Is Blu Ray Movies Overated Or Is It Me And My TV?

as far as games go, Personallyi thinkHD is overated.I notice the diffrence when i seen sports programs on tv in HD but im not seeing a big diffrence with gamesand blu raymovies.

But blu ray movies is the topic andI have a total of 4 blu ray movies(paid $7 t0 $10) and one thing i hate is displays with black bars. I hate that.

granted all 4 movies are just remastered version so i am wondering do i need to see recentmovies?

The 4 movies i got

1. The Lost Boys(1987)

2. Lord Of The Rings : The Fellowship(2001)

3. Lord Of The Rings: Two Towers(2002)

4. Wizard Of Oz( 1930 somthing)

Either you have something set up incorrectly or your tv is not of good quality. The difference between blu-ray and DVD is night and day. I have all three Lord of the Rings and they are so crystal clear that I feel like the action is taking place in my house. Also, if you have a small tv, the differences won't be as noticeable.

Are you using a HDMI cable?

It makes a big difference especially in games.

Maybe you dont have a big enough HDTV to take full advantage of 1080.

Blu-Ray almost always uses the original aspect ratio of the film. If a film is 2.35:1 as many are, then it will still have black bars even on a widescreen TV. There don't seem to be many films which format exactly to the 16:9 aspect ratio, although that is today's broadcast standard. Widescreen DVD's were often cropped to 16:9 regardless of the original aspect ratio of the film. So in those "widescreen" DVD's there might not have been black bars, but then you were missing something from the original because the studio would just crop it so the image would fit onto the 16:9 TV format. If you hate black bars you could always use the "zoom" function which most blu rays and Televisions have.

As far as the quality HD vs SD, I used to think that when I was going back and forth spliting time. But the more HD I watched the more I realized how big the difference is. Now I get annoyed anytime something is in SD. As others have noted though, you have to be careful that the blu ray is actually a fresh HD transfer. Sometimes studios get cheap and just dump an old transfer onto a "new release" blu ray. I usually check www.blu-ray.com before making a purchase as they review the discs not just for the quality of the movie, but actually the quality of the vidio/audio that is transferred to blu ray. I especially do that with older movies.

you must calibrate your tv first! ..get it done or learn how.. then you will realize how good blu-ray is..

as for games..umm if you cant see the difference from ps2 and ps3 then you need glasses :P j/k

[QUOTE="Thrawn3d"]

It makes a big difference especially in games.

Maybe you dont have a big enough HDTV to take full advantage of 1080.

atc-fanatic

Just my opinion of course, but this is what I see.

blu-ray vs newer up-converted DVDs...the picture is roughly the same.

blu-ray vs older up-converted DVDs....it really depends on the source for the blu-rays...some look better, some look about the same.

blu-ray vs non up-converted DVDs...blu-rays win.

This is why I haven't invested in BRD heavily yet. For the most part against up-converted DVDs blu-ray isn't that impressive.If I can find both types of discs for around the same price I will usually side with blu-ray especially if it is one of the combo packs that have BRD and DVD. Otherwise DVDs are fine with me.

Blu-ray is really not overatted, I watch a lot of movies and ever since I got my ps3 I swapped all my DVD's to Blu-ray and the picture quality is so much better. I recently bought the Harry Potter years 1-6 and the LOTR trilogy on blu-ray and I was blown away by the image quality. Some of my favorite movies that look great on blu-ray are Troy, V for Vendetta, 300, the Dark Knight, Avatar, Blood Diamond just to name a few.

I hope you have a HDMI cable though or else it won't look so good..

Just my opinion of course, but this is what I see.

blu-ray vs newer up-converted DVDs...the picture is roughly the same.

blu-ray vs older up-converted DVDs....it really depends on the source for the blu-rays...some look better, some look about the same.

blu-ray vs non up-converted DVDs...blu-rays win.

This is why I haven't invested in BRD heavily yet. For the most part against up-converted DVDs blu-ray isn't that impressive.If I can find both types of discs for around the same price I will usually side with blu-ray especially if it is one of the combo packs that have BRD and DVD. Otherwise DVDs are fine with me.

coasterguy65

You are correct with older movies. It depends on the source. Technically the blu ray should always win, but sometimes the source of the transfer itself is mediocre. There is nothing the blu ray format can do about a poor transfer. Disagree totally on NEWER films though.

A NEW release blu-ray release will typically blow away a new DVD release. The studio would have to REALLY screw it up to not take advantage of the blu ray. Take Dark Knight or Avatar for examples. Huge difference for me in the blu ray vs DVD with HDMI upscale on Dark Knight (I have it on both). There's dozens of reference quality blu rays that clearly display it's advantages over anything else available in HD (Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, Planet Earth, Avatar, Disney/Pixar, etc).

In the end, blu ray is probably a format that has limited shelf life thanks to streaming HD. In my humble opinion however, DVD should ALREADY be dead.

You are correct with older movies. It depends on the source. Technically the blu ray should always win, but sometimes the source of the transfer itself is mediocre. There is nothing the blu ray format can do about a poor transfer. Disagree totally on NEWER films though.

A NEW release blu-ray release will typically blow away a new DVD release. The studio would have to REALLY screw it up to not take advantage of the blu ray. Take Dark Knight or Avatar for examples. Huge difference for me in the blu ray vs DVD with HDMI upscale on Dark Knight (I have it on both). There's dozens of reference quality blu rays that clearly display it's advantages over anything else available in HD (Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, Planet Earth, Avatar, Disney/Pixar, etc).

In the end, blu ray is probably a format that has limited shelf life thanks to streaming HD. In my humble opinion however, DVD should ALREADY be dead.

2Chalupas

Then manufacturers are going to have to settle down, stop making new stuff and new standards, and allow the greater majority of the planet to catch up, economically. Right now, HD televisions, Blu-Ray films etc., are all still on the Luxury Item List (as is HD programming content from cable or satellite providers) for folks around the globe. Try to remember that there are people struggling to put food on the table let-alone video on their walls. I got a little miffed the other day because it was asserted that if you weren't gaming in the 720 to 1080 range on at least a 46" screen, you were somehow mentally deficient.

For formats to die, the over-taking technology has to be cheaper to produce (cassette being knocked off by recordable CD only when the tech became cheap enough for most everyone to own and use, made possible by the companies dropping their prices). Until Blu-Ray players become cheap like DVD players are now (under $100 and available at a Ralph's Food Store), DVD will continue.

:)

I'm a professional audio tech with a huge love of film, and I don't own a "nice" TV (still rocking the SD 4:3 ratio screens) because there are other things (unfortunately) which require the lion's share of my time and money... So DVD rentals and the occasional $5 Target Mark-Down buy are all I've got.

Until the next million dollar idea of mine takes off.

I'm surprised. I think Blu Rays make the difference of the world, it's infinitely superior in all regards. Everytime I watch a DVD on my PS3, I notice how much worse it looks compared to a blu ray. It's extremely noticeable in action movies.anime_gamer007

They are overrated. So I can see all the lines in an actor's face. Big deal. BudFudlacker11

But I do agree with people, maybe old movies is not the best showcase but aren't today's movies built for DVD then just ported to Blu Ray?PSP107

You must be an older person in your 40s- 50s, im guessing. That age group has a hard time of understanding the hd thing.ez_moneymaker

Wow. Just wow.

your not going to see a big difference in old ass movies, because in they were shot on old ass cameras. it works best with recent movies like the dark knight, avatar, transformers and so on.

your not going to see a big difference in old ass movies, because in they were shot on old ass cameras. it works best with recent movies like the dark knight, avatar, transformers and so on.

right4dead

There's a whole lot more to it than just "old ass cameras":roll:

My only complaint with blu-ray disc is the sound...i hate it because inorder to hear conversations clearly you have to turn the volume up alot but when a action scene bustout then the sound is so loud it will wake the dead...i have always hated that. don't get me wrong the picture quality is excellent but i wish their was a way to adjust the sound to make the volume stay at the same level no matter what is taking place in the movie

Either you have something set up incorrectly or your tv is not of good quality. The difference between blu-ray and DVD is night and day. I have all three Lord of the Rings and they are so crystal clear that I feel like the action is taking place in my house. Also, if you have a small tv, the differences won't be as noticeable.

HuhJustaBox

hdmi and a decent hdtv are definitely key to good/great results - doesn't necessarily need to be a recent movie but recent ones usually have a better chance overall of looking clean and sharp since they were made during a time when film and transfer technology are more current around half of the ones I have of older films don't look so awesome but look as good as you'll see them anywhere - really depends how much effort and money the studio put into the transfer - otoh some older films look fantastic, like I think the bond flick goldfinger from 1964 looks really amazing for a film that olddotzauer

It makes a big difference especially in games.

Maybe you dont have a big enough HDTV to take full advantage of 1080.

Thrawn3d

your not going to see a big difference in old ass movies, because in they were shot on old ass cameras. it works best with recent movies like the dark knight, avatar, transformers and so on.

right4dead

its you or your tv.... blu ray is heaven..

I just don't bother with Blu-ray movies, never have. I prefer normal DVDs, cheaper too.

My only complaint with blu-ray disc is the sound...i hate it because inorder to hear conversations clearly you have to turn the volume up alot but when a action scene bustout then the sound is so loud it will wake the dead...i have always hated that. don't get me wrong the picture quality is excellent but i wish their was a way to adjust the sound to make the volume stay at the same level no matter what is taking place in the movie

Bloody_Demons

[QUOTE="Bloody_Demons"]

My only complaint with blu-ray disc is the sound...i hate it because inorder to hear conversations clearly you have to turn the volume up alot but when a action scene bustout then the sound is so loud it will wake the dead...i have always hated that. don't get me wrong the picture quality is excellent but i wish their was a way to adjust the sound to make the volume stay at the same level no matter what is taking place in the movie

DJ_Lae

you guys need to raise the center channel volume. so you can hear the voices louder..also try lowering your sub woofer..

[QUOTE="coasterguy65"]

Just my opinion of course, but this is what I see.

blu-ray vs newer up-converted DVDs...the picture is roughly the same.

blu-ray vs older up-converted DVDs....it really depends on the source for the blu-rays...some look better, some look about the same.

blu-ray vs non up-converted DVDs...blu-rays win.

This is why I haven't invested in BRD heavily yet. For the most part against up-converted DVDs blu-ray isn't that impressive.If I can find both types of discs for around the same price I will usually side with blu-ray especially if it is one of the combo packs that have BRD and DVD. Otherwise DVDs are fine with me.

2Chalupas

You are correct with older movies. It depends on the source. Technically the blu ray should always win, but sometimes the source of the transfer itself is mediocre. There is nothing the blu ray format can do about a poor transfer. Disagree totally on NEWER films though.

A NEW release blu-ray release will typically blow away a new DVD release. The studio would have to REALLY screw it up to not take advantage of the blu ray. Take Dark Knight or Avatar for examples. Huge difference for me in the blu ray vs DVD with HDMI upscale on Dark Knight (I have it on both). There's dozens of reference quality blu rays that clearly display it's advantages over anything else available in HD (Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, Planet Earth, Avatar, Disney/Pixar, etc).

In the end, blu ray is probably a format that has limited shelf life thanks to streaming HD. In my humble opinion however, DVD should ALREADY be dead.

I don't have Dark Night on BRD, well I have it but it's going to be a Christmas present so I can't compare the two yet. I know that most people hold Dark Night and Avatar up as the discs that show the difference between BRD and DVD. I will say that with all of the discs I own in both formats I really don't see that much of a difference with new movies when the DVD is up-converted on my 42" 1080P TV. Well not enough to justify the extra $10-$15 premium for the blu-ray.

I will say that up-converting does seem to depend on the player. I've tried to use my PS3 to up-convert and it is absolutely horrible. Lots of jaggies, blurry images, and just not very sharp. Which is amazing considering it's one of the better blu-ray players out there. Maybe you are using that to up-convert the movies you are comparing? It's competitor has really good up-converting but on the older models. The newer Slims don't seem to do as good of a job at up-converting.

[QUOTE="2Chalupas"]

[QUOTE="coasterguy65"]

Just my opinion of course, but this is what I see.

blu-ray vs newer up-converted DVDs...the picture is roughly the same.

blu-ray vs older up-converted DVDs....it really depends on the source for the blu-rays...some look better, some look about the same.

blu-ray vs non up-converted DVDs...blu-rays win.

This is why I haven't invested in BRD heavily yet. For the most part against up-converted DVDs blu-ray isn't that impressive.If I can find both types of discs for around the same price I will usually side with blu-ray especially if it is one of the combo packs that have BRD and DVD. Otherwise DVDs are fine with me.

coasterguy65

You are correct with older movies. It depends on the source. Technically the blu ray should always win, but sometimes the source of the transfer itself is mediocre. There is nothing the blu ray format can do about a poor transfer. Disagree totally on NEWER films though.

A NEW release blu-ray release will typically blow away a new DVD release. The studio would have to REALLY screw it up to not take advantage of the blu ray. Take Dark Knight or Avatar for examples. Huge difference for me in the blu ray vs DVD with HDMI upscale on Dark Knight (I have it on both). There's dozens of reference quality blu rays that clearly display it's advantages over anything else available in HD (Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, Planet Earth, Avatar, Disney/Pixar, etc).

In the end, blu ray is probably a format that has limited shelf life thanks to streaming HD. In my humble opinion however, DVD should ALREADY be dead.

I don't have Dark Night on BRD, well I have it but it's going to be a Christmas present so I can't compare the two yet. I know that most people hold Dark Night and Avatar up as the discs that show the difference between BRD and DVD. I will say that with all of the discs I own in both formats I really don't see that much of a difference with new movies when the DVD is up-converted on my 42" 1080P TV. Well not enough to justify the extra $10-$15 premium for the blu-ray.

I will say that up-converting does seem to depend on the player. I've tried to use my PS3 to up-convert and it is absolutely horrible. Lots of jaggies, blurry images, and just not very sharp. Which is amazing considering it's one of the better blu-ray players out there. Maybe you are using that to up-convert the movies you are comparing? It's competitor has really good up-converting but on the older models. The newer Slims don't seem to do as good of a job at up-converting.

I have a HDMI upconverting DVD player that i play DVD's on. I don't like putting DVD's or CD's in my PS3, usually use the DVD player for that. I don't spend $10 or $15 premium on Movies either, I usually only get blu rays when they are under $10 unless it's something I really want to have. I was the same way with DVD's, usually waited for the $5 deals except for special circumstances.

It's a big enough difference to me that I basically don't buy DVD's at all anymore even if $5, and I've been looking to replace some of my favorite movies (but only if it's a spotless transfer to blu ray).

I really don't get how you guys can't tell the difference. Do any of you guys have HD cable or satellite? Can you tell difference between SD broadcast and HD? To me upscaled DVD looks a little better than SD broadcast, but not even as good if the movie was just a 1080i broadcast. Blu-Ray of course is far superior to even the best HD broadcast, but I admit it's sometimes tough to tell between 720P and 1080P unless I get up close to the screen and look. But I don't have a 70" screen either. Biggest screen in my house is only 40".

[QUOTE="2Chalupas"]

You are correct with older movies. It depends on the source. Technically the blu ray should always win, but sometimes the source of the transfer itself is mediocre. There is nothing the blu ray format can do about a poor transfer. Disagree totally on NEWER films though.

A NEW release blu-ray release will typically blow away a new DVD release. The studio would have to REALLY screw it up to not take advantage of the blu ray. Take Dark Knight or Avatar for examples. Huge difference for me in the blu ray vs DVD with HDMI upscale on Dark Knight (I have it on both). There's dozens of reference quality blu rays that clearly display it's advantages over anything else available in HD (Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, Planet Earth, Avatar, Disney/Pixar, etc).

In the end, blu ray is probably a format that has limited shelf life thanks to streaming HD. In my humble opinion however, DVD should ALREADY be dead.

MonkeySpot

Then manufacturers are going to have to settle down, stop making new stuff and new standards, and allow the greater majority of the planet to catch up, economically. Right now, HD televisions, Blu-Ray films etc., are all still on the Luxury Item List (as is HD programming content from cable or satellite providers) for folks around the globe. Try to remember that there are people struggling to put food on the table let-alone video on their walls. I got a little miffed the other day because it was asserted that if you weren't gaming in the 720 to 1080 range on at least a 46" screen, you were somehow mentally deficient.

For formats to die, the over-taking technology has to be cheaper to produce (cassette being knocked off by recordable CD only when the tech became cheap enough for most everyone to own and use, made possible by the companies dropping their prices). Until Blu-Ray players become cheap like DVD players are now (under $100 and available at a Ralph's Food Store), DVD will continue.

:)

I'm a professional audio tech with a huge love of film, and I don't own a "nice" TV (still rocking the SD 4:3 ratio screens) because there are other things (unfortunately) which require the lion's share of my time and money... So DVD rentals and the occasional $5 Target Mark-Down buy are all I've got.

Until the next million dollar idea of mine takes off.

HDTV is not really on the luxury list anymore as you basically cannot even find a SDTV set anymore in stores. However I realize that it's hard to part with a perfectly functioning SDTV as most people like to keep their TV's going for 5-10 years (or more). I had a 4:3 32" CRT SDTV that I used for several months after I got my PS3 before I decided it was time to upgrade, TV was over 7 years and still going so I figured since I had PS3 and access to HD cable, that it was silly to keep watching in SD and not take advantage of them Who knows, TV might keep going for another 10 years. Before making the switch I probably posted on here the same thing some other people are saying, "does HD really make a difference", "what are the advantages of blu ray", "my PS3 looks fine in SD" etc. Trust me, once you've started watching everything in HD it hurts your eyes to go back.

I'd highly recommend making the switch as soon as you can. Makes a tremendous difference in gaming even going merely to 720P, the difference in gaming is even more apparant than movies IMO.

My only complaint with blu-ray disc is the sound...i hate it because inorder to hear conversations clearly you have to turn the volume up alot but when a action scene bustout then the sound is so loud it will wake the dead...i have always hated that. don't get me wrong the picture quality is excellent but i wish their was a way to adjust the sound to make the volume stay at the same level no matter what is taking place in the movie

Bloody_Demons

Are you using a HDMI cable?

spookykid143

you guys need to raise the center channel volume. so you can hear the voices louder..also try lowering your sub woofer..

KBFloYd

i can't comment on the lost boys, but i know that the first two lord of the rings movies were not exactly eye-popping for HD (versus the third), but I can tell you that wizard of oz looked great. Blu ray is definitely a quality leap above dvd, but it depends on many more factors than just the format alone. make sure you have a quality hd sound system and make sure you turn your sharpness on your tv down to at most half, and pop in a pixar movie... you'll believe in blu ray then. star trek (not the shows or whatever, but the movie from last year) is a great blu ray, so if you want to see blu ray with live action, don't hesitate.

just to follow up, i think people should really spend a few minutes and read up on blu ray and film in general to see how film reproduction is benefited by blu ray. It's all about space. wizard of oz was remastered through the 4k process, and in my opinion, looks great, of course the ultimate example of reference quality is Baraka, which was scanned in at 8k. No offense, but it would be ignorant to say a blu ray disc is the same as an upconverted dvd, for multiple reasons. Are there meh quality blurays from earlier in the generation, oh yea (unforgiven is an example), but the visual quality and sound quality definitely show why it is so great.

I never used to think bluray was much different either....until i got a hd tv, hooked up my ps3 (with hdmi cable) and watched Avatar in bluray...best experience!

[QUOTE="Bloody_Demons"]

My only complaint with blu-ray disc is the sound...i hate it because inorder to hear conversations clearly you have to turn the volume up alot but when a action scene bustout then the sound is so loud it will wake the dead...i have always hated that. don't get me wrong the picture quality is excellent but i wish their was a way to adjust the sound to make the volume stay at the same level no matter what is taking place in the movie

PSP107

The bottom line with Blu Ray is that it's a 50GB disc, vs a double layer DVD which is a 9GB disc. It also is more scratch proof than DVD and uses a different laser. There really isn't anything magic about it.

Higher video resolution is obviously the main advantage that film studios utilize with this 5x multiple of space. Most every film is transferred to blu ray at 1080P resolution which is basically the highest standard available on "Full HD" televisions. Clearly if you have a disc that is a pristine transfer at 1080P, it will look helluva lot better than a 480P disc that is merely "upscaled" to 1080P. Upscaling is essentially just stretching the image to fill the entire 1080P screen, it does nothing to "improve" the image like a fresh Film>1080P transfer would. At best a good upscaler just does a good job of not 'distorting' the image. Upscaling can't magically make the missing details appear on your screen. Whoever above said that "old films were filmed with low resolution cameras" couldn't have been further from the truth. Film is not limited by a digital resolution, I think technically that the resolution of film is "infinite". It's just whatever technology of the time allows to effectively transfer that film to a digital format. 1080P is just a digital standard, and currently the "best available" standard for consumers. There are some old movies that look absolutely STUNNING in 1080P, just as there are some that look terrible (some films just look really bad period, and it has nothing to do with resolution). It all really depends on the condition of the film, and what kind of technology the studio uses to transfer the old film to a digital format. Some films get a fresh transfer for blu ray and great care is taken to maximize a modern 1080P transfer. Other studios just choose to use some transfer from 10 years ago but encoded at 1080P resolution. But this is not unlike the inconsistencies with DVD's, especially lower budget ones, I remember some movies looked so bad they could have been dubbed directly from VHS tapes!!! It's all about what they do with that 50GB disc. The disc is just the medium.

However video resolution is not the only thing that usually taking advantage of the increased capacity. Sound is also improved. Blu Ray allows UNCOMPRESSED audio up to 7.1 channels. DVD pretty much uses an MP3 like standard for audio which compresses the signal.

AS far as what a Digital Copy is, it really has nothing to do with Blu Ray as far as I know. I see where you can sometimes get the "Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy" all in one package. For the ones I have, the "digital copy" is actually on the DVD, all it means is you can transfer an SD copy of the movie into a media server or PC hard drive. Unfortunately I haven't yet seen a "digital copy" that is even in HD. Which makes it a bit of a pointless addition if you have the blu ray disc.

it was my understanding that digital copies are really just intended for pmps (personal media players), etc... not really for desktop use, but then again, out of all of the many blu rays i have, i have not once touched a digital copy haha... i heard you can sell them for like 3 to 5 dollars a pop... maybe i should do that (before they expire)

just to follow up, i think people should really spend a few minutes and read up on blu ray and film in general to see how film reproduction is benefited by blu ray. It's all about space. wizard of oz was remastered through the 4k process, and in my opinion, looks great, of course the ultimate example of reference quality is Baraka, which was scanned in at 8k. No offense, but it would be ignorant to say a blu ray disc is the same as an upconverted dvd, for multiple reasons. Are there meh quality blurays from earlier in the generation, oh yea (unforgiven is an example), but the visual quality and sound quality definitely show why it is so great.

tamabeast04

I see a huge def between SD DVD and bluray movies. some blurays look better than others but even old movies like ghost busters and star gate look much better on bluray than DVD. And iv just got a old 720p 27inch vizo TV. Games are also much better looking in HD than SD.