LOTR extended blu rays...

[Westies14]

It irks me. It also suggests to me a future quintuple-dip or whatever.

The industry does plenty of sneaky stuff, but I really don't think it applies here. It's a simple matter of data VS storage. The fact that some people were excited for the expanded duration possibilities doesn't mean that those people were going to set any industry standards. Most people who bother switching to Blu-Rays are switching for the superior presentation - not because a couple of films that were on two discs can now be on one. That's a silly reason to spend so much money. I, along with many others, am happy that they're SPENDING MORE to put these films on two discs each to maximize on the transfer quality. I think you're going out of your way to look for a villain here...

 

[Solo4114]

Ok, but can anyone show the difference between a single disc Blu-Ray and a two-disc Blu-Ray? Would it be that noticeable?

 

[Onkelpsycho]

This Disc change is really a big thing, huh?!? Here in some local boards people talking, and bashing each other about this disc change, some dont want to stand up for changing discs, some say it doesn't matter.

There is no alternate SEE, where you dont have to change discs, so I think its ok. I have no problem with it, so I really don't understand why so much people have one...

 

[Jeyl]

Whatever. I don't own a BR player or an HDTV yet, so I haven't really looked into which specific movies are or aren't on a single disc.

No, it's not "whatever". You used The Godfather Part II as an example of studios lying about how a new format will be able to put a very long movie onto one disc. Not only were you incorrect, you now say that you don't even own a BluRay player or an HDTV. How are we supposed to take your opinions seriously if you won't even do yourself the courtesy of researching your own points?

Remember the first DVD release of Blade Runner's Director's Cut? Or The Road Warrior? No special features. Just the film and MAYBE a trailer.

Yeah, because when DVD first started out, nobody outside of a few Laser Disc collectors and a few Special Edition VHS owners even knew or cared about Special Features. Back than, there were no standards on special features or bonus material. Things like commentary tracks, documentaries, deleted scenes and newly shot footage was not mainstream at the time. In fact, when bonus features really started coming into the scene, they were all recycled from the previous laser disc material.

Bonus Features for DVDs/BluRay was something that evolved over time. Remember. Laser Discs with special features were very expensive. DVDs made them accessible to a larger consumer base so when that happened, Special Features started to take a life of their own.

 

[ihs]

Ok, but can anyone show the difference between a single disc Blu-Ray and a two-disc Blu-Ray? Would it be that noticeable?

A lot would depend on the quality of your player, TV, viewing environment, etc., but there would be a visible difference between the two.

 

[Solo4114]

No, it's not "whatever". You used The Godfather Part II as an example of studios lying about how a new format will be able to put a very long movie onto one disc. Not only were you incorrect, you now say that you don't even own a BluRay player or an HDTV. How are we supposed to take your opinions seriously if you won't even do yourself the courtesy of researching your own points?

I wasn't under the impression that this was to be a rigorously researched thesis I was defending here. Rest assured, next time I'll be sure to provide a bibliography and footnotes. :rolleyes

Yeah, because when DVD first started out, nobody outside of a few Laser Disc collectors and a few Special Edition VHS owners even knew or cared about Special Features. Back than, there were no standards on special features or bonus material. Things like commentary tracks, documentaries, deleted scenes and newly shot footage was not mainstream at the time. In fact, when bonus features really started coming into the scene, they were all recycled from the previous laser disc material.

Bonus Features for DVDs/BluRay was something that evolved over time. Remember. Laser Discs with special features were very expensive. DVDs made them accessible to a larger consumer base so when that happened, Special Features started to take a life of their own.

My point in mentioning the earlier approach is that I could easily see the same thing happen here. It's basically the approach of taking the previous format and re-issuing it in a somewhat higher resolution. Come on, man, do you really believe they're gonna squeeze every last drop of resolution they can out of these discs? Are you really so naive as to believe that the current state of Blu-Ray is what it'll remain forever and that the customer is not justified in expecting something a little more than "Same as last time, but now with a cleaner picture"?

This format was touted as a major game changer with a ton of possibilities, but who's actually taking advantage of those possibilities? Look, it's your nickel. You want to spend your cash on basically a higher-res version of exactly what you bought 4-5 years ago, go right ahead. Just don't be surprised when the studios start figuring out how to squeeze more out of these discs in the future and re-release new super-special-uber-ultimate editions.

I'm sure we'll see at least 3 more versions of Terminator 2 on this format...

A lot would depend on the quality of your player, TV, viewing environment, etc., but there would be a visible difference between the two.

I guess I just don't buy the notion that "This is the best they can do," and that the consumer is just supposed to smile and take it. It's not so much about the disc change thing, it's about what are we actually getting for our money, and I see a large swath of the market that simply does not give a rat's ass about it and is happy to plunk down cash -- repeatedly -- for the same stuff with incremental improvements every, oh, 2-3 years.

 

[Westies14]

The resolution is fixed for blu-ray at 1080 horizontal lines, progressive scan (one full frame after another). The resolution for DVD - even anamorphic widescreen DVDs - is 480 horizontal lines, interlaced (alternating so each frame is really comprised of half as many lines). You're buying a version that is more than twice the resolution of DVD, just by buying the blu-ray disc. Pretty significant, don't you think?

Those dimensions are fixed, for all DVDs and all blu-rays in the US. That's "resolution." The next factor is "compression," or "of what quality will the video and audio be, at that fixed resolution and given the amount of space on this industry standard disc?" And yes, they do squeeze every drop of space out of the discs! The difference is real, not contrived in any way.

 

[Jeyl]

I wasn't under the impression that this was to be a rigorously researched thesis I was defending here.

Well, when it comes to the concern of getting the most out of equipment that can cost a lot of money, it usually pays to know what you're getting yourself into. ESPECIALLY when quality is the name of the game. You cannot go into this kind of conversation and expect to add anything unless you know what you're talking about.

It's your nickel. You want to spend your cash on basically a higher-res version of exactly what you bought 4-5 years ago, go right ahead. Just don't be surprised when the studios start figuring out how to squeeze more out of these discs in the future and re-release new super-special-uber-ultimate editions.

It was actually seven years ago, and even video compression for DVDs has come a long way since than. And the studios can keep on figuring out ways on how to squeeze more discs all they want. I hang around a lot of DVD/BluRay discussion sites to know what is worth buying and not worth buying. You know? The kind of discussions that usually entail "rigorously researched theses with bibliographies and footnotes".

 

[Paul Andrew]

I'm just lazy. I'd settle for a little more compression or no extra audio tracks to not have to change discs.

 

[Jeyl]

I'm just lazy. I'd settle for a little more compression or no extra audio tracks to not have to change discs.

Ah, but what happens when you want to change discs to watch a different movie?!

:confused

 

[micdavis]

300 disc DVD player.

Nobody is lazy enough to beat one of those.

I've tried. Can't be done.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

300 disc DVD player.

Nobody is lazy enough to beat one of those.

I've tried. Can't be done.

Except when you want to view your movie nr. 301 and realize it's not in the deck.

Also... we are talking Blu-Rays here...

 

[micdavis]

We should just be able to buy the files by now.

These disc things are done, except for the greed of the "artists", we'd have files.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

:rolleyes You go to work every day, but if it wasn't for your own greed, you should work for free.

 

[micdavis]

No I understand that it is greed and necessity and not any kind of "art form".

That's just pretentious BS.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Yet here you are... talking movies. Yup... sure as hell is greed. They take all your money away from you. poor you.

 

[burningman]

are the bluerays and DVD versions split i the same places?

I'm so used to the splits that when I watch lord of the rings on TV on say Satelite or cable and Pippen says in Rivendel "where are we going?" I reflexively twitch to get up and change the discs everytime.

 

[clancampbell]

These are a must have.....i've got them on dvd, i'm hoping the BD quality will shake me!

Rich

 

[MooMooEgg]

are the bluerays and DVD versions split i the same places?

I'm so used to the splits that when I watch lord of the rings on TV on say Satelite or cable and Pippen says in Rivendel "where are we going?" I reflexively twitch to get up and change the discs everytime.

I hope they change the disk swap location in ROTK. I hated that it stopped when that bettering ram came in (If my memory serves me correctly). Didn't feel like a natural pause in the film...

And I for one am glad they split the EE up. I'm a huge stickler for picture quality (and yes, it IS noticeable, especially on larger TVs)

 

[ihs]

...I guess I just don't buy the notion that "This is the best they can do," and that the consumer is just supposed to smile and take it. It's not so much about the disc change thing, it's about what are we actually getting for our money, and I see a large swath of the market that simply does not give a rat's ass about it and is happy to plunk down cash -- repeatedly -- for the same stuff with incremental improvements every, oh, 2-3 years...

Ah, but that's the beauty of consumerism - I can choose where and when to spend my dollars. I love the fact that companies throw multiple options at me - let me pick and choose which version, how much I want to spend, etc. Love love love having choices.

Regarding the "incremental improvement" - there is a vast upgrade from DVD to Blu-Ray, although as with anything, there will be exceptions. Some films did not take the transfer from DVD to Blu-Ray well, and these can very often be found by doing some research before purchasing. However, the vast majority we've watched have shown significant improvements over DVD.

I'm a huge LOTR fan and, as such, will have no trouble picking up the EE's when they come out this summer, to go along with the Theatrical Blu-Ray's we bought last year. Each version has it's place in our house, and we will watch each accordingly. We also sometimes have films on Blu-Ray and DVD, as our downstairs TV (which we use while exercising and my wife uses while crafting) is DVD-only, and utilize the PS3 for Blu-Ray upstairs. When they started releasing the combo packs that had both Blu-Ray and DVD in the same package, I was a very happy boy. :thumbsup

And as for the 2-3 years, I find it's much closer to 5-7. We finally picked up the EE DVD's for LOTR in 06, and now the EE Blu-Ray's in 2011. At a total cost of roughly $70 for 5 years of viewing before upgrading to Blu-Ray, I'm fine with that. Works out to about $14 per year for the three films, and as often as we've watched them, I know we've gotten our money's worth. The Blu-Ray's will end up being no different.