mulderxcoltrane

Hi everyone,

I'm about to get a Blu-Ray player and have a question I thought you all could answer.

Since blu-ray players upconvert standard DVDs - does Blu-ray make enough of a difference to double-dip and buy some of my favorite action flicks in blu-ray? Or is the upscaling function good enough to get me real 1080p?

clappj

My short answer is that if upconverted DVDs looked as good as Blu-ray discs, then there wouldn't be much reason for Blu-ray to exist.

van der graaf

Depends on the particular film, its transfer, your setup, etc...

mike01

Ill throw out my opinion, I went into Blu ray thinking I would start collecting new titles and double dip on select movies in blu, however at the same time upgraded to HDTV and after seeing some of these films on television I knew I had to purchase on Blu ray. So in the end its very addicting and personal.

The Bus

The quality, at least to me, is apparent on the first viewing.

Holysmoker

I watched the standard DVD of the The Warriors (directors cut) last night. It looked good enough for me to decide I don't need to upgrade.

bunkaroo

My personal experience with upconversion vs. BD on my 61' 1080p DLP has led me to update every disc I can to Blu-ray. Even if the PQ upgrade is minimal, the audio upgrade is there as well. YMMV.

maxfisher

It really depends on your player, television size and how far you sit from the screen. I have a 50" Panasonic plasma and the sofa's about 7' from the screen. There's a noticeable improvement for blu-rays, but upscaled dvds don't look horrible. I've basically been double-dipping on all my favorite movies or when I see a really good deal, but keeping dvds for things I won't watch as often, if ever. Especially with TV shows, as the only things I've upgraded were Lost and Battlestar Galactica.

Snowmaker

I currently have about 44 Blu-ray titles either at home or on order. About 26 of those I had or still have on DVD.

Does that answer your question?

critterdvd

Personally it is a title-by-title basis for me. I currently own approximately 30 blu-rays and out of them maybe 6/7 or upgrades. For classics, action movies, fantasy and a lot of sci-fi/horror if there is a 1080p transfer available I'll think about upgrading from the SD. But for most comedies and dramas I'm good with the upconversion. But this is also coming from a limited budget.

Mr. Cinema

On most comparisons I've done between the BD and DVD, I notice a huge difference in video quality. There are a few (Cuckoo's Nest, Death Proof), where it was a bit harder to see the differences.

However, once you start watching several BDs in a row, and then pop in a DVD after that, you start to see the image being fuzzy compared to the HD images you've been watching.

If you want to upgrade, just wait for a sale. There's plenty of titles available in the $15 range. If you're patient, you can save quite a bit on upgrade costs.

I think you'll find that after you watch a few movies on BD, you'll want to see everything else on BD.

statcat

I personally couldn't see myself rebuying all my dvds in blu-ray ever but to each his own.

wakwak007

Like many others, I have a limited budget, so I am not buying as many movies these days. Also as some have mentioned, I too go on a movie by movie basis, based on PQ/AQ. Since I have double dipped many a movie in the DVD format a few I have no plans on getting again, such as the Bond films. I have gotten some many editions; I'll only buy new Bond films as they come out. (I won't even rent the older ones from Netflix to see them on BD.) I kind of figured out already which films I would really like to get better copies of and if the reviews indicate a worthwhile upgrade I will. Depending on what film it is, money, and/or if I'm on the fence about it, I may rent it first from Netflix and buy it at another time or when used copies are available. For example, I rented/watched Big Trouble in Little China this past week and I've seen a nice improvment in picture and it is a guilty pleasure of mine, so I plan on getting it when I have money.

Josh-da-man

For me, it depends on a lot of factors.

On my 42" screen, most of my DVDs look fine upscaled to 1080p.

But there are a lot of factors at play: The quality of the DVD transfer, the quality of the original film elements, screen size, HT set-up, etc.

As a general rule, I think I'll only be upgrading select DVDs to Blu-ray -- my favorite films such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Apocalypse Now, Godfather, Jaws, Pulp Fiction, CE3K, Halloween, etc.

Most of my new release purchases -- like Watchmen, Star Trek, Inglorious Basterds -- will be/are Blu-ray.

If a new SE of something I already owns comes out on Blu-ray (like Dark City), then I'll go ahead and get the Blu-ray.

At any rate, I just only see myself upgrading my about 10-15% of my DVD collection to Blu-ray. (Now, if Blu-ray prices start dipping down to the $5-$10 range, I might change my mind and start upgrading discs I wouldn't normally upgrade.)

JimRochester

I have some movies that when upconverted (Titanic SE) look better than some of my Blu-ray transfers (Fugitive). However as a whole the BR will be superior.

All new releases if I buy will be Blu-ray.
Current movies if they are real favorites will be upgraded to Blu-ray.
Decent movies if the first release was absolute garbage (non-anamorphic 2.0) I'll upgrade.
Decent movies I'll upgrade if I heard good things about the BD and I find it on sale or used.
Most movies I'll live with upconverted or I'll throw them in my Blockbuster queue to check out the HD transfer if I really feel compelled.

rexinnih

It's all pretty well been said above. Go Blu.

IJMSPORT

Im with Jim, to a certain degree. I am no longer buying anything standard DVD unless it's animated and/or not going to be released on BD anytime soon, if ever (stuff like Tombstone, Saving Private Ryan, Ninja Scroll, Fist of the North Star, etc). I am also selling most of my DVDs that dont fall into the above category and putting the sale proceeds toward blu-ray purchases, whether it's for a future purchase or it offsets a preceeding one. I only anticipate upgrading only 1/3 of what I own(ed) on DVD.

Starting out, I havent been buying frivilous BD movies, unless it was a GREAT DEAL or I liked it (and it was a pretty good deal). I've shopped aggressively and competitively and havent bought alot of new releases on release date. As the format becomes more mainstream and eventually the only physical movie format available, I'll buy more at a more frequent pace.

But, I will suggest to anyone that is on a strict or even slightly limited budget that they be very methodical and selective with what they buy and how much they pay. It's very easy to see a bunch of deals and go overboard.

bmello

If you are patient for sales and don't mind buying used you can upgrade some titles pretty cheap. I traded a bunch of DVDs in at FYE and used the store credit gift card online @ secondspin, fye, wherehouse to buy the used Blu-rays I wanted with various coupon codes and free shipping. Some titles right now like Unforgiven, V for Vendetta, etc. you can trade in for $3 and get the Blu-ray brand new for $9.99 or $8.99 if you have a backstage pass. Some movies aren't worth upgrading so check the reviews here, hidefdigest and dvdbeaver. Also, if you live near a big city Blu-rays are now selling in Pawn Shops for $8-$10....

DthRdrX

I have to be honest here, but the animated Blu-rays tend to be the titles that blow me out of the water every time. If someone wants to see my setup 99% of the time I'll throw an animated title in the PS3.

beebs

Blu-rays are nice when they are cheap ($0-12)... or a brand new movie at a reasonable price ($13-18). Otherwise, upconverted SD DVD is a great way to hold on for lower and lower prices.

SD DVDs are at an all-time low. With my interest in lots of catalog and classic titles... there's lots to enjoy that's upconverted and no where near BR-worthy.

Besides, just about anything looks amazing on my 42" screen.

Gunde

The picture quality of Blu-ray is leagues ahead of DVD. At least when watching in 85"
Man when I pop in a DVD now sometimes it's like being back to the days of VHS

I'm buying most new stuff on BD but I'm not upgrading my dvd collection. Only my absolute favorites

Trevor

Everyone's answers, and "formula" for which to buy, is going to be different. There are lots of factors involved, including hardware, personal preferences on video quality, and economics. My answer is going to be, and should be, different from anyone else's.

I'm a movie collector, own a few thousand DVDs and a couple hundred blu-rays, and will continue to buy about 1/day for the foreseeable future.

I average ~$4 per DVD, and ~$8 per BD. So for me, the basic question is whether I want to own title X on BD, or title X and title Y on SD. Two is better than one, and wins out for me most of the time.

To me, the video/audio is noticebly better, but I'm more of a story guy, so it doesn't really enhance the experieince enough to warrant double the cost. Imax screen or 5" black and white, if the story is good I'll enjoy and get immersed in the film.

With new releases and blind buys, I'm more apt to lean blu-ray, especially if they include a DVD obviously.

jeffbase34

I've solved the blu-ray bug with Netflix blu-ray. Blu-ray prices are dropping fast. $15 used to be my price point, but now I've stopped buying. I can enjoy my SD collection and a year's worth of Netflix blu-rays for the same cost of buying 10 blu-rays.

IamLegend

I get rid of my sd's as soon as I know it is changing to blu..Does not matter if I will watch it..that is just the way it is .

Mikael79

During the SD-only days, I was definitely guilty of double and somtimes triple-dipping, but I think that the economic issues have finally made me change my ways. I have been extremely good about almost exlcusively buying BDs of titles I don't already have on SD.