considerations when buying a DVD player

[pixelthis]

I have always heard something, and have found it to be true.
mainly, that what appears to be a "good" picture changes, this is because the human mind has an amazing ability to "fill" in the gaps in picture quality.
But what happens when something better comes along? Well, when we revisit the "old" way of doing things its somewhat lacking.
During the transistion from VHS to DVD I rented a copy of WHAT LIES BENEATH
in VHS, a fairly good movie, and also a revelation of sorts.
The picture looked not like something seen through a screen door, but something seen throough a screen door while drunk
I was so used to DVD that this tape was a bit of a surprize.
Did I spend that much time watching this stuff when a laserdisc wasnt available?
It didnt seem that bad at the time.
I have been watching HDTV now for years, but lately its increased somewhat.
All of the local channels, and a lot of basic cable is now HD, and my DVD player
tends to sit idle quite a bit.
When DVD came out the picture was a revelation, even in SD, it was leagues
above anything else, and I HAVE ENJOYED IT A GREAT DEAL.
But the other day I watched the wedding date a pedestrian "chic flick"
on TBSHD, a channel not known for its HD presentations.
But they hit the ball out of the park on this one, it was a beautiful picture, you could see every line in debra messings face, there was rich color saturation, great depth of field.
And I thought, "when was the last time you enjoyed a DVD this much"?
The point is that a lot on this board talk about buying an "upconverting" DVD player
or using one of the fire sale HDDVD players as a sub for a Blu player.
Well, I saw a Blu player in 1080p, and my jaw dropped.
Its even better than HD on broadcast.
People on this board are sticklers for quality, with the increase in HD stations, etc, you might want to consider the purchase of a new DVD player very carefully.
Because after a lot of HD watching the "gaps" in a DVD picture are all too apparent.
And you might find that that DVD player you bought tends to sit idle quite a bit. :1:

[Rich-n-Texas]

My DVD changer will be demoted to CD only duty after the PS3 purchase because I like the convenience of loading up five disks and walking away.

[pixelthis]

My DVD changer will be demoted to CD only duty after the PS3 purchase because I like the convenience of loading up five disks and walking away.


I have a 300 disc changer, and while I use another player for spinning discs and this one for storage its nice sometimes to just hit "random" and listen to whatever pops up.
Like having your own radio station:1:

[GMichael]

Welcome aboard Pix. DVD's still look good, but they just don't campare to HD-DVD's or BR. And I only have a 720p display. Can't wait for that 1080p upgrade.

[pixelthis]

Welcome aboard Pix. DVD's still look good, but they just don't campare to HD-DVD's or BR. And I only have a 720p display. Can't wait for that 1080p upgrade.


Well, a lot seem to think DVD will surrive somehow, and I used to think so also.
DVD was the revolution, BLU is evolution.
But dang it, DVD just looks plain after watching HDTV all day.
I hardly watch it anymore.
And I have heard this from others, but always thought they were overstating the point.
But to paraphrase an old song, how will you keep em using DVD, after they've seen HD?
I mean, crappy HD still KICKS DVD'S A$$ :1:

[Rich-n-Texas]

And what would your "old one" be there movetom? What does Deal Studio have to offer this week?

[kexodusc]

Well, a lot seem to think DVD will surrive somehow, and I used to think so also.
DVD was the revolution, BLU is evolution.
But dang it, DVD just looks plain after watching HDTV all day.
I hardly watch it anymore.
And I have heard this from others, but always thought they were overstating the point.
But to paraphrase an old song, how will you keep em using DVD, after they've seen HD?
I mean, crappy HD still KICKS DVD'S A$$ :1:
I'm sure DVD will linger on refusing to die for quite a few more years, but I will be very surprised if by 2010 BluRay hasn't become the defacto standard for the majority of people.

http://www.cepro.com/article/blu_ray_adoption_wont_happen_until_2009_research_f inds/
Although this market research firm doesn't think BluRay will even be a major player for another 3 or 4 years. They call for BluRay to only be at 25% of US households by the end of 2011!!! That's not exactly mass adoption.

If they're off on their sales growth targets by even 100% that's still 3-4 years of DVD being the dominant format before BluRay overtakes. The message I read is that BluRay is more about revenue growth than absolute sales numbers though. My guess is people continue to use a healthy combination of DVD, BluRay and VOD services then.

The one thing that might influence the outcome sooner is if the Studios just decide to force BluRay on the market by artificially phasing out DVD at an accelerated pace. Very possible.

Either way, I'm with you on this one Pix. Most upscaling I've seen makes picture quality look a bit better - like a pretty good DVD. But it's not as good as bad, cable provided HDTV.

[f0rge]

i use my PS3 to upconvert dvds, and i still watch a lot of dvds since my blockbuster has a limited selection of bluray. i have to say that dvds still look good.

some look REALLY good, a perfect example would be Rescue Dawn.

of course bluray blows dvd out of the water, but a dvd can still look very good, IMO better than HDTV, which i would imagine is running through much fewer Mbps

[pixelthis]

i use my PS3 to upconvert dvds, and i still watch a lot of dvds since my blockbuster has a limited selection of bluray. i have to say that dvds still look good.

some look REALLY good, a perfect example would be Rescue Dawn.

of course bluray blows dvd out of the water, but a dvd can still look very good, IMO better than HDTV, which i would imagine is running through much fewer Mbps

I used to think the same thing.
But nowadays I find that watching a HD edition of househunters is usually better than a DVD(the sound on that show is amazing, BTW)

Thats the point of this thread BTW, when DVD came out the vcr died rather quickly,
but laser, long the domain of HT perfectionists turned "tits up" almost overnight.
Early versions of blu and HDDVD werent that impressive, but with the advent of 1080p
well, wow.
people get used to things, we had black and white tv when I was a child, I stayed
with a nice lady with a color set, talk about magical!
My folks had to get color eventually, just to get me to come home.
WHEN HD hit TV I knew it was something special, and it still is, but now its the
standard better HD is the goal, not a format that at best, will be a lesser presentation.

DVD might be fine for the great unwashed for awhile, but if you get a DVD player you're wasting your money, IMHO.
Because someday the price is right is gonna come on in HD (already has on the evening edition) and you'll find it a lot more captivating than you latest DVD.
:1:

[GMichael]

DVD might be fine for the great unwashed for awhile,.
:1:

Hey! YOU TAKE THAT BACK SUCKA! :mad5:

[f0rge]

i dont think dvd is going anywhere any time soon. here's some reasons.

1. a lot of TV is still in SD, and yes it looks like crap, but it's still extremely watchable. compared to SDTV, DVDs looks amazing.

2. most of the public doesn't understand, care about, or want to pay for HD. my parents are a perfect example, they have an HD LCD, an HD PVR and never watch HD channels. every time i'm over there and i see my dad watching sports i change the channel to the HD version and all he says is "oh thanks". yet low and behold every time i'm over there he's still watching in SD.

3. bluray hasn't "won" and i dont think it will ever get the kind of market penetration that DVD has. long before that ever happens we will be seeing much more digital media, either dowloaded or streamed, or "on demand". if you ask me this is the wave of the future. purist who need every pixel of that 1920x1080 to be perfect will still gravitate towards things like bluray, but the general public prefers convenience and ease of use over pure quality.

[GMichael]

But as prices come down, and they will eventually, average Joe will start to move over to HD. Little by little it will happen.

[f0rge]

i still think we'll see digital distribution before bluray gets a foothold in the market

[pixelthis]

Hey! YOU TAKE THAT BACK SUCKA! :mad5:

My apologies (does your wife still need the clothespin for her nose?) :1:

[pixelthis]

i still think we'll see digital distribution before bluray gets a foothold in the market


That may be the case, but blu or hdtv on vod or cable, it still proves my point.
I DONT HAVE A BLU, BUT HD on cable has pretty much kicked DVD to the curb.
And the SD on my cable is 480p, so a dvd isnt better, just THE SAME :1:

[f0rge]

the problem with HDTV is bandwidth, namely it sucks. you dont see anywhere near the same bandwidth over TV that would from a DVD, so even if they're both 480p i can guarantee the DVD will look better.

[GMichael]

the problem with HDTV is bandwidth, namely it sucks. you dont see anywhere near the same bandwidth over TV that would from a DVD, so even if they're both 480p i can guarantee the DVD will look better.

The DVD's I have do look better than the 480p I get over cable. Some more so than others, but always better.

[GMichael]

My apologies (does your wife still need the clothespin for her nose?) :1:

She likes me better when I'm dirty.

[Rich-n-Texas]

The DVD's I have do look better than the 480p I get over cable. Some more so than others, but always better.
You guy realize that cable's HD delivery uses the highest amount of compression right? Another reason why I won't be going back to it.

[GMichael]

You guy realize that cable's HD delivery uses the highest amount of compression right? Another reason why I won't be going back to it.

I don't have much choice. Too many very tall trees around us. It's cable or nothing.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Just build a really tall satellite pole! :yesnod:

And don't forget you'll need about 1000' foot of coax.

[GMichael]

Just build a really tall satellite pole! :yesnod:

And don't forget you'll need about 1000' foot of coax.

How about if I just tape a bunch of yard sticks together?

[Rich-n-Texas]

Gonna need a LOTTA yard sticks and some really good tape. Can't use duct tape though because of its metallic properties.

[Jim Clark]

I'll tell you what it's gonna take for BluRay to take off-pirateability. The day there are recordable bluray discs, blueray burners, and software or freeware utilities to rip and burn bluray titles is the day the format finally starts taking off for real. Until then it's going to be slow at best.

jc

[filecat13]

i still think we'll see digital distribution before bluray gets a foothold in the market

Today's news adds an interesting development:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/05/01itunes.html

I think most people felt that two things would slow down the growth of digital distribution: bandwidth and availability.

Suddenly, connected folks can get the latest movie at 12:01 AM while the neighbors have to wait until Blockbuster or Target opens the next morning. I think there's more money in distributing media fast, when the consumer wants it, than there is in delivering the absolute highest quality.

Making it easy to get this stuff quickly, without even leaving home, and making it available to play on multiple devices is a big deal. I didn't think the labels would go for this so soon. Apparently there's something they're seeing that we don't. It appears that HD isn't even a real part of the announcement. That's a very interesting silence.

[filecat13]

I guess I should add I just bought an Oppo 980HD, refurbished from Oppo. Naturally, it doesn't do BluRay, though it does upconvert. However, I connected it to an audio-only MC system. I got it for its SACD/DVD-A, etc. capabilities. Plus it's a good CD player.

It should last me a good long time for playing the many MC discs I have.

So there are other reasons to still buy a high quality DVD player.

[f0rge]

I'll tell you what it's gonna take for BluRay to take off-pirateability. The day there are recordable bluray discs, blueray burners, and software or freeware utilities to rip and burn bluray titles is the day the format finally starts taking off for real. Until then it's going to be slow at best.

jc

pirating 50 gig discs wont get popular anytime soon. 2 movies puts most people over their bandwidth limit for the month...

[pixelthis]

Today's news adds an interesting development:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/05/01itunes.html

I think most people felt that two things would slow down the growth of digital distribution: bandwidth and availability.

Suddenly, connected folks can get the latest movie at 12:01 AM while the neighbors have to wait until Blockbuster or Target opens the next morning. I think there's more money in distributing media fast, when the consumer wants it, than there is in delivering the absolute highest quality.

Making it easy to get this stuff quickly, without even leaving home, and making it available to play on multiple devices is a big deal. I didn't think the labels would go for this so soon. Apparently there's something they're seeing that we don't. It appears that HD isn't even a real part of the announcement. That's a very interesting silence.


OLD NEWS, we've heen getting day and date with DVD on VOD over cable for awhile.
Theres plenty of bandwidth, and it will only keep increasing to match the market.
People are lazy anything that saves the required two trips to the rental store
will be a big hit.
We have exelent VOD where I live, some in HD, and people talk at work about
"getting a movie" off of the cable, you almost never hear about it.
And I have a dvd player with sacd and dvdaudio capebilities, and plays CD pretty well also,
but I cant remember the last time I WATCHED A DVD IN IT
(listened to three CD's in it today tho) :1:

[filecat13]

OLD NEWS, we've heen getting day and date with DVD on VOD over cable for awhile.
Theres plenty of bandwidth, and it will only keep increasing to match the market.
People are lazy anything that saves the required two trips to the rental store
will be a big hit.
We have exelent VOD where I live, some in HD, and people talk at work about
"getting a movie" off of the cable, you almost never hear about it.
And I have a dvd player with sacd and dvdaudio capebilities, and plays CD pretty well also,
but I cant remember the last time I WATCHED A DVD IN IT
(listened to three CD's in it today tho) :1:

The only comment I'll make is I've never had cable or satellite, and don't intend to, so for a consumer like me, this is still a big deal. I realize lots of folks have cable, but a few tens of millions don't. Plus buying three or four titles a month will still be a lot cheaper than a cable bill. :smile5:

[f0rge]

The only comment I'll make is I've never had cable or satellite, and don't intend to, so for a consumer like me, this is still a big deal. I realize lots of folks have cable, but a few tens of millions don't. Plus buying three or four titles a month will still be a lot cheaper than a cable bill. :smile5:

the only reason i have cable is for my GF and her stupid need to watch crappy shows on MTV and Slice etc.

luckily she at leasts understands that the big tv is for me and she can watch her crappy shows in the bedroom lol.

[Jim Clark]

pirating 50 gig discs wont get popular anytime soon. 2 movies puts most people over their bandwidth limit for the month...

Bandwidth doesn't even necessarily enter into the equation. I realize that P2P and torrent sites abound with ripped and compressed movie/tv content. Not really where I was going with the comment. At present, and for the past several years, a bit for bit copy of DVDs has been childs play. Many more people have been content with compressed copies that can fit on a single layer disc. At any rate, the rent, burn, return mentality is massive and so cheap and easy that until there's something similar in Bluray tech it's going to be painfully slow growth.

Anyone still think SACD was really about superior SQ? If the labels were at all concerned about SQ we'd see better mastering on CDs. Lord knows it's possible. It was a response to easy CD copying. Anyone think it's a coincidence that the format never took off? Can't copy =slow adoption at best.

Just an opinion of course but I don't see anything that would make me conclude that it's not valid.

jc

[bobsticks]

I believe SACD was originally contrived as an "archival" mode. I'm not sure if it's an endproduct of the medium or, more likely, just extra attention to detail in the mixing room that accounts for an increased quality. I'm dubious as to whether SACD was ever meant as a serious contender---just look at the genres chosen for inclusion.

BLU-RAY is, however, meant as serious alternative but I agree that it will be awhile before it supplants DVD.

[Rich-n-Texas]

I believe SACD was originally contrived as an "archival" mode. I'm not sure if it's an endproduct of the medium or, more likely, just extra attention to detail in the mixing room that accounts for an increased quality. I'm dubious as to whether SACD was ever meant as a serious contender---just look at the genres chosen for inclusion...
That's the main reason why I didn't buy that Oppo 981. The other reason was that since the HD format war ended when it did, no longer was there a reason to purchase an upconverter for the interim period.

[pixelthis]

the only reason i have cable is for my GF and her stupid need to watch crappy shows on MTV and Slice etc.

luckily she at leasts understands that the big tv is for me and she can watch her crappy shows in the bedroom lol.


What a gentleman!
you're really a catch.
The only reason I have cable is that if you want a cable modem you have cable.
Its economically stupid to have cable just for broadband.
And tell your GF that she can watch the big TV at my house all she wants.
:1:

[Rich-n-Texas]

f0rge, don't let the above post unnerve you. Just click your heels twice and say to yourself... "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home..." :yesnod:

[pixelthis]

f0rge, don't let the above post unnerve you. Just click your heels twice and say to yourself... "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home..." :yesnod:


YOU JUST WANNA WEAR THE SHOES WITH THE RED SPARKLES :1:

[f0rge]

if only it were that easy to get rid of her...


j/k lol

[pixelthis]

if only it were that easy to get rid of her...


j/k lol

Blow 15 bucks and bring home a crack ho.
Works very time :1: