Blu-ray player sales are falling!

[ottojg14]

Originally Posted by kennyt

While I must agree that Blu-ray kind of screwed themselves with all the version changes, I really don't think you really need a 2.0 player.

Sure, you'll have the internet connectivity, and maybe more extras, but all I want, and most every one I know too, is a great picture and ease of use. Neither me nor my friends watch the 'extras' on discs, we watch the movie and pop it out, so I don't care if my player does anything but put out a great picture and bitstream for all the audio codecs.

It's also about audio upgrades as per the follwing reTS-HD Master:
>>Of course, you don’t have to wait to get full functionality … if you’re willing to embrace a gaming console as your Blu-ray source. The PlayStation 3 has always had the necessary hardware and Ethernet port for PIP and BD-Live, but the features needed to be enabled via a firmware upgrade. The Profile 1.1 upgrade came late last year, and the much-anticipated Profile 2.0 upgrade arrived last month, making the PlayStation 3 the only Profile 2.0 player currently on the market. In other PlayStation 3 news, Sony is also adding DTS-HD Master Audio decoding to the console via an April firmware upgrade.<<<

[deacongreg]

Though i know that there are other Blu-Ray players, that sound and look better than the PS3, it still seems to me, when everything is considered, that the PS3 is still overall, and the emphasis on overall, is the best Blu-Ray player, since the format war has started, then ended.

[wes]

Originally Posted by deacongreg

Though i know that there are other Blu-Ray players, that sound and look better than the PS3, it still seems to me, when everything is considered, that the PS3 is still overall, and the emphasis on overall, is the best Blu-Ray player, since the format war has started, then ended.

PS3 Rules may be the Sony BDP 550 will finally take over? Three years later!!!

[TheMoose]

Originally Posted by wes

PS3 Rules may be the Sony BDP 550 will finally take over? Three years later!!!

The nice thing about the PS3 is it allowed me to wait to get a standalone until the BD550 comes out!

[wes]

Originally Posted by TheMoose

The nice thing about the PS3 is it allowed me to wait to get a standalone until the BD550 comes out!

Smart I should have done that instead of exchanging my Blu Ray players every time, thanks for returns. (Best buy, Amazon, Frys, Costcos... Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony....)

[gstarr]

The fact that stand alone Blu Ray player sales are slow is hardly suprising. A standard dvd player can play on any tv set--analog or digital. The amount of people with high quality digital HDTV's is small compared to owners of standard analog tv set owners.

When 2009 hits and all new tv's must be digital and if the industry is smart and educates the average consumer of the advantages of 1080p (or even 720p if watching from far enough away), then Blu Ray 2.0 stand alone players will start to sell in an ever-increasing growth percentage.

There are many adults they have no desire to have a Sony PS3 to play games, but just want a very good SD player that also plays Blu Ray at top drawer performance levels.

I'm sure during late 2008 through 2009 there will be a ton of competition with Blu Ray players being sold from just under $200 to $3,000---excuse me, the Goldmund at $17,000:-)

Sure, the Walmarts and other big chains will sell most of the $195 to $395 players. But it was only a few years ago that many of us bought high quality Pioneer Elite and Denon universal players without HD for $750-$1,400. Now the OPPO 983HD is considered to be among the top 3 or 4 universal players at $399.

With Panasonic making a big move into Blu Ray and quick on their heels (or not so quick:-) will be Pioneer Elite, Denon, Yamaha, Samsung, LG, eventually OPPO, Onkyo, and let's not forget Sony--plus many others.

As long as the dollar doesn't go much further into the tank and the economy starts to improve within the year the future of HDTV and HDTV disc formats should improve greatly.

Greg