DVD vs Bluray.

[Mage]

I was wondering if the people who own both dvds and blurays of Enterprise could tell me if the video quality really is that much better for the Blurays.

Is it a true remastering, like they did for TNG? Or is more of a digital upscaling, like they do with so many older series and movies released on BR?

I'm asking, since I can buy the entire show as a set for about 45 euros on dvd, and since Enterprise isn't my favorite show, it seems like a great deal. I asume the show still looks on dvd, played on a blurayplayer with the upscaling turned off.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I haven't seen it, but it's my understanding ENT was filmed entirely in HD. The only upscaling is the VFX, which was rendered at 720p and not full HD.

 

[Oso Blanco]

I own the entire series on DVD and the first two seasons on BD, and I must say that the BDs are not worth their money. The live action footage is native HD, but the FX are upscaled. So far, so good ... but the major turn-off for me are the cut-offs right before the imaginary commercial breaks. On the DVDs you have a smooth fade-out or cross-fading into the next scene, while on the BDs the score is being brutally cut off in many places.

 

[Mage]

Hm.... sofar, I'm leaning towards the dvds then.

 

[Tosk]

On the other hand, the Blu-rays have much better color reproduction.

 

[Oso Blanco]

On the other hand, the Blu-rays have much better color reproduction.

Hmm ... it all seems to be a bit on the pink side on the BDs.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

The bottom line is the ENT BD's are better than the DVD's in both sound and picture quality, and I would recommend purchasing them as your best available option if you don't own the series and are considering a home video purchase.

However, big caveat, the increase in quality over the DVD's is often fairly minimal, and indeed, in certain scenes - marginal.

TOS on Blu is significantly superior to all antecedent home video releases, and TNG literally shits on the DVD's from a great height with a revelatory, night and day, enhancement in quality.

If you've been wowed by TOS, or blown away by TNG, you are definitely not going to feel the same way about ENT on Blu-ray - and are in for disappointment.

Upgrading to Blu from DVD is for probably for the more hardcore Trek/ENT fans only, or perhaps those who may notice moderate improvements on larger display devices and home cinema sound systems (that's me)!

If you're the former, I would advise tempering your expectations, for as mentioned above, improvements are sometimes subtle.

 

[Mage]

Well, take for example the BR of Nemesis compared to the dvd. I can tell that it's nicer then the dvd. My BR of it was part of the Stardate collection set, so that's why I have it. However, I would not have upgraded to BR from dvd (for that movie specifically) if I was buying the BR seperatly. If the same quality upgrade can be said for the dvds/BR's of Enterprise, I can settle for the dvds in this case.

 

[RandyS]

On the other hand, the Blu-rays have much better color reproduction.

Hmm ... it all seems to be a bit on the pink side on the BDs.

So, they really are "pinkskins", now?

As to the question. Go with DVD. The picture doesn't have to be perfect. I will never upgrade to Blue Ray.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Well, take for example the BR of Nemesis compared to the dvd. I can tell that it's nicer then the dvd. My BR of it was part of the Stardate collection set, so that's why I have it. However, I would not have upgraded to BR from dvd (for that movie specifically) if I was buying the BR seperatly. If the same quality upgrade can be said for the dvds/BR's of Enterprise, I can settle for the dvds in this case.

Based on that post, Mage, I would have to say your choice is DVD. The comparative increase in quality for ENT on Blu-ray is much smaller than the Nemesis movie release.

However, if you don't own the series, it's worth hunting around for "deals" as I suspect there isn't a huge discrepancy in pricing between the two, and for the sake of a few pounds/dollars whatever, I would still advise going for the best product available.

 

[Mage]

Well, take for example the BR of Nemesis compared to the dvd. I can tell that it's nicer then the dvd. My BR of it was part of the Stardate collection set, so that's why I have it. However, I would not have upgraded to BR from dvd (for that movie specifically) if I was buying the BR seperatly. If the same quality upgrade can be said for the dvds/BR's of Enterprise, I can settle for the dvds in this case.

Based on that post, Mage, I would have to say your choice is DVD. The comparative increase in quality for ENT on Blu-ray is much smaller than the Nemesis movie release.

However, if you don't own the series, it's worth hunting around for "deals" as I suspect there isn't a huge discrepancy in pricing between the two, and for the sake of a few pounds/dollars whatever, I would still advise going for the best product available.

See, that's the thing. The Blurays are about 40 euros a season. I can get the whole series in one box for 45 euros.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Well, take for example the BR of Nemesis compared to the dvd. I can tell that it's nicer then the dvd. My BR of it was part of the Stardate collection set, so that's why I have it. However, I would not have upgraded to BR from dvd (for that movie specifically) if I was buying the BR seperatly. If the same quality upgrade can be said for the dvds/BR's of Enterprise, I can settle for the dvds in this case.

Based on that post, Mage, I would have to say your choice is DVD. The comparative increase in quality for ENT on Blu-ray is much smaller than the Nemesis movie release.

However, if you don't own the series, it's worth hunting around for "deals" as I suspect there isn't a huge discrepancy in pricing between the two, and for the sake of a few pounds/dollars whatever, I would still advise going for the best product available.

See, that's the thing. The Blurays are about 40 euros a season. I can get the whole series in one box for 45 euros.

Oh, OK, there is a huge discrepancy in pricing then!!!

 

[Starbreaker]

Blu-ray is always going to be better than DVD. Enterprise was filmed in High Definition obviously and if you get the DVDs, they're not going to be in HD. I guess it's up to your visual standards whether or not the difference is worth it.

 

[Oso Blanco]

So, they really are "pinkskins", now?

Indeed!

 

[Mage]

Blu-ray is always going to be better than DVD. Enterprise was filmed in High Definition obviously and if you get the DVDs, they're not going to be in HD. I guess it's up to your visual standards whether or not the difference is worth it.

Sorry, but I don't agree. Some older series and movies are simply upscaled to appear HD, which can sometimes result in pretty lousy quality. My br-player is set to play everything in Native settings, meaning a dvd is not upscaled. I've seen the effect of upscaling, and sometimes it's just horrible.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Blu-ray is always going to be better than DVD.

Usually, but I'd argue watching the ENT BD's (judging season's 1-3 currently) on, say, a 32" screen from a few feet away would yield minimal benefit. Still, I always advocate going for the best home video carrier available nevertheless.

Enterprise was filmed in High Definition obviously and if you get the DVDs, they're not going to be in HD.

Season's 1-3 were shot on 35mm film, from which you can strike 1080 (and above) HD masters of course. Only season 4 was shot digitally.

 

[BillJ]

I will never upgrade to Blue Ray.

Which has absolutely zero to do with the question at hand. Especially considering the original poster already has a Blu-ray player and Blu-ray's. The question was about whether the substantial price difference between the two versions was worth it. From what I understand it isn't. But the price difference would absolutely be worth it if we were talking about upgrading to the TOS or TNG Blu-ray's.

 

[Oso Blanco]

My br-player is set to play everything in Native settings, meaning a dvd is not upscaled. I've seen the effect of upscaling, and sometimes it's just horrible.

On the other hand, upscaling does wonders in some cases ... that's my experience, for what it's worth.

Still, I always advocate going for the best home video carrier available nevertheless.

The best carrier is BluRay, without a question. But I'd rather accept inferior picture quality in trade for the unaltered version of a movie/series. See my comment about the chopped-off fade-outs on the BDs ... it's completely ruining it for me, no matter how good the picture quality might be.

 

[Mage]

I will never upgrade to Blue Ray.

Which has absolutely zero to do with the question at hand. Especially considering the original poster already has a Blu-ray player and Blu-ray's. The question was about whether the substantial price difference between the two versions was worth it. From what I understand it isn't. But the price difference would absolutely be worth it if we were talking about upgrading to the TOS or TNG Blu-ray's.

Exactly! I have the TNG sampler BluRay, my God that's some amazing work, and that's what true remastering is. It's also the reasons why I don't buy everything I already own on bluray, since sometimes, it's only slightly better.

And like Lokai said, I have a 32" Full HD tv and Blurayplayer, so the effect won't be that amazing. Now, if it was a 40" screen, it would be a different story.

 

[BillJ]

And like Lokai said, I have a 32" Full HD tv and Blurayplayer, so the effect won't be that amazing. Now, if it was a 40" screen, it would be a different story.

Even at 32" (I have both 32" and 40" sets), the TOS and TNG Blu-ray discs are simply mindblowing compared to their DVD counterparts.