How long will you wait before buying a blu-ray player?

May 27, 2009 10:36 PM

How long are you waiting to get an HDTV and Blu-ray player?

If you're waiting to buy an HDTV and blu-ray player, how long are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the prices to drop below a certain point? Or for a favorite movie to be available on blu-ray?

posted by mtphoto to technology (38 comments total)

IMHO 42" HDTV's are currently in the sweet spot for pricing, they have had huge price drops in the last 3 years. We bought one last spring and are very pleased (Toshiba $1200 FWIW). As for blu-ray, we are not going to bother. We don't collect DVD's (I think that we have maybe 20?). Why blu-ray at all when everything can be torrented and stored on a hard drive?

So in answer to your question, I'd say that there's not much left to wait for.
posted by saradarlin at 11:14 PM on May 27

Well, earlier this month we bought an older 55" Mitsubishi rear-projection HDTV off Craigslist for $350 from a retired couple who were upgrading. I've been shunning HDTV like mad, but older used HDTVs are just unbelievably cheap.
posted by crapmatic at 11:39 PM on May 27

i'm waiting until I can get a reasonably functioning *REGION-FREE* blu-ray
posted by alchemist at 12:13 AM on May 28

We went HD a long while ago, with no current plans to go Blu-ray. My DVDs look fine as they are, thanks.
posted by reductiondesign at 12:22 AM on May 28

We got our blu-ray player (a PS3) and HDTV (well, projector) this week. Prior to that all we had was a DVD player and a tiny 27-inch TV. We waited until we had enough money, basically. Prices dropped some during that, but if we had the money earlier we would have gotten it earlier.

It's probably more fair to say we were waiting on the technology more than we were waiting on the prices. Our basic reasoning is this: 1080p video looks really damn lifelike. I don't see us having to upgrade that in a couple years, which was not how I felt toward past technologies. To me, it's worth every penny, and we don't even watch a ton of tv or movies. Also, as expensive as movie tickets are now, it's cheaper for us to rent or sometimes even buy the blu-ray once it comes out than go the movie theater. Our projector was expensive (about $2,500, though there are decent cheaper models available) but neither of us is really willing to give up the theater experience, and it feels worth it to us to have that experience all the time now. You can't go to the movies to watch TV or most documentaries or play video games, basically, so it's nice to get something similar to that.

For all those reasons, we were averse to getting a HDTV. We basically saw it as something that we'd eventually replace, and replace again, and again, and so on, because you can always go bigger or thinner it seems. The projector always takes up a minimal amount of space and the image is always as thin as it can possibly be, and I have trouble imagining the picture getting better.

The only other thing we had been waiting for was there to be a clear winner between HD-DVDs and Blu-ray, so we were pretty glad that got sorted out before we had the money to buy ours.

Prices for HDTVs seem pretty reasonable now, fwiw. They've come down a lot during the time we were watching.
posted by Nattie at 12:25 AM on May 28

I got a DVD player when I was able to get a region-free player for £50, about $75 at the time.

Anyway, what's the hurry to buy something when the price is only going to drop; and when the media is still pretty limited/expensive? If I'm not going to get anything to watch for 6 months, might as well wait and get a cheaper player then.

For example, Heroes season 2 on DVD: £14.98; on Blu-ray: £34.98. House season 4 on DVD: £13.88; on blu-ray: Not available.

When I can get a region-free player, and the latest seasons of Heroes and House on blu-ray, all for £100 ($160), that's about the point when I'll get a blu-ray player.
posted by Mike1024 at 12:28 AM on May 28

Blu-ray? Never. Content distribution on physical disks, especially with all the DRM shit attached to it, is obsolete in my opinion. There's of course the little detail that all the movie companies still fail to see this, but that's a matter of time. Already you can get most content legally through things like the iTunes store, although some of that is also limited by DRM. But then again, DRM bothers me so much that I refuse to buy anything from companies that use it, on the principle that if said company assumes that all their customers are potential thieves so that they need DRM to protect themselves from their own customers, well, I don't want to be their customer.

Given the above, your question about HDTV becomes more of a question how to enjoy the digital entertainment you do get, and that's all up to you - if most of the content you get is of sub-HDTV quality (but good enough otherwise), such as the iTunes stuff, then HDTV is overkill.
posted by DreamerFi at 1:42 AM on May 28

I got one the moment I noticed that I'd much rather own Blu-ray copies of my favorite TV shows than 720p ad-overlaid satellite rips, or Blu-ray copies of my favorite movies instead of sub-DVD-quality rips from torrent sites. Which was about a month ago, when Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles season 2 went up on Amazon for pre-order on Blu-ray.

It really is impressive how much of an upgrade this is. I was recently looking to watch Quantum of Solace and was super-disappointed when the only rip that was on our local file server was a 1 GiB sub-DVD quality rip. Since I'd watched a few Blu-ray movies recently, I was just befuddled at how bad the quality on this rip seemed, and even contemplated heading over to Blockbuster to rent a Blu-ray copy of the movie. (I probably would have, except that it was 4:00 in the morning.)

I use my 1920x1200 24" monitor as the HDTV though, and was able to get just a $80 Blu-ray drive/DVD burner for my computer, so this was pretty cheap.

Unlike DreamerFi, I really feel that—until our network pipes get significantly bigger, at least—Blu-ray discs are worth buying. I can't envision downloading 10 or more GiB of video for a single movie, but I really love the quality increase that 1080p affords, so the physical disc format seems to be for now the way to go.
posted by Jacen Solo at 2:22 AM on May 28

The video quality of Blu-Ray is much, much better than that of torrents, but there's also the iTunes Store for HD-quality TV and video.

As network bandwidth improves, the role of optical media will lessen, and for that reason we have very few BR discs and have been using a computer to play most of our HD media, instead.

We use a PlayStation 3 as our BR player — it is an inexpensive BR player and has wireless Ethernet for easy firmware upgrades — as well as a Mac mini for an Internet-based HD-quality video/audio jukebox.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:33 AM on May 28

I suppose we will end up getting an HDTV once watching on our 32" SD becomes either impossible or intolerable (due to Comcast's incompetent scaling of letterboxed pictures) I just haven't seen the need for HD in my life. Yeah, it can look impressive (sometimes.) But, I can't honestly say I've come away with any sort of "OMG, I have to have that" emotion. The impressive picture just doesn't add anything to the entertainment value for me.

Ditto for BlueRay. I'll probably make that move once I can't rent DVDs any longer (we don't buy DVDs.) Again, the impressive picture just doesn't make me want to make the leap. It's not that big of a deal. And, I have no real interest in installing some super surround sound system in my home, either.

Overall, transitioning to HDTV and BlueRay just isn't that compelling. And the cost to do it makes it even more unlikely. Some of you may feel that a 4-figure price point for a TV is some sort of sweet-spot, but, for me, there's no way in hell I'm dropping over a grand on a TV. It's just fucking TV.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:35 AM on May 28 [1 favorite]

I've got a 32" Sony tube (two actually), and I'll wait for those to die before I buy HDTV (and I'll most likely get a blu ray player at the same time). I've loved what I've seen on Blu Ray and HDTV, but since I don't watch a ton of tv or movies, I'd be more inclined to buy a new camera or a 30" monitor first.
posted by backwards guitar at 4:57 AM on May 28

I'll probably buy an HDTV when the next big thing, television-wise, comes out, and HDTV prices go through the floor. I'll probably never buy a Blu-Ray player.
posted by box at 5:59 AM on May 28

I bought my HDTV in order to watch hi-def content available from my XBOX 360 and cable box, and it has been great.

I will get a Blu-Ray player either when the Playstation 3 drops to about $200, or in the next generation of videogame consoles (Wii +, XBOX 720) if it is standard.
posted by 2bucksplus at 6:04 AM on May 28

when my 9 year old 27" Sony Trinitron finally bites the dust, or when I can get a 50"+ 1080p 120Hz+ screen for under $500. BluRay? if it's still around, I'd probably pick up a cheap player at that time, but I'm very happy with my Roku Player, which goes up to 720p, no physical media.
posted by jrishel at 6:12 AM on May 28

I bought my 2 HDTV from SecondAct. The get refurbished TVs, sometimes in limited stock. I had to return one that didn't work. They sent another first (the UPS man said I bought a lot of TVs and I told him I have to send this one back), I used that box to send the first back and they paid the shipping to send the new one and send back the old one. Haven't bought a Blu Ray though...I don't have high definition eyes.
posted by CodeMonkey at 6:29 AM on May 28

I paid $50 for my 28 inch tube. I doubt I'd replace it unless I moved, and then I'd buy whatever I could get for under $500. I doubt I'll ever buy a blue-ray player, physical media is mostly dead. My current DVD player has a USB thumb slot and plays DivX. Do you know how many movies you can put on an 8gb USB key? A dozen! I'd probably replace that with an Apple TV or mini, or just give up on TV altogether.
posted by furtive at 6:44 AM on May 28

Probably never. Both TV and optical media are obsolete... or at the very least costly luxuries. I do have an HD monitor for my computer, so technically I guess I've already gone that route.
posted by symbollocks at 6:45 AM on May 28

I waited until a 40" 1080p from a good brand was available at a reasonable price. Smaller than that wasn't much of an upgrade from my 27", and 1080p is future-proofing at the least, and also nice for computer use.

While I agree that optical media is on its way out, I recently built a HTPC and I will probably add a Blu-ray drive soon. Just because they have been steadily coming down in price ($75 now) and it would be a nice thing to have. And the number of bits on a Blu-ray disc is far higher than anyone would download.

Both TV and optical media are obsolete

Are you just talking about the tuner part of the TV? I don't really see how "a display you can watch from your couch" will ever go obsolete, and that's really what we all mean by HDTV.
posted by smackfu at 6:58 AM on May 28

I've now waited negative 10 months. Ie: I bought HDTV, Blu-Ray awhile back, basically the moment HD-DVD lost. It's totally awesome. Prices will always go down, it's true, but the quality of the delivered technology is really good. The only thing about my Blu-Ray player I really don't like is that it takes like 20 seconds for it to turn on and be ready to do something.

If you decide to make the jump, a great disc to show off the system is the Planet Earth series from the BBC.
posted by Nelson at 7:15 AM on May 28

The video quality of Blu-Ray is much, much better than that of torrents

What if you are torrenting blu ray rips?


I got the HDTV two years ago, no plans at all to get a blu ray player, but I suppose I'll add one to my theatre pc eventually. my HDTV isn't even a TV, as it has no tuner. I don't even subscribe to cable. The internet and dvd provide all materials I require.
posted by utsutsu at 7:24 AM on May 28

Picked up a 32" HD 6 months ago (wanted bigger but the lady of the house wouldn't allow it). Already had a PS3. I have yet to buy a blu ray. a) They're too expensive and b) I already own 95% of the movies I want on DVD. When used blu rays become more popular and $15 to $20 is the standard price (instead of $20-$30) I might pick up a few.
posted by valadil at 7:32 AM on May 28

What if you are torrenting blu ray rips?

Unfortunately, most of what you see are 720p downsamples from a 1080p original. Presumably because they are about half the size.
posted by smackfu at 7:41 AM on May 28

If you want to get a HDTV now but are still questioning Blu-Ray, you could get a nice upscaling DVD player, which do some magical things from my experiences. I bought an Oppo DV-981HD, because it has the same upscaling chip found in high end Denon players costing thousands of dollars. But all this is old news, as the unit is no longer in production.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:44 AM on May 28

I'll probably take the plunge on HD (flat panel, in the 50" range) and blueray soon. Like within 4-6 months. Considered it a few years ago, but the prices are looking much better now.

That said, you can all look forward to my AskMe question shortly...
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 7:45 AM on May 28

For me, the determining factors that convinced me to pull the trigger on Blu-ray (which I did last fall) were--

--HD-DVD losing
--a price drop to the point where I could purchase an HDTV of the size and quality I wanted (40", 1080p, 120Hz LCD), a PS3, and an entry-level surround-sound setup for less than $2,000 total
--finally, Criterion's decision to start releasing Blu-ray discs. Once a boutique house like Criterion started releasing Blu-rays, I figured the format was safe to invest in.
posted by Prospero at 7:52 AM on May 28

I have a 37" HDTV that I got about 2 years ago. Still very happy with it as I got all the bells and whistles I needed even back then. Like many others I have a PS3 for my Blu-Ray playin' and DVD up-conversion. I don't buy many blu-ray titles, but I Netflix them often. Every now-and-then there are really decent deals for Blu-Ray titles at sites like Amazon and I'll cave and buy one. For example I was about to get Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy together for about $25, neither of which I happened to already have on DVD. Both are pretty stellar in HD.

I think the technology vs. price factor is better than it has ever been at this point for LCD TVs and Blu-Ray players. Eventually Blu-Ray will fall even more in my opinion--not unlike DVDs at their dawn. As far as TVs I'd guess we won't see huge drops in price until something new rolls along in the form of improved manufacturing and/or LED/OLED/LCD/laser technologies.

My opinions in this area of electronics centers around the idea that we as consumers are basically creating miniature movie theaters in our homes. The entertainment that my friends and I have taken in over the last couple years with my gear has been well worth the expense. If you take the plunge be prepared to host movie viewings and sporting events fo sho.
posted by Gainesvillain at 7:52 AM on May 28

I find it hard to imagine spending $1,000+ on HDTV, but stalling on a $150 blu-ray player. We got both about a year ago, and 1080p HD content is amazing to watch. It has become annoying and unpleasant to watch SD / DVDs. Netflix delivers blu-ray for something like $1 more per month. It's a no-brainer for me.
posted by grateful at 7:54 AM on May 28

For us, an HD system with full surround-sound is worth it, because we're movie buffs who enjoy the "big theater" experience.

We have a HD set, blu-ray player, and surround sound system. I waited for blu-ray players to be available for under $200, and managed to find a deal after Thanksgiving last year with the player and surround system bundled for a discount.

I haven't planned to upgrade my entire DVD library on blu-ray. Only a handful of movies with big visual special effects will be replaced. All new movies we're buying on blu-ray, however, since new releases are generally the same price as DVD. I know TV series bundles vary, which is annoying.

The torrent crowd has a pretty obvious disdain for physical media, but until I can easily and from my couch find, download, and immediately watch a high definition movie with full surround sound and all the extras that come on the disc (yes, as a matter of fact, I do watch the special features), physical media won't be truly obsolete.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:59 AM on May 28

I'd like to see a good, cheap fanless HD projector before taking the HD plunge, but might eventually get tempted by some potential confluence of my current equipment dying and other choices getting insanely cheap.

I have no plans to go Blu-ray, being as DRM-averse as DreamerFi. We'll see whether availability ever makes me reconsider.
posted by Zed at 8:06 AM on May 28

I am now considering a bluray player now that the spiffy Samsung unit that has Netflix & Pandora streaming built in is available for $220 at the Wal-Mart up the highway. I don't own any Bluray discs yet but can just rent them from Netflix.

Torrents/etc? Even with a 20 mbit pipe, it still takes what seems like an eternity. Some of these Bluray rips are 40gb. And then I un-rar it and find it's a bloody &^%$#@! MKV file. I absolutely hate MKV, as I don't have a 50ghz HTPC with a terabyte of RAM to play them on my HTDV.

Bluray media > MKV.

And CodeMonkey: Second Act went out of business. Their site now says "unavailable" but I got an email from them a month or so ago thanking customers but saying that they were going out of business. They had a message on the website about it too. Too bad because they were awesome.
posted by drstein at 10:16 AM on May 28

but until I can easily and from my couch find, download, and immediately watch a high definition movie with full surround sound and all the extras that come on the disc

That would require media companies to get a clue. Don't hold your breath. iTunes comes a long way towards what you want, but if you want extra's you're out of luck right now.
posted by DreamerFi at 10:32 AM on May 28

That would require media companies to get a clue. Don't hold your breath. iTunes comes a long way towards what you want, but if you want extra's you're out of luck right now.

I'm not out of luck, I'll just watch them on my blu-ray player.

I know that sounds crazy to the anti-DRM torrenting crowd, but for me, the quality of the picture, sound, and having extras is a higher priority to me.
posted by Fleebnork at 11:29 AM on May 28

Blu-ray or any other physical media doesn't meet this part of your demand though: "I can easily and from my couch find, download..."
posted by smackfu at 11:57 AM on May 28

I bought a 46" HDTV and a PS3 last summer and haven't regretted it. You can often get much better deals on HDTVs online than you can in a brick-and-mortar store. I saved at least $700 buying my TV from Amazon vs. Best Buy or Circuit City, and it was delivered in less than a week with free shipping.

The TV is hooked up to the computer via a DVI-to-HDMI cable for watching downloads and over-the-air TV recorded using EyeTV. No need for a cable subscription or separate DVR. For Blu-ray movies, a Netflix subscription suffices. (Yes, they recently increased their Blu-ray surcharge, but for me $17/month is still absolutely worth it.)
posted by Nothlit at 12:04 PM on May 28

I'm waiting until either a) almost every channel is HD or b) you don't have to pay extra to get HD channels. I have been at people houses where they get HD channels, but when you want to watch a channel that isn't HD, it looks terrible. I hate that.
posted by majikstreet at 1:08 PM on May 28

What if you are torrenting blu ray rips?

I don't have a T3 line into my apartment.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:21 PM on May 28

Blu-ray or any other physical media doesn't meet this part of your demand though: "I can easily and from my couch find, download..."

No, but if my choice is immediacy or quality, I choose quality.
posted by Fleebnork at 1:25 PM on May 28

At this point, I'll probably wait for the retail price of blu-ray movies to be $15-20 instead of the inflated $20-30 MSRP for most titles.

Now that decent 40" models are right around $1,000, it's getting me closer to the boiling point of caving in and buying when I have the money. This Sony Bravia, a Toshiba, or this newer Samsung model look like potentials.
posted by mtphoto at 3:05 AM on May 29