Lassie @ Oct 29th 2008 8:05PM

Harley3k, I don't want to sound like I'm trashing on you, but you can't over-generalize the rest of America's buying habits. Even though you don't care about Blu-ray anymore, it doesn't mean that America as a whole doesn't care either. Even with the economy tanking, it's effect on people varies incredibly. Especially during these hard times, people want to be entertained and movies are one of the cheapest ways to do that. Yes, even purchasing a Blu-ray is still way cheaper than taking the family to the movies.

All I've heard the last few weeks is how Blu-ray is doomed, digital distribution has already won, blah blah blah. Yes, digital distribution is here to stay, but for the most part, it's main selling point is renting...not buying. It will complement hard disc technology like Blu-ray, not supplant it.

If people want convenience, they will stream or download it. But if people want the BEST video AND sound quality, there is only one choice--Blu-ray. And, if people want to OWN the movie, I think that most people will buy a disc for a number of reasons: 1) it's what they're accustomed to ever since VHS and DVD (includes ease of use), 2) they aren't restricted to DRM on a certain computer or device with HDD, and 3) they won't have to worry about hard drive failures, whether the movie server is on and configured correctly, etc.

It is unfortunate that the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray lasted so long as has delayed many people's interest and purchasing of hi-def movies, but I just jumped on to Blu last week after having an HD DVD player and movies. All I can say is that it is much worth it for me since I want to watch and own my favorite movies in the best video and sound quality I can buy. Even though my projector isn't 1080p, the difference is still amazing. And don't get me started with PCM, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD MA surround sound :) You have to hear it to believe it.

To me, Blu-ray isn't just watching a movie...it's experiencing it in ways I haven't before in home theater. And I can't get that experience through AppleTV, Vudu, Xbox Live Marketplace, Netflix, or anywhere else. So I say bring it on digital distribution!