Teasing the Korean Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 Is it worth the upgrade? How do conventional DVDs look when played on Blu-Ray? Will we be forced to upgrade at some point soon anyway (because there won't be conventional DVDs of certain titles available)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 I am very pleased with my Blu-Ray, it really makes a difference, not the least of which is the audio. I also see a difference on my conventional DVDs, but that may simply be because my Blu-Ray player is better than the one I had before. I believe the conversion to Blu-Ray is too costly for every disc to undergo the change, but I may be wrong. What the hell, Blu-Ray players are very affordable now (I have seen them under $100, even brand names), so who hesitate. When I move this one to one of my other TV sets, I will get a Blu-Ray with wireless streaming, Roku-ish capabilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 Get a network connectable player (like the Panasonic BD65 I have) and you'll never look back again. In addition to playing blu rays, dvds and a variety of other discs...the real joy is being able to access Youtube, Netflix, Amazon on Demand and a variety of other online services, right from the comfort of the couch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 I agree with the last two posts. And even think cds sound better on a Blu-Rau player but I've been told that that's just wishful thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Shearn Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 I use my PS3 for Blu Ray, and I also have a program to stream HD files from my computer to the PS3. Blu Ray looks absolutely great for concerts and sports (as I am a fan of mixed martial arts)and the sound is so much better. Regular DVD's look nice upscaled to HD too, but exposes flaws in the source material, obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Blu-Ray looks amazing, especially on a Plasma (or LCD). We have the Blu-Ray of The Wizard of Oz. It is just an amazing, absorbing experience; the only thing I can compare it to is seeing it in a movie theatre. We also have the first few Harry Potters, and the clarity of the details, even to the corners of the screen, are astounding. But be aware (you probably already know) that these discs will not play on a regular DVD player. So if you want to watch your favorite movie on the road, say on a laptop, you're probably out of luck. The smarter studios, such as Disney, are now packaging their movies as a 3-pack: in one case, you get a regular DVD version, a Blu-Ray version, and a download version (to watch on your iPod). But most still don't. Here's an example of a Disney 3-pack: Princess and the Frog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 My wife wants to get a Blu-Ray DVD player. What was that model several here were very happy with that was all-region, all-format? Was it Oppo? If anyone has a link that would be great. Thanks, Bertrand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Do it! Blu-Ray is an undeniable upgrade both visually and audibly. I've had one for over two years now, an ES series Sony, and it's just a great source. You can buy brand new Blu-Rays for ten bucks now. Sure makes me happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 My wife wants to get a Blu-Ray DVD player. What was that model several here were very happy with that was all-region, all-format? Was it Oppo? If anyone has a link that would be great. Thanks, Bertrand. I've been told that with Blu-Ray format doesn't matter-- it's the same everywhere. I don't know about regional coding though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 (edited) Bertrand: I think it's Oppo you're thinking of. Oppo BDP-83 and BDP-83SE seem to be the ones that people on Hoffman board and audioasylum are excited about. I've no experience with them, and I'm a Sony guy for this sort of thing. Search amazon for these Oppo items, they sell them. Edited July 19, 2010 by jazzbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 I recently got a Sony BluRay that came free with my Sony TV. Haven't used it much for video and I don't have any BluRay disks yet. Been thinking I need to get some. B&N is having a 1/2 off sale on Criterions - probably a good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 (edited) Start with the PORCUPINE TREE BLU-RAY. (Audio is incredible.) Oh and maybe "The Shining." That sucker looks fantastic in the Blu-Ray transfer. Edited July 19, 2010 by jazzbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 My wife wants to get a Blu-Ray DVD player. What was that model several here were very happy with that was all-region, all-format? Was it Oppo? If anyone has a link that would be great. Thanks, Bertrand. If memory serves, making an Oppo player region-free for standard DVDs is as simple as entering a hidden code, but doing the same thing for Blu-Ray discs requires a hardware modification which may void the warranty. You can buy them already modified from some vendors, or you can get a kit on eBay and DIY - it is apparently not very difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Basten II Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Among those who have an Oppo, can you confirm that they can play about every kind of video file such as avi, wmv, mkv etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted July 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 I have an Oppo DVD player, and after entering the code, it plays films from all regions - at least all of the regions that I'm aware of. Is this the case with the Oppo Blu-Ray players? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Start with the PORCUPINE TREE BLU-RAY. (Audio is incredible.) I just may do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 Ditto Lon's praise for Blu-Ray version of "The Shining." Not only did the vastly improve video, they also got rid of the overhead rotors seen in the memorable original opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 (edited) Ditto Lon's praise for Blu-Ray version of "The Shining." Not only did the vastly improve video, they also got rid of the overhead rotors seen in the memorable original opening. They also removed the shadow of the helicopter from the cliff face during that pre-credit sequence. Best blu rays I've seen so far: The Shining The Crazies (remake) Sunshine (vast improvement over DVD transfer, black level was fixed) Star Trek: The Motion Picture - removed all the matte lines and other imperfections from the sfx shots. Music: Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize (if you can find it) Iron Maiden - Flight 666 Edited July 20, 2010 by Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 I got the Blu-Ray of the Searchers from Netflix. It looked so good that after watching it once I played it it again with no sound so I wouldn't be distracted from the images. IIRC it was made forom a Vista Vision print. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted July 20, 2010 Report Share Posted July 20, 2010 I got the Blu-Ray of the Searchers from Netflix. It looked so good that after watching it once I played it it again with no sound so I wouldn't be distracted from the images. IIRC it was made forom a Vista Vision print. Thanks for the tip, that's one of my favorite movies, I'll need to check out the blu ray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 I have an Oppo DVD player, and after entering the code, it plays films from all regions - at least all of the regions that I'm aware of. Is this the case with the Oppo Blu-Ray players? Not without a hardware mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted July 21, 2010 Report Share Posted July 21, 2010 Definitely worth it. First thing I did was check out the first 4 James Bond films on Blu-Ray and they are outstanding. Travel vids are tops too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFrank Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Just got P-Tree's "Anesthetize" in Blu-Ray today. Watched some of it - very nice/very clean. Can't wait to see the whole thing. BTW - it's available and reasonably priced at CD Universe if anyone is trying to track this down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegheadjones Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Ditto on the Searchers. The Unforgiven looks great as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Just got P-Tree's "Anesthetize" in Blu-Ray today. Watched some of it - very nice/very clean. Can't wait to see the whole thing. BTW - it's available and reasonably priced at CD Universe if anyone is trying to track this down. I knew you would dig it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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