On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, Eisboch wrote:


Unlike a conventional DVD player, the Blu-Ray players are basically
controlled by an internal and v-e-r-y slow microprocessor.

Running Java, I believe. I'm guessing that sluggishness might be DRM
related. The Blu-Ray standard requires the software to do a lot more
than just play the movie.

wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, Eisboch wrote:


Unlike a conventional DVD player, the Blu-Ray players are basically
controlled by an internal and v-e-r-y slow microprocessor.

Running Java, I believe. I'm guessing that sluggishness might be DRM
related. The Blu-Ray standard requires the software to do a lot more
than just play the movie.


So...I should wait a while before buying a Blu-Ray player and another
restored copy of Casablanca in black and white?

Plus the whole bluray verses hd thing is sort of like the beta verse vhs.
As I remember beta, even though the superior format, lost out to vhs. And
beta was another one of sony's ideas. I'm waiting for signs of a victor in
this war before buying a high res dvd player. I think a lot of people are
as well and that's why the acceptance has been slow.

"JimH" wrote in message
...

"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"Steve" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:


If you want a BluRay player, I'm curious why someone would buy a
BluRay player other than a PS3 for $399? The PS3 works great as a
BluRay player. It's not slow, doesn't cut out, doesn't have *any* of
the problems you mentioned above and uses a very fast microprocessor.
By far, the very fastest available in any home computer actually.

And as a bonus, besides watching BluRay discs, you can play PS2 or PS3
games and (if you plug in a USB keyboard and mouse) even use it as a
general purpose computer running Linux. It's the best deal going in
home entertainment if you ask me.

Steve

I didn't know PS3 played Blu-Ray until after I had purchased the disk
players, mentioned the issues to my daughter and she informed me about
PS3 which she has for her two boys. I have no interest in video games,
so it didn't occur to me to even check them out. Except .... due to
the discussion, she let me borrow their "Wii" system. What a blast!
You hold a controller in your hand and physically go through the motions
of bowling or swinging a baseball bat, golf club, tennis racket, etc. I
got a kick out of it.

Back to Blue-Ray. Does the Playstation 3 also play regular DVDs and
CDs?

Yes.


Also, my daughter said it had operational issues similar to those I've
experienced with the Sharp and Sony players when playing a Blu-Ray disk.
I know the Blu-Ray disks hold a huge amount of data compared to regular
DVD. I wonder if finding, reading and displaying the data is the reason
for it's slow motionness.

Another expensive lesson learned, although once they are playing, the
picture quality is outstanding.

Eisboch


The 80gb PS3 is being phased out, leaving only the 40gb unit. If you are
planning to buy and 80gb you better do it soon.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,14...s/article.html

"HK" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, Eisboch wrote:


Unlike a conventional DVD player, the Blu-Ray players are basically
controlled by an internal and v-e-r-y slow microprocessor.

Running Java, I believe. I'm guessing that sluggishness might be DRM
related. The Blu-Ray standard requires the software to do a lot more
than just play the movie.


So...I should wait a while before buying a Blu-Ray player and another
restored copy of Casablanca in black and white?


I would. I can't believe people can tolerate technology that has bugs and
problems. I was reading the manuals last night and you are supposed to log
on to the manufacturer's websites and download firmware updates from time to
time. That's too much. If it doesn't work as advertised out of the box, I
have little use for it.

I re-hooked up the regular, $99 dollar DVD/CD player to my system. The amp
does an "upscaling" of the video image and, although not high definition, it
looks fine on most regular DVD's.

Now, what the heck do I do with all the free Blu-Ray disks that are supposed
to be sent? (I also bought another 46" LCD HD television and between it
and two Blu-Ray players, I have 15 free movies coming plus got a $300
rebate ... $200 at time of sale and another $100 when I send all the
paperwork in.)

I'll keep the Blu-Ray systems, but will also keep the old player hooked up.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, Eisboch wrote:


Unlike a conventional DVD player, the Blu-Ray players are basically
controlled by an internal and v-e-r-y slow microprocessor.
Running Java, I believe. I'm guessing that sluggishness might be DRM
related. The Blu-Ray standard requires the software to do a lot more
than just play the movie.

So...I should wait a while before buying a Blu-Ray player and another
restored copy of Casablanca in black and white?


I would. I can't believe people can tolerate technology that has bugs and
problems. I was reading the manuals last night and you are supposed to log
on to the manufacturer's websites and download firmware updates from time to
time. That's too much. If it doesn't work as advertised out of the box, I
have little use for it.

I re-hooked up the regular, $99 dollar DVD/CD player to my system. The amp
does an "upscaling" of the video image and, although not high definition, it
looks fine on most regular DVD's.

Now, what the heck do I do with all the free Blu-Ray disks that are supposed
to be sent? (I also bought another 46" LCD HD television and between it
and two Blu-Ray players, I have 15 free movies coming plus got a $300
rebate ... $200 at time of sale and another $100 when I send all the
paperwork in.)

I'll keep the Blu-Ray systems, but will also keep the old player hooked up.

Eisboch




Well.

I don't mind downloading updates from time to time. Hell, I do it all
the time with Windoze, and I've already downloaded two software updates
for my Garmin 4208 and various other electronic devices.

My real problem with buying yet another device to play programming on a
TV set is that the programming itself is so ****-poor. That's why I
mentioned Casablanca, of course. The "restored" B&W version of that
classic is gorgeous, but it isn't even wide screen. :)

Like most folks, we have a couple of hundred moves on DVD. We watch very
few of them more than a couple of times, and I would state without
equivocation that at leat 95% of the new movies coming out these days
are absolute crap, not worthy of watching. Of the ones that are, very
few I have seen incorporate any sort of visual effects that would take
advantage of what I see on the Blu-Ray displays at the video stores.

I'm certainly not anti-technology, but I'd want to see some really good
programming available that I'd want to watch a few times before blowing
cash on Blu-Ray hardware.

On Jan 30, 5:24*pm, "Eisboch" wrote:
This is posted as a word of warning to potential Blu-Ray disk players who
have become accustom to the operation of a regular DVD player.

They work great, have a great picture in HD, but .....

They are a pain in the rear.

Unlike a conventional DVD player, the Blu-Ray players are basically
controlled by an internal and v-e-r-y slow microprocessor.

Hit the "Open" button and it thinks about it for a while. *If it decides to
cooperate, the disk drive opens after a two or three minute delay.

Hit the "Power off" button, and it thinks about it again for a while. *Might
shut off, might not.

When it goes to play a movie, it first "loads" a bunch of data into ROM.
You may as well go get a cup of coffee or a beer while waiting for it to
load up.

Sometimes, it simply cuts the video out completely while thinking about
things and your monitor goes to "no signal". *When this happens, resist the
urge to hit another command button. *All that accomplishes is another thing
for it to think about for a while. *Eventually, the picture will come back.

Although they produce a superior picture when they run, I don't think they
are quite ready for prime time.

BTW .... these characteristics are the same on two Blu-Ray players that I
bought ... the Sharp and a Sony that I bought for Mrs.E. today. * *Of the
two, the Sharp has been the most cooperative.

Eisboch

Sounds like those $39 conventional DVD players.........

On Jan 30, 7:06*pm, Steve wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:

This is posted as a word of warning to potential Blu-Ray disk players who
have become accustom to the operation of a regular DVD player.

They work great, have a great picture in HD, but .....

They are a pain in the rear.

Unlike a conventional DVD player, the Blu-Ray players are basically
controlled by an internal and v-e-r-y slow microprocessor.

Hit the "Open" button and it thinks about it for a while. *If it decides to
cooperate, the disk drive opens after a two or three minute delay.

Hit the "Power off" button, and it thinks about it again for a while. *Might
shut off, might not.

When it goes to play a movie, it first "loads" a bunch of data into ROM.
You may as well go get a cup of coffee or a beer while waiting for it to
load up.

Sometimes, it simply cuts the video out completely while thinking about
things and your monitor goes to "no signal". *When this happens, resist the
urge to hit another command button. *All that accomplishes is another thing
for it to think about for a while. *Eventually, the picture will come back.

Although they produce a superior picture when they run, I don't think they
are quite ready for prime time.

BTW .... these characteristics are the same on two Blu-Ray players that I
bought ... the Sharp and a Sony that I bought for Mrs.E. today. * *Of the
two, the Sharp has been the most cooperative.

If you want a BluRay player, I'm curious why someone would buy a
BluRay player other than a PS3 for $399? *The PS3 works great as a
BluRay player. *It's not slow, doesn't cut out, doesn't have *any* of
the problems you mentioned above and uses a very fast microprocessor.
By far, the very fastest available in any home computer actually.

And as a bonus, besides watching BluRay discs, you can play PS2 or PS3
games and (if you plug in a USB keyboard and mouse) even use it as a
general purpose computer running Linux. *It's the best deal going in
home entertainment if you ask me.

Steve- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That's interesting, thanks for the input!

On Jan 30, 10:43*pm, "Eisboch" wrote:
"Steve" wrote in message

...

On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:

If you want a BluRay player, I'm curious why someone would buy a
BluRay player other than a PS3 for $399? *The PS3 works great as a
BluRay player. *It's not slow, doesn't cut out, doesn't have *any* of
the problems you mentioned above and uses a very fast microprocessor.
By far, the very fastest available in any home computer actually.

And as a bonus, besides watching BluRay discs, you can play PS2 or PS3
games and (if you plug in a USB keyboard and mouse) even use it as a
general purpose computer running Linux. *It's the best deal going in
home entertainment if you ask me.

Steve

I didn't know PS3 played Blu-Ray until after I had purchased the disk
players, *mentioned the issues to my daughter and she informed me about PS3
which she has for her two boys. * I have no interest in video games, so it
didn't occur to me to even check them out. *Except .... * due to the
discussion, she let me borrow their "Wii" system. *What a blast!
You hold a controller in your hand and physically go through the motions of
bowling or swinging a baseball bat, golf club, tennis racket, etc. * I got a
kick out of it.

Back to Blue-Ray. * Does the Playstation 3 also play regular DVDs and CDs?
Also, my daughter said it had operational issues similar to those I've
experienced with the Sharp and Sony players when playing a Blu-Ray disk.
I know the Blu-Ray disks hold a huge amount of data compared to regular DVD.
I wonder if finding, reading and displaying the data is the reason for it's
slow motionness.

Another expensive lesson learned, although once they are playing, the
picture quality is outstanding.

Eisboch

Have Guitar Hero for PS3 for my kids. Seeing how I play guitar, I
didn't think I'd like it, because it's not really like playing for
real, but what a blast! EVERYBODY that goes down to the gameroom and
tries it is addicted! Last Saturday, I was in my brewhouse getting
ready to make a batch of ale and my friend came in and kept trying to
hurry me so we could play!

On Jan 31, 6:06*am, "JimH" wrote:
"Eisboch" wrote in message

...







"Steve" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:

If you want a BluRay player, I'm curious why someone would buy a
BluRay player other than a PS3 for $399? *The PS3 works great as a
BluRay player. *It's not slow, doesn't cut out, doesn't have *any* of
the problems you mentioned above and uses a very fast microprocessor.
By far, the very fastest available in any home computer actually.

And as a bonus, besides watching BluRay discs, you can play PS2 or PS3
games and (if you plug in a USB keyboard and mouse) even use it as a
general purpose computer running Linux. *It's the best deal going in
home entertainment if you ask me.

Steve

I didn't know PS3 played Blu-Ray until after I had purchased the disk
players, *mentioned the issues to my daughter and she informed me about
PS3 which she has for her two boys. * I have no interest in video games,
so it didn't occur to me to even check them out. *Except .... * due to the
discussion, she let me borrow their "Wii" system. *What a blast!
You hold a controller in your hand and physically go through the motions
of bowling or swinging a baseball bat, golf club, tennis racket, etc. * I
got a kick out of it.

Back to Blue-Ray. * Does the Playstation 3 also play regular DVDs and CDs?

Yes.

Also, my daughter said it had operational issues similar to those I've
experienced with the Sharp and Sony players when playing a Blu-Ray disk.
I know the Blu-Ray disks hold a huge amount of data compared to regular
DVD. I wonder if finding, reading and displaying the data is the reason
for it's slow motionness.

Another expensive lesson learned, although once they are playing, the
picture quality is outstanding.

Eisboch

The 80gb PS3 is being phased out, leaving only the 40gb unit. * If you are
planning to buy and 80gb you better do it soon.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,14.../article.html- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You need to quit being so quick to believe everything you hear. Did
you notice at the beginning that Sony has not said that? Did you
notice that it even says that it's NOT CONFIRMED????

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:24:56 -0500, HK wrote:

Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:24:25 -0500, Eisboch wrote:


Unlike a conventional DVD player, the Blu-Ray players are basically
controlled by an internal and v-e-r-y slow microprocessor.
Running Java, I believe. I'm guessing that sluggishness might be DRM
related. The Blu-Ray standard requires the software to do a lot more
than just play the movie.

So...I should wait a while before buying a Blu-Ray player and another
restored copy of Casablanca in black and white?


I would. I can't believe people can tolerate technology that has bugs and
problems. I was reading the manuals last night and you are supposed to log
on to the manufacturer's websites and download firmware updates from time to
time. That's too much. If it doesn't work as advertised out of the box, I
have little use for it.

I re-hooked up the regular, $99 dollar DVD/CD player to my system. The amp
does an "upscaling" of the video image and, although not high definition, it
looks fine on most regular DVD's.

Now, what the heck do I do with all the free Blu-Ray disks that are supposed
to be sent? (I also bought another 46" LCD HD television and between it
and two Blu-Ray players, I have 15 free movies coming plus got a $300
rebate ... $200 at time of sale and another $100 when I send all the
paperwork in.)

I'll keep the Blu-Ray systems, but will also keep the old player hooked up.

Eisboch




Well.

I don't mind downloading updates from time to time. Hell, I do it all
the time with Windoze, and I've already downloaded two software updates
for my Garmin 4208 and various other electronic devices.

My real problem with buying yet another device to play programming on a
TV set is that the programming itself is so ****-poor. That's why I
mentioned Casablanca, of course. The "restored" B&W version of that
classic is gorgeous, but it isn't even wide screen. :)

Like most folks, we have a couple of hundred moves on DVD. We watch very
few of them more than a couple of times, and I would state without
equivocation that at leat 95% of the new movies coming out these days
are absolute crap, not worthy of watching. Of the ones that are, very
few I have seen incorporate any sort of visual effects that would take
advantage of what I see on the Blu-Ray displays at the video stores.

I'm certainly not anti-technology, but I'd want to see some really good
programming available that I'd want to watch a few times before blowing
cash on Blu-Ray hardware.

Damn, I feel horrible. We've got about ten movies, mostly Disney stuff for
the grandkids and a few Christmas presents.

Why would anyone buy a couple hundred movies on DVD?

Anyone?
--
John H