Blu-ray: Buy Now Or Later?
The high-def guru takes your questions.
By Swanni
Q. Do you know when Verizon will add more HD channels? -- Karen R.
The telco says its FiOS TV service will offer 150 HD channels by year's end, but it's being particularly vague when it comes to exactly when it will start adding channels. Right now, it has less than 40 HD channels.
Q. Would you get a Blu-ray player or wait until prices drop? -- Sammy W.
Blu-ray players now are around $399, but I believe that prices will fall to around $200 this holiday season. The choice is yours -- if you love movies, Blu-ray high-def disc is the ultimate way to watch them. The picture is without equal. But if you're a casual film fan, perhaps wait for those prices to fall.
Q. Is Comcast's HD picture really compressed like people are saying and does that hurt the picture? -- Vic E.
There have been various reports about Comcast using less system space to transmit HD signals -- a layman's way to describe compression. If true, this would enable Comcast to offer more HD channels without creating more system capacity. However, despite the red-hot rhetoric on some message boards, I personally don't believe you can see the difference in Comcast's HD picture compared to any other provider. HD picture quality is often in the eye of the beholder. People sometimes see things that may not really be there.
Q. Do you foresee the day when every show is in HD? -- Julia P.
Not for years and years and years. Due to cost reasons, every network and basic cable channel will move slowly to going to all HD lineups.
Q. Why doesn't Sony or someone introduce a Blu-ray recorder? -- Willie F.
They're available in Japan, but CE companies are dubious that there is a market for a high-def DVD recorder in the U.S. They point to the disappointing sales of the standard-def DVD recorder and ask what's the rush?
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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is
president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in
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News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The
Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The
Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at
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