I am thinking about getting an hd video player (either br or hd-dvd). I have read somewhere that Bluray players require an internet connection to play copy protected movies, and that if you play a pirated movie (or if the player thinks it's pirated) that it will permanently disable the player. Is any of this true, or is it just internet nonsense? I wouldn't be surprised, I was quite annoyed when Sony thought it'd be nice to install device drivers hindering my PC's audio CD playback ability without notice.

Also, is it still early in the technology phase to really think about getting a home player? It is quite annoying that certain film companies only support one format. Is this something that will likely settle out to a general standard, or will it be a continuous "war"? Obviously no-one can say for sure, but maybe people can guess from history, I'm not too familiar with format wars. Please note I am not asking which you think is better or which will win, just if it's likely that one will become more commonly pressed.

It seems LG is going to release a BR/HD-DVD combo player. This will probably be the best bet. I remember when DVD writers came out and it was +R's and -R's. And then companies made +-R's. But I rarely use -R's anyway. I'm guessing it'll be the same concept.

I'd postpone any decision yet for several reasons:
1) picking the format that loses (in the case of the DVD-Audio and SACD format war, both lost.)
2) Blu-ray players have another option for playback that will become a requirement in October. So far no manufacturer has picked up the option yet, but players manufactured after October must include the option.
3) wait for HDMI 1.3b to be incorporated. Many players still have only HDMI 1.1 or 1.2.
4) wait for DTS-HD or Dolby TruHD audio to be decoded in the player. Almost none can decode these audio formats yet.
5) wait for more players to have 7.1 analogue audio outputs so that you don't have to buy a new receiver to get decoded/uncompressed DTS-HD or Dolby TruHD audio signals to the amplifier. Only Panasonic's recent Blu-ray player incorporates these analogue outputs, and that is a good idea because too many people invested in $4,000 "flagship" receivers with 7 inputs but no HDMI inputs or decoding for the new audio standards.

Originally posted by JoeRyan:

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I'd postpone any decision yet for several reasons:
1) picking the format that loses (in the case of the DVD-Audio and SACD format war, both lost.)

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Actually SACD and DVD-Audio are still alive and well especially in the homes of audiophiles who have the equipment to take advantage of these formats. Record labels still continue to release on both formats especially classical music. Mid to high end DVD players especially from Denon and Marantz continue to support SACD and DVD-Audio playback.

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2) Blu-ray players have another option for playback that will become a requirement in October. So far no manufacturer has picked up the option yet, but players manufactured after October must include the option.

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You are talking about the BD-Video 1.1 Player Profile. There's more information on this here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=868226

The following players have been announced for release later this year and are reported to be 1.1 compliant - according to research done by avsforum members:

Samsung BD-P1400
Samsung BD-P2400
Sharp BD-HP20
Sony BDP-S500
Pioneer BDP-LX70a (BDP-94HD in the US)
Denon DVD-3800BDCI
Denon DVD-2500BTC
Samsung BDP-UP5000 Universal Player

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3) wait for HDMI 1.3b to be incorporated. Many players still have only HDMI 1.1 or 1.2.

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Here's a whole discussion thread as to why you don't need HDMI 1.3 at this time:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthrea...94&page=1&pp=30

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4) wait for DTS-HD or Dolby TruHD audio to be decoded in the player. Almost none can decode these audio formats yet.

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This ability may not be as important as very few BluRay discs have True HD soundtracks much less DTS HD-MA. Lossless soundtracks in BluRay discs usually come in the form of multichannel uncompressed LPCM which is identical to the studio master and does not need to be decoded. All BluRay players have the ability to transmit the lossless uncompressed multichannel LPCM soundtrack via HDMI or 5.1/7.1 analog. Note that HDMI 1.3 is not required for this.

True HD decoding is more important for HD DVD players as most HD DVD lossless soundtracks are encoded using this scheme. DTS HD-MA is IMO gradually losing significance in the grand scheme of things except maybe in Europe.

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5) wait for more players to have 7.1 analogue audio outputs so that you don't have to buy a new receiver to get decoded/uncompressed DTS-HD or Dolby TruHD audio signals to the amplifier. Only Panasonic's recent Blu-ray player incorporates these analogue outputs,

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Very few discs have 7.1 soundtracks. Most have 5.1 so it's really up to you if 7.1 is important. Anyway all BluRay players have analog outputs except the PS3.

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I have read somewhere that Bluray players require an internet connection to play copy protected movies, and that if you play a pirated movie (or if the player thinks it's pirated) that it will permanently disable the player. Is any of this true, or is it just internet nonsense?

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You are referring to BD+ protection. The final details of how BD+ works haven't been released yet but we do know that it still works without an internet connection. Note that only one standalone model of BluRay player has been announced with an ethernet port - the Samsung 1400. eatsushi or dblbogey7 - please correct me if I'm wrong on this. The great majority of BluRay players do not have an ethernet port.

Originally posted by JoeRyan:

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3) wait for HDMI 1.3b to be incorporated. Many players still have only HDMI 1.1 or 1.2.
4) wait for DTS-HD or Dolby TruHD audio to be decoded in the player. Almost none can decode these audio formats yet.

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These two reasons are contradictory.

If you let the player do the decoding then you don't need HDMI 1.3 to transmit the decoded multichannel PCM signal. HDMI 1.1 will suffice. You need HDMI 1.3 if you plan to transmit the undecoded bitstream to a receiver that can do the decoding.

The other advantage of HDMI 1.3 is the ability to transmit video signals in "deep color." However, there are no sources for "deep color" video at this time and it's going to take several years before "deep color" displays will become widely available. By that time you would likely be in the market for your 2nd or 3rd HD player.

1) No large music retailer in the U.S. stocks SACD or DVD-Audio any more unless the discs are buried in with regular stock. One can find the new Genesis albums with DVD-Audio surround mixes in the pack. (Sales people at Best Buy and Circuit City have "never heard of SACD or DVD-Audio.") I would consider that a loss.

2) My suggestions for waiting are simply to get more updated equipment that is more flexible in use. Decoding advanced audio in the player will allow it to output analogue audio that any sophisticated receiver can accept. The fact that few discs take advantage of all that Blu-ray or HD DVD can do does not mean that those features are not necessary in the future. 7.1-channel audio will become more common, but so many excellent receivers lack not only HDMI 1.3 but HDMI altogether. A Pioneer VSX-5900TXi, for example, is a $4,500 investment that has 7 analogue audio inputs and a FireWire/i-Link input (no longer supported). The Panasonic Blu-ray player has 7.1-channel audio outputs that would allow their full use on the Pioneer receiver. All other BD players, except the PS3, have only 5.1-channel outputs.

If just getting any high definition video on screen is the only criterion, any player can do that. If one wants to use all the features that HD DVD or Blu-ray promise--particularly without having to buy a brand new receiver at the same time--I suggested that it is better to wait. If one already has a receiver capable of HDMI audio/video input--only the newest models do--then the wait will be significantly shorter. As the recent announcement of THX2 "extra" proves, the A/V industry has become just like the computer industry--one can never keep up with the latest without having to continually buy something new. One only has to decide the cut off point where something is good enough for the time being. I don't believe we are there yet for high definition video.