Blu-ray doubt

[66217]

I am planning to buy a MacBook Pro this summer, but I have one doubt.

Are Blu-Ray going to be available in the mac notebooks in a near future?
And
If I buy a MacBook Pro, would I be able to upgrade fom DVD to Blu-Ray, when Blu-Ray becomes standard?

 

[yellow]

Who knows? No one ever knows if Blu-Ray WILL be the standard.. that battle is still being fought.

 

[thequicksilver]

My guess has no more value than anybody else's. But:

I would predict that there aren't going to be any seriously viable (ie affordable) notebook Blu-Ray drives for between a year and 18 months. Apple will surely be one of the first companies to introduce them as they like being at the bleeding edge when it suits them - the format war will see each side want to get them out of the door ASAP - but this year? I personally don't think it'll happen.

Others might think otherwise.

 

[yellow]

I'll agree with that theory.. definitely the first Blu-Ray/HD-DVD players are going to be mind-bogglingly expensive. I think it'll be a while before they become standard (or even available) in too many consumer electronics. Yes I know the PS3 is going to have one, but I've read that Sony will be selling those initial units at a HUGE loss as they attempt to make up the R&D on the Blu-Ray tech.

 

[AliensAreFuzzy]

I'll agree with that theory.. definitely the first Blu-Ray/HD-DVD players are going to be mind-bogglingly expensive.

Actually the first generation desktop drives are supposed to be around $500

 

[yellow]

That's a lot of money for some of us, moneybags!

 

[superbovine]

my guess it would be probably wise to not jump in feet first into blu-ray when it comes out.

 

[matperk]

That's a lot of money for some of us, moneybags!

lol dude--i dk why he said that. He's my friend and he has $0 as he just wiped out his bank account on his macbook. So he knows that expensive, but I think he took the "mind-bogglingly expensive" as thousands of dollars.

and $500 is about as much as dvd players started out at. I know that because we paid that much for our first one. And burners started out around that too.


I think blu-ray will not be in the market until the end of the year, and they will be made for desktops, and eventually, technology will advance and they will get smaller and smaller and eventually be able to fit into a laptop. That's the course all tech takes.

And I believe apple allowed you to send it in a pay for a dvd drive upgrade on one of the earlier laptops--correct me if i'm wrong. so i'm assuming they would do the same if blu-ray comes out before we expect it to.

 

[majorp]

and one blu-ray disc will probably be the price of a whole dvd writer to start off with

 

[AliensAreFuzzy]

and one blu-ray disc will probably be the price of a whole dvd writer to start off with

Looks like Recordables will start off at $17.99 for a single layer and $42.99 for a dual layer. Rewritables will be $24.99 for a single layer and $59.99 for dual layers. http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=31997

As for the Mind-bogglingly expensive thing, I was saying that $500 is not that much considering that DVD burners last year were still around $200-$250. For a brand new technology, that is not that bad of a price. The media, on the other hand, is pretty darn expensive.

 

[yellow]

As for the Mind-bogglingly expensive thing, I was saying that $500 is not that much considering that DVD burners last year were still around $200-$250. For a brand new technology, that is not that bad of a price. The media, on the other hand, is pretty darn expensive.

I don't know where you're shopping, but my new DVD burner cost me $69 last year.

Anyway, here's one from Pioneer that's slated to cost $1800. Reports for the Sony and Samsung versions are a touch over $1000.

I seriously doubt the first penetration into the market will cost much less then $1k. And to me, that's mind-bogglingly expensive. Kinda like HD-TVs.

Of course, that's not really comparable to the in-computer-price, as there's much less bell & whistle to that player. It could be around $500. Still a lot of $$$.

 

[AliensAreFuzzy]

I don't know where you're shopping, but my new DVD burner cost me $69 last year.

Anyway, here's one from Pioneer that's slated to cost $1800. Reports for the Sony and Samsung versions are a touch over $1000.

I seriously doubt the first penetration into the market will cost much less then $1k. And to me, that's mind-bogglingly expensive. Kinda like HD-TVs.

Of course, that's not really comparable to the in-computer-price, as there's much less bell & whistle to that player. It could be around $500. Still a lot of $$$.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/26/samsung-sh-b022-blu-ray-burner-reviewer/
Desktop drive is what I was talking about for being $500

 

[yellow]

Desktop drive is what I was talking about for being $500

Yes.

Of course, that's not really comparable to the in-computer-price, as there's much less bell & whistle to that player. It could be around $500. Still a lot of $$$.

 

[bigbossbmb]

both the hardware and media should start to drop in price (at least slightly) starting this summer after PS3 creates that hefty install base...desktop drives in the powermac (or mac pro ) by christmas or mwsf 07 and laptop units around wwdc 07

 

[ncoffey]

both the hardware and media should start to drop in price (at least slightly) starting this summer after PS3 creates that hefty install base...desktop drives in the powermac (or mac pro ) by christmas or mwsf 07 and laptop units around wwdc 07

This is assuming Blu-ray catches on. If HD-DVD is more successful or if they both prove to be duds because people are happy with DVDs then we may never see Blu-ray players in MacBook Pros.

 

[Dr. Dastardly]

Or what I personally think will happen...
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies start to become more prominant and hit a semi competant price sometime in 2007. No one really cares which is which at this point seeing as most companies will be making devices that will read both in the same unit. And in the end 99.99% of people will continue to call both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD just DVDs and wont even know the difference from what they have today. The only ones that will care are /. nerds that get off on that sort of thing. The everyday person will just think that its their new fancy DVD player or fancy "flat" HDTV that is making it look so great.

 

[bigbossbmb]

PS3 will kill HD-DVD

...or if they both prove to be duds because people are happy with DVDs then we may never see Blu-ray players in MacBook Pros.

good point.

however, we will see one win because people are making the move to Hi-Def and these are the formats to bring HD content, not DVD.

Since HD-DVD is going to die out in the next 8-12 months because there is no way to compete with the install base Blu-Ray will have once PS3 is released. Look at UMD those discs are worth nothing without a PSP and people still buy them. HD Movies on Blu-Ray will probably sell just as well (price permitting). HD-DVD has no chance since Microsoft didn't stick it in the XBOX 360 to compete.

 

[theBB]

And in the end 99.99% of people will continue to call both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD just DVDs and wont even know the difference from what they have today.

Most people will notice the price tag and the salesperson will gladly explain why this one is so much better.