djc
01-19-2008, 07:10 PM
By Saul Hansell (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/author/shansell/)
Tags: Blu ray (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/blu-ray), digital television (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/digital-television), Televisions (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/televisions)
When I wrote (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/hd-dvds-fall-like-dominoes/) last week, about the apparent victory of Blu-ray discs over HD DVD, there was a deluge of comments from readers. Those that agreed with my take on things, let’s say, were a rather small—if well-informed—minority.
One of the many assertions that readers found objectionable, was the idea that any standard for high-definition discs is better than a format war. HD DVD’s defenders listed that format’s many advantages, such as the requirement that players include an Internet connection. This enables interactive features as well as updates to the player software.
The readers are right. It was silly of Sony not to put an Ethernet jack on the back of every Blu-ray player. It was perfectly clear when the specification was being finalized that we are in a connected world, where nearly every experience can be made better by a network connection. The most common Blu-ray player, Sony’s PlayStation 3 console, does have an Ethernet jack, of course.
But technologies evolve. Smart engineers hate limits, and they create ways to overcome them. Indeed, today Ars Technica has a long analysis (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080118-new-nlu-ray-2-0-spec-makes-ps3-the-most-future-proof-player.html) about the Blu-ray 2.0 specification. Guess what? The next generation of Blu-ray players will have network connections, as well as more memory and processing power so they can match some of the tricks of HD DVD.
Of course, the 500,000 people who have bought stand alone Blu-ray players won’t have access to these features. But that is the price of being an early adopter.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/youre-not-buying-gadgets-any-more-you-are-subscribing-to-them/?hp
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quite accurate.
Tags: Blu ray (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/blu-ray), digital television (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/digital-television), Televisions (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/televisions)
When I wrote (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/hd-dvds-fall-like-dominoes/) last week, about the apparent victory of Blu-ray discs over HD DVD, there was a deluge of comments from readers. Those that agreed with my take on things, let’s say, were a rather small—if well-informed—minority.
One of the many assertions that readers found objectionable, was the idea that any standard for high-definition discs is better than a format war. HD DVD’s defenders listed that format’s many advantages, such as the requirement that players include an Internet connection. This enables interactive features as well as updates to the player software.
The readers are right. It was silly of Sony not to put an Ethernet jack on the back of every Blu-ray player. It was perfectly clear when the specification was being finalized that we are in a connected world, where nearly every experience can be made better by a network connection. The most common Blu-ray player, Sony’s PlayStation 3 console, does have an Ethernet jack, of course.
But technologies evolve. Smart engineers hate limits, and they create ways to overcome them. Indeed, today Ars Technica has a long analysis (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080118-new-nlu-ray-2-0-spec-makes-ps3-the-most-future-proof-player.html) about the Blu-ray 2.0 specification. Guess what? The next generation of Blu-ray players will have network connections, as well as more memory and processing power so they can match some of the tricks of HD DVD.
Of course, the 500,000 people who have bought stand alone Blu-ray players won’t have access to these features. But that is the price of being an early adopter.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/18/youre-not-buying-gadgets-any-more-you-are-subscribing-to-them/?hp
----
quite accurate.