BluRay Drives- PPC/Intel- NOW

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:14 am

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/01/24 ... lsrc=mwrss

It's here-- for those who need it...

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:59 am

Thank you, Frodo.

At last!
I've been keen for the first models to appear so the count-down on the RRP can start.
Should be affordable in 6 months to a year, budget-dependent.

Backup nirvana beckons.

Your furry pal.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:08 pm

What I like about this is that it's PPC compatible. That means that new technology doesn't require a whole new computer. Pretty soon these things may be standard, if SONY every gets its act together.

The one caveat to look out for goes back to the VHS vs Beta debacle. Back then, it was pretty much the porn industry that moved forward with distribution on VHS, setting Beta aside. That more or less put a ton of VHS machines in the privacy of lots of homes and revealed how robust the previously underestimated porn home video industry really was-- and what a powerful influence a dubvious entity could be on a wider scale for the first time. Well, the porn industry is again involved-- supporting HD DVD over BluRay because of its simplicity and affordability.

One other consideration is that Samsung (if I recall) was ready to release a hybrid BluRay/HDDVD player, but that was stopped cold for whatever reason.

The point being that if these companies and their lawyers don't make up their minds on a format standard, then consumers will do it for them-- and the "type" of consumer who will be most influential could prove to be an embarrassment that will steer the course of technology for years to come.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:56 am

Wow.

Brilliant observations, Hobby; I had no idea you were such an expert on the porn industry.

Agreed on the "shame" side of things.
I suppose we could add it to the ever-growing list...

Yours in collaborative embarrassment
Monkey Bean Stunky

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:02 am

Frodo wrote:The point being that if these companies and their lawyers don't make up their minds on a format standard, then consumers will do it for them-- and the "type" of consumer who will be most influential could prove to be an embarrassment that will steer the course of technology for years to come.

So true. And as history proves, consumers aren't judges of quality (Quality doesn't even seem to be a factor worth consideration). Superiority of a format is no guarantee or indicator of future success. It's Economic Darwinism in reverse, except for the fact that it's driven by the urge to climax.

In a related note: Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, has posited that more electric guitars are sold in the hopes of getting laid than they are for the love of music.

mckelly · Post by **mckelly** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:00 am

Sony has been great with developing technology nobody really wants: betamax; dat; minidisc; psp.

If I were a betting man, I would put my money on blu ray not going very far. Just a hunch.

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:13 pm

monkey man wrote:Wow.

Brilliant observations, Hobby; I had no idea you were such an expert on the porn industry.

Hobbits are full of embarrassing surprises!

Jim wrote:So true. And as history proves, consumers aren't judges of quality (Quality doesn't even seem to be a factor worth consideration). Superiority of a format is no guarantee or indicator of future success. It's Economic Darwinism in reverse, except for the fact that it's driven by the urge to climax.

In a related note: Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, has posited that more electric guitars are sold in the hopes of getting laid than they are for the love of music.

Ain't that the truth! I'm guilty of the guitar thingy myself-- never mastered the instrument but I succumbed to my teenage weakness of choosing "coolness" over pragmatism.

The issue here is that those of us who need and want better quality gear and add-ons are most often victims of mass trends where accounting for taste is all but absent.

As the BluRay HDDVD issue rages on, it seems that we've only recently embraced the DVD en masse, happily sending our VHS machines to the Smithsonian (or the dumpster). For Mac users, going from AGP to DVI took some adjustment-- and now there is a push to get rid of DVI as an connective standard in favor of HDMI. Some people believe that this will be an issue mainly or only for set top boxes and new TVs, but if the issue with HDMI also involves piracy protection (and it does), then it won't be solely with BR or HD players that this change might occur-- computers will be scrutinized as well, me-thinks.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:36 am

Jim wrote:In a related note: Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, has posited that more electric guitars are sold in the hopes of getting laid than they are for the love of music.

Someone mentioned this recently on the board (probably the Jimster).
I'd believe it. It'd be a sorry indictment on where the youth of today and the industry are "at".

Jim wrote:...It's Economic Darwinism in reverse, except for the fact that it's driven by the urge to climax.

Classic.