Blu-Ray for the PC worth it?

[Stravo]

I am in the market for a new PC for after New Years and was doing some preliminary builds at Dell to see what I liked. I noticed that Dell offers Blu-Ray burners for the XPS series that I tend to buy and was debating whether to spring the extra cash for a Blu-Ray burner or just get the standard dual DVD/CD combo burners I usually get.

I don't want to find myself with a brand new machine and one year later Blu-Ray disk is the new "go to" format for storage and such yet at the same time I don't want to be stuck with a rather expensive burner for a format that hasn't or won't take off in the computer market.

Any ideas here on what I should do? Ignore the Blu-Ray for now and go with tried and true DVD or go ahead and take the plunge in anticipation of the switchover? Will there be a switchover at all? Will DVD format remain the standard for some time to come? What needs are there for Blu-ray burning on the horizon anyway?

Thanks for the assist.

[Stark]

A quick check reveals Blu-Ray burnable disks are even MORE expensive than DVD-DLs (ie, USD$14 a single write-once 25GB disk on newegg.com). *I* wouldn't fucking buy one - HDDs are cheaper. Buy a 500GB for USD$100 and store your shit on that, leaving it unplugged for storage.

Remember, 'early adopter' is secret code for 'sucker'. Even if Blu-Ray becomes standard for casual use the way DVD did (and it took DVD what, nearly a decade for that to happen?) you'll still be the guy who got raped when it was really expensive.

[Phantasee]

Even if Blu-Ray wins the format "war" people aren't going to start celebrating in the streets like the end of ROTJ. No one except the terminally stupid will throw away all their DVDs and drives.

Stick with the DVD unless you need massive capacity right away. Waiting means you can always upgrade later when it's cheaper and faster.

[Davis 51]

No one except the terminally stupid will throw away all their DVDs and drives.

Clearly, you've never met a hardcore Sony fanboy. You know the type. The one with all their movies in two formats...Blu-ray and UMD.

DVD is going to be the standard for awhile. Even if one wins the format war, it will be replaced by something else a few years from now. As stark said, save your money and buy a huge-ass hard drive.

[Xisiqomelir]

Those burners cost far too much. The consumer players are being subsidized by their manufacturers, but the burners are profitable hardware. Don't buy yet.

[Phantasee]

No one except the terminally stupid will throw away all their DVDs and drives.

Clearly, you've never met a hardcore Sony fanboy. You know the type. The one with all their movies in two formats...Blu-ray and UMD.

DVD is going to be the standard for awhile. Even if one wins the format war, it will be replaced by something else a few years from now. As stark said, save your money and buy a huge-ass hard drive.

I clearly stated, "No one except the terminally stupid," didn't I?