Any compelling reason to "upgrade" to Blu-Ray DVD?

[sciphi]

Like most Americans, I participated in the annual Black Friday rush. Got a new DVD player to replace an old one that was barely functional. I saw the fancy new Blu-Ray players, some with Internet streaming capability. I didn't think there was any compelling reason to upgrade my $30 DVD player to a $130 Blu-Ray DVD player, so the less expensive one was purchased. I've never seen a Blu-Ray DVD, and don't have an HDTV, although the current TV that's on its way out will be replaced with a quality HDTV set once it kicks the bucket.

So, should I have "future-proofed" myself by getting the fancy DVD player in anticipation of future TV upgrades?

 

[jstutz]

It depends on a lot of factors. How crazy are you about picture quality? I just got my bluray and it definitely has a nicer picture than my regular dvd player that up converts. I have a pretty nice LG LED LCD tv and i have both avatar movies, one blu-ray and one regular. I hook both dvd players up with HDMI cables and there is definitely a noticeable difference in picture quality. That being said, the regular DVD that is unconverted looks pretty darn good. The other thing to consider is sound quality. If you are big into audio and have a really nice set up, the blu-ray offers full DTS sound on most of the discs. The regular dvds usually only have dolby digital 5.1. I know over the weekend walmart had a LG blu ray for only 65 dollars. This is the one that i bought. So far i really like it but it is expensive and if you like to "back up" your dvds, blu-ray discs are much more expensive than regular dvd-r. For me personally, the better picture is not worth the extra money most of the time but on some movies it is very impressive.

 

[sciphi]

I'm just Joe Average TV watcher. We do have a Bose Wave radio given as a gift we use sometimes with movies. No 5.1 system is planned, either.

Sounds like it's not worth it just yet, from what you're saying.

 

[eljefino]

The streaming DVD players do netflix etc too and are silent (no fan noise) and good looking compared to a PC. Of course you can build an home theater PC with fanless heat sinks throughout.

Wife got me a Sony Blu Ray for early Xmas that streams video from another PC on the network (in theory) and when I figure out how to set up the server I'll be in business. It also plays JPGs from a USB port on the front, makes cinnamon french toast, etc.

Right now I have a loud (fans) PC hooked up to a 720p 32" flat screen with HDMI cables. Have "found" some 720p torrents that look quite awesome, and they're very compressed.

The biggest jump in quality was from VHS to DVD, as long as you connect with S-video or better. (even though in theory both are 480 lines.) Composite video muddies the NTSC colors rather awfully.

The cost of blu-ray will undoubtedly come down. If I were buying movies I'd get the combo packs that come with DVDs... sure they'll have a "special collectors edition blue ray" in a few years with more stupid easter eggs and features, but so what?

 

[BigBuck]

The picture and sound quality is a nice improvement. I wouldn't get one until you have an HDTV though. I have a 42" 1080p in my room.

I bought a playstation 3 when it first came out and I use it as my blu ray player. I love watching movies on it.

Sometimes while watching movies I get lost into looking at all the details and just thinking about how growing up nothing could ever look this good. It's amazing.

Now 3d tv's, I think those are kinda gimmicky.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I cant resolve fine detail with my eyes once I'm 10' away from the tv - so pixel density doent matter to me. Most people have low end home theater (under $3000-) so the sound difference wouldnt be resolved either. Thankfully the "old age" blunting of senses has relieved me from worrying about "CREATED MARKET" PRODUCTS. I still have a high end data grade panasonic superflat 32" tube TV that is mainly limited by signal quality with 520i

 

[scurvy]

Blu-ray is nice, but it makes no sense unless you have a HDTV. We got a 1080p 32" LCD Vizio on deep sale at Costco earlier this year and a refurbished Samsung Blu-ray player. The Blu-ray discs do look great, but the absolute BEST thing about it is the ability to stream movies off Netflix or watch YouTube videos.

The Wii lets you stream off Netflix as well and the quality is excellent, even with the component inputs rather than HDMI from the Blu-ray player.

 

[blackdiamond]

The blu-ray format is really pretty impressive. Most HD cable is 1080i resolution while blu-ray is 1080p which essentially means it refreshes the screen twice as often. It's a significant difference to be sure. We we finally got a 50 inch DLP with HD cable I started noticing that I could see details in the crowd during football games. Have you ever noticed the food people are eating? I can watch TV on smaller screens just fine, but non-HD cable is hard to stomach after having the added quality. The other impressive upgrade on blu-ray is the sound quality. Standard DVDs have compressed audio (i.e think MP3) and blu-ray disks carry uncompressed multi channel sound that requires the HDMI connections for most players. I have a significant investment in my entertainment system, more than most.

The BEST reason to upgrade to a blu-ray player now would have been that you wouldn't have to upgrade later. Also, blu-ray players upconvert much better than upconverting standard DVD players. I didn't realize this until I brought mine home. My electrical engineering buddy confirmed that I wasn't nuts.

I always recommend to purchase the latest technology when upgrading electronics, but in the case of a $30 purchase you really didn't waste much.

 

[97tbird]

If someone is interested in pic quality, BR is definitely an upgrade over DVD. Like already stated, a good quality, 1080P HDTV is necessary to see BR's full potential. Otherwise it's sort of a waste.

Panasonic BD60 or BD65 (around $90, but often less than that) is considered one of the best bang for the buck BR players, beating BR players that cost much, much more in tests. It also offers Viera Cast for various internet streaming app's, like Vudu, Amazon on demand, Netflix, and other news programs.
I have a BD65 and BR quality and DVD upconverting and streaming quality. (TV is a Samsung 40" 1080p LCD)

Not all BR players are built the same - Investing in a decent one def. is worth it.

 

[blackdiamond]

For comparison, standard TV is 480i so even if your TV is only 780p capable your picture will be better than standard DVD by quite a bit, just not maxed out.

 

[Malo83]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I'm just Joe Average TV watcher. We do have a Bose Wave radio given as a gift we use sometimes with movies. No 5.1 system is planned, either.

Sounds like it's not worth it just yet, from what you're saying.


Stick with what you got,keep living in the stone age

 

[Quest]

unless your wallet is made of gold, think of it like the situation similar to that when CD tried to rein supreme on the market when most avg. hi-fi owners still have tens or hundreds of vinyl LPs at home. While some gave their LP to thrift stores or friends and started buying collections all over again (this time in CD format), ended up spending more (duplicate to that of what they have/used to have in LP vinyl format) and not record labels not all of them have re-issues in CD format.

Money spent and not fully satisfied. At the end of all this: avg. hi-fi owners still buy "real" turntable to replace the one(s) that they gave away, and cartridge makers such as Ortofon, etc. still surviving by making new turntable cartridges.

Q.

 

[Beachboy]

Originally Posted By: Malo83 [/quote

Stick with what you got,keep living in the stone age

Some of us have better uses for our time and money than to run out and buy every new gimmick that is touted as the latest, greatest, and best. A lot of guys are enjoying the simpler days of vinyl records and tube powered amplifiers. I don't have HD nor BlueRay, and don't plan to. I don't want a "home theater", just a 19" TV in the living room is good enough for me.

 

[97tbird]

That's exactly what I have been meaning...
All of us have different interests - some in cars, some in audio/electronics, some in books, etc. And there will always be people who are NOT interested in those things.

I am very "slow" to grasp new tech stuff, too. I mean a lot of people are jumping on LED TVs, I think i am going to stay with LCD and Blu Ray for a while. Not everything that;s "newest" is the best. I usually wait till the bugs are ironed out on new technologies. I am only just discovering internet/streaming stuff for entertainment. I am also not into "multi-channel": stuff, my audio system is a more MUSIC based 2.1 system...it all depends on where your priorities are, I think...

However, going to to all types of forums that are dedicated to "fans" or interested parties and saying/announcing " I have no interest in these things; they're stupid " is pretty unproductive too. Best to stay off and be active in other sections where one does have an interest.

I mean some comments here (not in this thread) reminds me of that thread in the oil additive section where it was like " All additives are useless" (not exact title) or so

Back to the actual topic: if you ARE particularly picky and enjoy good pic quality, YES, there IS a definitive advantage with BR over DVD, and it's worth the upgrade, considering how affordable ($80-100) very good BR players have become lately. Just a simple comparison (same TV, same movie, in BR and DVD) is enough to witness the difference.

PS: not all BR discs are made equal - some (minority) movies have BR versions that are almost the same quality as their DVD.

 

[blackdiamond]

Ironically, using Vinyl as an example of not staying up with current technology isn't quite as it seems. Consider this: I have a local truly high end audio store near me that has audio equipment that I didn't know existed in a "regular" store. The main audio room has speakers that retail for $180k and their top turntable retails for close to $30k. I've been in the store when they had speakers cables hooked up that retailed for $38k. Notice that I've used the word retail rather than worth.

I have been in the store for a demonstration of vinyl vs. CD using their top system. Granted, it was only a $10k CD player, but the vinly sounded much better (Note: I'm only 33 so I'm not biased to records). Some of the most advanced audio gear available is directed at the tube and vinyl market.

I have a system that is far better than the vast majority of people (I know one person that might have a better system but I have not had the opportunity to listen to his gear since I aquired mine) and I'm a bottom feeder in the audiophile world. All of my gear is solid state and CD based.

Simply stated, tubes and records are not old technology. It's simply state of the art.

As for blu-ray and HD, I don't think it's going away anytime soon and isn't a short term hype like I believe 3D TV to be. For anyone that watches TV for anything other than the news I can't imagine them not appreciating at least a 32 inch HD TV.

I own very few blu-ray disks because I get them from Blockbuster online. A few dollars a month for the best quality available.

 

[Hermann]

Have a Panasonic Blu-Ray with a Built in VHS player that upscales VHS tapes through the HDMI cable. Over the years I accummulated a large collection of self recorded VHS tapes that I can now enjoy on my HD TV upscaled to the proper pixel output for my HDTV. The results are amazing.

As for the Blu-Ray picture quality, it is as good as the source material and the effort put into the transfer. Many old movies are only marginally better. My favorite BluRay is The Day the Earth Stood Still in B/W. Besides being a great movie of its time, the resolultion makes it look like it was made today with HD cameras. The Hunt For Red October is much better than the DVD. Oceans 11 is horrible, so much grain that it sort of floats around on the screen. Avatar is supurb in BluRay, even the non CG material. The 15th Anniversary edition of The original Stargate movie is very impressive, you can see every hair in Kurt Russell's beard. Also the Panasonic Blu-Ray has a very impressive upscaler for standard DVD's. The DVD's I burn from my DVD recorder in 480p upscale beautifully with much improved detail.

As much as I like Blu-Ray, the best HD quality I have seen is DirecTV's MPEG-4 quality HD broadcasts. From a good source it is the equal of Blu-Ray and maybe slightly better. Not all HD channels are created equal.

 

[97tbird]

+1 on Panasonic BRPs. I love my BD65.
www.bluray.com has reviews on video quality of almost all blu ray releases. a bit techy, but I use it sometimes.

Pan's Labyrinth is a great Blu Ray. Excellent pic quality and sound. Sin City (black and white mostly) is also very good.