Posted by Mark Jones on 12/16/06 19:27

JoeBloe wrote:
> Properly designed "HD" level playback devices will likely never (nor
> should they) fall to that EL Cheapo crap level as the hardware inside
> that makes them do what they do has a substantially higher cost than
> standard DVD players. There are typically high end audio chips that
> one finds formally in high end stereo receivers and the like. It
> requires a processor to decode the data stream coming off the disc.
> Much more processing power than a standard DVD does.

Right now a major cost factor is the manufacturers recovering
R&D costs, not strictly the price of making the products. Paying
that price is what you put up with if you want new technology.

The prices will probably be a lot lower by the end of 2007. If
they don't get the prices down, the conversion to HD movies
is going to occur very slowly.

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