PS3 and hope for a single format

[flinx1241]

Longtime lurker, new poster. Don't have the time to hop into all of the discussions that interest me, but I figure I should throw in my .02 every now and again, and this seems like a good place to start...

My Blu-Ray story:
When it became apparent that there would be no single HD format, and that we were in for another format war, I vowed to stay out of it entirely. I've never been the earliest of adopters, only getting into DVD in early '99 and SACD/DVD-Audio in 2004. As you might guess, it's the status of that last adoption that has me so anti-format war. Combo players and dual formats are all fine and good, provided that the companies actually continue to see them as viable formats and continue to release on them. As it is, I continue to enjoy my 250 hi-rez audio discs, but am severely bummed out by the fact that there are only a trickle of new releases each year (in the pop/rock category, at least. I know that there's tons of classical and I have a smattering of those).

Now, comes the part where I get into the war...

X-Box 360 comes out. I really want one, but the wife vetoes it. She's sure I'll want to go PS3 when it comes out, and is dead set against having both (don't really blame her. I don't play enough games to make that sort of double purchase worthwhile). When the PS3 debuts, I see one with a low bid on ebay and take a shot, picking it up in January for less than it would have cost me in the store. I know of the blu-ray capability, of course, and probably would not have paid the cost of the system without it, but that was secondary to getting a next-gen gaming console. We were also getting ourselves ready for our move from Kansas City, MO to Vienna, Austria, and I was sure that my finances would be short for the foreseeable future, making it imperative that I get the PS3 right away, or I might never be allowed to do so!

And of course, now that I've been sucked in, regardless of my best intentions, I can't help but be impressed. Not all movies were heads and shoulders above their DVD versions (especially on a 46" viewing area), but those that were... Well, it just makes sense to buy the blu-ray version when both are available.

Since buying in I have picked up nearly 50 titles, with more on the way. Fast going broke (literally) and unable to keep the purchasing up forever, but I might as well enjoy them while I can. Going neutral in the next few years is literally out of the question for me, as the addition of even a cheap player to my home theater at this point would probably have my wife kicking me out on the street. Besides, I wouldn't do it. I really, really want the war to be over. And I want blu-ray to win. War to be over because I see it going one of two ways if it drags on: either both sides slowly die out due to low consumer adoption (a la DVD-Audio and SACD) or they remain, but the price point slowly moves up to meet a more sustainable level vs. the demand - such as Laserdisc did. I can't afford that option, although it would be better than the first. I also foresee a lack of catalog releases. Possibly that will occur even if there is a single winner, as catalog titles will likely be a very tough sell to a consumer base that will be double-dipping on each and every one.

And, of course, I want Blu-Ray to be that winner for the simple, selfish reason that it is the format that I now own. Of course I don't want my investment to be outdated/outmoded. That's why I had originally planned to sit things out. But you can thank the PS3 for sneaking me in, and I'm ultimately happy about it. And my "attach rate" seems to be okay, and I seem to be a contradiction to the idea that every PS3 owner is a 15 year old fanboy who doesn't like moves.

On the Sony/Anti-Sony front, I guess I like them okay. I've got a PSP, TV, Laptop, Digital Camera and PS3 with the branding on it. I also think that SACD was the neatest thing since sliced bread. However, I don't consider myself a "fanboy" by any means. If something comes out by Sony that I don't like, I don't go buy it for the name (ie - home theater surround sound sets, etc). I also like Denon, Harmon Karndon, SVS, Paradigm, Sega, Nintendo and many other "brands" in the home theater market. In my experience, if you have good personal experiences with a company's products, you're more likely to buy their brand the next time around. Don't hate Microsoft, either. Nor the 360, nor HD-DVD. Just want a single format, and prefer that it be the one I have, as per my reasoning above.

If you've come this far, thanks for reading and greetings from Vienna!
Joel

PS - (Don't read if you don't want to see my snobby side...) On a personal note, the next time I see someone say that they're "nutral" to indicate "neutrality", I'm going to hurl. Seriously. Type the "e". It's even more annoying than those guys who think they're witty simply because they play off the name of the other format (boo-ray, etc. And I know that's guys on both sides of the war. It just looks stupid, IMO). And I'm really anti-fanboy, either side, but I tend to not assume that someone is one unless they are really obnoxious about it.

[Helo]

Thanks for your story.
I went from a Denon 1930 to a PS3. As much as I love the PS3 I still miss my Denon. I wanted to wait in getting into the war to wait & see what Denon did...They chose Blu. I wanted their player, but there is no way I can afford it at present.
After Blu rays support seeming to increase across the board (aside from the confusion in the US) I decided to choose Blu as the format of my preference. I never had anything against HD Dvd either... just simply chose Blu. Am quite happy with the PS3... know that Denon will make better products for home theatre. Just hoping the studios all go neutral so that we can get the movies & shows we want without them being the determining factor.
All the best with settling in in Vienna!

[flinx1241]

Thanks for the read and reply, Helo!