More info on this link but basically the WD TV-2 adds component and a few other goodies to the original WD TV HD Media Player.

To quote Engadget;

"Western Digital really hit a sweet spot last year with its $130 WD TV HD Media Player. The thing pumped out 1080p over HDMI at an attractive price, and that's all most people really needed. The newly leaked WD TV-2 revisits the formula, but adds in network playback over the new Ethernet jack, DTS audio decoding, and a component video plug for folks caught in the technological no man's land between composite and HDMI. Outside of that there's a just plain silly amount of codec support, which is hard not to love. No word on price or a release date, but the leaked photos and detailed specs seem to imply this thing is ready for prime time."


WD TV-2 spruces up Western Digital's already attractive media player offering (http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/16/wd-tv-2-spruces-up-western-digitals-already-attractive-media-pl/)

I'm already a fan of the WD-TV, and if they can make a good thing better (at the same price?), I'd hit it!
My goal is to bypass Blu-Ray discs entirely and offer a WD-TV with a portable drive for HD playback. I've got all the hope in the world that BluRay will be the Betamax format in 2011. Spinning optical media is a dead end product. Time to put another nail in its coffin.

Looks like a winner.

But I have to disagree about Blu-ray.

Many folks are technophobic and delivering a solid state product works but in special situations only imho.

People know DVD and Blu-ray is an extension of that comfort zone.

My main hope is that Blu-ray players get to the sub $150 so more people will buy them as they are sort of dead on the vine at their current levels.

Solid state is great but where can you buy a 25gb usb token for $5?

The pricing is just not there yet plus printing & packaging is new territory as well.

So you think your clients would rather buy a $130.00 device plus a external hard drive for another $80.00 just to watch HD when you should be able to give them a blu-ray disc for $5.00 of your cost. You can mark up that price as much you want of course but it wouldn't be anywhere near the price to buy the hardware to watch this stuff.

I totally agree that from a tech point of view blu-ray is kind of difficult. From a price point however it makes much more sense to deliver to a client on a $5.00 piece of media compared to a $80.00 hard drive or flash drive. You end up making the client buy a hardware device that doesn't cost all that much less then a Blu-ray player and anything you want to watch on it you or they have to custom make. Blu-ray is now at the same price point for blanks, burner, player and movies that DVD was at when I first got into it. In fact blu-ray burners are now much cheaper then my first DVD burner.

There is also the interactive aspect. While we may never have access to the full Blu-ray specs in software under $50,000.00 what we do have is DVD level interaction which many people enjoy. Watching a long form video on a WD device just seems like taking a step backwards. It only really offers an advantage to us producers to have an easy path to give HD to our clients. From the client/consumer perspective it makes much more sense to have a Blu-ray player unless they are also tech handy and roll their own HD video. Good luck watching a Blu-ray movie on a WD device unless you illegally hack a movie and rip it onto the device. Of course in order to do that you would have to have a blu-ray anyway.

I say forget these silly devices and just build a HTPC already. It will do everything a WD device will do plus it can play blu-ray movies with a BD-rom drive. The WD device on it's own has the same problem as Blu-ray where it is too limited in what it can do. It is more of a cool geek gadget and not something my parents would want to use. At least with blu-ray you can sell your clients on being able to watch cool Hollywood movies in HD as well. With WD the only thing you can sell them on is that it was cheaper for you to make their HD video but still cost the client more in the end.

Look, I consider myself a technophile, going for all the latest gadgets, but I just don't hear the general public getting all excited about Blu-Ray. My non-tech friend yawn at adding something to their TV that can show their favorite actors pores. And uprezzing DVD players do an nice job as it is.

It seems to me the WD type of player can leap frog that technology. Blu Ray has been touted as the next great thing, but I really wonder if digital playback from chips isn't really going to be the real next big jump. Mind you, they are pushing Blu Ray, but it seems like licensing issues are really gonna hold it back... especially in the current economy. And what can be easier than plugging a thumb drive into your player.

*Sigh*

BluRay is the next big thing

USB players are the next big thing

Internet delivery is the next big thing


Here is what I know. Every significant advance in home entertainment has been pushed by Hollywood and the Music Recording studios. 45s, 33 1/3, 8-track, cassette tapes, CDs, VHS, DVD... Guess what they are pushing now? It's not WDTV, and it's not AppleTV etiher.

The WDTVs are great in their niche. I think I'll buy one. But we have watched the cost of BluRay players, recorders, and media plummet in 3 years. I remember seeing $999 players 3 years ago. Now I see players for less than 1/4 that. Despite all the hand-wringing here, BluRay adoption has outpaced DVD adoption on the same time scale.

You have a multi-billion dollar industry HEAVILY invested in BluRay. For now, I think that's the safe bet. And so does every major retailer of home entertainment gear and media.

I live in a common California suburb. 7 Best Buys within 50 miles. Plenty of other tech outlets. This area is kind of the overflow from Silicon Valley... yet, of my multitude of friends, I have never had any rage about Blu Ray, or a need to get it. I am not hearing that I "got to have it" refrain. Don't know why...but that's why I have that feeling it will be leap frogged at some point. Will be interesting to see.

Blu-Ray here in Australia is way to expensive both disk price and the Blu-Ray player.

Most people get the standard DVD from the Video store and the quality is great and see no reason to buy a Blu-Ray player. Sure Blu-Ray looks better but SD DVD looks fine. Until the prices comes way down here in Australia for Blu-Ray this format is dead in my opinion. In all the wedding, corporate adhoc work that I do, only one person has asked for Blu-Ray in the last two years and also I have weddings booked for next year 2010 and offer Blu-Ray service but no one has asked or wants the Blu-Ray format and this includes corporate clients.

This WD player might take off as the new format?

Everything is leapfrogged at some point.

How large is the BluRay section at BestBuy compared to the VHS tape section? And yet, at it's inception, people said that DVD offered no advantage in quality of video over VHS. DVDs were expensive, pro's couldn't burn them because of the onerous licensure issues, etc. There were incompatible standards DVD+R/DVD-R, and DVD-ROM. The market was frought with issues, and yet, Hollywood kept pumping them out.

Today, the silver disks are everywhere. It took 10 years commercially to make it happen. And that was in what was considered a terrific economy for the most part. BluRay is surpassing that in a bad economy.

The fact that the "techies" are not gaga over BluRay means zero. Go ask the people who see 100 movies a year. Ask if they are still buying DVDs and playing them in a uprezzing player.

In order for BluRay NOT to make it, there would need to be several things happening.

1. Something truly better would have to come on the horizon soon.
2. The tremendous market interia that BluRay enjoys would have to be halted
3. The major studios would have to be convinced to move to a new technology

I just cannot see that happening in the next 3-5 years. The internet sure isn't going to handle widespread movie demands. Solid State COULD do it, but there isn't any market push that way by anyone. it's more sensible for the music industry to embrace that mechanism and they are doing so. Bluray is poised to take us from HDTV through UHDTV. Nothing else out there right now is.

Blu-Ray here in Australia is way to expensive both disk price and the Blu-Ray player.

Most people get the standard DVD from the Video store and the quality is great and see no reason to buy a Blu-Ray player. Sure Blu-Ray looks better but SD DVD looks fine. Until the prices comes way down here in Australia for Blu-Ray this format is dead in my opinion. In all the wedding, corporate adhoc work that I do, only one person has asked for Blu-Ray in the last two years and also I have weddings booked for next year 2010 and offer Blu-Ray service but no one has asked or wants the Blu-Ray format and this includes corporate clients.

This WD player might take off as the new format?

Two years from now, when major studios stop delivering new releases on DVD, what do you think will happen to BluRay demand? By then, the players will be <$100, and the burners will be $175.

I have to say, I used to be a NetFlix user. But my Direct TV HD receivers and my WD player provide great ways of getting HD content. With HBO, and Starz, I can eventually record and see any major film. Have used DVD in six months.... and this was during a period I have been convelescing....

I think Blu-ray will get there.

One thing that gives my comfort is the slow adoption and general indifference to HD movies shows that we are at the limits of where we are going with regards to resolution/image quality in the consumer space.

So purchasing HD cameras will be a good investment over time because uber-HD will not have any commercial legs.

So once Blu-ray is adopted, we will not have to look out for the next upgrade cycle for quite some time.

It is all the same in the end. How much more portable is WDTV compared to a Blu-ray player? A little, but both could be taken to a location and used to display content.

To me the issue is durability, portability and price. Granted, I'm not the typical consumer. But if you told me that I could purchase a 32GB usb thumb drive (or SD card) blank for $5 (don't laugh, that will be the price soon enough). Why on EARTH would I want to return to spinning optical media with all its inherent flaws? No moving parts on an SD card means players can be smaller, cheaper, and more energy efficient. Heck, they might as well incorporate them into HD TV's. My 52" LCD already has a USB port and ethernet jack. A simple firmware upgrade might allow me to play HD movies off a USB drive. Sony has been known to throw their considerable clout and weight behind other formats that now line the discount racks (if you're lucky to see them at all). How many of you are still using mini-Disc technology? Memory sticks are absent from most of Sony's newest electronic offerings. So who is to say that BluRay will stick around just because the big boys want it to. Ultimately its the customer who will decide. CD's offered an obvious advantage over DVD's, but other than resolution, HD-DVDs don't change the paradigm. Solid state does. As for interactivity, all it takes is the right authoring software that will give you the same functionality of a Blu-Ray disc on an SD card/USB drive. I can play .iso files on my Popcorn Hour NMT as if it had the DVD on it, menus/chapters and all. WD-TV will probably offer the same functionality on their updated unit. I tell my clients to avoid Blu-Ray, but I'll be glad to make whatever format they currently request.

Oren, you make some good points, but your logic is flawed.

Consumers don't dictate the market. Consumers dictate between CHOICES in the market. Those who own the content dictate the market.

So dandy, you can drop files from your handycam onto USB drives until the cows come home. But if Warner, Sony, Paramount, etc. choose not to authorize or deliver on that medium, you AREN'T going to get it. And if the studios choose not to deliver on that medium, you aren't going to see LG, Samsung, Panasonic, etc, breaking their back to get the technology into their players. Yes, it will come eventually, but BluRay has a lot of legs left still.

Your analogy to minidisc is a poor one. That was always a Sony-centric offering. It was NEVER adapted into a worldwide market structure like BluRay is. Neither was Betamax. But we are in a position where every major electronics manufacturer in the home entertainment business has a BluRay offering. Every one. That is a vastly different landscape.

I think Blu-Ray will still be in the market but the portability of a SDHC card or something similar is really appealing to me. Imagine having many movies etc on a small card, this can fit into your wallet etc.. you go around to your clients office or where ever, you plug the card into the slot the player reads and plays the footage. Now try doing this with Disc formats such as Blu-Ray and even DVD’s on a large scale and lugging them around. I think the Disc will die out due to it’s size and also the problems with players not working and disc getting damaged. Shoot me down if you like but card based formats are the future for me I just think it make sense.
This will take time though as even 16:9 is still not used as the major format.

Ah what do I know……..

Imagine having many movies etc on a small card, this can fit into your wallet etc.. you go around to your clients office or where ever, you plug the card into the slot the player reads and plays the footage.

I think this scares the heck out the studios.

All they can see is the ease of copying their content with flash based delivery methods.

Mabye a strong reason why it has not shown up yet?

I agree with Tim here. Studios do not care about making media easy for us to copy and share. In fact they want to prevent that as much as possible.

Look there are two sides to the whole HD thing.

1. The person who shoots in HD and wants to watch something in HD. This can either be a producer to sell to their client or a consumers own home video.

2. A major studio who wants to deliver mass market material that is copy protected and is cheap to produce.

Many people here think of DVD and blu-ray burning as burning only. Studios never burn a disc they press them. It takes seconds to press a disc and hundreds of thousands of copies can be made very quickly. How are you going to do that with flash media? Are replication plants supposed to have thousands of computers and robots arms to swap flash media to transfer to? How will Studios offer copy protection on such devices?

I have said this before and while our group is the most vocal on the issue of HD we are the less heard voice to the format leaders. They could care less if we have a way to deliver a video to a client on Blu-ray. They make very little to no money at all from our production world. It is all about the consumer.

Sure maybe a flash media stick/card/device will get down to the same prices but it is at least a few years off yet. Blu-ray will always be one step ahead of flash media in terms of price. How much is a 25 GB flash drive right now? You still can't get a 2 GB flash drive for less then $10.00 in the mainstream market. That's less then the size of DVD. Optical media will always be cheaper because it is pretty simple and quick to produce. By the time you get a 25 GB flash drive down to $5.00, blu-ray discs will be $0.50. If a client needs 100 copies guess which one they will choose.

The WD device is great if you have your own HD video you want to watch but that is pretty much where it's usefulness ends. It is going to be a very very long time (if ever) before you will be able to buy a Hollywood movie on an unprotected form of media to use with the device.

How often do you think consumers watch their videos? once a year? What is going to be more important to them? A device that can only watch the video you produced once a year or a device that can watch movies whenever they want.

By the way Wal-mart has a Blu-ray player for $100.00. It may not be great or BD2.0 but it can play your produced HD video with full interactivity equal to what can be done with DVD. Personally as much as I hated Blu-ray I would much rather buy that then a WD player.

I agree with the storage delivery concept. Blu-ray will be the Vista of the content delivery world. Too expensive, and not enough better for most people to be interested. The cost of flash storage is going down so fast that I believe that you will be buying movies and other content on jump drives in the not-too-distant future.

I agree with the storage delivery concept. Blu-ray will be the Vista of the content delivery world. Too expensive, and not enough better for most people to be interested. The cost of flash storage is going down so fast that I believe that you will be buying movies and other content on jump drives in the not-too-distant future.

It will never happen. There is no way to copy protect movies on flash media. Piracy would go through the roof. Hollywood will avoid flash media at all costs.

How exactly is Blu-ray too expensive? The burners are cheaper then DVD burners were at this point. The blanks are coming down in price much faster then flash media prices. I can get a blank BD disc for about $3.50. How cheap is a flash media card capable of holding 25 GB of data? The cheapest I found on Newegg is $60.00. I find it ironic that people complain about the cost of Blu-ray at $3.50 a pop but yet they would rather spend $60.00 and they think that is a better price. In what economic standard is that a better price? I can't even get a 8 GB drive/card to fit a dual layer DVD for any price close to that of a Blu-ray disc. I also find it ironic that people talk about flash media prices dropping quickly but when it comes to Blu-ray the price isn't dropping fast enough yet it is a fraction of the cost of flash media. If it is the price of the burner that is in question here well after 3 flash cards you would have paid for the burner. Anything after that would make burning BD discs a much cheaper solution.

About the only thing currently cheaper per GB then Blu-ray is a hard drive but only if it is large enough. For example a 80 GB hard drive would actually cost you a lot more then 3 blu-ray discs. It is only when you reach 250 GB and larger that drives are now cheaper. If BD blanks get down to 50 cents or a buck then they will be the cheapest delivery option in the world. Even compared to DVD blu-ray actually isn't badly priced anymore. 6 DVD discs costs about $2.50 compared to $3.50 to be able to fit everything on one disc. In a few months I think BD blanks could actually surpass the cost of DVD per GB.

Another thing here. Lets say Hollywood did start selling movies on tiny flash cards. How much do any of you think it would cost to buy one of these movies? It isn't just the fact that the movie is on Blu-ray that makes it cost that much. It is the fact that you have a movie in HD with very high quality sound that really makes up a huge chunk of the cost. Therefore right away any alternative form of HD movie is going to cost about the same as Blu-ray. What codec will it use. A huge part of the licensing costs goes to the mpeg group and not Sony. mpeg2 and AVCHD are not cheap formats to license. That's just the video side of the equation. What about the media cost and replication time involved? Flash media is way more expensive then replication blanks. The facilities that replicate movies will have to be bigger, staff more people and use a lot more equipment.

I think right now if Hollywood were to sell HD movies on flash media right now they would cost somewhere between $60.00 and $100.00 per movie to purchase at Best Buy. Now you tell me which HD format would take off with consumers. Remember the cost factor here isn't Blu-ray itself but the fact that the video is HD and uses video formats with heavy licensing costs. Sure DVD is cheaper but then again really shouldn't it be cheaper since it is SD and not HD. We are talking a whole universe of cost factors here that dwarf the issue of what media it is on.

Finally what sort of interactivity are these flash based movies going to have? What about chapters, menus, special features, buttons, pop up menus and so forth. To do that sort of stuff you will still need some sort of hardware/software device to read a certain programming/scripting language. Will there be a standard or will it be like camcorders today where every company comes out with their own goofy standard. How will we author to these devices? How many different authoring programs will we have to use for all those goofy devices out there?

I agree.

Once the players start getting more consumer adoption the price of the media will plummet as I think the prices are being kept at a higher level until the manufacturers have to lower it.

The round trip of Blu-ray creation and delivery is the same as DVD, just a bit longer due to encoding and larger amounts of data which gets handled with faster computers.

So I am excited about Blu-ray, it looks fantastic and the prices will become as affordable as DVD.

Just want the consumers to catch up so we can begin to transition away from DVD as making both for a project is more work.

But I think DVD will be around for a long time...

So I don't care about the medium per se, just want something I can lean on into the future.

I have to say, I used to be a NetFlix user. But my Direct TV HD receivers and my WD player provide great ways of getting HD content. With HBO, and Starz, I can eventually record and see any major film. Have used DVD in six months.... and this was during a period I have been convelescing....

This is a little off-topic...but are you able to record HDCP content to this WD device through HDMI at this time? If so I wish I knew about 3 weeks ago because I had a client that is a cable channel that wanted me to record their own content in High-definition and I had a hell of a time, eventually buying a Happaggue HD-PVR to record via component.

If it can can record HDCP material from a cable box via HDMI that would be worth the price to me right this moment. Copy protection really only hurts people that want to transfer things legitimately. The pirates crack it in about 5 seconds!

Ken

Finally what sort of interactivity are these flash based movies going to have? What about chapters, menus, special features, buttons, pop up menus and so forth. To do that sort of stuff you will still need some sort of hardware/software device to read a certain programming/scripting language. Will there be a standard or will it be like camcorders today where every company comes out with their own goofy standard. How will we author to these devices? How many different authoring programs will we have to use for all those goofy devices out there?

I think if a solid state media player has some sort of basic OS this isn't really a problem. A given company could pretty easily distribute the interface that plays let's say a menu-driven group of videos. The programming structure would need to be included with the videos in some type of executable package. Very similar to how interactive CD-ROMs can use a flash projector or some other type of executable to launch files on your computer.

This could very well make it easier rather than harder as it opens up options rather than locking us into the very limited framework that most consumer DVD players currently have.

Having said that, while I love the idea of solid-state media devices, I think Blu-Ray will have a nice run in the average American household before it is replaced by solid-state players. I could even see a combo of optical and solid-state (Actually I think that is happening already) before the real switch is made.

Ken

What are the Main differences between the 2 units? I have the original WD media player and love it.

Great discussion..... but to answer Greg's immediate question, all I (i.e we) know, so far, is in the detailed specs in the "Read" section of the engadget link I originally posted. I'm sure more will become apparent once these WD TV-2 units start shipping. Exciting times for all of us trying to deliver HD to our customer base!

For everyone's convenience I post the specs quoted below (to let you compare with the original at your leisure!).

Andy
..............................................

WD TV-2 Live Media Player

-Play Full HD 1080p video, music and photos on your HD TV
-Supports widest variety of file formats and devices
-Network capable for easy access to the newest content from PCs, network drives, internet favorites
Kit Contents
-Media Player
-Compact remote with batteries
-Composite AV cable
-Component AV cable
-AC adapter
-Quick Install Guide

Compatibility
HDMI, Full HD (1080p), AAC, MP3, JPEG, USB 2.0, H.264, SimplayHD™, Energy Star®, Dolby Digital, DTS,
DLNA, Bonjour, AVCHD, Windows Vista

Media Formats
AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1),
TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1) MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9
JPEG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, PNG
MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS
Playlist – PLS, M3U, WPL

Subtitle – SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI

MPEG2 MP@HL up to 1920x1080p24, 1920x1080i30, or 1280x720p60 resolution. MPEG4.2 ASP@L5 up to
1280x720p30 resolution and no support for global motion compensation. WMV9/VC-1 MP@HL up to 1280x720p60
or 1920x1080p24 resolution. VC-1 AP@L3 up to 1920x1080i30, 1920x1080p24, or 1280x720p60 resolution.
H.264 BP@L3 up to 720x480p30 or 720x576p25 resolution. H.264 MP@4.1 and HP@4.1 up to 1920x1080p24,
1920x1080i30, or 1280x720p60 resolution.
An audio receiver is required for multi-channel surround sound digital output. Compressed RGB JPEG formats only
and progressive JPEG up to 2048x2048.
Single layer TIFF files only. Uncompressed BMP only. Specific details, please refer to the user manual

Source: AVS Forum

The blanks are coming down in price much faster then flash media prices. I can get a blank BD disc for about $3.50.

$2.75 each: ANTOnline.com - Memorex 32020013358 BD-R 4x, 15Pk Spindle (http://www.antonline.com/p_32020013358-NX_524096.htm)

I tried the first version and returned it.

Does anybody know the TV-2 will play DVD .iso or video_TS folder with DVD navigation structure. It will be sweeter to play blu-ray in file folder or .iso file too

The original $99 WD TV gets a refresh (I hesitate to say upgrade) too, so it seems. Looks like the WD TV-2 is the one to have. Engadget link below.

WD TV Mini loses Full HD, but remains a handy Media Player (http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/18/wd-tv-mini-loses-full-hd-but-remains-a-handy-media-player/)

To quote Engadget again....

"While we wait excitedly for Western Digital to update its HD Media Player, the company has decided to add another, value-minded product to its media player range. Working along the same lines as the HD unit, The WD TV Mini serves as a conduit between your TV set and USB-connected storage -- whether it be a camcorder, an external HDD or a humble flash drive -- and plays back a vast array of digital media formats. The Mini part to its name refers to its diminutive 91 x 91 x 22 mm footprint, but being the younger sibling also means it loses a couple of the premium features, namely HDMI and full 1080p, though that drop-off isn't too steep with 1080i and composite plus component outputs serving as alternatives. It's available now for $99."

Features of the WD TV Mini Media Player include:

•Play video, music and photos on your TV in up to 1080i HD resolution;

•Supports widest variety of file formats including RealMedia Variable Bitrate (RMVB);

•Rich HD 1080i advanced navigation and user interface;

•DVD-like navigation with chapter support, trick modes and subtitles;

•Expandable: buy more storage, delete fewer movies;

•Photo slideshow with unique transitions and music on your HD TV;

•Thumbnail support including photo thumbnails and music album art;

•Ability to preview your video during navigation (480 and 720 mode only);

•Video, music and photo auto-play for users digital signage solution;

•Subtitle support including multi-language subtitle support for video playback;

•Picture Transfer Protocol to view or backup content from your digital image device;

•Compatible with USB Camcorders and USB mass storage devices;

•Component and composite video output;

•Digital optical audio output via SPDIF;

•Ultra-compact design making it perfectly portable for travel; and,

•1-year limited warranty

Where are we supposed to get all of this HD content to play on this thing? Apart from video camera footage, everything legally available in electronic format is either streaming or DRM protected. Will it play digital copies from DVDs/blu-rays? This would be a handy gizmo if I was downloading torrents of HD TV shows, but that's about it.

I just don't see this as something a lot of "clients" are going to want to mess with. Too complicated, compared to putting a disc in a player, and something they won't use with anything else.

Where are we supposed to get all of this HD content to play on this thing?

I just don't see this as something a lot of "clients" are going to want to mess with. Too complicated, compared to putting a disc in a player, and something they won't use with anything else.

This was exactly my point. Unless you have major commercial content being produced that can be played on it, it's just not going to be worth it in the consumer market. For trade-shows, or places where you want to conveniently play different HD materials that you have ownership of, it's pretty cool. But for delivery to a client, or even as "yet something else" a client has to have to get delivery from you (wedding, show, etc.) it's pretty inconvenient.

I tell you what WOULD be a nice use. Is digital dailies. Dropping a USB drive in a fedex packet or copying a RAW .MXF file or something onto a thumb drive to have a look at back at the suite or screening room is VERY nice. That's something I could really get behind. And it's dirt cheap for that kind of use too. BUT the unit would need to play both native camera files, as well as some stuff like ProRes, DNxHD, JP2K, DVCProHD, and maybe a few other nice finishing formats. See, if they had been on the ball, they could have included a P2 slot and an ExpressCard slot!

I've loaded straight DVD content on to my Small Western Digital Passbook, using DVDShrink for a trip, so I didn't have to carry a bunch of DVDs. Silmilarly, I have used this player off a thumb drived to demontrate my 5D material, at meetings. This included playing back other 5D users films with their permission, and downloaded from Vimeo or other downloadable sites.

I've also loaded Blu-rays to it and they seem to play well ...

It's not serious to think of WD TV as any kind of replacement for Blu-ray. But for the mainstream, I think optical including Blu-ray, is going to flatline. It's just too easy to get HD content from cable, satellite etc. The Blu-ray quality is better, preserving its niche interest among the home theater enthusiasts.

Media players and network streamers like the WD, Popcorn, LinkPlayer to name a few, are no obstacle at all to a generation growing up with Ipods. And they are good for music and pictures as well. But I'm not too convinced that generation's commitment to HD in general. Portability and freedom is what they want, and cheap. So video is not for them. Satellite and cable is mainstream, Blu-ray for the enthusiasts. I don't believe the Blu-ray player is going to make it into the mainstream like DVD, and if they kill DVD off, they would be shooting themselves in the foot.

and if they kill DVD off, they would be shooting themselves in the foot.

Because everyone is going to run to... what? Or are people just not going to buy movies? Or rent them from Blockbuster? People will buy what's available. And they will rent what is available. As the market shifts from DVD to BluRay, players will be come cheaper, media will become cheaper, etc. The internet is not getting any faster to support major movie downloads. ISP's are already beginning to limit rates as well as total Gb per month in a lot of areas which will play havoc with people trying to download movies a few nights a week.

What is the average movie experience these days for a family of 4? About $75-$100. Do that two or three times and you've BOUGHT a BluRay player.

Fall is fast approaching. Kids are going to be back in school, weather starts getting colder, and people start looking for indoor entertainment. You have 3 more major movie release dates this year (Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). The push to BluRay is about to hit fever pitch. If the economy softens up any this fall it's going to be a nice Christmas. Playstation is already poised with a new model and new pricing. Every one of those is a BluRay player.

Because everyone is going to run to... what?

Perrone, you've obviously thought this out at length, and I think you have a lot of great points. But, I was struck last week at something my ten year old was doing. He was watching something on youtube. I asked him what was up. He told me that he liked it better than tv, cause he could just type in the name of the show, and get any episode he wanted right away.

Now this was crappy youtube quality, blown up to full screen. Probably illegal uploaded episodes. Looked awful. But he didn't care.

He wouldn't recognize hi def if it kicked him in the butt. He's never heard of Bluray, and I can't remember the last time he even wanted to watch a DVD. Somehow, I can't see him asking me to buy a Bluray player anytime soon...

We seem to be in this strange transition that's going in two directions. Hi def on $3000 wide screen tvs, and low quality crap delivered on two inch screens.

Vito, do you remember the arguments back when CDs were introduced? Purists who had $4000 turntables said the new CDs sounded AWFUL. They were shrill and harsh. They cost more. I remember paying a LOT of money for Telarc DDD and Mobile Fidelity gold plated discs. CD players eventually eclipsed turntables, cassettes, etc. Players got better and cheaper.

In 2003, I was traveling a lot with my college soccer team. I wanted a portable DVD player. I went to Best Buy and was greeted by a few portable players, The reasonably priced ones were $300 or so. I went to SoundAdvice and looked at the Plasmas. I remember seeing a Pioneer Elite model, maybe 46 or so inches. It was $8k or $10k. I remember thinking, who in their right mind would pay that much for a TV, and pretty much dismissing the entire HiDef thing.

We now live in a generation where many of todays kids have not seen a vinyl record, or listened to a cassette. They don't get the whole HiDef thing because for them it's just "big TV versus little TV". When I was 10 I had a portable AM radio and was pretty dang happy to get it! When I finally got a radio in my teens that had AM/FM and TV station tuning, I thought I was in heaven! I had a Coleco portable game system (football) that you moved 4 buttons around to move the little blinking bleeps on the screen around. and my neighbors Atari system was the hot thing.

I say all this to say that by the time your 10 year old is old enough to drive, Youtube will be a distant memory most likely, and he'll be looking for the same things we all did. Something to impress the girls and his buddies. It's the nature of things. BluRay will happen, and in 8-10 years something will come along and replace it. Maybe solid state. Maybe IPv6 with GigE connections to the house. Who knows.

If you told me 10 years ago that I'd be able to watch movies on my cell phone, I would have laughed at you. Not because I didn't believe we would get there, but only because I would have said, "who would want to?" I still don't watch movies on my cell, but some do. And I don't own a standalone BluRay player or an HDTV. But that isn't stopping the march of technology... or time. :)

I dont think people care to much on formats so long as they are having fun watching their program.

SD,HD,Youtube, Vimeo etc.. does it really matter?
I love HD shot well and it looks great, but give me a rough and ready doco shot in SD and I'm just as happy, to me content is king.
I'm still trying to make my HD to SD DVD's look as good as some SD DVD's that I have here from the late 90's and early 2000's.

I say all this to say that by the time your 10 year old is old enough to drive, Youtube will be a distant memory most likely, and he'll be looking for the same things we all did. BluRay will happen, and in 8-10 years something will come along and replace it.

Hey again. I may have given the impression that I disagree with you. I don't. I think Bluray will happen because the industry will force it on us as the only mainstream way to get new content. But I found it interesting that the 'customer of the future' couldn't care less about its advantages.

Because everyone is going to run to... what? Or are people just not going to buy movies? Or rent them from Blockbuster? People will buy what's available. And they will rent what is available. As the market shifts from DVD to BluRay, players will be come cheaper, media will become cheaper, etc. The internet is not getting any faster to support major movie downloads. ISP's are already beginning to limit rates as well as total Gb per month in a lot of areas which will play havoc with people trying to download movies a few nights a week.

Blu-ray doesn't have just internet and DVD to contend with. It competes for 'time' with all of the alternatives, sports programming, news, documentaries, health, nature (and gaming). Where are these found? On the channel dial, cable and satellite. I've got a fairly noisy household, with several plasmas, blu-ray players, HD DVD players too. I like Blu-ray, but you put the DirecTV remote control in the hands of my wife or one of the kids, Blu-ray wages a losing battle against animal planet, or dancing with the stars. I'd guess there's close to a hundred HD channels, I don't know exactly. Is the HD quality as good as Blu-ray? Certainly not! But they think it's good enough, and they can time shift the viewing. Content is king.

I see the price drop on the PS3 doing next to nothing for Blu-ray. It's hardly even mentioned as a factor for Blu-ray. For gaming it's been getting drop kicked by Sony's own PS2.

Killing off DVD isn't going to propel Blu-ray, and DVD isn't going to die soon anyway, I'll bet the house on it.

I'll agree with you on one thing, the market is shifting. But it's not being filled by Blu-ray, that's obvious.

Almost ALL the video stores are gone. Blockbuster, aren't they in chapter 11 as well? Renting, is another dying paradigm.

I bought a Syvania BluRay player from amazon fr $150. It works very well.

BD burner prices also down to $150. Check out the LG burner from newegg.com

HD Blank media now down to about $5 a piece. total affordable.

I distribute weddings final product on both DVD and BluRay. Don't have to worry about tech support.

... BluRay will happen, and in 8-10 years something will come along and replace it.I agree with you in general, but I think Blu-Ray will have a much shorter and much less popular run. Personally, I'd give it 1-3 years before something else comes along.

Back on topic ...

Personally I think the WDMP2 is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I agree the device is still too geeky to make a dent in the consumer movie/video market. But it does fill a much neglected niche. It's a godsend to be able to easily share HD video and photos easily from a USB device. And it's nearly perfect for all types of business needs.

The addition of the Ethernet port, opens up a lot of possibilities. I'm excited to see how well the WDMP2 works over a wireless network. It would be an interesting way to push video/media to several monitors scattered around a conference hall, hotel, or reception hall.

The next cool step would be to make the basic features of the WDMP2 standard on all TV and computer monitors. And then after that, add a DRM chip, so that it can be made to work with a content delivery system like iTunes.

I agree with you in general, but I think Blu-Ray will have a much shorter and much less popular run. Personally, I'd give it 1-3 years before something else comes along.

It's already been 3 years. I meant a run of 8-10 years total. BluRay started shipping June '06.

Back on topic ...

Personally I think the WDMP2 is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I agree the device is still too geeky to make a dent in the consumer movie/video market. But it does fill a much neglected niche. It's a godsend to be able to easily share HD video and photos easily from a USB device. And it's nearly perfect for all types of business needs.

The addition of the Ethernet port, opens up a lot of possibilities. I'm excited to see how well the WDMP2 works over a wireless network. It would be an interesting way to push video/media to several monitors scattered around a conference hall, hotel, or reception hall.

The next cool step would be to make the basic features of the WDMP2 standard on all TV and computer monitors. And then after that, add a DRM chip, so that it can be made to work with a content delivery system like iTunes.

Exactly! For us corporate (etc.) videographers this device offers a lot of possibilities for our customer base. Content is king for sure....but choice (in HD delivery) is also good!

Not sure if we have them already here in the States, but in Europe you can already buy TV sets with built-in digital video players. Not as fancy as the WD is, not as many formats supported, but they are coming. Connect your USB drive and enjoy!

It's just a matter of time and the now "geeky" thing will become everyday reality. DVRs are geeky things too, far more complex than the WD player... and still, more and more people abandon live TV and choose to record the stuff they want and only the stuff they want, skip commercials, and watch when they have the time.

So yes, Hollywood is dictating Bluray, and they may only deliver content on discs, but no one can stop the advancement of technology. Be it 5 years, maybe they can drag it out 10 years at the most, but discs are condemned to death. All discs, including hard drives. The day you can have ALL the digital content available out there, on a square inch chip is maybe as close as 10-15 years from now.

Solid state delivery was already available when HD-DVD and Bluray was developed; Hollywood went for the disc because they can better enforce copyright with read-only media. Till 2020 they thave the time to figure out how to do it on solid state chips...