Contemplating Blu-Ray: Need help

[aerocrystallake]

Hey guys. For the longest time I was totally against Blu Ray and everything associated with it. I thought the picture quality couldn't be THAT much better. Furthermore, the movies are so expensive and the packaging is ugly. But lately I've been feeling a change of heart. I'm realizing now that it is an inevitable change in technology I will have to get with at some point. Also, I like the idea of being able to by a certain kind of Blu Ray player that will allow me to stream my Netflix movies to it.

I'm debating between a number of Samsung and LG models that are Netflix compatible. I don't want to spend a fortune on that player, but at the same time, if I'm making this big of an investment I want to pay enough that I can guarantee I am getting a quality product. I have heard that there is confusion over some movies not being compatible with certain players (something to do with the difference between 5.1 and 7.1 quality?). Someone also mentioned to me that there is an issue of software upgrades.

Any advice you guys could offer would be awesome. I'm also curious as to how you Blu Ray buyers manage to collect movies without shelling out $25+ for a film.

[Dom Shady]

If you want a quality product, be prepared to shell out some dough. I personally use my PS3 as my Blu Ray player and it seems more than capable of doing the job. It even upgrades my regular DVDs to HD(still doesn't compare to Blu Ray but it's good enough). The only problem is that each Blu Ray movie costs about $30-$40 and I'm not sure where you'd find them for cheap.
As for streaming Netflix movies, a quick search shows me that the PS3 is capable of this

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081229072216AA20c7l

[Abbie Normal]

Blu Ray looks sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than DVD's if you are watching it on a nice, big flat HD flat screen tv. If you love to watch movies and want to watch them in the best format out there, then it is worth the extra money.

For me, I love movies, but I am just fine watching my DVDs and digital cable. I would rather spend my money elsewhere. I shelled out enough money on laser discs and VHS already. I rather spend the money on sound. To me, sound means more than picture. I love my 7.1 digital surround.


The longer you wait, the cheaper everything will get. Wait long enough and you will see a new and better format. Formats do not last very long these days.

[Damone]

I'm also curious as to how you Blu Ray buyers manage to collect movies without shelling out $25+ for a film.

Unless you are one of those that have to have a new release the moment it's on the shelf....buy used. There's a place near my house where I get my blu ray movies that I pay anywhere between the $10 - $15 range. It may take a month or two before someone trades out (or swipes) a new release, but I'm willing to wait if it saves me $10. So check your area and see if you have any used places near you.

Sales are starting to get a little more common though. I know this week Best Buy and Target have several on sale between $15 - $20. I went to Best Buy on Sunday and with my $10 Reward Zone coupon I bought Pineapple Express and Silence of the Lambs for $15 apiece.

[athf1980]

I would recommand if your willing to spend the money. At my walmart where I live there is blu rays as low as 10.00 or high as 30.00. The picture is great espcally the i-max scenes from the dark night. I got my blu ray from a clearance sale.

[rilocay]

Most players are upgradeable, but DO make sure you puchase a 2.0 player that can connec tto a pc/net and grab an upgrade. Bluray's are going to once again have another major update with the whole back-up copy thing that's going on from next year.

I don't know if the ps3 is netflix compatible, but it's what i use and i still feel its the best value for money as of date (due to the whole easy to upgrade aspect).

[someguy]

For the doubting part of you: Wait it out. Less than a decade from now the blu-ray and possibly physical formats altogether will go away and downloads will be the new preferred format.

For the part of you that wants to go blu: You can either get the best player or the ideal player out there right now. The best player is the PS3, and that's not because of what else it contains. If you want an idea of how good it still is, Criterion uses the PS3 for when they produce a blu-ray release. The ideal player would be the Momitsu BDP-899 (http://www.hkflix.com/hardware/xq/asp/pid.176/aid.101587/qx/details.htm) which has good reviews but its main draw is the fact that it's region free for blu and DVD. I don't have an idea on what other players are really out there right now but it looks like those two are well received. If you end up deciding to get a PS3 I would take Abbie's advice and wait for the holiday at least since there might be a price drop.

With the Netflix issue, the Momitsu doesn't support it but the PS3 kind of does. It looks like right now the best way to get Netflix on the console is something called PlayOn but it costs $40 to get (of course if you're looking at this as an investment then the price shouldn't be an issue).

And with the Blu-Ray prices, they aren't as bad now as they were on launch. Damone is right about buying used, the discs are actually a lot more scratch resistant than DVDs and you can find plenty of good deals at stores. Lately though it looks like the blu-rays are being price matched with the DVDs and sometimes lower to give incentive for people to switch over. You should also check sites like Amazon and Deep Discount, they have good sales going on a lot.