Marketing and Technology News

Q. We’re thinking about buying a Blu-ray Disc player. Today’s players are Profile 1.1, with Profile 2.0 coming later in 2008. Should we wait until the Profile 2.0 players are out? What are the primary differences? Will a Profile 1.1 player be obsolete when 2.0 is out? Thanks! We really enjoy your Web site, Kimcasts, and the daily tips.

A. Thank you. We put a lot of work into our products.
Your question is pretty technical. But it might impact Blu-ray Disc buyers. HD DVD players, which compete with Blu-ray, do not have these issues.

However, HD DVD may well be dying. It lost the support of Warner Bros. in early January. That leaves Paramount and Universal as the only studios supporting it. Blu-ray now has Sony, Disney, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Lionsgate and Warner. I wouldn’t bet on HD DVD’s survival.

So, on to profiles. Blu-ray uses the word “profiles” to distinguish between players’ capabilities. The original one was 1.0, also known as the Grace Period Profile. It played Blu-ray movies. But it lacked some features, such as picture-in-picture and Internet connectivity. Few discs bothered with such features, since the players couldn’t use them.

The grace period ended Nov. 1. All players manufactured since then have to meet Profile 1.1. However, some 1.0 players may still be on the shelves.

Profile 1.1 players can handle picture-in-picture. Store clerks may give you a blank look if you ask about profiles. So, remember: If a player supports picture-in-picture, it is Profile 1.1.

Profile 2.0 appears to be optional. But it is supposedly coming this year. Panasonic and Sony have shown Profile 2.0 players. With them, you will get Internet connectivity. Future high definition discs probably will include interactivity that requires Web access.

So the basic answer is this: If you’re buying today, be sure to buy a Profile 1.1 machine. Profile 1.0 machines should continue to play all Blu-ray movies. But DVD standards are always a mess. Profile 1.1 is safer.

If Web interactivity is important to you, wait for Profile 2.0. It reportedly will be available this year from Panasonic. Panasonic demonstrated a 2.0 machine at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Sony also was showing such machines.

People with Blu-ray-equipped Sony PS3s already have Web access. They may have a better shot at keeping their machines up to date.

Also, remember that HD DVD is still kicking. Should it win the format war, Blu-ray owners might be the losers. I don’t think that will happen. HD DVD partisans were staggered by the loss of Warner.

Combination Blu-ray and HD DVD players are still available. They’re also expensive. If you want both formats, I would buy separate machines.

–

Source: Komando.com 

–

http://geoff-caplan.com, email geoffcaplan@comcast.net 

Related posts:

1. High Definition TV News From The Web Six of the Best Blu-ray Players The Press and...
2. Top High Definition News How to Pick a Super Bowl HDTV Associated Press Streaming...
3. Blu-ray Discs Cheaper; Stimulating High Definition Use Listen to this article Blu-ray Disc titles are now selling...
4. High Definition DVD: HD-DVD or Blu-Ray? var linkwithin_site_id = 31577; (function () { var elem...
5. Get With The Program: High Definition Takes Off http://geoff-caplan.com, email geoffcaplan@mac.com var linkwithin_site_id = 31577; (function ()...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.