Any body have a blu ray player?
I,m asking because I was wondering if it makes that much difference in viewing movies. I know SPR is not on BR, but BoB is.
There are only a few movies that I already have that I would purchase again in blu ray, just want some opinions.
Also will a blu ray machine play regular dvd,s?
Gary
I just upgraded to Blu-ray and plasma and while it depends on the film, generally the video improvement is staggering. I recently noted how this applied in one case in a brief note on the Zulu release to which I would refer you.
http://www.treefrogtreasures.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11249
I also found the improvements to BoB well worth the upgrade and dramatically better than the DVD. However, while the overall picture quality of BoB is much better on BRD, this release does have some artifacts that are not present in the best of examples of the format. I would refer you to Blu-ray.com for some very good movie quality and equipment reviews.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies
There you will note that some of the classics released to date, like Zulu and the Adventures of Robin Hood as well as many newer releases like Troy and Kingdom of Heaven, are considered to have excellent picture quality, while others, like A Bridge Too Far are rated as having only modest improvements over the DVD. There are many technical reasons for the range of quality in BRDs but generally I have found these reviews accurate and where there is a question on something I might like, I try and rent it first. Netflix now has a pretty good BRD collection.
As to your other question, yes, nearly all current generation BRD players not only play DVDs but most have an digital up conversion capability that significantly improves the display of your existing DVDs.
While I think the difference is well worth it, I would suggest you visit a good electronics store (if possible, not Circuit City or Best Buy) and do some direct DVD/BRD comparisons for your self. You might call in advance to be sure they can do that for you. That is what sold me.
