Blu-Ray
 

Is Blu-Ray better then DVD?:)

More capacity. That's it on better.

More expensive. That's it on the worse.

more capacity isn't just it.

It's just the difference between pushing like (imaginary numbers) 500kbps worth of data per second vs 50mbps of data/sound/video to your screen all at once.

it's notable to say, this pretty much goes hand in hand with the 32+" 1080p capable TV's

Yeah there is that. Sorry I was thinking from an administrative perspective (administrators handle files, not video).

I've never seen blue ray in person, but I care about video quality about as much as I care about audio quality. That is to say, 96kbps and 192kbps sound about the same. I tend to think of that as less of a computer thing, and more of a TV thing, despite the fact that I built my HTPC from scratch.

Blu-ray will NOT improve the quality of the acting or script of a movie, but it makes an incredible difference in the visual aspects. It can truly make watching a video closer to the theater experience. The sharpness of the image is worth it alone. Audio performance is also greatly enhanced, although not to the extent the video is.

It doesn't do nearly as much for animated films, which already are somewhat limited in the visual details, but even there the improvement is impressive.

Ahh, see some will say it doesn't do much for animated films or films that aren't put out there for stunning visual effects. I say bollocks to that. Not only will the Blu-ray be sharper and more detailed, it is faster which eliminates the stutter motion you get in highly complex scenes. If your tv has true cinema mode (24fps), then the movie will look even better.

Take the movie Kung Fu Panda for example, it's an awesome animated flick on regular DVD, but get the Blu-Ray version and you'll be blown away (if you have a decent tele to watch it on) by the sharpness and smoothness of the motion and details.

If you have a good Plasma tv, then Blu-Ray is absolutely fantastic. Sure it looks good on LCD and LEDLCD tvs, but .. good (see panasonic) plasmas offer true blacks and whites so the hi-def movies look even better. I guess the tv argument is for another thread though.

So a simple answer to the OP. Yes, it's quite a bit better than DVD.

As a comparison, I have looked at Transformers 2 on regular DVD & Transformers 2 in Blu-ray. I could never go back to regular dvd. Just like after watching my dvds, I find it very painful to watch anything on VHS.

You can't tell a huge difference until you watch a couple of Bluray movies and then go back to DVD. You'll literally wish you never bought all of your DVDs the quality is so much better. Good reason for Netflix :)

One thing to keep in mind is that many broadcasted over the air channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, etc.) are actually in 1080i. This is very, very, very close to the quality of Bluray movies (1080p). So if you've seen a high-def football game on ABC, you've seen Bluray quality. It's a good way to see how much better the quality is for free :)

actually, most channels such as ABC, CBS etc etc etc are at best broadcasting in 720p.

unless they've just recently made a switch..

Could he mean the HD versions of the channels? Aren't they broadcasting at 1080i?

Yeah he meant the HD versions. I know some channels throw 1080i out, but the majority of them still throw out 720p. If the channel is an exclusively HD channel then it should be 1080i, but if it's throwing out dual SD and HD, then it's probably going to be in 720p.

ESPN is in 720p not 1080i. There's a good reason for this however, 720p is better at handling data rates at faster speeds, so for things such as sports, 720p will actually deliver a better picture than 1080i. Interlacing doesn't do so well with fast frame movements.

Disney owned channels are all 720p, this includes ABC and ESPN. Fox owned channels are broadcast in 720p, this includes FSN. Now some local affiliate channels will broadcast in 1080i, (CBS, NBC etc), but unless the channel says it's true HD, then it's going to be 720p. It would be nice if broadcast would make the jump to 1080p.

Also, it's important to note that if an affiliate says they are broadcasting in 1080i, it's not true 1080i, the are just upconverting the 720p stream from the national carrier.

So am I behind the times if I watch regular DVDs on a CRT television? :)

Or is it still early?

you're behind.

all of the ones I'm talking about are definitely 1080i. Some alternate (depending on the show) between 720p and 1080i.

Either way my point is being washed away with the wind here - my point is that you can watch broadcast-over-the-air-bunny-ears-television that is better quality than a DVD at this point. It serves as a good comparison to contrast DVDs and hi-def material.

I don't even know what 1080i means.... :shakehead:

1080 is the resolution. 1920x1080. Most large TVs at 40 and bigger will be that resolution. anything smaller is usually 1360x768. or 1280x720.

Interlace or Progressive. progressive will give you a much clearer picture! The 1080i should not even be considered when looking for blueray players or TVs.

btw: the ps3 is the best player available for the price.

blu rays are also harder to scratch. they resist surface damage better. I guess this is a rumor going around but a thread on Rackettboy retro-gaming boards seemed to confirm it's true.