So, is Blu-Ray worth it, yet?

[OdoWanKenobi]

I'm finally getting with the HD revolution, and picking myself up an HD TV. Now, I'll mostly be using it with my Xbox 360 (that tiny print is damn hard to read in SD) but I'm also a huge movie buff with a rather decent DVD collection. So I'm gathering some opinons: Is Blu-Ray worth it yet? Has the format really cemented itself well enough that we can be sure it won't be the next Laserdisc? If I got a Blu-Ray player it would probably be a PS3, so it's not like it would be a total waste of money since I'm a gamer as well, however this is still several hundred dollars, and an extra ten dollars a movie we're talking here. I'm on the fence, so what do you guys think?

 

[Amaris]

I'm finally getting with the HD revolution, and picking myself up an HD TV. Now, I'll mostly be using it with my Xbox 360 (that tiny print is damn hard to read in SD) but I'm also a huge movie buff with a rather decent DVD collection. So I'm gathering some opinons: Is Blu-Ray worth it yet? Has the format really cemented itself well enough that we can be sure it won't be the next Laserdisc? If I got a Blu-Ray player it would probably be a PS3, so it's not like it would be a total waste of money since I'm a gamer as well, however this is still several hundred dollars, and an extra ten dollars a movie we're talking here. I'm on the fence, so what do you guys think?

Yes, Blu-ray is here to stay. Prices on players and discs are dropping rapidly, while title collections are getting much larger.


J.

 

[BigFoot]

I definitely think Blu-ray is here to stay. I also think it's definitely worth the extra price, at least on a decent sized HD TV.

 

[Aragorn]

Blu-ray is awesome, but you should read reviews of the picture and sound quality before you decide on a title. A lot of stuff is getting thrown out there without being remastered significantly because the studios see this as an opportunity to sell a $10 budget DVD as a $20 Blu-ray disc. Not that they're necessarily bad, but don't expect a lot of visual "pop" from older titles.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Yeah, I'm thinking I'm not going to go back and replace what I have already (besides maybe a few select titles that would really pop in Blu-ray) but I would buy Blu-ray for any future movies I got.

 

[Amaris]

Yeah, I'm thinking I'm not going to go back and replace what I have already (besides maybe a few select titles that would really pop in Blu-ray) but I would buy Blu-ray for any future movies I got.

That's how I'm doing it.
Also, I picked up 10 Blu-ray movies for a grand total of $64 (that counts shipping) on Amazon.com. So the deals are out there.


J.

 

[cultcross]

Blu-ray is a selective thing for me - while DVDs are still available, I'll buy DVD for any movie where the visual spectacle, if you like, is not a big part of the show. A talking heads movie, a courtroom drama, something like that: DVD is fine, I'm not watching it for the stunning picture quality and I couldn't care less really if its high definition.
Something where the film or show is meant to be a visual spectacle, sure, Blu-ray is awesome. Series like Planet Earth (made in part as a showcase for high def) or movies like The Dark Knight or Star Trek are definite blu-ray purchases for me.

 

[Brikar99]

Abso-effing-lutely. HD rocks.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Thanks for the opinions. Looks like I'll try to pick up a PS3 afterall (probably the best option, since it has games, too.) Star Trek is really the movie that kicked me in the butt for this. I was thinking it would probably look fantastic in HD, and would make a great first Blu-Ray.

 

[payndz201]

I just got an HD TV, and since I already had a PS3 I decided to do a 'scientific' test with, er, the one BR disc that I have (Transformers, picked up second-hand) by comparing it to the regular DVD - both upscaled via the PS3 and through a DVD player (using SCART) and my PS2 (bog-standard composite cables).

To be honest, the difference between BR and upscaled wasn't as much as I was expecting. In the scene where Frenzy hacks into the Air Force One computers, on the BR I could read the small text on the various screens perfectly clearly. Upscaled, I could just about read it. DVD, if I squinted a bit I could sort of make out what it said - even with the PS2 and its worst-case video connection.

What that told me personally is that I'm only going to go to the extra expense of buying Blu-Ray for a few 'spectacle' movies, where the visuals are a big part of the experience, or my all-time favourites for which I've already double or triple-dipped, so buying them one more time won't make much difference. Anything else, upscaled DVD will be good enough for me.

Although since hardly any of my favourite movies are actually out on Blu-Ray, the issue is moot for the moment. What the hell kind of world do we live in when someone would put out a hi-def version of Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem ahead of Aliens? (Looking at Amazon.co.uk's current "two BRs for £17" offer, I'm struggling to find two discs that seem worth the bother. Was anyone clamouring for Step Up 2 The Streets or The Tale Of Despereaux or License To Wed in high-def? Really?)

 

[Harvey]

Blu-Ray is absolutely worth it--but be absolutely sure you're read a few reviews before buying a title. Aragorn is right when he says that studios are dumping titles without giving them proper transfers or even porting over special features that were available on DVD. The only Blu-Rays worth buying sight unseen are those put out by Criterion--and they deal in pricey titles that are mostly for cinephiles, which may or may not be your sort of thing.

 

[Mr. B]

If you have a big High-Def TV... totally worth it.

 

[Starbreaker]

I have a 32" inch and it's definitely worth it. It's like watching movies for the first time.

 

[Smiley]

There's no question that Blu-Ray is the next mainstream format, and the studios are throwing their full support behind it. Just like with DVD, it will take time for the major catalog titles to receive releases, but the new releases are happening pretty consistently. Players have come down to much more affordable prices, and the software is starting to approach more reasonable prices as well. I plan to purchase a player before year-end, even with a non-HDTV setup.

 

[23skidoo]

I am of mixed feelings towards Blu-Ray. For one thing I really don't see a big differnce between Blu-Ray and DVD's watched on a half-decent TV set. Yes I know there are some bells and whistles, but really when it comes to film -- and I mean real film, not digital masquerading as film -- I see very little difference. Digital media and video? Yes, usually.

As most of the films and TV shows I buy and watch really don't upgrade well, I am in no hurry to make the switch (that and the fact I have more than 1,300 DVDs and am in no mood to switch all of them over, assuming 1/10th of them are ever actually issued to Blu-Ray.

(All this said I'm very interested to see how The Prisoner turns out on Blu-Ray, seeing as it wasn't even shot on 32mm).

Fortunately, Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible. That's a big brownie point in their favor. But I had opportunity recently to "test drive" my brother's Blu Ray and his big 40-some-odd-inch widescreen plasma. I tried watching some of my older shows and found the picture quality to be unacceptable. I don't expect the same level of picture quality as I might with, say, the new Star Trek film. I am realistic. But I do at least expect it to be on par with how my DVD player plays it on my old 24-inch TV. If it makes it look worse, I really have little incentive to upgrade. Especially if, as I say, the majority of the DVDs in my collection predate the year 2000.

What's annoying me is this attutude some people have of "put up and shut up." I even had one guy say "just throw them out". Frell him!*

Anyway, standard DVD isn't going away anytime soon. BBC Video just announced they're releasing Doctor Who DVDs until at least the end of 2013. That says to me not every company is trying to forcefeed Blu-Ray ... and the fact they're committing to another 4 years of the format -- and no studio to my knowledge has made any announcement that they're retiring DVD anytime soon -- leads me to believe I'm not the only one who is being blown away by Blu-Ray (well, that and the fact a growing number of people just don't give a damn and are downloading everything to watch a few times and then delete).

All that said, if you're just starting out, if you've never bought DVDs or Blu-Rays before or are just getting your first player, then of course go with the Blu-Ray. But I do find your mileage will vary as to whether you're blown away by it or not.

Alex

* Sorry, I'm a bit hyped about the upcoming release of the complete Farscape on DVD (no Blu-Ray in sight, btw).

 

[Aragorn]

I was one of the first among my friends to jump onto HDTV, and one time when I had people over they wanted to see the difference between Blu-ray and DVD. So I took a movie with great picture and color quality, and flipped back and forth between upscaled DVD and Blu-ray during the same scene, and they could all see the difference like night and day. So I'm just of the mindset of to hell with anyone who can't see any differences or think DVD upscaling is the same thing. Not my problem.

 

[Michael Chris]

Blu-ray is awesome. It's also being rapidly adopted.

 

[melancholymecha]

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.

 

[Amaris]

They've also dropped prices on Blu-Ray drives for the PC.
Blu-Ray readers are now about $59 and dropping.
Blu-Ray burners are now about $179 and dropping.

J.

 

[Skywalker]

Now that I have both a PS3 and an HDTV (granted, it's a hand-me-down from a few years back, so it's not as good as current HDTVs), and now that Blu-rays are coming down in price, yeah, I'd say they're worth it. I don't expect to repurchase my entire DVD collection, but for things like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, yeah, I'll definitely be getting them again when they come out on Blu-ray.