I am naming this post KingSkippus's dumb, inaccurate post, with historical precedent.
Oh, how do I correct thee. Let me count the ways:
It tried to push out its proprietary format with Betamax, and it failed miserably.
Betamax came out first in 1975. JVC introduced VHS in 1976. Betamax remained the preferred home video format until 1985. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax/ That's 10 years. Quite a run that I wouldn't consider "failing miserably." Also, from time to time a sporting events, I still see news crews using Betamax cameras.
Sony didn't push Betamax onto anyone anymore than Coca-Cola pushes its product.
It tried to push out its proprietary format with the MiniDisc, and it failed miserably.
Wrong again. I have many friends that used thei minidisc players right up until they purchased an iPod or Nomad or other mp3 player. One friend in particular would get tons of samples for his electronic music he created by carrying around his minidisc player with mic input. It was simply a better and smaller walkman than a portable CD player. Still is. So, just because you might not have one or have experienced one or even know someone enjoyed theirs, don't call it a miserable failure.
It tried to push out its proprietary format with UMD, and it failed miserably.
Last time I checked, people with PSPs are still playing them and buying games. Oh my! But maybe Nintendo failed miserably in your eyes because their GameBoy cartridges were proprietary.
Now, it is trying to push out its proprietary format with Blu-ray.
Maybe this is news to you (it probably is considering the uninformed world you live in), but the Blu-ray format has the following companies on its board of directors:
Apple
Dell
HP
Hitachi
LG
Mitsubishi Electric
Panasonic
Pioneer
Philips
Samsung
Sharp
Sony
Sun Microsystems
TDK
Thomson
Twentieth Century Fox
Walt Disney
Warner Bros.
http://www.blu-raydisc.com/general_information/Sec tion-14009/Index.html/
The Blue-ray Disc standard was jointly developed by a group of consumer electronics and PC companies called the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc/
So, let's stop insulting every other company who has contributed major technical research and dollars to support a format they thing will stand the test of time. By the way, IF Sony is forcing Blu-ray on us, then wouldn't that means that Toshiba is forcing HD DVD on us, too? Or, is it OK if Toshiba does it?
It's more than a little ironic, I think, that while Sony is trying desperately to convince people that they should be buying a PS3 for the Blu-ray drive, in fact, people are avoiding the PS3 specifically because of the Blu-ray drive!
The PS3 is sold out. I don't recall anyone who bought a PS2 complaining that they had to have a DVD drive with their console. Maybe some people did, but I didn't hear it.
The Blu-ray drive is heinously expensive. People don't want to pay over $500 for a gaming console, even if they can also watch a few movies on it. If they had sold it without the Blu-ray drive, it would be much more competitive with the Xbox 360 and the Wii.
I thought the same thing about paying $300 for a PS2. I was wrong. Darn it! Oh yeah, the PS3 is sold out.
The Blu-ray drive is hard to manufacture, which is causing Sony's dismal supply. If they had sold it without the Blu-ray drive, they could have made a lot more of them, and average little Timmys all over the world could have one under their Christmas tree instead of only the little Johnnys who happen to have parents that are very, very rich.
The Timmys also had to count on the pocketbooks of their parents to buy them the $400 XBox 360 last year, because none of the Timmy's really wanted one without the harddrive (that was my PERSONAL
One newer company that I saw at CEDIA 2004 is Control4. Their products are all zigbee-based and are aimed at average folks. I use some Crestron equipment in my home, which is very stable and reliable. There is a lot of older Crestron equipment you can buy on eBay that still works wonderfully. This is also the case with
AMX equipment. The problem with these solutions, as well as cheaper solutions like HAI, is that you have to have the programs to actually program the equipment and it's not easily accessible as you have to be a dealer or work for a dealer of their products to get them. Aurora Multimedia is another company with a lot of great IP based control products. There are a lot of solutions out there for the average consumer, more than most people realize. It's good to go to local homeshows and read home automation blogs. I hope some of this information is helpful. It's my opinion that it's better to spend more on reliable equipment than to buy cheaper stuff that just doesn't work.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc/ So, let's stop insulting every other company who has contributed major technical research and dollars to support a format they thing will stand the test of time. By the way, IF Sony is forcing Blu-ray on us, then wouldn't that means that Toshiba is forcing HD DVD on us, too? Or, is it OK if Toshiba does it? It's more than a little ironic, I think, that while Sony is trying desperately to convince people that they should be buying a PS3 for the Blu-ray drive, in fact, people are avoiding the PS3 specifically because of the Blu-ray drive! The PS3 is sold out. I don't recall anyone who bought a PS2 complaining that they had to have a DVD drive with their console. Maybe some people did, but I didn't hear it. The Blu-ray drive is heinously expensive. People don't want to pay over $500 for a gaming console, even if they can also watch a few movies on it. If they had sold it without the Blu-ray drive, it would be much more competitive with the Xbox 360 and the Wii. I thought the same thing about paying $300 for a PS2. I was wrong. Darn it! Oh yeah, the PS3 is sold out. The Blu-ray drive is hard to manufacture, which is causing Sony's dismal supply. If they had sold it without the Blu-ray drive, they could have made a lot more of them, and average little Timmys all over the world could have one under their Christmas tree instead of only the little Johnnys who happen to have parents that are very, very rich. The Timmys also had to count on the pocketbooks of their parents to buy them the $400 XBox 360 last year, because none of the Timmy's really wanted one without the harddrive (that was my PERSONAL
One newer company that I saw at CEDIA 2004 is Control4. Their products are all zigbee-based and are aimed at average folks. I use some Crestron equipment in my home, which is very stable and reliable. There is a lot of older Crestron equipment you can buy on eBay that still works wonderfully. This is also the case with AMX equipment. The problem with these solutions, as well as cheaper solutions like HAI, is that you have to have the programs to actually program the equipment and it's not easily accessible as you have to be a dealer or work for a dealer of their products to get them. Aurora Multimedia is another company with a lot of great IP based control products. There are a lot of solutions out there for the average consumer, more than most people realize. It's good to go to local homeshows and read home automation blogs. I hope some of this information is helpful. It's my opinion that it's better to spend more on reliable equipment than to buy cheaper stuff that just doesn't work.