So when will this change? Well, the bad news is probably not this year. I believe you will see a lot more Blu-ray hardware activity towards the end of 2008, with most of the major manufacturers such as Sony and Pioneer launching new and improved models, supporting features that were missing from the initial wave of players, such as advanced audio codec support including Dolby True-HD and DTS HD Master Audio as well as BD Live (Profile 1.1/2.0) support, which will help eliminate marketplace confusion and hopefully lead to larger acceptance. More excitingly, Panasonic and Sharp aim to have Blu-ray recorders out in time for the Beijing Olympics (which will be broadcast in HD in Australia for the first time).
Of course, the upside to all of this is that by the time Blu-ray support truly kicks into high gear, the majority of hardware teething issues (networking/ profiles etc) will be rectified, and it should be relatively plain sailing afterwards.
But in terms of software, 2009 will be recognized by most media pundits and industry insiders as being the year of Blu-ray. There are many unannounced titles in production that I cannot currently talk about, but I promise they will make Blu-ray fans very, very happy. These aren’t the ‘B’ titles that have seen the light of day so far; many of these titles are top tier, studio cherished titles that they want to do right. Importantly, the classics that are not up to standard for the HD age are receiving full makeovers, so they shine like never before; titles such as The Godfather Trilogy.
Of course, don’t downplay the importance of movies that are coming out in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2008. There are many titles, such as The Matrix Trilogy, Batman Begins and pretty much all the summer Hollywood films including Speed Racer, The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight and maybe, just maybe Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that will also see releases to take advantage of the Christmas gift-giving period.
So hang in there Blu fans; if you love film, your future is very rosy.
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