Coral

Yea, not likely.
And it's really not a matter of not believing... it's a matter of not caring.

If people on this forum cared that much about getting every little drop of quality they can get, they wouldn't be streaming with much lesser quality than BD or still watching DVDs. And people on this forum are fine with the "lesser" quality - then you can imagine what the average Joe is going to think.

bruceames

It's amazing how attitudes have changed here. Yours is typical. Fortunately it's only in some HT forums (well, most actually, lol). Maybe there is a declining interest in home theater in general, I don't know.

bruceames

Deadpool' Sells 1 Million Digital HD Units in First Week

That to me seems like a staggering amount of Digital HD sales. No wonder physical media is falling as fast as it is.

E Unit

I spent $599 on the first PS3 (which actually died last month) getting started with blu. I know it's cheaper with UHD, but I'm waiting until there's more of a hardware selection, and when that specs are announced with the PS4. I'm in no hurry this time, even though I have a 4K HDR TV.

Brian T

I still actively hunt down and buy VCDs (!!!) of movies -- mostly from Hong Kong, obviously -- that have never been released on LD, DVD, Blu-ray or streaming/torrents and will certainly never see the light of day on 4K discs. I'm in absolute heaven when I uncover another trove of VCD rarities in some musty, dusty corner of one of the many Chinatowns here. While my overall "core movie collection" (not just HK stuff, but everything) -- or whatever calls such things -- has largely been upgraded to BD, I still buy many movies on boring old DVD (most of which have no BD counterparts because there's just no profit in it for the distributors) just to see the movies and then sell them onwards after watching, often at a profit because I'm in Canada but buy in the U.S. I still sign out VHS tapes from Toronto's massive library system because, in those instances, it's the only way to see particular movies, docs or TV shows that I want to see, need to see. And yes, they look like shit. But while I could never join their ranks, I can certainly understand the passion that fuels those rare, eccentric VHS collectors.

I am an enthusiast. I always will be.

But my technological enthusiasm has been satisfied beyond words by Blu-ray (and Blu-ray 3D because I'm a big 3D geek from decades back). By the time my current TV dies, 4K TV's may in fact be the only ones on the market, so I'll get one, because it's there. And then I'll primarily use it to watch Blu-rays, DVDs, VCDs and even the occasional VHS tape!

bruceames

^^^ Yeah this is definitely an enthusiasts forum in regards to movies on home video, regardless of the format. I totally respect that. I am guilty sometimes of putting PQ ahead of the movie itself.

AaronSch

Yep! I love 3D as well...

I don't believe there is a declining interest in home theater. You are experiencing "Future Shock." This is a rapid generational and technological shift we are all experiencing. My nieces and nephews do not own a single piece of packaged media. They have digital devices and phones to listen to music and they subscribe to services like Netflix.

In a previous post you stated that this forum sounds more like a "disc anonymous" forum. Well, we are all addicts. Whether your daily drink of choice is Jose Cuervo or Patron, you are still a tequila addict. I am enjoying growing my Blu-ray collection. I like the treasure hunting. I go to garage sales, pawn shops, local resellers, retailers and online to grow my library. It's a fun way to kill a few hours. I recently stopped in at one of the larger F.Y.E stores and dropped $100 on 22 titles. These movies were in fine condition and many had minty slips. I was in veritable collecting heaven as I sifted through aisles of DVDs and Blu-rays (I wish they didn't mix the formats). I am patiently waiting for small distributors like Shout Factory, Kino/Lorber and Olive Films to release movies on Blu-ray that have yet to get a high definition release. So, I don't believe jumping on board a new format will be as much fun and, as I've stated previously, not a priority for me.

davidh777

Do we know the numbers of Star Wars TFA? I wouldn't be surprised if Deadpool was higher. In my case, I saw Star Wars in theaters and knew I wanted a BD copy. I didn't see Deadpool but expect I'd like it, so digital HD is an option for me, especially at a relatively reasonable $14.99.

bruceames

No numbers AFAIK, but my guess is that Stars Wars was in the same ballpark (if not more) and would have been higher except that Deadpool had a longer early release window. The longer the window, the more likely people won't want to wait. I think it was only a few days with Star Wars.

davidh777

Yeah, it was like Friday to Tuesday. I thought about getting the digital to watch it even though I knew I was getting the BD, but it wasn't worth it for a few days. And of course I still haven't watched my pre-ordered BD combo.

bruceames

Yeah I watched about 20-30 minutes of Star Wars and then forgot all about it. I'll need to finish it one of these days, but the PQ looks rather dull and lifeless compared to watching other recent movies on UHD. This movie would hugely benefit from the HDR.

AaronSch

Dull and lifeless?

It's hard to discern by your comments but I am assuming you are speaking of the Blu-ray disc. If not, I suggest you pick up a copy.

As reviewed here at DVDTalk by Neil Lumbard:

"Star Wars - The Force Awakens arrives on Blu-ray with a gorgeous 1080p High Definition presentation in the original 2.40:1 widescreen theatrical aspect ratio. The film looks stunning to behold. It has a quality encoding with a high 30 mbps bit-rate. The presentation is exquisite which excellent colors, detail, and depth. The image is remarkable throughout the presentation. There are no issues with banding and the image looks crisp and clean. This is a stunning video presentation for a stunning film." And then then he states, "The Blu-ray release has an impressive presentation of the film and an absorbing collection of well-produced supplements on the making of The Force Awakens. It's an incredible package which well deserves DVD Talk's highest recommendation: DVD Talk Collector's Series."

And since you seem to admire Bill Hunt at The Digital Bits:

The disc’s overall image is near reference quality, with gorgeous clarity and contrast. The colors are vibrant and accurate, image detail is crisp and nuanced without appearing edgy, and the subtle textures of the Jakku desert and the forests of Takodana and Starkiller Base are truly impressive looking.

bruceames

Yes I have the Blu-ray. I guess that's the downside to getting spoiled on a better format. Hopefully Disney will get on board soon. Those lightsabers need to be much brighter!

AaronSch

Well, you used Bill Hunt yesterday to bolster your opinion of UHD. He too has seen a bunch of UHD titles—I would assume more than you. He is obviously still impressed by the visual presentation of this Blu-ray disc. I don't know how much more enthusiastic reviewers can be! And Bill Hunt certainly isn't known for pulling any punches when a disc is not up to snuff. You really aren't winning any one over by using words like "dull" and "lifeless" in reference to this blu-ray disc. It just isn't so—not by any stretch.

Alan Smithee

Because this was just ANOTHER instance where they've intentionally CRIPPLED physical media by releasing it EARLY on digital. The discs won't be out til next week, so far there's been ZERO of those to sell. There was some April Fool's joke about Deadpool being released on VHS and laserdisc, I'd honestly still rather buy a movie on those formats than "digital".

PhantomStranger

With all due respect to those reviews, Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Blu-ray is no videophile reference. Those excerpts read like the standard boiler-plate description given to most shiny new blockbusters. It's a decent new production reflecting the hundreds of millions Disney spent on its creation, but Abrams wasn't going for extreme resolution or clarity. In fact, he seems to have consciously chosen an aesthetic harkening back to the original Trilogy's more cinematic feel, than the sterile video of the Prequels.

I have no idea if it would look much better on UHD. A cgi-fest like Star Wars almost always ends up below the very best video quality. There are simply too many digital composites used to create its scenery that blur fine detail and soften imagery.

bruceames

What can I say. I only watched 20-30 minutes of it and was right after watching a UHD. I was my impression at the time so I'm just calling it like I saw it. Hopefully it'll look much better to my eyes when I go back to watch the rest of it, but I do remember being VERY unimpressed. It actually felt like I went back to watching a DVD after seeing a series of Blu-rays. Probably not what you want to hear though (and you can chalk it up to "lies" if it so pleases you, whatever).

And contrary to what you want to believe, I'm not trying to win over anyone on UHD. I'd like to see people buy it just for the sake of sales, so it has a better chance in the long run. I do have about 22 titles on UHD but still haven't watched about 8 of them (I'm trying to string them out since right now they aren't coming out that fast).

BTW, I did notice you cherry picked the few negative parts of Bill Hunt's article and latched on to it.

Why So Blu?

I contributed to that, because for 2 weeks early - why the hell not? I don't need the BD now.

Why So Blu?

Priorities change. 10 years is a generation (I think). My cash is allocated for other needs.

Alan Smithee

Here's an idea- why not put new titles out on UHD 2 weeks early? They probably wouldn't do that since that's not the format they WANT us to switch to!

kahuna

I thought VCDs was a new type of Veneral Disease.

davidh777

I've had my TV for a number of years and will get whatever new technology is available when I replace it. At that point, I'll evaluate whether I want to dive into new hardware.

orangerunner

The technology in Blu-ray has reached a satisfying level where it has plateaued.

Yes, 4K is technically better and 8K, 16K and 32K will all be progressively better too. For the home experience, Blu-ray is as good as it really needs to be to keep 99% of the consumers happy, unless you're projecting the image on the side of your house. 4K is great quality in a movie theatre but over-kill in your living room.

I know the corporate mindset is always to push ahead with the next big thing to keep those quarterly profits in the black but eventually people begin question whether this extra money for the new technology is really benefiting their daily life and happiness.

I probably have over 1000 DVDs which I would describe as second or third-tier movies that I picked-up for a less than buck or two.

I like having them in my collection but I doubt I will watch them more than once in ten years, if that. If I see them on Blu-ray for $5 a title, I wouldn't bother upgrading.

With a used market of Blu-rays between $1-$5 and DVDs for as little as $.50,
the thought of buying a new title on a new format for $24.95 is just not very appealing.

Adam Tyner

The margins are massively better on digital. I'm surprised (though appreciative) that Ultra HD Blu-ray even exists.

(I have my fourth UHD BD in the mail, although I still don't have anything to play 'em or watch 'em on. If the premium is only ~$5 over a traditional BD, I'll go ahead and future-proof.)

Iron_Giant

Love my Samsung 55 Inch 3D HDTV...and my wife would NEVER let me spend $1k to $1.5k to upgrade our Beautiful HDTV.
-Now, if I was walking by the Samsung and "Accidentally" tripped and spilled a glass of water in the back/top of the unit...then, I might be able to get a 4K HDTV.
-Or, I could win the Lottery