Comments on: Why I Jumped on the Blu-ray Bandwagon

By: Matthew Weflen

Matthew Weflen — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:31:23 +0000

The "Blu Ray is a stopgap" people are dreaming. Dreaming of a day in which 1gbit ethernet criss-crosses the country, in which content providers relax their stance on DRM and rights sharing, and in which bandwidth is no longer a bottleneck on quality.

The simple facts are these:

-Content providers like optical media. They can charge more, DRM is easier to implement (if also easier to crack), and they can re-issue things ad nauseum.

-A/V quality over the internet is simply not up to snuff. Heck, as someone above mentioned, A/V quality over cable is not up to snuff. It probably won't be at DVD level for 5 years, and it won't be at BD level for 10 years, if ever.

-People like owning things. About the first time someone "loses" their movie collection because a content provider goes out of business and can no longer stream it, people would realize the inherent difficulties with digital content delivery.

I am not saying that digital delivery will not eventually take over, or that Blu-Ray is the end-all/be-all. I use Netflix streaming and Hulu to watch TV programs over my PS3. At its best, this delivery method can be very liberating.

But if I want a true cinema experience on my 50" 1080p HDTV, watching blocky, pixellated mush with no subtitles or extra features that may or may not stutter and cut out (over a cable modem connection) is just not an option. Optical media still blow these alternate methods out of the water in terms of quality and reliability. I expect to keep using both DVD and Blu-Ray for at least the next 10 years.

By: Johnno

Johnno — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:40:58 +0000

One important element is also to look forward. Hollywood is gearing up big time for 3D films and blu-ray will be the format for bringing high definition stereoscopic 3D entertainment to the living room, something DVD won't. You require an HDTV with a high framerate to do this as well as a disc with the storage capacity for both image channels. Likely films will be available on the disc with regular and 3D viewing options so it will carry both formats on one disc. Current films are at 50Gbs and future discs of up to 200GBs are planned for mass manufacture.

I got a PS3 for blu-ray and gaming and I'm very pleased, I have an HDTV, and if anything the games and movies make me want to get an even better HDTV to enjoy them more! But I'll wait for the 3D revolution so I can upgrade my HDTV then! Gaming in 3D is also a guaranteed future proposition providing you have the right HDTV!

By: Connected Device Sales to Pass 100M Units by 2013, Blu-ray on the Rise

Connected Device Sales to Pass 100M Units by 2013, Blu-ray on the Rise — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:31:56 +0000

[...] very own Liane Cassavoy jumped on the Blu-ray bandwagon recently and loves [...]

By: Blu-Ray is not for the small video producer

Blu-Ray is not for the small video producer — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:44:37 +0000

For me the main problem is the price of discs: Here in Europe you will pay about 7€ (or $10) more for a new release on Blu-ray. For older content the difference is even bigger as it is much cheaper on DVD. Also there is not much niche content, probably because of the licensing and duplication costs.

By: Cheap Blu Ray Films

Cheap Blu Ray Films — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:35:07 +0000

After getting a Blu-Ray player myself I would now never go back. It heightens both the visual and audio experience more than I could have imagined.

Just need the price of the Blu-Ray discs to come down now even more.

By: Blu-Ray: Not for the small video producer

Blu-Ray: Not for the small video producer — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:11:20 +0000

For me the problem with Blu-ray is the price of discs: typically 8€ or about $10 more per disc for a new release here in Europe. The second point is that there is very little niche content (probably because of the price of licensing for small studios).

By: ZNF ‘Round The Web

ZNF ‘Round The Web — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:33:27 +0000

[...] Why I Jumped on the Blu-ray Bandwagon I had a Blu-ray player via a PS3. But I ended up dumping it. Not because I didn’t like the Blu-ray, but because I didn’t like the gaming experience. I’m fine with HD movie rentals (Xbox, Vudu, Amazon, cable box) and premium cable for now. Oh yeah, I also had a HD DVD player for a short time. That didn’t work out so well. [...]

By: DaveZatz

DaveZatz — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:45:28 +0000

Oh yeah, I also had a HD DVD player for a short time. That didn't work out so well.

By: DaveZatz

DaveZatz — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:05:07 +0000

I had a Blu-ray player via a PS3. But I ended up dumping it. Not because I didn't like the Blu-ray, but because I didn't like the gaming experience. I'm fine with HD movie rentals (Xbox, Vudu, Amazon, cable box) and premium cable for now.

So... which make/model did you get?

By: Nathan Spears

Nathan Spears — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:06:20 +0000

I think it will be a long time (at least 5 years) before VOD quality reaches Blu-Ray quality. Just because the image resolution is 1080p in both cases doesn't mean that the picture quality is actually the same. Cable HD isn't even as high quality as over-the-air HD, nevermind stuff being viewed over an internet connection.

I think you made a good purchase and you will be able to enjoy it for some time. If you haven't seen Planet Earth and The Godfather restored version yet you should check them out.