Ok everyone, I have about 450 movies on DVD and my cousin has been harassing me for months to start buying Bly-ray. I have pretty much dug my heels in about it, because I honestly don't see THAT big of a difference, however, I have only watched a few films on Blu-ray.
Is it worth it? If it is, is it only worth it for movies like, Avatar or The Avengers or is it just as good for say, The Shawshank Redemption?
Feedback, please :)
How big is your HDTV? That's really what it boils down to. On anything smaller than a 32", unless you're sitting right on top of/up close to the screen, no, it's not worth it.
On my 60", yes, it's ABSOLUTELY worth it. On this size TV, DVD looks fringey and electronically edge-enhanced. On this size TV, blu-ray looks smooth and organic, with rich color and deep blacks. For all intents and purposes, blu-ray is film. You see more grain on blu-ray, grain that DVD, with its resolution limitations masks, but, on film-based material, grain is an inherent part of film, and should be celebrated.
And ANY film or HD-based material looks better in blu-ray than DVD. Doesn't matter whether it's a spectacle piece like Avatar or a cheesy comedy like Airplane! As long as the transfer was done correctly, from an original positive print transferred right from the film negative, or directly from the original HD file, with no additional noise-reduction or any other post-processing induced, HD material on blu-ray looks great.
And I can't BELIEVE how good Airplane! looks, BTW. Paramount really outdid themselves in this transfer, of the Zucker Brothers airline disaster spoof. Even the color blue on the blow-up "automatic pilot" is deep and crisp. Airplane! is obviously one of Paramount's most beloved titles, so they knew it would be a big hit on blu, and spared no expense on the transfer.
Thank you for replying :)
shareThe Shawshank blu-ray is very impressive, since you asked :-)
shareIf your tv is 42" or bigger, its worth it. I do recommend looking at blu ray reviews before purchasing. Bluray.com is pretty accurate as far as pq and audio quality. Even Army of Darkness looks great on blu, and its over 20 years old. Best blu ray pq I've seen has to be Lockout. Its jaw dropping amazing. Pq wise, anyways
shareJust picked up The Hunt for Red October on blu-ray, and the picture is outstanding, even on my current standard-def and rather small 30" TV (which a friend graciously gave to me after my 60" Sony went on the fritz beyond repair).
Deep blacks, rich colors. Gives me a whole new appreciation for director John McTiernan's adaptation of Tom Clancy's Russian sub defecting novel. I never much fancied this film in the theater or on laserdisc, VHS or DVD. On blu, it really rocks.
So let that be a message: Color and contrast are appreciably better on blu, even on a standard-def TV!
To me the difference between Blu-ray and DVD is huge and my tv isn't even that big.
shareIt's worth it for the sound alone.
They really aren't that expensive compared to DVDs so it is definitely worth the step.
But yeah, it depends how much you enjoy the film experience. Definitely demo it first if you are a skeptic.
http://www.imdb.com/list/rJuB9UoASlQ/
As others have said, check out Bluray reviews before purchasing. There are some poor Bluray transfers. As an example, the original Robocop is a pretty poor transfer. Whereas the movie First Blood looks amazing.