Blu-ray DVD format may not dominate for years -- Entertainment,...

This is funny. All the Blu-Ray fanboys where so ecstatic when HD DVD threw in the towel stating that now the format can take off. Well it hasn't. Blu-ray profile 1.0.,1.1,2.0 and players from $399 to $800, c'mon! Looking back HD DVD was a rock solid choice for consumers. You could pick up a HD DVD player for $200 that had internet connectivity, multiple feeds for PIP features and other features that still aren't present on today's Blu-ray players. People are smart not diving into Blu-ray, not only because of price, but like the analyst in the article pointed out, the Blu-ray format is half baked.

The only thing that Blu-Ray has in its favor is capacity. However there are many negatives as well. The first being blank media/burner prices are still far too expensive for the home end user. Right now dual layer blanks are still running at almost a dollar a piece compared to regular DVDR's at a dime or less. Plus when you think about it, how many "extras" do people typically watch on a dvd movie? How many people can honestly say they watched the 17+ hours of extras that came on the lord of the rings dvd's? DL came out some time ago and even that is not yet in the truly "cheap" category as far as blank media goes. I do like the fact that you could store an entire series of programming on 1 disk however I do not like that I would have to reformat everything in my home around it.

People can shell out a couple grand for a HDTV but yet won't put out an additional $399 (prices of some of the Blu-Ray players) to enjoy the best possible high-definion experience? Come on! Most of the upconverted DVD players in the market are garbage because they don't deinterlace and scale any better than your HDTV. Cable HD signals are often compressed, sometimes resulting in "quasi high-definition" programming.The problem is many people just don't understand what the Blu-Ray format has to offer - and I blame the Blu Ray Disc Association as well as the manufacturers (of BD players).

Quite frankly, I do not know what all the fuss is about. It's like mono and stereo. Yes, stereo was better but I did not rush out to get a stereo player when my music sounded ok in mono. People will buy the Blu Ray machines when they replace their old ones. But at $400 for a Blu Ray and $50 for a regular player, don't expect it anytime soon. When Blu Rays get to under $200 they will sell. Most folks really don't care because they can still enjoy a good movie or music video in non HD without feeling left out. Besides, not everyone has a HD TV yet.

And don't forget that there are good upconvert units besides the $29 units that can do the trick without breaking the bank. Phillips units are always a good buy, plus you can throw in any kind of burned media and it works. Unless you are really that anal about how black your blacks are, then by all means toss that extra cash down the crapper because the people you are trying to impress will assuredly not notice the subtle differences.

Velazquez said that because she was still paying off a $1,000 high-definition TV she bought in October ...

Still paying it off? Why would you buy a $1000 TV on credit in the first place? If you're finances are that constrained, you might want to consider building up your savings before you upgrade to the latest electronic excuse to be a couch potato.