update. Second the initial Blu-Ray releases will be on sinle layer 25GB BD discs using MPEG-2 opposed to HD-DVD which has been using VC-1 on 30GB (dual layer) media. So the initial Blu-Ray releases will be using a more inefficient codec (MPEG-2 takes about twice the space) on smaller media. The fear is that this will result in the intial Blu-Ray titles actually looking worse than the competitions. Blu-Ray will be able to display 1080p on the first generation players whereas the current HD-DVD players will only output 1080i (though HD-DVD's are mastered 1080p). Though this is a questionable advantage due to the lack of 1080p displays and the good results people have seen scaling from 1080i to 1080p. In the future both formats will be using VC-1 and MPG-4 and the players will all output 1080p, so from a picture quality standpoint, it will be a wash. As it stands now Blu-Ray has studio support, HD-DVD has a definite price advantage. If studios decide to support HD-DVD, then Blu-Ray may be in serious jeopardy. Myself I still think Blu-Ray has the edge due to studio support. But it's no longer a sure thing.




RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By masher2 (blog) on 6/12/2006 2:01:43 PM , Rating: 2
Unless the media prices for Blu-Ray are significantly less than current projections, HD-DVD is going to win handily. No one is going to pay $40 for a Hi-def movie...not when HD-DVD gives them the same thing for $20-$30.


RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By xbdestroya on 6/12/2006 2:07:43 PM , Rating: 2
Well, Amazon offers some good BD pricing, so I would hope/imagine that BD movie pricing in other venues will decrease fairly readily with time.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/104-1...


RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By xbdestroya on 6/12/2006 2:04:30 PM , Rating: 3
I agree to an extent. The codec choice and the initial disc sizes will work to diminish the 'quality' edge B;u-ray enjoys. Still though, I don't see the Pioneer and Sony delays as being all that big a deal if Samsung still manages to launch this month. Samsung has a strong enough name in the CE space these days that they can serve well as the 'champion' for Blu-ray against Toshiba's player for the time being.

Two of Blu-rays biggest advantages at the present time are studio support (the fact that Sony owns three studios ensures a bloody fight here, and provides an incentive for studios to just go ahead and support Blu-ray), and the support Blu-ray seems to enjoy from the PC component manufacturers; lot's of BD burners and media on the horizon.

It's a race against time though, as the longer HD-DVD goes unchalleneged, the more of a foothold it can gain.


RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By TheDoc9 on 6/12/2006 2:32:01 PM , Rating: 2
I really think that blue ray is going to launched with a bigger response than HD-DVD - with movies on shelf, BD players bieng pushed by sales people, ect.

Mpeg 2 is actually better quality than mpe4 because of less compression. So that comment somewhere above was inacurate. Also I'm sure that these first players will read dual layer BD's which is 50GB. Just because the first movies come on single layer BD's means the studio's are playing it safe by release the product on the cheaper disk incase BD fails... A 1080P movie should fit on a 25GB disc without too many issues.

I think sony has a win on their hands.


RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By hmurchison on 6/12/2006 3:11:31 PM , Rating: 2
Launch to a bigger response?? Ok let's see..Sony and Pioneer are not hitting until Aug and Sept. Samsung says they will ship this month but in what quantities? At $999 and a delay in some BD titles

http://www.dvdtown.com/announcement/sonydelayssome...

I doubt you see more movies than what are already available with HD DVD.

MPEG2 and MPEG4 suit different needs. MPEG 4 was created to use much less space. Both formats utilize MPEG2 MPEG4 Part 10 (aka h.264 or AVC) and VC-1. MPEG2 is not better than AVC or VC-1 purely from a technical standpoint. MPEG2 is a mature technology but I've viewied VC-1 and AVC at 16-18Mbps and they both look as good or superior to MPEG2 at 20+ MBPS.

Of course we know they'll read 50GB DL BD-ROM discs but the fact that the hardware is delayed and Sony's release schedule for DL discs is very poor it's beginning to look like HD DVD is the sane solution that works and yields appropriately from the start.

I think Sony has a loss on their hands unless they correct their rectal cranial inversion and get the damn format out into the public. Ever since CES 06 they've pretty much executed their strategy like crap.


RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By michal1980 on 6/12/06, Rating: -1
RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By hmurchison on 6/12/2006 3:52:18 PM , Rating: 2
Please save us the "Sony Haters" diatribe. Even current PS2 owners know how sony can hype a product and then either fail to deliver or deliver very late. Remember the hyperbole over the emotion engine?

Facts are the Playstation 3 will make an impact for Blu-Ray and game consoles. However Microsoft has a huge lead for Xbox. What they'll have like 5 million boxes in living rooms by the PS3's launch? Plus microsoft has stated they'll have a low cost HD-DVD option as well which guarantees that the purchaser will be buying/renting movies because it has no gaming functionality.

You guys actually think 6 million players are sold overnight? There aren't even enough drives to sell 6 million in a quarter. If Sony was on its P's and Q's they'd have been shipping their player and not delaying it.

No one's hating sony but we're not sticking our heads in the sand and playing "make believe" either.



RE: Blu-Ray slipping-hmurchison
By michal1980 on 6/12/06, Rating: -1
By hmurchison on 6/12/2006 4:18:18 PM , Rating: 1
Michal1980

I agree with you that the PS3 is going to take the crown. I think Sony has too many loyal buyers who will shell out for a PS3. I'm just unsure if it'll translate to a device that yeilds a tremendous amount of movie sales however. All the gamers I know are hooked on gaming an not necessarily movie buffs.

Microsoft's add on HD DVD player is a little weak (720 support and no HDMI) but anyone buying one for an xbox is guaranteed to be watching movies. It's a little easier to gauge who is an isn't watching movies.

It's going to be interesting to say the least. Sony is a company I have a love/hate relationship with. love their innovation and style hate that they always love to promote their own homegrown tech at the expense of the industry. I'll take the good with the bad here though. I'm likely a future PS3 owner.


RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By masher2 (blog) on 6/12/2006 4:03:50 PM , Rating: 2
> "hmm which format will I put my movie on?"

The "format war" is largely a nonissue. By the time most people are buying, dual-format players will be ubiquitous....and the average consumer will neither know nor care whether his Hi-Def disk is HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. It's only an issue for us early adopters.


RE: Blu-Ray slipping
By DrKlahn on 6/12/2006 4:21:31 PM , Rating: 2
To clarify I am not a Sony hater. I have owned several high end Sony components (65"HDTV, S9000ES DVD player, TA/TN 9000ES preamp/amp, Sony 4hd VCR) including their $1000 S7000 DVD player, which I purchased in July of '97. So I am not anti-Sony. The PS3, in my opinion, will not make the impact that the Blu-Ray proponents hope for. I know several friends that bought a PS2 when they were first released (most paying well above retail) and not one of them used a PS2 for their DVD player. I realize this just my experience, but as many gamers as I know this does say something to me on how people view their game consoles. Perhaps my experience is not the norm here.


HD-DVD install base
By ViperROhb34 on 6/12/2006 8:05:24 PM , Rating: 2

The install base of HD-DVD will be larger then Blu Ray.
When BLu Ray has 3 million HD-DVD will have twice that.

Thing is.. 'some'.. although not many people, are over estimating the PS3. I know alot of PS2 owners who arent buying one.

In a poll that was I beleive posted here on daily tech somewhat recnetly had shown more people in Japan were more interested in Nintendo Wii then Ps3..

One reason is alot of people will not see the great advantages of Ps3 because they will be playing on regular tv.. sorry to break the news.. but reality is alot of people wont go out and buy PS3 to play high def games and watch high def movies - Why ?? Because they dont have nor can they afford a High Def tv..

Xbox 360 sales have been maybe 12 million.. PS3 will sell slower.. it cost more..

Who cares about a 60 gig HD on Ps3 ?
Xbox 360 doesnt need a big HD.. Windows Vita ( built in media center ) allows streaming of movies, video, music, pics from PC hardrive to Xbox at the 100 speed ( on a 10/100 ethernet ) through the router..

HD-DVD install base with Xbox will boost that more


I still hope
By ncage on 6/12/2006 12:48:57 PM , Rating: 2
I still hope HD-DVD wins the war mainly because of price. I am quite suprised lately it seems like more companies are supporting BR. Most of the new read/recorders you hear about are BR and not HD-DVD but of course this doesn't mean BR has won. Companies can make BR devices that want to if the consumers decide not to buy them then it won't win. I am VERY suprised to see toshiba making a BR unit.




RE: I still hope
By mushi799 on 6/12/2006 3:01:33 PM , Rating: 3
i rather have blu-ray. Price does not matter because it will come down in time. I rather pay the same amount of money for a 25 gig disc instead of a 15 gig.



By namechamps on 6/12/2006 3:21:14 PM , Rating: 3
Blue Ray if a far more advanced system. EVERYTHING is more expensive. The read only media, writable media, players, recorders, even the pickup head.

There was an article in inquirer comparing the cost to produce (not sell but production costs) of DVD pickup head, HD-DVD pickup and BR pickup head. The DVD pickup head is essentially a commodity item, the HD-DVD pickup head was rather exepensive about 12X the cost, the Blue Ray pickup head was currently 100X the cost and very low yields.

HD-DVD media is basicly a DVD media with tracks & pits packed about 3X closer due to smaller wavelength of the blue laser. The production cost is essentially the same as a DVD and most DVD production lines can either be converter cheaply to HD-DVD or designed as a dual format production line

Blue Ray once again is vasly different and requires completely new technology.

You can see this is the currently available products
1) HD-DVD players have been out almost a month and started @
2) Blueray wont be out for another couple months and will start @ $1000 each.
3) HD-DVD movies are available @ amazon for SAME price as DVD movies. Blue Ray movies dont exist yet.

So HD-DVD players start at about half the cost of BlueRay disk. HD-DVD cost about same as DVD while Blueray costs more. What exactly is indicating to u that Blueray will be same price as HD-DVD?


By ElJefe69 on 6/12/2006 11:36:45 PM , Rating: 2
true hd cannot be viewed on a hd-dvd

wtf is that crap for if it can't do 1080P at full frames?

EVERY new high tv will be 1080P as standard. I can't see my 20 dollar disk being of LOWER quality than my broadcast channel!

plus, the US is a really wealthy place, no one really cares what costs more, they will buy it anyway.

vhs's were 50 dollars a tape or more. people bought MANY of them. discount was 20 dollars for a 2 year old movie. that was in the 80's




By abhaxus on 6/13/2006 5:07:24 AM , Rating: 2
what are you talking about? HD-DVD discs are encoded at 1080p. The limiting factor right now is the first generation HD-DVD players from Toshiba which only support 1080i output.

Coincidentally, 1080i with proper pulldown doesn't lose any information for 24p film sources. watching an HD-DVD film on a 1080p TV like the sony SXRDs looks fantastic with no deinterlacing artifacts to be seen.

on my PC star wars episode 3 takes up 9.5gb in mpeg2 1080i, for a 2 hour 20 minute film. HD-DVD discs store 30gb, so even if you double the required space to 19 GB for mpeg2 quality 1080p, you have another hour of full HD res special features. Nevermind the fact that HD-DVD discs use h.264 while blu-ray's first generation releases will use mpeg2...

perhaps you should research hd-dvd before you spout off about it. personally, i wish we didnt have to deal with a format war. i think hd-dvd would overwhelmingly win if not for the PS3, because they have won over more studios. but we will see in a year which format is winning out.


By namechamps on 6/15/2006 1:44:43 PM , Rating: 2
"true hd cannot be viewed on a hd-dvd"

Spoken like someone who only understands FUD and likely doesn't even have a 1080P display. Sigh.

Here are some corrections
1) Most 1080P displays have 1080i INPUTS. So if u hook a BR player to a 1080P display with 1080i input it will output as 1080i and the TV will convert from interlaced to progressive @ either 1080P30 or 1080P24 (for film content). Same as HD-DVD.

2) HD-DVD can output at 1080P since disk is encoded at 1080P. The current HD-DVD player ouputs only 480I, 480P, 720P, 1080I likely since the player was made before 1080P inputs hit the market. As per point for 99% of HDTV out there this is a non issue. For the <1% HDTV with 1080P screen AND 1080P input the HDTV will simply convert the input from 1080I/60 to 1080P30 (or 24). The conversion is done digitally and therefore without loss of quality. Since there is no technical reason expect 1080P HD-DVD to hit market eventually.

3) As for broadcast TV being better than HD-DVD that is a laugh. Broadcast TV maxes @ 1080I so dont expect anything better from sat, cable or OTA (once again if your TV is 1080P it will deinterlace it but it will do same for HD-DVD_. Also the bitrate of broadcast TV maxes @ 18Megabit however most stations are broadcasting @ much less than that 12Megabit is common to allow for subchannels. So HD-DVD is encoded @ 1080P vs 1080i and has higher bitrate that broadcast so explain how / why it is better.

So the only thing technical advantages BR has are:
1) higher capacity which is useful for storage but not useful for HDTV. Actually the first BR disks are not 50GB they are single layer 25GB because of yield issues so the bitrate is slighly LOWER than HD-DVD not that anyone would be able to notice. 30GB is more than enough for 2 - 2.5 hours of content with 1080P resolution and high bitrate. Remember mpeg4 based conpressions are much more efficent than mpeg2 (used in DVD).

2) 1080P output is a technical plus however it only affect a tiny portion of HDTV owners. And you are comparing a spec for a player that has not been released with on on market right now.

So I stand by the statement that BR will cost more (players, recorders & media) and will offer nothing better than HD-DVD (for movies). The only reason BR is around is because of content providers not any technical issue with HD-DVD.


those prices are very cheap
By IMPoor on 6/12/2006 1:42:01 PM , Rating: 3
I am actually serious. The prices of $1000-$1500 is cheap for a new format. When CDs came out it costed thousands of dollars. When DVDs came out they to were several thousand dollars. So this is actually really cool to see them at $1000 for the first run of things. I hope this means the prices will drop faster than they did with CD and DVDs. Don't get me wrong its to rich for my blood but maybe in a year or if your a gamer maybe the PS3 for $600.




RE: those prices are very cheap
By mushi799 on 6/12/2006 3:07:38 PM , Rating: 2
The first dvd-player release in japan was $2000. Adjusted for inflation, $1000 looks like a slickdeal.


RE: those prices are very cheap
By namechamps on 6/12/2006 3:26:33 PM , Rating: 2
How is $1000 to $1500 worth of vaporware cheap?

HD-DVD players have been available & bought for $500 for over a month.

By the time these $1000 players get release with limited availability there should be $400 HD-DVD players on market.

Lets see $4000 + $20 per movie * 30 movies = $1000

So for $1000 you could get 1 Blueray and no movies (oh an u need to wait when it likely gets delayed again)
OR
You could buy an HD-DVD player now and pickup 30 movies this year.

Hmm. Wonder which one is the better deal?


RE: those prices are very cheap
By mushi799 on 6/12/2006 5:02:57 PM , Rating: 2
it's not vaporware when there's an actually hardware. Vaporware is defined by what bitboys did to the industry.

Have you actually played around with the toshiba hd-dvd model? It's really bad, i've never used a player that crashed during a movie.


RE: those prices are very cheap
By abhaxus on 6/12/2006 8:48:04 PM , Rating: 3
You and several websites say that the HD-A1 (the $499 player) has been available for over a month, yet I have not seen one in any store. I work for a regional/local electronics retailer and our company placed an order for them months ago that hasnt been filled. Our Toshiba rep dodges the question whenever we ask about them.

The HD-XA1 is nice but not worth 799 (although, I have sold one for 699). It takes 2 minutes to boot up, if you disconnect the HDMI cable to hook it up to another TV mid movie, it crashes, the scalar is TERRIBLE (read up on the 720p scalar on it... it is really really bad). I would personally love to have a working one that was priced at 499. I think Toshiba realized that and pushed the A1s off the market for a bit.


What do you expect
By vingamm on 6/12/2006 12:52:50 PM , Rating: 3
Some of you may act as if this is a surprise. Tell me something when as Sony ever met a launch date? The original PS - DELAYED , PS2 - DELAYED , PS3 - DELAYED , Sony's first VIAO Laptops - DELAYED . Sony has had more delays than a snowed in airport. This one seems more like a tactical delay than practical one. I would take a guess and say they are trying to launch both the player and the PS3 at the same time so shore up their position on keeping a technology that is way too expensive and possibly doing to be abandoned before it gets a proper launch. Just my opinion.




RE: What do you expect
By mushi799 on 6/12/2006 2:57:38 PM , Rating: 2
Exactly, but 99% of the guys here are Sony-haters for whatever reason.

I mean, i haven't witness one product that has ever been release on time. This include the software industry too.



RE: What do you expect
By geeg on 6/12/2006 3:36:49 PM , Rating: 2
QDOS was released on time, in 1979. But then Microsoft bought it.


RE: What do you expect
By mushi799 on 6/12/2006 4:54:55 PM , Rating: 2
=)


Weak Launch
By Assimilator87 on 6/12/2006 3:35:01 PM , Rating: 2
Wow, I didn't know that HD DVD was already out. One would think that there would be tons of expensive advertisements to entice people to buy this new stuff at inflated prices, but I haven't seen any commercials. There's especially more incentive to advertise since this is a format war. Each format needs as much backing as it can get.

On a side note, HD DVD is stupid because when there's a switch to future technology, the shift should be towards whichever is more future proof. We're already making a leap so why not take a big leap? BTW, are HD DVD and Blu-ray transfer rate multipliers based on the same scale as DVD multipliers?




RE: Weak Launch
By hmurchison on 6/12/2006 3:55:39 PM , Rating: 2
Come on man do you really think both formats haven't thought things out? Future proof? No product is fully future proof however both products can record 4-8 hours of HD content and both have the ability to add more data by utilizing additional layers if they can write it into the spec.

What big leap are you actually expecting. Part of being "future proof" is knowing what's coming in the future. I think Sony and Toshiba have a pretty good idea.


RE: Weak Launch
By masher2 (blog) on 6/12/2006 4:28:14 PM , Rating: 2
> "We're already making a leap so why not take a big leap?"

Both formats are large enough to hold a movie in hi-def, so for the average consumer, they are essentially equivalent. A videophile with high-end equipment might be able to notice a difference...but they don't drive the market, no matter what some of them might think. :)

And yes, HD-DVD is out. My player is a few weeks old....and I love it, though the dearth of movie titles is a bit of a drag at the moment.


RE: Weak Launch
By mushi799 on 6/12/2006 4:57:30 PM , Rating: 2
i've already seen commercials for blu-ray. I can't say the same thing about HD-dvd. We all know sony will be forcing blu-ray down our throats when the ps3's release date is near.


Oops!
By jtdwab on 6/12/2006 12:26:48 PM , Rating: 2
I think that should be Pioneer not Toshiba since Toshiba leads the opposing side of the war.




RE: Oops!
By mlittl3 on 6/12/2006 12:45:55 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah, I though Toshiba was the HD-DVD creator/pusher. I would be surprised if they made a blu-ray disc reader also but crazier things have been known to happen.


RE: Oops!
By armagedon on 6/12/06, Rating: 0
RE: Oops!
By armagedon on 6/12/2006 12:48:28 PM , Rating: 2
Oops ! wrong thread..


What people who buy things actually want:
By ElJefe69 on 6/12/2006 11:52:22 PM , Rating: 2
A lot of people speculate on this crap. Co-running a high volume appliance and TV store in manhattan, I can tell you that no one asks for hd-dvd. The people who call up or come in want blu-ray. People also want true 1080P capable sets. THose who spend 4000+ on their tv's do not want to own the least powerful format. When I mean no one asks for a hd-dvd, I mean ZERO requests. blu-ray by samsung, 10-15 a week ask for one of them, if we could stock them.




By ronster on 6/13/2006 3:28:41 AM , Rating: 2
those who spend $4000+ on a TV aren't the ones though who will decide the dominant format.


RE: What people who buy things actually want:
By masher2 (blog) on 6/13/2006 9:55:30 AM , Rating: 2
> "I mean no one asks for a hd-dvd, I mean ZERO requests..."

Funny, it took me a few weeks to get mine, because all the stores in my area were selling their allotments as fast as they came in.


RE: What people who buy things actually want:
By michal1980 on 6/13/06, Rating: -1
RE: What people who buy things actually want:
By masher2 (blog) on 6/13/2006 1:20:00 PM , Rating: 2
> "[The PS3] will have a significant impact in the HD-DVD vs Blu-ray wars."

Oh, of course. But some are assuming that means Blu Ray has already won, when the reality is a bit different. Without the PS3, Blu Ray doesn't even have a ghost of a chance. With it, the battle is still very much up in the air.


Again??
By brystmar on 6/12/2006 12:33:12 PM , Rating: 2
How many times can Sony delay their Blu-Ray launch dates? And the kicker is that Samsung is gonna release their player *months* before the players from the format's developer! At this rate, we probably won't see any products from them until Q406 (to coincide with the PS3), and nothing at a reasonable price point until at least 2008 -- at which point both Blu-ray and HD-DVD should be scrapped for HVD.

Sadly, it's not looking good for Blu-ray.




RE: Again??
By jtdwab on 6/12/2006 1:00:22 PM , Rating: 2
I'm not so sure that Sony isn't playing a shrued game at this point. Everybody has been bashing them for delays but I am wondering if they are sitting back and making improvements so when they hit the ground the players stand up to the price.

Right now there is only one HD-DVD player on the market and its mediocure at best. Losts of complaints about performance and lockups. Toshiba just released its first firmware update which fixes a lot of the issues but does not handle everything.

I wonder if Sony has talked Samsung into going first to get players on the ground so the format can ge shown. Then learn from the mistakes Toshiba and perhaps Samsung to in effect bring out a gen 1.5 player.

Course Sony could just be just shooting themselves in the foot because they haven't learned from their past repeated mistakes.


PS3
By ncage on 6/12/2006 12:50:34 PM , Rating: 2
I wander if this means the PS3 will be delayed yet again. They better watch out if it does. Microsoft has got a pretty good foothold at this point.




RE: PS3
By PLaYaHaTeD on 6/12/2006 1:01:02 PM , Rating: 2
You are completely right. At this point, sony should stop wondering around like a chicken without a head and get the ps3 out the door!


By BPB on 6/12/2006 12:52:32 PM , Rating: 2
This is such sad news. The $1,000 and $1,500 DVD players I could NEVER afford are being delayed. What's next, the latest Ferrari getting delayed? Oh well, it is news and it's something to know. If the new expensive ones are delayed, it may mean the way-down-the-road affordable ones will be delayed as well.




Recorder??
By hstewarth on 6/12/2006 1:07:04 PM , Rating: 2
This units are suppose to be Blu-Ray Recorders unlike what is in the PS3 which is only Blu-Ray player.




Not a recorder
By vgermax on 6/12/2006 1:29:06 PM , Rating: 2
The BDP-S1 is not specified to be a recorder.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity...




hmm..
By teng029 on 6/12/2006 5:32:03 PM , Rating: 2
well there's a shocker, blu ray delayed yet again..




prices...
By griffynz on 6/12/2006 10:10:54 PM , Rating: 2
I live in New Zealand, I brought a DVD from Sony just after they were released. Cost $1200 (bugger). Now they are $79 here for a better one. We basically double USD, so HD-DVD at us$500= nzd$1000, actually cheaper than first DVD players. Sony Blu-ray at us$1500=nz$3000 !!!!!!
I can buy a panny ae900 lcd projector for nz$2600 !!! (720p)
Blu-ray = ripoff for me as movies will look the same as HD-DVD. That just leaves PC storage for Blu-ray really.




I hope they both fail.
By BladeVenom on 6/12/2006 10:31:50 PM , Rating: 2
I hope both Blue-ray and HD-DVD fail. Then maybe next time they'll be able to come up with a single format without all the onerous DRM. Or maybe a format made specifically for digital download.

Both SACD and DVD-Audio failed so there's hope.




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