So, is Blu-Ray worth it, yet?

[Corran Horn]

I think it is. The price point is becoming appealing too. New releases on amazon are frequently $19.99.

After watching so much HD programming DVDs (even upscaled ones) just don't look as good anymore.

One nice thing about some blu-rays releases are that they give you a digital copy of the film as well. Disney, frequently, includes a regular DVD in its blu releases.

Funny thing is that your avatar is WALL-E, which looks staggeringly beautiful in blu.

 

[BigFoot]

Yeah, animation looks absolutely amazing on Blu-ray. Releases like Wall-E, Ratatouille, and Appleseed: Ex Machina are jaw-droppingly beautiful.

 

[mrcoaster]

Blu-ray is great, but I'm not embracing it much. I built a large DVD collection, and I just don't feel the need to replace that stuff on BD, and aside from some tv shows, I no longer need to own many newer movies. I have dozens of HD channels, can rent plenty of HD, etc., so with tons and tons of content available, I just don't need to get more HD content that I have to own at a higher price. I'm the target demo, too. I have all the high end equipment, but BD hasn't been that important to me. It does look great though. HD is a great thing.

 

[Kira Nerys]

I have a blu-ray player have not used it .I have seen them compared side by aide and blu-ray is superior.

 

[Roshi]

Before I make the big jump I really need to know if Blu-ray/DVD combos (especially the DVD part) are hackable. I have many, many, many, Region 1 DVDs and I still want to be able to watch them.

 

[Marc]

I wish theyd make advertising for HD tv sets be clearer in explaining that if youre going to buy a new HD tv make sure you buy one thats 1080p, in case you ever plan on getting a Blu-Ray player in the future. If I had known I wouldnt have bought mine 780p.

Yeah but sometimes the 720p models are are all you can afford.

My LG 32" cost me $CA676 when I bought back in March and that was a discounted price. Going up to 1080p was simply out of my price range.

And I'm not sure that buy the really cheap 1080 models would of be worth it - they odds are you're going to get a better picture on 720p unit than at 1080i unit with a lesser quality panel.

As for the media prices. I was looking HMV today. BSG:The Plan was $CA22 on DVD yet $CA32 on Blu-ray. I think if the content providers really want to move people across they need to drop the prices.

 

[Amaris]

720p still looks excellent.


J.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

The HD quality shows when you have a 40" or larger set.

this thread goes into the pros/cons for Trek:
HIDEF..too good?

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm so weird about buying movies (especially TV shows) because I tend to lend them to people, and very few of my friends have Blu-Ray players, so I make the sacrifice and stick with regular old DVDs. I need to start being more selfish.

 

[melancholymecha]

720p still looks excellent.


J.

it does, but the problem is that they are starting to release the special delux edition versions of certain movies on blue ray only & not dvd. And I think thats going to become a more common practice in the coming years.

 

[Arrqh]

The HD quality shows when you have a 40" or larger set.http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=100738

It is not just a function of screen size, but a function of screen size and viewing distance. Too far away from a large set and you won't be able to tell the difference, too close to a small set and it can still look blurry at 1080p. I can easily tell the difference between 480p, 720p and 1080p on my 24" monitor.

 

[Marc]

720p still looks excellent.


J.

it does, but the problem is that they are starting to release the special delux edition versions of certain movies on blue ray only & not dvd. And I think thats going to become a more common practice in the coming years.

But the hi-def Blu-ray discs will still play on the 720p sets as hi-definition video. As noted up thread it can look better than 1080i though not quite as good as 1080p.

 

[Amaris]

720p still looks excellent.


J.

it does, but the problem is that they are starting to release the special delux edition versions of certain movies on blue ray only & not dvd. And I think thats going to become a more common practice in the coming years.

But the hi-def Blu-ray discs will still play on the 720p sets as hi-definition video. As noted up thread it can look better than 1080i though not quite as good as 1080p.

Exactly.


J.

 

[Roshi]

Which one is better again? i or p?

 

[Marc]

Which one is better again? i or p?

P

I = interlacing which has never been good for picture quality (some people might remember the days when being non-interlaced was a selling feature for computer monitors).

if it's the samething as for the old monitors the refresh does every second line so it takes two passes to refresh. Non-interlaced refreshed the image line by line (so a single pass) which greatly reduced flicker (esp when combined with a 72hz+ refresh rate).

 

[Caretaker]

I'm thinking of going Blu Ray starting this holiday season. Star Trek is too good to pass up. I just need to decide whether to buy a standalone or a PS3.

 

[Aragorn]

I don't know what the most recent Blu-ray players are like, but previously the PS3 has been the best Blu-ray player. So if you want to play games or do Netflix on top of that, there you go.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Blu-ray player features

I don't know what the most recent Blu-ray players are like, but previously the PS3 has been the best Blu-ray player. So if you want to play games or do Netflix on top of that, there you go.

The most recent Blu-ray player features are covered here in detail.
Netflix isn't the only video-on-demand vendor. With certain BD-Live 2.0 players you can get Roxio Cinemanow, Blockbuster OnDemand, & Vudu HD On-demand

 

[Amaris]

Yeah, if you're looking for BD-Live, don't get what I have, but if you just want a solid Blu-Ray player for a very low price, I recommend the Magnavox Blu-ray Disc Player NB530MGX series. Walmart has them for $139-$159.

I have yet to have an incompatible Blu-ray, and I have several brand new release Blu-rays.

J.

 

[Michael Chris]

Wait until Christmas if you can.