[X4U] Blu-ray vs HD (i)

[Stroller]

On 16 Aug 2007, at 05:28, Randy B. Singer wrote:
> On Aug 15, 2007, at 9:07 AM, Robert Ashton wrote:
>
>> I'm getting close to purchasing a high def player. At last check  
>> Apple was supporting Blu-ray and not HD.
>> 1) Is this still the case?
>
> Apple has stated that they are in the Blu-Ray camp, but they appear  
> to be waiting for the standards war to shake out, and for hardware  
> prices to come down, before offering hardware that supports either  
> standard.

Apple have in fact gone so far as to join the Board of Directors of  
the Blu-ray Disc Association.
http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/03/10/bluray/index.php

In order to play hi-def disks DRM will be required all the way  
through the video pipeline from kernel, through graphics card to the  
monitor. Could this be a reason why 10.5 is taking so long?

I would hope that Apple have realised that most people aren't likely  
to want to play back 1920 x 1080 on their 23" iMac or on the monitors  
of their office PCs, and that Apple are going to sit & wait a while  
longer to see if anything more sensible happens with regard hi-def  
formats.

>> 3) What platforms would other users purchase?

I wouldn't. I'm perfectly happy with DVDs for most of the movies that  
I watch and I object to manufacturers playing format war at the  
expense of consumers. I don't want to buy into a format which'll  
become obsolete in a couple of years and I find it frustrating that a  
decade after DVD's encryption was cracked, Hollywood is still doing  
the whole DRM thing with movies that we buy.

If I want to watch a movie now it's probably cheaper to buy it on DVD  
and re-buy it out the bargain bin on the dominant hi-def format in a  
few years' time - once the format war is over and things settle down  
- that it is to lunch out full-price on the hi-def format now. I  
remember when DVD was going to be the format that would last forever  
and movie enthusiasts all paid premium prices to build up our  
collections; I feel a bit of a sucker that I was quite happy to pay  
£30 for the "definitive edit" of a movie that I felt I "had to have"  
and that's now available in the bargain bins for next to nowt.

Nevertheless, there's nothing wrong with a DVD: it's perfect high  
quality for a film originally shot on film - hi-def can't improve on  
a DVD for that - DVDs are convenient and you'll be able to play a DVD  
forever. The idea of starting a collection of HD disks only to find  
I've bought into the hi-def betamax format just makes me shudder!

Of course, all these opinions are subject to change when I start  
actually watching hi-def content. I do have a PS3 and a hi-def TV;  
here you can get hi-def BBC for free, I just haven't got around to  
hooking it all up.

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