As far as I know there isn't any title you need to be online to be able to play; some of the interactive features perhaps but who uses these? I usually just watch the movie and the extras that are on the disc. I think only the first blu-ray players, the older models may need firmware updates, but most current players can play anything. When you buy a blu-ray player, you don't expect to need to change the firmware.
Well see, that's the thing. When I buy a movie I should be able to access eveything on it whether I actually choose to or not. Otherwise it's money wasted. Like buying food that you may want to eat down the line, only to find that there's a part of the box you can't open. LOL
I guess I need to bone up on the hardware a little more.
Because of the price drop for catalog titles, I've picked up so many blu-rays dirt cheap. The only thing I've paid premium prices for are Twilight Time titles. I have been very impressed with the quality of certain blu-rays, but not all blu-rays are created equally.
I'm still picking up SD DVDs, too, and I find the quality (with upscaling) to be good enough that I don't really need the upgrade to blu. I will also upgrade from a non-anamorphic DVD to a blu ray that is.
Depending on your player the upscaling is usually very good from a DVD such that upgrading to a blu ray of something you don't have is rarely worth it in my opinion. If you are considering upgrading to the blu-ray of something then you should absolutely read reviews to find out if it looks any better (is a completely new and very nice looking transfer, or not).
I just recently bought a Samsung 32" 1080p Smart tv to upgrade from a Samsung 22" 720p. My dvd player will upscale to 1080p with the picture looking very clear and excellent definition for newer releases. I sprung for some Sergio Leone blu-rays because the price was low, even though I already have all the titles on dvd. But, older movies from the past, I have to wonder about the difference in clarity and is it worth deep pockets. When it came to "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" at a price of $24.00 for blu-ray, I opted to buy a used dvd instead for $6.00 and cross my fingers.
I just recently bought a Samsung 32" 1080p Smart tv to upgrade from a Samsung 22" 720p. My dvd player will upscale to 1080p with the picture looking very clear and excellent definition for newer releases. I sprung for some Sergio Leone blu-rays because the price was low, even though I already have all the titles on dvd. But, older movies from the past, I have to wonder about the difference in clarity and is it worth deep pockets. When it came to "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" at a price of $24.00 for blu-ray, I opted to buy a used dvd instead for $6.00 and cross my fingers.
Funny you should mention this. I very recently watched "It" and it still looks really good. I haven't read any reviews of the blu-ray, but not sure it's it's improved enough to upgrade. Think I'll stick with the DVD.
First we taped the movie off of late-night TV. Then we bought the sell-through VHS. Next we bought the DVD. Followed not long after by buying the 2-disc, special edition DVD. Which preceded buying the Blu........
I don't suppose it ever occurred to the studios to give us hopeless quadruple-dippers a break with a few bucks off a Blu disc, whereby we turn in our old DVD's at the point of purchase. That could actually be quite an enticement to switch over.
Buy a blu-ray player- if nothing else you have the ability to play digital files off of USB drives and access streaming services. You can also play BR, DVD and CD discs.
I would love to own ST in hi-def- the season 2 eps I have seen on BBC America are amazing, but I cannot afford it. There is no way I can upgrade all the DVDs I own
I warily bought the James Bond Box Set just before Skyfall came out. Totally worth it. The title sequences will sear you eyeballs (in a good way) and the mountain snow vistas in OHMSS glisten like diamonds. Some stuff will def be worth upgrading to. But 3-D at home?- yuck.
Well wait no longer, it's here. Not Green-ray, but Ultra HD Blu-ray:
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The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has announced the completion of the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification and released the new logo that will delineate Ultra HD Blu-ray products. The Ultra HD Blu-ray specification, which represents the work of global leaders from the consumer electronics, IT and content creation industries, will enable delivery of Ultra HD content via Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc to the rapidly growing number of UHD TV households.
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You'll need a Ultra HD Blu-ray player, & a new 4K telly (I think), & just hope that the studios release enough great movies in this format to make it worthwhile. It's good that they're forever going upwards & onwards, but I'm more than happy with good old-fashioned bog-standard Blu-ray.
Well wait no longer, it's here. Not Green-ray, but Ultra HD Blu-ray:
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The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has announced the completion of the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification and released the new logo that will delineate Ultra HD Blu-ray products. The Ultra HD Blu-ray specification, which represents the work of global leaders from the consumer electronics, IT and content creation industries, will enable delivery of Ultra HD content via Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc to the rapidly growing number of UHD TV households.
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You'll need a Ultra HD Blu-ray player, & a new 4K telly (I think), & just hope that the studios release enough great movies in this format to make it worthwhile. It's good that they're forever going upwards & onwards, but I'm more than happy with good old-fashioned bog-standard Blu-ray.
I believe there is to much of a good thing. I can see the pours in the skin of even the most beautiful actor look like it's the surface of the moon in close up shots. (Its especially bad in HD still photography) Recently in response to this issue, I've noticed actors have so much thick make-up on their faces they look like plastic mannequins.
I'm all for HD when done right, but we are seeing things our eyes don't normally see. Like looking through a microscope.
I recall standing in front of the giant Sony 4K panel at Best Buy last year, the Best Buy guy waiting for me to be dazzled. I realized that standing at a regular viewing distance there is no perceptible difference between a 1080 P screen and a 4K. I was not really impressed, and they wanted $5000 for it at that time.
Now I think that the increased color gamut and deep blacks of the OLED panel that LG came out with is a real perceptive improvement. CNET called it the best picture ever, even more than 4k sets. Of course it costs about $3000.
The industry sold a lot of 720 and 1080 P the past 5 years, and then it bottomed out, then the manufacturers really thought that they had the next hot seller in 3D TV's, and almost no one bought them, and if they did they just bought it because they needed a TV, not because of the 3d. Then 4k is the next attempt at this, and it is not really selling, and it is already being eclipsed by some combination of increased color gamut / OLED and maybe something else along the way.
I agree that a 1080 P image with a proper source, with a well mastered Blu Ray is entirely excellent and impressive. I have had a Blu Ray/1080P for about 6 years now, and I am still impressed by the image and sound. What you can have with this set-up, pretty cheaply now, is a really excellent system, excellent enough to expose the flaws in actors faces, and the weaknesses in special effects.
On a TV I don't see the point either but if you get a beamer that has 3D capability, it can be fun. Mine uses active 3D glasses which I can charge via usb. I don't like the passive 3D they use in the theater which frankly gives me headaches. I think I watch a 3D movie once maybe two times a month tops, so far I ownly own a handful of 3D releases it's still great to be able to get those titles that were shot native on blu-ray. I'm planning to get the Hobbit trilogy once they drop in price. I just bought Joe Dante's "The Hole 3-D" for a couple of euros in the bargain bin so it's great to see 3D titles finally become more affordable.
I just recently bought a Samsung 32" 1080p Smart tv to upgrade from a Samsung 22" 720p. My dvd player will upscale to 1080p with the picture looking very clear and excellent definition for newer releases. I sprung for some Sergio Leone blu-rays because the price was low, even though I already have all the titles on dvd. But, older movies from the past, I have to wonder about the difference in clarity and is it worth deep pockets. When it came to "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" at a price of $24.00 for blu-ray, I opted to buy a used dvd instead for $6.00 and cross my fingers.
Funny you should mention this. I very recently watched "It" and it still looks really good. I haven't read any reviews of the blu-ray, but not sure it's it's improved enough to upgrade. Think I'll stick with the DVD.
Greg Espinoza
For what it's worth, the Blu-ray is in the correct original aspect ratio (1.85:1), while the DVD is not.
Funny you should mention this. I very recently watched "It" and it still looks really good. I haven't read any reviews of the blu-ray, but not sure it's it's improved enough to upgrade. Think I'll stick with the DVD.
Greg Espinoza
For what it's worth, the Blu-ray is in the correct original aspect ratio (1.85:1), while the DVD is not.
Jameson: MGM released a lot of Flat 1.85:! films as "open matte." Was this not the case with "It"?
You would have to go quite big to notice the difference with 4K just like you would need to have a quite large TV for 1080P to make sense. I picked up a 32 inch TV fairly recently as my first upgrade to HD and I purposefully went with 720P because at that size there is very little difference between 1080P and 720P. Similarly, you would really need to buy a huge TV before you would notice the difference with 4K.
This chart shows you some of the differences between size of TV and usefulness of going higher resolution.
Funny you should mention this. I very recently watched "It" and it still looks really good. I haven't read any reviews of the blu-ray, but not sure it's it's improved enough to upgrade. Think I'll stick with the DVD.
Greg Espinoza
For what it's worth, the Blu-ray is in the correct original aspect ratio (1.85:1), while the DVD is not.
Jameson: MGM released a lot of Flat 1.85:! films as "open matte." Was this not the case with "It"?
Greg Espinoza
Yes, the IT! DVD is open matte; the Blu-ray is correctly matted.
Greetings from a semi (morally, that is)-luddite to all you techno geeks out here in FSLandSouth! I come from up North in the Moross-Big Country thread. For whatever reason I had mentioned that I watch my stuff off a Samsung Smart TV that has all the "trimmings." It's a 46" jobbie, I believe.
Now about those trimmings: This will probably kill you guys but my place is Wi-Fied and I have nothing hooked to the Smart end of things i.e. no computer, Blu-ray, etc. Just a Motorola combination DVD/VHS player and assorted ancient speaker hook-ups. Das eet. I mean I've never owned a laptop, am happy with desktop as is.
That probably kills you all right, not taking advantage of its potential and all. However, I do have a Roku. And just the other night I watched this...
...and was astonished at: (1) the clarity of the picture; what incredible details never before viewed (2) marvelous sound; heard orchestrations to a degree never before heard (3) it's, it's COLORIZED
Now, I tend to be a purist re (3) but do have a slightly open mind. It should have been filmed in Technicolor to begin with and I'm sure it wasn't for financial reasons (translation: cheap bastards). But this was not the colorization of your Gen Xers out here in FSLand. This was a tremendous color/digital presentation.
My one question is did I get the full Blu-ray benefit on my Smartie off this youtube presentation? better if a disk were viewed from a Blu-ray player??
