Day: November 8, 2008

My Blu-ray Quandary

I have an Oppo DVD player which I like a lot, but it turns out I hardly ever use it anymore now that I have an AppleTV. I just rip the movies and watch them on that instead. Every once in a while, we’ll rent a hi-def movie from iTunes, which looks terrific. And, of course, I’ve been thinking about going hi-def in the home theater more seriously. First, I was waiting for the HD vs. Blu-ray war to shake out, and that’s done. I figured when that happened the price on Blu-ray players and discs would start to come down. Well, it mostly hasn’t. The players have come down a little, but not much. I got to thinking about it again a while back when Oppo showed off their upcoming Blu-ray player. I figured I’d just wait for that.

But now I’m not so sure. With player prices still not great and disc prices still double that of DVDs, some are now saying that Blu-ray is dead. There are some compelling points there. Really, if the cost of Blu-ray discs isn’t going to come down to being only a few dollars more than DVDs, how can Blu-ray succeed? Yes, Blu-ray looks better than even upscaled DVDs, but not enough better to justify that cost for most people. Based on the argument there, it doesn’t look like disc costs are coming down anytime soon.

So now I’m not so sure. I’m not really a big gamer, but a PS3 would give me Blu-ray and even if Blu-ray tanks, at least I can play games on it. Of course, I’m not much of a gamer, so I’m not sure about the appeal. Or do I just wait for the Oppo, which will at least be a fantastic upscaling DVD player as well? Or just wait six months and see what, if anything, is happening in the blu-ray market? (And if I do that, what do I ask for for xmas?)

It’s a quandary. An entirely insignificant one, to be sure, but hey, maybe someone with a PS3 can comment on how it performs as a blu-ray player. Is it comparable to a stand-alone player? I would ask how it performs as an upscaling DVD player, but I’m not sure I care anymore…

NFL Week 10 Picks

Well, we had some real movement in the scores last week since I went a killer 9-5 and Al went a somewhat subpar 5-9, meaning, at long last, I’m in the lead! I’m 64-62-4 for the season and Al is 61-65-4, so not only am I in the lead, I’m over .500. Sweet.

OK, so Al and I did the Thursday game via AIM, and both of us picked the Broncos to cover, which they did. Good game, as long as you could ignore the fact neither team could tackle anyone.

Sunday 1:00
Saints @ Atlanta(-1)
This is the toughest game on the board. I’m pretty sure I have a good sense of how good the Falcons are, a tick above average; can’t beat the actually good teams, but better than the mediocre teams. The problem here is the Saints. They have weeks where they look like a good team, and weeks where they’re awful. I think I have to pick consistency, so I’ll go with Atlanta.

Titans @ Chicago(+3)
There are pundits out there saying the Bears are the team that could beat them… Hunh? With Rex at QB? No way, I’m giving the points.

Jaguars @ Detroit(+6.5)
Something is very wrong with both of these teams, but the Lions are even more awful. Jax.

Seahawks @ Miami(-8.5)
I can see no reason to take Seattle on the road this season. Fish.

Packers @ Minnesota(-2.5)
The Vikings are the trendy pick here, but never underestimate the power of the Vikings’ ability to blow games they need to win. I’m taking the points here.

Bills @ New England(-4)
Well, the shine certainly has worn off the Bills. They need this game badly… and they won’t get it. Pats cover.

Rams @ New Jersey Jets(-9)
I can’t see the Jets losing this game, but that’s a lot of points. I’ll take ‘em.

Ravens @ Houston, pick
I’m looking forward to being in the stands for this one. With Sage at the helm for the Texans, though, I don’t see them winning it, so I’m going with Baltimore here.

Sunday ~4:10
Panthers @ Oakland(+9.5)
The Raiders are horrific, I’m giving the points.

Colts @ Pittsburgh, off
OK, so I have a question for the Vikings, Chiefs, Lions, Bears, and Niners: WTF were you thinking, not signing Byron Leftwich? Why is Leftwich a backup? In a league where Gus Frerotte is a starter, how is it possible that Leftwich is not starting? All right, end of rant. The spread is off for this game, I assume because the status of Big Ben and Willie Parker are uncertain. The Colts do seem to be putting it together, but they always look horrible against the Steelers and the off spread means I don’t have to give any points.

Chefs @ San Diego(-15.5)
Holy crap, that’s a lot of points—but then it is KC on the road. No, that’s still too many; I see KC losing by 14, not 17, so I’m going to take the points and hope the Bolts lay off the gas pedal and allow the Chefs a garbage-time TD to let them cover.

SNF
Giants @ Philadelphia(-3)
Hunh? How are the Eagles favored? The Giants are, despite not having the gaudy undefeated record of the Titans, the best team in football this year. They should be getting points from nobody, even in the opposition’s building. Giants and the points.

MNF
Niners @ Arizona(-9.5)
I sense “death spiral” from San Fran, and I like the way the Cards’ offense is playing, so I’m going to give the points.