Shaoko

Media companies thinking of the PS3 as a blu-ray player is no different then thinking of the 360 as a downloadable movie service. Sure it can do that, but that's not the functionality people care about when buying it.

entr0py24

Sounds pretty simple and accurate to me, the only variable is how many people use it solely for games.

SuperMaxZero

...so... i mean, yes, i play games on my ps3, but what the fuck does that have to do with anything.

it opens the door to buying bluray movies, and thats the advantage.

joelface

ese

Jeff

Before HD-DVD went under, you'd see ads for movies "Coming to DVD and HD-DVD" or "DVD and Blu-Ray". Now, all I see is "Coming to DVD", with no mention of Blu-Ray at all. Even the recent release for Cloverfield, which screams for HD, is only coming out on DVD.

What gives? Has Sony's victory come at the price of killing interest in the market?

StarkRavingMad

Metropolis

In fact of those I really want, they are offered on 360, which is where my library of games is located and where I plan on purchasing games for.

Not sure when a real "exclusive ps3 game will release" I have to have.. heck im not even a metal gear nut so I guess I will miss out on that one.

yzerman

Techguy1138

Elemence

[www.dvdtalk.com]

Sasquatch

You do not need expensive cables if you use HDMI, though.

Analogue signal requires shielded cables because its subject to noise (electromagnetic interference is analogue!).

Digital signal isn't - it's 1 or 0, on or off, it works or it doesn't. The only sort of interference you're likely to get is if your setup has more than one path to ground, and that's electrical interference (which is analogue).

Koztah

Just as a tangent, the PS3 DVD upscaler looks absolutely beautiful, but the cooling fans get noisy when it puts that much effort into it. On a PC with ffdshow, you can get a similar effect with filters in this order:
First deinterlace if needed, then postprocessing, optionally a luma/chroma levels correction if needed - manually with the histogram since auto smashes any subtlety in a dark scene, then about 20% sharpening with unsharp mask, then upscale to your screen res using 10 taps and the Lanczos algorithm, and then I like to finish it with a debanding filter. If you do it all properly and your source doesn't suck too bad it will look razor sharp as opposed to plasticy. As an added bonus of upscaling, text-based (not hardcoded) subtitles in AVI/MKV/OGM files will be perfectly sharp and readable since they're not rendered small then blown up.

...but that's really CPU intensive and technically slanted where the PS3 just sees a DVD and works its magic.

fuchikoma

I freaking love my PS3, and I have to admit that my 360/HD-DVD combo has been collecting some dust since the PS3 came into my life.

Sasquatch

[en.wikipedia.org]

William Hook

@darthmatt: Guess I'm not most gamers cause I loves me some 1080p unrated RoboCop.

Most the "free" once are only 720p due to compression and that shit doesnt fly in my house.

@kidCasey13: double or triple, wtf do you shop for movies? Dvd's cost 20 bones the first week they are out then they jump to like 24 bucks (depending on title). Um blu rays are about 25 bucks the first week they are out (at best buy anyways) then they go up in price from there. Amazon sells blu rays for usually 30% off retail store prices, and you can get some super saver shipping.

Triple or double the price, for serious? Stuff must be expensive where you live or dvd movies cost next to nothing.

Derigor

darthmatt

Wow, who are the genius' that hire these 'analysts'? I need to become an analyst, make a lot of money & point out 'facts' that are generally wrong.

kidCasey13

But whatever. Even though I now own both formats, I end up watching most of my movies off the dish anyway.

lionkitten

nomovies

Tale

BtownDesignGuy

First, everyone was saying that people weren't playing games on it, then it was only 40% of PS3 owners knew about Blu-ray playback (if you want to know how THAT statistic is competely fucked, ask), then Blu-ray won and it was only because people were buying up PS3s... now it's Blu-ray FTL because people are playing games on the PS3?

That about sum it up?

Evil J

questworld

There was an article a few months back where someone noted that DVD sales had finally plateaued, and therefore that must needs mean that HD-formated discs were on the cusp of kicking DVD to the curb. Didn't happen (in fact, now that HD-DVD is out of the picture, Blu-Ray is falling off the radar somewhat). Other than a few odd curiosities (there was a Blu-Ray-blue Lightning McQueen mail-in offer in the Blu-Ray version of Cars, and the Blade Runner suitcase pack shipped in DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray formats), DVDs continue to get all the primo store exclusives because there are just so many more people who will buy them.

The current state is that it's now Blu-Ray's race to win...for the time being. Digital downloads are going to take a cut of the market, and many of us are satisfied with DVDs, but with HD-DVD out of the picture it's a lot more likely that Blu-Ray will eventually win the market. It just might take decades.

@incredibilistic:
That's because Sony successfully pitched the idea that all PS3-owners were going to buy Blu-Ray movies. Not true, but investors bought it.

@ph15h needs followers:
It's going to be a split market from here on out. CDs and DVDs still offer better clarity than most downloads, and there are inherent advantages to having a near-archival copy of the media in question, like not having to worry about losing everything when your hard-drive keels over.

@Candlejack:
I thought they generally priced $10 more, but I haven't really been paying attention of late. Worse, however, is the fact that you have to buy a new (expensive) TV, a new player, and really expensive cables to hook it all up properly. There's a reason the federal government is offering free coupons for digital converter boxes, and that's that the people who sling McBurgers might not have the budget to buy a new TV by 2009, much less an HDTV plus an HD-media player.

Purple Dave

aiko.adonia

cheeses

@smcallah:
"and then the majority of those people only have SDTV's"

I always wondered whether that was true, and if it was, why the hell some games are made unsuitable for sd - like ratchet and clank, really difficult to read some of the text. Probably 1/4 of the games I've played have some problems. SD can still display modern graphics because tv is usually SD and the graphics are fine. Gran Turismo 5p adds the option of zooming in with R1 I think for this reason.

valleyshrew

M. Lobo

tehFluffz

I own PS3 games and Blu-Rays for my PS3, but I do not think I am a normal consumer, nor do I believe many of you are. It's ridiculous to read these "analysis failed" posts from you people when you know you don't represent the average consumer.

Nothing is going to change my mind that the majority of PS3 owners bought them for games, and then the majority of those people only have SDTV's. Making Blu-ray pointless for the majority of PS3 owners AT PRESENT.

Yes, time will change things. But as of now, the reality is that you all are not normal consumers, which is apparent since you are at this blog reading this post. And it looks ridiculous for you to say an analyst is wrong from your personal buying habits.

smcallah

H454

gnudna

NitrousO

So every time a fun PS3 game comes around, PSN or otherwise, it is just a huge bonus to me :)

cybereal

blu-ray.com movie size thread

Let me help you understand what that is. Now let me explain what the current "best" format for digital distribution is: AVC, aka H.264. It gives the best quality for bitrate ratio and supports features necessary for true HD when desired (such as 8x8x8 colorspace for archival, and 8x8 integer transform in the high complexity version.)

So take a look at any of the videos on that list that are encoded as AVC (the VC-1 may or may not be higher quality, it depends on the many variables during encoding, but nobody distributes VC-1 videos on any high profile online services so there's nothing to compare).

Now, let's take a look at an actual movie here that could benefit from HD visual but doesn't overload on the audio since almost nobody can benefit from master audio, but most can benefit from decently encoded 5.1 these days. To suppor that, you can get a 5.1 surround sound system of reasonable quality for under $200 with speakers now.

The movie is Bridge to Terabithia

Encoded as AVC it's 1h:35m:31s long and weighs in at a reasonable 24 GIGABYTES.

So, when you can afford to stream 24 gigabytes of data into your house in less than 96 minutes then you can start the rant about digital delivery. Until then, none of these supposed "HD" digital movies are anything close to what "HD" has come to mean to the people who actually care. They are higher quality usually, generally a higher bitrate, but the same resolution or, higher resolution but the same or lower bitrate than DVD to achieve an appearance of higher quality without truly delivering much more than was originally there.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm a fan of digital delivery, especially streaming movies because while there are a few movies I like to buy, again and again because I love them like family, 90% of the movies I watch are one time only and I'm a theatre hater, so streaming relatively new, high quality movies directly to my HD 7.1 channel surround system and 60" 1080p screen is HIGHLY ATTRACTIVE.

But seriously, until we all have real FTTH (never happening with current infrastructure and ISPs) then we can just look at blu-ray and hope for the best because that's the peak of quality available to us legitimate consumers right now.

Oh and for the record, I have fiber available to me from a very good local ISP, the peak speed of which is 100mbps for a business quality line, with no specified price (30mbps business quality which basically means a higher bandwidth limit before bandwidth charges are incurred starts at $125/mo.) is about half the speed necessary to stream this HD movie, and do nothing else.

Let me reiterate, a 100mbps connection between myself and the source, a high unlikely situation (the source very unlikely to have 100mbps for every customer) is only *HALF* the speed necessary to stream a regular blu-ray movie, and they can be even HIGHER bitrate than this example. And a 100mbps connection is likely to cost $300/mo since it's business targetted. For the record, a consumer line peaks at 50mbps with 500 gigabytes per month bandwidth before $20 per 100GB charged after that.

These are excellent prices from an excellent ISP, pinnacle of its kind, and nowhere near supporting what's necessary for full HD movies.

cybereal

Blu Ray won the format altercation (I refuse to call it a war), but sales haven't increased signficantly since said win. It still trails DVD so much that its almost insignificant.

PS3 games, while doing better, are still trailing far behind 360 and Wii. Key titles will do well (GTA4, MGS4, duh), but this is the trend.

So the PS3 is being bought as mainly a Blu Ray player first and gaming secondary, but people aren't buying a ton of either.

Ouch.

Oh well, I still genuinely want a PS3 to sit next to my 360. I'm just poor right now. But when I do get one, I'm sure I'll buy some Blu Ray movies and a few games as well ......

DARTH_TIGRIS

okenny :)

Further more, most BD releases have less content than the DVD release and cost more. Given how well many DVD players (including the PS3) upscale on HD displays these days, it's less convincing to spend the extra money. Especially during a downturn in consumer spending.

Either way it definitely looks like Sony's plan is starting to materialize. Could one machine be a backbone for two platforms? :o

Replica23

kingclip

system11

SirCobbins

cduran02

I'm more shocked that everyman and his poor blinded dog chose to conveniently forget that small detail until oh about 5 seconds after HD-DVD died.

Jelster

Jaimz11785

kingross

Mongoosekun

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

Now, if only I could get someone to pay me for that.

jiffy

No HDTV = Why the F*ck did you just spend $400-500 on an HD game/movie player?

jiffy

+ Watch video

mykalt45

Barf#1

Kleppe

So yeah, I can definitely see how this article correlates PS3's not being the doorway to increased Bluray disc sales. This is by no means the same thing as when DVDs came on the market. No one bought the PS3 for a "cheap" Bluray player like they did with PS2's and few are bothering to upgrade from their DVD players and collections.

KirbyMorph

And even if it were true, wouldn't the film industry be to blame for releasing movies so mediocre that, given the slightest chance, people would rather eject the disk and play a game instead?

Snake726

People used to complain because there were no games/ no good games for the PS3 and the only thing it is good for is as a cheaper Blu-ray player.
Now that there are (more) games for the PS3, this guy comes along and says that people should be using their PS3s to watch more Blu-ray movies?
What the hell?

If this guy had half a brain, he would realise that the PS3 is neither an exclusive game platform NOR a Blu-ray player. It is BOTH.
Every PS3 owner has the POTENTIAL to be a Blu-ray customer as well. Maybe if the studios and manufacturers actually did something (more aggressive marketing, better informative advertising, more competitive pricing for both media and player) - instead of just sitting on their butts going, "Yeah us. We won the format war. We rock", Blu-ray might actually be adopted at a faster rate.

The "installed base" is already there. Maybe not as large as the media companies had hoped for, but it is there. The question is, are THEY doing anything with it?

F3ngles

I'm not paying 30 fucking dollars for a 15 year old movie.

CitizenInsane27

optimusprime

When you consider that while yes, the PS3 has multimedia capabilities, it's primarily marketed and sold as a gaming console with the BD player as a bonus, it's natural to assume that people will buy the PS3 to play games, and maybe watch BD movies as a bonus. Does this work? Well, consider that Sony tried this before, with the PSP and UMD, and we know how well that worked out. Granted, the handheld market is pretty different from your home theater jazz, but if I was in the business of selling Blu-ray movies, I'd be pretty worried about any sales estimates based on PS3s sold.

celery

TheNexusRebound

Where did all my money go?
Well mostly alcohol, strip clubs, and ????... But I've already got a home entertainment system worth around 10,000.

And sadly, I still only use the Xbox for Halo, only use the Wii for Smash Bros, and only use the PS3 for Tekken, Everyday Shooter, and Rockband.

I'll admit, I had a blast with Uncharted and Orange Box... But besides that, the majority of my library of 30 or so next gen games have been left unbeaten.

This whole arguement about whether or not the PS3 has games is retarded. The Xbox had a year headstart, and still, I only utilize one game on it.

It's all subjective folks, it all comes down to personal taste.

StevenRafael

PS I buy all my movies on BR now because the PS3 is mainly region free. An imported BR is about the same price as a DVD you'd buy in the shops here.

Uhyve

HELLSRIDER

flashtut

kylo4

The tables have turned!

Maleficence

rainking187

munchausen

JorgieX

Xcite79

JamesHolden

What on earth are you talking about? You clearly don't and didn't have a HD-DVD player. The movie prices were the same as BD, and sometimes more because of the combo format. Player prices were cheaper but that's about it.

As for the post, well, scapegoats are popular and analysts really need to keep busy. The DVD format co-existed with games on the PS2 in 2000, and it even helped in regions like Japan (where it was the cheapest DVD player).

Standalone player sales are up, and stores are stocking more movies than ever (and selling them too). More importantly, it hasn't been that long since HD-DVD's demise. A mass market boom won't happen overnight.

If it didn't happen for DVD in 1996, BD won't be any different.. Well, it actually is growing faster in the same time period since introduction thanks to some well known gambles.

SG79

Other than that, I won't buy a retail Blu-ray movie for what their selling them for. My wife is the real movie fan in this family, but if she caught me buying a movie for that much she would kill me. It's easier and cheaper to rent, or stream through Comcast for us.

homernoy

@enigma89: The cheaper dics will definitely help. HD-DVDs are selling quite well at this point b/c they are finally at decent prices. Also, just wait for something like the original Star Wars trilogy to be released and disc sales will shoot through the roof.

Spartan1308™

JorgieX

I think the analyst got a bit confused about what really drives sales: software/movie titles. The studios care less about a lot of Blu-ray players being sold then they do being able to predict how many Blu-ray discs will be purchased by those with the players. The fact that some PS3 owners will only purchase games makes it difficult to predict Blu-ray disc sales to Blu-ray player owners. So, in the market analysis and prediction sense, the PS3 is a crutch. I can honestly say though that the inclusion of the Blu-ray player pushed me towards the PS3 (ok, and the next Final Fantasy games...), and I currently own more Blu-ray discs than PS3 games.

Aggrocragg

Blu-Ray offers way more in sound than picture. Quality is over 10 times greater with the new DTS-HDMA and Dolby HD.

I own 4 movies and have rented many more from Blockbuster. The PS3 is the best Blu-Ray player available and it is very cheap when compared to similarly featured players.

Sony was very smart in the long run. The high price may have cost them the first year in gaming. It did however win the War and the PS3 will eventually sell 100 million units.

TheRealMaxPower

Konchu

RememberThe.357

Until Blu-ray (not to mention the PS3) drops it's price(s), they will never sell much.

D00mM4r1n3

It really isn't surprising that 85% of players would be PS3s since it had been the cheapest for a while and is still the best standalone BD player on the market since it is the only one that can be updated via the internet.

Spartan1308™

SHENANIGANS!

V1L3

enigma89

Sailorcancer

Jelster

teh analyst = FA!L

Ruisu

This guy sounds like he's trying to bring the people behind the Blu Ray format down to earth more than anything. I mean, sure the format beat HD DVD out of the market, but what does it accomplish in the end, when only 15% of the Blu Ray players sold are just that, and not sold as a gaming console? There's a lot of assuming to be made there, and if the people promoting Blu Ray don't take that into consideration, it could eventually be a lost format in the long run.

Recup

Which begs the question: why the hell did you buy it in the first place?

Antiterra

LittleBigPlaneteer

stop copying me! Its the same deal at my house too. I dont have anything against the ps3, but, the xbox just has more games that has my intrest.

kablammyman

resetbutton

perrinbar

Who didn't get the memo that gamers buy more media than non gamers?

Techguy1138

Only have one Blu Ray movie which I never got around to watching since I saw it in theaters. It was the Ballad of Ricky Bobby which actually came with the darn thing.

NitrousO

Biohazard-

What a fucking moron.

EvoAnubis

Maximus9

M

Biohazard-

Biohazard-

peAr nectAr

Still, Sony and co. choose to add the PS3 in the list of BD player owner and now people are starting to realise how much of a mistake this was.

If what McWhertor says is true, about 85% of all BD players out there being PS3s, this means that in the end, HD-DVD should have won the format war. And the ones that backed the Blu-Ray are getting kicked in the pants.

Soulmaru

DrunkRaba

Biohazard-

Ether02

dhghunter

IntelSilver

Sollus

steliosco

1) I love Playstation
2) Games
3) DVD player

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques

sh0tgunn0strils

Mini-Boss

Antiterra

Seriously though, I tend to agree that more people play games on PS3s than watch BR movies. Sure, they boost BR "player" sales by buying the PS3 and help that industry out, but that doesn't mean they want it to play BR movies especially. To me, it's a welcomed bonus, that is all.

Of course, I am more than happy about 50+GB sized games. That's what I like about the BR drive more than the actual - you know - movies.

On a general note, I can't see too many people ready to make the jump to Blu-Ray media (including HDTV and all that) if the actual discs don't go down in price. What are BR movies these days, 5 bucks on average more expensive than DVD equivalent? Yer, they offer HD & uncompressed audio, but heck - the price means a lot for somebody who collects them as he did with DVDs.

Then again, Blu-Ray is undeniably the future in disc formats, at least for now. There's just too many companies, studios and distributors backing it to not force it on the consumer sooner rather than later.

I imagine about when you see the average home desktop PC come with a Blu-Ray disc writer, you will see a ludicrous boom in anything Blu-Ray related, for obvious reasons. Even pirates need to buy their blanks.

Candlejack

I'm guessing this is way off base. There are probably alot of PS3's out there that are just used for blu-ray.

robinandtami

Nah... While most people on here have fast internet, you'd be surprised how many people still get hardcopies of their multimedia rather than Digital Copies. Microsoft is correct saying Digital Acquisition is the future, but I doubt it'll be so soon.

Megan Fox iz Hot ^-^ -ph15h

incredibilistic

Jeff Paine

Rammsoldat

Zytokis

Troll...

Megan Fox iz Hot ^-^ -ph15h

sascha23