Blu-ray: Early Adopters Knew What They Were Getting Into

[Hammer]

Blu-ray may have taken a commanding lead in the next-generation format war, but the group has a big problem looming: early supporters of the format will be left out in the cold when the Blu-ray Disc Association introduces BD Profile 2.0

Unlike HD DVD, which mandated features such as local storage, a second video and audio decoder for picture-in-picture, and a network connection from the very beginning, the companies behind Blu-ray took a different approach. Initial hardware players lacked these capabilities in order to keep costs down.

None of the Profile 1.0 players can be upgraded to Profile 1.1, which was finalized recently, with the exception of the PlayStation 3 -- whose update arrived in mid-December. Likewise, Profile 2.0 is expected to arrive in October bringing Internet connectivity that Profile 1.1 players lack.

Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform. But Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony have all been selling standalone Blu-ray players to customers.

In order to allay confusion, the BDA has adopted special labels that will be placed on Blu-ray movies. Those with a "Bonus View" sticker will require Profile 1.1 players, while those with "BD Live" will require Profile 2.0.

In addition, the BD-J interactivity layer, based on Java, has continued to evolve since the introduction of Blu-ray Profile 1.0. This means that early players may have a buggy implementation and perhaps more importantly, they are not powerful enough to play the latest films properly.

When BetaNews asked developers of BD Live whether they were concerned about a backlash from early adopters who supported the format from the beginning, we were told: "They knew what they were getting into."

BDA President Andy Parsons echoed that sentiment at the Blu-ray press conference Monday, telling BetaNews that it's normal for new technology to change and older hardware to become obsolete. He added that early Blu-ray owners can continue to do everything they could in the beginning: watch movies in high-definition.

Still, the confusion will only likely further alienate existing and potential customers of the nascent format. One key Blu-ray developer told BetaNews that although he builds discs for studios including Fox and Lionsgate, he did not buy a Blu-ray player for personal use.

When BetaNews asked why these manufacturers rushed out players that were not fully capable and potentially buggy due to their BD-J implementation, the Blu-ray partner pointed blame across the room to HD DVD. "We should have waited another year to introduce Blu-ray to the public, but the format war changed the situation," he said. HD DVD was already coming and the BDA had no choice but to launch Blu-ray.

[Nellyboy]

Haha, shafted again

No wonder i dl all me movies and tv.


The format war is so funny because they cant yet see they will both lose within 24 months. Streaming content is the future.

[Myocardial Infarction]

Thanks Hammer, very nice article find. I've been speccing up a HTPC and was looking at an LG drive that can do HD and BR in the same player, but I wonder whether this will not work aswell, going to have to check and find out.

Should prove to mess a few peoples plans up.

This article caught my eye recently :
<a href="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=969114" target="_blank">WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE ITS HIGH-DEFINITION DVD TITLES EXCLUSIVELY IN THE BLU-RAY DISC FORMAT BEGINNING LATER THIS YEAR</a>

I wonder how it's going to push the makers if their movies can't be read on older players. Turning into VHS/Betamax all over again

I might just pick up a very cheap DVD drive that is very quiet so I can install stuff and leave it at that tbh, do as Nelly sais and download everything

[Thane]

This is why I bought a PS3 for blu-ray, saw this coming a mile off.

[madman045]

Interesting, thanks for the info, I like my 360 a lot and dont have a HD TV, so didn't entertain the idea of a PS3, however this may change

Unlucky for the early adopters mind you

[Hammer]

I don't know what price players where for both formats when the came out or what price they are now. I don't have a HD or widescreen TV. Will get one once my current Tv gives up the ghost. I just download the HD films I want and watch them on my PC 22" widescreen samsung.

I would probably buy a Xbox 360 & PS2 if I wanted both formats. Then you have the consoles to play as well. They must be less tireing then the Nintendo Wii!

I'm to busy playing Cod4 at the moment so I haven't watched a film for a while. It's like the old days again with UT, Cod4 has taken over my life.

[Legthigh]

I'm to busy playing Cod4 at the moment so I haven't watched a film for a while. It's like the old days again with UT, Cod4 has taken over my life.

Same here except I'm playing CoD4 on my PS3 and watch Blu-Rays on that too, just like Thane I knew in the back of my mind this would happen.

Blu-ray looks fantastic too, even on my little biddy 26" LG HDTV you can still see a big difference over DVD.


And another good thing about the PS3 is it will upscale DVD's too, which is a nice little bonus.