Is that all there is to Blue Ray?

[Nwerke]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Wikipedia says you are wrong:

Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray Discs are able to hold 1080p HD content, and most movies released on Blu-ray Disc produce a full 1080p HD picture when the player is connected to a 1080p HDTV via an HDMI cable. The Blu-ray Disc video specification allows encoding of 1080p24, 1080i50, and 1080i60. Generally this type of video runs at up to 40 megabits per second, compared to the 3.5 megabits per second for conventional standard definition TVs.[12]

That said, Ronan87 is completely right. I can't see any difference at all vs. DVD (when I'm wearing my Jedi training helmet with the blast shield down).

 

[Etewaf]

I think blu-rays look great, however, I'm not too keen on re-buying films on another disc based storage medium. I look at fans who still buy physical copies of things as serious collectors, almost like archivers, so it makes little sense to me that we would want our films on scratchable little discs we have to store. I'm incredibly careful with my discs, but can't tell you how many time I've had to march back into a store immediately after purchasing a disc to get one that wasn't scratched right out of the box from apparently being jostled during shipping. DVD, Blu-ray, HVD, they would all suffer from the same faults.

These, on the other hand, would be amazing.

Holographic Versatile Card - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20050608/105586/050608_hvc1.jpg

I haven't heard any news on it in quite a while, but it would be great if there was a push for this to be the next format.

 

[rodneyfaile]

Blu ray discs are more scratch resistant.

I never liked buying used PS2 games because of all the scratches, but I have purchased several used PS3 games because they have been minimaly scratched, if at all.

I've heard stories of older DVDs separating after a few years. Something about the manufacturing process that was corrected on more recent DVDs and blu-rays.

 

[Scareb]

Yeah, there's a "used" movie and cd store by my place and by used I mean druggies steal blu rays from HMV and then sell them to the othe store. However there are used ones and every single movie I've bought from them is scratch free.

Honestly I don't think I could ever go back to DVD's after seeing the difference. I'm also lucky that my BR player is a PS3 so updAtes are not a problem.

 

[Canobi]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Wikipedia says you are wrong:

Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray Discs are able to hold 1080p HD content, and most movies released on Blu-ray Disc produce a full 1080p HD picture when the player is connected to a 1080p HDTV via an HDMI cable. The Blu-ray Disc video specification allows encoding of 1080p24, 1080i50, and 1080i60. Generally this type of video runs at up to 40 megabits per second, compared to the 3.5 megabits per second for conventional standard definition TVs.[12]

That said, Ronan87 is completely right. I can't see any difference at all vs. DVD (when I'm wearing my Jedi training helmet with the blast shield down).

Sorry Nwerke, I bow down to wiki's unerring infalibilty :lol

 

[TKSteve]

Two quick additions: one, a PS3 is awesome as a Blu player, as it constantly updates, gets patches, adapts to the newest discs.

Two: I'm always buying used Blus, and have never had an issue. One of the great things about BR is the discs are way more scratch resistant than normal DVDs. That feature alone could have sold billions in discs to moms buying cartoons for their kids, but Sony's marketing has sucked for decades. :behave

 

[Darth Lars]

There are differences between TV screens. Some TVs apply overscan even on images over HDMI. The image is scaled up a only a slight bit and that means that it is somewhat blurred in the process.

The size of the screen vs. the distance to the viewer makes the to hide the difference between SD and HD. I don't notice much difference, because I have (only) a 32" screen, and the sofa is a few feet away from it. While I would like a bigger screen for watching movies, I prefer to watch TV on a smaller screen, and that is what I use it for the most.

 

[cboath]

Part of the issue is where you're watching that 52" screen from.

At 52", unless you're sitting within 6ish feet of the screen, you can't see as much detail. If you're at 10 feet away, you can just barely distinguish 1280x720 resolution (BR's are 1920x1080). If you're nearly 15 feet away, you can't really tell the difference between SD and full HD.

Also, if your previous DVD player did decent or good upscaling, that could play a role as well.

 

[allosaur176]

I just got the new GHOSTRIDER Blu-Ray and nothing on it will play but the previews.

Consider yourself blessed

 

[LizardJedi]

Blu ray discs are more scratch resistant.

I never liked buying used PS2 games because of all the scratches, but I have purchased several used PS3 games because they have been minimaly scratched, if at all.

I've heard stories of older DVDs separating after a few years. Something about the manufacturing process that was corrected on more recent DVDs and blu-rays.

Actually, BRD's are more vulnerable to scratch damage (a small scratch has more of an effect compared to a DVD, due to the laser frequency). One of the things they had to add on in development is an additional protective layer on the bottom of the disc. So yes they are a bit more durable, but without that extra manufacturing step they'd be a mess.

cboath - That's an awesome graph...

I have a PS3 with a 42" cheap-ish LCD TV, and I love it. I don't really notice much in terms of sound because I'm stuck using the stock in-screen speakers, but I can definatly tell the difference in video.
The only movies I've re-bought are LOTR, Serenity and Firefly (haven't gotten around to SW yet, lol), but making comparisons to TV broadcasts there is a huge difference.

 

[wannab]

Consider yourself blessed

AMEN! lol



Doug

 

[Scareb]

You have to admit, the actual ghost rider would look pretty cool on blu ray. Basically just fast forward to the ghost rider scenes with the mute on. Other than that that film is an atrocity.

 

[niennumb1]

Good lord... If you can't see a difference between Blu-Ray and DVD just stick to DVD because you must also still be watching on an SDTV using RCA Cables and a stereo receiver.

Blu-Ray is miles beyond in both resolution and sound. Most films look absolutely fantastic!

 

[Laspector]

No, I've got an HD tv and HDMI cords and the whole works. Everything is 1080. And my old DVD player was a good upscaler, so that could be it. Maybe it's just the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings blu-ray that just aren't that great--as those are all I've watched so far. But I did not check out the prequals yet.

As I said, I could tell a difference- just not enough to warrant replacing my library.

 

[SSGT Kitten]

No, I've got an HD tv and HDMI cords and the whole works. Everything is 1080. And my old DVD player was a good upscaler, so that could be it. Maybe it's just the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings blu-ray that just aren't that great--as those are all I've watched so far. But I did not check out the prequals yet.

As I said, I could tell a difference- just not enough to warrant replacing my library.

I would say it is NOT worth trying to replace a library. I didn't. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 3k DVDs. Collected over the years since '97. I'm not going to replaced those. Anything new I buy I get blu-ray. I haven't seen Star Wars on blu-ray, but I wasn't overly impressed with LotR. Try watching something like TRON Legacy or Watchmen. Or Inception. That really impressed me. For some movies, if the transfer is done well, I have doubled up and gotten a blu-ray but it's rare thing and has to be a favourite of mine (the Firefly series, Predator, that kind of thing). One thing I have noticed with blu-ray, and it might be my settings, is that when I am watching a HD TV show I sometimes have issuses with clarity, especially if they are showing a night scene. I notice it a lot in True Blood or Walking Dead. Doesn't look great but I'm not sure what the fix is.

Charlie

Charlie

 

[Solo4114]

No, I've got an HD tv and HDMI cords and the whole works. Everything is 1080. And my old DVD player was a good upscaler, so that could be it. Maybe it's just the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings blu-ray that just aren't that great--as those are all I've watched so far. But I did not check out the prequals yet.

As I said, I could tell a difference- just not enough to warrant replacing my library.

I still don't have an HDTV, but I do have an HD computer monitor, and I've noticed a difference in resolution and clarity. Is it enough that I'd want to go out and replace everything? Of course not. A lot of things don't really warrant replacement, in my opinion. Do I need to get The Blues Brothers in blu-ray? No, not unless that version comes with some razzle-dazzle extras that aren't available on the DVD.

On the other hand, will I get a blu-ray of Blade Runner? You bet I will!


SSGT Kitten brings up a good point, though, about the transfer. Just as with DVDs, I'd bet not all blu-rays are created equal. The bitrate and resolution at which they were encoded will matter, and something like LOTR might have tons of extras on a specific disc which will take up space. Or it might be that the film you saw was good enough on DVD that it really won't benefit a TON from blu-ray. It'd be a bit more crisp. So, worth it to upgrade from the DVDs to blu-rays? Maybe not. But probably worth it to buy new stuff in blu-ray going forward.

 

[Weequay]

No, I've got an HD tv and HDMI cords and the whole works. Everything is 1080. And my old DVD player was a good upscaler, so that could be it. Maybe it's just the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings blu-ray that just aren't that great--as those are all I've watched so far. But I did not check out the prequals yet.

As I said, I could tell a difference- just not enough to warrant replacing my library.

Thats probably what it is mate. Youve been watching a good upscaler for a while. Switch to BR and it wont seem a massive difference.

Ive been doing exactly the same thing.

weequay

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Maybe it's just the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings blu-ray that just aren't that great--as those are all I've watched so far. But I did not check out the prequals yet.

Ever since I bought the VHS box set back in the '90s I've watched at least one Star Wars movie at least once a week. Then the prequels came out, and all 6 on DVD. Usually on any week I watch 2-3 SW movies.

After 20 years and thousands of viewings I can honestly say that watching Star Wars on Blu-ray was like watching a whole new movie for the first time. I know every little detail in every little scene and I noticed things for the first time I never saw before.

The clarity over DVD is night-and-day.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Oh, and EP3 is increddible. The plot and acting may be wooden, but the visuals are amazing.

 

[jheilman]

Love my combo of 55" HDTV and Blu-Ray. DVDs look decent on the player, but high-quality Blu-Rays look amazing. Love watching "300" on Blu-Ray.