Are you a Blu-Ray & 3D skeptic?

[darkwing_duck1]

Aside from having to upgrade to yet ANOTHER tech standard, I object to the interconnected nature of Blu Ray players, which have to have their software upgraded on a continuing basis from what I've been told. Not only would I be paying for an "incomplete" product, I don't want some snoopy corp to be able to see what I've been playing and how many times I've played it, or to be able to lock up my system for any reason they might dream up (the way the monitoring parts of some of the newer versions of Windows did before people bitched too much about it).

The interactive nature of Blu Ray's systemology also lends itself to something that was proposed some time ago: limited license discs. You would only be allowed so many "plays" of your disc before you had to pay another fee.

 

[Amaris]

Aside from having to upgrade to yet ANOTHER tech standard, I object to the interconnected nature of Blu Ray players, which have to have their software upgraded on a continuing basis from what I've been told. Not only would I be paying for an "incomplete" product, I don't want some snoopy corp to be able to see what I've been playing and how many times I've played it, or to be able to lock up my system for any reason they might dream up (the way the monitoring parts of some of the newer versions of Windows did before people bitched too much about it).

The interactive nature of Blu Ray's systemology also lends itself to something that was proposed some time ago: limited license discs. You would only be allowed so many "plays" of your disc before you had to pay another fee.

My Blu-ray player is not connected to a network, nor does it get updated by one. I have never updated it, and I can play the latest Blu-rays without a problem.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Not only would I be paying for an "incomplete" product

No, you wouldn't. But as new Blu-Ray titles are released, some players will need to be updated. Some won't. I've had my player for almost a year and it has only had one firmware update, but many, MANY Blu-Rays have been released in the meantime. Other players have to be updated almost every time a major title comes out.

I don't want some snoopy corp to be able to see what I've been playing and how many times I've played it

They can't do that.

The interactive nature of Blu Ray's systemology also lends itself to something that was proposed some time ago: limited license discs. You would only be allowed so many "plays" of your disc before you had to pay another fee.

There are no such discs.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Not only would I be paying for an "incomplete" product

No, you wouldn't. But as new Blu-Ray titles are released, some players will need to be updated. Some won't. I've had my player for almost a year and it has only had one firmware update, but many, MANY Blu-Rays have been released in the meantime. Other players have to be updated almost every time a major title comes out.

You just disproved your own statement. By definition, the product is incomplete if it requires ANY updating to continue to provide functionality. I accept this for a computer, but I see absolutely no reason why this should be so for a simple a/v program such as the controller for a disc player.

I don't want some snoopy corp to be able to see what I've been playing and how many times I've played it

They can't do that.

Can't they? If they have access to your player, which they do, who knows what sort of information they can extract from it?

The interactive nature of Blu Ray's systemology also lends itself to something that was proposed some time ago: limited license discs. You would only be allowed so many "plays" of your disc before you had to pay another fee.

There are no such discs.

Yet.

The interactive requirement of BR players would make it much much easier for the content providers to make such a product work.

 

[Yoda]

Can't they? If they have access to your player, which they do, who knows what sort of information they can extract from it?

If you're that worried that Sony will find out about your hentai collection, a lot of 'em will update off a disc or USB or something.

 

[Trubinator]

Not on Blu-ray. No newer movie will look anywhere near as good as a Blu release. 3-D? Yeah. It'll take a while before that technology is good enough to own.

 

[Silent_Bob]

I'm not a sceptic about Blu-Ray, whilst i don't think it was necessary to try to foist a format change onto the consumer yet, it does provide a number of benefits making it worthwhile.

3-D on the other hand is nothing more than an overpriced, underwhelming fad and i have no intention of indulging in it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

By definition, the product is incomplete if it requires ANY updating to continue to provide functionality.

Blu-Ray titles are getting more complicated all the time.

I accept this for a computer, but I see absolutely no reason why this should be so for a simple a/v program such as the controller for a disc player.

Blu-Ray players are not simple. Not like DVD players. A Blu-Ray player *is* a computer, in essence.

If they have access to your player, which they do, who knows what sort of information they can extract from it?

They can't extract anything. Certainly not like this. They have no idea what you've watched - and more to the point, they don't CARE.

The interactive nature of Blu Ray's systemology also lends itself to something that was proposed some time ago: limited license discs. You would only be allowed so many "plays" of your disc before you had to pay another fee.

There are no such discs.

Yet.

They tried that once already, years ago, with 'Divx' (Digital Video Express) and that died a quick death.

 

[Tulin]

They tried that once already, years ago, with 'Divx' (Digital Video Express) and that died a quick death.

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!



Tell that to anybody who downloads.

 

[Hyperspace05]

They tried that once already, years ago, with 'Divx' (Digital Video Express) and that died a quick death.

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!



Tell that to anybody who downloads.

So... What is your point?

If the alternative is Blu-Ray or digital downloads? What exactly is better in this regard?

Blu-ray is likely the last generation of digital media that you will be able to 'own' in this way... Enjoy it while you can, instead if worrying iof future titles will be released that way.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

They tried that once already, years ago, with 'Divx' (Digital Video Express) and that died a quick death.

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!



Tell that to anybody who downloads.

What's so funny?

 

[Trekker4747]

Divx did fail, horribly.

If they have access to your player, which they do, who knows what sort of information they can extract from it?

Black Helicopter Conspiracy Nonsense.

First of all, they can't extract any infromation from your player that's not on it. Since I've yet to encounter a DVD/BD player requiring me to input my name, address, phone number, SSN, or anyother critical information I don't see how them acsessing the information on my player will mean anything other than, "Damn! This guy watches the same three episodes of MST3K a lot!"

Secondly, do you have digital cable? A cable box? A DVR cable box? If you do then your cable company is already tracking everything you watch, rent, record, save, etc.

Thridly, them having this information is hardly "bad" and is likely to result in more services and products that are benificial to you.

That your BD player's maker needs to do software updates on it from time-to-time is the most benign thing on the planet compared to some of the other shit companies, and government, pull with private information. But there's going to be no information on BD player that you've not put on it and infromation you do put on it isn't likely to be critical enough to impact ones life all that much other than maybe some more junk mail.

 

[Sheep]

Divx did fail, horribly.

Some of you may be too young to remember DIVX as the horribly failed Circuit City disc format and are confusing it with DIVX the movie codec:

Disc format: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DivX
Movie codec: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIVX_(Digital_Video_Express)

 

[Trekker4747]

IIRC, Divx was a DVD-like format that you "bought/rented."

You'd "buy" the disc for a cheaper price than the DVD but the Divx disc was only coded to work a few times, then it'd be destroyed by either the machine or just a breakdown in the data layer of the disc itself. The "idea" was that people could "rent movies" without having to bother to return the disc they could just watch those couple of times and then chuck the thing in the trash. Though I believe there was a way to "buy" the disc and make it a permanent, reusable, disc. It was a convoluted, wasteful, format that simply didn't take off but that's what we're talking about there. Not the video-download codec. It was a home-movie format that came out around the same time as DVD by Circuit City and it quickly died. Hell, it'd be generous to liken it to Betamax.

 

[Tulin]

IIRC, Divx was a DVD-like format that you "bought/rented."

Never heard of it - and we don't have this Best Buy here either.

I was referring to the format I get to access, free of charge and burn to a disk to use on my player.

You can keep your BR, that'll do me fine, cheers!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^^ Yeah, I thought it was dumb at the time. When I got my first DVD player they all had Divx but I found a model that didn't but featured a little known at the time audio format called DTS. I think I won out in that case.

Who'd a thought it really was the future though. They just didn't have the delivery mechanism figured out. I'm kind of dreading the day everything goes digital download. I like it as an alternative but I don't like the thought of not ever being able to fully own a movie or game.

 

[Tulin]

So you just burn it to a disk - some of us have been doing it for years!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^^ Legally?

 

[Starbreaker]

A 4 GB disc is not comparable to a 50 GB. And there's no way that the studios are going to start charging you periodically to continue watching your movies just because BD players can connect to the internet.

And for those of you waiting for the next big thing to come along... as soon as that comes out, you'll just wait for the "next big thing". Enjoy your VHS tapes.

And almost all new technology comes with updates. I don't complain every time Sony wants to make my PS3 better, or every time my computer wants to help me with vulnerabilities. I couldn't imagine having to buy a new PS3 every time they wanted to do an update.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm still enjoying my CEDs.