Blu-Ray - is it time?

[villages07]

I admit I like gadgets and electronics and have lately been looking at blu-ray players. I am no video expert but looking at movies playing in the store, the quality is superb. It appears that blockbuster (store and online) have a good supply of current movies in bluray...I'm not one to buy movies.

So, is it time to take the plunge? Prices seem to be coming down ... costco.com has a panasonic bd605K for $229, including shipping. It's gotten good reviews on some of the audio/videophile forums.

Can some of you who have invested in blu ray players share your experiences?

My only other concern is that my HD TVs are 720p not 1080i .... will this significantly degrade the quality of the blu ray picture?

Any other shopping/buying tips?

As always, thanks for sharing your experiences and expertise.

[Mikitv]

07 Hubs just got a Samsung Blue Ray player as a bonus gift from his employer. I watched a movie with him and his TV has only the 720 and It was impressed with the quality of the picture. It was wonderful. He had been talking about buying one because he wants to switch over his movies to Blue Ray version and it is well worth the investment. He did research the Sony and Samsung and like the Samsung, bang for the buck.

[ijusluvit]

There is a strong possibility that no living human being has eyesight acute enough to differentiate between 720p and 1080i.

[Yoda]

I just got my rabbit ears to work.:sad:

[SteveFromNY]

07, I have Blu-Ray and it is a very clear picture. The 720P televisions will detract from the potential quality by some margin for sure. But it will still be an improvement over the 480P that a regular DVD provides. I have 1080P televisions, and can definitely tell the difference beween regular HD broadcasts (which are mostly 720P and some 1080i) and Blu-Ray at 1080P. But both are really, really high quality pictures.
That said, the big difference to me is the sound. I have a 7.1 receiver and when watching Blu-Ray, it's like being in a movie theater. If you appreciate a home theater experience Blu-Ray can't be beat. Not everyone does (Mrs SteveFromNY for instance), but if you do, then it's time for Blu-Ray.

[EdV]

I agree with Steve.

But keep in mind that the size of your screen will also come into play. The improvements that Blu-Ray can provide on a 720p or 1080i display will be more noticeable on screen sizes above 40”. On a smaller 32” screen it will be less noticeable.

[GMONEY]

You can tell the difference between 720p-1080i then switch to blur-ray at 1080P depending on the size of your TV. The thing is, you must have a televison capable of viewing 1080P. The qualitiy of the TV makes a difference also. It looks much better on a larger screen also. And the only way to get the best picture using 1080P is to use HDMI hook up. Regular DVD is broadcast in 480p, They look good on a blu-ray, but nothing compares to a Blu-ray disk when watched on the correct set. I have had Blu-Ray for about 1 year or longer now. The movies are so much better.
Regular High Def TV that you see is at the most 1080i. I know Direct TV is starting to show some movies on PPV in 1080P.
There is alot more to a Blur-Ray disk also. alot of room for future use. You can get alot better audio and all. Here is a link to check out:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-13817_7-6462511-2.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-13817_7-6462511-5.html?tag=rb_content;rb_mtx


http://reviews.cnet.com/best-blu-ray-players/?tag=rb_mtx;more


Money Out

[ChattanoogaTn]

I too am a collector of electronic gadgets and have copied movies, recorded videos and had most of the computer and recording goodies.

I did research the "Blu Ray" players and found that the disk are waaay to high (at least for me) as well as trying to "record" is also out of my reach compared to regular DVD's.

The picture is surperb in every way but I can't see paying that much for a Blu Ray movie but maybe like all electronics things will come down.

Just my opinion as 98.9% of you are waaay ahead of me in the $$$ dept as I see what you pay for Golf Carts and think to myself.... "I could but a Porsche for what he paid for that Golf Cart"

But then again.... We only go around ONCE!

[Russ_Boston]

V7 - I have a blu-ray (Sony) and it is very nice.

One Note regarding $$ of DVD's. Just get Netflix for $9 per month and you can get most titles in blu-ray. Only 1 at a time but their turn around is so quick you could get many per month.

[KathieI]

I just got my rabbit ears to work.:sad:

My sentiments exactly. What the heck is a blue ray? Anything like a sting ray??? :a20: :shrug:

Kath http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/flowerysmile.gif (http://www.millan.net)

[ChattanoogaTn]

My sentiments exactly. What the heck is a blue ray? Anything like a sting ray??? :a20: :shrug:

Kath http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/flowerysmile.gif (http://www.millan.net)

Ha Ha Ha.... Women and "technology" never went together !:a20:

[Irish Rover]

I bought my Blu-Ray about 6 months ago and love it. HOWEVER - we purchsed Taken the other day (in Blu-Ray) and as soon the movie booted up a warning came on the screen that told me to go on line and get an update for the device. It is a Samsung and too new to need an update. Check before you buy.:shrug:

[tankdvr1950]

Villages07....i went thru the same thought process about a year ago...finally took the plunge

bought a panasonic blu-ray player for less that 300 and am very pleased.....i compare blu ray to the difference between regular digital TV and HD TV....it does make a big difference....and...with a blu ray player, it automatically "upconverts" your non blu ray DVD's to a higher level of clarity....not to HD level...but better than if played on a regular DVD player

its your choice of course....but i do not regret my decision

[SteveFromNY]

07, one point about HDMI cables.....I forgot to mention them in the prior post.

Shop for them on-line. I have purchased them for as little as around $7 per cable (6' long). In the store they can cost $40 to $80. It's a ridiculous price to pay for a wire.

What's noce about HDMI is a single cable carries both digital video and audio. It's much neater behind the components.

[GMONEY]

Blu-Ray is still new and advancing, that is why with some movies depending on the player you have you will not be able to watch the movie unitil you do the firmware upgrade to it. I have a Sony, so if it requires a upgrade I can go the Sony website and download the upgrade and load it into my system. There is so much you can do with a Blu-Ray disk that the features keep advancing and alot of the older blu-ray players need to be upgraded for it. My player is over 1 1/2 years old. I will be getting the new samsung player. You will also notice that your player may take longer to load a blu-ray movie due to the size of info on the disk. Again depending on the player and how old it might be.
As for HDMI, makes a difference if your listnening to Tru surround sound and all is digital and you want the best picture possible. Remember to make sure your TV supports a 1080P set up. You can get a HDMI cheap or you can pay over 150.00 for a Monster Cable HDMI depending on the lenght you need. most use between 3.2 and 7 feet. Some say a 10.00 cable is as good as a 150.00 one, but you get what you pay for. I had one from walmart, and would get a line in the picture. took it back got another one, seemed good. but tried a friends upgraded cable and picture was clear and audio was great. again depends your set up.

http://www.blu-ray.com/

http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=3831

ALso Blu-ray will be in Widescreen, not very common to see a Blu-ray movie and it be so called full screen. One of the Better ones is the newest batman movies, The Dark Knight. It is filmed for Imax also and has alot of Full Screen shots. But if you get the movie look on the back of the package. If it shot in aspect ratio of 2:41 or something like that, black bar will on top and bottom. If shot in like 1:85 you will have a full screen effect.

Money Out