DAMMIT! busted....

So I guess that answers the question if you get a reviewers model.

Watch out for that restocking fee if you got yours at BB.

I'm keeping mine. While I am disappointed there are problems with the first discs, I'm not willing to write off the whole format just yet. (Part of the reason is that there is less competition for the Blu-Ray discs among the reviewers here.)

And no, DVD Talk didn't get any review models for either format, though Geoff did try to get a Blu-Ray since they are so exspensive. His requests were met with deafening silence.

That's because they realized what the reviews would say about PQ.

I had posted elsewhere that there are rumors that the PS3 is actually making a shortage of parts for other players, so it could be that they really had none to spare. I'm sure G2 will be more plentiful.

Will the discs that have problems be replaced by the company who made them? There have always been problems with some DVDs in the past...like Back to the Future where they left off (I belive) the low frequency track.

BD doesn't need reviewers. It's BEYOND reviewers.

Which discs exactly do you mean? If it's any made by Sony, the answer is no.

To be fair, Toshiba didn't send out review models either.

Yeah but you'd actually WANT to buy one of those

I think your statement about gamers generally not caring about movies is utterly wrong. Sure there will be some gamers who do not watch many films....but i have yet to meet a gamer who doesn't own a DVD movie, who doesn't go to the cinema or who hasn't actually used their console to watch a movie. UMD movies and the PSP failed for a number of reasons. The PSP was far too expensive, it is too bulky and the fact of the matter is that people who buy these portable devices tend to buy them for one specific purpose. I myself have an Video iPod, but i only use it for music. I have only once watched something on it...and that was to test that it worked. I have actually seen more people watching UMD's on the PSP than have been playing games on it. The idea of watching a movie on a tiny screen is not popular with the majority of people and is purley a gimmick that will only sucker punch the young and uninformed. People buy iPods because it is purely seen as an MP3 player...and the best on the market. It is innovative, well designed and compact. But with the introduction of the Video iPod i have yet to see any other person watching a video on one. The whole market for selling portable video players in ANY format is very limited and will most times fail miserably. And the same goes for these multi-purpose devices. They try to fit everything into one package and succeed in being Jacks of All trades and masters of none. People that want to buy a serious device for listening to MP3's will always go for something specifically designed for that purpose. It makes sense. Added to which i get the impression that PSP's have been marketed more as a childs toy than anything really to be taken seriously.

But getting back to your original point. When i go to the video library, or go to the cinema, or even go to a store selling DVDs/games....i invariably see the same kind of people at each location. All my friends are gamers and we all enjoy watching movies and buying DVDs as much as the next man. Next you will be saying that generally gamers don't watch Television, or eat at McDonalds, or drink Pepsi...etc.

I think that people are getting bogged down with trying to judge a format before it has even been put into wide circulation. I can understand it because most of the high voices will be people that have HD players and movies and are trying to be loyal to the purchases they have made. Thats fine. But i think only a true judgement can be made when a system has been given enough time to introduce itself, finds its flaws and adjust itself accordingly. I look at early DVD releases as an analogy here. I remember buying the first release copy of Boogie Nights on DVD and the picture quality was sub-VHS in quality. It was appallingly bad. But since that time the format has found its feet and has spent time on producing a better product. Looking at the long term i think its impossible to say unequivically that the PS3/Blu-Ray is dead in the water. I know that the price of the PS3 has been set high and a lot of people are saying that they are unwilling to pay the price. However last year with the introduction of th 360 i remember looking at the auctions for them on Ebay and people were paying literally thousands of dollars for a system. And a system that was released with flaws. I don't think there will be any shortage of people lining up to buy the PS3 The PS2 was the fastest selling console in history and sold over 100 million units worldwide. Now even if a small percent of those people buy a PS3 it will mean that the Blu-rays will have been introduced into a large number of homes very quickly.