Blu-Ray - To Buy or Not to Buy?

Still don't know what Blu-ray is? Either you have not had time to catch the latest technology news, or you are about as much of a computer geek as I am (I know what I have to know, which unfortunately is not a whole lot!) To put it as simply as possible, in our opinion, this toy is one of our ultimate video viewing "must-haves"! It has been around for a while; however, like most new technological devices do at first, it had a hard time confronting the competition (HD DVD) and its own technological issues as well.
Given more time though, we think the bugs will work themselves out.
Regardless, we still consider it a cool luxury item.
What is the difference between HD DVD and Blu-ray exactly? I mean, the players look exactly the same, and they both use DVDs pretty much the same way.
Talking about DVDs, we have to mention the fact that the HD DVDs have up to 8GB disc capacity, while Blu-ray DVDs have up to 50GB! Can you imagine what a difference this makes when, for example, talking about special features? How much additional material can be put on Blu-ray DVD? Sounds like, or should we say "looks like" lots of fun! So, even though the two devices look the same, there are some major things that can make and do make significant differences while watching movies.
Let us take a look.
The biggest issue, we think, is the video and audio quality.
When talking about video image quality, the "killer" fact is that HD DVD has a resolution of 720x480, whereas Blu-ray's is 1.
920x1.
080.
No additional comments are necessary.
Or maybe a few more if you have the same level of understanding about resolution that I do (that of a three year old toddler).
The Blu-ray's resolution goes to such depth that you can enjoy details you otherwise would not be able to - "Hey, look! Ben has a gray hair! Oh, no.
That's just a tiny spider web!"You can also enjoy more contrast and richer colors since Blu-ray is the highest-quality video format available nowadays.
Now let us talk about audio performance.
Since Blu-ray systems use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, you can actually hear things precisely as the director and audio engineers wanted you to hear them.
Amazing! However, we owe you an explanation of what Dolby TrueHD system means.
Well, one of the best characteristics of the system is that it uses lossless compression.
This means the system is able to compress information without discarding any information that some other systems could perceive as unnecessary.
Another advantage of Blu-ray is the new pop-up type menu, where you can enter functions while movie is still playing.
And just when you think you have seen it all? Hold your horses! Picture-in-picture video commentary is a completely new addition to the DVD players industry.
This function basically allows you to download straight from your Blu-ray player.
Now, let us talk about less attractive characteristics of Blu-ray.
In general, its price is still a couple hundred more than its competition (but hey, we could understand that investment), whereas for movies you will have to separate yourself from around $25 per movie.
Is it worth it? Again we would say yes, but is it affordable?That is the real question, especially if you are a movie junkie and have to own everything you have ever watched, want to watch, or even thought about watching.
Movie loading time, when Blu-ray players first entered the retail market, took some time.
Nowadays they are a lot faster, but they're still not comparable to the "classic" DVD players, which take only a moment to load a movie.
In a world of people who want things yesterday, especially when it comes to their entertainment, that minute and a half will feel like forever! The biggest disappointment you might face with Blu-ray DVDs is that regular DVD players cannot read them.
So, if you decide to go Blu-ray all the way, this means investing in a player in the living room and the bedroom- that doubles the price.
But as an alternative we suggest you take the money and invest in one super cozy, super comfortable video watching spot in your home.
And, we want to remind you again, Blu-ray is not compatible with regular DVDs.
So if you have a huge collection you may want to consider a garage sale.
In conclusion, well a partial one- we like to hear your opinion, experience, stories you've heard- anything pertaining to Blu-ray.
We will publish the best response on our Blog and the lucky contestant will win a prize! We are hoping to hear from you soon because the last day to send us your "two cents" is December 31st 2010.
Good luck!