Now then, about some advice to you Bits readers out there? We know that many of you may be thinking of buying a Blu-ray Disc player now that the format war is over, and there's definitely never been a better time. But here's a couple things to consider:
1. Blu-ray Disc player prices now start at about $399 for good models, but if you wait until Christmas, they'll likely be down to $299. Prices could even drop below $200 by next year (click here for more via The New York Times).
2. If you care about being able to access ALL Blu-ray bonus features, both now AND in the future, you might want to wait to get a profile 2.0 compatible player, which basically means a player with a built-in Internet connection. They'll start becoming available in May or June, and there should be many by Christmas. If you just can't wait that long, Sony's PlayStation 3 is both a great Blu-ray player AND a next-generation game system. It's already designed to connect to the Internet AND it will be firmware updatable to profile 2.0 later this year. So it's basically future proof right now.
3. Look for sales, bargains, deals and special offers on Blu-ray players and discs. There will be LOTS of them in the months ahead, rest assured.
4. Feedback counts! Let the studios and manufacturers know what you like and dislike. If there's a movie you'd like to see released, let them know. If there's a feature or function you think needs work, same drill. If you have a problem with a player or a disc, don't stop bugging them about it (politely, of course) until you get it resolved. Here at The Bits, we'll help on major issues affecting our readers whenever we can.
What do all these Blu-ray spec "profiles" mean? All Blu-ray players are profile 1.0, which means they offer all of the basic video, audio and menu functionality needed to enjoy movie content and most extras. Some newer models are profile 1.1, which adds the picture-in-picture option and a few other advanced interactive features (sometimes called "Bonus View"). Profile 2.0 players will additionally add the ability to connect to the Internet, opening up all kinds of online interactive options (you'll see these features often labeled as "BD-Live"). Later this year, most (likely eventually all) new Blu-ray players should offer compatibility all the way to profile 2.0. The reason for the different profiles is that both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc were rushed to market about a year before they were really ready. So Blu-ray was forced to start releasing players and discs in 2006, before all of the interactive specs had been fully finalized. Conversely, HD-DVD had finalized their interactive specs by the time they launched, but there was a reason for this too: HD-DVD's HDi interactive scheme isn't as advanced or powerful as Blu-ray's BD-Java. In any case, the different profiles are inconvenient to be sure, but they should be largely worked out by the time most mainstream consumers really start to consider buying Blu-ray players anyway. So it's mostly the early adopters who are being inconvenienced, and a little inconvenience is something most early adopters have come to expect when buying ANY new technology before the rest of society. So just keep all this in mind, have a little patience while you wait (if you decide to wait) and don't let the subject scare you.
