Blu-Ray poll

[RedRocksU2]

If you don't already have one, will you get one?

 

[u2popmofo]

I bought a PS3 on Friday, but there probably should have been a "I already have a Blu-Ray player" choice that wasn't related to PS3.

Good chance to ask though, for those of you who do have Blu-Ray players, what Blu-Rays do you recommend? (not just because they're good movies, but because the Blu-Ray quality is outstanding or the features are amazing, etc.)

 

[RedRocksU2]

Good point.

How many GB's did you get?

 

[u2popmofo]

160.

It came with a game I was planning on picking up anyways, so I figured $40 for 80 extra gigs was a pretty decent deal.

Picked up the director's cut of Watchmen, watched the first 15 mins or so just to see the quality. Pretty impressive.

 

[LMP]

I bought a PS3 on Friday, but there probably should have been a "I already have a Blu-Ray player" choice that wasn't related to PS3.

Good chance to ask though, for those of you who do have Blu-Ray players, what Blu-Rays do you recommend? (not just because they're good movies, but because the Blu-Ray quality is outstanding or the features are amazing, etc.)

Any Criterion release is outstanding, same with Young Frankenstein, Casablanca, Blade Runner, The Dark Knight and Wall-E.

DVD Beaver is a fantastic resource to check out screenshots and tech specs on any Blu or DVD release and see how it compares to others.

 

[No spoken words]

Scumbo and I talked each other into buying the PS3. I bought the 160 as well, along with The Dark Knight. It's yet to be delivered, but I'll report back soon.

 

[neutral]

Got a PS3 about a month ago, we were looking at Blu-Ray players anyway and Amazon had PS3s on the "gold box special" or whatever for $50 off. I haven't watched a movie on it yet, definitely planning on picking up Dark Knight though.

 

[RedRocksU2]

I've been wondering if I should just get a basic player, ($250+) or just getting a PS3.

My understanding is that the PS3 will be faster to play movies......?

 

[phanan]

I bought the Panasonic DMP-BD60 model a couple of months ago with my new plasma. You can generally find it below $250 on sites like Amazon.

Panasonic is generally considered one of the best in terms of quality and reliability, and it has more than lived up to this in my brief experience with it. I have so far seen The Dark Knight and Wall-E; The Dark Knight looks great, but Wall-E is fucking incredible (which is probably no surprise as it's a total digital creation). I thought regular HD on TV and Comcast OnDemand was fantastic, but then I saw the Wall-E blu-ray and was blown away. Just an amazing picture. And the loading speed on the newer players has significantly improved. The PS3 might possibly be slightly faster, but not enough to make a major difference anymore.

So yes, you need an additional poll option for people who already own stand-alone blu-ray players.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

So yes, you need an additional poll option for people who already own stand-alone blu-ray players.

boom.

i'll probably eventually get one, though who knows when.

 

[RedRocksU2]

Thanks K.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

no problem

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I own a PS3 and they look pretty sweet imo....

I've read quite a few reviews saying how impresive the PS3 is in terms of Blu-Ray performance and features alone.

 

[kramwest1]

I'm really hoping to skip the Blu Ray format and go straight into full digital movie delivery (either downloading or an SD card or something). Yes, I know iTunes and Netflix have on-demand movies, but I'm talking about the day when we finally don't have discs for movies, and they are Blu Ray+ in quality.

My TV is only 720p, and truthfully I'd need a bigger house to upgrade to something more.

I'm curious as to when Blu Ray disc burners will become more popular in computers.


Mark

 

[phanan]

The day will come at some point, no doubt, but for the bandwidth needed, it will still be a few years down the road.

And even then, I don't see Blu-Ray falling away, at least not immediately. Film buffs like to have physical copies of their movies; they should still have a niche in the market even after downloading comes of age.

 

[LMP]

Plus, Blu Rays pack like 30-40 GBs of material onto one disc, and renting an HD movie from the 360 marketplace is like 4-5 GB. It took me, with a pretty solid cable/DSL connection, about 15 hours to download the entire movie before I could watch it.

We're still a ways off.

I'd love to own a player at some point, but I'm in the 720 zone and don't have the funds to start buying/rebuying movies at this time. Not that it's ever going to replace 35 mm, but older films restored to high-def look as close to film-quality as possible.

 

[kramwest1]

The day will come at some point, no doubt, but for the bandwidth needed, it will still be a few years down the road.

And even then, I don't see Blu-Ray falling away, at least not immediately. Film buffs like to have physical copies of their movies; they should still have a niche in the market even after downloading comes of age.

Plus, Blu Rays pack like 30-40 GBs of material onto one disc, and renting an HD movie from the 360 marketplace is like 4-5 GB. It took me, with a pretty solid cable/DSL connection, about 15 hours to download the entire movie before I could watch it.

We're still a ways off.

I'd love to own a player at some point, but I'm in the 720 zone and don't have the funds to start buying/rebuying movies at this time. Not that it's ever going to replace 35 mm, but older films restored to high-def look as close to film-quality as possible.

Oh, no doubt we are several years out from full Blu Ray-size downloads.
But, aren't we at 64GB for solid state memory? I can envision a "Red Box" type of movie vending machine that you just bring your memory card to, transfer the 40GB movie, bring it home, put it on the HD on your PS3 or computer, or DVR and watch it. Or something like that. I've had my entertainment center running through a laptop for a couple of years now.

I think we are closer than we even realize, and I'm willing to watch my movies (I've got TOO MANY dvds) in 720 format until we get there.

Also, I'm certainly someone who loves to own the physical movies and music, but I've had to readjust what "physical" ownership means now. I don't have space for all of my CDs, so I've gotten rid of most (ripped them as lossless copies of course, first), and soon I won't have space for my dvds either.


Mark

 

[jesseu2]

Plus, Blu Rays pack like 30-40 GBs of material onto one disc, and renting an HD movie from the 360 marketplace is like 4-5 GB. It took me, with a pretty solid cable/DSL connection, about 15 hours to download the entire movie before I could watch it.

It took me 2-3 hours to download 12 Rounds Extreme Cut from the PlayStation Store which was 5-6 GB on my Qwest DSL connection. Think you need to upgrade your internet speed somehow.

 

[LMP]

My internet speed is fine, but I have this wonky connection to the 360 Marketplace. Pipecleaners and aluminum foil may or may not be involved.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Can anyone tell me if it's worth it to get a Blu Ray player for a 720p TV?

And if so what's the best brand?

 

[phanan]

Yes.

While Blu-Ray is higher quality than 720p, watching it at that level is still a major upgrade from DVD.

There are several good brands. I have a Panasonic, which is generally well-regarded. Samsung and Sony also makes good ones.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Thanks

It's the price of Blu Ray discs too, but maybe that will eventually come down. I guess you can get some good sale prices sometimes. I just got a Blu Ray/standard DVD combo pack and it was so frustrating that all of the extras were only on the Blu Ray, and very good extras at that. It seems as if you can get a decent player now for 200 or less, so maybe it's worth it. I have an upconverting player now and I like that too, it's not like I'm some sort of fanatic about the picture ( I think the upconvert looks fine) but it's the extras too.

I have a Sharp Aquos tv and they do make a Sharp Aquos Blu Ray player

 

[kramwest1]

It's the price of Blu Ray discs too, but maybe that will eventually come down. I guess you can get some good sale prices sometimes. I just got a Blu Ray/standard DVD combo pack and it was so frustrating that all of the extras were only on the Blu Ray, and very good extras at that. It seems as if you can get a decent player now for 200 or less, so maybe it's worth it. I have an upconverting player now and I like that too, it's not like I'm some sort of fanatic about the picture ( I think the upconvert looks fine) but it's the extras too.

Ugh. Putting the DVD extras only on the Blu Ray disc? The industry's backdoor way of getting us to all buy this generation of technology. It figures.

I stand by my original post. I'm going to try to bypass this generation.


Mark

 

[phanan]

Thanks

It's the price of Blu Ray discs too, but maybe that will eventually come down. I guess you can get some good sale prices sometimes. I just got a Blu Ray/standard DVD combo pack and it was so frustrating that all of the extras were only on the Blu Ray, and very good extras at that. It seems as if you can get a decent player now for 200 or less, so maybe it's worth it. I have an upconverting player now and I like that too, it's not like I'm some sort of fanatic about the picture ( I think the upconvert looks fine) but it's the extras too.

I have a Sharp Aquos tv and they do make a Sharp Aquos Blu Ray player

If you wait another month or so, the prices should fall even more with the onset of the holiday season.

 

[RedRocksU2]

Can anyone tell me if it's worth it to get a Blu Ray player for a 720p TV?

And if so what's the best brand?

Hard to say which one is the best.
The Samsung SD1600 is pretty good and it contains good extra features, such as Pandora access. Nice remote too.

However, the PS3 slim version that just came out for $299 should be a good option, plus you get a gaming device as well. Not sure if you are looking for that, but since the unit is typically "faster" then other Blu Ray players, I would probably choose that one.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

No, I'm not into video games at all.


Good point phanan that the deals will be there for the holiday season- I am getting an iPod for Christmas from my mother so I can't ask her for a Blu Ray too-unfortunately And I can't justify spending that kind of money on myself at Christmastime, so maybe some time next year. As long as Blu Ray won't become obsolete or require a new or better player any time soon, like every other tech thing I buy.

 

[LMP]

Getting an upconvert DVD player for a 720 TV is more cost effective and still gives you a sizable upgrade. You can get a decent player for around $70 at Sam's or Best Buy, too.

 

[kramwest1]

Getting an upconvert DVD player for a 720 TV is more cost effective and still gives you a sizable upgrade. You can get a decent player for around $70 at Sam's or Best Buy, too.

That's my rationale.
I have a nice 32" 720p Samsung and a Sony 5-DVD upconverter. Until I decide to go bigger and 1080p and then get a bigger house to really enjoy it in, my picture is beautiful.


M

 

[Danny Boy]

The first generation of Bluray players did not have internet connectivity, so a lot of people are dumping their first-gen players to updrade to BD Live. I saw a Samsung one at Goodwill the other day.

You can get a used Bluray player for under $100 and it will upconvert DVDs to 720p as well.

FWIW, my TV is a 34" Sony, and there is still a fairly dramatic difference between Bluray and upconverted DVD.

 

[RedRocksU2]

That would be a Wega flat tube, right?