New Windows 7 ad criticizes Apple's lack of Blu-ray support on Mac

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  • Reply 141 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scaramanga89 View Post


    I've read a lot of your posts here over the last couple of years mate



    Join Date: Aug 2009
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  • Reply 142 of 410
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Granted I do not know very much about BR licensing. If Apple wanted to put BR players in their computers, what is the licensing required. Isn't the manufacturer of the player device that Apple would be purchasing already paying the licensing fee?
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  • Reply 143 of 410
    I'm so sick of all the "I have no need for this" comments. What, just because you have no need of it, no one else does? So should car manufacturers stop making pickup trucks because you will never need one? I know that for anyone living in the USA at least, streaming essentially sucks in comparison to BR. We just don't have the bandwidth for streaming quality close to BR. I know that there are many consumers that could care less about quality and only about convenience, and hey good for you, but there are still plenty of people out there who genuinely appreciate the superior quality that BR offers. If Macs were to support BR I certainly would not travel with a library of discs, but to know that my 27" iMac at home could play them in all their glory, as well as rip them to a digital format that maintains the bulk of that quality, would be greatly appreciated. Also, if Mac supported BR, I would certainly replace my WD Media Player as well as my BR player, for a Mac Mini. For people that keep touting "streaming is the future", they are not understanding how far in the future it really is as far as a complete replacement of physical media. The key issue is access. When limitless bandwidth is as prevalent as a power socket then, maybe streaming might supplant physical media, but until then it will always be inferior in many ways. With physical media, I can convert it into whatever digital format I want and stream it to myself through a variety of different means. If I don't have the physical media to work with then I am at the mercy of my ISP, and the content providers. Until people can access Gigabit, or at least, triple digit Megabit connections everywhere from the 30,000 miles in the air to sitting on their couch, BR as a physical medium isn't going anywhere.
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  • Reply 144 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by davidcarswell View Post


    HOLLER! Audio is something to be amazed by - and when done right the digital transfer can be supreme but when its not well its about as equal to its dvd counter... Some people do enjoy the experience of a movie and some people would just as well download a 200p wmv file of a bootleg cam shoot of the movie in the theatre with people getting up and throwing popcorn in the video. High brow - low brow.



    'Twas an evening in October, I'll confess I wasn't sober,

    I was carting home a load with manly pride,

    When my feet began to stutter and I fell into the gutter,

    And a pig came up and lay down by my side.

    Then I lay there in the gutter and my heart was all a-flutter,

    A high-toned lady, passing by, did chance to say:

    "You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses,"

    Then the pig got up and slowly walked away.



    .
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  • Reply 145 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thompr View Post


    All my movie watching on the plane has been a wonderful experience on the iPad... even when people lean back their seats! :-)



    Thompson



    I haven't had the pleasure of flying on a plane with my iPad.



    I choose to forgo the pleasure of an airport security check.



    It really irritates when the attendant walks out and snaps his rubber gloves...



    .
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  • Reply 146 of 410
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mike Eggleston View Post


    I just want to very quickly expand upon what Thompson was saying.



    The changes in media and convenience was a major reason why adoption occurred. From VHS to DVD, it was very clear: No more rewinding, better quality, better durability (anyone who has worked in a movie rental store before knows this), and a smaller package.



    Thanks Mike, you nailed it.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mike Eggleston View Post


    Now, you make the next logical jump up, and that is DVD to Blu-Ray. Realistically, you only have a couple of benefits: better video experience if you have a higher quality TV, and a better audio experience if you have a higher-end audio setup. It is those ifs that get in the way.



    For me, its worse than just those "ifs". I've had a television and audio system capable of all of this for almost 5 years. Since it's convenient and not much more expensive, I've also had digital cable with HD channels. When there is a show I want to watch on both standard definition or high definition versions of the same channel, I'll opt for the high definition version every time.



    But for the first several years that I had the high end capability, there were several issues with Blu-ray that were obstacles to my participation:



    (1) Blu-ray players were relatively expensive, as were the disks,

    (2) it was unclear how the format wars would turn out, and

    (3) there was very little content available in that format, etc.



    Finally, as always happens in technology, these issues are clearing up. If that were the end of the story, I'd happily purchase a Blu-ray player and move into the next phase. But that's not the end of the story. During the last few years, video on demand has arisen from any number of sources... cable providers, Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, the list goes on and on. Not having to drive to Blockbuster and see whether what I want to watch is "in" is a valuable thing to me. Most of the movies I watch are rentals or (if purchased) are sentimental favorites, and almost all of them are stories that transcend the pixels and sounds. For me, it just doesn't make sense to purchase a Blu-ray player for the "opportunity" to go out of my way acquiring physical media (Blockbuster, Netflix by mail, Wal Mart) for the rare times that the cinematic experience makes a significant difference. (Videophiles can't understand that last statement.) It would be like building the church for Easter Sunday. The bottom line is that Blu-ray missed its window of opportunity for me, and now I'm looking forward to the days when streaming improves, and we get the best of both worlds.





    Thompson
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  • Reply 147 of 410
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,284member
    In response to ripping a blu-ray disc for later viewing...

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scaramanga89 View Post


    Because that's a lot less [sic] hassle than sliding in a disc. Any excuse to not admit your'e on the losing side for once.



    Sliding in a disc - blu-ray or otherwise - is more hassle when Netflix owns it. I don't want to feel compelled to watch the movie on Netflix's schedule or on the device with the blu-ray drive. I'd rather rip and return, and watch it later at the location of my choosing.
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  • Reply 148 of 410
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,657member
    The first thing they teach you in Sales 101 is to sell benefits, not features. The second thing they teach you is to overcome objections. By not overcoming objections to those who want a Blu-ray player, Apple leaves the door open to others.



    One technology does not replace another. Streaming and Blu-ray can easily co-exist. Each has their advantages and disadvantages depending upon the situation.



    As of today, streaming quality sucks in comparison to Blu-ray. Furthermore, if I buy Blu-ray for my home system, I don't want to have to download something else to play the same movie on the computer. And not all Blu-rays come with a DVD or digital copy.



    Apple used to promote themselves as selling the best quality and having the best user experience. Today, Blu-ray has the best quality. So IMO, Apple should support Blu-ray and if it doesn't want to, then it should at least support it in the OS so that 3rd parties can provide what users want.



    There are still some of us who want the home theatre large screen, multi-channel sound experience. What I'd like to see Apple do is not only support Blu-ray, but perhaps also support wirelessly streaming that picture and audio to the TV and audio processor. 720p video that has digital blocking artifacts in dark scenes might be fine for a 14 year old watching Jackass, but it's not acceptable for serious viewing.
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  • Reply 149 of 410
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


    I haven't had the pleasure of flying on a plane with my iPad.



    I choose to forgo the pleasure of an airport security check.



    It really irritates when the attendant walks out and snaps his rubber gloves...



    .



    Cool thing about iPads: they get to stay in your carry-on through the Xray machine. You don't have to monkey with them and pull them out into a box on their own.



    Awesome travel companions!



    Thompson
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  • Reply 150 of 410
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scaramanga89 View Post


    Because that's a lot less hassle than sliding in a disc. Any excuse to not admit your'e on the losing side for once.





    I'l bet if you surveyed a random sample of Mac owners, not the fanatics on the boards here, and asked them did the want BR the majority would say yes. I'd say 99% of the Mac Mini crowd would immediately.



    Just admit Lord Jobs is stroking you cos he cant extract enough blood from your wallet through Blu_ray and move on.



    BTW, I'm a Mac user, who bought a PS3 just to play Blu-Rays.



    You're dead wrong.



    I'm just waiting for the day the physical media is gone. Never liked cd's or dvd's. I love being able to simply download. I can't even remember the last time I watched a dvd or slid either a dvd or a cd in my computer.
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  • Reply 151 of 410
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cpsro View Post


    In response to ripping a blu-ray disc for later viewing...





    Sliding in a disc - blu-ray or otherwise - is more hassle when Netflix owns it. I don't want to feel compelled to watch the movie on Netflix's schedule or on the device with the blu-ray drive. I'd rather rip and return, and watch it later at the location of my choosing.



    I canceled Netflix because I was tired of getting damaged dvd's. You get all ready to spend the evening watching a film and get halfway through and...
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  • Reply 152 of 410
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hlfnlsn View Post


    I'm so sick of all the "I have no need for this" comments. What, just because you have no need of it, no one else does?



    I think that some of us have a more moderate tone towards Blu-ray... at least we only say "most people don't need it" rather than "nobody needs it". Not only is there sound philosophy to back that up (see earlier arguments) but the data seems to be backing it up as well. (While relatively "popular", Blu-ray is far far from "ubiquitous".) And if a company like Apple relies on such data to help guide its engineering efforts, can you really blame them?



    Thompson
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  • Reply 153 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


    I haven't had the pleasure of flying on a plane with my iPad.



    I choose to forgo the pleasure of an airport security check.



    It really irritates when the attendant walks out and snaps his rubber gloves...



    .



    Just where do you keep your iPad??
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  • Reply 154 of 410
    macnycmacnyc Posts: 342member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hlfnlsn View Post


    I'm so sick of all the "I have no need for this" comments. BR as a physical medium isn't going anywhere.



    Can I quote you in a couple of years? LOL
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  • Reply 155 of 410
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scaramanga89 View Post


    Why should Apple support something just because you want it? Why should Apple support something that competes with their focus and goals, and doesn?t positively affect their bottom line.



    That sums it up, it's got nothing at all to do with the customer, but you TRY and play it off as if it were.



    You?ve missed the point. Companies aren?t working for you, they are working for themselves. There goal is to make money, so your single desire isn?t enough to warrant their interest. They go where the money is.



    Again, why should any company warp their goals of trying to increase their profits to satisfy your needs? Do you put this much emphasis on other companies to be like everyone else if it satisfied your single desire?
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  • Reply 156 of 410
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zoetmb View Post


    720p video that has digital blocking artifacts in dark scenes might be fine for a 14 year old watching Jackass, but it's not acceptable for serious viewing.



    Hey now, I resemble that remark!!!



    No, seriously, that statement is an example of what I described earlier: a quote that indicates its author doesn't realize that it is quite normal (nay, in fact, common!) to NOT be a videophile. Sure, I'll take 1080p over 720p any day, all other things being equal. But make me futz with obtaining, storing, and going back & forth for physical media and I'll opt for the 720p. And I'll do it quite seriously (even while watching Jackass). :-)



    Thompson
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  • Reply 157 of 410
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Scaramanga89 View Post


    Yes, but if you have the disc you can watch it on EITHER your laptop or your big tv, or your mates, tv, or your aunties tv...........



    Am I to gather that you would leave your laptop with your auntie so she could watch Blu-ray movies when you are not around? Or do you have to be present?
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  • Reply 158 of 410
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thompr View Post


    Hey now, I resemble that remark!!!



    No, seriously, that statement is an example of what I described earlier: a quote that indicates its author doesn't realize that it is quite normal (nay, in fact, common!) to NOT be a videophile. Sure, I'll take 1080p over 720p any day, all other things being equal. But make me futz with obtaining, storing, and going back & forth for physical media and I'll opt for the 720p. And I'll do it quite seriously (even while watching Jackass). :-)



    Thompson



    Even a statement of 720p v. 1080p is relative. Last time I checked iTunes 720p had a higher bitrate than YouTube?s 1080p.



    It?s funny, the people that clamor for Blu-ray on a consumer notebook or 1080p over 720p typically have no idea what they are wanting, expect that they want the highest valued marketing term without ever looking at the rest of the puzzle.
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  • Reply 159 of 410
    Marvinmarvin Posts: 15,585moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kotatsu View Post


    Only could a die hard Apple defender turn the ability to play the highest quality HD video on the planet in a negative point. Well done there, you may now collect your pay cheque.



    You can play that quality without an optical too though by copying it off the disc. You can store about 30 on a hard drive and it's silent. You are suggesting that media with a storage density of 7.5 Gbit/in² is better than media with storage density of 250 Gbit/in² and should be marketed as a major plus in a single advert.



    - optical is slow

    - optical is noisy

    - optical is external media and can be damaged

    - optical is less responsive when interacting with a movie, especially rewind

    - optical makes laptops larger and heavier

    - optical drains power faster

    - optical generates more heat inside a machine

    - optical (with the exception of DVDRAM) is write-all-at-once media



    You are right that Blu-Ray contains the highest video quality distributed to consumers but when there are so many downsides for that benefit, it's not worth it for anything other than your favourite movies.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by vvswarup


    Consumers should vote with their wallets. If consumers vote in favor of BR, SJ will put it on the Mac. He may be a lot of things, but he isn't an idiot when it comes to business.



    Business is certainly a part of it but it's also about cutting legacy fat. The more Apple supports discs, it adversely affects their hardware designs and costs. If it costs $100 to design and build an optical drive into a laptop, they pass that cost onto the consumer, which affects their market.



    If they ship a machine without an optical drive when everyone else has one, it becomes a flaw. The reality is that very few people are even using optical drives in computers. People watch Blu-Ray movies on TVs for the most part and few people even take computers travelling and if they do, they take netbooks with no optical drives.
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  • Reply 160 of 410
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Futuristic View Post


    I'm just wondering out loud if Apple is restricting movies to 720p for the time being, until bandwidth gets to where you don't have to wait 3 days to download 19 GB worth of movie (or whatever a 1080p 2.5 hour movie is these days).



    4GB, but you're absolutely right on the bandwidth thing. The U.S. is full of whores (read: capping ISPs) and idiots (read: greedy ISPs). "Broadband" is 4Mbps when the rest of the world has 50 meg connections for the same price.
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