I'm about fed up with my BD-P1200

[nightflier]

Where are you seeing reports of BD players with BSODs, viruses, or malware? The issues with BD players have been mostly limited to their inability to play certain discs or access certain features.

Well, didn't we just all agree that these devices, much more than the DVD players before them, are starting to become more and more computerized? Try this one on for size, unplug that fancy player in the middle of a firmware update: welcome to your new doorstop. And as far as viruses, it's only a matter of time. It will start as ad-ware, then morph to mall-ware, and eventually it will be viruses. Haven't there already been a few scares with xBox hacks? I know of several proof-of-concept scripts that can hijack certain cell-phones, and these have no where near the processing capability or memory capacity as BR players, not to mention that cell phones are not continuously connected to the internet, like most of today's BR players are. It's not a question of if, but of when.

At least now, with most BD players using flash ROMs, the firmware can be updated fairly easily. In the infancy of the DVD format, you had players with firmware issues that could not be corrected unless you exchanged the player or a service tech replaced certain components.

But let's be realistic here, how many people today have to install a firmware update on a regular DVD player they pick up at CC or BB? Sure there were early DVD players that had issues, but for many years now, the DVD player has been pretty trouble free.

When has technology EVER gone "back-to-basics"? It's always been a game of adding features and making things faster and smaller.

I was referring to the industry having to go back to basics because of the economy. A trend towards complexity is not in synch with a down economy. I would even go so far as to say that feature bloat is falling into disfavor with the public as unnecessary extravagance - even reviewers are starting to sing that tune. Consumers that don't have a lot to spend will opt for the simpler device that just gets the job done rather than spend more for features that they won't use as often, no matter how cutting edge they may be.

Blu-ray players use Java as the programming language, but they are not asked to perform the wide range of tasks that PCs are asked to. Plus, most of the executable code for a BD player comes with a movie that customers purchase or rent, and those are usually known sources.

Java is very hackable, and the content also comes from those downloaded firmware updates. Are you really sure nothing is going on behind the scenes when your computer is permanently connected to the internet? So how about your BR player, which we're already established is becoming more a computer, right?

It's not like you'll be playing files from hundreds of different locations like you do with web surfing on a computer.

I seriously doubt this is how the marketing departments at Sony, iTunes, and Netflix are looking at it. They would like nothing more than to turn that permanently connected Java server into your source for entertainment, no matter what type it is. Take that profile 2.0, for example, when you're connected to multiple users and these people can send files to your player from theirs. How secure do you think that is? Even if you're connected to just "a few friends", they are also connected to "a few friends" who are then also connected to "a few friends"... Pretty soon, you're connected to a whole lot of friends' friends you really don't know very well and who may be very far away. Here's another thought: how much storage does profile 2.0 require? How much data is that? And collectively, how much data is that with all your "friends"? And how much of that data is "suspicious"?

If you want to get into feature bloat, security holes, and complexity run rampant, look no further than your computer desktop.

Sorry, you're speaking to a Linux user. While it also has its warts, they are nothing like the puss-filled infected goiters in MS Windows.

Again, are you talking about their BD players or are you generalizing about the entire company? Their BD players, like everybody else's, have improved since the first generation models. Where they fall short is in how often they update the firmware to address new incompatibilities that crop up in the market. But, as far as their TVs, cellphones, memory chips, and media players go, their reliability and support have been solid for years.

Samsung has several issues. They are consistently rated lower than their competitors in consumer reports for service and reliability. Their financials are also not as strong as their competitors. Finally, the engineering behind their products is consistently below their competitors. For example, they make great TVs, but they run hotter, require more repairs, and consume more energy. While by themselves these issues are not excessive, in a market where the margins are often quite thin, they need to make better products. And while the heat and energy are important from a green perspective, these factors also play into their reliability over time.

I also think that Samsung fares better when marketing their products in B&M stores, where the netter picture, faster load times, and other features they may be able to bring to the table can be demonstrated. But as B&Ms start to become scarcer and online is the new market place, reputation becomes much more important and Samsung is slightly behind there. Professional reviewers won't help them here either, because those will be sure to mention the shortcomings, even if minor, and that is what the consumers will remember when making their online purchase decision. Of course the closing of CC, one of their major B&M retailers, isn't going to be good for their bottom line either.