Sony Blu-ray Player BDP-S300
$500
Blu-ray players are made by a number of different manufacturers and range in price from $500 - $1,000. Their main advantage is the ability to play movies in "1080p" resolution, which although considered the highest level of High Definition, it's worth noting that many people have a hard time seeing the difference between it and "1080i". Since the experience requires also having a 1080p television, and that you buy your favorite movies again on Blu-ray discs for $25 - $33 each, it is an expensive investment.
$500
Blu-ray players are made by a number of different manufacturers and range in price from $500 - $1,000. Their main advantage is the ability to play movies in "1080p" resolution, which although considered the highest level of High Definition, it's worth noting that many people have a hard time seeing the difference between it and "1080i". Since the experience requires also having a 1080p television, and that you buy your favorite movies again on Blu-ray discs for $25 - $33 each, it is an expensive investment. The movies do come with a number of cool interactive features such as on-screen menus and behind-the-scenes commentaries and documentaries, and right now on the market, it offers the best video quality and the experience of watching a movie on the format is undeniably spectacular.
However, this is the Age of the Internet, where a digital revolution has replaced compact discs with MP3 files and iPods. It’s difficult to think that that a disc format like Blu-ray isn’t going to be seriously impacted by the rapidly changing online world.
Will Blu-ray have a long lifespan? Can it last as long as DVDs or even VHS tapes did? Can it last a decade or will it be replaced in 2 – 3 years by something new?
Apple TV
$250 - $350
At least in the United States, Apple is now selling and renting movies in High Definition using the exact same iPod model that has given them success in the music business. Apple just announced yesterday that the latest market figures show that they are now the #2 music retailer in North America, selling more online music files than Best Buy has sold CDs. Wal-Mart is the only store beating them at the moment. As with their iTunes music store, you buy the movie once, download it onto your computer, and can then copy it onto your laptop, iPod, or Apple TV where you can watch it in High Definition. It's not "1080p" like Blu-ray, yet, but it's still impressive.
The service only just launched last September and so far has sold over 7 million movies and is expected to launch in Canada by the end of this year. (right now you can purchase TV shows, music videos, or Pixar animated shorts).
One cool feature of note, the Apple TV allows you to watch YouTube videos on your television. YouTube recently announced that they are planning to launch a High Definition version of their video-trading website. Apple’s solution will be able to tap into that upcoming wealth of free High Definition videos.
Xbox 360
Pro - $340 Elite - $450
Pro - $340 Elite - $450
Microsoft has also launched an online movie store/rental service using their Xbox 360 video game system. Unlike Apple’s service, it is available in Canada right now. Owners can connect online to download movies in High Definition for rent/purchase. Again, it doesn't offer "1080p", but the experience is still very impressive. The service only works with the Xbox 360 and currently offers just a small selection of titles from only a few movie studios. The service forces you to buy movies using "Microsoft Points" which come in bundles larger than the price of a single movie rental and here in Canada the service has experienced a number of technical difficulties, with many users unable to get their movies even months after paying for them.
Once you get past those hiccups, watching a movie is a great experience and shows that companies like Microsoft have the potential to become a serious competitor to Sony’s Blu-ray.
Samsung DVD-1080P7
$120
This DVD player takes you're existing DVD library and "upconverts" it to a High Definition format, and yes, with this new model from Samsung, even "1080p”. Basically the player takes the DVD video and stretches it to fit the higher resolution screen of an HDTV. It then uses sophisticated software to fill in all the holes and correct the weak spots. While the results are not true “High Definition" they are impressive enough to blow away your friends and neighbours.The main advantage here is that you do not have to replace your current movie library. After you pay the $120, you never have to spend another dime.
Right now it’s best to still wait, wait for either the prices of Blu-ray players to drop again or wait for Apple’s iPod-based movie service to make them obsolete. Either way, the best solution to enjoy your big screen, HDTV is an upconverting DVD player. It’s a small investment with impressive results.
