Blu-ray changer, could be what I've been waiting for

petemcn · 2009-07-23

Just saw this. Now I'm excited... http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/07/23...new/#continued

mbyrnes

· #2 · Jul 24, 2009

I like the fact the non ES model is only $800. The fact it also has the X media bar is a HUGE plus. Still too rich for my blood, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

One feature it lacks is SACD playback. That would really make this hard to touch for me.

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petemcn

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 24, 2009

Quote:
Originally Posted by mbyrnes /forum/post/16878201

I like the fact the non ES model is only $800. The fact it also has the X media bar is a HUGE plus. Still too rich for my blood, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

One feature it lacks is SACD playback. That would really make this hard to touch for me.

I'll need the ES model for the RS-232 control. Hopefully it will also bring some legitimate competition to the movie server solutions and prices will come down across the board.

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jmasterdude

· #4 · Jul 24, 2009

What I want to know is if with this changer would allow the skipping of all the FBI warning and studio intro's on discs.

For example loading a band of brothers blue ray takes almost 5 min to get to the menu. It is super frustrating to see that you put in the wrong disk and have to reload another.

If this is not possible there is no way this can change my path from running a media server. (especially as I have already converted 75% of all my DVD's)

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mbyrnes

· #5 · Jul 24, 2009

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmasterdude /forum/post/16878305

What I want to know is if with this changer would allow the skipping of all the FBI warning and studio intro's on discs.

For example loading a band of brothers blue ray takes almost 5 min to get to the menu. It is super frustrating to see that you put in the wrong disk and have to reload another.

If this is not possible there is no way this can change my path from running a media server. (especially as I have already converted 75% of all my DVD's)

What will you do with Blu-Ray movies? They can hammer HDD space.

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jmasterdude

· #6 · Jul 24, 2009

' What to do with Blu-Ray?'

Thats a good question as I have not started on any of my blu discs. However I have only 25-30 right now. Using 30Gig avg (I don't know If my setup would work best with mt2s or mkv) I would have no more than 1TB of blue discs to archive.

So I guess I would be putting my hope in increases in HD capacity. I am assuming with the continuous exponential growth in storage size and each disc being capped at 50GB it won't be long before storage outpaces my ability to purchase Discs. (That and I really want to stop buying so many mediocre movies and focus on the truly epic experience)

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petemcn

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 26, 2009

They seem to be shipping!

Hopefully somebody will get one soon and give us thoughts.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665925651

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IVB

· #8 · Jul 27, 2009

Quote:
Originally Posted by mbyrnes /forum/post/16878504

What will you do with Blu-Ray movies? They can hammer HDD space.

but space is cheap. 1TB is $100, get 2-3 of them and you'll be set for a while.

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petemcn

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jul 27, 2009

Quote:
Originally Posted by IVB /forum/post/16892688

but space is cheap. 1TB is $100, get 2-3 of them and you'll be set for a while.

If all BD-discs were 50GB, you would need 20 drives for that much space (which would probably take up a lot of room). It will probably make more sense when you can get 4-6TB drives.

It is nice that you can also combine BD and DVD in the player assuming the upconverting is pretty good. I think it will all come down to the speed of the spinning. I'm sure somebody will test disc 1-200 when it comes out. I think anything more than 60-90 seconds makes it a tough sell. It also needs to have quicker startup times than the older BD-players. A 60 second startup, then choosing your disc and another 60-90 seconds to get there would be unacceptable in my mind.

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IVB

· #10 · Jul 27, 2009

true, however once ripped you're not stuck with the "1 BR at a time" limitation. I used to have an SD megachanger, and that was one of my biggest complaints.

I opted to start with 4TB, with the presumption that by the time I fill it with BluRay's, 5-10TB drives will be readily available and I can just migrate over to that.

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mike1812

· #11 · Jul 27, 2009

I have to agree with IVB. I'm in the process of loading my server and I'm expecting to use about 22TB of storage in total (including BD/HD DVD media ripped to drives). Starting with SD now, as that's about 1300 of the discs, then will move to BD/HD later. With managed copy mandated for 2010, it may be easier to rip BD next year (it's a mixed bag of tricks now), and by then, hopefully larger drives will have arrived OR the 2TB drives now will have come down in price (especially since Seagate is now out with their competitor to WD's drive). I like my changers, but they are really just too "single-purpose" for my needs and I want to get to (near)instant play and multi-play whole house capabilities. You just can't get there with the changer.

Oh, and what is this "True" bit? I disagree. What quantity of BD's are you talking about? At 50Gb each, I could "theoretically" put 40 on a 2TB drive. In reality, that drive is about 1.83TB, so it becomes about 36 discs. If I used 8 2tb drives at the 1.83TB actual capacity, then I could put 292 50Gb bd's on there. That's NOT 20 drives, and that assumes EVERY bd is the max 50Gb. That's 8 - go look up SansDigital's 8 bay sata enclosure. It's not that big. Storage is easy.

To answer a question from an earlier post, though, no - AFAIK, the changer will simply be a blu-ray player capable of selecting 1 of 400 discs - so yes, if you select a Band of Brothers disc, it will still take you 5 minutes to get to the menu and discover you selected the wrong one! You cannot skip all the warnings and intros (assuming you are using the "original" purchased disc)

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jmasterdude

· #12 · Jul 30, 2009

What you say Mike is exactly what I fear. However, back in the Blu-ray waiting days I remember reading one of the feature of blu was supposed to be a smart resume so that one a disc had been read once it would recognize the disc and skip all the intro's and warnings - knowing they had been played.

With all the storage required for the latest spec, Its entirely possible, but I fear that no studio is going to risk not showing their banner and accusing me of being a thief.

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henniae

· #13 · Jul 30, 2009

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmasterdude /forum/post/16878305

What I want to know is if with this changer would allow the skipping of all the FBI warning and studio intro's on discs.

If Sony or any other manufacturer removes the FBI warning (at least in the US) I would think they would be violating the law. Sony also sells a lot of disks. The have no inclination to remove a warning that is designed to protect the very content they sell.

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piccirilli

· #14 · Aug 2, 2009

I know this maybe off topic here, but I've decided not to go the BD changer route due to the extremely long disc loading times. Comments here suggest there is a much faster way of loading movies via a mulitmedia pc/storage server.

Could anyone here point me in the right direction where there is more discussion on this topic? I have a huge collection of SD (BD in near future) of music video DVD's, of which I'd like to create a "Video Music Juke box". Has anyone seen any topics on this?

Thanks much

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rsbeck

· #15 · Aug 2, 2009

"The HD Reality Enhancer technology continually analyzes the original source bit by bit, sharpening edges and reproducing detail, while reducing the effects of film grain."

This makes me wary.

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