blu ray players

[historian]

I an effort to cancel my overpriced directv i am planning on buying a blu ray player with netflix format. My question is whether the image will be really superior to anything i get right now? Also will the up conversion part of it really make a difference wtih older dvd's? anyone who has one pls let me know what you think. thanks

[benld74]

1. I was in Best Buy last week, the blue ray format was ALL OVER THE PLACE

[Mz Pip]

2. The Blu Ray

part is better than cable but with Netflix most of the stuff you get isn't in Hi-def anyway.

[MiniMe]

3. A large part of it is what kind of TV you have

If you have an HD TV, it will probably make a difference. If you don't, it won't make much difference at all.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

4. No problem.

The difference in image quality between DVDs and Blu-Ray is stunning. I would check out sites like dvdbeaver.com to see screenshot evidence.

Upconverting regular DVDs will make the picture better, but it won't look anything like a Blu-Ray disc. Still, it will be an improvement.

As far as Netflix goes, I have the streaming disc that they gave me for free which allows me to view anything available on my "instant queue." However, the picture is presented in 720p, not the 1080 Blu-Ray standard. It still looks good, but it's not amazing to look at.

I also have to recommend the Blu-Ray of "Baraka." It's a silent documentary that came out in 1992. The Blu-Ray restoration is amazing. Trust me on this:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews42/baraka_blu-ray.htm

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Do you have an HDTV? That really makes a huge difference.

[MindPilot]

10. The Blu-ray restorations of the the original Star Trek

are absolutely incredible!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

11. I haven't seen them, but a lot of old movies look great on Blu-Ray.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966) looks stunning. You can see every drop of sweat. :rofl:

[thesquanderer]

16. 720p

re: "However, the picture is presented in 720p, not the 1080 Blu-Ray standard. It still looks good, but it's not amazing to look at."

720p is not necessarily worse than 1080, especially since even most 1080 TVs in people's homes are 1080i rather than 1080p. Though of course netflix has other processing which can reduce picture quality, especially if your internet connection can't keep up.

[MiniMe]

17. But blueray is 1080P

So you may not see all the difference.

[EOTE]

40. Blu-ray supports 480i/p, 720p and 1080i/p.

The bulk of HDTVs display only 720p, while some older CRT HDTVs display 720p/1080i. It's only been in the past few years that 1080p sets have been available, they're still in the minority of HDTV sets. Also, it can be nearly impossible to tell 1080i from 1080p material if it's being displayed on a 1080p set. Most televisions do as good of a job deinterlacing or better than a typical Blu-ray player.

[elocs]

23. "Baraka" was the first Blu-Ray I bought when I got my system.

Another very good Blu-Ray dvd is "Home":

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014762/

A review of it from last June:

If you are a human being living on Earth this documentary is for you... This is just the most beautiful, moving and sensational documentary I have ever seen. Beautiful for its aerial pictures from all over the world. Moving because Yann Arthus-Bertrand is an earthling talking to other earthlings about our home: Earth. We are all brothers living in the same precious place, our beloved planet. And you just can not help being touched by this common point we all share, the link with our land. Sensational because you learn a lot of things about how we, selfish and over consuming people, are tragically destroying such a wonderful place, result of about 4 billions years of evolution, and also how we can change things to build a better future.

[thesquanderer]

5. comparison

to begin to answer whether it would be better than what you have now, we need more info about what you have now. What kind of TV? Is your directv standard or HD?

[dkf]

6. I have a friend on netflix who says the blu Ray disks take longer to come.

I wouldn't know though because I'm on blockbuster. I get to change disks at my local store and they always have a great supply of blu Ray movies

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Blu-ray being the younger format, you'd expect the opposite!

[MindPilot]

8. Good one!

Blu-ray discs do take longer to load.

heh-heh, I said "load"

[dkf]

14. Lol

Had to think about that one.

[Tesha]

9. Blu-ray discs will look great.

If you have a good up-converting HDTV now and it's connected
to your current DVD player with "component" video cables (or
HDMI) and everything is set to use "progressive" rather than
"interlaced" signaling, then you won't see any difference in
the quality of conventional DVDs; the TV can "upconvert" just
as well as the disc player can.

(We find that DVDs already look pretty good and for that reason,
haven't been in a rush to upgrade to Blu-ray, although we'll
definitely do so if either of our DVD players kick the bucket.)

Tesha

[FiveGoodMen]

18. When you do upgrade, make sure to get Planet Earth and Blade Runner on blu-ray

They look pretty fantastic

[Tesha]

22. Thanks! We'll upgrade a few movies and "Blade Runner" would certainly be one. (NT)

[Cheap_Trick]

29. Get the 5 disc Blade Runner set. Amazon had it on sale awhile back for $20

It can be found used at a good price too. Well worth it if you're a Blade Runner fan.



Here’s What’s Included:

Disc One:

The Final Cut

-Audio Commentaries

Disc Two

-Documentary: “Dangerous Days” (211 Minutes)

Disc Three

The American theatrical cut, the International cut and the 1991 "Director's Cut"

Disc Four

-"The Electric Dream: Remember Philip K. Dick"
-"Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel Vs. the Film"
-Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews
-"Signs of the Times: Graphic Design"
-"Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling"
-The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth
-Screen Tests: Rachel & Pris
-Deleted and Alternate Scenes (50 minutes)
-Vintage Featurettes
-"Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art"
-"Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard"
-Theatrical Trailers


Disc Five

The Workprint (if you're a true fan, this is a "holy grail")

-Audio Commentary
-"All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cuts"

[TheWraith]

12. It depends on your other equipment.

I assume that you have a high definition TV. Blu-Ray provides the highest resolution of TV, which is 1080 line progressive scan. Blu-ray movies will look best on TVs capable of that high a resolution, but they'll look good on older HDTVs too, akin to satellite-delivered HDTV. You will get a little improvement from upconverting DVDs, but not very much.

[NNN0LHI]

13. Depends on the resolution of your TV. Watch this 6 minute video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JXfyvlPh0

[TransitJohn]

15. Hopefully Blu Ray is the last physical media format

Just give me a digital file I can put on whatever device I want to, please. I will pay you for it.

[Randall Flagg]

19. I built a HTPC (home theater PC) with BluRay and downloadable netflix

to go with a 54" Plasma THX certified and the difference is ASTOUNDING!

I upgraded from a 720P television with a good Pioneer DVD player and the differences are plain to see.

As far as Netflix goes, My deliveries have been very fast, I got Inglorious Basterds in two days after release. Their downloadable movies are pretty good but not HD. I just watched Torchwood: Children of Earth (A BBC Television production) in BluRay and expected it to appear like a typical HD TV program and I was wrong! WOW! I highly recommend this if you're a Dr. Who or Torchwood fan.

I would suggest getting the Netflix package with downloads (as much as you want to watch for the same price) with whichever BluRay package you feel you will really use.

Whatever you decide, you're in for a treat as long as you have a good screen to watch BR on.

[ismnotwasm]

20. Depends on the movie

Pixel movies are incredible. Special effects movies are incredible. I have noticed that the pretty people aren't quite as pretty on blue ray, or not as perfect, making them more beautiful I guess. I hear 3D players are coming out soon as well. If you like movies, blue ray is worth it. I'm not so much a movie fan, but my husband is, and loves to collect DVDs' (He used to collect VHS) so I get the benefit of that.

[dysfunctional press]

21. do you have a 1080p television..?

if not, don't bother.

[elocs]

24. Ummm, I have a 50" 720p plasma and Blu-Ray looks spectacular. n/t

[dysfunctional press]

31. that's what my neighbor has...and he's been disappointed with the picture quality with blu-ray...

as compared to how it looks on our 60-inch 1080p plasma. :shrug:

[elocs]

33. Viewing distance will determine how good 720p models. Check this site:

http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/guides/size-optimal-viewing-distance/

Viewing Distance and 1080p vs. 720p

One important note to make, is that, depending on the viewing distance, you may not see any difference between 720p and 1080p. To explain this better, imagine that you have in front of you two displays of the same size. One has 1080p resolution while the other has 720p. If you sit close enough to get the best detail from the 1080p display you will probably notice the pixels of the 720p display (which ca be very annoying). On the other hand, if you sit far enough to get the best detail from the 720p display, you will no longer see the full detail from the 1080p display (the image will look the same on both). Knowing this might just save you some money when shopping for a plasma TV. If for any reason (e.g. limited budget or space) you settle on a certain plasma TV size, and you realize that your viewing distance is optimal for 720p, then buying an 1080p display will give you no advantage in picture detail. Of course, that is true only if you don’t intend to move your armchair closer every time you watch a 1080p movie.
Size & Viewing Distance for High-Definition Displays

As I said above, in order to determine the correct size based on viewing distance we must also take into consideration the resolution of the display. Below is a table with the recommended viewing distance for each popular plasma TV size. There is of course, one recommended viewing distance for 1080p displays and another one for 720p displays. Since most of us know the viewing distance and need to deduct the best plasma TV size, we can use the recommended distance column and see what size of plasma TV suits us best. There’s a great chance you will not find your exact distance in the table, but that’s not a big deal. Just look for the closest match.

According to the chart, the screen size and viewing distance determine if you can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p.
The first column is the screen size, then optimal viewing distance (inches) for 720p, then optimal distance for 1080p:


42.......99.......66
50......118.......79
55......130.......86
60......141.......94
65......153......102

My screen size is 50" for my 720p Panasonic Viera plasma tv and I sit about 118 inches from the tv, so to be able to tell the difference if it were 1080p I would have to be sitting around 79" from the screen.


Also, check out this site:

http://gizmodo.com/5280355/guess-what-many-of-you-wasted-money-on-your-1080p-tv-but-theres-hope

As mentioned, the Lechner Distance chart illustrates that there are specific distances at which the human eye has the best chance of processing all of the detail that HDTV resolution has to offer. According to the data collected in the poll, many of you are probably sitting too far away, especially those of you who sprung for a 1080p set.

Poll results in the 1080i/1080p group for sets under 40-inches indicated that a whopping of 60% of respondents were sitting over six feet from the screen. This is definitely too far away to see all of the detail.

For sets between 40 and 52 inches, 43% of you are sitting over eight feet from the screen. Again, too far away to see it all.

For sets over 52-inches, 35% are sitting between 8 and 10 feet, while 30% are sitting over 10 feet away. To put it in perspective, a 60-inch 1080p set should be about 8 feet (or closer) from you to get the full experience. Even a huge 70-inch 1080p TV should technically only be nine or so feet from your head!

Believe me, I studied this a lot before I bought my plasma tv last spring and based upon the information I could find and how far away I would be sitting from the set I determined I would save $300 and opt for 720p rather than 1080p. Remember, you must keep comparisons apples and apples comparing a 60" set with a 60" set both from the same viewing distance for the comparison to be accurate.

[EOTE]

41. That's a pretty silly criteria.

I've got a few displays capable of displaying beyond 1080P, but the primary display for my home theater is a 720p projector combined with a 100" screen. 720P has almost two and a half times the pixels of DVD resolution, not to mention far better saturation and overall clarity. The difference between even upconverted DVD and Blu-ray is night and day. Once you get beyond a certain pixel density, it's image clarity and color accuracy that matter far more than resolution.

[Poiuyt]

25. You can use many blu-ray players for video on demand

Netflix has about 17,000 movies available but Amazon has about 50,000.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/ontv/ref=dv_hp_WatchOnTV?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0H3JHSGN53RK1DQRKY6W&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=48611382&pf_rd_i=16261631

I haven't tried this yet but I'm looking forward to it.

[elocs]

26. If you are looking to ditch direct-tv, the Netflix is the ticket.

You will get hundreds of hours of streaming video: movies, documentaries, and tv series (that you can watch one episode after another) and although it will not be hd quality it will look as good as regular dvds. Also, with Netflix you can pay an extra couple of bucks a month to get Blu-Ray dvds in the mail. (I have one out at a time, but they are mailed from my city and back to my city so the turnaround is fast and I can get 3 dvds a week.) This will also allow you to check out Blu-Rays that you might want to buy.

How good things look depends upon whether you become a Blu-Ray snob and just cannot bring yourself to watch anything that is less than 1080p (in spite of the fact that network tv only broadcasts HD in 720p or 1080i). Seeing as how I started off my entertainment life by watching the radio when I was a rugrat I am not a Blu-Ray snob, but I do appreciate the great picture.

Also with Netflix streaming you will have access to Amazon and all of its videos that it has to rent, and to buy. It's great if you want to watch a newer dvd on the spur of the moment on a weekend without having to leave home. They always have specials for 99 cents or $1.99 and some of them are both recent and good. They say they had HD streaming video if you have a fast enough connection, but I do not. I still have enjoyed watching Amazon movies.

I have no cable or satellite and get my HD tv free and over the air and it looks great. Having Netflix streaming video as well as getting Blu-Ray dvds from them up to 3 times a week I don't miss cable at all. Currently I am enjoying watching the first season of Torchwood on Netflix streaming.

[GreenPartyVoter]

30. My netflix freezes up on certain shows. That's been a bit frustrating. Also, the selection

is not as good as I had hoped. I have a feeling I will run through the stuff I really want to see in fairly short order.

I looked at the Blockbuster streaming deal, but it's like pay-per-view. I don't want to spend $3 or whatever it is per show or movie.


But overall, we have been happy with the Netflix. Lots of great documentaries on it, for sure!

[elocs]

32. If Netflix freezes, then that is most likely because your internet connection is not fast enough.

I have cable internet, but just the basic speed and I always have 4 stars, but mine is not fast enough to get the HD on Amazon streaming. It is rare that any Netflix streaming video will freeze at all and I do get emails from Netflix inquiring about the quality of certain videos. For me it is about the best entertainment value I have ever purchased.

[GreenPartyVoter]

38. We did notice trouble when we were simultaneously downloading something. But this last time

nothing else was going on.. We have a speed of 15mbps with our Roadrunner service.

I didn't know about the Amazon availability through netflix. I had it with my Tivo service, but the Tivo was always so full the Amazon stuff never showed up. LOL

[W_HAMILTON]

27. Well, here's my opinion.

I have a PS3.

I have Netflix.

I have a Panasonic plasma HDTV that cost ~$1,000, though I bought it in 2006.

I recently upgraded my Netflix access to Blu-Ray.

I have been pretty unhappy with the picture quality. I'm not sure what it is. I actually took the Blu-Ray to watch on a friend's PS3, who has a newer, albeit less fancy LCD HDTV. The Blu-Ray quality looked better there, but not AMAZING.

I most likely will cancel my Blu-Ray access to Netflix. HD looks great when it comes to CGI movies, or sports scenes, but when it just comes to everyday movies, I don't notice the difference.

Also, I didn't happen to notice longer delivery times for my Netflix Blu-Ray discs.

[elocs]

36. I have a Panasonic 50" 720p plasma and Blu-Ray does look amazing, but it depends upon the dvd.

Check out this site for Blu-Ray dvd quality comparisons:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342

The Tier 0 are the reference quality Blu-Ray dvds, the ones that are most likely to look amazing. There are some Blu-Rays that are really not much better than a regular dvd.

I have Netflix Blu-Ray so I can check them out to see if I want to buy them. My delivery in my city is exactly the same and with one dvd out at a time I can get as many as 3 dvds per week (they are mailed from my city and so they get them the next day after I mail them back).

[W_HAMILTON]

46. Thanks for the link.

Yeah, it looks like the few DVDs I have watched so far are lower quality, per that list. I think I have watched The Invisible (?), Paranormal Activity, and It's All About Steve. When I looked closer at my current DVD (It's All About Steve), you can tell it's HD, but I still don't really notice a ton of difference. I can tell a big difference if I am comparing a normal channel to an HD channel, but without knowing, it can be difficult for me to tell a difference. I have a 42" plasma, by the way.

[fujiyama]

28. You'll certainly notice a difference

Of course you'll want an HDTV for it to matter at all.

But it'll depend on a few things:

The size of your display: the larger the display, the more noticeable the difference. Pixelation and various digital artifacts are less apparent.

The distance from which you sit from the TV: The closer, the more obvious.

Audio: If you have a good receiver, you may notice a difference. The video quality in blu ray is mentioned more often, but audio is also improved. The soundtracks now included are lossless meaning they're about as close as you'll get to the masters. To use this you'll need an HDMI capable receiver.

I have a 480p projector and even on that, the difference between a DVD feed and an HD feed is obvious. Colors seem more vivid and even contrast is better. And of course, it's a much sharper image and that's just because of rescaling (basically the display is downscaling the original resolution but the results are great). I have two other displays. A 40" plasma and a 23" monitor. HD feeds are evident compared to DVD, though it's less striking when getting farther away.

Blu Ray has other features as well: Much more extras, if you're into that kind of thing. But the extra space doesn't mean any trade offs in terms of high bitrate video/audio.

Now isn't a bad time to upgrade if you have the cash on hand. And the netflix thing really sounds cool. I love the idea of streaming HD content.

[TornadoTN]

34. We have a Samsung Blu Ray Player and it's great

We made the switch over from DirecTV as well. Couldn't justify the cost for as little we watch TV.

We have this one - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+Blu-Ray+Disc+Player+with+1080p+Output/9213184.p?id=1218060485246&skuId=9213184&st=Samsung%20bluray&cp=1&lp=1

It works great, works with Netflix, Pandora, etc. without any problems. Picture quality is great. I highly recommend this one.

[Tracer]

35. Call me crazy, but I prefer the picture on non-HDTVs.

We have 3 HDTVs in the house, but the TV that I regularly watch is a 7-year-old big screen Sony.

The images are very clear, but "softer" (I don't know how to describe it better).

On the HDTVs, the colors seem too "neon", and I really don't need to see sweat and pores.

[ret5hd]

37. Take vaseline and evenly coat the screens of the other TV's. Problem solved.

:rofl:

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. LOL I have to say I am also a bit disturbed by seeing any of Keith O's skin flaws. (That's

when I first noticed this, when I was watching him one day on the new TV. It's really big so there's no missing anything like that. Very weird. LOL)

[EOTE]

43. Sounds to me your HD sets need to be calibrated.

You can have someone from ISF come to calibrate them, or you can do them yourself using a disc like Avia Video Essentials. I'd suggest trying it yourself first as it's not really that difficult. As for your Sony, is it a CRT? I've had a number of Sony CRTS (I still own a Sony 24" CRT monitor that I love), a lot of Sony CRTs were pretty much the pinnacle of the technology. I know why you'd be inclined to use your older set.

[Tracer]

44. Yes, it's a CRT and the color is extremely true.

I'm an artist and color is important to me.

Maybe you're right about calibrating the HDTVs, because pastels don't display very well and everything is way too bright.

[EOTE]

45. Yeah, I love my Sony CRTs.

My desktop monitor is a 24" Sony CRT with a max resolution of 2560x1600. Gaming on the thing is sublime and watching HD movies is even better. Sony really was able to perfect the CRT manufacturing process. Such a shame they don't make them any more. With regard to your HDTVs, if pastels are too bright, you might want to try tweaking your red balance. I find from the store, they often jack it up to accommodate the bright overhead lights. But in order to get closer to the maximum potential of your set, pick up something like this. Just 20 minutes spent calibrating your set can make an incredible difference.

[L0oniX]

42. Buy a Sony PS3. The Netflix CD works on th PS3. Get a great blue ray player and...

a killer gaming console. Oh yea it also plays regular dvd avi mpeg videos, Facebook display, mp3s, regular music cds, internet browser, etc. We love ours.

[conscious evolution]

47. Blu ray + LED screen TV

is pretty fucking awesome.
Even non B Ray looks good on it.