Waiting to buy

[DisneyKrayzie]

I am one of those consumers that have been standing on the sidelines waiting for a format to win before I purchased a player, and I can see that it is pretty safe to go with Blu-Ray now. Although I can't really afford to spend $300 on player right now, so I am anxiously awaiting their prices to drop so I can join the Blu side. It still appears that there are a few bugs that need worked out in some of the more affordable players too.
I have been actively following the two formats for some time now, I even wrote my final paper on Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD for a class I took last semester called "Future of Media" and I have been lurking about these boards for a few weeks now.

[JAGUAR1977]

Buy a PS3, a brilliant piece of hardware.

[glenn22]

It depends on what you mean by bugs. There have been some issues with certain players where new releases wouldn't immediately play on them, but those problems are quickly fixed with a firmware update. If you're referring to the profiles (1.0, 1.1 and 2.0) that is a different story. The only player on the market currently that is 2.0 compliant is the Playstation 3... whether or not that matters to you is personal opinion. 2.0 is all about BD-Live which is in simple terms, internet connectivity. I personally think that's a big waste of money. The Panasonic BD30K is a popular player on the board here and is fully 1.1 compliant.

Also, as stated in the post above, the PS3 is a GREAT player (I have 2) and is fully compliant with all the profiles. (including 2.0) It also happens to be the fastest loading and best bang for buck player on the market.

[DisneyKrayzie]

yeah, the main issue i was referring to is the issue of some machines not being able to play all disc's, I have seen some people having a hard time getting certain movies to play on some machines, so i figure that if I give them a few more months to wait for the price to drop that they will also improve little issues like that.
I'm not sure of those players where still profile 1 or not. I think I would be perfectly happy with 1.1, I don't see much use in 2.0, I probably wouldn't use and web-enabled features, or the PIP commentary.

[u_nick]

Welcome to the boards.

From what I've seen, especially recently, is that most of the sites telling you about the PS3 being the only upgradeable player are liars. Many models accept firmware updates. Heck, my Dad's new LCD has a USB port for firmware updates. They really are going to start coming on everything these days.

But yeah, SOME players dont support them right now, but many different models do. When you are ready to buy, just poke around on the manufacturer's websites, and youll find allt he info you need.

[Luis_A51]

Isses with movie playback are generally fixed quickly with a firmware update. You only have to worry about new releases: those might have problems playing right after release, but not always.

However if you buy a PS3 you never have to deal with any of these issues. The PS3 has never had any widespread issues playing a given title. Also, they are fully 2.0 compliant. They also load movies a LOT quicker than all other players. All and all the PS3 is easily the best bang for the buck.

[AlexCruz]

Welcome to the Blu side! I'm gonna have to go with the PS3 also. I was in your exact same spot a week ago. I took a chance and spent extra money on the 40gb, which comes with Spidey 3. Plus I just put in my order for my 5 free movies. It is future proof and I have had zip problems with it. Plus the movies start up right away as soon as I put the movie in. I love it.

[ckenisell]

The cheapest PS3 is still $400. If you want something a little cheaper, but is not buggy and supports Blu-Ray profile 2.0, I'd say your best chance is to wait until Dec. of this year.

[blu-backer]

Ps3 Ftmfw!!!