When will the big guys in the home theater industry start to make they're versions of BluRay/HD DVD players

Question

Whats taking companies like Lexicon, Meridian, McIntosh, ADA, and all other big companies that are famous for they're Procesors/Amplifiers to come out with they're versions of Blu-Ray or HD DVD players

Answer 1

You will never see a company that really knows what they are doing, to adopt a format or media that is unproven as both HD DVD and Blu-ray are, unless they are the innovators. Both formats are revenue sources for other companies.

At this juncture most are hesitant to adopt strictly on the whole HDMI debate, not just the format "war".

Sony was the first to call it a war to demoralize people into thinking they would win eventually as Sony is the big dog, don't buy the hype and do what the smart people are doing wait it out.

Answer 2

The reason they won't do it is the same reason that most of them didn't worry about making minidisc or SACD players: it's a format that won't catch on with any certain longevity.
The high end industry is realizing that people's needs are shifting dramatically, and they need to also.
Look for systems that utilize a PC for the digital source. Computers offer better picture and sound quality than many of even the very best CD and DVD players. They also allow storage of libraries.
So, while all the consumer brands are playing tug of war between BluRay and HDDVD, the big guns are working on the next big thing.

Answer 3

They are not in a hurry to do anything yet. Their reputation is at stake . They were late starters when the Compact Disc was launched in 1982,because they were not convinced the sound was better than analogue.Only after certain problems were ironed out ,did they begin to manufacture their players.Meridian made some of the best CD Players available. They were fairly expensive because they made separate Transports and DACs. One of the best CD Players of all time was The Accuphase CD 70 P. It won many awards for sound quality and was used as a standard whereby other Players were judged.

Answer 4

I have 2 theories why this wont happen soon:

These higher-end companies have made their name in the AUDIO industry, not video or home theater.

Because of the 'standards' imposed on HDTV and it's digital nature - it makes it really hard to add $3,000 to a DVD player and demonstrate that the extra money shows any video improvement over a $399 PS3. If they did up-scale 1080 to something higher - not a television in the world could display it.

The analog audio world - has lots of 'wiggle room' for perceived value of exotic equipment. The digital world - not so much.

Answer 5

They're probably waiting for the format war to die down, just like most everyone else.

Right now, it's just too risky to invest in just one form of player, and too expensive to cram 2 separate drives into a single box. A few manufacturers have done this, but at prices topping out at $5,000, I don't think they're going to have many takers.