Bluray and the PS3

[vern]

Just a few questions that I could probably find on the web, but wanted to see what you guys have experienced.

I've read around that not all Bluray players support all features of the Bluray standard, hence won't support all the good stuff that many Bluray titles have today and in the future.

With that said, I have a PS3, but have yet to buy Bluray movies in favor of HD-DVD movies or simply DVD movies. Because Bluray seems to have gotten the upperhand in the format wars, maybe it's time to switch my buying habits. Which leads me to my question(s), does/will the PS3 support all current and future features of Bluray? If not, has Sony mentioned anything about updates that would remedy that?

Much thanks.

 

[tdinc]

Well, lets first start off by pointing out the facts.

1) HD-DVD is Dead

2) You are 100% safe and good to go with your PS3. Any and all future Blu-Ray format updates will be via the Firmware updates from Sony.

3) You have to remember that Blu-ray is now the current standard for HD.
The PS3 is Sony's baby, it was created first and foremost as a Gaming machine. but As Sony intentions were also to have it as a fully functioning Media center and Blu-Ray Player.

So bottom line, Start your movie collection on Blu-Ray. you will be very happy

 

[BouncingSoul]

I'm dying to start mine.... I just want to wait to see if they release a 120gb version with the 45nm cell first.

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

Yes the PS3 is the machine to get for BR's , because it is exactly what tdinc said, it has fully upgradable firmware .... so there is no worries, I heard they will make the PS3 is other color's , ie: White , Silver

 

[American Zombie]

Any and all future Blu-Ray format updates will be via the Firmware updates from Sony.

I don't know if I would go as far as saying all future updates. There could always be some added feature or media changes that a firmware update can not provide. I have seen DVD Rom's that can not play some types of the latest media and a firmware update will not fix. But, the latest DVD Rom's can play these just fine. Sometimes hardware is changed or advanced and firmware updates will not address these things.

We have already seen this as Blu-Ray has progressed.

 

[tdinc]

I don't know if I would go as far as saying all future updates. There could always be some added feature or media changes that a firmware update can not provide. I have seen DVD Rom's that can not play some types of the latest media and a firmware update will not fix. But, the latest DVD Rom's can play these just fine. Sometimes hardware is changed or advanced and firmware updates will not address these things.

We have already seen this as Blu-Ray has progressed.

you raise perfectly good points zombie. But wouldn't Sony have already thought of this. as Blu-Ray is a Sony creation, and anything that would be considered a media change in the code would have to be approved. So again the PS3 for the Money is by far the best value.

 

[Grandmaster]

I wonder if MS will now come out with a Bluray player for the 360... and maybe they'll sell it uber cheap.

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

I read somewhere that Bill Gates had said he would consider a BR player for the Xbox360 ... I will try to find that



http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16730/1092/


Here is something

Oh here is the one I remember reading


http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/bluedragon/news.html?sid=6142137

 

[tdinc]

From what I have been reading So far it is not on M$'s plate to make a Blu-Ray player for the 360. Microsoft unlikely to release Blu-ray drive

So its anyones guess right now. With the speculation of M$ ditching the 360 and a new system in the works. maybe the next console will support BR

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson believes <<< who is this chap?



Its 2008 and they can't keep Wii's on the shelves ... Not sure we will see a new Nin in 2010 but who really knows !

 

[American Zombie]

you raise perfectly good points zombie. But wouldn't Sony have already thought of this. as Blu-Ray is a Sony creation, and anything that would be considered a media change in the code would have to be approved. So again the PS3 for the Money is by far the best value.

At the 2007 CES Ritek revealed a High Definition optical disc process that extends the disc capacity to 10 layers which would be 250 GB for Blu-Ray. However, they noted that the major obstacle is that current reader and writer technology does not support the additional layers even with a firmware upgrade.

If this becomes the media of choice in the future then all current drives including the one in the PS3 would become obsolete.

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

So they wont go to 10 .... end of problem

 

[American Zombie]

Do you really think that will happen?

People kept asking for more hard drive space and look at how big available drive capacity's are now. People always want more space just like CD was not big enough so now there is DVD.

If the technology is there then people will most likely want it.

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

They will offer some other form I would think that is independent of the whole blu ray movie area... its not like we dont have other kinds of tech we could use for things other than the movies

 

[LeeJend]

Multimedia demand will drive the next generation optical device just like it drove the last generations from VHS to DVD to HD/Blu-Ray.

Right now we're pretty much good with 25-50 Gig media. The flat panel technology won't support more than 1080P for a while. So media over 50 gig is not required. Besides hard drives are much cheaper, faster and have the best data retention.

There is not enough uptake in the "computer" end of the industry to drive new technology. CD went to music before it got adopted for program delivery and storage. Same with DVD and vidoeo. Game consoles drove HD/Blu Ray adoption. For that matter Blu ray adoption is stilll relatively low but should take off as flat panel sales skyrocket and prices drop to $100-150 range. On the other hand paying $30 for a movie is absurd.

The whole DVR thing is cutting into sales also. DVR is free. My reason for getting VHS and DVD recorders was to time shift shows. DVR kills time shift motivation for Blu-ray. They need to drop commercial DVDs to $10 and Blu Ray to $20
to stimulate uptake on the technology. But the pigopolists won't do that, even though blu-ray could be kept uncopyable.

Blu-ray could end up a dead end technology too if they impeded uptake long enough something better could come along. (10 layer media, UV LED's (half the wavelnght of blue), etc).

For that matter is there any way to burn to blu ray yet other than a PC? HD receiver in a PC maybe , but they can turn that function off with a broadcast key.

Back on topic. There could be new features that they would not be allowed into firmware. Firmware can be hacked. The digital rights restrictions prevalent now could drive a requirement that new funcitonality be restricted to hardware solutions. If Sony chose to ignore the DMCA rules their product would be banned in the USA, a primary market.

This gets interesting from a monolpoly stand point. Sony as the standard provider and a major content provider could try and get a strangle hode on the entire entertainment industry by allowing themsleves more capability on blu ray disks than other studios were comfortable with. This could get very interesting. My crystal ball shows corporate international lawyers facing off and further delaying new technology deployment. And then wait until the gubberment officials get involved.

Maybe HD should have been kept alive... Me thinks the other major studios just made a mistake abandoning HD.

 

[Tuffgong4]

I actually got my PS3 for the media and Blu-Ray capabilities. Then I'm waiting for the Sony only games. It has lived up to all expectations I have used it for whether it's reading media off my flash drive to showing full 1080P on my Samsung 50 incher.

I love the ps3. I would love it more if it was easier to develop for on the gaming side but now that I have it I couldn't live without it. Hell I don't even care if it was a gaming machine because it's superior media capabilities is amazing.

 

[Shamus MacNoob]

I actually got my PS3 for the media and Blu-Ray capabilities. Then I'm waiting for the Sony only games. It has lived up to all expectations I have used it for whether it's reading media off my flash drive to showing full 1080P on my Samsung 50 incher.

I love the ps3. I would love it more if it was easier to develop for on the gaming side but now that I have it I couldn't live without it. Hell I don't even care if it was a gaming machine because it's superior media capabilities is amazing.

WORD ~!

 

[Sazar]

My ps3 is used for Folding and nothing else currently.

 

[Electronic Punk]

I hear it makes a good paperweight, a bit like my hd-dvd player for the 360. RIP.

 

[Geffy]

I hear it makes a good paperweight, a bit like my hd-dvd player for the 360. RIP.

on the plus side you might start finding HD-DVD titles in the bargain bucket of your local HMV