I’m about to take the plunge into HD video. I’ve been postponing as long as possible so the prices will come down and the features go up. I’m not a videoholic, so I don’t mind waiting a while. The only thing really pushing me is that I get my TV content over-the-air from an antenna. Analog signals end in Feb 2009. I could never swallow paying the cable company $60/month for 80 channels I don’t watch. Yes, I know about the discounted converters, but I do like my Tivo and my current set is 17 years old anyway.
One of the big turnoffs to the HD plunge has been the next-gen DVD battle: HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray. Frankly, I don’t care who wins, as long as there is only one format for discs and players. Now that HD-DVD has quit the fight and Blu-ray is the winner, one would be tempted to go buy a Blu-ray player now. But hold on a second, are the existing Blu-ray players on the market going to work for the long term, meaning do they support Profile 2.0? Basically, no. The PS3 is the only existing player that is upgradeable to Profile 2.0, and even that upgrade isn’t available yet. Although I would have a hard time explaining to my kids why a potential PS3 in our house isn’t allowed to play games, just movies, while I secretly play “Need for Speed” late at night, I think I’ll just wait until later in the year for a Profile 2.0 player. It’s not like I haven’t waited before. Besides, I have my eye on a Wii.