The future of dvd players...

[nasdravi]

Hello,
Future players will play all common formats (mp3, vob, avi, mkv) from all kind of media (cd, dvd-r, bd-r) and from external sources (usb sticks/hds).
How long do you thing is gonna take for these kind of players to be available and affordable?
thanks

[jagabo]

Future players will play all common formats (mp3, vob, avi, mkv) from all kind of media (cd, dvd-r, bd-r) and from external sources (usb sticks/hds).

Some players already support most of those features (except BD media and the MKV container). For example, the Philips 5990 which runs about US$60.

[Bjs]

I'll say it ... isn't that what the modern pc is meant to be able to do ... be part of the home entertainment system ... is far cheaper than dedicated hardware and is 100% repairable by the owner as well.

Bit like mp3 pro garbage ... tis unwanted.

[jman98]

Future players will play all common formats (mp3, vob, avi, mkv) from all kind of media (cd, dvd-r, bd-r) and from external sources (usb sticks/hds).

Some players already support most of those features (except BD media and the MKV container). For example, the Philips 5990 which runs about US$60.

Yes, but the inability of players like the Philips to play high def video is a significant drawback in my opinion.

I'll say it ... isn't that what the modern pc is meant to be able to do ... be part of the home entertainment system ... is far cheaper than dedicated hardware and is 100% repairable by the owner as well.

Well, I got my Western Digital HDTV media player for under $100 US and that's cheaper than any home theater PC would be. And it does support MKV and high def.

[yoda313]

Yes, but the inability of players like the Philips to play high def video is a significant drawback in my opinion.

Well considering that dvd isn't high def its not all that suprising. Even if they are "upconverting" they wouldn't want to add costs to a "basic" player.

[nasdravi]

I also have the wd media player, is cool, but my 1tb hd is full already..... What i really need is to play mkv from dvd-r and bd-r... i think it ll happen in a couple of years max

[jagabo]

I believe there is a firmware mod that allows the WDTV to read files from an external USB DVD drive.

[nasdravi]

I believe there is a firmware mod that allows the WDTV to read files from an external USB DVD drive.

Thanks man, i ll try it

[pepegot1]

In the future, when Blue Ray becomes more dominant, you will see players that will play everything-period. Right now the market is too small.

[nasdravi]

ok, wdtv works fine with usb dvd drive
Couple of minor problems are that cant play external .srt files and the fast forward/back functions are a bit slow (on a 16X dvd drive). Hope it ll be fixed in future release. Also high bitrate 1080 mkvs are choppy sometimes, but this was happening before too...
cheers!

[jagabo]

In the future, when Blue Ray becomes more dominant, you will see players that will play everything-period.

Everything? No.

[filmboss80]

These are all supply-and-demand issues. The vast majority of consumers do not share the interests of many of those who frequent this site. Simplicity of format and economic feasibility (especially in these current economic conditions) are the primary factors driving the market.

Most HDTV owners are satisfied with the quality of upconverting DVD players. The figures of Blu-ray ownership by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) are tainted, because they count Blu-ray compatible game boxes like the PS3 in their numbers. Blu-ray sales are not as vigorous as one might think.

Thus, I would not hold my breath for low-cost players that do all the things that we videophiles want.

[jagabo]

These are all supply-and-demand issues.

And patent/licensing issues.

[lordsmurf]

In the future, when Blue Ray becomes more dominant, you will see players that will play everything-period. Right now the market is too small.

When Blu-ray falls flat on its ass and disappears like Laserdisc, you'll start to see solid-state based televisions that are firmware-upgradable online, with the ability to play H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, WMV and whatever else hasn't come along just yet. That's the future, not more discs that take so much time to author, fragile (scratches), etc. BD is proving itself to be nothing more but a slightly more obnoxious DVD.

[nasdravi]

In the future, when Blue Ray becomes more dominant, you will see players that will play everything-period. Right now the market is too small.

When Blu-ray falls flat on its ass and disappears like Laserdisc, you'll start to see solid-state based televisions that are firmware-upgradable online, with the ability to play H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, WMV and whatever else hasn't come along just yet. That's the future, not more discs that take so much time to author, fragile (scratches), etc. BD is proving itself to be nothing more but a slightly more obnoxious DVD.

I think the bd-r discs will survive tho..... when prices drop bd-r discs will be ideal to store some mkvs and play them with a player that support it ( like we play 5-6 avi movies from dvd-r now)....

[orsetto]

...BD is proving itself to be nothing more but a slightly more obnoxious DVD.

Amen to that.

The home video industry (aka Hollywood) is currently rousing itself from a decades-long self-satisfied stupor, and moving a lot faster (and sneakier) than consumers or electronics mfrs quite realize. Leaving aside all thought of BluRays merits/drawbacks, at the moment its marketing is a breathtaking display of smoke and mirrors, combining superstore desperation to seem new and exciting with Hollywoods crass "live for today" hucksterism. You would swear from this Sundays superstore circulars that DVD went the way of VHS years ago and that BluRay was now the dominant format , yet behind the scenes Hollywood is playing everyone for fools. They figured out last year that by the time BluRay actually gained any real traction discs would already be dead as a popular format, and DVD is in steady decline because quality-ignorant younger consumers are only interested in "product" thats ready-made for their BlackBerrys and iPods (they find ripping infringes too much on their FaceBook time). So while Hollywood outwardly promotes the hell out of BluRay with Sony and the retail giants, to shore up short term cash flow, in the back room they're forging ahead with solid state formats. They are hell bent on not being cut out of the next media curve: they want to bypass the necessity for ripping completely in hopes you'll buy more media if its sold on widely-compatible chip cards. How long it takes to get the costs down will determine how long the disc formats are promoted. Even if cards cost much more to make than BD discs, if the cards boost sales volume 20% to those who would not otherwise buy pre-rec media Hollywood will be more than happy.

[yoda313]

because they count Blu-ray compatible game boxes like the PS3 in their numbers

Um don't mean to be too picky here but the PS3 is the ONLY game box that plays bluray. The xbox 360 is dvd with an optional hd-dvd add on drive. The WII doesn't even play dvd or audio cds (at least I don't remember being able to play audio cds on it).

But yes that is not a true dedicated settop unit. But my point is the ps3 is it as far as a game console playing bluray.