9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
#126
DVD Talk Hero
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Fixed that for ya.
I feel absolutely no sympathy for someone who can't be bothered to learn about something that isn't mandatory, that they simply want. Call me an elitist. It's ok, you won't be the first.
Oh, and by infancy, I refer to the point where it starts becoming a mass-market device. Price has kept many away for the first 2 years, starting last summer it is hitting puberty.
I feel absolutely no sympathy for someone who can't be bothered to learn about something that isn't mandatory, that they simply want. Call me an elitist. It's ok, you won't be the first.
Oh, and by infancy, I refer to the point where it starts becoming a mass-market device. Price has kept many away for the first 2 years, starting last summer it is hitting puberty.
#127
DVD Talk Hero
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
That's because there's a long history of potential computer issues and folks have come to accept it as normal. Blu-ray is positioned as the next step beyond DVD and thus people will look at it in the same simplicity that DVD had.
And of course, there's numerous services available to help folks with their computers for a price, which kind of makes Best Buy's attempt at $30 firmware updates understandable since consumers are used to paying others to fix their stuff
And of course, there's numerous services available to help folks with their computers for a price, which kind of makes Best Buy's attempt at $30 firmware updates understandable since consumers are used to paying others to fix their stuff

#129
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Today was a great example of how downloadable content is not even close to being ready for prime time. Of course BluRay would have done no better in distributing the inauguration content today, but the performance of the pages streaming this event, an the whole internet as a whole slowed to a crawl. Numerous people were in the dark trying to view it online. This is a great argument for live TV over streaming content. The a lot of the folks counting on watching it on their computer were in for a surprise. While TV worked as usual.
I can see something similar happening on the eve of a big movie becoming available as a download. Slow load times, people being left out. At least with BluRay, companies can start producing discs far ahead of time to meet demand.
I can see something similar happening on the eve of a big movie becoming available as a download. Slow load times, people being left out. At least with BluRay, companies can start producing discs far ahead of time to meet demand.
#130
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
I tell people this about downloading HD content as viable.
Imagine all the roads in the US.
Now imagine every goddamn car in the US is on the road at the same time, trying to get to a destination...with traffic lights working sometimes.
Nuff said. Downloading sucks ass.
Imagine all the roads in the US.
Now imagine every goddamn car in the US is on the road at the same time, trying to get to a destination...with traffic lights working sometimes.
Nuff said. Downloading sucks ass.
#131
DVD Talk Hero
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Today was a great example of how downloadable content is not even close to being ready for prime time. Of course BluRay would have done no better in distributing the inauguration content today, but the performance of the pages streaming this event, an the whole internet as a whole slowed to a crawl. Numerous people were in the dark trying to view it online. This is a great argument for live TV over streaming content. The a lot of the folks counting on watching it on their computer were in for a surprise. While TV worked as usual.
I can see something similar happening on the eve of a big movie becoming available as a download. Slow load times, people being left out. At least with BluRay, companies can start producing discs far ahead of time to meet demand.
I can see something similar happening on the eve of a big movie becoming available as a download. Slow load times, people being left out. At least with BluRay, companies can start producing discs far ahead of time to meet demand.
#132
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Today was a great example of how downloadable content is not even close to being ready for prime time. Of course BluRay would have done no better in distributing the inauguration content today, but the performance of the pages streaming this event, an the whole internet as a whole slowed to a crawl. Numerous people were in the dark trying to view it online. This is a great argument for live TV over streaming content. The a lot of the folks counting on watching it on their computer were in for a surprise. While TV worked as usual.
I can see something similar happening on the eve of a big movie becoming available as a download. Slow load times, people being left out. At least with BluRay, companies can start producing discs far ahead of time to meet demand.
I can see something similar happening on the eve of a big movie becoming available as a download. Slow load times, people being left out. At least with BluRay, companies can start producing discs far ahead of time to meet demand.
Streams were not problematic because of bandwidth, but because the streamers were not prepared to service the demand (for the most part).
#134
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
I tell people this about downloading HD content as viable.
Imagine all the roads in the US.
Now imagine every goddamn car in the US is on the road at the same time, trying to get to a destination...with traffic lights working sometimes.
Nuff said. Downloading sucks ass.
Imagine all the roads in the US.
Now imagine every goddamn car in the US is on the road at the same time, trying to get to a destination...with traffic lights working sometimes.
Nuff said. Downloading sucks ass.
#135
DVD Talk Legend
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
You are mistaking bandwidth with availability. It can be assumed that as one of these services takes off, it scales to meet demand. The demand for the inaguration was off the charts abnormal, and systems were not able to meet that demand. The pipe was open, but the water company didn't have a pump big enough to fill the pipe faster than it was emptied.
Streams were not problematic because of bandwidth, but because the streamers were not prepared to service the demand (for the most part).
Streams were not problematic because of bandwidth, but because the streamers were not prepared to service the demand (for the most part).
Your analogy is totally flawed. Servers are not "pumps". The interweb is not composed of "pipes".
Putting the available bandwidth in place for the interweb to stream true HD content to people's houses is a collosal undertaking. Most people don't even have broadband yet. I guess it'd make a great economic stimulus project.
#136
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Hate to break it to you, but the "pipes" analogy is used pretty often. It was not the bandwidth to houses that was causing issues, it was the inability of servers to service so many clients simultaneously.
And again, streaming a live even is totally different than a download.
And again, streaming a live even is totally different than a download.
#137
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Also, you are taking one event, the inauguration, and assuming that sites would have ramped up to a huge degree for one single event. It wouldn't need to be so immediate with some type of downloading service. As demand increased, the necessary hardware would scale up to meet demand in a curve, rather than a huge peak, then an equally huge drop off.
Of course, there would be peaks, and headaches in any system, when demand is underestimated for a big title. but that is hardly any different than BD- remember Iron Man?
Of course, there would be peaks, and headaches in any system, when demand is underestimated for a big title. but that is hardly any different than BD- remember Iron Man?
#138
DVD Talk Legend
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Hate to break it to you, but the "pipes" analogy is used pretty often. It was not the bandwidth to houses that was causing issues, it was the inability of servers to service so many clients simultaneously.
And again, streaming a live even is totally different than a download.
And again, streaming a live even is totally different than a download.
The bandwidth to houses? You realize the problem is one of total infrastructure, right?
There's hardly any difference between live streaming and downloading.
Psst... I used to work for a company that did on demand and live video streaming.
#139
DVD Talk Legend
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Also, you are taking one event, the inauguration, and assuming that sites would have ramped up to a huge degree for one single event. It wouldn't need to be so immediate with some type of downloading service. As demand increased, the necessary hardware would scale up to meet demand in a curve, rather than a huge peak, then an equally huge drop off.
Of course, there would be peaks, and headaches in any system, when demand is underestimated for a big title. but that is hardly any different than BD- remember Iron Man?
Of course, there would be peaks, and headaches in any system, when demand is underestimated for a big title. but that is hardly any different than BD- remember Iron Man?
An OC-768(!!!) has max bandwidth of ~40000 Mb/s. That's not even 4000 people watching/downloading a BD movie.
And even something that's compressed to hell like the inauguration took Akamai to their knees, with only 7 million viewers. That's one decent TV show. What are you going to do with the other 300 channels?
#140
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
#141
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
I really am at a loss to understand why people want HD VOD, streamed or otherwise.
So they can pay every time they want to watch their favorite movie? So, if they pay extra for a digital copy that they can keep and watch multiple times, they have to buy huge amounts of storage space for their downloads?
Sure, that's fine for the casual movie-watcher. But for people with collections of a few hundred (or thousand) movies, it sounds like a really f*cked-up idea.
So they can pay every time they want to watch their favorite movie? So, if they pay extra for a digital copy that they can keep and watch multiple times, they have to buy huge amounts of storage space for their downloads?
Sure, that's fine for the casual movie-watcher. But for people with collections of a few hundred (or thousand) movies, it sounds like a really f*cked-up idea.
#142
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Your analogy is totally flawed. Servers are not "pumps". The interweb is not composed of "pipes".
Putting the available bandwidth in place for the interweb to stream true HD content to people's houses is a collosal undertaking. Most people don't even have broadband yet. I guess it'd make a great economic stimulus project.
Putting the available bandwidth in place for the interweb to stream true HD content to people's houses is a collosal undertaking. Most people don't even have broadband yet. I guess it'd make a great economic stimulus project.
But I agree, people just don't get exactly what is truly required for every inch of the connected planet to do HD, esp in addition to everything else happening on the web at any particular time.
(although, if we shut down a whole bunch of porn sites, who knows how much bandwidth would turn up)
#143
DVD Talk Hero
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
I really am at a loss to understand why people want HD VOD, streamed or otherwise.
So they can pay every time they want to watch their favorite movie? So, if they pay extra for a digital copy that they can keep and watch multiple times, they have to buy huge amounts of storage space for their downloads?
Sure, that's fine for the casual movie-watcher. But for people with collections of a few hundred (or thousand) movies, it sounds like a really f*cked-up idea.
So they can pay every time they want to watch their favorite movie? So, if they pay extra for a digital copy that they can keep and watch multiple times, they have to buy huge amounts of storage space for their downloads?
Sure, that's fine for the casual movie-watcher. But for people with collections of a few hundred (or thousand) movies, it sounds like a really f*cked-up idea.

HD VOD intrigues me because I'm not a fan of paying $20 for a movie I will probably watch once, and when I sell it I'm likely to get $14 or less for it (not including shipping/package/gas etc). Renting a title for $4-$6 is a might nice idea for me...been doing that far more often as of late on my 360/AppleTV. Sure, it may not be as nice as BD in the PQ/AQ department, but I'm not a pic/audiophile like some.
#144
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
...and there's the advantage of immediacy too. If I want to watch something I don't own, I can dial it up and have it handy really, really quickly. It could be a title that the local stores don't carry (meaning I'd have to order it online if I wanted a physical copy and wait a few days), and maybe it's a title that's not in high-def on a physical format at all. I see movies pop up in HD VOD even through my lousy cable provider all the time that aren't on Blu-ray (everything from The Philadelphia Story to Lars and the Real Girl).
#145
DVD Talk Legend
Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
There's also the strong possibility that it won't be PPV, but rather a "buy once, stream any time" model, or even a subscription with unlimited streaming like NetFlix has now.
#146
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Very few people watch a film more then once when they buy it (not including kids films). We might be the minority, but I would say looking at my DVD/HD/BD collection I probably watched 20% of my films more then once and at least half never even cracked open the wrapper...
You really think they will EVER do that? I suppose Apple is close. Hmm...
#147
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
...and there's the advantage of immediacy too. If I want to watch something I don't own, I can dial it up and have it handy really, really quickly. It could be a title that the local stores don't carry (meaning I'd have to order it online if I wanted a physical copy and wait a few days), and maybe it's a title that's not in high-def on a physical format at all. I see movies pop up in HD VOD even through my lousy cable provider all the time that aren't on Blu-ray (everything from The Philadelphia Story to Lars and the Real Girl).
I swear, people think that there are these great, infinitely large machines out there that are desperate to host EVERY movie ever made. It just makes me laugh. Your digital choices will be so limited should that day ever happen, that you'll be begging for the days of physical media to return.
The good thing about physical media is, once it hits print, you can buy it! Once you've bought it, you never have to worry about it being out of print again.
#148
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
I think Christmas '08 was a lot bigger for Blu-ray than many might realize. Age groups are important. The 35-45 age group is a tough, tough sell. I know, I'm in that age group & sat out the format war completely. I finally jumped into Blu-ray late last year. Four of my friends got either Blu-ray players &/or 1080P TVs at Christmas. I see this as significant, because only 1 of them actaully has a DVD collection. Now all of them own between 5 - 10 Blu's & want more. Blu-ray seems to be just getting started with my age group.
I see people talking about VOD/Streaming. I would think streaming in the future, would likely be a nice supplement to an already existing Blu-ray/DVD collection. People like physical media. Resolution can & will go up. There is no question the technology is already there. But a major problem is that people don't want to buy a new TVs & players every year or two. Not to mention the confusion it causes the public. 1080P seems to be a nice jumping off point, to settle into a new format for several years
I see people talking about VOD/Streaming. I would think streaming in the future, would likely be a nice supplement to an already existing Blu-ray/DVD collection. People like physical media. Resolution can & will go up. There is no question the technology is already there. But a major problem is that people don't want to buy a new TVs & players every year or two. Not to mention the confusion it causes the public. 1080P seems to be a nice jumping off point, to settle into a new format for several years
#149
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#150
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Re: 9 reasons why Blu-ray will succeed
Many will look at new technologies and say younger folks would be more interested in it. Indeed, they would be but the price of new tech normally keeps them from jumping on something new like Blu-ray.
-comix