Blu-ray Shoots Itself In the Foot -- Again
New players will enable interactive features, causing one newspaper to write you shouldn't buy a current model
By Swanni
That's according to an article by USA Today, which advises its readers to wait before buying a current Blu-ray player.
The publication reports that the new players will be compliant with an upcoming "Profile 2.0" standard, adding an Internet connection feature called "BD-Live."
While the Blu-ray picture will not improve on the Profile 2.0 players, they will allow you to chat on-screen with other Blu-ray owners, retrieve free ring tones and play games.
The Sony BDP-S350, which will be available in the summer for $399, will be compatible with Profile 2.0 as will the BDP-S550, which will retail for $499 this fall.
"Technology always evolves, and new features are added to platforms continually, whether it's a Blu-ray machine or other consumer electronics products," says Chris Fawcett, vice president of home video at Sony Electronics.
While current standalone Blu-ray players are not compatible with Profile 2.0, Sony's Play Station 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, can download updates for the new standard, USA Today reports.
Commentary:
While some industry officials, tech geeks and tech journalists will get weak at the knees over the new interactive features, few consumers will actually use them.
People want to watch movies, particularly in gorgeous 1080p high-def video.
Downloading a free ring tone or playing a silly game while they watch might make advertisers excited, but it will make movie lovers yawn.
Interactive TV is dead -- despite dozens of attempts to revive it by industry officials clueless about what their consumers really want.
By introducing these Profile 2.0 players, Blu-ray makers are just giving tech journalists an excuse to tell their readers to wait before buying a Blu-ray player.
Here's the lead paragraph of today's USA Today article:
"The High-Definition-video war may be over now that Toshiba has conceded defeat for its ailing HD DVD format, but those interested in buying a high-def Blu-ray player still might want to wait for new features coming in the fall."
For Blu-ray companies to allow this to happen is dumb -- almost as dumb as engaging in a format war.
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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is
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