Tangled up in Blu

Its so very nice to be right. People have been going bonkers over AVATAR and now that the hysteria has died down the realization has set in: the movie isn't really very good. But in keeping with the theme of blue things sucking, we move onto blu-ray players. Seems some people are fairly pissed off that they can't watch blue people on blu-ray. Just another reason why I sit confident in my assertion that blu-ray as a whole is a complete waste. You need an internet connection to download programs or your blu-ray player might not play disks? Are you freaking kidding me?

How hilarious is this? Seriously. Technology is supposed to be this create thing that makes our lives better and more convenient. Now if you want to watch a movie, having to wait on lagging load time isn't your only problem. I bet there's some people that spent hundreds of dollars on their players that are just ready to chew drywall right now. Now, I see you can get a blu-ray player from Wal-Mart for under $100. Nice. In fact that's such a sweet deal that I even thought for a fleeting moment about maybe getting one. Then I remembered they suck. They don't make a lick of different if you don't have a high definition television and my TV is skating on a proper ten years of age. Still works too. The rabbit ears get much better reception than that ridiculous digital antenna they sold me at Best Buy. Even has an anti-theft feature: the thing is heavy as hell. Good luck taking it.

I think we hit the tipping point of entertainment technology. Blu-rays give more detail than your eyes were meant to take in, making things look funny. Oh and now we need an internet connection our we're screwed with the stuff we buy? The hell with that. I'm sticking to DVDs and a Nintendo Wii. Not gonna be getting a new TV anytime soon either because the one I have works and fits nicely in the entertainment center. And I'm sticking to CDs too. Yeah, I sound old and cranky but new tech isn't cool if its a pain in the ass.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

My blu-ray player isn't hooked up to the internet. When I tried to play 'UP', it didn't work. Took all of 10 minutes to download the update from my comp to a flash drive, and when I stuck that in the Blu-ray it took over and updated automatically. Not really that big a headache. If you buy a piece of new technology without understanding how to maintain it, then you're basically leaving yourself open for problems. Imagine 25 years ago if you bought a microwave and were too stupid to read the part that said not to put metal in it. Same thing.

And yes, Avatar sucks.

Marty Nozz said...

You mean a Blu-ray player will explode if it doesn't get the proper updates? Holy crap!

Kidding aside, slightly different between the microwave and a blu-ray is that the no metal bit is a warning. It should be in big bold letters where anyone can see it. I don't know how up front Blu-ray makers have been about letting people know that they'll need updates from the internet to maintain it. I'm assuming the download is free, because if it isn't that's the biggest scam I've heard of outside of Nigeria. Its too much of a pain in the ass for me. I don't want to have to fuck around on a computer when I just want sit on my couch and eat some popcorn and watch something. Its a movie player. There's no need for it to be complicated.

Sheri said...

amen! sometimes i have to say that enough is enough! we are charged too much money for things we're told we can't live without, only to be let down by the fact that we've swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker!
thanks for the good read today!

Unknown said...

Then you shouldn't buy one; that's exactly the point. Anyone who bought a blue-ray player and is now complaining about the updates (which seem to be MAYBE bi-annual or less) obviously didn't do the research. If you're going to throw money at something without bothering to, you know, read the instructions that come with it, you deserve the surprise you'll get when your blue aliens don't look all fancy on your TV.

It's not the technology that should be bitched at, it's simple human incompetence.

It's worth noting that even without updating a Blue-ray player will continue to play DVDs just fine, and in fact upticks the quality of them. It's very nice and the primary reason I wanted a Blue-ray player after I decided to purchase a plasma TV. I actually didn't own a single blue-ray disk until "UP," which came out about a year after I got my player.

Marty Nozz said...

I still think it's bad tech, or more to the point "over-tech". The stupid machine is supposed to play movies, not land a shuttle on the moon. If a machine needs a download to play a movie then there's something wrong. Either the movie is overdone, or the method in which the movie is 'read' off the disk is flawed, or the machine is flawed. The whole process has just gotten ridiculous.

And I wouldn't be ticked about it if not for the nagging thought in my head that all movies are going to go this route and I won't be able to buy things on DVD. I love movies. I love television. I don't want my future to be having to purchase tech I don't like a bit just to watch what I want to watch. Maybe if they get the bugs out of it machines and it won't require updates I'll be OK with it, but right now Blu-ray gets the big thumbs down from me.

Anonymous said...

How dare you talk about my favorite movie like that! I LOVE Ferngully!

I mean avatar, whoops.

Marty Nozz said...

Pastrami just won the "OH SNAP!" award.