PS3 to use Blu-Ray

[mikeszekely]

Say what you want about Sony and the PS2, but it's pretty much a fact that the PS2's ability to play DVD movies was a huge boost to the DVD industry.

At a press conference held by the Blu-Ray Disc Founders, Sony announced what everyone already knew: that the PS3 would use the Blu-Ray format.

Now, I really don't care whatever special medium Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, or whoever want to use for their next-gen consoles. But where I see a problem is that Sony wants to use Blu-Ray for future home movie releases under Sony Pictures. They're hoping that the PS3 will do for Blu-Ray what the PS2 did for DVDs.

Consoles come and consoles go, but the DVD format is only a few years old. Who really feels like buying a new, expensive player? What's more, it has NOT been confirmed that Blu-Ray players will play DVDs. Now sure, VHS was around for a long time, tapes were wearing, and people were ready for DVD. But who really wants to go out and buy their entire DVD collection over AGAIN on Blu-Ray? Do we really need a new format for movies? I think the 9GB on a standard dual-layer DVD is plenty for your average Hollywood movie. Even if it's not, HD-DVD is on the way, and a dual-layer HD-DVD is supposed to hold 30GB... and HD-DVD players WILL play the older DVDs.

[Dat Pinche Haro!]

let's just hope the PS3 doesn't go the route the Sega Dreamcast went when Sega decided to contract Yamaha to make a new disk format

Edited August 4, 2004 by Dat Pinche Haro!

[Terpfen]

Blu-Ray, as I understand it, is still capable of viewing older DVDs. If not, I can't see Sony ensuring that current DVDs will work on the PS3. Perhaps they'll include a standard DVD laser.

[Ali Sama]

Blu-Ray, as I understand it, is still capable of viewing older DVDs. If not, I can't see Sony ensuring that current DVDs will work on the PS3. Perhaps they'll include a standard DVD laser.

they have Blu-Ray recordrs and players with do dvd and cd and record on both.

[ewilen]

Blu-ray plays DVDs: http://news.com.com/2100-1041-990826.html

End of worries.

The higher-capacity Blu-ray discs should enable owners to record high-definition broadcasts, which offer better picture quality than the more broadly available TV broadcasts. Sony's new device records and plays back Blu-ray discs, but can also play back DVD, DVD-RW, DVD-R, CD and CD-RW discs. However, the recorder won't be able to read DVD-RAM or DVD+RW discs.

[JB0]

Say what you want about Sony and the PS2, but it's pretty much a fact that the PS2's ability to play DVD movies was a huge boost to the DVD industry.

I still maintain it was the other way around.

The DVD had already come into it's own by the time the PS2 launched.

The players had reached the <100$ range. Every store around carried the disks.

I think DVD helped the PS2 more than the PS2 helped DVD.

Now, I really don't care whatever special medium Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, or whoever want to use for their next-gen consoles.  But where I see a problem is that Sony wants to use Blu-Ray for future home movie releases under Sony Pictures.  They're hoping that the PS3 will do for Blu-Ray what the PS2 did for DVDs.

The problem with that is that BluRay has no established infrastructure.

Consoles come and consoles go, but the DVD format is only a few years old. 

It is only a short life relative to VHS and CDAudio.

Remember, it was rolled out in 1997.

And VHS was WAY past its prime when DVD came out. There's really no good reason for it to have won over Beta. And I can only assume that component costs kept laserdisk from catching on.

But who really wants to go out and buy their entire DVD collection over AGAIN on Blu-Ray? 

Ummm... why? Getting one player doesn't mean you have to chuck the other.

Iv'e got 2 VCRs in my house, and a healthy selection of VHS tapes.

Do we really need a new format for movies?  I think the 9GB on a standard dual-layer DVD is plenty for your average Hollywood movie. 

For the resolutions being used, yes.

But the current resolution was selected explicitily to match the capabilities of NTSC televisions. And even then, you can still occasionally see problems(a very visible example is fine text in credits. I've seen characters reduced to small funny-shaded squares because there weren't enough pixels available to render them).

Digital TV is putting DVD behind early.

[ewilen]

Yes, although we can pretty much agree at this point that Blu-Ray isn't going to force anyone to rebuy their DVD collection, DVD is inferior in resolution to HDTV. So when you record to Blu-Ray (see the article I linked) or buy a movie in Blu-Ray format, it will look better than a DVD on your HDTV.

[Max Jenius]

To the future! Sounds good to me. Blue lasers can read data that is more tightly packed together on the disks... so yeah... more disk = more content... Yay.

[Radd]

I'm with JBO on this one, at least in that DVDs were already well into their own when the PS2 came about, and they helped the PS2 more than PS2s helped DVDs.

However, this is the first I've heard of this 'Blue-Ray' stuff, and with Sony's fanbase already to pick up their PS3's regardless of how good or crappy the system winds up being, it can only help this new standard take root.

[Max Jenius]

True, the PS2 DVD player gimmick was cool for its time. Its a pity that they didn't do a very good job with their player. Hell, half my dvds simply refused to play in my room-mate's brand new ps2. Some would play to a certain point and refuse to go on(I'm assuming there was a possible layer change at that point).

I think I agree with those that say DVD helped PS2 more than PS2 helped DVD.

[pfunk]

Hey, when you guys get the PS3, i'll take a PS2 off yer hands , I still have Playstation

[JB0]

True, the PS2 DVD player gimmick was cool for its time. Its a pity that they didn't do a very good job with their player. Hell, half my dvds simply refused to play in my room-mate's brand new ps2. Some would play to a certain point and refuse to go on(I'm assuming there was a possible layer change at that point).

I think I agree with those that say DVD helped PS2 more than PS2 helped DVD.

Early PS2s are really bad about it.

The promised firmware updates never materialized because Sony doesn't trust their customers to leave the system on when it says "Do not turn off while updating or you will FUBAR your PS2 BIOS making the system totally unusable!" so the only way to update for some time was buy a new deck.

Now you can buy the remote control. It installs new drivers on to your memory card, just like the original japanese release.

Funny how they made the BIOS flashable so they wouldn't have to do that, isn't it?

[Pat Payne]

Am I already behind the curve? I've never heard of Blu-Ray...

[JB0]

Am I already behind the curve? I've never heard of Blu-Ray...

I don't think it's been rolled out yet.

[bigkid24]

I've never heard of Blu-Ray either. Anyway, I'm glad that it will play normal DVDs but I wouldn't have been surprised if it didn't. Sony is always trying to push it's own products. Weren't they the ones that made Beta? and they are still selling mini discs.

[Max Jenius]

Yeah, I'm just a Nintendo fanboy, so I don't know if I'll be picking up a PS3. But as with other systems, I'll pick it up if it has games that I simply must play. That didn't happen with the PS2(Twisted Metal Black being my only regret... but they continued the degradation of WartHog(my patron character), so its not a big regret TM2 ahoy!)

[Graham]

Never heard of Blu-Ray.

I'm building up a pretty good movie and anime collection on DVD and have no intention of starting all over again with another format.

I'm not much of a gamer and the only reason I would buy a PS3 is if there is a Japanese Macross game made for it. All of my consoles were bought specifically to play Macross games.

Graham

[TheLoneWolf]

Say what you want about Sony and the PS2, but it's pretty much a fact that the PS2's ability to play DVD movies was a huge boost to the DVD industry.

I still maintain it was the other way around.

The DVD had already come into it's own by the time the PS2 launched.

The players had reached the <100$ range. Every store around carried the disks.

I think DVD helped the PS2 more than the PS2 helped DVD.

I think it depends on what part of the world you're talking about. In Japan, the laserdisc market was strong and right on track up until the PS2 was released. There was a definite positve correlation between PS2 and DVD sales in Japan. In the US, well the LD format never really caught on, so DVD's had an instant appeal when compared to our crappy VHS tapes.

[JB0]

Say what you want about Sony and the PS2, but it's pretty much a fact that the PS2's ability to play DVD movies was a huge boost to the DVD industry.

I still maintain it was the other way around.

The DVD had already come into it's own by the time the PS2 launched.

The players had reached the <100$ range. Every store around carried the disks.

I think DVD helped the PS2 more than the PS2 helped DVD.

I think it depends on what part of the world you're talking about. In Japan, the laserdisc market was strong and right on track up until the PS2 was released. There was a definite positve correlation between PS2 and DVD sales in Japan. In the US, well the LD format never really caught on, so DVD's had an instant appeal when compared to our crappy VHS tapes.

Okay, that makes some sense.

And I've heard that DVD players WERE still pretty darn expensive in Japan at the time the PS2 launched. Making it very attractive.

I know the stats were pretty vocal. In Japan the decks were flying off the shelves, but the games just sat there . On the other hand, DVDs were suddenly flying equally fast.

In America no such correlation existed.

[Keith]

If sony really wants to get me to flock to the PS3, they'd forget about any blue-ray B.S., and introduce a new & novel feature of not blocking out games from other region's so I can play my Macross games without having to go through annoying measures.

[Oihan]

If sony really wants to get me to flock to the PS3, they'd forget about any blue-ray B.S., and introduce a new & novel feature of not blocking out games from other region's so I can play my Macross games without having to go through annoying measures.

I hear that.

[MrDisco]

you guys are forgetting another reason why sony may want to jump on blu-ray - cut down on piracy (well at least someone figures out how to crack it). and at any rate this is sony we're talking about. hello. they're the masters of introducing formats nobody wants (i'm looking at you Memory Stick).

[mikeszekely]

you guys are forgetting another reason why sony may want to jump on blu-ray - cut down on piracy (well at least someone figures out how to crack it). and at any rate this is sony we're talking about. hello. they're the masters of introducing formats nobody wants (i'm looking at you Memory Stick).

Hey! I use Memory Stick!

[jasonkimberson]

i was kinda disappointed when the new camera's swithced to that new memory stick format. I have to buy new memory sticks to use them =(

thats why i am not buying sony camera's anymore. Since i have to buy new memory might as well not be limited to a sony only perspective

[Terpfen]

you guys are forgetting another reason why sony may want to jump on blu-ray - cut down on piracy (well at least someone figures out how to crack it). and at any rate this is sony we're talking about. hello. they're the masters of introducing formats nobody wants (i'm looking at you Memory Stick).

Blu-Ray isn't a Sony standard. Sony is part of the Blu-Ray group, and did not develop the standard in-house. I forget which company developed it, but I'm 99% sure it wasn't Sony.

HD-DVD, Blu-Ray's competitor for the next-generation of DVDs, is backed only by Toshiba and NEC. Meanwhile, there are 13 companies who back Blu-Ray: Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Mitsubishi Electric, Pioneer, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson Multimedia.

So much for blaming Sony, eh?

People looking for BASIC info on Blu-Ray (storage capacity and format) should click here and scroll down.

[JB0]

you guys are forgetting another reason why sony may want to jump on blu-ray - cut down on piracy (well at least someone figures out how to crack it). and at any rate this is sony we're talking about. hello. they're the masters of introducing formats nobody wants (i'm looking at you Memory Stick).

Memory stick is no worse than the other half-dozen flash RAM form factors out there.

[Terpfen]

More PS3/Blu-Ray info from Gamespot.

I believe the Blu-Ray support includes not only DVD movies, but the discs that the games themselves will be manfactured on. Given the huge storage space on Blu-Ray DVDs, I wonder if this alone won't keep developers in the Sony camp: 27GB is a lot of space to fill with content like super-high-resolution textures (and after Doom 3's computer screens, they won't have any excuses), high-quality music... maybe I'm just gushing, but it seems that the gaming experience is about to take a huge leap forward.

[ewilen]

I was under the impression that performance varies among the various memory cards...with CF being the fastest (?). Also, price/megabyte may vary--and regardless of any of the above, the previous poster has a point if a certain kind of memory is only used by a certain company's cameras and vice versa. By buying into that format, you're stuck.

ANYWAY, I think Blu-Ray is interesting for the increased picture quality potential. Ability to store more episodes of a TV show per disc is also interesting, although it wouldn't be likely to lower the cost. (Content is the main factor in cost, not medium.)

So I think I'll probably get a player if the format catches on, and once I have an HDTV. I probably wouldn't go for a PS3, though, unless the price was competitive with standalone players. And I'd be leery of the format if it had regionalization and anti-copying features that were markedly stronger than DVD. If that had been the case with DVD, the only way we'd be able to watch M0, M7, DYRL, etc. would be with a Region 2 player and a script printout.

I also agree with Keith about the regionalization issue with PS2 games.

[Max Jenius]

Hell, they could make money off of it. Like selling official sony importing kits for like $50 or something. I dunno...

[Radd]

So, any comparisons of HD DVD and Blu-Ray? What little I've read points to HD DVD being the better format, able to hold 36gigs per disc as opposed to Blu-Ray's 27, and it definitely will be compatable with older DVD formats.. I'm certain there's other factors, though.

[ewilen]

Hell, they could make money off of it. Like selling official sony importing kits for like $50 or something. I dunno...

I doubt it, unless Sony shared the profits with movie studios. Regionalization is designed to maximize the profits of the movie studios by allowing them to charge whatever the market will bear in each area, and to prevent access to the DVD version in a given region before the movie's been released in theaters.

It has the annoying semi-side effect of facilitating censorship (e.g., I've read that the UK release of Eyes Wide Shut has footage that isn't in the US version) and, as we know, creating stumbling blocks for watching anime. (This gets into a bit of a peeve--why in the world do Japanese anime companies even bother to regionalize their stuff? Domestic Japanese releases probably have a higher margin than elsewhere, so it's not like they'd be cannibalizing more lucrative markets if they just made them regionless.)

[Radd]

I would think the question would be the other way around. Japanese DVDs cost far more than US DVDs, so it makes sense that they don't want their public importing DVDs from other countries.

[JB0]

I would think the question would be the other way around. Japanese DVDs cost far more than US DVDs, so it makes sense that they don't want their public importing DVDs from other countries.

Yes.

I think the argument is make japanese DISKS regionless. Not players.

A regionless disk can be played in any region player. So an R2 player could play the japanese disks AND they could export them.

[ewilen]

Yes, that's what I'm saying, JB0.

Take M0 for example. List price per episode is 5000 yen--about $44.70. Do they think they'll be able to charge that much in the US--assuming they ever release it here? I doubt it. So why not make the domestic Japanese release Region 0? They'd be bound to pick up a few American and European sales. If they added an English subtitle track, so much the better.

Edited August 6, 2004 by ewilen

[Radd]

With very little loss to the US market, since who wants to spend that much for a single DVD with only a single episode on it? Only the most die hard fans, and they're most likely to pick up all versions regardless.