Is Blu-ray That much...

[CliffnDallas]

Better? Bought a new Samsung LCD HDTV today and am contemplating upgrading my DVD player. So is it?

 

[theogt]

Yes.

.

 

[jksmith269]

Better? Bought a new Samsung LCD HDTV today and am contemplating upgrading my DVD player. So is it?

The comparison I would use would be the improvement from VHS to DVD, if you thought that was a big improvement, then you'll love Blu Ray...

 

[CliffnDallas]

The comparison I would use would be the improvement from VHS to DVD, if you thought that was a big improvement, then you'll love Blu Ray...

The differance, it's that dramatic? Intresting. I may find a "cheap" one and try it out.

 

[rkell87]

The differance, it's that dramatic? Intresting. I may find a "cheap" one and try it out.

ps3 is now 299...thats just about the cheapest(i think) + you can use the internet and play games...cant beat it

 

[CliffnDallas]

ps3 is now 299...thats just about the cheapest(i think) + you can use the internet and play games...cant beat it

I'm a little to old for video games, but I found one for under $150.00 at walmarts site.

 

[rkell87]

I'm a little to old for video games, but I found one for under $150.00 at walmarts site.

then you have a winner...seriously i compare the jump to bluray as top line HD homevideo camera vs. IMAX it is really noticable

 

[Hypnotoad]

Better? Bought a new Samsung LCD HDTV today and am contemplating upgrading my DVD player. So is it?

Yes Blu-ray is much better but there are some things to know.

http://i330.***BLOCKED***/albums/l406/RealityTVLounge/1080p.jpghttp://i330.***BLOCKED***/albums/l406/RealityTVLounge/480i.jpg


Some facts:

• A standard definition TV only shows 480i.
• A TV with QAM/over the air antenna will pick up a digital 1080i or 720p.
• Blu-ray plays in 1080p - so if your TV is not 1080p, blu-ray is somewhat overkill. Your TV will down convert the 1080p source to 720p/1080i. You probably won't notice a difference unless you have a set over 50".
• If your playback device is connected to your TV by a Composite cable (yellow, red, white) the max picture is 480p. If your playback device is connected to your TV by a Component cable (red, blue, greed, yellow, and white) the max picture is 1080i. If your playback device is connected to your TV by an HDMI cable the max picture is 1080p.

Recommendations for the best picture quality and Blu-ray performance:

• Make sure you purchase a Blu-ray player that is able to upgrade firmware (my recommendation is a PS3). Those upgradable Blu-rays will become more functional as the technology gets upgrades (example Blu-ray adopted a Live feature which gives the user access to special features from your Bluray disc over the internet - older blu-ray players which don't have disk space, internet, or ability to upgrade do not get these features).
• Make sure your TV is big enough. If you have a 19 incher or 22 incher, I really don't see a point for 1080p style visuals. Personally, I think 42 inches is required for best visual quality, but most people say 37 is the minimum. Its a combination of how far you sit away from TV too. If your interested in optimal size vs distance here is an article http://carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/
• Use an HDMI cable

Heres a picture of 1080i (what a bluray player connected to your TV via Component cable looks like)
http://i330.***BLOCKED***/albums/l406/RealityTVLounge/1080i.jpg

Compared to an enhanced 480p signal (what a DVD player picture upscaled to 1080i)
http://i330.***BLOCKED***/albums/l406/RealityTVLounge/480.jpg

Bluray Quality
http://i330.***BLOCKED***/albums/l406/RealityTVLounge/sw5_1080p_2.jpg

DVD Quality
http://i330.***BLOCKED***/albums/l406/RealityTVLounge/sw5_480i_2.jpg

 

[CliffnDallas]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Dallas]

You should have a tv that can output 1080p, though 720 is still pretty good.


If you are watching on some old tv or older projection, you ain't going to get half of what Blue-Ray really is.


The sound is spectacular. Same w/ a nice stereo. If you don't have one then you are REALLY missing out on the Blue-Ray experience.

 

[fjones]

And here is where you should go for your hdmi cables...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=4957&seq=1&format=2

 

[CliffnDallas]

You should have a tv that can output 1080p, though 720 is still pretty good.


If you are watching on some old tv or older projection, you ain't going to get half of what Blue-Ray really is.


The sound is spectacular. Same w/ a nice stereo. If you don't have one then you are REALLY missing out on the Blue-Ray experience.

The new TV outputs 1080p. I think I'll go by Wally World on the way home and check some things out.

 

[masomenos]

It's a huge difference, like someone else said, it's like the jump from VHS to DVD.

In the first video, make sure that you click the "HD" button in the lower right hand portion of the player, otherwise you won't be able to see the difference. Of course, you should watch both clips in full screen mode.

[youtube]lhEjtjSPlt4[/youtube]

[youtube]XCxwJbZqx3Y[/youtube]

 

[CliffnDallas]

Okay I picked up a player on the way home from work (a Samsung to match the TV) and a HDMI cable. When I got home and set everything up. I realized I forgot to get a Blu-Ray DVD...LOL. :

 

[DallasFanSince86]

Okay I picked up a player on the way home from work (a Samsung to match the TV) and a HDMI cable. When I got home and set everything up. I realized I forgot to get a Blu-Ray DVD...LOL. :

:laugh2:

 

[CliffnDallas]

http://img.***BLOCKED***/albums/v65/BigCinBigD/ose.jpg
Just WOW!. Picked Rise of the Lycans just to test it out. Sorry for the crappy pic. (took it of the screen)

 

[YosemiteSam]

Better? Bought a new Samsung LCD HDTV today and am contemplating upgrading my DVD player. So is it?

Does it support 1080p? If it only supports 720 or something like that.. It's questionable in my opinion. When I have the PS3 hooked up to the 46' DLP it is nice, but if I hook it up to the 32" 720, I don't find it all that impressive comparatively.

 

[Hoofbite]

I think all these Blu-Ray comparison stills and videos that are being posted are funny.

None of them are really all that convincing and definitely do not give an accurate depiction of just how good Blu-Ray really looks.

The easiest way to explain Blu-Ray vs DVD is to flip back and forth between the Fox HD channel and the Fox SD channel while watching a football game.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I think all these Blu-Ray comparison stills and videos that are being posted are funny.

None of them are really all that convincing and definitely do not give an accurate depiction of just how good Blu-Ray really looks.

The easiest way to explain Blu-Ray vs DVD is to flip back and forth between the Fox HD channel and the Fox SD channel while watching a football game.

That would be wrong too. HD TV is broadcast in 720, not 1080.

 

[kmp77]

All this 720 vs 1080...blue-ray vs dvd etc is funny. It really comes down to the source material. 3d animated movies in blue-ray = jaw dropping. Any movie/show that starts out in digital and then winds up on blue-ray is amazing. But if you watch an old movie scanned from old film, it's kinda pointless. Alot of 80s/90s movies I've seen in HD is pointless. Some blue-ray movies aren't even true HD and some movies don't look good at all in HD. So to sum it up, it can be jaw dropping down to a pure waste of money. HD is pretty confusing since there's no REAL standard as far as quality. As long as the film/video is 16x9 and at a certain ratio, the quality doesn't really matter....they can push out crud at that size or pure beauty. It's a crud shoot really.

What you should do is spend some time watching HD movies on TNTHD and other other channels that just show hd movies. You'll notice some movies look good, some look ok and some don't look all that much better than a normal dvd. I've seen hd movies that weren't much better than a dvd played through an upconverting dvd player.

On another note, I spent the weekend watching a 720p 50" tv...at over 10' away you can't tell the difference between 720 and 1080. So don't let people sway you from that.