Help me with HD-DVD to Blu-Ray transition. - Blu-ray Forum

Isak03 · 01-10-2008, 05:08 PM

Ok I am HD-DVD owner and supporter. I just started getting into HD players back in late October, and since then have acquired a small HD-DVD collection (about 35 hd dvds). Now that warner has aligned themselves with Blu and other studios also seem will also go blu, I finally given in and want to make the change to blu ( although deep inside I would rather want HD-DVD to win...but whatever).

Now, I have to start shopping for a Blu Ray player.I spent around $230 for my A30, so I would like to be able to get a Blu player around that price or within $100 of it.

I am no Blu expert, but I heard that the format is not finalized. If I was to invest into a Blu player should I be worried about my player lacking certain features in the future?

Lastly, I sometime would lurker around this forum reading what people have posted. After the warner news, I saw a topic about Blu Association possibly offering something to HD DVD owners to help them transition, was that true or all rumor?

Thank you

Bourne1 · 01-10-2008, 05:14 PM

I know there may be a chance that you would not prefer a gaming system, but time and time again we come to the conclusion that it is the safest and most future proof Blu-Ray player out there. It is already profile 1.1 and will evidently become profile 2.0. There are constant firmware updates with the PS3. It can connect to your wireless connection if you have one also. There are so many positives about the system and so much potential of the possible technological uses it would be able to perform in the future.

CptGreedle · 01-10-2008, 05:21 PM

First off, welcome to the forums, and I am glad that you are going to give Blu-ray a try.
I would recommend a PS3 cause it is future-proof and the best BD player for the price. But there are some players out right now that are under $300. Not all these player will support profile 1.1 or 2.0, but that is why the PS3 is the best deal. It costs $399 (you can get it for $299 with a Sony card from Sony directly) and you get a profile 1.1 player that will be upgraded to a 2.0 player soon. It also supports all audio formats except DTS HD MA which is rumored to be coming out this year. Ii convinced my boss to buy one, he does not play games at all, and he loves it. It took a little getting used to for him since it has a menu and doesn't just play movies, but now that he understands it, he loves it.

Xerious · 01-10-2008, 05:23 PM

i concur with everyone else... go with PS3... technically it's the only 2.0 capable player out there (at least when it gets the firmware update for it). not to mention you have a multimedia powerhouse right there. gamer or not, it's the best choice for any noob to the blu side of the house.

Isak03 · 01-10-2008, 05:35 PM

I am not huge tech person, so I do have not audio receiver. I usually just use my tv speakers. I will probably be investing in a some nice speakers and audio receiver but at the moment that is not a concern.

Seems the PS3 is the best choice. I do play games but almost never have time.

The are many different PS3 verison, the 40gb is the cheapest one,does it lack any essential features as oppose to the other PS3 versions.

I was very hesitatent to post here, thinking I was getting bash/mock for buying into hd-dvd. Nice to see the complete opposite of what I was thinking.Thanks

inaz4sun · 01-10-2008, 05:37 PM

First you need to go through the 12 Steps:

# Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction to HD DVD and its lies - that our lives had become unmanageable
# Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves (Sony) could restore us to sanity by turning to Blu-ray
# Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the BDA as we understood HD
# Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
# Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs in supporting HD DVD
# Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of the format
# Step 7 - Humbly asked God to help us sell our HD DVD junk on ebay
# Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
# Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others
# Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it on public forums like this one
# Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with HD, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out
# Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other HD DVD fanboys, and to practice these principles in all our video affairs

Just kidding. Welcome. The PS3 is amazing!

Bourne1 · 01-10-2008, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isak03

...The are many different PS3 verison, the 40gb is the cheapest one,does it lack any essential features as oppose to the other PS3 versions.

I was very hesitatent to post here, thinking I was getting bash/mock for buying into hd-dvd. Nice to see the complete opposite of what I was thinking.Thanks

Don't be scared. We welcome anyone who decides to join the Blu-Ray camp, even if they supported HD DVD first. So welcome. To answer your question, I think the only feature that the 40 gig lacking from the others besides a smaller hard drive is the inability to play PS2 games. I have the 60 gig and I am able to do that, but not once have I placed a PS2 disc in it yet; I really don't see it happening at all actually.

blackngold75 · 01-10-2008, 05:43 PM

The 40GB lacks backward-compatibility with the PS2 games, and has only 2USB ports (I think the 80GB has 4). I was looking for a standalone player, but ended up buying a 40GB PS3 and am happy I did. It is an excellent Blu-ray player, and has so much other capability. Just last night I set up my PC to share media, and was viewing photos and videos from the PC on my PS3 hooked up to my home theater projector. Plus, the ability to download hi-def trailers, game previews, demos, etc. makes the PS3 a great choice.

cartier · 01-10-2008, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isak03

I am not huge tech person, so I do have not audio receiver. I usually just use my tv speakers. I will probably be investing in a some nice speakers and audio receiver but at the moment that is not a concern.

Seems the PS3 is the best choice. I do play games but almost never have time.

The are many different PS3 verison, the 40gb is the cheapest one,does it lack any essential features as oppose to the other PS3 versions.

I was very hesitatent to post here, thinking I was getting bash/mock for buying into hd-dvd. Nice to see the complete opposite of what I was thinking.Thanks

First off, Welcome!

I too went the PS3 route and believe it to be the best alternative. I did not have any intentions of playing games on it only Blu-ray movies, that all changed shortly after I got it. Everyone else has addressed the differences with the 40 & 80 PS3 and they are correct.

When the time comes for audio equipment there are many threads discussing different models and would encourage you to look there. The Onkyo 605 has been popular lately because it has great features and is sub $500 I think even sub $400 on amazon. Not saying this is the way to go but it should be a good model to base future comparisons on.

Scorxpion · 01-19-2008, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isak03

I am not huge tech person, so I do have not audio receiver. I usually just use my tv speakers. I will probably be investing in a some nice speakers and audio receiver but at the moment that is not a concern.

Seems the PS3 is the best choice. I do play games but almost never have time.

The are many different PS3 verison, the 40gb is the cheapest one,does it lack any essential features as oppose to the other PS3 versions.

I was very hesitatent to post here, thinking I was getting bash/mock for buying into hd-dvd. Nice to see the complete opposite of what I was thinking.Thanks

Welcome and congratulation you have made the right choice.

Imakida · 01-10-2008, 05:37 PM

Welcome

I also suggest the PS3 and I add the fact that you can also download movie trailer/teaser on the internet. However, if you prefer a standalone, you should give us more information (your A/V receiver (HDMI or not), etc.). Basically, we want to know if your receiver can or cannot decode internally DTS-HDMA and Dolby TrueHD. If you want a standalone, perhaps it would be wiser to wait that the annouced CES player come out, but still, there are great stadalone right now like the Panasonic BMD30 and the Samsung BD-1400 (more in your range of $$).

Edit: Ok, if you wanna go for the PS3, get the 40GB, It is quieter than the 60GB and 80GB, so you won't hear it when listening to a movie. The difference with the other PS3's is that it do not play PS2 games, do not read SACD and only have 2 USB port (which is enough)

BoneWSO · 01-10-2008, 05:17 PM

Go for the 40Gig PS3. Awesome system that loads Blu very fast (faster than any stand-alone) and is completely future-proof. Right now it is profile 1.1 capable (PIP) and will be upgraded to 2.0 in the future (online connectivity and 1Gig storage). Watch for deals and you should be able to get it for a little less than $399. I have no doubts that you will thoroughly enjoy Blu. Do a little research and you'll probably like a bunch of the other features the PS3 offers (such as being a media server that you can wirelessly stream music and video off of your computer).

xx The Dude xx · 01-14-2008, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoneWSO

Go for the 40Gig PS3. Awesome system that loads Blu very fast (faster than any stand-alone) and is completely future-proof. Right now it is profile 1.1 capable (PIP) and will be upgraded to 2.0 in the future (online connectivity and 1Gig storage). Watch for deals and you should be able to get it for a little less than $399. I have no doubts that you will thoroughly enjoy Blu. Do a little research and you'll probably like a bunch of the other features the PS3 offers (such as being a media server that you can wirelessly stream music and video off of your computer).

That's exactly what I did last week. However, I have no interest in buying any PS3 games as of yet because all the good titles are already on 360.

With regards to the updates, is there currently an update available for the 40GB? I don't have my PS3 hooked up to the internet yet and am wondering if I should. Thanks guys. Love that hot deals forum! I've used several coupons already.

gavomatic57 · 01-14-2008, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xx The Dude xx

That's exactly what I did last week. However, I have no interest in buying any PS3 games as of yet because all the good titles are already on 360.

With regards to the updates, is there currently an update available for the 40GB? I don't have my PS3 hooked up to the internet yet and am wondering if I should. Thanks guys. Love that hot deals forum! I've used several coupons already.

Not true - Motorstorm, Resistance Fall of Man, Rachet & Klank, Drake's Fortune, Unreal Tournament 3 etc etc...

If you have an internet connection, no good reason not too connect the PS3 to it. Quite a lot of cool stuff available at the store - Tekken online etc. The Playstation Network is also free, so there's nothing to lose by doing it.

Its the same firmware for all PS3's as far as I know. By connecting it to the net it'll tell you if it needs updating and will proceed to download the new firmware for you.

Sandman416 · 01-19-2008, 01:53 AM

Welcome to the Blu side. I had 2 reasons not to get a PS3 instead of a stand alone player
1) I'm not much of a gamer.
2) My daughter would be using it to game (I would also loose my TV)
oh and 3)
25% off because it was missing the HDMI cable.

Mr. Al · 01-19-2008, 10:11 AM

Very glad to hear that you bought the PS3.

Yeah, I will be keeping my museum pieces as well.

Might buy the Blu versions, but probably not until next year.

owa · 01-10-2008, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isak03

Lastly, I sometime would lurker around this forum reading what people have posted. After the warner news, I saw a topic about Blu Association possibly offering something to HD DVD owners to help them transition, was that true or all rumor?

Thank you

It's just a rumor at this point. They said no at CES but it could be that they just don't have a plan for it "yet".

JimPullan · 01-10-2008, 05:22 PM

Hi Isak,

Welcome to the Blu-ray Forum and thank you for being honest in your post. I personally extend the olive branch of peace, so now let's talk Blu-ray players.

It would be helpful, before a specific recommendation, to know what is your display (TV), what is your receiver? Because of all these advanced audio codecs, some of them in the Blu-ray players, some not, and many new 2008 receivers have 'all' the advanced audio codec decoders in them. Once we know what you have, then the recommendation will be easy. Most stand-alone players will range in price from $ 249.00 all the way up to $ 1,600.00 . What you do will determine what you need. There are 14 Blu-ray players and one of them will be exactly what you'll need to complete and enjoy the experience. So, fill us in with a little more info. Again, welcome here. [Jim]

prerich · 01-11-2008, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimPullan

Hi Isak,

Welcome to the Blu-ray Forum and thank you for being honest in your post. I personally extend the olive branch of peace, so now let's talk Blu-ray players.

It would be helpful, before a specific recommendation, to know what is your display (TV), what is your receiver? Because of all these advanced audio codecs, some of them in the Blu-ray players, some not, and many new 2008 receivers have 'all' the advanced audio codec decoders in them. Once we know what you have, then the recommendation will be easy. Most stand-alone players will range in price from $ 249.00 all the way up to $ 1,600.00 . What you do will determine what you need. There are 14 Blu-ray players and one of them will be exactly what you'll need to complete and enjoy the experience. So, fill us in with a little more info. Again, welcome here. [Jim]

I concur with you - PS3 may not be the best bet for the person making the transition - if there's a player that's less than $399.00 why pay for features that you won't use? I say look at all the players out there and find the one that fits your needs - it may wind up being a PS3, who knows? But definately look before you leap.

Curumo · 01-10-2008, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isak03

Ok I am HD-DVD owner and supporter. Thank you

no U're not. not anymore

ps3 40 is excellent choice. if it MUST be a standalone, pick any 1.1 panny, sony or pioneer

01-10-2008, 05:08 PM	#1
Isak03 Junior Member Member since:Jan 2008	Help me with HD-DVD to Blu-Ray transition. Ok I am HD-DVD owner and supporter. I just started getting into HD players back in late October, and since then have acquired a small HD-DVD collection (about 35 hd dvds). Now that warner has aligned themselves with Blu and other studios also seem will also go blu, I finally given in and want to make the change to blu ( although deep inside I would rather want HD-DVD to win...but whatever). Now, I have to start shopping for a Blu Ray player.I spent around $230 for my A30, so I would like to be able to get a Blu player around that price or within $100 of it. I am no Blu expert, but I heard that the format is not finalized. If I was to invest into a Blu player should I be worried about my player lacking certain features in the future? Lastly, I sometime would lurker around this forum reading what people have posted. After the warner news, I saw a topic about Blu Association possibly offering something to HD DVD owners to help them transition, was that true or all rumor? Thank you

01-10-2008, 05:37 PM	#6
inaz4sun Active Member Member since:Apr 2007	First you need to go through the 12 Steps: # Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction to HD DVD and its lies - that our lives had become unmanageable # Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves (Sony) could restore us to sanity by turning to Blu-ray # Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the BDA as we understood HD # Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves # Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs in supporting HD DVD # Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of the format # Step 7 - Humbly asked God to help us sell our HD DVD junk on ebay # Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all # Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others # Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it on public forums like this one # Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with HD, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out # Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other HD DVD fanboys, and to practice these principles in all our video affairs Just kidding. Welcome. The PS3 is amazing! Last edited by inaz4sun; 01-10-2008 at 05:43 PM.

01-10-2008, 05:37 PM	#11
Imakida Active Member Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Quebec, Canada	Welcome I also suggest the PS3 and I add the fact that you can also download movie trailer/teaser on the internet. However, if you prefer a standalone, you should give us more information (your A/V receiver (HDMI or not), etc.). Basically, we want to know if your receiver can or cannot decode internally DTS-HDMA and Dolby TrueHD. If you want a standalone, perhaps it would be wiser to wait that the annouced CES player come out, but still, there are great stadalone right now like the Panasonic BMD30 and the Samsung BD-1400 (more in your range of $$). Edit: Ok, if you wanna go for the PS3, get the 40GB, It is quieter than the 60GB and 80GB, so you won't hear it when listening to a movie. The difference with the other PS3's is that it do not play PS2 games, do not read SACD and only have 2 USB port (which is enough) Last edited by Imakida; 01-10-2008 at 05:40 PM. Reason: Saw your answer

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01-10-2008, 05:14 PM	#2
Bourne1 Senior Member Member since:Dec 2007	I know there may be a chance that you would not prefer a gaming system, but time and time again we come to the conclusion that it is the safest and most future proof Blu-Ray player out there. It is already profile 1.1 and will evidently become profile 2.0. There are constant firmware updates with the PS3. It can connect to your wireless connection if you have one also. There are so many positives about the system and so much potential of the possible technological uses it would be able to perform in the future.

01-10-2008, 05:21 PM	#3
CptGreedle Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Sworn super-hero now services Atlanta (and suburbs). Blu-ray collection:128 Blu-ray reviews:5	First off, welcome to the forums, and I am glad that you are going to give Blu-ray a try. I would recommend a PS3 cause it is future-proof and the best BD player for the price. But there are some players out right now that are under $300. Not all these player will support profile 1.1 or 2.0, but that is why the PS3 is the best deal. It costs $399 (you can get it for $299 with a Sony card from Sony directly) and you get a profile 1.1 player that will be upgraded to a 2.0 player soon. It also supports all audio formats except DTS HD MA which is rumored to be coming out this year. Ii convinced my boss to buy one, he does not play games at all, and he loves it. It took a little getting used to for him since it has a menu and doesn't just play movies, but now that he understands it, he loves it.

01-10-2008, 05:23 PM	#4
Xerious Special Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Washington, DC Blu-ray collection:238 Blu-ray reviews:4	i concur with everyone else... go with PS3... technically it's the only 2.0 capable player out there (at least when it gets the firmware update for it). not to mention you have a multimedia powerhouse right there. gamer or not, it's the best choice for any noob to the blu side of the house.

01-10-2008, 05:35 PM	#5
Isak03 Junior Member Member since:Jan 2008	I am not huge tech person, so I do have not audio receiver. I usually just use my tv speakers. I will probably be investing in a some nice speakers and audio receiver but at the moment that is not a concern. Seems the PS3 is the best choice. I do play games but almost never have time. The are many different PS3 verison, the 40gb is the cheapest one,does it lack any essential features as oppose to the other PS3 versions. I was very hesitatent to post here, thinking I was getting bash/mock for buying into hd-dvd. Nice to see the complete opposite of what I was thinking.Thanks

01-10-2008, 05:43 PM	#8
blackngold75 Junior Member Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Northern Delaware, USA Blu-ray collection:33	The 40GB lacks backward-compatibility with the PS2 games, and has only 2USB ports (I think the 80GB has 4). I was looking for a standalone player, but ended up buying a 40GB PS3 and am happy I did. It is an excellent Blu-ray player, and has so much other capability. Just last night I set up my PC to share media, and was viewing photos and videos from the PC on my PS3 hooked up to my home theater projector. Plus, the ability to download hi-def trailers, game previews, demos, etc. makes the PS3 a great choice.

01-10-2008, 05:17 PM	#12
BoneWSO Active Member Member since:Oct 2007 Location:United States of America Blu-ray collection:199 Trading Score:1	Go for the 40Gig PS3. Awesome system that loads Blu very fast (faster than any stand-alone) and is completely future-proof. Right now it is profile 1.1 capable (PIP) and will be upgraded to 2.0 in the future (online connectivity and 1Gig storage). Watch for deals and you should be able to get it for a little less than $399. I have no doubts that you will thoroughly enjoy Blu. Do a little research and you'll probably like a bunch of the other features the PS3 offers (such as being a media server that you can wirelessly stream music and video off of your computer).

01-19-2008, 01:53 AM	#15
Sandman416 Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Keller TX	Welcome to the Blu side. I had 2 reasons not to get a PS3 instead of a stand alone player 1) I'm not much of a gamer. 2) My daughter would be using it to game (I would also loose my TV) oh and 3) 25% off because it was missing the HDMI cable.

01-19-2008, 10:11 AM	#16
Mr. Al Senior Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Alberta, Canada Blu-ray collection:1676	Very glad to hear that you bought the PS3. Yeah, I will be keeping my museum pieces as well. Might buy the Blu versions, but probably not until next year.

01-10-2008, 05:22 PM	#18
JimPullan Senior Member Member since:Jun 2006 Location:Ocala, FL	Hi Isak, Welcome to the Blu-ray Forum and thank you for being honest in your post. I personally extend the olive branch of peace, so now let's talk Blu-ray players. It would be helpful, before a specific recommendation, to know what is your display (TV), what is your receiver? Because of all these advanced audio codecs, some of them in the Blu-ray players, some not, and many new 2008 receivers have 'all' the advanced audio codec decoders in them. Once we know what you have, then the recommendation will be easy. Most stand-alone players will range in price from $ 249.00 all the way up to $ 1,600.00 . What you do will determine what you need. There are 14 Blu-ray players and one of them will be exactly what you'll need to complete and enjoy the experience. So, fill us in with a little more info. Again, welcome here. [Jim]

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