I have taken the technology plunge. I put in a pre-order for a shiny new Blu-Ray player today on Amazon. Check out the just announced Panasonic DMP-BD35K.Blog regulars may recall the myriad HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray posts that flew around this site for months and years prior to the death of HD-DVD this spring. So it is no surprise that the Heffernans are interested in Blu-Ray technology. Why did I wait so long? What caused me to pull the trigger now? Why did I pre-order from Amazon? The answers lie below...
First off, nobody in their right mind would have purchased either HD disc format until the format war was decided. I actually wasn't sure it ever would be! But the quick and stunning defeat of HD-DVD gave me confidence that Blu-Ray would actually make it. After Blu-Ray won, the players available were in a bit of chaos. They were very expensive, well over $500. They had differing Blu-Ray standards (1.0, 1.1, 1.1+) that didn't always promise future disc compatibity. They supposedly had a lot of glitches, and took forever to load discs and content. Up until today, the best Blu-Ray player available was actaully a PS3! As a result, I watched and waited for the next generation of Blu-Ray players to hit the shelves - likely in time for Christmas.
Today, CNET ran a full review of the new Panasonic Blu-Ray line. I am a big CNET fan, and they know their electronics. The new review convinced me now was the time to pull the trigger. The BD35K comes in at $299. It is fully 2.0 compliant. It has the best image quality available in a Blu-Ray player. It has one of the best chips for upconverting older DVDs to 1080p. It fully decodes all the fancy audio modes in new movies for those of us that don't have a $2000 receiver. CNET says the only better player is the BD55K that offers analong 7.1 output, something that nobody needs anyway. Now is the time to buy. Other companies will release their new players soon, but Panasonic has been the reference standard for Blu-Ray from the start. It's this one, or wait until next year for the next generation, which will assuredly have a few minor updates. However, the major issues are addressed in this player today, and it's time.
I also decided to go with Amazon because of their great track record for me. I bought my HDTV from them, and am very happy. They always have the best price, and they don't have tax or shipping. Nice when you have over 9% sales tax.
So if anyone has been considering Blu-Ray, trust me when I say this is the time to take the plunge. As further incentive, all the big movies of this year are starting to come out in Blu-Ray. I am going to the store to buy Iron Man and Sleeping Beauty in Blu-Ray next week. The Dark Knight is coming sooooon!
5 comments:
By the way, anybody notice the severe lack of ND football posts the week before we all attend the game?
No way am I going to jinx the weekend. I'll take the Holtz approach and wonder how we'll ever be able to get a 1st down on Stanford.
You should've bought a PS3. I hear they're the best Blu-Ray players, and they'll always be ahead of the curve on compatibility since they're made by Sony. Oh, and they're also pretty cheap and you get an awesome gaming rig...
The other thing about PS3's, since it's a super-computer, Sony can release software updates and keep it compliant with new or updated standards.
You also get an awesome gaming rig...
I gotta admit, my PS3 is the "bomb". Love the HD quality, upscaling on standard DVDs, gaming, music, pictures, updatability. From what I've read, though, Blu-Ray is going to have a relatively short shelf life. Word is movies on memory cards or flash drives is the next wave.
PS3 is not what I want. The most glaring reason is that it requires a proprietary PS3 DVD remote control. How f$%ing lame is that to spend hundreds of dollars on a PS3, hook it up to your fancy HD system, and then have to stand up and push a button every time you need to pause, rewind or navigate through a menu. Give me a break.
As for upgrades, the Panasonic has an ethernet port for live content and upgrades (even my HDTV has that).
As for image quality, I trust the CNET review. They test it better than I ever will.
Shelf life of Blu-Ray? Who knows. But I have an HDTV now, and I want to be able to watch the movies I love in 1080p. I don't want to wait 5-10 years until the "next thing" comes out. I can notice a significant difference between upscaled DVDs and HD content on cable TV. The 1080i and 720p signals are much better. I know that the difference between those and 1080p is a big jump, so I want to be able to take advantage.
You're all invited over anytime for "research purposes."
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