Whatever Happened To Blu-ray?

Just to further point out, if Sony wanted to turn BR into a cash cow the way to do that is to try to give it inertia. And they need tons of existing BR discs and drives out there to do it. Think if you have a entire wall of BR discs you are more likely to add to it, replace drives if they fail. But by making BR drives and software a pain to use and buy and even find in devices you want sony just helped speed up the switch to streaming for many people. All this means their giant multibillion dollar investment in BR is going to have a much lower ROI over the long term because it wont have nearly as much inertia.
 
I watched Rocky on VHS not too long ago. It was amazing. I pressed play, a "Copyright" warning came up and then the movie immediately started, no ads or previews or anything, just straight to the movie.
 
Physical formats as a whole are just less desirable to most people now days. People have NAS boxes, external hard drives, servers etc and rather just store everything as files. I don't remember the last time I watched a DVD or Bluray. In fact I don't even own a Bluray player.
 
The thing that really turned me off to blu ray was the fact it kept screwing up. Constant updates for DRM. Never ending advertisements.

Look. If your DRM gets broken within 24 hours of its release, you might want to consider the fact that DRM isn't going to work, and you are only punishing the people who actually pay.

And on to my second point.

I didn't spend $25 to watch a fucking advertisement.

It's the same reason I can't watch cable TV anymore. Don't get me wrong. I have cable. I just refuse to watch it. Why would I pay to watch advertisements that grow longer and longer in length every single year.

DVR and if I forget to record something, I go watch it online.

Content when I want it, in the form I want it.

I'm a paying consumer, but I refuse to watch commercials every 3 minutes.
 
Oh gee, another "this is dead" story. Blu-Ray isn't going away just yet. Streaming may seem great to some, but I can just pop in a disc and have perfect picture quality on a nice 63" Hi-Def plasma screen. I can watch what I want when I want, no subscription fees, no quality loss, no buffering, and it's all paid for. Besides that, I don't have to have a sporking internet connection to a television just to watch a movie.
 
the issue is adoption rate with bluray players, the only people I know who own a bluray player are thsoe who have it via a console. so gamers.

bluray players still cost significantly more than dvd players. I havent got a bluray drive in my pc as well sicne they still too expensive. for some odd reason bluray isnt dropping in price like dvd did, I feel its as if price rigging is keeping it high.
 
schizrade said:
Your compressed stream is not the same.
Click to expand...

I understand that, but for me the benefit is not even close to worth it. Not to mention I can't back the damn things up because you don't actually own the content, you own _that_ disc.
 
I live in New Zealand. I have a 120gb cap per month on my internet. How am I supposed to watch HD content with dts audio? i basically have no choice but to buy bluray. We dont have a (convenient) service such as netflix to be able to stream media, we have one satellite tv company that has a monopoly on the market and plays nothing but 50 channels of horseshit, none of which are actually a 1080p broadcast. If I want to enjoy a movie with great sound on my beautiful 5.1 system then I go blu-ray.
 
Physical formats have higher image quality, streams are incredibly convenient.

I use both, using Blu Ray for movies where image and sound really matter to me. Netflix is great for things like comedies, TV shows, or if I'm just feeling lazy.
 
blu-ray has the absolute best quality (both video and audio). Downloads and streaming pale in comparison. I think AVS forums recently compared 4k Netflix streaming versus blu-ray and the blu-ray was still way better. Not to mention lossless audio (which is largely unappreciated).
 
Problem is most people are perfectly happy with sub $5 DVDs from Walmart and an DVD player with up convert ability.
Does the blueray look better?
Yes.
But in this shitty ass economy its not $15 better.
 
rudy said:
I would say there is more to it than just streaming. Sony totally screwed up blu ray market penetration. They try to way over charge on every angle for blu ray and control it. Want to buy software for blu ray? Might cost you $100, want to buy a BR drive its double a dvd drive. After Sony won the format war they should have approached MS and offered a good deal to put BR on the xbox 360. Even if you own a BR and all the hardware it still might not play if your system doesn't get updated.

To me its ridiculous that they try to charge from every angle. They should be allowing people to make BR drives and software for free and only charging royalties on the disc.

Also consumers are getting sick of formats. I personally do not buy much of any BR discs, just no point because by the time you start to build a collection they come out with a new format. Now you guys might say well BR is the last format, but its not, because 4K is next and already here. So all those 1080p BR movies you bought are not going to feel old. The studios might just resell you a new BR that is 4K. You never owned a video and you never will so I submit to just renting because realistically that is all I was ever doing anyway.
Click to expand...

Microsoft wasn't interested, that's why it didn't happen. Wow, you say newer technology costs more the older technology. I can't believe that! Who pays $100 for software? OMG that's crazy expensive!
 
timta2 said:
Microsoft wasn't interested, that's why it didn't happen. Wow, you say newer technology costs more the older technology. I can't believe that! Who pays $100 for software? OMG that's crazy expensive!
Click to expand...

You are just making this up. News articles and statements from MS personnel expressed interest in having a BR drive addon for the xbox 360 why it didn't happen is way more likely to be the same reason it didn't happen for apple and others. It was obscenely expensive to license. MS once said that adding BR support to windows would have costs $30 / license.

$100 for software that only plays the BR, not the actual hardware is ludicrous given it costs more than an entire stand alone player. This was all on sony who failed to make any sort of sense and value in the product.

Basically Sony didn't want anyone to put a BR player on their computer that is the only explanation for their horrible policies.
 
I bought a LG burner a few years go just to condense down DVD's. The 5x space comes in handy for large ISO files that would not fit on a DVD or DVD-DL.

Nice to see the price is down to a buck a disk, actually cheaper then DVD for the amount of given space.

Even the Verbatim RE's are down to 2 bucks a disk for backup of stuff you might change your mind about later.
 
Digital downloads from Google Play and iTunes along with streaming services provided by Netflix, Hulu and even Youtube have basically made physical media undesirable, why bother storing and sorting through movies for anything when you can just log on and watch. I don't know a single person that bothers with a high end home theater, none of them would turn a free home theater down, but at the end of the day they all watch movies on iPads and laptops either directly or hooked up to their living room TV, it's just too convenient not too.

Digital distribution has reached that point of "good enough" quality that the average consumer now goes after the lower cost (sometimes free) and universal access offered by online movies.
 
DejaWiz said:
Blu-ray is already at an affordable price point. $5-15 for A LOT of movies, $17-22 for the more popular (or more recent) titles, $15-40 for combo packs. It really wasn't that long ago when a DVD was able to fetch $25-50 at the register.
Click to expand...

The damage is done already, people have the general conception of blu-ray being overpriced so they won't even bother. I'm one of them.

It's also questionable why I would pay 15 dollars for a physical copy of a movie I can watch for 4 dollars using AppleTV or even cheaper on netflix. I can understand enthusiasts like my friend with his 5000 dollar 3D projector, 9.1 audio etc. to pay that money but not any mainstream users.
 
Stiletto said:
Streaming HD content. Do I really have to explain this?
Click to expand...

Once your ISP puts in monthly low caps and high overage charges... there'll be plenty to explain to the family when they cant stream any more movies for the month. :D

That day is coming, and is why I still prefer to buy BR discs and watch/rip them to my PC for streaming to the TV.

Dont think for one minute that Comcast and Verizon are going to let us all stream endless amounts of data every month forever.
 
Most films aren't worth the bother or watching more than once.

So Prime or Netflix for me. I offloaded most of my physical media collection to the charity shops after I checked over my large collection to find that only about 10% had been watched more than once.

It's just crap on a shelf.
 
While blue-ray is awesome while maintaining perfect audio and picture, I do think unless they can find a way to fit a 4k film on one, it's pretty much going away and a new format will come out.

I hate streaming. It frustrates me more than anything. I pay for anime streaming and it's horrible. Same reason why I stopped Netflix.
 
I have a BR drive in my HTPC. How many times have I used it to watch a BR disc? Once, for a live concert.

I may be in the minority, but I haven't seen a good movie in years, but if something interests me, I'll typically see it in theaters anyways.

TV shows I just download.
 
I think the US's terrible infrastructure issues hold back streaming.

Here in the UK it's not perfect but most people I know get a solid 8Mbps+ connection. I currently have a 17Mbps connection and next month that goes up to over 60Mbps.

Netflix and Prime HD streams work perfectly. No buffering, stuttering or pixellation. Press button, movie starts.
 
I find it amusing how people are so addicted to movies and tv shows in general. If it weren't for my wife, I wouldn't even have a TV or a HTPC to begin with.
 
I used to collect blurays and movies, now with my Apple TV I just buy what I want when its on sale. Price is a major factor, hell last week iTunes had all last years Oscar movies for 10.00 in HD I am sure that the blurays would have been at least 15.00 still. I have a fast enough internet service to stream 1080p content so I dont have a problem with that. If blurays were cheaper, and not region locked they would outpace DVDs in a heartbeat. Region lock is a big thing now especially for 3D people who have kids because apparently Disney isnt releasing 3D anymore stateside. Frozen US released didnt have a 3D picture so it had to be imported to get it lucky it was a region free disc.
 
XViper said:
While blue-ray is awesome while maintaining perfect audio and picture, I do think unless they can find a way to fit a 4k film on one, it's pretty much going away and a new format will come out.

I hate streaming. It frustrates me more than anything. I pay for anime streaming and it's horrible. Same reason why I stopped Netflix.
Click to expand...
There currently is a triple-layer Blu-ray disc called BDXL which can fit up to 128 GB of data. The H.265 codec can compress 4k video down to 85 Mbps, which would be around 38 GB per hour. Using that amount of compression, a 4k movie that is of higher quality than a 4k broadcast stream of 20/40 Mbps can fit onto a Blu-ray disc. Now if we ever want to see anything higher quality, we are going to have to rethink how movies are delivered on physical media. Uncompressed 4k video at 24p and 36-bit color is 3.44 TB per hour :eek:.
 
Streaming for stuff you watch casually - or with stuff you're not so sure about and don't want to waste money on a disk. Find something awesome on streaming and/or want the full movie experience? Then get it on Blu-ray. Almost never go to the movies anymore except for a choice few as a well thought-out home theater (without breaking the bank) can rival that experience - and you can pause it if you need to pee ;) . And as for Blu-ray being expensive? Most disks I have are from Best-buy and they were something like $7 (DVD's were $5) - others might be twice as much (*gasp!*) but tend to have ultraviolet... so you can stream them as well without some subscription.
 
Armenius said:
To those preaching HD streaming... Get back to me when I can stream full 1080p content that is encoded at 40 Mbps, in addition to lossless surround audio up to 24.5 Mbps, like a standard Blu-ray allows.
Click to expand...

The home video market has proven that being best quality doesn't mean much. Remember, Beta Max was superior to VHS, but still lost. Streaming just needs to be good enough. Most people will not notice the difference between lossless audio or not, so don't really care. Streaming HD video looks great on most TV's. They can easily rent or buy a streaming video immediately without having to leave the house.

The combination of good enough and convenience is an exceptionally compelling combination as is instant access to your video collection from anywhere.
 
The tech no longer interests me.

Can I watch all the movies I can handle in high quality picture and sound on my TV for £6 a month without leaving my sofa? Yes I can. Deal! The rest of you can leave.
 
ChedWick said:
It will have truly won when movies stop coming in the bluray/dvd combo packs and only when that's before a new format is out.
Click to expand...
Until mega SUVs come with Blu-ray players they will have the combo packs. Blu-ray for the house and DVD for the mega SUV.
 
griffinhart said:
The home video market has proven that being best quality doesn't mean much. Remember, Beta Max was superior to VHS, but still lost. Streaming just needs to be good enough. Most people will not notice the difference between lossless audio or not, so don't really care. Streaming HD video looks great on most TV's. They can easily rent or buy a streaming video immediately without having to leave the house.

The combination of good enough and convenience is an exceptionally compelling combination as is instant access to your video collection from anywhere.
Click to expand...
True, most of the market does not care. But I think there are enough people out there like myself who can tell the difference and don't want to compromise quality who are supporting the market for Blu-ray. And I'm not a videophile or audiophile by any stretch of the imagination (at least when looking at something like the Computer Audio subforum :D).
 
ChedWick said:
I have yet to get an actual HD stream out of any legit, legal, streaming service.
Click to expand...

I do with netflix as long as I bump the audio down to stereo. It's not as good as blu-ray, it's about on par with HD downloads, it's noticably better than "HD" cable ( I guess frequent macro blocking and other compression artifacts at 1080i is HD).

I will side with a previous poster that it cuts into what I'm actually willing to drop money on in terms of physical media. Although quality of movies has helped a lot with that too. I under stand wishy washy middle of the road crap helps pack the seats around the globe better, but it isn't very compelling.
 
My blu-ray player was stolen a couple years ago when my house was broken in to. I never had a reason to replace it, I only own a handful of blu-rays and stream just about everything now.
 
Armenius said:
And I'm not a videophile or audiophile by any stretch of the imagination (at least when looking at something like the Computer Audio subforum :D).
Click to expand...

Try checking out some of the setups in AVS Forums or others. It's almost like I'm using tin cans and string with a kid using crayons to draw my picture. Some people have some amazing setups.
 
daglesj said:
I think the US's terrible infrastructure issues hold back streaming.

Here in the UK it's not perfect but most people I know get a solid 8Mbps+ connection. I currently have a 17Mbps connection and next month that goes up to over 60Mbps.

Netflix and Prime HD streams work perfectly. No buffering, stuttering or pixellation. Press button, movie starts.
Click to expand...

Yup, pretty much this. Because there's more land area and there's a lot less developed infrastructure because of local regulatory roadblocks and a segment of the population that is afraid of technology, the US lags behind in a lot of ways including education, baseline intelligence, and Internet access. It sucks, but do you really hafta remind everyone about how bad it is. I mean, I can look out a window and watch the stupid people in their pickup trucks covered in stickers that are an attempt to look like that "I'm a big bad hunter with lotsa guns, duh hyuck!" camo pattern all over it and see it for myself. :(
 
polonyc2 said:
Blu-ray is alive and well in my house...nothing beats 1080p video plus Dolby TrueHD/DTS Master Audio
Click to expand...

Well said. This coming from a person who almost cries at the lack of success of the DVD-Audio format, which was truly awesome.
 
as someone said earlier, in the uk netflix etc. is accepted, isp's now mainly give unlimited use unthrottled internet, and they not been bitchy like american comcast deliberatly sending netflix down cognested links, all day long I can watch netflix at super hd no problem, my connection is 75mbit down and 20mbit up. Netflix super hd only needs about 10mbit tho.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top