The BDA needs to get to the point where it is no longer using the PS3 as a crutch. As darkside has already stated, there needs to be quality standalones out there that will properly play content without struggling through it.

The PS3 has gotten BD this far, now it's up to the CE companies to put out satisfactory players out there to ensure that consumers are able to enjoy discs without hiccups.

I don't really get the quote about the Batman Anthology taking longer... It was clearly under Q3 in their initial press release, and they just did these a few yrs ago for DVD.

I don't know if they need to drop a cell processor in the stand alones, but they need to do something. Profile 1.1 and 2.0 players had better be able to handle java without crawling along and they need to start fast and get through a movie without freezing.

The PS3 has no problem with this so obviously the CE companies are not putting the components in most of their standalones to properly handle Blu-ray playback.

As far as Warner, I'm glad they will continue to support the classics and I'm doing all I can. I've bought pretty much every classic movie they have released so far.

does that include the $1.05 billion charge they took for extending RROD warranties?

All the new players announced at CES are supposed to be using newer chips from Sigma Designs. These are supposed to handle java much better than current players. The Panasonic BD30 doesn't struggle too much with java discs.

I think the "problem" with the Blu-ray spec may be that they were too forward-thinking. It would be kind of like Adobe building a version of Photoshop that would run swimmingly on a 5 GHz processor, when there isn't a 5 GHz processor on the market yet. Will the market catch up? Of course. When it does, will the problems of today be nothing more than a (perhaps less-than-fond) memory? Probably. And will that forward-thinking design then still have a lot to offer? Most likely.

I'm not saying it was the best, or even the right, design choice. But it is what it is, and complaining about what can only be fixed with time seems kind of counterproductive. Really, only time will tell whether it was "worth it" or not.

The MS games division has only turned a profit since the past 2 quarters.

I haven't had any problems with freezing on my BDP-S1, but these Java-based menus have to be the worst thing about Blu-Ray. The load times on the A1 were swift compared to some of the load times I've sat through for Java stuff, and in some cases it's just for the menu. Lame.

I don't even think it would necessarily mean a price drop. That may just allow them to start making money on the console instead of losing it, or recoup what they've lost so far.

Looks like Heat is coming this year. Yay!

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ase_Plans/1443

Yes times a million.

HDD's source is thedigitalbits. again, for accuracy's sake, here is what thedigitalbits.com actually says about Heat:
i don't think we can ascertain from that, even in the context of the rest of the post, that it is definitely coming in 2008. that said, it's exciting that it will definitely get released in hi-def within the next year or two.

Princess Bride on Blu-ray? Has this been even remotely hinted at?

http://www.dvdboxoffice.com/980-8936...ducts/90245072

I somehow doubt it, but I was surfing around and saw this.

No, but considering how MGM's found a way to re-re-re-re-re-release it on DVD pretty much every year, it was inevitable.

It was announced back in late 06, then "postponed indefinitely" by FOX, and hasn't been mentioned since.

I pre-ordered the Princess Bride BD from Amazon in November 2006, and the ship date kept getting bumped forward, but never cancelled. Right now, it's scheduled to ship as early as 2/25/08 lol... at least one year when it finally does arrive, I'll still get the 10% off!

Samsung Sued Over Defective Blu-ray Players

Haha, it's about time Samsung owns up to making defective products. I've had one Samsung dvd player a while back and that is my one requisite Samsung product in my lifetime so that should tell you something.

I have a Samsung Plasma that I'm real happy with.

I absolutely love my Samsung DLP.

Ditto....I have a Sammy DLP and LCD....and had a another DLP some time back. ALL have performed flawlessly.

Imation/TDK to go Blu-exclusive for blank media

http://wesleytech.com/imation-drops-hd-dvd/537/

Imation drops HD DVD


The world’s leading recordable media manufacturer will back Blu-ray exclusively under their TDK brand, according to Warren News. TDK developed the extra scratch and dust resistant coating for the Blu-ray Disc format, but has so far made both competing high-def format blanks. This move mirrors the recent shift in the movie market lead by Warner in the beginning of January.

Blu-ray is the leading next-generation format in computing, with approximately 10% of all notebooks in the coming year expected to be sold with Blu-ray drives, thanks to the reduction in blue-violet diode costs. The USA hasn’t seen any set-top recorders for either format, but Japan is dominated by Blu-ray recorders.

I'm glad they're getting called on their BS support of their players.

I have a Sammy 6188 DLP and love it. I would have never considered buying a Samsung product for my HT, but my calibration service (Avical for those who know) heartily recommended the display for its ability to fine tune color reproduction through the service menu. For the money I paid for the display it was well worth it. I have been very surprised at the quality.

But I still will never buy any Samsung players, and if I ever get another display, it probably won't be a Samsung either, as I understand they have removed a lot of the service menu functionality from the late model DLP's.

Best Buy has announced they will recommend Blu-ray as the format of choice:

http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+R...e/3345206.html

I said it after the Warner announcement, but I will be surprised to find HD DVDs in retail stores by summertime.