So... I was thinking about buying a Blu Ray player to go with my soon to be new monitor (24" plus). Is it worth it over DVD quality? I've never actually seen a blu ray movie, is there a noticable difference? Super thanks Zinf.
Like with all visual things, everyone's got a bit of a different impression. You should be able to see quite the boost in quality, and at the very least: the industry is moving to Blu-ray, so if you want to watch new movies you'll need a Blu-ray player as DVD releases get rarer. You can also still play your old DVDs so the switch isn't exactly difficult since you'll only need one player for both. I personally see a huge difference looking back at DVDs. It has forever tainted my eyes for the better.
The only real way to see the visual difference between DVD and BD is to see stills. In motion while focusing on the movie there is no easily discernible way to distinguish between DVD and BD. I have been able to verify this on a 46" PDP HDTV with upscaled DVDs and BDs played back on a PS3 The only thing BD can which DVD can't is to show 3D content, but other than that you'd need a really, really big screen to see any quality differences.
Short answer, a lot. Some people will probably notice it more than other's but even my girlfriend has taken to buying everything on blu-ray now after seeing a few films at mine. It's immediately obvious going back to DVD and not to mention the sound quality aswell is much imporved.
Depends on the film/when it was shot and what conversion technique, if any, was used. Also dependant on your own eyesight and ability to resolve fine detail. Some films benefit from being on Blu-ray where the image is sharp, colour is well represented and the sound is pretty much spot on. Compared to the DVD release, the Blu-ray version is like seeing a whole new film. Examples include: The Matrix, Starship Troopers Some films don't really benefit at all from the new format. Either no attempt was made at upscaling or the original prints were unavailable to make the Blu-ray. Example: Leon. TL: DR, the best thing you can do is go round a friend's house for a movie night and watch some Blu-ray films.
Depends how good your eyesight is, how good your screen is and how far away you sit from it, too. Watching HD films on a 1680*1050 monitor the difference is very clear. In your case, Elledan, I'd guess the lack of an obvious difference is down to the fact that you're further away from it: for sofa viewing, it is less noticeable. That said, only certain films benefit from it: many older films, lower-production-cost films and certain types of films where it just isn't the point of focus don't benefit from better image quality. Dramas and such like When Harry Met Sally usually benefit less because it doesn't matter how high or low resolution it is - all the important shots are filmed up-close and extra resolution just means you see their wrinkles in higher def - and in any case, the film had that grainy old-school feel about it straight off the mark. Realistic action films like Black Hawk Down also benefit little; a few shots are close and crisp, but mostly the film takes place in dusty, chaotic environments in which the definition is absolutely wasted. This goes for the first Bourne film too. I speak from experience: I have both films on Blu-Ray and standard DVD, and the difference is imperceptible. Where it's worth the money and then some is films with high-quality visuals that directly factor into your enjoyment of the film. Iron Man, 2012, The Matrix and other such CGI-pornography efforts look wonderous in high-def and you will notice and appreciate it. Regular non-action films benefit too if they're notable for high-quality cinematography: I got Good Night & Good Luck on BR and it was well worth it, it looks fantastic, because unlike When Harry Met Sally and its 80s/90s ilk it has an absurdly high production cost and lots of artsy, lingering shots and good camerawork. Basically, for me it's a matter of context: some films are just not worth having in high-def. I've seen Predator 2 in both and it makes no difference, because (a) the production cost was meh and (b) it's all cheesy SFX and dark, steamy environments in which high-def is wasted.
I think BR players up-convert DVDs to a higher quality when used to view DVDs. I agree with boiled_elephant though, it depends on the content of the movie. Who really cares if you are watching something like office space on BR? But if you are going to watch something like Iron Man, its amazing.
There are a couple of other parts of that argument to consider, as well. Some movies have not been re-mastered from the original source to make optimal use of high definition. They are simply upscaled versions of the DVD release put on a Blu-ray disc. Because the films have not been properly re-mastered, there won't be any extra detail. The other part of the argument is the quality of given DVD and how well the Blu-ray player will upscale. Case in point: My daughter was watching the Disney cartoon Alice in Wonderland the other day. We don't have that movie on Blu-ray, so we were watching the DVD release on the PS3. The quality was actually very good; there were no noticeable artifacts, and I had to ask my wife if she had bought the Blu-ray version. I would disagree that HD is wasted on dark, steamy environments. The increased resolution and color information greatly improve the detail in the dark areas, provided your display is up to the task.
after seeing 4k (and 8k!!!!! YES THAT IS 8000X4000) video at IBC, All i can say is that blu ray is the new VHS to me. Roll on mass market 4k players, discs and displays!
My wife was very dubious about HD content until we got Sky+HD. After watching a few movies she was completely sold on it. And this is SKyHD which is only 1080i and not the glorious 1080p of Blu-Ray. When i put BBC's Planet Earth on the PS3 on Blu-Ray she sat for hours in silence starting at the frankly astounding images on screen. As said by other it doesn't always work, some stuff is better than others, some is actually worse off for being in HD since you can the trickery going on. On a side-note whilst i agree that Starship Troopers looks fantastic and is like seeing it for the first time all over again, The Matrix in HD looks painfully dated and the effects are so obviously CGI that it makes it comical. Just my opinion of course and i am very critical of movies. Best thing i've watched in HD so far purely going on quality? Nine (Tim Burton weird CG thing about sackboy i think) its stunning.
I'll probably be beaten to this observation, but isn't the only difference between the two framerate? And 1080i is better, if I remember correctly - 60fps versus the 25fps of 1080p, or thereabouts. You probably mean 720p? I think some channels use that instead. I reckon 720p (1280*720) may become the resolution that most TV and lower media settle at, since 1080p is a bit of an unwieldy way to get something as mundane as the weather forecast out to people.
Depends on the size of your tv and res. We've still got an HD ready Plasma TV 37". I can tell the difference, but my dvd player upscales so I it's not omfg regular dvd's look crap. When I get a 40" odd full hd, then I'll probably get a blu ray player. Till then I'm good.
No idea I just have it set to 1080i since to my eyes it looks better on my TV. With a better TV it may change though.
Well, speaking from personal experience, and without getting too long winded; the difference is huge! Though on a 24" monitor, viewing movies might not give you the full benefit of HD, however, get a 40" screen (or larger) and you will never look at DVD quality movies the same way again. Me and the missus now only buy new movies on blu-ray, and we shy away from the SD channels on TV - the SD content literally make us cringe. In my personal opinion, once you've experienced BR content in the privacy of your own home, you will never want to return to the, frankly, painfully inferior DVD stuff. However, that being said, certain older movies that are being relaunched on BR, suffer because of it. The missus, for instance, recently managed to convince me to watch Titanic again (yes, I know - shoot me now!) on BR, and let's just say that the effects that were somewhat convincing on DVD, could not for an instant hold up to the increased resolution on HD.
You're joking, of course, but I thought I would share this anecdote. After we got our HD TV, I exchanged my SD cable box for an HD version. When I plugged it in and hooked everything up, the first channel I watched was The Weather Channel. When our friends came over that evening, I showed them all the glory of The Weather Channel in HD. All I got in return were funny looks. Some people just don't appreciate weather maps in HD.
Must... resist... incredibly low blow... Okay, I think I've regained my composition. Time to actually contribute: In my experience, the upgrade is most noticable up close on a monitor than on a large TV. Watching a Blu-ray on a friend's 17" 1080p laptop screen was so crisp... it was beautiful.
