Blu Ray vs Standard DVD

[tr3nt]

just after scanning the pub section, noticed a couple of Home Theatre threads.. I have a 42" I think it is, LCD Tv, decent Amp and 5.1 setup. I use the PS3 to play DVDs (which obviously supports blu-ray). Is the difference in clarity really noticable, or not?

I'm very skeptical on this, cause standard DVD on the HD tv etc etc is quite damn good..

feedback?

[Lumps of cheese]

I think it's very good but that's why i posed the question in my thread about cables because i think they're supposed to make quite a bit of difference.
Overall even though i can see the difference it isn't worlds ahead like i was hearing but that could just be my setup too.

[vsquest]

go hd dvd

[Troy711]

go hd dvd

Smart, considering HDDVD has gone down the path of Betamax...

[CSP]

To make the most of BluRay you need to have a full 1080p HD TV, quality cables, quality amp and quality speakers. BluRay craps all over DVD. If you don't think it does, you haven't seen one on a decent setup.

[Deutscher]

Hi guys,

I'm just about to purchase a new 80gb PS3 (mainly for the blu-ray and so I have a DVD player) anyway, my question is .... is Blu-Ray regional like dvds? I want the movie Never Back Down on Blu-Ray but it isn't getting released in Australia on Blu-Ray so I'd thought bout buying it from Amazon but I couldn't find anything saying its regional. anyone know?

[VrWagz1]

To really get and see the benifits, you need a good setup. Simply buying a standard couple grand 106cm tv and playing bluray will not really show its true benifits. You really need hi end audio gear and minimum 50" screen 1080p 100hz to really start to reap the benifits of bluray.

[ProphetVX]

To make the most of BluRay you need to have a full 1080p HD TV, quality cables, quality amp and quality speakers. BluRay craps all over DVD. If you don't think it does, you haven't seen one on a decent setup.

Blu Ray's good, but it doesn't have the wow factor or step up factor that DVD did over VHS. With a good DVD upscaler, there is not a huge difference between the two, well not enough to warrant the extra hardware cost. The cost of Blu Ray DVD's is the killer, paying an extra $15 for the disc over it's DVD equivalent doesn't really represent money well spent in my book. I have a Blu Ray player (my PS3) but never buy the movies, I'll hire them if I'm at the local video store, but that's the only time I'll ever use it.

[commsirac]

As far as I understand it: DVD(720 x 560) is better than vcr playback, but not even close to bluray(1980x 1080), in fact dvd is not even as good as hd television(1366x768). The audio on dvd though is right up there.

I can definitely see a difference between dvd and hdtv when ive seen the same movie on tv that ive got the dvd for. Bluray looked better in the shop, but havent got a bluray player yet.....waiting til they are more affordable.

[Low_VX_Taxi]

As far as I understand it: DVD(720 x 560) is better than vcr playback, but not even close to bluray(1980x 1080), in fact dvd is not even as good as hd television(1366x768). The audio on dvd though is right up there.

I can definitely see a difference between dvd and hdtv when ive seen the same movie on tv that ive got the dvd for. Bluray looked better in the shop, but havent got a bluray player yet.....waiting til they are more affordable.

If you get a dvd player with HDMI 1080 and a 1080 hdmi t.v it will upscale the dvd quality, to what degree I am not 100% BUT from personal experience it does improve the visual and sound quality of standard dvds.

[azkwazere]

It comes down to how much money you have really..

yes there is a difference, its encoded in a much high res so natuarlly is going to have better quality video. Audio also recieves improvement of the DVD setup, however, until the allow for quad burning on the bluray discs and we can all make use of the d/s 100Gb disc, its just not worth it.

Its more expensive + its not enough of an improvement.

People have already said it and ill go with them... its not a big enough jump from DVD to Bluray (which is stupid cos bluray is technically a dvd) Think VHS-DVD... this WONT last...

You know what will though? Solid State! Yes thats right, the original nintendo was using this technology for years ahaha.. You can buy a 4gb memory stick for $17.. now, mass produce them, allow for write once only(save money here) You have a faster video system, less chance of breakages, power friendly... and eventually, s/s will be so much cheaper and more versatile(think size of "disks").

Disc media ISNT the solution.... my advice, just let bluray slip into the beta alley and die!

happy home theatre-ing.

aZk.

[CANYONERO]

i have a PS3 with Hi Def tv with HD cables and the difference is AWESOME! playin ps3 games and watchin bluray, im really happy with it.

[stocky]

It comes down to how much money you have really..

yes there is a difference, its encoded in a much high res so natuarlly is going to have better quality video. Audio also recieves improvement of the DVD setup, however, until the allow for quad burning on the bluray discs and we can all make use of the d/s 100Gb disc, its just not worth it.

Its more expensive + its not enough of an improvement.

People have already said it and ill go with them... its not a big enough jump from DVD to Bluray (which is stupid cos bluray is technically a dvd) Think VHS-DVD... this WONT last...

You know what will though? Solid State! Yes thats right, the original nintendo was using this technology for years ahaha.. You can buy a 4gb memory stick for $17.. now, mass produce them, allow for write once only(save money here) You have a faster video system, less chance of breakages, power friendly... and eventually, s/s will be so much cheaper and more versatile(think size of "disks").

Disc media ISNT the solution.... my advice, just let bluray slip into the beta alley and die!

happy home theatre-ing.

aZk.

yeah i would hate the idea of burning a heap of data onto a blu-ray disc just to have one scratch make it unusable.

[xlr8_87]

for a start, there's no point getting blu-ray until your tv is set up properly...

all these "full HD" plasma's and LCD's on scale aren't as good as they should be. my dad bought a 43" pioneer plasma about 5 years ago now, he set it up properly with the best gear, best cables, and still to this date I haven't seen a plasma or LCD of any size, whether it be HD, Full HD, playing blu-ray or whatever, that can compare to the quality. I wouldn't spend the money on blu-ray until your tv is setup properly.

having said that, I'd be interested to see what difference blu-ray makes on a good setup.

[CSP]

Blu Ray's good, but it doesn't have the wow factor or step up factor that DVD did over VHS. With a good DVD upscaler, there is not a huge difference between the two, well not enough to warrant the extra hardware cost.

Then your setup isn't very good. There is HUGE wow factor in BluRay over DVD when the COMPLETE SETUP is done with high quality components, and done properly.

Upscaling can actually DEGRADE the quality of a DVD and is more of a marketing term than anything. Something that isn't 1080 (p or i) to start with simply can't be upscaled to it.

[VZHSV]

blueray is mint dont know if u guys are watching them on some cheap pos tv..
all i know is that on the 52" bravia at home it looks insane feels like ur actualy in the damn movie ur self and the quality is noticeable by FARRRR then standard dvd
tottaly worth it .. as for the cables no need to spend more then $150 for a HDMI cable
as ppl at JB etc try sell u $300 cables that isnt much diference to the human eye

[arrow224]

Hi guys,

I'm just about to purchase a new 80gb PS3 (mainly for the blu-ray and so I have a DVD player) anyway, my question is .... is Blu-Ray regional like dvds? I want the movie Never Back Down on Blu-Ray but it isn't getting released in Australia on Blu-Ray so I'd thought bout buying it from Amazon but I couldn't find anything saying its regional. anyone know?

Blu-ray.com - Blu-ray Movies - About
Although a large portion of all Blu-ray movies are region free (when this is written about two-thirds of all Blu-ray movies are region free) below is a map of the official regions.

Region A: North America, South America, Japan, Korea, South East Asia
Region B: Greenland, Europa, Africa, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand
Region C: China, India, Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Central, and South Asia.

[Full Spectrum]

Here is a little look at HD dvd against DVD..



Another Blu-ray Vs DVD..
viewer

Also Disc size, Dual layer DVD is 8.5gb.. Blu-ray disc size is 50gb.

A few more.. SD.. HD..
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...r/c7ff7e16.png

Underworld 2.
SD.. http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...D/2d481dc0.png
HD.. http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u...y/2d19a3f9.png

Little blurs in the back ground, Are viewable. Small writing that you cant see on a wall, With 1080p even 1080i you can read it..

Just watched Rush hour 2, The seen where they come out the back of the into the limo's, And they get dragged away into the truck, There was a sign on the wall, I couldn't read, Was on SD TV, Realized it, Switched over fast and it was clear to read.. Pretty good, Much better detail all around, Plenty to look at.

[ProphetVX]

Then your setup isn't very good. There is HUGE wow factor in BluRay over DVD when the COMPLETE SETUP is done with high quality components, and done properly.

Upscaling can actually DEGRADE the quality of a DVD and is more of a marketing term than anything. Something that isn't 1080 (p or i) to start with simply can't be upscaled to it.

Why do people who have differing tech opinions always say "well your setup mustn't be good enough"?

I have a full 1080p 50" Panasonic plasma which cost me 6k when I bought it. A PS3, and a top of the line Pioneer DVD player (full 1080p upscaling) and 7.1 surround sound. My setup is just fine.

I know exactly what upscaling does. It just prevents the stretching of pixels to larger resolutions on higher end televisions. I said that blu ray looks great, but to your average punter, there isn't a huge difference when you've got a quality dvd playing setup. Certainly not enough to warrant paying out $700-800 for a decent BD player. The picture quality on recent dvd's on a quality setup is right up there, more than enough for me to go "do I really need better picture quality?". For video games the quality of your tv makes a huge difference, but not so much for video. I don't see how people can justify paying $45 for a movie, on top of the already exhorbitant hardware costs when DVD already provides pretty good picture quality. I'm a tech-junkie, always want all the new gear, but by the time Blu Ray actually becomes popular enough for the media to drop to a reasonable price, things like downloadable media, solid state, IPTV, etc will all be at a level that is accessible and cheap to everyone and BD will be a relic. Optical media is dieing slowly as the emergence of the internet and new media continues to rise.

The only reason BD has had a slow but steady uptake is because of the PS3. But even then, the adoption rate from there is terrible. Your average person cannot justify the extra cost, and it's easy to see why.

[crazyspoon05]

Agree with ProphetVX, the average punter isn't going to really notice the difference, it's the same with some speakers that cost $200 each compared to $1000 each or cheap but decent wines against very expensive wines

[CSP]

The only reason BD has had a slow but steady uptake is because of the PS3. But even then, the adoption rate from there is terrible. Your average person cannot justify the extra cost, and it's easy to see why.

And similar was spoken about DVD when it was an emerginy technology back in the 90's.

As for $45 for a BluRay... I haven't paid more than $39.95. Same as what DVDs cost when the technology was new.

It will be the uptake of all the other technology that actually slows. Typical Mums and Dads won''t want the hassle of IPTV, downloading online media etc...

Only time will tell for sure...

[ProphetVX]

And similar was spoken about DVD when it was an emerginy technology back in the 90's.

As for $45 for a BluRay... I haven't paid more than $39.95. Same as what DVDs cost when the technology was new.

It will be the uptake of all the other technology that actually slows. Typical Mums and Dads won''t want the hassle of IPTV, downloading online media etc...

Only time will tell for sure...

Nothing of the sort was said about DVD. Everyone was wowed by the picture quality, but the cost and lack of recording ability is what made uptake slower than what was hoped. The technology itself was received very well.

The same can't be said about Blu Ray. Your average person just doesn't notice or care for the difference because the existing technology in most peoples minds is more than adequate.

IPTV is only one technology coming through. Solid state, holographic etc etc are all physical media that will have far reaching impacts on the blu ray market before the technology matures itself. By the time it's at a price that mum's and dad's are happy with (which is a long way away), they'll have many more choices to choose from.

[crazyspoon05]

I'm thinking Blu Ray will go the way of mini disc and the like, the seasoned home theatre buff will continue on with it as long as there is material available (as audiophiles did with Mini Disc over CD and other audio storage mediums) but for the masses the nearly as good or just as good (with their untrained eyes and ears) and far cheaper formats will appeal to them more

[CSP]

DVD is not "nearly as good" or "just as good" as BluRay and even with upscaling, it wont ever come close.

I dont know why people can't accept the significant image and sound quality improvement a BRD has over a DVD.

The comments along the lines of "most wont tell the difference" is just plain rubbish. If the difference isn'timmediately obvious, you need your eyes and/or your hearing checked.

[adamc11]

DVD is not "nearly as good" or "just as good" as BluRay and even with upscaling, it wont ever come close.

I dont know why people can't accept the significant image and sound quality improvement a BRD has over a DVD.

The comments along the lines of "most wont tell the difference" is just plain rubbish. If the difference isn'timmediately obvious, you need your eyes and/or your hearing checked.

Well most won't tell the visual difference unless they have a 42"+ LCD or plasma. As for sound, you need 5.1 to enjoy that too. So unless you have a good setup, most will not notice a difference.