Blu-ray hopes for a green season

Sony PS3 also has Blu-ray
Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console, which comes with Blu-ray and an Internet connection, is “still one of the best Blu-Ray players on the market, and in fact, makes up 80 to 90 percent of the units out there,” said Wilson.

There are two models of the PS3, and the least expensive is $400. It’s certainly a smart purchase as a two-fer if you’re a PlayStation fan and you want Blu-Ray.

“We’re also seeing TVs with more connectivity capabilities,” said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group market research firm. “Sharp and Samsung offer televisions that can receive information over the Internet.”

Blu-ray players may offer more cinematic richness on the screen than DVDs, but be prepared to deal with computer-like “firmware” fixes, software updates to the player itself, that may need to be made.

“These are very complicated devices from a software perspective,” said Wilson. “Obviously, over time, the machines are getting better and better. But it’s very different from the DVD player.

“With DVDs, every disc you put into your player, for the most part, will play without a problem. It’s very rare you get a disc that won’t play. With Blu-ray, that’s not the case.”

If you have an extensive library of DVDs, they can be used on Blu-ray players. Blu-ray discs themselves are more expensive than regular DVDs.

The average selling price of Blu-ray discs in October was $25.38, compared to $15.81 for standard DVDs, according to Lee Graham, spokesman for The NPD Group.

To help spur holiday sales, expect to see some bundling of players along with Blu-ray discs. Other retailers are offering a combo deal if you buy both a TV set and Blu-ray player by the same manufacturer.

Check for HDMI cable
No matter which player you consider, find out in advance whether it comes with an HDMI cable in the box. If it doesn’t, you’re looking at spending another $50 or so for this cable, needed so you can connect the player to your high-definition TV.

One Idaho man, writing on a major retailer’s blog, said he drove an hour-and-a-half to the store to buy a discounted Blu-ray player, only to get home and discover there was no HDMI cable in the box. He said was assured otherwise by a store representative.

“I just thought this was the biggest skimp ever,” he wrote. “They give you batteries for the remote, but not the cord that on the instructions says, ‘Use this for optimized performance.’ ”

So far, only 7 percent of American households have Blu-ray players, compared to 85 percent with DVD players, according to The NPD Group’s 2008 Household Penetration Study.

Manufacturers and studio heads aren’t panicking yet, although they’re nervous.

Blu-ray is still relatively new, and it was only earlier this year that the Sony-backed, high-definition format “won” over Toshiba’s lesser-selling HD DVD format when Toshiba announced it would abandon HD DVD.

Most in the industry expect it will be at least another year before Blu-ray sales increase significantly.

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