This film critic wasn’t on board with the Blu-ray brigade – at first.
Who needed a new film format when the DVD worked just fine? It wasn’t like trading up from the archaic VHS tape system, right?
Slowly, I’m starting to see the light.
The more I watch traditional DVDs and Blu-rays back to back, the more I hunger for the latter’s pristine images and crisp presentation. The imperfections of standard DVDs – a digitally fuzzy image here, a slightly blurred menu listing there – are becoming distractions.
Heck, even sub-standard films like “Serious Moonlight” offer subtle pleasures in the Blu-ray format.
I’ve even considered re-buying a film in my DVD collection in the Blu-ray format. I haven’t done it yet, but just thinking about it says something about the differences.
But Blu-ray still isn’t sweeping the nation like DVDs did a few years back. The players remain expensive – even if the prices are finally falling. And the discs themselves remain far too pricey for many movie fans – myself included. I don’t mind throwing $10 down to include a film in my collection. But $25? I’ll wait.
It’s hard to say if price reductions will save the format as more people opt to download content directly into their TV sets.
And one final note: Blu-ray’s bonuses require a 1080p television, another obstacle preventing it from reaching a mass audience. I recently swapped out a 720p set for a 1080p model, but not everyone is eager to discard a perfectly good television just for those extra pixels.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a slight astigmatism, which I don’t bother to correct as I can read perfectly well. Everything’s just slightly blurry, so I can save a lot of money by sticking with my non-HDTV and my regular old DVDs. I can’t tell the difference.
Also, I’m cheap. I wouldn’t buy the same movie twice, anyway. The dramatic fall-off in CD purchases wasn’t due to internet piracy, that was when I was finished rebuying all my LPs. I’m not going through that again.
I’ll probably be the last person in the world to jump on-board the Blu-ray train. Not that I have anything against it- I watched Serenity on Blu-ray a couple months ago and I was amazed at the theater-quality picture and sound.
No, my reluctance is due to a simple personality trait: I’m a cheap bastard, as Mrs. C can attest. I frankly can’t justify the extra expenditure, when I already own a DVD player and can buy pre-viewed DVDs at my local Blockbuster for about $5.
You’re right, prices are falling, but not enough for my taste. Not yet, anyway.
Another caveat about buying blu-ray versions of older movies. A lot of studios just image the movie to blu-ray without any remastering (which makes a huge difference). Unless the movie is new, or it clearly states that it was remastered, I won’t buy it without vigorous research. Amazon reviews are generally good about the quality of a movie imaged over in blu-ray format
I’ll buy a Blue Ray over a DVD, especially if I like the extras or the cost isn’t all that different, but I’ve yet to buy a Blue Ray that’s already in my DVD collection. That will change if I come across “The Quiet Man” or “The Searchers” for $10 at Wal-Mart again.
Zeze — Great point. I will do my best to point out Blu-ray releases that look like slightly cleaned up versions of the original.
I received Blu-ray discs for several old Bond movies – and they were completely redone/remastered/etc.
They look … beautiful. But not every movie gets that kind of attention, which essentially makes a Blu-ray upgrade meaningless.
I’m an amateur at this, so I’ll try and articulate this question as best I can. I’ve read that watching a standard DVD on a Blu-Ray player improves the standard DVD’s image. How true is this?
I have a DVD program on my PC that claims to provide a HiDef experience. The image is a bit sharper, but at a price. The program somehow converts the display to make the film play as though it’s running at 33 frames per second (which I think is the video standard) as opposed to 24 fps.
I know it might sound kind of lame, but the difference is distracting. I’ve read the technical descriptions about how Blu Ray improves a standard DVD, and reads like a similar process.
I’ve started looking into making the switch to Blu-Ray, but if my DVDs are going to look like that, I might hold off a while.
Taj, I found a modest improvement in image quality watching DVDs on a Blu-ray player. It’s subtle to be sure, but I found it a slight bump up. The visuals are a tad smoother, a little cleaner.
just picked up the blu-ray (just newly-released today) of my favorite movie: Days of Heaven… [Criterion Edition]
I note that the comments largely are against swapping out standard DVD for Blu-Ray.
I am in the same camp, having watched my older friends do this dance with cassettes to CDs and then to MP3s. It largely is a marketing mechanism to consume the same content twice.
That stated, I also agree with the comments that specific Blu-ray titles are worth making an effort to own depending upon their content, from the film itself (I do want “Avatar” on Blu-ray) to the additional material.
WWTW’s overall caveat about the need for higher-end HD interfaces is underscored by the type of films that are visually-intensive that would most benefit from the upgrade. IMO, no need to see “The Conversation” in Blu-ray, but “Star Wars?” Most definitely.
D.