corradoboy

Just bagged myself one of these as I don't want to spend too much on a redundant format, but pretty damn good for the cash....

http://www.richersounds.com/product/...0/tosh-bdx1200

And can be made multi-region for both Bluray and DVD using the Australian firmware update.....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/15346762-post41.html

Only got it cos I've bought the missuse the complete Harry Potter set on BD for Xmas

Jamz3k

the model above this one got a pretty **** review but really for 50quid you can't go wrong!

corradoboy

This was reviewed well for a £100 machine. At half price it's a steal really.

Tidgy

im looking at getting a net ready one so can use it for lovefilm as well

GC8

Redundant format? What utter bollocks.

corradoboy

Why ? I already download the majority of my media content, and the only reason I don't D/L hi-def is that the cheap media HDD I bought can't play it. When I get my new Mac it will, and then there's no need for me to buy discs when I can just D/L or stream the content at leisure, and cheaper. Physical media is going, it may take a while, but the decline has started. It won't be long until the majority read books, magazines and newspapers on their phone, tablet or PC. Music is already massively supported by devices and services to acquire and play it without the need for discs, packaging, and all the other costs of production and distribution associated, driving down the cost to the end user. Movies are well supported too, and growing by the day. Legacy customers will cling on, but ultimately, the disc is a dead format walking.

GC8

Come on Dave, its rubbish. Where the resolution is high the bandwidth is low, so the quality is poor (Apple downloads being an excellent example - people are swayed by 'High Def (720p)' but the actual bandwidth is lower than DVD, hence so is the quality).

H.264 is superior to DivX, who were caught resting on their laurels, thinking that they had it all sewn-up; and seeing that all (current) BDs use H.264 or a flavour of it, so there isnt an alternative more effieicentcompression type available.

This means that unless youre prepared to download at least twenty gigabytes of data per title, you arent going to get anything approaching comparable content.

It might be 'good enough', like MPEG1 was, or later, DIVX3 then 4, but as they were inferior to MPEG2/DVDs, now everything else is struggling to compete with H.264DB. You can watch it and it might be 'alright', but technically its greatly inferior and you can really see the difference. Theres no 'MP3' for 1080i high bandwidth H.264.

So, I think: BD a redundant format = utter bollocks.

corradoboy

What you will find though, is that the convenience, lower prices, and reasonable quality, will outweigh the need for ultimate quality. Look at how DVD has clung on to the majority market share, because people are happy enough with it and don't have any massive urge to splash large amounts on yet another gadget that does the same thing slightly better. It's a bit like when Sony spent a fortune, convinced what we wanted and needed was Super Audio CD, and as it launched no-one noticed because the iPod with its compressed MP3 format at much lower quality offered massive convenience, portability, and a sexy new way to buy and play music. SACD, along with DVD-A was dead in the water before it even launched. BD has faired a little better, but its lifespan is predicted to be short as more and more companies introduce download and streaming services, and as such more and more money gets ploughed into both the gadgets to play it on, and the methods it is produced (format and compression). These services are already being built into new TV's and media playback devices, even BD players, eroding there own market. Many people already have some sort of digital playback device, whether a simple media drive, or a full on PC connected to the TV. Before long it will be the norm to have full connectivity on the TV for everything you normally use a TV for, and everything you use a PC for. Quite simply, there will be no need to produce disc based media with its packaging, transportation, storage, and other associated costs. It might not be 100% what it could be yet, but it will be, and soon.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

I'm with corradoboy on this one. Just as everyone now thinks compressed MP3 or AAC is as good as it gets for music it is only a matter of time before the same happens to video formats.

As corradoboy says convenience and lower prices will override the advantages of higher quality formats and eventually will become accepted as the norm just as most people today wouldn't dream of buying a CD when their iPod kicks *** .... it's a f**king depressing out look to be honest!

Ant

i've not touched my blu ray player for over a year, all my bluray discs have been ripped onto my media player

GC8

Ant, youre actually still using BD though, arent you? Youre just using the content in a more convenient way - Im doing the same.

f1f & Dave: I see the point about MP3 and the parallels (obviously, I made it ), but I dont think itll happen to video as it did to music; you only have to look at DVDs, which didnt succumb to MP4...

corradoboy

Independent review by an AVF member who seems to know what he's on about and rates this unit very highly for what it is....

http://www.avforums.com/forums/15818614-post151.html

subaruturbo_18

Peoples ears aren't as sensitive as their eyes, so don't agree so much about the mp3 thing.

After being spoilt with blu-ray i can't go back down a gear for video...

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

Same here. We're lucky enough to own an HD projector and its pointless watching DVDs on it as the quality is so much poorer.

Even as a 35 year old bloke, I have no desire to download films, as its never occurred to me that it would be of benefit to do that and nor do I know what I need to do to get that onto my system for viewing. There's a whole heap of techie stuff being discussed above that 99% of people wont understand.

Its actually really convenient for the majority to pick a up a DVD or Blu Ray on-line or in their local Tesco and stick it on a player. They will not be downloading films any time soon if there is any kind of faffing about. Who wants to watch films on their PC/Lap-top? - a small minority.

The only way I can see downloading ever over-taking DVD/BD is if there is a universally accessible pay per view database accessed through your TV - and that would be a great thing.

bigsinky

100Mbit connection, newsgroups, AC Ryan media player linked to sony DD5.1 amp and samsung 50". i have been doing this for over 2 years now. streamed from my big PC running Ubuntu. you do need a lot of storage if you are hoarder like me . until recently a 2TB 7200rpm drive was £60.

I point blank refuse to buy my whole DVD collection again in BR format. it's just taking the pish that BR discs are still £20 or more for some titles.

mart360

I have a samsing bluray with allshare (DNLA) so i either watch dvd's / Blurays, or stream from the web ( iplayer love film etc) & i can also stream from my media server using Serviio

Serviio is great as it also streams to the Xbox, and handles mkv files, which the xbox cannot


Mart

Ant

i use serviio for my samsung smart tv just for watching US tv shows and use my media player for the movies as its linked to my surround sound

mart360

What are you using to stream from Ubuntu?

I put it on a machine yesterday to use XBMC, but got lost as the XBMC has to be compiled / distro'd etc etc....


Mart

mart360

Havn't found anything yet that serviio cant get to, another advantage is the community will help if you need a profile etc....



Mart

bigsinky

just use ubuntu and install samba. AC Ryan Playon HDbox just sees the windows shares. £120 a couple of years ago. Ant told me about them and i have to say it has played everything i have thrown at it. 1080 stuff need nothing else to be running on the computer at the time to stream fast enough. gigabit LAN obviously.

Ant

Slightly off topic, Sinky I've got mede8er firmware running on my ac Ryan , very fast!

bigsinky

any link to the download Ant please. any problems with setting up shares after you installed. don't want any probs with my vast porno collection

Ant

Seems ok to me on 1st startup you need to plug a video cable in just to tell it to use Hdmi.

Do the power button method to update http://db.tt/gx9h3M2

legb4rsk

I know I am in the minority but I think it's a shame(strange?) that we have all the tech to reproduce very high end audio & video performance & don't use it to it's full potential.

Seems like you buy a fully modded Subaru & then proceed to put a Fiat Panda engine in it.

I guess I am just an old-fashioned techie.I buy equipment because of the spec & then expect it to perform to that level.

IWatkins

I must also be in the minority too then

I buy Blu-Ray disks and have spent a lot of time (and money) getting the best display and audio system I can for it.

I've tried most of the various download sites, and the quality is quite simply crap in comparison.

Luan Pra bang

So far every 'HD' download i have seen has looked crap compared to a blue ray disk, when 40 meg lines are available to the masses this might change, untill then i am happy with using love film to send me blu rays in the post.

TelBoy

So within 5 years then. DVD and Blu-Ray will be boot sale only.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

And what happens when your NAS device goes **** up and you lose all the films you have downloaded? Or do you intend to back them up to disk or to another HDD?

Jamz3k

Totally agree with the both of you here. Watching a movie is something I really enjoy and having spent a few grand on the best home cinema equipment I could afford why would I bother spoiling it by watching a copy that is inferior to the original version? Plus as I love films, it's only right that I pay for them.

Ant

You can download bluray rips so don't lose any quality. Illegal mind and 50gb a time it may take a while on slow connections