February 7th, 2008
In case the (probable) coming demise of HD DVD has you contemplating a Blu-Ray player, CNet gives several good reasons not to get one just yet:
1. Nearly all current Blu-ray players are obsolete: The Blu-ray standard is still evolving. Most models currently available use the original Profile 1.0 standard, while some newer models use Profile 1.1 (which adds the ability to show picture-in-picture commentaries). Later this year, the first Profile 2.0 players–which add the ability to deliver online special features (BD Live)–will become available. Ironically, both of these are designed to bring the Blu-ray standard in line with HD DVD players, which have long been able to deliver these features.
A couple of the most recent Blu-ray players (the combo players from Samsung and LG) can be updated from Profile 1.0 to 1.1 with a downloadable firmware update. But the PlayStation 3 is, supposedly, the only existing Blu-ray player that will be fully upgradeable to Profile 2.0. So if you don’t want your Blu-ray player to be obsolete, the PS3 is your only choice until 2.0 models–such as the Panasonic DMP-BD50–hit later this year. . . .
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