Looks like it's not just the HD DVD camp that's talkin'
lower prices, as now we're hearing that Sony has plans to unveil a Blu-ray reading (sorry, no burning capabilities of any kind on this one) optical drive early next year for around two Benjamins. All that was according to Bob DeMoulin, Sony's marketing manager, branded optical storage, who also stated that "a Blu-ray player at a sub-$200 price point becomes real attractive to the consumer." Of note, he also hinted at a possible external flavor of said drive, but apparently, there's been no final decision made on that just yet.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
smee @ Oct 12th 2007 7:47AM
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Interested Watcher @ Oct 12th 2007 8:55AM
Wow, maybe a $200 Blu-ray ROM drive?!
Perhaps.
Ooooooooh only whole year after the $200 (now $179) XBox 360 HD DVD drive (which is an excellent & easily set-up HD DVD ROM drive for any decent PC).
Sorry if I'm underwhelmed.
Kumar @ Oct 12th 2007 9:05AM
Sony continues to baffle with their strategy.
They only release 1080p players that most early adopters don't need (most of us bought 720p sets)
Now they want to rush into the pc market, when most people don't have a monitor capable of displaying HD, much less large enough to matter.
Sorry, I'll wait for a bd-hd-dvd combo unit, preferable a usb external that also had an HD tuner built in.....mmmmm..portable gooodness
xemumanic @ Oct 12th 2007 10:02AM
Its their my fault you woosed out and bought a 720p display. Really shows off how forward-thinking you AREN'T. So you're watching HD-res TV and movies @ 720p then? Then why would you bother buying a HD player for either format.....not to mention they can STILL display @ 720p. Its not Sony's fault most of Toshiba's players are 1080i, its not like it would cost them any more to output at 1080p anyway, if you could make use of it or not.
And to Toutster, its just the DRIVE, whats that got to do with PQ? Maybe YOU should do your homework first before posting.
Toutster @ Oct 12th 2007 9:08AM
I own both BDPS300 (Blu-Ray) and HD-AX2 (HDDVD) both using high end Nordost HDMI cable hooked-up the a Pioneer PRO-110FD and the toshiba player beats Sony hands down on picture quality. And Yes, I have compared several movies! I don't care who wins the war, I just want quality products. Sony always over promises and come short of delivering what they promise....Can we really expect a decent sub 200$ player or will it be a crappy player capable of loading a blu-ray disc?
For all fanboys out there, do your homework before replying!
Sean @ Oct 12th 2007 11:09AM
Its just a 5 1/2 inch drive for the PC. Its just a BD-ROM Drive. Not a player. PQ and AQ will depend on many factors. 1 being your video card and CPU for a steady frame rate. 2 being that your video card is HDCP ready,3 being that your sound card can handle 16 and 24-Bit audio@48KHz (If your sound card can handle 48Khz it should be able to handle 192KHz and 96KHz resolutions) another thing is the program itself. This is a good price for a BD drive but they still need to come way down in price to get swallowed up by the general public.
-dad
Dave @ Oct 12th 2007 9:50AM
Goooooooooooooo!
xemumanic @ Oct 12th 2007 10:04AM
Jesus this site is terrible, I can't even edit out a typo.
*It's not their fault.........
Segarsj @ Oct 12th 2007 11:34AM
@Xemumanic
"Its not Sony's fault most of Toshiba's players are 1080i..."
Wow. Really? How hopped up on the Blu-pills are you, huh? If you're counting all three generations of HD DVD players, there are only two that I can think of off the top of my head, the A2 and the A3, and the A3 hasn't even been released yet. So really there is only one by my count. Even the 360 Add-on supports 1080p, and that drive is manufactured by Toshiba. So, out of 9 Toshiba HD DVD players (1st, 2nd, 3rd Gen, and 360 Add-on) there are only two 1080i players. Last time I checked two out of nine was nowhere close to a majority. Care to reconsider that statement?
Also, you obviously have little idea what you're talking about when it comes to 1080i/p. 1080p is not the end-all-be-all of the TV world. It's definitely nice, but a 1080i set isn't crippled by any means, nor is 1080i content. Anyone will tell you the same thing. I bet that if you were watching HD broadcast TV you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 1080i or 720p. Next time you get a chance just take a look at Engadget's HDTV listing and flip back and forth between the various HD programming. I'm willing to bet that you will come to prefer 720p for certain types of programming, especially sports. If you don't believe me, just swap back and forth between a game on CBS, to a game on Fox, or a game on ESPN. The difference is immediately apparent. 720p isn't as bad as you make it out to be.
Segarsj @ Oct 12th 2007 12:27PM
@xemumanic
Just to clarify, I'm not entirely sure what the status on the XA1 or the A1 is. I know that they were originally limited at 1080i, but I've heard that there was a firmware update to enable native 1080p on the XA1, and perhaps the A1.
Even still, if those are both still limited to 1080i that leaves us with 4 1080i players out of a total 9 Toshiba players which is still not "most" by my count.
At the end of the day though, the inclusion of mandatory ethernet port on all Toshiba players is far more important that the little "p" following "1080."
Landlocked @ Oct 12th 2007 11:15AM
Who cares?! Bring on the $200 burners -- something of value to a computer user!
Leonardo DiCrapio @ Oct 12th 2007 11:16AM
"Its their my fault you woosed out and bought a 720p display. Really shows off how forward-thinking you AREN'T."
I'd buy a 768p Pioneer 50" Kuro if I had about $2,500 to blow (which is about the best internet price available for that set). From 10 feet it (the resolution) isn't going to make much of a difference between 720p and 1080p {and I am not going to pay an extra grand or so to get great blacks from Pioneer at 1080p resolution, which is only really going to be showed off with Blu-Ray or HD-DVD discs -- nothing on broadcast television is over 1080i (and a lot of stuff -- i.e. CBS is 720p and still looks great)}.
xemumanic @ Oct 12th 2007 12:46PM
Only the most expensive of each of the 3 Toshiba HD DVD players they keep rehashing ever have 1080p support. I believe they are $399. There are NO firmware updates that bring this function to the 2 cheaper models. They've resold them (or about to), what, 3 times already? So thats 6/9 players only doing 1080i. Want to add the 360 drive? then thats 6/10 players not doing 1080p. BluRay fan or not, thats the way it is.
And Leo, that was the point of this article anyway, HD discs (BR specifically). And between the HD disc formats, both do 1080p. And as you said, its shown off on these discs. So it does matter.
xemumanic @ Oct 12th 2007 12:55PM
AH HA! I was wrong!
Of the 7 HD DVD players listed on Toshiba's website, 4 output 1080p!
Color me sh*tfaced for being wrong.
But hold the phone!
They all range from $399 - $799!
Cheaper my foot.
Segarsj @ Oct 12th 2007 1:19PM
@Xemumanic
Xemu, you couldn't be more wrong. What are you even trying to say here? 6/9 don't support 1080p natively?! What about the A20 or the A30. I myself own the A30 and I can assure you that it outputs 1080p.
Allow me to break this down for you really quick because you obviously just care more about misinforming the general public than adhering to facts.
Toshiba HD DVD Players
- A1 (1080i)
- XA1 (1080i)
- A2 (1080i)
- A20 (1080p)
- XA2 (1080p)
- A3 (1080i)
- A30 (1080p)
- A35 (1080p)
- Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on (1080p via HDMI)
Also, if you include the upcoming high end HD DVD player from Onkyo that too supports 1080p natively, and bear in mind, Toshiba has yet to announce a third generation "X" player, which will surely arrive sometime next year, and will most undoubtedly be 1080p.
As it stands, there are 4 1080i players, and 5 1080p players, with at least one more on the way.
So no, that's definitely not "the way it is."
Segarsj @ Oct 12th 2007 1:50PM
I'm glad to see that you've come around, and have actually done a bit of research.
Sure, the 1080p players are more expensive, but you're still missing the point. The goal is to get the entry level players (Venturer, A3, A2, 360 Add-on) at, or below, the magical price point of $200 dollars (the Add-on is already there at $180 and it can be used on either a PC/Mac with updated drivers, or for use a media center PC). The mass market won't care whether the player is 1080i/p as long as it's within their price point. On top of that, the mass market generally doesn't have access to a 42" (or bigger) 1080p TV that is necessary to perceive the benefits of 1080p material over 1080i. According to a recent Best Buy survey, 90% of consumers still don't understand HDTV. Interlacing and Progressive Scan means nothing to the average consumer, and even when you do understand the technology intimately, there isn't as big a difference between the two as marketing would have you believe. It surely is comforting to have it, to know that you're getting "the best picture possible" but that will come to pass as soon as 2k (2048x1080) or 4k (4096x2160) resolution sets hit the market. Of course, this is a little ways off, but with the digital cinema revolution being led by the Red One, and current studio masters utilizing either 2k or 4k resolutions, it doesn't seem as though its all that far off, but that's a whole other story entirely.
The point I'm trying to make here is that you shouldn't make your buying decisions strictly on the i/p, but more about what looks good to you, and the same goes for 720/1080. It's all a matter of subjectivity and personal preference, but most importantly how much disposable income you're working with.
Angus_rg @ Oct 12th 2007 1:38PM
Couple of other things:
Good deal if it comes with software to play BRD. Not worth it if it is OEM, which is probably more likely. I'd get one to double my Netflix viewing pleasure if it did.
My first DVD player was my computer. It blew in comparison to a hardware player. It would be worth it to spend more for their cheapest player, which still isn't cheap enough for me to bite.
I was just at Toshiba's website, and of the 6 current players, only one is 1080i. A low end i player is smart for sales, as most have i not p, most can't tell the difference; unlike us videophiles, and most would rather take that difference to buy booze which makes them both indistingishable.
Sony does not make i because they want the bragging rights that all their players are p, which only makes a difference to people like us. The average consumer doesn't know and or care. Money talks and BS walks, which is why their strategy is not a wise one.
h4ldol @ Oct 12th 2007 6:28PM
Word of advice to you HD DVD fanboys: put those Toshibas up on ebay asap... in a couple of weeks (or months,max) you won't be able to unload one except by leaving it on some poor, innocent family's doorstep, ringing the bell, and sneaking off into the night...
Smee @ Oct 12th 2007 7:08PM
Anyone who says they can tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p is talking shi* anyway.
1080i v 1080p is over hyped salesmanship, the difference to the naked eye just isn't there.
DarkRogue @ Oct 13th 2007 7:23AM
Yup 'Interested Watcher' that's what I spent today installing onto my PC was the external player meant for the XBOX. I must say I love how it runs :D
DarkRogue @ Oct 13th 2007 7:26AM
Smee I can see the difference. Have you ever seen them side by side or demoed together? Of course you are right in that if someone takes it home they may or may not care just like when anyone buys a TV if it's not a Pioneer Elite they can tell but once they bring it home it's the best TV in the world to them. I'd still be able to see it myself though.