Discounting the numerous PS3 games but I don't count them as Blu-ray since that is the only format to attain PS3 games on. I own zero blu-ray because I see little point in it. The only films that gain anything from BD are action/nature films. Since I own most of my favourite action movies on DVD and there has been little released in the last 2 years or so that has interested me I haven't bothered buying BD. In the past year or so I've bought about 10 DVDs and they are mostly either TV series or old obscure/Asian films which aren't available on BD anyway.
I definitely ain't selling my DVD collection to buy a 1/4 of it back on BD.
I dont fault your logic, i used to think the same thing, that only action movies would look better. My girlfriend bought The Other Bolyn Girl or whatever and having been forced to sit through the movie at her parents house on DVD I would say it is night and day better on Blu. I also have Sleeping Beauty, an ancient cartoon that was redone for a DVD/Blu release. The Blu release came with a bonus DVD, so I put them both on at the same time, the blu on PS3 and the dvd on an upconverter. The colors and depth that you can see on the blu version are incredibly different.
For the most part, my Blu collection is action movies, but it is slowly expanding if I see other things I want on sale. I wont repurchase a movie unless I can get it dirt cheap though....
owned: Atari VCS, Intellivision, ColecoVision, NES, NES2, Sega Master System, Turbografx-16, Genesis/Sega CD Model 1, Genesis/Sega CD Model 2/32x, SNES, Atari Jaguar, Virtual Boy, GBA, 3DO, Saturn, Playstation, PSone, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, PS3
wanted: Cd-I, Neo Geo AES
Niode wrote:
Discounting the numerous PS3 games but I don't count them as Blu-ray since that is the only format to attain PS3 games on. I own zero blu-ray because I see little point in it. The only films that gain anything from BD are action/nature films. Since I own most of my favourite action movies on DVD and there has been little released in the last 2 years or so that has interested me I haven't bothered buying BD. In the past year or so I've bought about 10 DVDs and they are mostly either TV series or old obscure/Asian films which aren't available on BD anyway.
I definitely ain't selling my DVD collection to buy a 1/4 of it back on BD.
I dont fault your logic, i used to think the same thing, that only action movies would look better. My girlfriend bought The Other Bolyn Girl or whatever and having been forced to sit through the movie at her parents house on DVD I would say it is night and day better on Blu. I also have Sleeping Beauty, an ancient cartoon that was redone for a DVD/Blu release. The Blu release came with a bonus DVD, so I put them both on at the same time, the blu on PS3 and the dvd on an upconverter. The colors and depth that you can see on the blu version are incredibly different.
For the most part, my Blu collection is action movies, but it is slowly expanding if I see other things I want on sale. I wont repurchase a movie unless I can get it dirt cheap though....
Don't get me wrong BDs do look great. The Dark Knight on BD played on my 42" plasma looks ace. Especially the scene with The Joker hanging out of the cop car. Comparing it with DVD over RGB I get the same vibrancy and colour only with a lack of definition on areas where I don't usually look at anyway. This is my main issue with BD. Yeah it's great but the only places you really notice the difference is in the textures of fabrics and background details. Personally I'd rather sit through a film whilst not staring at every flaw in the actors skin or the fine detail on some bint's blouse! These are just distractions. The ooh and ahh of high definition. WOW! I can really see those nose hairs!
That to me just isn't worth the upgrade. IF/Maybe BDs become the next format for the film industry and they start to drop to the same price that DVDs are currently at now I may start converting. Until that day, it is an overpriced luxury that I can afford to miss right now.
Niode wrote:
Discounting the numerous PS3 games but I don't count them as Blu-ray since that is the only format to attain PS3 games on. I own zero blu-ray because I see little point in it. The only films that gain anything from BD are action/nature films. Since I own most of my favourite action movies on DVD and there has been little released in the last 2 years or so that has interested me I haven't bothered buying BD. In the past year or so I've bought about 10 DVDs and they are mostly either TV series or old obscure/Asian films which aren't available on BD anyway.
I definitely ain't selling my DVD collection to buy a 1/4 of it back on BD.
I dont fault your logic, i used to think the same thing, that only action movies would look better. My girlfriend bought The Other Bolyn Girl or whatever and having been forced to sit through the movie at her parents house on DVD I would say it is night and day better on Blu. I also have Sleeping Beauty, an ancient cartoon that was redone for a DVD/Blu release. The Blu release came with a bonus DVD, so I put them both on at the same time, the blu on PS3 and the dvd on an upconverter. The colors and depth that you can see on the blu version are incredibly different.
For the most part, my Blu collection is action movies, but it is slowly expanding if I see other things I want on sale. I wont repurchase a movie unless I can get it dirt cheap though....
Don't get me wrong BDs do look great. The Dark Knight on BD played on my 42" plasma looks ace. Especially the scene with The Joker hanging out of the cop car. Comparing it with DVD over RGB I get the same vibrancy and colour only with a lack of definition on areas where I don't usually look at anyway. This is my main issue with BD. Yeah it's great but the only places you really notice the difference is in the textures of fabrics and background details. Personally I'd rather sit through a film whilst not staring at every flaw in the actors skin or the fine detail on some bint's blouse! These are just distractions. The ooh and ahh of high definition. WOW! I can really see those nose hairs!
That to me just isn't worth the upgrade. IF/Maybe BDs become the next format for the film industry and they start to drop to the same price that DVDs are currently at now I may start converting. Until that day, it is an overpriced luxury that I can afford to miss right now.
To each his own. I feel as though most Blus are overpriced, but if you hunt around enough you can find them for the same price as DVDs. That isnt worth it for everyone, but to me is more than worth it. As someone who likes to collect things, I just hope that Blu-ray is eventually successful, as movie downloads do not appeal to me as anything other than short term rentals.
I worry that the Hollywood price gouging right now, in the current economic climate will kill off physical media. And I think if that happens, consumers will be very sorry in the future dealing with the wonders of DRM, dying hard drives and being forced to constantly re-buy the same things (this can be said about having to rebuy things from vhs to dvd to blu)... and then when the internet companies start enforcing download limits?
Scary what could happen if Blu fails and DVD dies out, and all we are left with is downloads.
owned: Atari VCS, Intellivision, ColecoVision, NES, NES2, Sega Master System, Turbografx-16, Genesis/Sega CD Model 1, Genesis/Sega CD Model 2/32x, SNES, Atari Jaguar, Virtual Boy, GBA, 3DO, Saturn, Playstation, PSone, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, PS3
wanted: Cd-I, Neo Geo AES
superlarz wrote: and then when the internet companies start enforcing download limits?
This country already imposes download limits. It's ridiculous. IF we do go entirely digital distribution (which, personally I can't see happening for a looooong time.) it will be ridiculous to impose such limits. For a DVD in high quality streaming format (e.g. divx) we are talking 1-2GB per film. For a full retail release of a game we are talking roughly 4GB (for the xbox originals on xbla) which could expand to upwards of 9GB. A lot of people in this country are fixed to 20GB download limits. Considering you are a heavy PC user you are likely to use 5GB of that per month in just software updates/downloads. Leaving just 15GB for media? That would be insane. It's like having some kind of security guard in a store stopping you when you've bought 2 games and a couple of DVDs and saying. "that's your lot mate. No more entertainment for you this month!".
I can see the benefits of DD but it only gives the corporations power of the way you view content which I am completely against.
Saying that this is a discussion on BD not DRM so let's leave it there.
70 BDs and counting.
11 HD-DVDs and probably not too many more.
The Sleeping Beauty BD is incredible. It's great to watch old movies with a good transfer in hi-res. The HD-DVD of Forbidden Planet is unbelievable.
I still watch plenty of DVDs upscaled as well and I don't feel the need to double dip every movie I already have but I love Blu-ray. Proof positive that I'm willing to put aside HD snobbery: I watched the "unspecial" Empire Strikes Back non-anamorphic DVD the other day on my 46" TV. Rather see horrible compression and have to zoom in on a letterboxed 4:3 image than endure the special editions...
Only 1, The Prestige, which I got for completing a retial training course on the subject some years ago.
I was considering buying the Dark Knight Blu-ray, but didn't happen.
I tend to find myself agreeing with some previous posters, I just cannot tell the difference between bluray/hddvd and dvd, so the large cost increase (and the fact that I can only play it on my ps3) isn't worth it to me.
I won't buy blu-rays until they're the same price as dvd or at most a couple bucks more. I also don't like the logic that if I shop around or buy online or during sales that I can get one for the same price as dvd. Because with the same logic I could just shop around and get the dvd even cheaper. I'm not gonna go out of my way to get a blu-ray at a near dvd price when I can run into any big box retailer on release day and pick up a new release dvd for $15. Some movies would be nice to have on bluray but I'm not going to pay a premium for the disc or the $200 for the player. Not to mention most the sub-200$ players are not completely up to date and take too long to load up the movies. We have a first gen dvd player and it's really obsolete nowadays. The same will happen if I run out and buy a BR player now.
Also, what is up with some of these hilarious useless features they're putting on the bluray discs? On screen chat on disney movies? So, if I happen to be watching the same movie my friend is, at the same time, we can IM through the tv while watching a movie? Why? And When? And wtf?! Also, I saw them advertising the ability to record your own commentary to share with friends on the Dark Knight Blu-ray. AWESOME! I have been wanting to hook up a camera to my disc player, record myself saying something about a movie, and then allow my friends to watch me say something about that movie on their tv. What a completely awesome and useful special feature. I have changed my mind, I need a bluray player right now.
For those who can't see an appreciable difference: Are you watching on 32" TVs or something? I think that's one more thing holding the format back. HDTV penetration in the US is like 20% to 30% and I bet a lot of those are 32" 720p Vizios. I bet an upscaled DVD does look about the same on that. I'm sure most aren't using a receiver that supports the near-lossless audio formats on Blu-ray either. I don't yet. Mine's still being down-converted to DVD-style DTS and Dolby. No matter what, the prices have to come down further as well.
Jrecee wrote:with the same logic I could just shop around and get the dvd even cheaper. I'm not gonna go out of my way to get a blu-ray at a near dvd price when I can run into any big box retailer on release day and pick up a new release dvd for $15.
Fair enough point about shopping around, although most BDs on release day are only about $20. I'd argue that the $5 is worth it for what you get (in terms of quality) over the DVD.
The same will happen if I run out and buy a BR player now.
Actually, Blu-Ray players all have internet connection options (AFAIK), which allows them to get firmware updates and keep them from becoming obsolete. I don't know that you'd have to worry about losing out on any future features.
Also, what is up with some of these hilarious useless features they're putting on the bluray discs? On screen chat on disney movies? So, if I happen to be watching the same movie my friend is, at the same time, we can IM through the tv while watching a movie? Why? And When? And wtf?!
Some of the stuff is fairly useless, but they also have the ability to do more interesting things like this: http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/24/he ... ent-recap/. It's all just now getting started, so I'd give it time - some directors or studios might find more interesting uses for these features yet. In any case there is potential to do more with BD feature-wise than there was with DVD.
As I stated in another post, the picture on Blu-ray is leaps and bounds better than an unconverted standard DVD especially if you have an HDTV any larger than 40" or so (comparable to the difference between VHS and DVD, IMO). I think it is a technology that is here to stay since it is also a durable and inexpensive storage medium - just last month Pioneer unveiled a 400gb BD disc that would be compatible with all current players and drives, for examples. I can understand not wanting to shell out the big $$, but they are much cheaper than they were a year ago. Given the choice between a $100 DVD player and a $200 Blu-Ray player, I'd suggest going with the latter...it's a better investment for the future.
Last edited by dsheinem on Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:23 am, edited 4 times in total.
Ramatut4001 wrote:For those who can't see an appreciable difference: Are you watching on 32" TVs or something? I think that's one more thing holding the format back. HDTV penetration in the US is like 20% to 30% and I bet a lot of those are 32" 720p Vizios. I bet an upscaled DVD does look about the same on that. I'm sure most aren't using a receiver that supports the near-lossless audio formats on Blu-ray either. I don't yet. Mine's still being down-converted to DVD-style DTS and Dolby. No matter what, the prices have to come down further as well.
