Blue ray

[husker]

School me on blue ray,s
Are they that much better than just a dvd?
I have a 42" projection 1080i tv. Not a p. I have a dvd player and a yamaha
5.1 suround sound.
I have been thinking about a blue ray player but am not sure.
All the ones I have seen are hooked up to a 1080p tv. Is there much diffrence if anybetween a i and a p? besides a few letters.

Thank you

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[MilesTeg]

1. Yes Blu Ray is a lot better.

2. How much depends on how much you care about the difference. The larger the screen or the closer you sit makes a huge difference. A 42" screen is small enough that at normal viewing distances you might not get much of a wow factor. I can tell a difference on my 52" and 120" but not as much on my 37" unless I am very close.

3.1080i (interlaced) means each other line is refreshed. 1080P (progressive) means each line is refreshed in a sequential manner. What that means to you is that sports and action movies with flow better with a smooth picture where the 1080 will have more jaggies/jerky motion.

4. Blu will still look better on your 1080i when compared to a standard def dvd. Also, playing your standard def dvd's will also look better playing in the Blu player. The upconverter is much better than any you will find in a standard dvd player that upconverts.

If you or your family likes video games I would get the PS3. It plays Blu, standard def dvd's and plus you get the gaming side of things as well for family fun. The PS3 Blu ray player gives nothing up when compared to most of the entry and middle priced stand alone Blu players out there.

 

[Rix]

Sometimes.... bluray stuff is so sharp it hurts.

 

[longcolt]

Not my area of expertise but the bluRay has the blue laser that moves a lot more data than the standard red laser of the older DVD units, correct??

 

[rayd8]

I'm a little frustrated that the technology always changes, but that's how it goes I guess. Had to upgrade VHS to DVD, then DVD to Bluray.

I've decided to only buy a few 'select' movies on Bluray and then I rent the rest from Netflix.

I will say that Bluray appears to be more durable than standard DVD from Netflix. Far fewer scratches and abuse noted.

 

[d1esel]

MilesTeg has given good advise. The bigger your screen the more noticeable the improvements. If you're serious about movies and the quality of your viewing experience. Than Blu-ray is the logical choice. The PS3 is a great value and considered to be a reference Blu Ray player. Keep in mind some Blu-ray players, especially older ones are notoriously buggy and slow.

MilesTeg,
What is your front projector setup? I'm running a Mits HC5500 on to a 112" Grand View screen.

 

[asiparks]

I'm a little frustrated that the technology always changes, but that's how it goes I guess. Had to upgrade VHS to DVD, then DVD to Bluray.

I've decided to only buy a few 'select' movies on Bluray and then I rent the rest from Netflix.

I will say that Bluray appears to be more durable than standard DVD from Netflix. Far fewer scratches and abuse noted.

there's many web enabled Bluray players that connect to netflix so you can watch movies instantly, such as the LG 390. The PS3 can, but you have to send off for a special streaming disc to enable it.

 

[Gas]

I have had a blue ray player since they came out, I will never ever, and I mean never watch a regular DVD again. 100 times better if you have a full 1080 tv. You can get a new dvd for $19.99 or a blue ray for $24.99, worth the $5 IMO. I bought my daughter a blu ray player for Christmas for $99 from Costco, it is made my samsung. No idea why anyone would even buy a regular dvd player anymore.

 

[STNOSU]

My Samsung Blu Ray player plays Netflicks, Blockbuster rentals, Youtube and some other sites. Its right at the main menu when I turn the player on. My model has to have an ethernet cable but the next model has wireless built in.

 

[husker]

Thank you for the info. I think I will be getting one in a few days. The ps3sounds cool but if I had a game system I would never leave the house.

 

[longcolt]

I think I will buy a Samsung BluRay player soon also. Have the Samsung 46" 1080 TV on my bedroom wall and love it. Still have the 36" analog TV's in the rest of the house and don't even turn them on much anymore.