People moan and bitch about how the PS3 costs $600 and so on. Well if you were considering buying a Blu-Ray drive for your home theater, a PS3 may be your cheapest bet. As I strolled through a Best Buy today, I noticed it was selling internal Blu-Ray drives for a whopping $749 a pop. That’s some serious moola, even they let you burn to still-expensive Blu-Ray discs. So if you don’t care about games and want a Blu-Ray drive just for playing a movie, I’d say go with a Playstation 3 for now.
Though if you’ve got money to burn from Xmas and want to go all out on your machine, expect to shell out about a grand for the drive, blank discs, and a few movies. Your call kiddies.
You forgot the punchline Vince… then… a few years later… HD DVD wins the format wars and the only thing PS3 is good for is video games and that player/burner you got makes for a nice re-gifting the following Christmas ;-)
I wouldn’t buy either format until at least a year from now (unless your buying it for video games that is)… otherwise, you got a 50% chance of getting screwed.
Jon
Considering that Sony doesn’t have a good record with format wars, I think it’s safe to say that Blu-Ray doesn’t have too good a chance against HD-DVD. Not the least of which being that HD-DVD actually EXPLAINS WHAT THE TECHNOLOGY IS!
Anyone remember UMD, Universal Media Disks. Anyone know of anything that uses “Universal” Media Disks besides the PSP?
Look, I may be wrong, but I’ve already got a 360 so shelling out another $200 isn’t too bad, and I think that if there is a winner in this format war (which is another question altogether) then it will be HD-DVD.
BluRay might make it’s splash in the PC world, actually. Everyone keeps forgetting that, but if they can get the costs down (which will happen eventually), then the fact that you can store that much data on one disc will be appealing to more than a few people I know. As of this point, there hasn’t been too much said about HD-DVD burners.
That’s a fair point Kurt. I wonder how long it would take to burn that much data to a disk though? Is it faster than like a DDS-4 tape? I have no idea, I’m just wondering.
But you’re absolutely right, I haven’t heard much about HD-DVD burners.
Playstation 3 FTW! Blu-ray rocks!!!
unfortunatly, HD-DVD has very weak industry support, while BD is backed by everyone that produces electronics (Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer, Hitachi, Apple, Dell, etc, etc.). Not only that, but BD camp has a lot more movie studios on its side too, and 2007 releases are not looking good for HD-DVD. They are also very late with recordable drives, and it has been reported that Best Buy has moved their HD-DVD displays to the backof the stores…
Very little chance of HD-DVD making it as this point…
I have to very much agree with the statements made here. Sad thing is that it looks like Blu-Ray has some great things going for it. It also has a cooler name. For all we have heard about Blu-Ray and HD-DVD for years, it is nice to see that the battle has really finally begun in the public sector.
It’ll be fun to watch this play out over the next couple of years….
Actually Sony made a big mistake bundling BluRay with the PS3. BluRay may be superior to HD-DVD, that’s not the point. The point is neither format is essential at this time. As a movie format DVDs work fine and will be around for some time (I know I will not be buying a HD-DVD or BluRay player for at least 3 or 4 years, if that). As a gaming format, DVDs work fine and will be around for some time also. Most people would rather have multiple DVDs rather than a format that may not be around in 5 years. Sony’s goal with the PS3 was to further their cause in the next-gen format war. Unfortunately, they’ve found few people want to fight the battle right now. This is evident with the PS3s slow sales. In fact, recent eBay auctions have the PS3 being sold at cost and some are trading their PS3s fro Wiis. The end result is Sony delayed their gaming system to cram in hardware that no one really needed and certainly no one wanted to spend the extra money on.
People always compare the HD DVD/BluRay war with the VHS/Betamax format war, which is definitely a fair comparison, but you really can’t use that as a basis gor judging Sony’s ability at winning such a war because when that battle was going on, Sony didn’t own 3 major movie studios (Columbia, Tri-Star and MGM) whereas now it has the extensive libraries from those three studios to help push out more content for their format.
I honestly wouldn’t doubt that pushing BluRay was a motivating factor in buying those studios, either.
I think this battle is going to be so much worse then the VHS / Betamax format exactly for the reason you describe above, about Sony’s current level of power and push in the movie market. I think a lot of people are going to buy both types of discs over the next couple years. And then in the long run, if both don’t succeed, then people are going to be stuck with discs that will only play in the losing media formats player.
Perhaps players will simply come out someday that can play both. Then even if one wins in the long run, as far as the media being sold is concerned, people who were early adopters will still be able to play either format.
What a mess it will be, undoubtedly…
you are comparing a $750 blue ray WRITER to a ps3. last i checked the ps3 doesn’t burn discs? granted its still a better deal than most home theater blu-ray players its a bit different.
I have to concur with you as well . Blu-ray is just too strong when it comes to support from the movie inustry especially Sony who has an exenstive library of move titles in the future like Spiderman 3.
unfortunatly, HD-DVD has very weak industry support, while BD is backed by everyone that produces electronics (Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer, Hitachi, Apple, Dell, etc, etc.). Not only that, but BD camp has a lot more movie studios on its side too, and 2007 releases are not looking good for HD-DVD. They are also very late with recordable drives, and it has been reported that Best Buy has moved their HD-DVD displays to the backof the stores…
Very little chance of HD-DVD making it as this point… >>>
Except for the fact that no one is making any hardware for it, and only announced INTENT. I could announce that I was going to make a blu-ray player and be added to that list.
I for one will not be purchasing a blu-ray player. It’s a great idea to use for portable backup, but realistically in about 2-3 years, thumb drives will be holding 50gb as well.
On the technology we have now, there’s no noticeable difference between Blu-ray and HDVD.
Also given Sony’s format fiascos where they they lose consistently, I’d have to say that Blu-ray and Beta will be chumming it up in removable media heaven.
So if the Wii came encrusted with $1000 of diamonds and they rolled it out at $800 we should be snapping them up just because? Its about choice and flexiblity – something that we weren’t give the OPTION with the ps3. Next gen drives can kiss my a$$ (for now).
Like it or not, the BD will win. Think about it. Even though only 200 thousand or 500 thousand PS3’s have sold (which is far less than the planned 1 mill), that’s still 500 thousand homes with a BD player. Whether they want it or use it or not, 500 thousand homes at this early in the race is still pretty damn good. AND, once sony starts producing PS3’s consistently, that # could triple or so by summer of ‘07.
Caveats, the article forgets the caveats. The PS3 is a very limited Blu-Ray player. It will work for you only if your HDTV supports HDMI and 1080i or 1080p. You also have to put up with a Bluetooth remote that doesn’t integrate at all with infrared based home theater systems. If you are an early adopter of technology then your old HDTV that only has component, VGA, or DVI inputs just isn’t going to work with the PS3. If your HDTV is one of the many that supports 720p but not 1080i/p then you are going to watch your Blu-Ray movies in 480p. And the saints forgive you for wanting to use some sort of universal remote to control your movie playback along with your HDTV and sound system, cause it isn’t going to happen. If you are really, really sold on the Blu-Ray standard do yourself a favor and get a Blu-Ray player (prices are dropping and the PS3 isn’t the cheapest solution anymore) that will actually work with your existing HDTV and home theater system.
That $749 drive burns blu-ray discs, hence the price. But hey, why actually look at what it does?
For all those xbox owners out there you guys will forever slam the PS3. Its no stopping the hatered that you feel. Let just lay out some facts right now for the 360 it cost 399.99 for the core and and that does not include the online service which costs like 50 bucks a month. You also have to pay for the the brick add on which is called an HD-DVD and the costs of that is 199.99. So within a year you have already payed way more the 360 than a PS3. The PS3 may look bulky but at least everything came in one box:) And for the games you have had a year head start and you mean to tell me our games match to the 360 already HA! Give the PS3 a year and lets compare the difference. So see you next year around this time.
The HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray war is like the SACD vs DVD-Audio war. Which side did you pick in that one?
Yeah, me too.
ps3 has blu-ray, that means it can hold more high def data on one single disc. and the fact that ps3 come with blue ray is for that purpose. Its not only use for movies but to make longer and better game then it competitor.
the reason why playstation 3 games are at the same level as xbox 360 is beacuse, they don’t want to develope a game that use all of the playstation power. simply because their is a one year factory warranty which mean thier is a chance that it might fail due to it full power. As you can see almost every good game come out a year later when the warranty is void
if you want a blu-ray player then the ps3 is good value but if you want a games machine for the purpose of actually playing games then its a rip off. your forced technology you prob dont want or need. and it only means as is already seen the ps3 will lose more and more 3rd party exclusive titles. its already losing the console war, its a PS it should be miles ahead and if it wasnt for that Blu-ray drive it would be
Well, Bryan…Slow PS3 sales. Huh? Your the first to say that, apperently you never watch the news or didn’t try and buy one this week! Maybe you meant “couldn’t make them fast enough”. And Mistake Huh? All the new PS3 games are topped out at the single layer 25Gb BD, and the newest coming out will be 50GBs. Not to mention Quadlayers in the works! I’m not a gamer at all (last owned SuperNintendo) but I understand what the storage means and sorry XBOX just can’t deliver. The add on HD DVD doesn’t work for games, so they lose. Give it another year and watch the games that come for the PS3. The Gaming companies are already talking about how they’ll have to Downsize for XBOX, instead of just switching code. Meaning NOT the same content. It’s no secret that the game consoles are very High End computers when they come out compared to Desktops. They don’t make money on the console itself, but the Games. PS3 is a computing powerhouse well beyond XBOX. It’s got more juice than my new iMac for $1800. Another fact…PS 2 is still the No.1 selling game player in the world over everything hands down. It’s what 7 years old now? I think Sony knows what they are doing when it comes to that industry!
P.S.—I’d loved to teach a class on “Common sense, logic and reality”. 90% of you people would fail. Facts are facts. Hopes are hopes. And the future, though unseen is always pre-determined. Just step back and imagine how stupid you would sound in a year when NONE of this means anything and it’s already been set by Logic. Now go back to your rhetoric!
Priestman… go back to priesting or whateve u want to call it… it should be much better than the rhetoric you are spewing here. Why dont u teach a class on how to be an asshole? Common sense and reality are all subjective. Jeez what a turd!
OK here is a biased but straightforward blah blah… Its all about strategy, and not what potential the PS3 has. Microsoft is in a much better position… But I like the Wii, ( i own all 3 systems)…
1) Vista will allow publishers to make cames for xbox and pc’s (still #1 gaming machine) and use xbox live… (awesome); u can see the potential there? no?
2) Xbox live download… who the heck needs blueray or hd-dvd player, all I need is a fast pipe to my home (Verizon FiOS preferably) and I’m downloading all the high-def content I need. 20 GB is fine, for rental… see the potential there no? bluray (obsolete!)
3) 360 video infrastructure is much better than the PS3; 1080i is fine compared to 1080p. the 360 video potential is built superbly, wonder why Kenny K. from SONY wants to double the ram on a higher priced version.
(360 still plenty of potential, no?)
4) Ever heard of multiple dvd’s? Blue Dragon? Storage is not an issue… the quality of the games are… if I need 50 gb for a crappy game, no thanks. Look at Resistance fall of Man, I knocked that game (its a not bad game, just run and gun…) out in less than 12 hrs and its
~18 gb GOW is ~7 gb, and much better looking…. and much more fun! If all else fails, 360 can go with an internal hd-dvd if the market goes in that direction (potential no?)
Microsoft atleast is listening to the consumer, instead of putting root kits on ur computer or buring your balls when ur battery explodes on your lab. I have been that unlucky… so I have a bias against Sony…
Or if u want to believe the Sony Hype machine….
ITSSS BLUUUU RAYYYZZZZ.. CELLL PROCESSORR!!! BUY ROUNDEYE!!!!!!!!!
PoPo, How old are you? 12? What you wrote hardly made any sense.
I have to agree with Priestman on this. Also the 360 and Wii are outselling the PS3 because there are more to sell.
Dan, how are we forced technology again?
Nukegnome, i have a PS3 connected to my TV by DVI, and i get 1080p, it must be a miracle.
“Now go back to your rhetoric! ” LMAO Good one Priestman.
In regards to Ryan’s rant against the Xbox 360; HD DVD versus Blu-Ray wouldn’t be a gaming console issue if Sony hadn’t included a Blu-Ray player in the PS3 and if Microsoft hadn’t answered with the HD DVD player add-on for the Xbox 360. This whole part of the argument is a red herring as consumers can use either console to view HD content.
Move away from the gaming issue and look at the two technologies. Both have the capacity to support full HD movies on a single disc. Blu-Ray players cost between $750 – $1000 and movies cost $25 – $30, while HD DVD players cost $350 – $500 and movies cost $20 – $25. Many HD DVDs will play in a regular DVD player (part of the HD DVD standard). In addition, the current batch of movies arguably look better on HD DVD as they are using VC1 encoding while all the Blu-Rays are still using MPEG-2. Currently, Blu-Ray has broader studio support but there are more HD DVD movies available.
So which does a consumer purchase? The cheaper product with better graphics, more movies, and extra features or the more expensive product because it has better growth potential in the future (i.e., more content on a single disc, potentially more movies because of larger studio support). In the end, Matthew probably has it right – neither right now. There are only 20 million homes in the U.S. with HDTVs and less then half of those are viewing HD content of any sort (TVPredictions). If they cannot bother to tune-in the free over-the-air signal or purchase cable or satellite HD channels they certainly aren’t going to pony up the money for even the cheaper high definition DVD solution.
I posted this same comment over an hour ago and it still says awaiting moderation. Hopefully this won’t post twice, if it does perhaps a forum moderator can remove the first post.
SubGenius Priestman, this data is actually reported by many independent gaming and tech sites: http://newtech.aurum3.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=364&Itemid=18, http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/12/prweb493000.htm. I can find several more articles if you want. I am stating fact, sorry. Before you claim someone else doesn’t read the news you should try to make certain you do first. And yes, big mistake, or as PCWorld called it, one of the top tech screw ups of 2006: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128265-page,1/article.html. You can spout numbers about game size or how great BluRay is, but regardless, it’s unnecessary. All other console formats and PC games can fit on DVDs, whether it’s one or a few. I would rather get 2 or 3 DVDs rather than invest $100s in a format that may not survive. And for movies, once more, DVDs will be around for some time. So you may want to do a little studying before you think you can teach anyone else anything.
And Ryan, the core costs $299, and you can’t say in one year your 360 will cost as much as the PS3 because you DON’T HAVE to buy the HD-DVD add-on – that’s the point. Maybe in 3, 4 or 5 years I will get a high-def player in whatever format is dominant, but I have no plans to play high def movies through my game system right now and I doubt many others do. At this time a high-def player is just an unnecessary high cost component. As for the PS3 games being as good as the 360, many independent gaming sites say they aren’t: http://www.gamespot.com/features/6162742/index.html?sid=6162742&click=topslot. But regardless, based on Sony’s claims and the high cost of the PS3, they were promised to be much better. PS3 games being only “as good” as the 360 is only one more reason to be angry with Sony. I’m not trying to push either system in this forum too, honestly. My first post made no mention of the 360, I just pointed out that Sony hosed people by forcing BluRay. But if you make comments against one system at least make sure they are accurate.
Also WTH? this would be a good read for you, Priestmans data and logic is flawed.
The HD DVD/BluRay format war is not really the same as the Betamax/VHS war. The home movie industry was in its infancy and the number of players sold per year was truly minimal. To buy a movie on either platform would cost you $80. The number of video rental places was also tiny compared to today’s standards.
I would actually compare the current format war to the +R/-R format war in the CD industry. Eventually, consumers demanded that they both be provided in a player recorder. If I go to Netflix/Blockbuster online, they offer movies in both formats. Considering it cost less than $2 to print either format, availability of both will most likely be commonplace, although possibly not interchangeable (i.e. look at all the types of memory cards for cameras).
If Sony can include BluRay on a $499 playstation and Microsoft can sell an “add-on” HD-DVD player for $199, it only stands to reason that either model will sell in the “under $200″ category shortly.
One last point on High Def content. Over 90% of the televisions on the market today are HD. Within a few years, most content will be as well.
People seem to be overlooking the fact that PS2 is outselling Xbox 360. There are 100 million or so units out there and people own a ton more games than that. Will those people migrate to a 360 and lose the potential to play all the games they own? Is it really about the next “hot” game?
One thing that kept me from buying the Xbox 360 when it came out was that I was required to “upgrade” my PC to Media Center Edition if I wanted to stream video to my TV from another computer. Microsoft is trying to force a PC upgrade just because you bought their game machine.
These machines are both geared as much toward the Home Theater enthusiast as much as the gamer. Both allow streaming media from a PC over your home network, both are trying to attract the HD crowd, and both could pretty much replace your traditional “component” system (remember the good ol’ days of CD player, tape player, turn table, tuner, equalizer all in seperate components?).
One of the things I think PoPo is right on the money with (like a diamond in a coal mine) is that bandwidth is going to be the wave of the future. Why rent a DVD when you can just point, click and watch? I think the same will be true of games. Whether it’s Xbox, PC, Wii or PS3, the game makers want the revenue from all game players. Ultimately, all these systems will go the way of the 8-track, cassette player, cd player (who buys these any more when you can get an MP3 for $20) and yes, soon to be DVD player.
Back to the real question: What do you want NOW? I wanted a high-def player to augment my HD DVR and a new game machine. MS and Sony both offer that. With MS I had to upgrade my operating system on my PC for streaming content, so I went with the Sony. If the gaming machine is all I wanted, I probably would have opted for the 360 on price.
Stevo – who told you that a Media Center PC is required to stream video to an Xbox 360? To stream TV from a tuner – yes. Video, music, and pictures just require Media Connect 2.0 (installed automatically with Media Player 11 or as a separate download). Any Windows XP PC can stream to an Xbox 360.
WTH – Good to know that HDMI to DVI converters work as input from a PS3 on some HDTVs. This work-around did not function correctly on the older HDTV we tried. Your’s working isn’t a miracle – just newer/better technology then is available in my house. I stand by my assertion that connecting PS3s to older HDTVs is problematic. And it isn’t just limited to connection types. If an HDTV doesn’t support 1080i/p, then PS3 movie playback will be in 480p. If an HDTV doesn’t support 720p, then PS3 games that only support 720p will only play in 480p. These aren’t issues with most newer HDTVs, but for early adopters that have older HDTVs these scaling and connections issues are show stoppers to enjoying an HD experience.
i love these claims
1.looking at the price of a internal bluray player and saying ps3 is a deal because of that,
- um you realize that internal player was A) also a burner B) MADE BY SONY, THEY CAN PRICE IT HOWEVER THEY WANT TO MAKE U THINK PS3 IS A DEAL
2.”"”"People seem to be overlooking the fact that PS2 is outselling Xbox 360. There are 100 million or so units out there and people own a ton more games than that. Will those people migrate to a 360 and lose the potential to play all the games they own?”"”"
-hm, you seem to be overlooking that if they own said ps2 games, migrating to xbox360 wont be “lose the potential to play all the games they own” as they own a ps2 already to play said games
3.”"”"One thing that kept me from buying the Xbox 360 when it came out was that I was required to “upgrade” my PC to Media Center Edition if I wanted to stream video to my TV from another computer. Microsoft is trying to force a PC upgrade just because you bought their game machine.”"”
-so because xbox has a streaming “feature” that requires a specific OS, you think its being forced on you?
4.”"”Dan, how are we forced technology again?”"”"
-i know im not dan but i can answer this one, you is being forced to buy a bluray player that sony developed an is in my belief still in a “beta” stage. its not something thats needed at all atm or within the forseeable future, its like inventing a car with no wheels cause theres hope in the near future for some type of hovering ability will be invented.
5. “”"”Let just lay out some facts right now for the 360 it cost 399.99 for the core and and that does not include the online service which costs like 50 bucks a month. You also have to pay for the the brick add on which is called an HD-DVD and the costs of that is 199.99. So within a year you have already payed way more the 360 than a PS3. The PS3 may look bulky but at least everything came in one box:)”"”
–the only thing that you got right here is the xbox360 costing $399,
–the xbox live service is 50$ annually, or $4.17/mo, or about 14cents a day, rough price considering we’re talking about 400-600$ game systems
–there is nothing that says “. You also have to pay for the the brick add on which is called an HD-DVD and the costs of that is 199.99.” its an OPTION(something sony didnt give you)
Why you all getting so pissed about this? I bought a PS3 because all the games that I like will be exclusive to it. Thats it. I do not care about the blu-ray drive, I do not care about all the other crap you guys are discussing.
Hi
I’ll make my comment very clear… After playing both X-Box 360 and the PS3 I would buy a PS3 In a heartbeat… and smash an X-Box just as fast. For one everyone always complains about how much they hate Microsoft and “Windows”… What do you think runs in the background of every Crap-Box. Sony made the PS3 more user friendly… Far more powerful… Picked a format that will hold the most data so that future games dont have such a retarded limit. Everyone that claims X-box is better obviously has not compared the specs and are just spitting BS out of their mouth because they were too impatient to wait a little longer for the better machine. I’m not saying the PS3 has better games at the moment… because it doesnt… My point is that the PS3 has the superior specs and will be able to handle next gen games 3 years from now without any hardware upgrades. I can’t say the same for Microsofts X-box 360.