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Home audio & video: Blu-Ray Disk Dead?
Well, do you have a 1080i display?
by grtgrfx - 11/14/08 5:35 PM In reply to: Blu-Ray more! by Disk_CrasherI'd be inclined to agree with you if you bought one of the earlier plasma panels which were 720P resolution; these models didn't get the advantage of Blu-Ray the way that the newer 1080P models do. But a 40" TV, that's typical of an LCD, and those were 1080P a lot earlier than plasmas were, so you probably would see a difference. Maybe not enough to make you go "wow," but a definite difference.
BD Titles growing exponentially
by Reinstall - 11/15/08 1:34 PM In reply to: Well, do you have a 1080i display? by grtgrfxWhen the BD section is almost as large as the regular DVD section that should tell you something. As far as pricing the big box stores have been selling BD's ~ $19, a far cry from $30+, and continue to drop.
Also the price of large panels are dropping every day, upgrading to a 50" + panel a few years ago would be unthinkable for most, now it's doable, and size does matter ...
The average Joe Blow will definitely be able to discern the difference between 480 and 1080 content as well as a standard DVD upscaled versus a BD.
Blue Ray basically has become the default medium having beat out HD, Sony got this one right after the Beta / VHS disaster.
Its not Sony, its Panasonic
by jostenmeat - 11/15/08 2:17 PM In reply to: BD Titles growing exponentially by Reinstallwho owns all, or nearly all, of the BD patents.
I think their vested interest has got them to produce the best BD players at their respective price points.
lossless + uncompressed
by bearvp - 11/11/08 2:34 PM In reply to: Blu-Ray Disk Dead? by Disk_CrasherStreaming HD content is cute and all, but it is ALL compressed which kills the quality of the audio and video.
Yes, the average consumer might not have a great surround sound system to really hear the awesomeness from lossless sound, but that option to enjoy that feature is always available. The HD stuff you can get from iTunes would sound awful on even a mid-range surround sound system.
Now ...now
by RustyDallas - 11/11/08 3:07 PM In reply to: lossless + uncompressed by bearvpI've got an Apple TV and the HD movies don't look or sound awful. In fact, 720p downloads look and sound better than DVD's upscaled on my OPPO. They also look better than the 1080i movies I've watched through Time Warner's On Demand. Having said that, I certainly wouldn't make the claim that they look or sound as good as Blu ray. In fact, I'm sure they don't.
Rusty
Too right the disks are expensive
by JoMilton - 11/15/08 4:51 AM In reply to: Blu-Ray Disk Dead? by Disk_CrasherMy brother in law talked me into buying a new notebook with Blu Ray. I'd never heard of it before. Looked it up, sounded good, thought I ought to keep up with technology if I was getting a new notebook anyway, and now I have an Acer Aspire 6920 with Blu Ray. Awesome stuff - if only I had good enough eyesight to appreciate it! I'm pretty short sighted and middle aged to boot, so I can't get the full benefit of the sharp pictures.
Of course when I went to the store and realised that Blu Ray DVDs were almost twice as expensive as ordinary ones in many cases I decided that this was one advance in technology I could live without. I can't justify the additional expense to myself, when I can happily view an ordinary DVD and be just as entertained.
BR $$ and PC viewing
by Dan Filice - 11/15/08 6:21 AM In reply to: Too right the disks are expensive by JoMiltonIf you are using a notebook PC to view BR discs, then I'd wonder if you are getting ANY benefit from the BR format. In fact, what was the reason for buying a notebook with a BluRay drive in the first place? I have a 55" TV and the difference between standard DVD and BluRay is very obvious, but watching on a notebook...?? Yes the cost of BR discs is more than standard DVDs, but on newly-released titles there is hardly any price difference. I still buy standard DVDs, especially when I can buy an older title for $5.99, and I still enjoy the quality of 480p. But on a larger 1080p display, the difference is jawdropping.
Blu-Ray --- It's ALIVE!!!
by Dr. Planarian - 11/15/08 6:33 AM In reply to: Blu-Ray Disk Dead? by Disk_CrasherBlu-Ray has grown faster than DVD or CD did when they began. Its growth has been hampered by several factors, though, that are only now beginning to clear up, to wit:
1. That INSANE format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, now over.
2. The fact that Hi-Def TV is also in its infancy. Nobody needs Blu-Ray if they haven't got an HDTV. This will certainly begin to rectify itself after February 17 when U.S. TV goes all digital.
3. To an uncritical eye, regular DVDs are "good enough," at least until a person is exposed to Blu-Ray 1080p content.
4. The price of BD players, until just the past couple of weeks, had stubbornly refused to fall below the $400 range. If market penetration was Sony's goal, this was just stupid, particularly when DVD players, with their similar manufacturing costs, can be had for less than $20 sometimes.
5. Some of the content that would actually spur people to spring for BD players has not yet been released on Blu-Ray. This includes "Star Wars," "Lord of the Rings," the earlier Indiana Jones movies, HBO's magnificent "Rome," and too many other desirable titles with high visual content to list. I'll wager that sales will spike in anticipation of next year's release of LoTR. Star Wars would do even better.
But, even given these impediments, Blu-Ray is beginning to thrive robustly now. It also has a bright future, particularly as a computer peripheral. See, in the lab, it has been demonstrated that the format can grow significantly through multiple layering. I have heard tell of 50 layers and more. Not only will this be able to deal with ever-higher resolutions for visual content, it will be a very nearly ideal form of removable storage if the price of blank disks can be brought within reason (which it currently isn't).
I don't think Blu-Ray is going away any time soon. It may outlive VHS, or even cellulose/bakelite/vinyl, as the tangible media format of choice.
Blu-ray rocks!
by prberg - 11/15/08 6:13 PM In reply to: Blu-Ray Disk Dead? by Disk_CrasherI would have to say that blu-ray rocks and is hear for quite awhile. Personally I don't have any other way to see 1080p movies at home without a blu-ray player. The picture quality is much better than DVD. I think it's worth the price (what the player is like 150-200 and the movies are like 20... big deal). Also for some movies I want to have a physical medium... not just a file on a computer somewhere (hard drives do crash from time to time).
Plus I need a format for my computer that holds more than 4.5gb (or whatever DVD's hold). I have lots of photos and videos and I need a disc with more capacity.
blu-ray is great!
-peter
I absolutely must disagree
by 3rdalbum - 11/15/08 11:12 PM In reply to: Blu-Ray Disk Dead? by Disk_CrasherBlu-ray is picking up momentum here in Australia. Brand-name players (Sony & Samsung) are being sold below the $400 mark. There's now at least one no-name Blu-ray player selling for $299. I'm talking Australian money here, which is lower value compared to the US dollar.
Add the huge response to the PS3 and Blu-ray Player giveaways earlier this year (free through redemption with full-HD Sony and Samsung TVs) and you've got heaps of Blu-ray players out there hooked up to full-HD TVs.
Sony ran a pretty half-arsed ad campaign to get people to buy Blu-ray players along with their TVs, but since the price war on the players has intensified it's a much easier add-on sale. Even smaller stores now have HDMI distribution amplifiers hooked up to their TVs to show the increased quality of Blu-ray 1080p.
Increased quality? Definitely. If you can't see it on a 40 inch full-HD TV, then you must be blind; I can see it on my 17 inch computer monitor that is only 1,024 lines. You must have a Blu-ray disc that has been filmed with a good quality camera; older movies don't gain much quality over DVD, and even Rocky Balboa doesn't look that great; but many movies with mixed live-action and CGI look fantastic because they've been filmed with the right equipment.
Australian retailers are now increasing their range of Blu-ray discs too. Interestingly enough, you can't get concerts on Blu-ray yet (in the early days of DVD, the concert DVDs were very popular in my household!), but I'm sure it will come.
And upscaled DVDs? Well, TVs in America have poorer picture quality generally than what you see on TVs in the Australian market; but even so you should definitely see a massive difference. It's not so much a case of "Can you tell the difference between Blu-ray and upscaled DVD" as "Can you tell the difference between upscaled DVD and native DVD"!
Blu-ray has a bright future ahead of it. No doubt at all. The "format war" wasn't much of a war either, down here, and only a handful of people were pushed towards upscaled DVD... they will eventually buy Blu-ray players. After all, the format wars between DVD-R / +R / -RAM do not dissuade people from buying DVD recorders, do they?
Final thought
by Disk_Crasher - 11/16/08 4:13 PM In reply to: I absolutely must disagree by 3rdalbumI am glad everyone was able to give their opinion. The conversation did slide at times to things I had not originally disagreed with.
Is Blu-Ray better then upconverted DVD? Yes, never said it wasn't.
Is a videophile going to see a huge difference and feel the extra money is worth it? Yes, no doubt.
Is the average consumer with a new HD TV and an upscaled DVD player going to want to pay extra to get the Blu-Ray experience? No, I still don't think so, and that is OK for 80% percent of the consumers to be satisfied with upconverted DVDs. Of course I hope you higher level players understand, not everyone is looking for a perfect picture.
and "3rdalbum" your comment "TVs in America have poorer picture quality generally than what you see on TVs in the Australian market" I can honestly say I don't know what quality the TVs are in Australia, but I thought they were all made in the same three asian countries.
As the cost of Blu-Ray comes down will the average consumer replace their DVD player with a Blu-Ray Disc Player? Yes, but they will not switch over to Blu-Ray just for Blu-Rays sake but to be ready for the future.
Final words, I enjoy watching movies, I will upgrade to Blu-Ray when (or if) the prices, quality, and quantity are worth it to me, it's a personal decision. And after watching the audio/video market for 20+ years I see this as just another phase that may or may not be here in five years, but I am willing to wait this one out for a while.
Happy Viewing!
R.I.P. for Blu-Ray?
by JCBello - 11/18/08 10:28 AM In reply to: Blu-Ray Disk Dead? by Disk_CrasherIf Blu-Ray technology is not selling heavily in the stores, it's their own fault. In 1994, my neighbor was an executive for DADC (Digital Audio Disc Corp). Sony-DADC are huge manufacturers of AV's for the popular market, distributing them to retailers and through Columbia House. The neighbor's 1994 computer, purchased through the employees' company store, had Blu-Ray tech then. I recall asking "what the heck is Blu-Ray?" and watching the market since that time for its public release. In my estimation, the tech was too advanced in 1994 and shelved for later release. (Recall that in 1994 a 1K program was HUGE for home PCs, as a development stage comparative.) Unfortunately, it seems video advances, cheap DVDs and such came along to produce such nice HD quality that the unreleased Blu-Ray had to come out now or be obsolete. To me, it looks like a case of 'you snooze you lose'. Grandpa was just tooo slow at grasping the market edge.
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