Matrix Games Forums

Now that Blue Ray is becoming the gold standard for movies, DVD prices are down; I was able to get some good deals on war titles: Bridge Too far, Hamburger Hill, etc., each for abt $10.

Or does anyone think the newer format is worth the extra cost?

No

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

Now that Blue Ray is becoming the gold standard for movies, DVD prices are down; I was able to get some good deals on war titles: Bridge Too far, Hamburger Hill, etc., each for abt $10.

Or does anyone think the newer format is worth the extra cost?

When they play they look and sound great - but so far I've had about 30% of BluRay movies I play have some kind of problem, usually just freezing, maybe skipping here and there. It really dampens the enthusiasm for the excellent PQ and sound quality.

Rick

I have "Battle of Britain", "The Longest Day" and "Battle of the Bulge" on Blu-ray and they look great. IMO, they are much better than the DVD versions

ORIGINAL: Rick

When they play they look and sound great - but so far I've had about 30% of BluRay movies I play have some kind of problem, usually just freezing, maybe skipping here and there. It really dampens the enthusiasm for the excellent PQ and sound quality.

Rick

Maybe they were unofficially "rented" to store staff or something like this? Such thing happened in one megastore chain in Poland. My mother bought a big box collection of Led Zeppelin CDs and it turned out that they were all used and scratched.

I say no too. I've seen Blu-Ray disks and they don't have that much over what I get from an upconverting player and HDML. Besides, in two or three years they will have something "better" and Blu-Ray will be inferior. It's endless. I usually wait two generations of techno-progress before I switch.

I agree with you Dave, I buy every other fancy format.

Regards,

Grell

I hate Sony and moreso Blue Ray. They forced region specific on their latest and greatest whilst the alternative was dropping region specific. They can go and **** stuff to themselves until it's a requirement for me. I certainly won't "choose" to go the route...I'll be kicking and screaming when I have to get Blue Ray.

Personally I think Blu-Ray is superb. Especially on newer films. The difference between High Def and DVD is striking IMO and makes a big difference to how I see films now. Looking at a DVD can sometimes feel like watching a video. 

ORIGINAL: Dave Briggs

I say no too. I've seen Blu-Ray disks and they don't have that much over what I get from an upconverting player and HDML. Besides, in two or three years they will have something "better" and Blu-Ray will be inferior. It's endless. I usually wait two generations of techno-progress before I switch.

Actually, a new format is already in the works. It's called something like "Super High Vision" and is supposedly 16 times better than existing HDTVs. [X(]

How good can a picture get before one realises that's it's the chase to get more money out of Joe Public?

Seriously...what is so bad about DVD quality that we had to invent another range (apart from profit).

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

How good can a picture get before one realises that's it's the chase to get more money out of Joe Public?

Seriously...what is so bad about DVD quality that we had to invent another range (apart from profit).

To me, it isn't that DVD is bad, it is that the picture of a Blu-ray with a SONY HD TV is much better. If you're happy with DVD fine, but why put down Blu-ray, when others find great value and enjoyment in Blu-ray?

Thirty year old movies for "only" ten bucks?

What a deal. [8|]

But as long as you keep paying it, they'll keep raking it in.

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

They forced region specific on their latest and greatest whilst the alternative was dropping region specific.

I wonder what's the point of region specific on DVDs, etc? It's not like they adjust prices to the region the DVD is released...

ORIGINAL: flipperwasirish

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

How good can a picture get before one realises that's it's the chase to get more money out of Joe Public?

Seriously...what is so bad about DVD quality that we had to invent another range (apart from profit).

To me, it isn't that DVD is bad, it is that the picture of a Blu-ray with a SONY HD TV is much better. If you're happy with DVD fine, but why put down Blu-ray, when others find great value and enjoyment in Blu-ray?

Well clearly value is objective. Personally, I think it's a rip off and just more money flowing into the fat cats that invent this crap.

As for individuals enjoying...I'm cool with it. Seriously I am. My beef is with the companies that come up with these new toys and cream everyone. I'm especially pissed off with Sony because of the way they force the market. They had the option of going non-region specific and they choose not to take it and there is really only one reason for that...profit. Not like their missing a few mil anways!

I'll just wait till I have to go the route of evil that is bluray. When that happens, I suspect it will be more than affordable as well, seeing as they'll have creamed everyone else.

I don't doubt people see a difference...but as an example, I went to my mates house once and he has a 1650x1080 TV (or some such nonsense) and he had Sky+ HD. He was telling me what a difference it made and you know what? I just thought he was caught up in the hype of the "gadget", because I could not see a difference at all. He kept switching between this channel and that channel and I couldn't see it. Eventually, probably to save face in the fact that it wasn't as good as he was talking about, he said that some HD channels don't actually output all programs in pure HD. I can't remember exactly.

Everyone in the UK is running out and buying HD this and HD that and guess what...there's about half a dozen HD channels!!! And you have to pay extra for some of them!

It's a nice big fat cat rip off. Anyone who wants to take part in it has every right to...but I'm keeping the hell away from it until they stop creaming off people.

Besides...I wear corrective lenses! [:'(]

On a lighter note, if you enjoy Bluray and HD and all that other stuff, then I should've gone to SpecSavers, 'cos I can't see it myself.

ORIGINAL: JudgeDredd

Everyone in the UK is running out and buying HD this and HD that and guess what...there's about half a dozen HD channels!!! And you have to pay extra for some of them!

I thought there's an economic crisis going on?

I was speaking about the last year or two.

ORIGINAL: Doggie

Thirty year old movies for "only" ten bucks?

What a deal. [8|]

But as long as you keep paying it, they'll keep raking it in.

They're not just dated, they're classic!

The only other place you can see them here is Turner Classic Movies or AMC, the latter w/commercials.

ORIGINAL: flipperwasirish
To me, it isn't that DVD is bad, it is that the picture of a Blu-ray with a SONY HD TV is much better. If you're happy with DVD fine, but why put down Blu-ray, when others find great value and enjoyment in Blu-ray?

Query: if DVD players can play CDs, is Blu-ray compatible w/DVDs/CDs, or is it an entirely different system, like Beta vs. VHS?

ORIGINAL: Joe D.

ORIGINAL: flipperwasirish
To me, it isn't that DVD is bad, it is that the picture of a Blu-ray with a SONY HD TV is much better. If you're happy with DVD fine, but why put down Blu-ray, when others find great value and enjoyment in Blu-ray?

Query: if DVD players can play CDs, is Blu-ray compatible w/DVDs/CDs, or is it an entirely different system, like Beta vs. VHS?

Blu-ray players will play regular DVD's but not in high-def.

I admit that Blu-ray does look sharper than regular DVD but it's just not that much of a quantum leap for me. I have my "bronze-age" DVD player hooked up with HDMI cable to a 1080p plasma and I get near film quality. Like I said, I've seen Blu-ray on an equivalent setup and it just didn't "oooh and aaahhh" me. I think I'll wait for full immersion 3D before I switch again.[;)]