what about power? i dont think there is water-proof electricity yet. there will be little uses for a "water-proof" tv.

I believe Profile 1.1 players will be able to play all discs with no problem. The problem lies with Profile 1.0 players. They do not have memory and may possibly not be able to play future discs. Profile 1.1 should be able to.

http://panasonic.net/pavc/blu-ray/dmp-bd50/specifications/features.html

Link to new Profile 2.0 Player

No link to Fully functional IR remote because the only one i could find was an in depth mod to the Official Sony BT Remote.

Hey they have one of those that turns the PS3 on. (Looking for link) But since when did things just turn on and work? Something can always be improved the last, i donno, 12 gadgets/electronics ive purchased have had updates. Are you saying you dont update your computer? And by the way the PS3 is more likely to work with every disc period than any standalone.

I believe Panasonic just announced a Profile 2.0 player in Europe. (Also Looking for link). No price announced though.

i have always thought all the articles here had an undertone of approval for HD DVD and a lack of hope for Blu-ray

Wow Nfinity, you actually used to make intelligent comments bringing succinct well thought sentences. and not youve come to fanboyism... "Blow-ray" really, how immature. Yes spiderman tanked, why? cause it was a sh***y movie from a **itt* comic book series, with shitty actors. I didnt even rent Spiderman 3 the movie looked so bad. Bourne Ultimatum i saw in theatres, it was good, good movies get purchased when the go on DVD (HD DVD/Blu-ray).

But seriously though, you are basing which format will win on UMD? and that the DVD forum approves HD DVD? Youve got to be kidding me.

Let me explain something to you, and all the other people looking to get smart about their HD Media purchases.

1. Both HD DVD and Blu-ray look practically identical when encoded well.
2. HD DVD and Blu-ray can be leaps and bounds better than DVD. But the worst HD DVD/Blu-ray movie will look just as good, if not a little better, than the best of the best DVDs.
3. Number 1 most important thing when becoming an early adopter is more content and the price of the content.
3a. HD DVD and Blu-ray have about the same amount of movies out right now (with imports for HD DVD since all are region free)
3b. HD DVD players are cheaper, but all the sub-200$ players do not support 1080p (all LCDs DLPs and Plasmas are progressive so it ultimately doesnt make a huge difference but a difference nonetheless)
3c. Blu-ray offers a wider variety of player manufactures which will eventually (in 2008) lead to more hardware competition which will drive the prices down.
3d. Its all about the movies you want. If all the studios that have all the movies you want support Blu-ray get Blu-ray if the studios support HD DVD get HD DVD if you cant decide get a combo player or a cheap SA HD DVD player and a PS3.
4. Each format is decided by its studio support, BD has more studios and manufacturers on board than any other media format ever started with.
5.If you think about it HD DVD is kind of the half-step into HD Movies. They didnt change much so the name is still DVD (which confuses old consumers into thinking its a HiDefDVD). Blu-ray is a new name for new technology. New manufacturing plants, modified old plants. This all goes for change and better technology.

For Blu-ray is all about more. More studios (and bigger studios) support Blu-ray. More manufacturers support Blu-ray. More retail locations support Blu-ray (try finding HD DVD in Australia). More people support Blu-ray.

For HD DVD all i see is less. Less movies sold, less players sold, less studios supporting, less people making hardware, ultimately less people buying HD DVD.

If Warner goes Blu the "war" is over in the US. If Warner stays neutral who knows what'll happen. If Warner goes red the war will continue till no one wants either format. And if that happens Microsoft wins, the people who have been pushing for HD downloads for several years now.

I know I want to buy physical copies and download logical copies of films. So i want one side to win.

Anyways heres a list of the pros and cons of each format so you can decide for yourself: http://wichrowreview.com/BDvsHDDVD.html

Thousands of $ in AV equipment and movies is no skin in the game?

I forget where i heard this, and i guess i may be misinformed, is that BOGO sales and giveaways are not calculated into some sales charts. Skewing data, the more you give away the movie media is out there but the less sales it looks like you have. So maybe BD owners take advantage of all the BOGOs and free movie deals.

Fact #2: Blu-ray has a 5-to-1 advantage over HD DVD in terms of the number of units in use. However, of the 1.5 million Blu-ray players in use today, 1.4 million are PS3s; only 100,000 are true stand-alone non-gaming DVD players. In other words, those arguing that the format war is over are basing their opinion on the early pull of a handful of extreme hard-core gamers that were willing to lay down $500-$700 on a new game console. The landscape will look very different when $200-$300 stand-alone high-def DVD players become the norm.

Is it just me or is it odd that many people do buy the PS3 as their on BD player, specifically for BD only, not for games at all, and then companies, writers, whoever discount the numbers of PS3 sold saying they are only for hardcore gamers. The PS3 is the greatest deal of a player. Simple as that, if you want the cheapest player at #2 in quality buy a PS3.
Heres what the PS3 can (and cannot do): http://www.edepot.com/playstation3.html

Again, when i was working retail, 30-40 year old people would come into the store and instead of walking out with a standalone BD player they walked out with a PS3.

Spiderman 3 is a stupid comic. With a stupid story. Untalented actors. Of course an acclaimed book series with quality actors outsold spiderman. Some people just hate spiderman, how can you hate the Bourne series? Obviously its gonna sell better, just like how Transformers sold better. Good movies sell well. Period. Youve seen that with both sides. Now if some blockbusters (not blockfloppers) came out BD...