http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/142905

Expect to see the prices on players fall as the 2008 holiday season progresses and then ends.

Here’s my read on this current tech situation: Once you own an HDTV, you become used to the high def pictures of TV shows and movies you receive that way. You prefer them. Then when you see Blu-Ray 1080p movie playing in a store, a light goes on–I have an HDTV that would really show new movies with this incredible picture and give me awesome sound too if I got a BR player and maybe a BR ready HDMI receiver and surround package (HTIB) to go with it. Price will hold some back, but those who want that best quality will spring for it now, or soon, to enjoy that crisp picture, etc. The problem with assuming that downloaded films will displace BR is that the downloads are low resolution and will not look that good on today’s HDTVs, not even as good as a standard DVD. Upconverted DVD’s look better than the downloads on HDTVs, but none of these look and sound as good as the Blu-Ray technology. The big negative about BR is not that BR players cannot show DVD’s because they can and they even upconvert them. The big minus is the price of a Blu-Ray movie. Even when you get a good deal on one, it still seems expensive. I guess it all just depends on your budget and how much you care about the HD performance of your entertainment. I just got the Sony BDP-s350 BR player and the HTIB Sony HT-ss2300 receiver and surround to go with my HDTV Sony KDL-46XBR4. All the items were bought with deals and discounts. HDTV was $1999 delivered. BR player and HTIB receiver/surround were $225 and $240 delivered. They all synchronize together with Sony’s remote and HDMI 1.3 cabling bought from monoprice for $15 delivered. There are deals out there, you just have to work on finding them, then you have to spend the cash.

If only 10% of Netflix’s catalogue is available on Instant watch how much of it is available on Blu-ray, hmmmmm?

You can’t have have it both ways.

If available titles is really your concern then Blu-ray’s slightly over approx 700 (available right now, not announced) is beaten senseless by DVDs 90,000+.

Blu-ray is primarily a niche game console format.

It’s got little chance of breaking into the mass-market, not when you need a huge HD TV to ‘see’ 1080p properly and a very expensive audio set-up to benefit from the improved audio it offers.

With the type of HD TV most buy
(32″ – 42″ 720p sets)
and the usual audio in most homes
(Vanilla Dolby Digital, at best)
It really isn’t the huge leap on from DVD the Blu evangelists would have us believe.

There are still a LOT of reasons to have the shiny disc in your hand! Plus as long as the media companies have a stranglehold on the content via their DRM restrictions, people need to remember that any investment in downloaded content could disappear in an instant (usually without notice too)!