What's the big deal with BluRay?

[Perpetual Change]

Okay, so I've been hearing more and more about how wonderful BluRay is recently. Lots of new movies are coming out on it, and the same goes for concert DVDs. But, I'm not sold. Though, I've never actually seen a BluRay, I just can't imagine that it'd be worth upgrading to one. I mean, is the picture quality really that much better? I can't find anything wrong with the quality of most DVDs. And, BluRays are expensive. A quick look on Best Buy's website shows that the cheapest BluRay player is still around $70. And the BluRay DVDs themselves aren't cheaper (and can't be bought for a pittance like most of my DVDs can be-- from Amazon.com).

But I'm trying to keep an open mind. How is BluRay better than a normal DVD player?

[skydivingninja]

Well basically, the picture of DVDs and Blu-Rays are made up of a bunch of lines.  I don't remember how many lines DVDs use, but Blu Rays use 1080 (I think.  Someone may have to correct me on that), which means better picture quality and clarity. 

And $70 isn't that bad for a blu ray player, though I'm pretty sure you can find one for $50.  As for the actual movies I wait for them to go on sale.  Target usually has a decent selection. 

[bosk1]

Short, oversimplified answer:  There is more space for data, so you can have a much crisper image, which probably wouldn't be all THAT noticeable except for the fact that people have gigantimous televisions nowadays, so lower definition doesn't look as good when blown up that big. 

[YtseCullen]

The main thing I love about the Blu Ray is how much it improves older movies. I watched Full Metal Jacket on Blu Ray and the quality of it is so crisp and clear VS. DVD's and everything before that. It makes old movies seem new to me. and Today I watched Live at Budokan on blu ray and it's just so much clearer. You won't notice much of a difference if you watch the DVD version then the Blu Ray Version, but after you watch the DVD version again you'll notice how much of an upgrade it really is. One thing to keep in mind is that you need a TV that can output 1080p, if it only does 720p then you should just stick with blu ray.

[Zook]

My DVDs look just fine on my 46 inch. I haven't felt the need to upgrade.

[Fiery Winds]

If you really want to know if it's worth it, you should just see it for yourself and decide if the difference you see is worth the extra cost.  Yeah, new releases are still pricey, but I buy most of my Blu-Rays for $10-$15.  On Saturday I bought The Hunger Games on Blu-Ray and it was only $2 more than the DVD ($17.99 vs. $19.99). 

To go over the more technical differences, it's basically a drastic improvement in both video and audio.

Audio:  Uncompressed.  The increase in storage space allows the entire soundtrack to be stored in loss-less quality.

Video: Much higher resolution compared to DVD.  DVD is 720x480 while Blu-Ray is 1920x1080.  That's 6 times the amount of pixels.

To fully realize these improvements requires a proper TV and sound system.  Not to mention quality among different Blu-Ray titles can vary due to how they're encoded. 

[Implode]

I'm a stickler for resolution so for me personally it's always been worth it. Though sinze I'm starting to live on my own, it's a good time for me since I'm just starting to build my video collection. I'd say that if you have a TV that can display 1080p, it's worth it. Here's a relative size comparison for you.



The black is 4:3 DVD size. The white is 16x9 1080p.

[PetFish]

PC, what I suggest you do is forget about BR for now and get a nice 50" HDTV and subscribe to some HD channels ESPECIALLY sports and you'll see the hugest difference you could possibly imagine and then you'll be one of us and can move on to BR.

Once you get into HDTV you'll wonder how you went so long without it.     

[Sigz]

If you have a 1080p TV, the difference between a DVD and a bluray is REALLY noticeable.

[jammindude]

If you have a 1080p TV, the difference between a DVD and a bluray is REALLY noticeable.

IMO, this is the simplest and best answer...

[BlobVanDam]

If you have a 1080p TV, the difference between a DVD and a bluray is REALLY noticeable.

Yup. If you've only got a smaller standard def TV, the difference is going to be pretty negligible, but if you've got a larger HD screen, the difference is huge. I don't have Bluray yet just because I don't have a good enough TV/monitor to make full use of it yet.

[DebraKadabra]

If you have a 1080p TV, the difference between a DVD and a bluray is REALLY noticeable.

The main thing I love about the Blu Ray is how much it improves older movies. I watched Full Metal Jacket on Blu Ray and the quality of it is so crisp and clear VS. DVD's and everything before that.

Funny you mention that, as I was about to mention the same thing about the BR of The Warriors.  They cleaned the movie up so well it looks like it was made recently and not in 1979.

[Progmetty]

I've had a PS3 since 2008, before that I had a similar "What's the big deal with BluRay" attitude, only the deal wasn't as big then as it is now that we're getting more and more releases on BluRay.
Long story short when it comes to movies and a 1080p TV you really see the difference like Sigz said, in my case to the point of getting too spoiled and being unable to enjoy my old normal DVDs anymore. Even on new DVDs quality now looks similar to quality of cable TV broadcast of widescreen "HD" shows and movies. BluRay quality is something you can only get from Blu Ray disc.
But what really sweetens the deal -especially for a music fan- are concert BluRays, so far I only have one cause only one of the bands I like has released a concert BluRay but luckily the perfect one to do so. Porcupine Tree Anesthetize Blu Ray. If you're interested in PT and wanna know what's the big deal with BluRay then get this release, it blows me away every time, Wilson being an established master of audio mixing and sound production is a strong enough aspect to experience in such clarity and quality, let alone the visuals and the lighting on the stage itself.
I was most excited when DT's Live at Budokhan was announced for release on BluRay but surprisingly I haven't had the chance to buy it yet. Hopefully very soon. I heard people praising it and it wasn't even shot in HD, imagine how amazing the new BluRay is going to be, especially with how awesome the music and the visuals have been on this tour, mouthwatering goodness.

[hefdaddy42]

I've got a 50" but I think it's only 720.  Is Blu-Ray worth it?

[Perpetual Change]

Ah, thanks guys.

It looks like I'll be waiting until I'm established and financially secure enough to get a entire new system to get a BluRay player.

Which means, it looks like I'll be waiting for the next technology probably

[Öxölklöfför]

I think that the possibility to fit a large movie (e.g. a concert with extras) on one BluRay disc instead of 2-3 DVD discs is a pretty good argument for using it.

[Tick]

For those who just have a DVD player(like myself) you can just upgrade an old player to a progressive scan DVD player which shows most DVDs in 1080p. My old player showed my DVDs in 480p. It has made a tremendous difference from my old player. They are probably very inexpensive at this point.

[Jaq]

Unless you have a HDTV, you really don't notice the difference, but once you watch a blu ray on even a puny 24 inch HDTV, let alone a 46-55 inch monster, you'll never go back.

[kirksnosehair]

I recently needed to get a new DVD player since the one I had was old enough that it still had a VHS player in it side by side with the DVD player and the DVD player was acting up....skipping, freezing, etc.


So, I went out and got a BluRay player.  It's backwards compatible so it reads regular DVDs just fine (no more skipping and freezing!) and I can watch BluRay DVDs if I ever end up buying one.


I think the new player was about $100

[TL]

For those who just have a DVD player(like myself) you can just upgrade an old player to a progressive scan DVD player which shows most DVDs in 1080p. My old player showed my DVDs in 480p. It has made a tremendous difference from my old player. They are probably very inexpensive at this point.

Progressive Scan just displays DVDs in 480p instead of 480i (480p being a sharper picture).
You can get an upconverting DVD player which will make DVDs look noticeably better on a 1080 display than they would with just a regular DVD player, but it's still noticeably lower quality than something from an actual 1080p source. You also don't get better audio with upconverted DVD.
It should be noted as well that all BluRay players will upconvert DVDs.

Some more recent DVDs (though still not many) actually have video encoded at 720p. Of course, you still need a player and display capable of showing that for it to matter. On a 1080p display, it will look better than upconverted 480p, but still not as good as native 1080p (though at that point, it only makes a big difference if you have a huge tv and/or are sitting really close).

[Tick]

For those who just have a DVD player(like myself) you can just upgrade an old player to a progressive scan DVD player which shows most DVDs in 1080p. My old player showed my DVDs in 480p. It has made a tremendous difference from my old player. They are probably very inexpensive at this point.

Progressive Scan just displays DVDs in 480p instead of 480i (480p being a sharper picture).
You can get an upconverting DVD player which will make DVDs look noticeably better on a 1080 display than they would with just a regular DVD player, but it's still noticeably lower quality than something from an actual 1080p source. You also don't get better audio with upconverted DVD.
It should be noted as well that all BluRay players will upconvert DVDs.

Some more recent DVDs (though still not many) actually have video encoded at 720p. Of course, you still need a player and display capable of showing that for it to matter. On a 1080p display, it will look better than upconverted 480p, but still not as good as native 1080p (though at that point, it only makes a big difference if you have a huge tv and/or are sitting really close).

Interesting. I guess I'm wrong. The picture on mine on newer DVD's is so amazing on my TV I thought there was no way it could be 480p.

[XJDenton]

For those wondering if the difference in quality is worth it, try running your computer monitor in 800x600 for a day or so.

[Ben_Jamin]

Well I like it because it can play some of my really scratched DVD's.

[Tick]

I know you can play DVD's in BluRay players. Can you play BluRay discs in a DVD player?

[BlobVanDam]

I know you can play DVD's in BluRay players. Can you play BluRay discs in a DVD player?

Nope.
If you could play a Bluray disc in a DVD player, it would be a Bluray player.

[Tick]

I know you can play DVD's in BluRay players. Can you play BluRay discs in a DVD player?

Nope.
If you could play a Bluray disc in a DVD player, it would be a Bluray player.

I didn't know. I thought maybe it might play but without the picture quality. If ya don't ask....

[MykeHavoc]

The picture quality is 6 times superior to that of a DVD, and often the transfers on DVDs are greatly out-dated. Plus lossless audio makes a difference, especially if you use anything outside of the TV's speakers. And blu-rays are actually much CHEAPER now than most DVDs, and include exclusive features and such. If you have an HDTV, there's really no reason not to upgrade.

[TL]

For those who just have a DVD player(like myself) you can just upgrade an old player to a progressive scan DVD player which shows most DVDs in 1080p. My old player showed my DVDs in 480p. It has made a tremendous difference from my old player. They are probably very inexpensive at this point.

Progressive Scan just displays DVDs in 480p instead of 480i (480p being a sharper picture).
You can get an upconverting DVD player which will make DVDs look noticeably better on a 1080 display than they would with just a regular DVD player, but it's still noticeably lower quality than something from an actual 1080p source. You also don't get better audio with upconverted DVD.
It should be noted as well that all BluRay players will upconvert DVDs.

Some more recent DVDs (though still not many) actually have video encoded at 720p. Of course, you still need a player and display capable of showing that for it to matter. On a 1080p display, it will look better than upconverted 480p, but still not as good as native 1080p (though at that point, it only makes a big difference if you have a huge tv and/or are sitting really close).

Interesting. I guess I'm wrong. The picture on mine on newer DVD's is so amazing on my TV I thought there was no way it could be 480p.

It's certainly possible that your player has progressive scan and upconverting.
Also, some HDTVs are capable of doing some upconverting, with many being almost as good at it as upconverting players. It would certainly be noticeably better than no upconverting, so that may be it.


Edit: Anyway, it all basically comes down to personal preference. (Speaking generally now, not to anyone in particular). If you find that upconverted DVDs look fine on your HDTV, then there's no reason to rush out and get a BluRay player. Personally, while I buy BluRays more and more often, I also still buy DVDs, and am in no real rush to upgrade most of my film collection. For me, BluRay definitely looks and sounds better, but DVD is still perfectly watchable too.