"...and now for something completely different!"

[Logansneo]

I've been hearing chatter from a lot of journalists and electronic industry "leaders" for some time now, from Microsoft to Apple, tout how very soon digital streaming and downloading of HD video content will eclipse conventional packaged media (i.e. DVD, Blu-Ray) and be a simpler method than the old ways of content delivery. I would also love to believe that flying cars and teleportation are coming out next week, but I'm having a hard enough time as it is dealing with the monkey's flying out of my ASS right now!

I will admit that the wave-of-the-future will likely bring On-Demand/downloadable HD media to the masses on it's crest, but let's be honest....in about 5-10 years, maybe. I say this not because I believe that it's technically impossible, on the contrary I feel we poses the technology right now, but the infrastructure necessary to support such a massive transition will take quite some time to set in place.

And let's not forget about Joe and Jane Shmoe who have bills to pay, especially with that brand new 80" OLED touch-screen Ultra resolution HDTV they just took their 4th mortgage out on. Now they need to upgrade their computer, install a complete home network, and subscribe to the recently available FIOS service to take full advantage of that behemoth in their living room! Right? Oh, wait! 1080i only!?! I sure hope this crap can put my kid's through college cause I just blew their scholarship on it!

Do you honestly think the "powers-that-be" are really taking into consideration the advent of HIGHER Resolution signals for future content, along with their big push to get "incredible" 1080i content downloaded to us? I really don't think so! Not saying I'm not enjoying the hell out of my HD Dish service, but I ain't blind! I can see as well as any fool that there are enormous differences between what I got on HD disc and what's out there via Satellite/OTA HD. BIG FRICKIN' DIFFERENCE!!

And what kind of equipment are we going to need to store/burn all of the downloaded high definition goodness with, you know since they believe we won't need Blu-Ray anymore, and how much will THAT cost us? Speaking of "hidden costs" just how many more rights are we the people going to relinquish to the digital age before we aren't even able to own the television we're watching it all on? (OK that last part's a bit unfair as in my case the bank still owns a majority share in MY HDTV, but I'm makin' a dent damnit! )

I fear I MAY have become a bit jaded from the 11 years of service I gave to a local high-tech company, an "industry leading" firm committed to burying it's head in the sand or sticking it's fingers in it's ears and chanting, "I don't hear you, I don't hear you...". From my experience with these corporate jackholes and their infinite wisdom in forecasting future trends, I put very little faith in what they or those like them have to say, especially when logic is thrown into the mix!

With everything I've already said, consider this: How confident are you in companies to trust your video libraries to their dodgy servers and hard drives for permanent storage? And will their exemplary customer service and impeccable record's keeping rest your minds at ease, now that EVERYTHING non-tangible you own can be lost at the click of a button?

Sorry. I'm just a hopeless dystopianist...love me some 1984 and Blade Runner!

 

[adamwilkes20]

I read in my new issue of the Gamestop magazine that Sony is already preparing Blue-Ray downloads for the PSP...the article was about the HD-DVD/Blue-Ray war. But the article didnt say what was needed to be added to the PSP to do such a thing. Maybe that is how they are gonna test downloadable Blue-Ray content for future use? I dont know, I dont own neither type of player.

With the price of Blue-Ray players now, I dont see how people can really afford them. I cant imagine being one of the people that have been screwed by the HD-DVD deal. the only good deal on Blue-Ray is a PS3..now Microsoft is rumored to be making a Blue-Ray add on for the 360, heck the HD-DVD add on was $179.00...surely the Blue-Ray add on will be atleast $250.00 and that estimate may be a little low

 

[KAB]

And this topic has WHAT to do with Dish HD?

 

[jokeworm]

surely the Blue-Ray add on will be atleast $250.00 and that estimate may be a little low

Why - you can already buy blu-ray drives for any computer for $140/150 (DH-4O1S-08) adding a case isn't going to add $100+ ... is it ?

 

[darrencp22]

And this topic has WHAT to do with Dish HD?

:up

 

[EricBskiVT]

And this topic has WHAT to do with Dish HD?

Who cares? It was a fun read!

 

[Logansneo]

Yeah, yeah, I know it isn't exactly a Dish HD discussion per se, hence the title of this thread. I've just run into this discussion in nearly every forum there is and figured I'd lay out my thoughts on it, just for shiggles and gits! But if you think about it, it does pertain to DVR's with respect to future HD content being made available for direct down either through Dish or competitors like FIOS fiber optic service. This and how Hollywood studio's seriously do not want you or I to physically own ANY of their copyrighted material without being able to limitlessly make residuals on films and music, and how that will affect our current rights. This is why I have and will continue to bring up this discussion. And don't think Blu-Ray won't affect or be affected by broadcast/downloadable HD in some way or another.

People like to forget how expensive VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD players were in the first 5 years of their inception, and think that players should be priced at the same level as current DVD players, which is absolutely absurd! I payed $499 for my current DVD player 4 years ago, which at that time was 9 YEARS after DVD was released, also making it my 5th dvd player over that same period! And people still bitch about how much they pay for Blu-Ray. Your memories shouldn't be limited only to the last year my friends, especially when our rights of ownership are brought into question yet again, as they were questioned in 1997 when the Divx DVD format was introduced. For those not familiar with it or who think it is only a computer video compression algorithm, Divx originally was Hollywood's and the Consumer Electronics industry's attempt to make DVD's a pay-per-play format that would entirely remove consumers ability to permanently own films, and had it not been for a massive online grassroots movement Divx could very well have been the standard we use today!

Frighteningly enough I find that most people today are far too eager to forfeit their rights in the name of convenience, or simply because they forget what has come before. I cannot do that.

 

[adamwilkes20]

Why - you can already buy blu-ray drives for any computer for $140/150 (DH-4O1S-08) adding a case isn't going to add $100+ ... is it ?

Well, I was basing my estimate off of the HD-DVD add on for the 360..you can bet your bottom dollar the Blue Ray add on will cost more than that, it is $179.00 for the HD-DVD add on. They just did a price drop to $129.99 on it likely due to the HD-DVD crash

 

[riverdog]

you know what's really funny... I watch most of my primetime TV on a 13" SD set in the kitchen while my teenagers play Guitar Hero on the 60" HD DLP!
I love my DVR for the simple reason I can watch TV while they sleep!!!!!

 

[vegassatellite]

One of the limitations I see on the whole HD over IP setups is the Fair Access Policy most broadband providers have. Some of these companies are bellyaching over their customers using bittorents too often. That's a big issue with a small segment of the broadband consumer marketplace. Imagine if the majority of broadband consumers were getting several hours of HD content on a daily basis. The broadband providers would be choking with excessive data transfers. I guess 12 meg service is only ok if you are only reading blogs all day, at least that's what Comcast has to say about it.

 

[wolfjc]

you know what's really funny... I watch most of my primetime TV on a 13" SD set in the kitchen while my teenagers play Guitar Hero on the 60" HD DLP!
I love my DVR for the simple reason I can watch TV while they sleep!!!!!

You mean that they really goto sleep?
But you really need to show them who owns the TV and makes the rules in your house and make them use the 13" TV for the games and you use the
60" for what you bought it for after all you are the adult here.

 

[aperry]

you know what's really funny... I watch most of my primetime TV on a 13" SD set in the kitchen while my teenagers play Guitar Hero on the 60" HD DLP!
I love my DVR for the simple reason I can watch TV while they sleep!!!!!

You're a good father. Guitar Hero rocks!

 

[Sammy033]

Some of these companies are bellyaching over their customers using bittorents too often.

I used to do bittorrent quite alot, but ended up being for stuff I hardly or ever used. After awhile there was little point in using the thing much anymore. I suppose alot of die hards still use it often because they can, and a younger crowd than I that would tend not to buy it all anyways. Ooooooold argument.

Anyways to sort of relate to Dish/DirecTV/Comcast, the blu-ray winners should start pricing their merchandise to compete with television. They did it before. They can do it again. If (hopefully 'when') they do, I will buy one and discs and lower my sat package when the contract is over. Probably an HD only one.

Then again, maybe they arent quite ready to lower sales of standard DVD yet.

 

[Posty-McPOst]

I used to do bittorrent quite alot, but ended up being for stuff I hardly or ever used. After awhile there was little point in using the thing much anymore.

Ya blame bittorrent because you don't know how to find good content. Do you blame your CD player for playing bad music too? BTW: This is not in anyway related to Dish and doesnt belong here.

 

[Sammy033]

Ya blame bittorrent because you don't know how to find good content. Do you blame your CD player for playing bad music too? BTW: This is not in anyway related to Dish and doesnt belong here.

To answer your question: no. I can easily find virtually anything I want via bt, usenet or several other sources. As it is, its sort of like those all you can eat buffets in Vegas. Most people go there to eat a good meal at great prices (or no price?). But there are always those that stuff themselves silly because they can. :

How can I relate this idea to Dish? When I first got my DVR I recorded all kinds of stuff because I could but never watched most of it. Now I am much more discriminating on what I do record and dont feel a need to make sure the drive is always full. Voom and all the others are full of repeats but there is still plenty of new material that I could never watch. There will always be a place for Voom. They just need to combine some channels like companies tend to merge two smaller branches into a more efficient larger one.

 

[charlesrshell]

What is the basic difference in the Blu-Ray and HD DVD players on how it works. Is it hardware or can a like a firmware be changed. My sons HP computer DVD player can play both.