As mentioned in the previous blog, there are - currently at least - several problems with Blu-ray technology. Perhaps ‘problems' is too strong a word. Inconveniences may be more accurate.

For a start, Blu-ray players have not made it any easier to get around the ridiculous ‘zoning' system that is often an irritant for DVD users. There are two issues here.
Firstly, the DVDs and secondly, with Blu-Rays themselves. Blu-Rays are, of course thanks to the damn silly constricts of the big owning companies, zoned.
There are three zones this time rather than the five used for DVD (note that if HDDVD had won the battle with Blu-Ray there would have been no zoning and everything would have been a helluva lot easier for us poor consumers, but what does that matter?).
Unfortunately a lot of titles, particularly those put out by American company Criterion, long regarded as a leader in classy DVD reissues and now putting out some of the most interesting Blu-ray reissues, are only available in the American zone. Here in New Zealand we share the United Kingdom zone, so those Criterion Blu-rays won't play.
The problem is that, unlike DVD players, no one has released unzoned Blu-ray players. Most or at least, many DVD players are multi-zone, meaning they will play DVDs from anywhere. This is useful since even The Warehouse sells some DVDs from foreign zones and it is still the only way to watch titles that are yet to be (or may never be) released in the local New Zealand zone.
This is exacerbated by the fact Blu-Ray players also only play a single DVD zone, so if you want to watch imported DVDs on a new Blu-Ray player, you're out of luck.
The other serious irritant about Blu-Ray players, and it is serious given that every piece of new technology we buy these days is largely geared around convenience, is the damned things are just so slow.
Not a big deal? Well many of the players take three or four minutes to actually load a Blu-Ray. Then, if you want to fast-forward or use any such function there is a big pause before any action. Going back to the menu will probably involve another minute's wait. Compared to DVD it makes you want to tear your hair out.
I'm currently travelling and will check out the state of Blu-Ray pick-up wherever I am. It will be interesting to see if New Zealand - where rental stores now have Blu-Ray displays but the only place with a half decent selection to buy is The Warehouse - compares favourably or otherwise with Hong Kong, London and elsewhere.
More to come.