movies/tv Blu-Ray VS DVD

[Lost 1,410]

I had a quick look around and couldn't find this topic anywhere.

 

 

Simple question really, When you buy a movie do you prefer to get it on Blu-Ray or on DVD?

 

For those of you who don't have a Blu-Ray player, have you seen Blu-Rays before and considered getting a player for them?

 

 

 

 

 

I personally will always buy Blu-Ray over DVD whenever possible, even though it can be considerably more expensive in some cases, for example Game of Thrones Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD costs £34.99, on Blu-Ray its £47. (approximately $50 vs $71)

 

I find the quality to be far more superior when watching Blu-Rays and they are far more scratch resistant than DVDs

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

A few people I've heard weigh in on this issue have said they can't see much or any difference. All I can conclude is that they're visually impaired or have a lousy display, or their Blu-Ray player is hooked up with composite cables. For me, the difference is astounding. In the case of bearded men, the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray can mean the difference between seeing their beards as a fuzzy mass or making out each individual hair. No question in my mind: Blue-Ray is far superior.

 

Economically, it's pretty much where DVD was at in its prime. The cost of Blu-Ray disks is down dramatically, as are the players, and the players can also read standard DVDs. Many movies in Blu-Ray format (which is all new movies) come also with a DVD copy, so there's need to make a difficult decision there. TV show box sets are another matter.

[Scootalove 10,689]

I prefer DVD more then Blu-Ray.

 

Even though I'm a Playstation player that doesn't watch movies on my PS3 but, when I want to watch movies I look for good quality so I turn to DVDs so I can watch movies that I really want to see. But, if you prefer Blu-Ray that is okay too.

[Lost 1,410]

A few people I've heard weigh in on this issue have said they can't see much or any difference. All I can conclude is that they're visually impaired or have a lousy display, or their Blu-Ray player is hooked up with composite cables. For me, the difference is astounding. In the case of bearded men, the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray can mean the difference between seeing their beards as a fuzzy mass or making out each individual hair. No question in my mind: Blue-Ray is far superior.

 

Economically, it's pretty much where DVD was at in its prime. The cost of Blu-Ray disks is down dramatically, as are the players, and the players can also read standard DVDs. Many movies in Blu-Ray format (which is all new movies) come also with a DVD copy, so there's need to make a difficult decision there. TV show box sets are another matter.

 

 

I must agree with you, the difference is astounding, the first thing i did when i got my PS3 when the 40gb version first came out i compared a Blu-Ray with the same movie on DVD, one on my PC and the other on my TV, both of a similar size and side by side, i saw a considerable difference in quality whereas some people tell me they see no difference :/

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

I prefer DVD, although except in console gaming, discs in general are irrelevant in modern times.

 

 

And from what advertisers are trying to sell to us (BS) it appears that..well..

 

Most files are transferred in what commercials seem to call "The cloud" that by the way they represent it in media must shoot files into your computer via lightning that inspires it to conceptualize data. High-tech stuff, man. It's the future, too bad the future can be interrupted by a light rain.

 

Of course what we really get our files with is the internet, and not some giant super-advanced cloud, but whatever, advertisers, probably the same thing, right?

Edited April 20, 2013 by Harmonic Revelations

[GuerrierCosmique 146]

DVD, only DVD. Blu-Rays are way more expensive and I don't have that much extra money to spend just for a bit better quality. VHS casettes are old, no one uses them today, same with Laser Disc (don't really know what this exactly is^^) and such stuff. Music and videogames I buy on CD and DVD, too, no downloads. I want to get a physical touchable object that can be put into a box or on a shelf for my money, no virtual downloads.

 

 

[Vexxy 134]

The only time I notice HD in a way that really makes me appreciate it is on the Vita, so I don't really mind much. I prefer DVDs, as the Blu-Ray player makes them look pretty much the same as a BR, aside from me not having a Blu-Ray player in my room.

 

I remember when my dad first got the player with the new Planet of the Apes, he spent the whole time saying how amazing the HD was... And he put in the DVD version accidentally 

[Orablanco Account 3,707]

Blu Ray. The Soap Opera Effect is disorienting at first, but you get used to it after a bit. Plus that's where they're putting all the bonus features now. A lack of Bonus Features is a deal breaker for me.

[SPLinux 380]

Blu-Ray is amazing for animation for it's clarity and movies if you have a player and display that can output 1080p/24 giving cinema quality.

 

DVD-Video is cheaper and looks good enough for most people, it also has more content available then Blu-Ray as lots of movies still do not have Blu-Ray versions.

 

Sadly both can have nasty forms of DRM, especially Blu-Ray with its AACS system.

Edited April 24, 2013 by superponylinux

[Paianis 489]

Nah. HD-DVD beats them both.

 

Okay, I know they're long gone now, but the releases that did make it between 2006-2008 are so dirt cheap you might as well not bother with the DVD at all. Also, they're region free, but do have copy protection, which is probably the only thing I prefer about DVDs. The encryption has already been cracked.

 

Everything else, Blu-ray.

[Paleopony 701]

I prefer Blu-ray but I have a lot more DVDs because Blu-rays are more expensive and they can only be played on a Blu-ray player.

[Katie Cadet 100]

I prefer Blu-ray Disc (1080p and 4K Ultra HD).

[ZiggWheelsManning 10,295]

@Katie Cadet

I too prefer Blu-Ray over DVD  

[Fluttershutter 2,456]

I get the bluray when I can but I'm not that picky. A lot of tv shows aren't on bluray.

[Megas 27,625]

Only reason to get DVD is because they're dirt cheap. Otherwise Blu-Ray is just better. A lot more on the disc and higher quality

[Antiyonder 1,152]

If the opportunity arises, I'll get Blu-Ray, but DVD cause that's what we own yo begin with.

At the very least, all Blu-Ray players do run DVDs as well, right?

[Samurai Equine 51,421]

Considering how many are packaging DVD and Bluray together, I feel like choosing one hardly matters that much. In some cases, getting the combo pack is the cheaper option than trying to buy one format by itself. And by buying a combo pack, you always have options of how to watch. If you only have a DVD player, you can watch the DVD; but if you get a Bluray player some day, you'll be covered in that format too. And from what I've seen, Ultra HD is being packaged with Bluray. I don't know if it's being packaged with DVDs as well, but that is a good way to help the Bluray crowd transition into an even higher resolution.

The only barrier to entry are what you can afford and what matters to you. Paying for a 4K television or any higher resolution? It's ridiculously expensive. Not to mention, if you really want a resolution that high, you pretty much HAVE to pay for a super large television. If you don't, you might as well stick with 1080p. On a smaller set, you wouldn't really notice that much a definition difference anyways.

...As a side note, in the early days of HD, there were times where the 720 or 1080p version of a movie was just an upscaled version the SD/DVD version. There was no increased definition, so the quality really wasn't better just because it was HD. But those are only a few isolated incidents. Most releases are much better about that kind of thing. In fact, companies have been trying to be more transparent about that kind of thing. 

[Antiyonder 1,152]

Well if I ever do end up with a Blu-Ray player that would be the format I go with then, but only for stuff not owned on DVDs, unless there is a good deal and there are more features beyond just better resolution.

[Iforgotmybrain 5,669]

Blu-ray all the way. Pretty much the best way to watch most shows or movies, even compared to 4k streaming. Only downside is cost/file size vs DVDs/more compressed files. For that reason I’ll usually only bother to go for Blu-ray’s for shows or movies that I really like.

[Dreambiscuit 9,691]

Honestly I don’t see any difference between the two. I have tons of each and there is no discernable improvement from Blurays over DVD. Blurays sometimes have a few more extras, which is just a way of getting people to spend more and promote that format, but unless you’re really into the bonuses they aren’t worth the difference in price. One big difference I have noticed is that Bluray doesn’t work as well as DVD; Blurays take longer to load and are more difficult to navigate. For the difference in price I’d rather have the DVD. Keep in mind that if there is any difference in quality it only matters of you have a TV up to the task of displaying it.

[Cash In 22,309]

I usually go for DVD. It's cheaper and I'm fine with the quality.

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

I never bought a Blu-Ray by itself and never plan to. It just looked to me like an upgraded version of a normal DVD, and I also took no interest in getting the latest and greatest stuff out there.

[KPackratt 281]

I always pick Blu-ray whenever possible because I like being able to watch the movie in Full HD without having to always resort to streaming. The only DVDs I usually buy nowadays are titles that don't have a Blu-ray release or titles that I find for cheap at thrift stores (which I haven't gone to in a while due to money issues). That said, my Blu-ray player does an excellent job at upscaling DVDs to 1080p (provided the author didn't apply smoothing filters to the film when encoding it to disc), but it's nice to get the best quality available.