Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

[sir clinksalot]

So I've been kind of a Blu-Ray "I don't get it" person for awhile. I thought it would be cool to have, but honestly, I wasn't really expecting a big difference. We've had an HD-DVD player for awhile (got one for $100 when they were going away). I thought the HD-DVD's looked good, but didn't think it was all that.

Last week, we got a PS3 since we had some gift cards, etc.

This week I rented Wall-E on Blu Ray from Netflix, so this morning we decided to give the Blu Ray a proper try out.

We first put in the regular DVD version to the scene titled "Eve's arrival". (This is where Eve lands on earth). Watching the DVD version, thought it looked REALLY good upconverted, pretty much the same as the upconverting on the HD-DVD, with better sound.

Then we put in the Blu-Ray. I thought we were all going to struggle to see the difference. We didn't have to struggle AT ALL. The difference ... OMG!!! Even Belle who isn't normally all ga-ga over technology had to admit that the difference was STRIKING.

I'm still not convinced Blu-Ray is for EVERYTHING (Romantic Comedies, Drama's, Older Movies, etc) but for Action movies and Animation, I'm absolutely sold.

[leopardchucks]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

Really?

I've pretty much been in the same boat...."what is the big deal?!"

Disney Movie Club has been pushing blu-ray for a while and I always thought it to be a tad annoying. But now my interest has been piqued.
I've been thinking about getting a PS3 since the prices have dropped quite a bit.

I think I might have to give it a try! Thanks for the review!

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

^ And our TV is only 720p and it makes a HUGE difference. Can't imagine what it would look like in 1080p.

The "flying into space" scene in Wall-E gave me absolute chills. Didn't even do that in the theatre.

[All4dISNEY]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

It's a whole new world Clinks, a whole new world! Glad you're on board.

[Barbossa]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

I do have one gripe about high-def still though. I find it hurts my eyes. I noticed it watching some of the new TVs in stores. Not sure why. maybe it takes some getting used to.

[SnorkletsMom]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

Barbossa, you can change the color scheme on most tvs. It may be that the 'vivid' setting is just too much for your eyes. I like ours set that way, but my husband prefers 'cinema' or something like that...the colors are more muted.

[IzzyInWonderland]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

We just got a Sony Bravia 46 inch and Sony Blu Ray player to go with it. Let me tell you, Lord of the Rings never looked so good. Technology is amazing. I too, was not all that interested until we got one.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

I do have one gripe about high-def still though. I find it hurts my eyes. I noticed it watching some of the new TVs in stores. Not sure why. maybe it takes some getting used to.

It took me some getting used to as well.

It will just be interesting to see if we all start going blind in 20 years with all of the computer and TV's being more hi-def.

We just got a Sony Bravia 46 inch and Sony Blu Ray player to go with it. Let me tell you, Lord of the Rings never looked so good. Technology is amazing. I too, was not all that interested until we got one.

Too bad the Blu-Ray versions of LOTR got delayed though. Hopefully it means they are releasing the Extended Editions and not just the Theatrical Versions.

If it's just the Theatrical verions, I will probably just rent the Blu's and then wait for the EE's to buy it on Blu.

[Gone2Disneyland]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

Then we put in the Blu-Ray. I thought we were all going to struggle to see the difference. We didn't have to struggle AT ALL. The difference ... OMG!!! Even Belle who isn't normally all ga-ga over technology had to admit that the difference was STRIKING.

Computer animated films are the best choices to showcase Blu-ray's ability to present a high def image on a high def system. Cars, Kung Fu Panda and Tinker Bell look fantastic in HD.

Then we put in the Blu-Ray. I thought we were all going to struggle to see the difference. We didn't have to struggle AT ALL. The difference ... OMG!!! Even Belle who isn't normally all ga-ga over technology had to admit that the difference was STRIKING.

I'm still not convinced Blu-Ray is for EVERYTHING (Romantic Comedies, Drama's, Older Movies, etc) but for Action movies and Animation, I'm absolutely sold.

It's probably a guy thing, but I love watching the detail and clarity of older films when they've been cleaned up and remastered for Blu-ray. Some great older eye candy films I'd recommend are How the West Was Won (1962), Dr. No (1962), Viva Las Vegas (1964) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). The Wizard of Oz is sharper and clearer too, but it was too sharp and clear for my friend who preferred not easily recognizing the sets as sets, so YMMV. You should definitely give Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at try too and see whatcha think! Of not so old films, Young Frankenstein looks surprisingly well on Blu-ray.

Enjoy your new Blu-ray world.

[orbitalpunk]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

Very interesting. Thanks for the input.

[royaldisneyfan]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

I just bought the Snow White DVD/Blu-Ray package. My next purchase...a Blu-Ray player. From what I've heard, it's spectacular.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

Young Frankenstein looks surprisingly well on Blu-ray.

Enjoy your new Blu-ray world.

They are coming out with a Mel Brooks Box Set in December.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Brooks-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B002PHI2N8]Amazon.com: The Mel Brooks Collection [Blu-ray]: Mel Brooks: Movies & TV[/ame]

[Razor Roman]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

I do have one gripe about high-def still though. I find it hurts my eyes. I noticed it watching some of the new TVs in stores. Not sure why. maybe it takes some getting used to.

there is also a feature in most new TV's now called "motion flow" or something similar, that has the effect of making everything like a poorly shot soap opera. It converts the natural film cadence and smooths things out. I don't know ANYONE who prefers how things look with that feature turned on.

[disneyDragon923]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

I love Blu-Ray, that is the whole reason I bought the PS3... well that and for video games. I love Blu-Ray, it really makes it feel like you are actually part of the movie. I bought the Dark Knight on Blu-Ray when if first came out and the audio and picture looked amazing. That was my very first Blu-Ray disc I bought, I just wished that more companies did the DVD/Blu-Ray double pack then Disney, they are like the only company I have seen do that. Most companies do the DVD or Blu-Ray and a Digital Copy, which is good because I can put it on my iPod/iPhone but I still prefer the DVD because a digital copy only stays on your iPod/iPhone and the DVD you can take with you to your friends house, car DVD player, etc.

[Emmanuel_4]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

I have had a PS 3 for 2 yrs now (yes I jumped to the Blu ray format right away) and I can not agree enough about your posting regarding Wall-E, I have quite a library now on this format now...."Coraline" looks terrific in 3-D, far superior than on regular DVD, "Ratatouille" is remarkable.
I have a 47" TV with 1080i and 1080p with a decent 7.1 HD Surrond System that gets a workout from time to time.

Thanks for posting your views about the Blu Ray format

[astrologic]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

Haha, the minute I saw this thread title I was gonna come and say "omg you MUST watch Wall-E in blu-ray!" Apparently you beat me to it. If Wall-E wasn't already a beautiful enough movie before, it's indescribable now. The "dance" scene is gorgeous.

Overall, I've had an enjoyable experience with blu-ray. I, too, watch with a PS3.

[luke7059]

[OC2Epcot]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

I purchased my first Blu-Ray disc even though I haven't bought a player yet. I've already decided all my future purchases will be on Blu-Ray. We are still working on how we will do are new entertainment center, but in the meantime no more DVDs. Besides the quality, another thing that prompted going to Blu-Ray is that I'm finding more and more DVDs that won't play on my 10 year old DVD player.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

If you are going to get a Blu-Ray I would suggest getting a PS3.

I've heard with some of the "lesser" players, discs will take a few minutes to load. This was ABSOLUTELY the case on our cheap HD-DVD player we got when they were going away.

On the PS3, we get the message that it may take 1-2 minutes to load content, and it's gone within 10 seconds.

[Gone2Disneyland]

Re: Blu Ray - I'm TOTALLY convinced

If you are going to get a Blu-Ray I would suggest getting a PS3.

I've heard with some of the "lesser" players, discs will take a few minutes to load. This was ABSOLUTELY the case on our cheap HD-DVD player we got when they were going away.

On the PS3, we get the message that it may take 1-2 minutes to load content, and it's gone within 10 seconds.

I also have my PS3 connected to the Internet wirelessly. So whenever I turn my PS3 on, it's automatically connected to the Internet. It's good if you want to download games or communicate with friends on the PS3 system. But that way, a message comes up when it finds out there's a new update that needs to be downloaded and installed. If I have a five minutes or so to wait, I'll click OK and let it run. I've read that for some stand-alone BD players, you need to find and download the upgrade on your computer, burn it on a disc and then put that disc into your player to upgrade its software.