Blu-ray>HD?

Anythingoo1

Anythingoo1

CAG Veteran
Okay, I'm not saying anything about Blu-ray, but I've had alot of friends and people tell me that there's no/little difference, and from what I've seen, I have to agree with them.
Currently, I watch tv on a HD sony 35" tv, and I find the quality to be just perfect, but if Blu-ray is as good as it says on the tin, then can someone please let me know, so I can invest in it, as I'm quite a movie fanatic.
OPINIONS???
 
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[quote name='Anythingoo1']... as I'm quite a movie fanatic.[/QUOTE]

First of, this threads are to post deals not questions, but the "DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD Deals" thread is a little less picky on this anyhow, so I will try and reply.

Second, if you are a "movie fanatic" and from reading your post, you don't have a Bluray player yet (thats what it seems), I would officially tell you to stop calling yourself a "movie fanatic", as movies look much better on Blurays than DVDs, even better than any tv channel in HD (this is obvious IMO at least).
 
Eh?
Are you wanting to know if :br: is better than cable? Not sure of the question here...
If that is the question, then yes it is better.
 
What does TV have to do with Blu-ray? It's not a one or the other thing. Are you buying DVD's still, or just watching everything on cable? If you want to watch movies in the highest quality available on a consumer media format, get a Blu-ray player.

As to answer the silly title question: Blu-ray = HD
 
It's pretty difficult to discern what exactly you're asking here. I'll give you five main points.

1. Blu-ray is a 1080p HD format. That means a resolution of 1920x1080 in progressive scan.
2. You need a 1080p HDTV to see the full resolution and in progressive scan.
3. DVD is a 480p SD format. That means a resolution of 640x480 720x480 in progressive scan.
4. HDTV programming is either 1080i or 720p, neither of which are as good as 1080p.
5. You likely won't see the difference between 720p and 1080p unless you have a HDTV larger than 46".
 
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Dear OP. Blu-ray is the way to go! You need Blu-ray so you can Blu-ray your Blu-ray so you can Blu-ray your Blu-ray as you Blu-ray. We all know this is possible by Blu-raying your Blu-ray. Because in order to Blu-ray, you'll need to Blu-ray. Also, Blu-ray.
 
[quote name='rapsodist']
4. HDTV programming is either 1080i or 720p, neither of which are as good as 1080p.
[/QUOTE]
And HDTV programming is going to be highly compressed if you're receiving it through a cable TV service, meaning you're losing even more picture quality OP.
 
To be fair, it does depend on the size of the set and the distance from it. He has a 35" TV so he could get buy with just a 720P resolution and not be affected greatly. I don't think a Blu-ray player would go wasted on him since transfers are usually updated in multiple ways for Blu-ray release, but if he does have a big DVD collection he could make baby steps and buy (a more affordable) DVD upscaling player. He probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference at that size, especially if he's perfectly happy with HD TV programming. If his TV has native 1080P support, then def. get a BD player.
 
The jump from DVD to blu-ray on a proper tv, it's like ps2 to ps3 jump in graphics. I had a 42" 720p plasma and now have a 46" 120hz LED 1080p..night and day difference.
 
[quote name='joshnorm']No, I think the OP should go into HD-DVD its the next big thing.[/QUOTE]

No way, LaserDisc is the pinnacle of home entertainment.
 
[quote name='Brownjohn']No way, LaserDisc is the pinnacle of home entertainment.[/QUOTE]

So why do I keep hearing that BetaMax is the greatest thing since sliced bread?
 
The picture quality of the best Blu-rays I've watched are much better than that of the best DirecTV HD programs I've watched. In general, the larger the screen, and the higher quality of the TV, the more noticeable the difference. It's more noticeable on my 60" LCD in my living room than the 42" LCD in my bedroom, both 1080p, and with a Panasonic BD player hooked to each.
 
[quote name='joshnorm']No, I think the OP should go into HD-DVD its the next big thing.[/QUOTE]

Seconded.

[quote name='simmias']I'm surprised nobody ever mentions audio in these discussions.[/QUOTE]

Having sold audio and video equipment for many years, the average consumer will have an opinion on the image they want to see, but when it comes to their audio they just want it loud (ask any Magnolia salesperson how many people actually want a legit sound demo, and how many of them just want to crank the receivers as high as they can). Anyone who actually cares would probably educate themselves by researching instead of polling a video game forum.

Case in point: I could give a damn about lossless audio, but that image had better be balanced right!
 
[quote name='simmias']I'm surprised nobody ever mentions audio in these discussions.[/QUOTE]

I think most people have a lot more money invested in their TV than they do in audio components. I have significantly more invested in my receiver and speaker system than I do in my TV, Blu-ray player, Xbox 360 and Wii game systems, and power center combined. My receiver, a Marantz SR-9600XM, doesn't decode the lossless audio codecs, but I pass the decoded TrueHD and DTS-HD Master as LPCM to the Marantz over HDMI. There's a significant increase in audio detail in many of the better lossless tracks vs. lossy Dolby Digital and DTS on DVDs and HD TV programming.

Like a TV with Blu-ray vs. TV HD video, the better your audio equipment, the more difference you'll notice in lossless vs. lossy audio tracks.
 
[quote name='Anythingoo1']Okay, I'm not saying anything about Blu-ray, but I've had alot of friends and people tell me that there's no/little difference, and from what I've seen, I have to agree with them.
Currently, I watch tv on a HD sony 35" tv, and I find the quality to be just perfect, but if Blu-ray is as good as it says on the tin, then can someone please let me know, so I can invest in it, as I'm quite a movie fanatic.
OPINIONS???[/QUOTE]
Blu-Ray is alone atop the A/V quality mountain at this point.

But to enjoy it you must first and foremost have an HDTV. Second, apply this chart:

hdtv-viewing-distance.png


See if you're sitting at a range where the additional resolution is of a benefit to you. You should be.

Now assuming you cable everything up with HDMI (when possible) you'll see quality stacked in the following fashion:

1. Blu-Ray. 25MB bit rate and the best audio formats (up to and including uncompressed streams) at 1080p. Nothing touches it (except the defunct HD-DVD standard).

2. 1080p online streaming/digital download. These are the movies offered by Microsoft on the Xbox Marketplace or Sony on PSN. Amazon, iTunes, etc. offer 1080p versions of movies but the bit rate will not come close to blu-ray. At best you'll probably see something around 5MB because the bandwidth needed to transfer a movie that big in a stream or even in a straight download is not feasible for 99% of the U.S. consumer base.

3. OTA broadcast with a strong antenna. Your local networks (NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, PBS and possibly a few others) all broadcast over the air. If you have a quality antenna this will get you superior quality to what any cable provider will offer as this is an uncompressed 1080i (or rarely 720p) signal.

4. Cable or Dish HD television programming. The same as the OTA programming, but compressed by your service provider to make it easier and more reliable. Most forms of service (coax, dish, etc.) are really fighting bandwidth limits now that they're dealing with primarily HD programming, compression helps fight this (but worsens the quality of your product). Like above, 1080i or 720p, though a lot of times you'll find service provider set top boxes defaulting to one or the other and converting.

5. DVD through an upscaling DVD player. 480p jumped up to 720p. A nice upscaler makes them tolerable.

6. DVD through a non-upscaling DVD player. Your TV will pick up the upscaling work if the player doesn't, but a dedicated upscaling DVD should give better end results than having your TV do it. Also if it isn't HDMI (or a minimum component) it'll be a poor upscale by the TV.

7. non-HD television programming. 480i typically. Also not even reliably 16:9 aspect ratio. Your TV will hate this and make it look coated in Vaseline. It is to be avoided if at all possible.
 
So while 1080p is awesome, and everyone talks about it like everything outputs in it...really blu-ray is the only thing outputting in 1080p native right now, really. But :drool:, does it look awesome.
 
[quote name='mr_bungle']So while 1080p is awesome, and everyone talks about it like everything outputs in it...really blu-ray is the only thing outputting in 1080p native right now, really. But :drool:, does it look awesome.[/QUOTE]

Can't Xbox 360 games output 1080?
 
[quote name='joshnorm']Can't Xbox 360 games output 1080?[/QUOTE]

Yes, but barely any games do natively. And that's the key term, natively. You can get hardware to upscale DVDs, video games, etc into 1080p, but it wasn't made to run 1080p. 95% of 360 games are really only true 720p, your XBox upscales it to 1080p if you choose that option.
 
[quote name='mrosnwo']Yes, but barely any games do natively. And that's the key term, natively. You can get hardware to upscale DVDs, video games, etc into 1080p, but it wasn't made to run 1080p. 95% of 360 games are really only true 720p, your XBox upscales it to 1080p if you choose that option.[/QUOTE]
Aparently you can only notice the difference between 1080p to 720p on a bigger screen though? like say, 42-50" (I'm not making a statement, but asking a question)?
 
[quote name='Anythingoo1']Aparently you can only notice the difference between 1080p to 720p on a bigger screen though? like say, 42-50" (I'm not making a statement, but asking a question)?[/QUOTE]

Yeah that's true. You would probably notice some differences on say a 37" TV if you looked close up at it.
 
[quote name='mr_bungle']So while 1080p is awesome, and everyone talks about it like everything outputs in it...really blu-ray is the only thing outputting in 1080p native right now, really. But :drool:, does it look awesome.[/QUOTE]

HD-DVD does 1080p as well.
 
[quote name='mr_bungle']So while 1080p is awesome, and everyone talks about it like everything outputs in it...really blu-ray is the only thing outputting in 1080p native right now, really. But :drool:, does it look awesome.[/QUOTE]
More and more games support 1080p every year.

On the A/V front there are many ways to get 1080p video, but quality is not entirely a product of resolution.

Bit rate plays a huge role in image quality. Blu-Ray's biggest advantage is the 25MB bit rate video stream. No compression or artifacts, just crisp and clean images.

You can buy or rent 1080p videos on the 360, PS3, or your PC but none will have as high a bit rate and will lack the same clarity can crispness. Still look great, sure, but not quite as great. They will also not offer the same level of audio, typically just going with standard DD5.1 or DTS5.1, almost never HD audio.
 
The OP's TV is 35 inches, which means it's a CRT with 1080i resolution. But even if 35 inchers were 1080P, 35 inches is really too small to notice the additional detail that the 1080P resolution provides unless you're standing right in front of the screen. In other words, viewing distance is a factor.
The larger the screen, the easier it is to see additional detail in Blu-Rays, etc. as well as compression artifacts and other problems inherent to DVDs and lower-resolution sources.
 
[quote name='rapsodist']It's pretty difficult to discern what exactly you're asking here. I'll give you five main points.

1. Blu-ray is a 1080p HD format. That means a resolution of 1920x1080 in progressive scan.
2. You need a 1080p HDTV to see the full resolution and in progressive scan.
3. DVD is a 480p SD format. That means a resolution of 640x480 in progressive scan.
4. HDTV programming is either 1080i or 720p, neither of which are as good as 1080p.
5. You likely won't see the difference between 720p and 1080p unless you have a HDTV larger than 46".[/QUOTE]
the 46" is bullshit i can see the difference on my 32 and 42

also hdtv programming on most providers = highly compressed full of artifacts.
 
[quote name='rapsodist']

3. DVD is a 480p SD format. That means a resolution of 640x480 in progressive scan.
[/QUOTE]

DVD's max resolution is 720x480 for NTSC, not 640x480.
 
[quote name='styl3s']the 46" is bullshit i can see the difference on my 32 and 42

also hdtv programming on most providers = highly compressed full of artifacts.[/QUOTE]

I said likely. Some people may have a more acute sensitivity to these things, as you are asserting about yourself. In my experience, most of the people I know cannot tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a screen smaller than 46". I own a 42" and can tell the difference between the modes but my girlfriend, my parents, and many of my friends cannot.

Also, how far do you sit from your screen? If you're sitting a few feet away from a 32", then sure, you can probably see a difference. But many people sit a good 8-10 ft from their TV, and I would still argue that they're unlikely to see a difference between 720p and 1080p on a 32" at that distance.

[quote name='msu89dawgs']DVD's max resolution is 720x480 for NTSC, not 640x480.[/QUOTE]

You're right about that. I think I'm just too used to typing 640x480 thanks to all those old days of PC gaming.
 
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