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February 6, 2008
Dear CNET members,
In last week's newsletter, we discussed the news of HD DVD losing Warner Bros. to Blu-ray exclusively. We also discussed whether HD DVD would survive until summer. Now after reading and discussing the matter, some of you may have decided to pull the trigger and buy a Blu-ray player, or you may have started to consider buying one. But hold your horses! CNET home theater editor John Falcone, in a recent Crave blog post, gives us the five reasons to wait on buying a Blu-ray player. He writes that nearly all current Blu-ray players are obsolete, and that Blu-ray players prices have nowhere to go but down. However, John also writes that the Playstation 3 is the only exception to those rules. The PS3 is the only player that's futureproof--doubling as a top-notch game machine and network digital media streamer, and readily available for $400. It is a great Blu-ray player which also does a fine job of upconverting standard DVDs to high-definition resolutions.
Now that you've read John's five reasons not to buy a Blu-ray player, do you agree with him? Why? What about the exception to his rules? Is the PS3 worth investing in? Bottom line, do you think it's the right time buy a Blu-ray player? Are you a HD DVD fan that believes the HD DVD format will survive, giving Blu-ray the run for its money? What ever your reason, join us in the discussion and let us know what's on your mind.
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This week's hot topic:
Why you shouldn't buy a Blu-ray player yet
In a recent Crave blog post, CNET editor John Falcone's gives us five reasons why you shouldn't buy a Blu-ray player yet--with the exception of the Playstation 3. The opinions are all over the map. Here are a few excerpts of what members have to say about John's reasons.
"PS3 is the Best Way"
"As this article says, the PS3 is a fine Blu-ray player, offering ready access to the gorgeous quality of sound and visuals there. Not only this, but the hard disk makes playing MP3s or downloaded HD trailers possible, not to mention the games, making for the perfect accompaniment to an HDTV...." (Read more)
"The only problem with the PS3 is.."
"That it isn't able to handle the newer hi-def audio codecs (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD). This may not be a huge deal right now---but when more movies come out with these audio formats... I am hoping one of the newer PS3s will have this ability." (Read more)
"I don't see any reason."
"Obsolete and 'not state of the art' are two very different things. My BD 1.0 player (which I've been enjoying for seven months) will continue working just fine when 2.0 players are released. When I pick up a 2.0 player, I'll move this one to the bedroom.. Because there are only a few hundred movies on BD at the moment is no reason to buy those movies..." (Read more)
Speak up!
Now it's your turn to speak up! What do you think of John Falcone's latest Crave blog entry? Do you agree with his five reason to hold off on buying a Blu-ray player? Why? What about his opinion that the PS3 is the exception to those reasons? Don't hold back. Tell us what's on your mind about Blu-ray players, we're all listening.
• CNET's quick guide: HD DVD vs. Blu-ray
• Top HD DVD and Blu-ray players
• Latest HD DVD or Blu-ray news
• Home audio and video forum
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CNET blogs
News, reviews, and opinions from CNET's editors and selected experts... Check them out and post your thoughts on them.
Hot products
Along with discussing Blu-ray players, CNET members had plenty of new tech products to talk about this week.
SanDisk Sansa Clip (1GB, sleek black)
CNET member bws71 says:
"I love my iPod, but this inexpensive player does what no Apple players do and it does these things very well. FM tuner, voice recording, on the fly playlist manipulation and subscription music at a very reasonable price make this player a great product. If I didn't prefer iTunes over all the other music library..."
(read more)
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all user opinions | Compare prices
Mio DigiWalker C320
CNET member dalan66 says:
"I was prejudiced after reading all the wonderful things about Garmin and TomTom information on the web, so when I purchased the C320 from Radio Shack, I decided to keep my receipt handy so I could return it in a few days after a trial run to get something different if I did not like it. It has been a week, I have..."
(read more)
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all user opinions | Compare prices
Philips SoundBar HTS8100
CNET member measin17 says:
"Exterior ------ This unit is so beautiful to look at. The sliding door has a black glossy finish with the mirror effect (similar to Samsung sliding mirror cell phones) and the top of the subwoofer also have black glossy finish to it. The silver top where the controls are gave the unit a more classy look. I mounted..."
(read more)
Read
all user opinions | Compare prices
This week on CNET
Ask the Editors Live chat event!
What's hot in Webware
Want to know what's hot in Webware? Look no further. Our next Ask the Editors Live chat begins at 11 a.m. Pacific (2 p.m. Eastern), February 7. Our special host will be editor of CNET Webware.com, Rafe Needleman. Rafe will answer questions your on the best Web applications, software versus services, privacy, pricing, and other burning Web topics or issues. You name it, Rafe is your Webware man. So get your questions ready for him, and don't miss out!
Join us here on February 7 at 11 a.m. Pacific.
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