Will you buy Blu-Ray/HD-DVD?

[AB Asks]

It sometimes seems like DVDs were only introduced very recently. Indeed many people still have a DVD/VCR player with the videos only just gathering dust on the shelf. So with this in mind, companies are upping the stakes again with the release of Blu-Ray players and HD-DVD ready to battle it out for supremacy. This of course means that we will all have to shell out �500 on a player and buy all-new discs to play in it. What do you think of the amount of money we're expected to pay to stay up to date with technology? Has it gone too far?

[vehelpfulguy]

You say "we will all have to shell out �500 on a player and all new disks"

What alarmist clap trap.

There is absolutely no need for anyone to go out and buy a Blu Ray or HD DVD player yet.

All films still come out on DVD and will continue to do so for years. Everyone who has a DVD player will be able to play DVDs on them for years.

As Blu Ray and HD-DVD become more mainstream prices of players will drop from 500 to 400 to 300 to 200 to 100 the way DVD players have.

DVD players were �500 when they first came out, and did everyone rush out and buy one...no. They waited till the price came down.

BTW, did you know that anyone who buys a Playstation PS3 automatically gets a Blu Ray player in it ?

[fo3nix]

This is also coming at a time where content can be transferred more and more though the internet. Once things get sorted (copyright issues, DRM stuff), and once people get faster connection speeds, that'll be the distribution model that will win, not disc formats.

Telecom companies are the winners here, and Sony, Toshiba, etc. are getting scared.

[mr_sparkle]

Buying a PS3 (�400), so I'm getting a Blu-Ray player as standard. I'll replace my old collection of DVD's when hell freezes over as I can still play them. However I won't buy new DVD's (as opposed to the BD variety) unless they're from a studio that's backing the HD-DVD format and I have no choice.
Downloading is OK for myself and others with unlimited net access, but not all want to spend hours downloading a movie.

[Rosaura1234]

I like Blu-ray movies, but I think it is kind of expensive for me.