DVD Upconvert: HD-DVD Surrenders, Blu-Ray Not Ready For PrimeTime
Well, it finally happened this past week. Toshiba threw in the towel on HD-DVD. The format is officially dead. In response, Toshiba (and many retailers) are now marketing their current stock of HD DVD players as “DVD Upconverters” in an effort to deplete their stock. If you’re considering buying a now antiquated HD-DVD player solely for the purpose of DVD Upconverting, stick with a top-of-the line model like the Toshiba HD-A35 – and you can probably find it dirt cheap soon.
Personally, I’d still stick with my Oppo DV981-HD.
So, HD-DVD is dead, let’s go all and buy a Blu-Ray player, right? Not so fast.
Blu-Ray is not ready for mass adoption. Wait until the next generation of Blu-Ray players come out; they will be cheaper and provide more options. Remember, the current generation of Blu-Ray players generally does not allow for firmware updates, and a major update to Blu-Ray firmware is expected this year.
In addition, many people have speculated the current generation of Blu-Ray players was purposefully manufactured with poor DVD upconverting qualities in an effort to thwart the HD-DVD standard. This may or may not be true, but what is certain is that the next generation of Blu-Ray players will offer numerous advantages compared to the current generation, and this may include a shiny new enhanced and extended Blu-Ray DVD Upconverting feature. One can certainly hope.
The only Blu-Ray player one should possibly consider is a Sony PS3. The Blu-Ray player integrated into the PS3 is capable of having the firmware updated. DVD Upconverting, however, remains sub-par with the PS3.
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD aside, many people are now speculating that Blu-Ray will not be as popular as Sony would hope in the future. As broadband connections continue to get faster, more and more people are using the internet to download and view streaming video content on their computer. While the quality of this video is nowhere near as high as Blu-Ray, the quality is better than traditional DVD’s, and many argue this quality will be “good enough” for most people. The idea is similar to the CD vs. MP3 debate; while CD’s offer a much higher quality listening experience, MP3’s are smaller, more portable, and easier to store en mass.
Additional signs of the popularity of online video:
- YouTube
- Google Video
- NBC direct
- View on demand servives from NetFlix
- Higher sales in computer-based video applications, such as the Satellite TV for PC
.
While debates both ways will continue, one notion is certain:
HD DVD is dead.
Will Blu-Ray have what it takes to gain acceptance in the mass market?