Blu-Ray poll

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Will you get a Blu Ray player?

  • Yes, I will buy one.

    Votes: 9 18.4%
  • No, I will not get one.

    Votes: 14 28.6%
  • I have Playstation 3.

    Votes: 16 32.7%
  • I have a stand-alone player.

    Votes: 8 16.3%
  • I am waiting to see if Blu-Ray will stick around.

    Votes: 2 4.1%

  • Total voters
    49
I do it wirelessly on the Xbox 360, have yet to try it with the disc on PS3 yet.

I generally prefer to just watch it on my computer, as I'd rather see it in the smaller native resolution so it doesn't look like complete crap.
 
They sell wireless dongles online, but it'll set you back at least $50.

Scumbo, new releases in HD look pretty good on my 27". World's Greatest Dad looked like it was shown from an HD channel, not exactly Blu Ray, but close enough.
 
Yeah, I know but with the Samsung units you must use the Samsung USB wireless adapter. Other brands name such as Belkin will not work, they are $79.
 
Interesting, I didn't know some releases were HD. Do they list those streaming movies differently, or are they just uploading higher quality streams?
 
Yeah, I know but with the Samsung units you must use the Samsung USB wireless adapter. Other brands name such as Belkin will not work, they are $79.

I'm in the same boat with the Samsung USB. I saw some at Best Buy for about $60 open-box.

Interesting, I didn't know some releases were HD. Do they list those streaming movies differently, or are they just uploading higher quality streams?

You'll see a little HD icon by the title when you're browsing on Live.
 
Right, I was just letting you know just in case you went in and were looking for the open box specifically.

If it's less than $10 shipping, I'd go with the eBay deal.
 
LOTR is out this week on Blu Ray. I'd love to get it but it's $60.00 for the set. I'll wait until the price comes down, which I assume it will eventually

I only have one of the LOTR movies on DVD and I've never watched it
 
This is one of the most obvious future double-dips, too. Not worth getting right now.
 
Are you guys going to hold off on Avatar until the version with actual bonus features is released later this year? (if you're even interested at all)
 
Absolutely.

Amazon Blu Ray prices went back down again, Close Encounters in particular ($25 to $18).
 
Speaking of Avatar, is it safe to assume that if there was a 3D DVD release of it, would it be better in Blu Ray?

With all of the 3D TV talk that has been out there, I haven't heard a definitive statement on what the quality of the 3D picture is--possibly a topic for a different thread.
 
I didn't notice a sound issue, but some have said it's not as apparent on the PS3. Regardless, I'll do the replacement. Thanks for the link, LeMac.
 
Speaking of Avatar, is it safe to assume that if there was a 3D DVD release of it, would it be better in Blu Ray?

With all of the 3D TV talk that has been out there, I haven't heard a definitive statement on what the quality of the 3D picture is--possibly a topic for a different thread.

I would not buy anything that has 3D as a selling point right now.
 
Speaking of Avatar, is it safe to assume that if there was a 3D DVD release of it, would it be better in Blu Ray?

With all of the 3D TV talk that has been out there, I haven't heard a definitive statement on what the quality of the 3D picture is--possibly a topic for a different thread.

Yes, it would.

Go to Best Buy and try it out for yourself. I found the 3D Monsters vs. Aliens disc to have a similar quality to Blu Ray, maybe even a little bit better.

I didn't notice a sound issue, but some have said it's not as apparent on the PS3. Regardless, I'll do the replacement. Thanks for the link, LeMac.

No prob.
 
Barnes and Noble is doing another Criterion sale - 50% off all titles.

On top of that, there is a coupon for the next couple of days that is for 25% on any one item in the store (in-store only).

So with Seven Samurai for example, the list price is $50. 50% sale brings it down to $24.99, and then 25% off of the remaining price means you get it for $18.75.

That is a steal.
 
I do not see any reason to invest in a BluRay player or BluRay media unless you are a real home cinephile with a lot of money and a hunger for picture quality, or if you never plan on getting a decent highspeed internet connection

BluRay will be known as the format that was too late.

Digital distribution of movies is the future and it's already here. Just ask Netflix. In the end it really wasn't that important who won the High-Definition DVD wars, because both competitors were already obsolete.

DVDs were like the compact disc, the last form of widely-adopted physical media before going digital in the mp3. You wouldn't replace all your old albums on CD and buy a SuperNewSuperResolution CD format these days would you? By all means get a capable DVD player that can upscale DVDs well (and there are those out there which do it very well), but don't invest in a physical format that is doomed.
 
I made the leap to Blu Ray after figuring that the price points weren't too far off of their DVD counterparts and was able to upgrade a lot of the favorites in my collection fairly quickly and inexpensively.

The digital distribution model, especially when it comes to Netflix, is there for rentals and short-term viewing, but not for ownership. The pressure from studios and distributors right now are keeping a lot of titles unavailable, and Netflix's streaming system has never worked for me in any highspeed internet setting.

As of late I've been ripping every DVD I get from Netflix to my computer for a digital copy as a reference, which is cool, but for me, it doesn't replace having that title in my personal collection. I know I don't speak for everyone, though I would like to think there is a still a large enough contingent of people who are reticent to give up physical media in favor of a digital system that hasn't gotten all of the kinks out yet.
 
I might have been a bit too eager to jump in favour the digital distribution bandwagon, because just now I am thinking about how Hollywood is even more stubborn and resistant to change than the music industry.

You only need look at the music industry today to see where the film industry will be headed out of necessity as far as distribution, though. A couple of years ago, dumping physical media in favour of a hard drive full of songs seemed a bit unrealistic. Now look at us. I've gotten over the need to obsessively open and close a new CD case, smell the booklet, all that tactile stuff.

TV is modernizing pretty efficiently, and Hollywood will follow. It won't be their decision, but they will be forced to join us in the modern world where you can get all your media streamed from the cloud to one small box hooked up to your flatscreen. The consumer expects it now, or will expect it very soon.
 
I do not see any reason to invest in a BluRay player or BluRay media unless you are a real home cinephile with a lot of money and a hunger for picture quality, or if you never plan on getting a decent highspeed internet connection

I think this is key. Maybe more commercial films will eventually fully transition to the streaming world, but I think there will always be a market for films that people want to keep. Just like vinyl had a resurgence after the MP3 era. I don't think money will be the main issue (college kids are probably the main population buying records these days). It could turn into a boutique type of product, but I think it will always be there. Also, many people will have blu-ray drives at home in videogame consoles (either theirs or their kid's).

After I personally transitioned into Blu I have a hard time watching DVDs. I think the difference in quality really shows, and I'm not a videophile/audiophile by any means.
 
After I personally transitioned into Blu I have a hard time watching DVDs. I think the difference in quality really shows, and I'm not a videophile/audiophile by any means.

Indeed.

People also seem to forget, or not understand, that their 1.5 gig iTunes / Amazon / Xbox Live / PSN Store "HD" digital download is nowhere near a 50 gig Blu-Ray. I can't even begin to imagine how painful it would be to try to download 30 to 50 gigs every time I wanted to watch a movie. Sure, maybe in 5 years that will be feasible, it's certainly not now. I doubt it would even be feasible in 5 years for an average consumer. Yes, maybe kids who are constantly stealing any and everything they see online are used to leaving their computer running at all times to download things, but they really aren't a good way to judge an actual industry trying to make money.

Physical media isn't going anywhere for a while. Sure, the future is digital, but that's not going to be a reality until your average consumer has adjusted. Likely won't happen for quite some more time. Blu-Ray has actually done decently well (I believe they have nearly 21% of the market for physical movie sales the last time I checked).
 
I still think there will be at least a niche for portable Blu-Ray from Red Box type kiosks soon.
With USB Flash Drives up 256GB now, and USB3 on the very near horizon, physical media will begin to slowly go away. It'll never completely go away, obviously, but I'm glad to be rid of most of my CD and DVD cases.
I can envision Best Buy having a kiosk to purchase Blu-Ray movies to bring home on some portable media device they sell you. Maybe you could put 5 movies on it for $99--just a thought.
Now, downloading and streaming are a different issue. I don't know when we'll see widespread fiber optic cable to people's home.
 
I have a PS3 and a decent collection of Blu-Ray movies. Imo the on demand HD videos isnt up to snuff compared to Blu-Ray quality. Besides i think its nice to have a collection of movies you like, i can just DL the movie on a 720p x264 rip instead of renting or buying it on demand since the quality is equal if not better.
 
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