Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

I used to hang in this forum 'til I upgraded to Blu, and I have to report people on the Blu page often say that "some of those folks back in the DVD forum" claim that DVD is a superior format... is that true?

I come here in earnest, not to deride or mock your opinions, but just to see if people really do think that and why? Is it an aesthetic preference, i.e. picture and sound quality, or does it have more to do with the ease and convenience of operating a DVD vs. the long loading times and occassional firmware problems of Blu? Is it a (understandable) hatred of Sony?

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

In terms of variety of titles available, DVD is winner for now until BR catches up. I still think DVD is a great format and I own way more DVDs than BR. In terms of overall quality, BR blows DVD out of the water. Sure BR is more expensive overall in terms of the hardware you need, but prices are coming down.

For anyone who is interested, check out a thread I started in the HD forum:

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/hd-talk/584...e-blu-ray.html

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

I think everyone needs to stop worrying about other people and like whatever they like and move on.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

the only thing dvd beats blu ray in is variety of titles and packaging in my opinion.

The variety of titles is something that dvd will always have over blu ray though, with digital downloads and streaming becoming so prevalent I doubt even 30 percent of the titles available on dvd will be released on blu ray. Especially with rapidly evolving technology I question how long blu ray will even be the most superior format. I honestly think the entire home video market will completly collapse in the next 10 years. Everything will be an online streaming purchase. dvd's will become the lp's of its time. the only people who will release anything that you can hold in your hand and put on your shelf will be people like criterion and kino, and other specialty labels who will put together an interesting package that will entice people to purchase the physical items.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

DVDs have a faster load time - some Blus are painfully slow to start or resume a movie.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

It's all in your gear. I end up doing most of my watching on a 32" 720P screen with the audio coming through the TV speakers. Sure Blu looks better, but it's not that much better and the lack of titles and pathetic load times coupled with the inability to remember where the hell I left off if I interrupt a movie in the middle makes the format just less attractive. So, in my viewing environment, the picture is marginally better, the audio is darn near identical, there's less to watch and all I'm left with is the sheer inconvenience of the format. It just doesn't seem worth it, more often than not.

What I really look forward to in these threads is the inevitable post telling me if I'm not seeing a big difference then I'm not doing it right. -rolleyes-

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

Blu-ray is great for certain things, DVD for others, VHS for others. Not everything needs to be seen as clearly as it is in Blu-ray. In fact, I don't believe my eyes can take Blu-ray for extended periods. One movie at a time and that's it. I haven't tested it yet, though. But the only things I'll watch on Blu-ray are movies with a lot of visual spectacle, filled with details that Blu-ray can bring out. A lot of the stuff I watch doesn't have that spectacle and doesn't really need that kind of format. I watch a lot of westerns. Blu-ray is fine for masterpieces like THE SEARCHERS and THE WILD BUNCH. DVD is fine for stuff like various second-tier John Wayne westerns like CHISUM and THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER and whatever Randolph Scott westerns come out in the format. VHS is fine for B-westerns and various TV westerns--which look a helluva lot better on VHS than they did on the old small-screen b&w TV set I grew up watching them on.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

But you can place a bookmark when you stop watching the movie, and just resume it at that point when you restart it. That's what I do. It's not that bad.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

Yes, there is a workaround, I just have to remember to do some button mashing each time I want to make it happen.

Going back to the OPs question, I don't think you'll find anyone here suggesting that DVD is somehow better than BR. Technically, we just wouldn't have a leg to stand on. For a lot of folks though, DVD has been and still is more than adequate for their needs. Kind of like hi-def audio. Everybody knows it's better than CD but CD is more than adequate for a great many people. Like most things, I can buy the cheap version, the moderate version and the most tricked out version. More often than not, the moderate version suits my needs perfectly and the additional bells and whistles are cute but not worth the time/money. For me, that sums up DVD versus BR.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

That bookmark/resume thing is something that still just flabbergasts me. Is there actually something in the Bluray software that makes this so hard to do? Those cheapo $30 DVD players they sell now can resume discs, why is it so hard to do on a Bluray player?

This issue, plus the other comments regarding title availability, loss of special features, load times, etc, make DVD, at the very least, Bluray's equal for the time being.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

The forums should be combined again. I like blu-rays but the BR forum here is just so boring compared to the DVD one.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

^This; but cheers to the millionth thread on DVD vs. Blu-ray. Is there a prize?

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

There actually is something that prohibits it. Discs encoded with BD-Live do not support resume play, I forget the reason though.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

If someone isn't seeing a big difference they aren't doing it right.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

lol

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

or legally blind?

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

We had our Netflix set up to send us Blurays of titles when available, and while we could see the difference, that difference simply wasn't always enough to make it worth the extra money. So our Netflix is now DVD only, but if we rent something that we later want to buy, I'll see if the Bluray is available at a good price.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

Look people, I've said this before and I'll say it again, VHS is far superior to Betamax and anyone that says differently loves Mel Gibson.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

DVD : :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Blu-Ray : :thmbsdwn::thmbsdwn:
:D

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

It's the Java that keeps the blu-rays from resuming. Don't know why, though.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

For New Releases:

Blu beats DVD cold.

For Catalog Titles:

DVD obliterates Blu in terms of extras--
(more often than not we get stiffed on the goodies from the original DVD releases when they get transferred to Blu. Why fricking bother?)

Also:

DVD menus > Blu Ray menus

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

I tell this to the people I stalk, all the time. Last night, for example, they came home and turned on the light and started screaming when they saw me. I'm like, chill, dawg. Stop worrying about other people and whatever they like, alright?

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

It's weird that this has never been discussed before.

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

I don't think either is better than the other, I think both have their advantages and disadvantagse. I watch my DVDs on a 53" Pioneer HDTV Projection Monitor (no HDMI) using a Sony SLV-D550P DVD/VHS player, perfectly happy with my setup. I can find practically every movie I ever wanted on DVD (something that's not possible with BluRay). The picture quality is excellent on every one of my DVDs except Outland (Sean Connery) and that's the studio's fault (hopefully they'll remaster & re-release it sometime soon). BluRay has picture quality to boast about, but since the additional picture enhancements are not one of my concerns, I can live without it. Supposedly BluRay is the new technology and I have no problems with new technology, but by the time they get all the bugs worked out and get a selection that rivals DVD, an even newer technology will be unveiled and BluRay will be abandoned in favor of it.

At any rate, I think both have their advantages but right now I prefer to stick with my DVDs. -kd5-

Re: Is DVD better than Blu Ray? If so, why?
 

rotfl