This column is part of a series "Making It Personal" that explores our love/hate relationship with personal technology.
Even since Blu-ray won the high-def format war earlier this year, almost everyone
I speak with is wondering whether or not they should upgrade their entire library
from DVD to the new format and start moving into the "future."
Invariably, I ask them a simple question: "Would you be willing to pay
$500 for a new player and spend $30 on movies?" Invariably, the answer
is no. And therein lies the rub. Why is Blu-ray so special? Is it because we're being
gouged at retail and so some people think it's neat? Is it because we're being
promised something that's oh so much better than DVD when in reality, it's ostensibly
more appealing? Is it because Blu-ray is simply the next big thing and it's
natural for us to want something like that?
Probably all of the above. But if we justify the purchase of Blu-ray through
those questions, how important is it really? In reality, Blu-ray is nothing
more than a money dump that's trying to trap us through a false sense of hope.
But if we're smart, we'll stay far away from this junker.
Now I'm sure at least some of the people I talk to are thinking that I'm totally
off my rocker. "But, Don," some say. "Don't you know that Blu-ray
is the future and it's HD?"
Please.
If you spend some quality time watching Blu-ray movies on a screen that's any
smaller than 50-inches or so, you'll notice quickly that the difference in image
quality when compared to DVD is barely noticeable. Does it look better? Sure.
But the quality difference is not nearly enough to justify repurchasing your
entire library of movies and surely not enough to justify purchasing an overpriced player.
When DVD became the fad in media, people adopted the new format because the difference between DVD and VHS was astounding. Not only was the picture quality much better, it offered a slew of add-ons that made owning a DVD far more appealing than a junky old VHS.
But now, the differences between Blu-ray and DVD are minor. Sure, you're capable
of enjoying 7.1-channel surround sound and the picture is in full HD, but what
else does Blu-ray really bring to the table? On the storage front, it's a major
improvement - you can store 50GB on a dual-layer - but other than that, I'm
simply not seeing anything that would make me want to replace all my DVDs.
Even worse for Blu-ray is that nagging discussion on HD downloads. Unfortunately,
the prospect of HD downloads is nowhere in sight, but most people are still
waiting for a major boom in the industry. Sure, you can do it now, but waiting
hours for a movie to download isn't really my cup of tea. Until we see faster
broadband speeds and more companies throwing their weight behind it, Blu-ray
will be hanging around.
But how successful will it really be?
With only a few better features than DVD, Blu-ray is quite simply the laughingstock
of the tech industry. It beat HD DVD handily, but can it really stand up to
its biggest foe yet - the DVD? If it can, will it be able to stand up to HD
media downloads or even upconverting DVD players?
So far, those answers are unknown. But as the vendors continue to set ridiculous
prices on players that should be priced at $100, look for slow adoption and
a general lack of care about anything that's going on with the new format.
Right now, Blu-ray is a waste of money and destined to fail unless things change
drastically in the next year. If things don't change, DVD will have claimed
another victory.
Related reading:
Opinion: Blu-ray or HD DVD -- neither, thanks
