whatever, buy a machine with a video format that your current TV can't support. And if you wanted to, you couldn't afford it.It's like buying a Ferrari to race on muddy roads.
First gen products for new formats are always a waste of money. Got a minidisc player?? did you pay more than $100 for a DVD player?? how about a VCR? Current PS3 owners will be stuck with overpriced technology in a year or so... Sony knows this, that's why they're willing to take a hit for each console sold.
Sony also has a history of going for formats that will enable it be the only
player.. or the only major player so it can collect royalities...
and
honestly, they say 50gb per bluray disc, but that's it's maximum. read
around, the process to do that is not cost effective for manufacturing
at all. 9 hours of HD content??!!? I can barely sit through 2 hours
of movies these days.
Next releases of Xbox360 will have the HD-DVD drive in it at a fraction of the cost to the game producer (meaning more/better games) and ultimately the consumer.
It's a few years early yet for the PS3 i think, and I don't think it can drive the market for the adoption of blu-ray because it really depends on HD for its true value.. I'm still not about to go drop a 3g's for a TV..
If it's the bragging factor... well, yeah, that's probably it... in a couple years, your PS3 the same way that I look at this. (ps, that's beta!)