Funai to release Final Standard BD under $300

[teachsac]

I'm still not convinced that all of the interactivity is more than just a novelty for early adopters and that J6P is even going to care about it. Figure with all of the HD DVD players sold, Transformers had 30K unique hits, that's about what 5%-10% of total users. The only feature I found to be innovative and had some promise was the Invite a Friend/Host a viewing with Harry Potter. Most people don't have their HTs wired to the internet. Game machines are more likely to be hooked up than a SA player.

S~

 

[teachsac]

Problem being someone new to Blu-Ray will see a $300 player and think it might finally be time to invest in the new format.

Then they try and play the features on a 2.0 disc, and feel duped.

I'd love to see the packaging on these.

We say one thing, and then when a son or daughter or spouse goes to watch a featurette or download some something shiny and it says 'sorry, you can't do that because your 'Full profile' player isn't 'Bonus View Enabled' it's a different story.

How could you not know whether you're connected to the internet or not. Even those HD DVD's that have online features say something about the internet/web-enabled features in the features list on te box or in the extra's menu. Doesn't take a rocket scientist for that one.

Bonus View/PIP is a different story, yet I still haven't seen a lot of complaints around the forums on that one either. I was kind of expecting to see a few.

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

:sleeo Yarn, same ole crap, sweep BD flaws under the rug, save that crappy logic its weak, most people see right through it.

Once again, the truth hurts. We get it, you dont like BD because:

Its incomplete(says you)
Its obsolete(says you)
It costs too much(says you)

Its funny you accuse me of the "same ol crap" when everyone here knows all your posts say the same thing, they are just worded differently. We all know what you are going to say before you say it, and its really great that you never add anything to a conversation. In other words, you could quit posting now and we would not miss out on anything new from you.

So your saying that years from now we could be having 1.0 and 1.1 still being shoved down our throats?

If you were actually as smart as you think you are, you'd know that 1.1 has been the FINAL spec.

 

[nonrev]

What do yo offer? Links from other sites. If you quit posting no one here would miss you we could just go to the other sites.

Really though what do you offer other then cheer and attack alternatives? Think about it.

 

[jgantert]

While 1.1 being "obsolete" is incorrect and more opinion based, pretty much else, yes.

True, I guess. 2.0 is really more of a feature set, but ethernet firmware updates are much more convenient than burning a disc. Just look at how often the PS3 is updated.

Seriously, tho. Why bother saving $100 and losing so many features that the PS3 offers (just for blu-ray playback alone). Seems silly to me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm anxiously awaiting a stand alone blu-ray player that is as full featured as the PS3, and priced as well (300-ish). But I have yet to see one, and these Funai players are definatly not it.

Oh well. Heck, I'm still watching my CEDs. haha. Just watched Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn. Somehow I don't think thats coming out on blu-ray anytime soon (not even on DVD yet).

 

[gadgtfreek]

Hopefully you'll get one by end of this year. Dont get me wrong, I want the 2.0 players(i think all will be 2.0 when its said and done) lower asap so that more people will get involved in blu ray. Other than player prices, its great now because just about every new release on Netflix is BD.

 

[mike123abc]

There really is no excuse not have a 2.0 player. I think player firmware is the major hold up still, once all the manufactures work out their player's software issues I think 2.0 will be the only type of player available. But, even if they are all 2.0, I would wager 75%+ will never be put on the internet for bonus content. It would be pushing it to get half on the internet to just get firmware updates.

 

[diogen]

But I have yet to see one, and these Funai players are definatly not it.

Funai announced BD support one year ago, in May 2007
Funai to produce inexpensive Blu-ray players - Engadget HD

and then reiterated they haven't buried the idea in January this year
Funai announces Blu-ray player for less than $300 - CES 2008 - Consumer Electronics Show - CNET.com

This is when Joe almost peed in his pants because it matched some of his delusional rambling. This is how this thread started, in January 2008.

Now, 4+ months later, the idea turns out still not dead... Definitely a reason for celebration.

Diogen.

 

[allargon]

It's good news. I won't criticize a cheaper player for not having 5.1 analog outs. I will criticize it for not having Dolby TrueHD decoding. I will really criticize it for not having profile 2.0.

Many HD DVD supporters rah-rah'd when Venturer announced its cheap player last year. It would be hypocritical to criticize a cheap, no-name player simply because it's Blu-Ray rather than HD DVD. The cheap Venturer player was $200 rather than $300, and it did internally decode Dolby TrueHD and do profile 2.0 equivalence.

(Laziness and planned obsolescence are the reasons for profile 1.1 players right now. You cannot tell me with a straight face that a 10 cent Ethernet port and $2 worth of flash memory prevent profile 2.0 player introduction.)

 

[nonrev]

It's good news. I won't criticize a cheaper player for not having 5.1 analog outs. I will criticize it for not having Dolby TrueHD decoding. I will really criticize it for not having profile 2.0.

Many HD DVD supporters rah-rah'd when Venturer announced its cheap player last year. It would be hypocritical to criticize a cheap, no-name player simply because it's Blu-Ray rather than HD DVD. The cheap Venturer player was $200 rather than $300, and it did internally decode Dolby TrueHD and do profile 2.0 equivalence.

(Laziness and planned obsolescence are the reasons for profile 1.1 players right now. You cannot tell me with a straight face that a 10 cent Ethernet port and $2 worth of flash memory prevent profile 2.0 player introduction.)

This is what happens when a consortium doesn’t have the guts to put out a complete standard. So everybody plays by their own rules. Funai knew that crap wouldn’t fly with HD DVD so they came correct with a full featured product for $100 less. Its just one big mess.

 

[JoeSp]

Funai announced BD support one year ago, in May 2007
Funai to produce inexpensive Blu-ray players - Engadget HD

and then reiterated they haven't buried the idea in January this year
Funai announces Blu-ray player for less than $300 - CES 2008 - Consumer Electronics Show - CNET.com

This is when Joe almost peed in his pants because it matched some of his delusional rambling. This is how this thread started, in January 2008.

Now, 4+ months later, the idea turns out still not dead... Definitely a reason for celebration.

Diogen.

Diogen, I posted info in January about a Chinese company that made an annoucement to bring out a 2.0 player for $300. The reason was simple, all the HD-DVD fans (and you know who you are) were predicting that once the Chinese HD-DVD players hit the market that BD would soon die a quick death. Where you guys at now?

I was very surprised that someone resurected this very old post. I don't understand why there are folks still talking about this. Surely I was not right - AGAIN!

 

[jgantert]

This post is active, because the Magnavox players are easily found in any Walmart store for just under $300.

Someone on here needs to buy one and review it so we know how well they perform. So far no one has stepped forward. This player doesn't meet my requirements, so I won't be that person.

If you prefer, I could start a new thread titled something like "which brave soul is going to beta test Walmart's Magnavox Blu-Ray player for us?"

-John

 

[gadgtfreek]

They dont want you to do that, they just want to bitch.

 

[nonrev]

They dont want you to do that, they just want to bitch.

To bad the Magnavox is not on their website. Must not be doing to well.
Electronics - Wal-mart

Until they put out a full featured 2.0 player for less then $200 most people will bitch and you will continue to make excuses.

 

[allargon]

Until they put out a full featured 2.0 player for less then $200 most people will bitch and you will continue to make excuses.

When they put out a fully featured 2.0 player for under $200, I'm buying it! :

 

[Mojo]

When they put out a fully featured 2.0 player for under $200, I'm buying it! :

And not before

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ive heard "never" and "not until" a lot around here and it has not held up more than one time

 

[jayn_j]

I am constantly amazed when I come into these forums at the amount of misinformation and "opinion as fact" gets tossed around.

I have been a member of several consortiums and multi company standards committees. I was the architect and leader of three of them. Here are some more facts from the trenches.

First, the object of a standard is not to produce the best technical standard possible. It is to provide a workable standard that can be adopted by a wide range of users. I always told my committees that the goal was to come up with the second best standard, as the group would never be able to agree on the first best one.

Second, groups looking to extend existing standards, or to add optional components MUST consider backward compatibility as the first priority. This means that any disc produced must act reasonably on any player produced. A good example is when VHS and Laserdisc added digital tracks. Each specified that the original analog tracks must be retained. Further, when stereo analog tracks were added, the weren't simply left and right. Rather, they laid down L+R on top of the older mono track and added L-R on the new track. That way, older mono machines would play the entire soundtrack in mono.

If the BD Alliance intends to keep any credibility, they will recognize this and specify that Any compliant player at any level will be able to play any compliant disc. New features may not be available, but the basic 1.0 functionality will be.

Therefore, you should be able to play any disc on a 1.0 player. You may lose features, but the basic functionality should allow the player to access all the 1.0 capabilities on the disc.

If they don't do this, they then obsolete and alienate their existing customers. I expectthese players to get better over time, with new features. I will buy new players, but I can expect to be able to move the old player too the bedroom and continue to enjoy it. It also means that manufacturers can continue to produce to the older standard and customers can expect the player to play discs.

 

[gadgtfreek]

You should join ASTM, its so fun .

 

[jayn_j]

You should join ASTM, its so fun .

Thanks. I already belong to the IEEE - Standards Association, the VXIplug&play Alliance, the ISA SP100 working group, and the SCPI Consortium. Enough fun for me.