Blu-ray, HD DVD players: clunky, unimpressive

[Area51_FLG]

LAS VEGAS--Amid the glitz and ultra-cutting-edge high-tech gadgets spread over what seemed like the 20 or 30 square miles of the Consumer Electronics Show here, if you wanted to find a 1980s-era VCR, there were two places to look: The Blu-ray and HD DVD exhibits.

All kidding aside, it was shocking how entirely un-high-tech most of the <a href="/HP+backs+both+rivals+in+DVD+horse+race/2100-1041_3-5998824.html?tag=nl" title="HP backs both rivals in DVD horse race -- Friday, Dec 16, 2005">Blu-ray and HD DVD</a> players on display looked. Each of the formats was represented by machines from many of the leading consumer electronics manufacturers--Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, RCA, Mitsubishi and so on--yet one would have walked away from perusing each of the exhibits with a sense that the companies had neglected line items for design in their budgets.

http://www.fusionlangaming.net/0106/Blue Ray Player.jpg

On the plus side, the players produced some of the crispest video I've ever seen. Pumping movies like "Chicken Little" onto equally impressive HD televisions, the players' video output trumped nearly everything else on the gargantuan <a href="/CES+2006+Gadget+glitz+in+Vegas/2009-7353_3-6016813.html?tag=nl" title="CES 2006: Gadget glitz in Vegas -- Saturday, Jan 7, 2006">CES</a> floor.

Full Story Here (http://news.com.com/Blu-ray%2C+HD+DVD+players+clunky%2C+unimpressive/2100-1041_3-6024750.html?tag=nefd.lede)

[enervate]

I get the feeling that most of the early adopters who are in this just the have the latest cutting edge tech aren't really going to care what the machine looks like vs. it's specs. A lot of people keep their gear in cabinets anyway, and the article did say that they were mostly prototypes. All that aside though, that thing is freaking huge. I wonder how many people will have to buy a new entertainment center to fit one.

[Avery Hawk]

I really liked the "riced up" ground effect lighting kit....go sony....LOL

Now all it needs is the 2 foot tall wing and spinners....

[DeadLamb]

Originally posted by enervate
that thing is freaking huge.

everything in home theater is pretty big now as they all keep on that one larger form factor so you can stack the junk I guess.. blah.. Never mind my pure hate for silver audio stuff having lived past the LAST round of black, to silver, then back to black (yaaaa) to now with WTF, back to silver?!

you can pick the best of the best from different makers and they still look good together if the stuff is black.. With silver you get this strange :fag: queer eye for the tech guy effect of some being light silver other more grey.. lame.. Only done IMO :tinfoil: to force a person to buy all "brand X" to make it match..

thinking of HDtv gear.. I'm reading a magazine and I see this just PIMP plasma stand.. Ohhhh perfect for my someday 50inch plasma screen!! I WANT!! errrrrrrrrrrrr yeah I want till I go look it up.. Ouch.. would rather put $800 into more gear but it's still a pimp looking stand.
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