hifi_nut:Why can't they do both? If the PS3 can then they all can, it can't be that hard to design a fast loading, quality player.
My personal belief is that the PS3's quick loading times are down to the cell processor - it's effectively got 8 cores (your average PC / Mac has two at most) and is designed to render some of the best graphics currently available in a games console on the fly - dealing with a few lines of Java code is like asking Superman to fold the laundry.
Unsurprisingly, standalone Blu-Ray players have nowhere near that processor capability and thus loading times are slower. What they are designed to do though is play Blu-Rays and thus, the best ones excel when it comes to actually delivering picture and sound quality.
My main point is therefore, of course it's possible to put in more processing power to speed up the loading times but this will obviously cost money. So would you rather more money was spent on components which improved the picture and sound quality of the main movie, or this money was spent instead on components to make the disc load 30 seconds quicker...
I know which I'd choose.