Blu-ray Blues

GamesAreEvil writes "..Blu-ray is simply not worth the money."

[foo-19]

bluray is like an added bonus for ps3 users

[bgrundman]

It definitely can be considered a system selling feature.

[TheTwelve]

Blu-Ray is not the technological jump like say, black and white to color was.

But once you see Blu-Ray, it just seems ghetto to go back to SD.

12

[Mr_Bun]

I was wondering when the negative Blu-ray BS stories would come to the surface. We have had a too many positive stories in the past week...Time for the haters to play, I guess

[ultimolu]

I see a pattern here.

Positive bluray article
Positive bluray article
Positive bluray article
Negative bluray article
Positive bluray article
Positive bluray article
Positive bluray article

...and it goes on.

[Nineball2112]

Compare this article to this one:

http://www.n4g.com/tech/New...

There seems to be some disparity between the two, eh?

[Nathaniel_Drake]

Hmmm..very interesting the article came out a day after Dark Knight release, weren't there negative articles of Blu-ray failing right after they announced it increasing in sales when Iron Man came out, why do people do this when the public knows Blu-ray is increasing and is a better format than DVD, doesn't anyone want innovation anymore?

[Anon1974]

Usually that's the price of new DVD's. Sure most new Blu-Ray's go for $32 bucks here, but that's no different than the cost of DVD's when they first came out and I think that turned out just fine. And for me, watching a Blu-Ray in 1080p on a 92" screen from my projector, nothing beats that. It's like a theater, but without the teenagers or sticky floors. Well...no teenagers anyway.

Edit: It was just a one day, launch promo. If you missed it, it's probably regular $32 right now. Still, a good sign of things to come.

[Danja]

I was wondering when I was gonna see another Blu Ray is failing article..

Dark Knight sold 100k on day one in the UK alone...

plus at my local best buy they were sold out of both DVD/Blu Ray versions yesterday..

Blu Ray is doing better than DVD was back then....

[ToastyMcNibbles]

i just came

[morganfell]

Nineball, one article is based in fact while the article leading this thread is nothing more than an uninformed opinion to which the author admits.

[solidt12]

Blu-Rays are overpriced at most outlets. I only buy the deals at Target or Amazon. Dark Knight was 24.99 in the store which is ok. I will not pay more than 22.99 for a Blu-Ray normally but this is the Dark Knight Movie we're talking about. When they get to around $15.99 on the average they will sell much better and $39.99 is just out of the question for almost everyone.

[Nineball2112]

True... very true.

But that won't stop the spinning the goes on around here.

Blu-ray is doing fantastic and is only going to do better as time goes on.

[solidt12]

I will be glad when we start seeing 2160p TV's and Blu-Rays in the future at affordable prices. That is when we will see even a bigger jump.

Like the Westinghouse Quad HD 52" 3840 x 2160

http://www.engadgethd.com/2...

[eagle21]

I bought oustanding quality Blu-ray's for $10.49 to $19.99 on amazon yesterday. The DVD counterparts were the same price.

Blu-ray kills DVD in quality. I'll tell you something that is simply not worth the money. A 360 arcade! :)

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

InternetGameSitesAreEvil.com

For Movie Fans Blu-ray is the Ultimate HD Format out there;)

[orakga]

I just watched BD and I...

JIZZED! IN! MY! PANTZ!!

yeah? yeah?

[Pika-pie]

The difference between bluray and dvd on my HD tv is like night and day.

Dont know what this guy is talking about. Either his settings on his TV are screwed or he doesnt have a HDTV and is using an old tube.

[IcarusOne]

This guy doesn't know what he's talking about. The difference between 480p and 1080p is quite noticeable even to the lamest of layman. The PS3 is hands-down the best blu-ray player on the market (I'm still waiting for the awesome game library). I'm also not one to blow his load over special features, but even putting those aside, blu-ray is a considerably awesome hop forward in home entertainment. Remember, it ain't just the picture: we're getting up to 7.1 channels of theater quality surround sound, something DVD physically can't do.

The better question is this: will Blu-ray be able to last before HD streaming video becomes the norm? AppleTV is sidebar right now, but in a couple years I could see this technology being very pervasive. Plus, with my kickin' subscription to Netflx, for a mere $9/month I can stream HD content to my Xbox, not to mention the plethora of HD content downloads on both XBL and, to a lesser-extent, PSN.

[solidsnakus]

http://s3.carltonbale.com/r...

decide for yourself, bluray is in 1080p so if you dont have a 40" 1080p tv or bigger then your just wating your money. the OP in the article probably has some 720 32" tv or something.

[c-redz]

dudes on crack.... 30 bucks for a disc,most discs are under that! i just picked up 4 blu-ray movies for 40 bucks, 10 bucks each!!!!

[Neco512]

i like bluray but i dont think its worth the money either

[Hobb]

blue ray is too expensive

[Maddens Raiders]

Still bitter about that HD-DVD add on "success"?....tsk, tsk, tsk.

meh...they'll get over it just like Toshiba did.

[Nineball2112]

You posted: "The better question is this: will Blu-ray be able to last before HD streaming video becomes the norm?"

According to this article:

http://www.n4g.com/NewsPend...

79% of people in their survey want hard copies of movies. Based on that, I'd say that yeah... Blu-ray will be able to last.

[rucky]

Article got taken down

[Jessica Alba]

I sure am enjoying watching my movies in HD. And you can really see the difference against upscaled DVDs if you own a HDTV.

[The Dark Knight]

The Dark Knight says hello.

[SonyOwnsNextYear]

millions with hd setups seem to prove this article FAILS.

who else got the batpod?

[hay]

Just watched Wall-E(great movie by the way) yesterday in HD, the ammount of details and color depth was simply stunning. No SD will give you that.
Maybe the jump isn't that huge, but I've gladly made it.

[prowiew]

Why not talk about games?

[Meus Renaissance]

"I’m not expert when it comes to technical aspects of a Blu-ray disk, nor will I pretend to know exactly what makes a Blu-ray so much better than a regular DVD."

So what's the point of this article?

[CrAppleton]

It's to show an unbiased opinion of blu-ray

[Pennywise]

Unbiased or uneducated?

I dont want advice or opinions of anyone who has no clue what they are talking about.

[Captain Tuttle]

If you have to be an expert in Blu-Ray to appreciate it then it will fail.

[Pennywise]

Come on tuttle... you can do better than that.

You should be knowledgeable about anything you put on your website and post it. I remember when journalists has some integrity.

[LethalToxins]

I tend to agree. Think about it Tuttle, it's not some consumer writing a review on Amazon.com, this is a website review. It should be educated.

Imagine, IGN reviews GeoW3:
"Well, I haven't actually played the game, so I have no idea what makes it good or not, but I think it sucks. 3/10."

Where would society be without education? Still using betamax and 8 track. "I never used VHS/DVD, but betamax is clearly better than both."

[Captain Tuttle]

Blu-Ray is entering the main stream. That means Mary Joe soccer mom is going to be in Wal-Mart and she doesn't care about 1080p or HDMI...she wants a good product at a fair price. Videophiles appreciate the technology and they were the early adopters. When you start seeing positive write ups in the local newspapers' "Technology" section about Blu-Ray it will become a world killer. This guy doesn't appreciate it? That's his opinion and he backs it up with some good points. For example, Blu-Ray movies do cost too much money.

Edit for Lethal: Must reviewers for IGN know how to code? Do they have to know the physics behind video game consoles? Does a guy who reviews books have to be a expert in printing them? This guy has watched Blu-Ray movies and he doesn't think they're worth the high price. He recommends renting. That's all.

[Mr_Bun]

" if you’re already watching on an HDTV then you aren’t going to notice a huge difference"

This statement couldn't be more off the mark! If you have a HighDef TV, you will notice the HUGE difference off of the bat! HD TVs emphasize the flaws in traditional cable/DVD signals and other SD data.

The price point is still pretty high for a lot of people but you can't watch something that outputs 1080p to a 480p TV and expect miracles

EDIT: @Tuttle

The problem with your "soccer mom" scenario is that they will walk into a store asking "What looks better"...you are right that they won't care how or why it works...just the end result...

Blu-ray looks a lot better!

[morganfell]

Well tuttle you do not have to be an expert, just honest and with a modicum of vision acuity.

Of course if you are determined to throw rocks at Bluray then no amount of facts or reality are going to convince you it is worthwhile.

And here is where you are definitely wrong tut. Mary Jo soccer mom does care about Bluray. You apparently think the average consumer is brain dead (of course you are a Nobel genius).

Yet when I stand in Best Buy like I did yesterday and watch soccer moms, steel workers, and truck drivers talk about they only want the Bluray edition of The Dark Knight because the picture clarity is far superior then that is expertise enough to make Bluray a winner.

[roblef]

Seems like this article is just one guys opinion. You can agree or disagree, but it's not about who's wrong or right. More about how the average consumer might think of the latest greatest gadgetry, like Blue Ray.

@danja - It's not saying Blu Ray is failing. More that it's too pricey to get into at this point in time, for this one writer.

@lethaltoxin - it's not a review, from my reading.

[Captain Tuttle]

They care about it because it's a superior product. It's just starting to reach the mainstream. The main point of the article (he b!tches about getting his PS3 to play games, not movies blahblahblah)is that the cost of the discs are too high. He's right. The price will come down and then I'll bet he thinks it's worth it. Not every tiny little negative opinion against Sony products is FUD.

Blu-Ray will not take off (I mean REALLY take off) until the prices of the movies come down.

[morganfell]

Bluray taking off? The adoption rate is 1.5 times the speed of DVD. Sales of Bluray players have now surpassed DVD players in Japan. Bluray single handedly held up DVD sales this year already.

No, we do not really agree. I understand that Bluray has taken off and naysayers are doing everything they can to prevent that reality from becoming the major public perception.

Prices? What is the hottest movie to own this holiday? Look:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site...

A dollar. A dollar difference in price. Bluray is here, it has taken off, and it isn't landing anytime soon.

Also, look at this:

http://www.videobusiness.co...

Bluray player sales tripled on Black Friday.

[Captain Tuttle]

You know what? You guys just keep defending your corporation and your format and I'm sure you'll be successful. I just don't understand the attachment and the constant harping on anyone who doesn't think that your chosen tech is the greatest and latest thing. Look at that...you just hunted down 3 links for me. I appreciate the effort but I guess I just don't get that emotional about consumer products.

[Pennywise]

Tuttle I do agree... I want cheaper blurays.

Funny thing is: Bluray games = same price as DVD games.
Bluray movies are more than DVD movies. hmmm

[strotee]

"your corporation and your format"

Wow. If anyone is taking it too seriously, it's you. No one on N4G spoons Blu-ray at night or feeds it breakfast in bed.

[morganfell]

Your own actions reveal your words to be less than truthful. You replied to this thread 3 times and countless others relating to Sony and Bluray (your opinion is fairly obvious). That says you care. You claim others are the emotional ones yet you did not reply countless times to various threads on n4g because you seek to enlighten the ignorant heathens.

These 'emotional people' you obviously disdain are at least honest about their motivations. The way you defend MS and attack Sony hardly leaves you standing in the middle of the road. Of course one needs an honest examination of the self to admit to the truth.

Admit it or not you are also one of these 'emotional people'.

You may not care for the picture that paints of you and in indeed you may go on to deny it but facts...are stubborn things.

Let me show you how to properly 'not care' about someone's opinion....

[orakga]

I think you guys are arguing over semantics here.

Morganfell, you are right to point out that BD is performing far superior to DVDs when it was the same "age".

But what Tuttle means by "take off" is a DRAMATIC uptake in sales. He is referring to the ENTIRE mainstream making a conscious shift to the next format and the naysayers finally facing their perils and completely shutting up.

As you may remember, that didn't happen to DVDs until the $100 Chinese DVD players hit walmart (at the end of 2003).

And similarly, this won't happen to BDs until the players hit $150, and NEW 720p HDTVs come down to the $400 line. 1080p TVs would be around $600 by then, hopefully.

I think it'll take another year for us to see that happen, but I think we all agree that the momentum is there, and that we've already passed the point of no return.

JIZZ! IN! MY PANTZ!!

[LethalToxins]

Agreed. Actually, after rereading what he wrote, you're right. You don't have to be an expert. Anyone who denies that and critiques this guy's opinion because of that reason is just a hypocrite. Well, unless they can recite all of the patents, historical developemental data, why the adoption is so slow, how the fusing of the disc actually goes together, how dual and quad layered discs are created, etc. He knows enough, so his opinion is valid.

@ Morgan

As is his main point: price needs to come down before it truly hits mainstream. Sorry, Morgan, you're wrong on that. The above hit the nail on the head. Outpacing its technological predecessor does NOT make it mainstream. It simply means it /should/ get there at a faster rate.

And one of his points was that the difference in detail isn't the end all be all of movie watching. I personally couldn't care less if I'm watching The Godfater in 1080P BD or on DVD. That kind of movie isn't going to benefit as much as something like Transformers would. Special effects just aren't a big deal. Similarly, I think the Valkyrie Profile games for the PS1/PS2 are better than 95% of the games that have come out this gen. There graphics are horribly dated but I'm not going to not play them just so I can play the OMG so superior HD games on next gen consoles.

Do you really think the masses are going to completely replace their current DVD library with their BD counterparts? Even for the movies they rarely watch? Perhaps. But when will this happen? Oh, yeah, when the price comes down and BD hits mainstream...

Edit: Bubbles to you Tuttle. You changed my mind. That doesn't happen very often. Lol...

Edit: @ TK
And you're an expert in Bluray? It takes a big man to invalidate someone else's opinion when they themselves don't know anymore about the topic at hand. I didn't know you knew how to create a BD and all of the schematics behind bluray technology. Tell me, when are you up for the Nobel again?

Your comment makes you a hypocrite. Your attitude makes you a jerk.

[tk]

When he gets pwned all over the net he can claim ignorance... or stupidity. But it still comes down to blatant on-purpose self-imposed ignorance.

[Bob Dole]

Bob Dole wants Dark Knight on betamax. Superior and cheaper. Har.

[Sitdown]

1.) Bluray's adoption rate is better than what the dvd's adoption rate was around this time in development. If you have not noticed, we are living in a completely different era.......there are tons more tvs in home than there were back then. There would be a serious problem if bluray did not have a better adoption rate. That is like me saying the adoption rate of suvs is better than the adoption rate of the first model car when it came out...so therefore suvs are guaranteed to be around. Geez, I own a bluray player (ps3)...but the reality is, there are a lot more people able to splurge and purchase these products than back in the day.

@Morgenfell
I really can not believe you brought up how bluray players are outselling dvd players in Japan.......I mean seriously, are people really buying dvd players like they use to? Do you think in the dvd player totals they account for 360s, ps2s, surround sound systems...or are we just talking about stand alone? Again...this should be a natural progression as the market is saturated. I have at least 7 devices in my homes that can play dvds.......with the last purchase being that of my ps3.

[TheExodus]

Blu-ray player sales have NOT overtaken DVD player sales in Japan, it's Blu-ray recorder sales that have overtaken DVD recorder sales:

http://blog.wired.com/gadge...

which happen to be completely different markets!

HD DVD sold a ton of players Black Friday '07 which directly translated into a boom in HD DVD disc sales after Christmas, or not.

Funny thing about reality is that denial doesn't change anything. Blu-ray is on life support, as is Sony because of it. Dark Knight sales will NOT alter Blu-ray's fate because it's the comedies, dramas, romances & thrillers that comprise the bulk of films in Hollywood's vault & those are NOT selling worth a damn on Blu-ray.

BTW, I picked up Dark Night on DVD yesterday & to add insult to injury I watched it with my PS3 as did most of you.

[Nathan Drake]

Then STFU then.

[Pennywise]

lol! True. I wish blu was cheaper, but like everything... in time it will be.

[Neco512]

you dont seem to reealise what an opinion is cause thats obviously what the writer was going for so all i have to say is you sir are a f*ck tard

[PirateThom]

Must be one these selectively blind people. You know, the one's who can notice when a PS3 game is missing a pixel but can't tell the difference between DVD and Blu-ray.

[Pennywise]

Anyone who cant see the difference is either: Blind, going blind or lying.

Or of course has a SD TV... which they shouldnt be buying bluray anyways.

[Theoneneo81]

or stuck up HD DVD sore losers

[morganfell]

The story does not meet the guidelines for submission and both user and story need reporting.

[xaviertooth]

is simply not worth the time. FACT!

[Kleptic]

yeah...if you can seriously say that there is only a 'slight' difference between DVD and BD on a large HDTV...you're an idiot...nothing more...

on a smaller HDTV, the differences are not quite as noticable...real BD advantages begin to appear on the 50"+ scale...on my 60" SXRD...the difference between BD and DVD is easily as vast as DVD and VHS was...

and that isn't some retarded placebo I've conceived myself...the first BD I watched was on this same television when a friend brought over a PS3 with the free talladega nights disc...and it blew me away...I hadn't seen it in stores yet, and the clarity, color saturation, and contrast was incredible...I didn't own a PS3 yet, as this was right around the end of 2006, and they were still impossible to find...

now I agree that the pricing of BD is still out of control...as I haven't even purchased that many BDs yet because of it (and due to there being a very large lack of good stuff coming out movie wise)...The Dark Knight was the first full priced blu ray disc I have purchased...everything else was on a major discount...

and I have seen DVDs still look good on smaller hdtvs...but upconverting DVD players, normal DVD players, whatever...they look like trash on larger screens...and if you are saying 'no it doesn't'...its simply because you have not seen a BD on it yet...

[Neco512]

it looks good but i agree it doesnt look that much better

[falcon]

my tv is not even 1080p and I can clearly see the difference between dvd and bd. even at 1080i, the difference is like night and day. the only way u can't see this is if u r blind by your own ignorance.

[Mr PS3]

Forget the Technical aspests
If you Cant tell the Difference when watching either !!
You Need you eyes testing
And you have no right going any futher with your opinion
So stop moaning and look at it as a Bonus
A State of the Art in HD Bonus !!

[JimmyJames70]

In the long run, DVD players will become obsolete, and will be replaced with HD streaming video off the Internet. The Internet will eventually replace everything everywhere all the time.

[Pennywise]

When this happens, will I be able to stream a HD movie in my flying car from the internet?

[Time Lord]

lol, I dont think I'll live to see that day.

[Anon1974]

I hope I still have my eyesite and hearing when this happens. I don't want to be one of those crazies in the old folks home that sits in the back screaming "Turn it up, for the love of GOD!"

Maybe by the time this happens they'll have a cure for aging as well. That'll be sweet.

[SL1M DADDY]

Streaming video in 24mbps and supports true 7.1 HD surround sound then I can see the death of BD around the corner. But until then, I will be happy watching my movies in true HD and not that silly HD-wannabe streaming video off the web at a whopping 6 to 8mbps.

[NipGrip]

Not with the increasingly popular bandwidth caps it won't. Consumers will also never give up owning a physical medium.

[Neco512]

actually pennywise they are already starting to stream hd online ;)

[Brian5247]

HD-DVD FANGIRLS STILL CRYING ABOUT THE EMBARRASSING LOSS TO BLU-RAY! LOL!

[militant07]

is ps3 blue ray free reigon in games and movies ??

and are you sure 100% ?

[solidt12]

I know for a fact that the games are region free.

[Mr_Bun]

I am pretty sure that the movies aren't region free, but the games definitely are.

[titntin]

Games are 100% region free on the PS3

Movies are not, because Hollywood wanted regional control - which was daft as there were some region free titles on HD DVD, but since when has the film industry ever acted with intelligence? :)

[PotNoodle]

And they said the same about DVD.

[Nikkelz]

its in the dark knight review section,i play a lil devil's advocate on this exact issue....

peace and game on

[Nathan Drake]

End topic.

Y'know,I was going to give out some EXCLUSIVE information on what one of the PsP2 prototypes looks like,but with all the nonsensical articles on the front page,I'll wait until it clears up to post the stuff.

[Pennywise]

Siligon is that you?? lol

[Nathan Drake]

Unlike Silogon/Gamesblow,I don't have to pull sht out of my arse to create an article or information piece.

I simply relay what I have heard and or seen,nothing more-nothing less.

[Kyur4ThePain]

It was only a matter of time before we got a negative BD story - there has been too much good news lately.

[Nathaniel_Drake]

Actually blame it on Dark Knight, it's causing Blu-ray to show too much credibility, the day after its release this article pops up coincidence I don't know maybe

[strotee]

*sigh*

Right on cue. The day after the article about Dark Knight selling like 45 billion copies (or so lol).

Edit: Did "pp" get a job in journalism?

[power of Green]

From the sounds of the retail workers many other consumers agree about BD not being worth it, retail employee's beg consumers to buy PS3 boasting blu-ray while begging as if PS3's where wasting space.

[Kleptic]

you're back?...most of us thought you ended your life after you saw all the Killzone 2 stuff last week...

looks good doesn't?...

[ultimolu]

...Right.

That's all I have to say.

[LittleBigKillzone]

Again?! come on guys lol. It blows my mind how HD-DVD failired horribly and blu ray is taking off more than DVD did at this point in its life and they still say blu ray is worthless. ok guys your right, while your at it lets just say Technological advancements are pointless to. You guys are absolutly right, i think we should stick with DVD For the next 10-15 years. Hell while where at it i think we should stick with our 360s and PS3s for the next 10-15 years also.

Actually you know what, DVD is pointless. I was perfectly fine with VHS, I think we should all just go back to VHS! and you know what while im at it, im going to sell my Hi def TV and get a black and white TV i mean afterall there is no "true difference" between black and white and color TVs lol.

The point is this! Technology advances as time goes on ok?! I own a PS3 and have 13 games and 22 blu ray movies and counting and i can say that from here on out i will not buy another DVD infact ive bought blu ray versions of dvds i own and will sell the DVDs on ebay. there is a HUGE difference between DVD and blu ray, now if your watching a blu ray movie on a 17 inch Standard DEF tv ofcourse there is no difference! but if you have a good 1080p tv. Blu ray is amazing!

DVD is on its way out and blu ray is on its way in. each time i go to best buy i see more and more blu ray movies. nice try 360 fanboys

[Sergeant Osiris]

to a market M$ competes in, they bring out the worst in people.

[darthv72]

I just picked up cars on blu after seeing it at my local fry's. Thing is, it did not look the same on my ps3/42" plasma as it did in the store. It looked really good but there was something about that fry's setup...I had to go back to the store and see.

The tv it was running on was a newer 120hz lcd where as mine is a 60hz plasma. The added speed made the actual animated characters almost appear lifelike. Running in a higher frames per second you could actually see the separation of the background from the animation going on. Breathtaking!!! I just dont have $2000 for this tv. It is like looking at something running 30fps and then looking at the same thing running 60fps.

Blu/hdtv are a combo that can really benefit animated movies.

[Kyur4ThePain]

Yeah, 120hz makes a big difference. Though, I've had friends over to watch regular BD movies and often their comments will something like "why does it look like the movie was filmed on a handy cam?".
Sometimes the added frames make it look a little...strange?

Also, the 120hz technology isn't quite perfect yet, as you can notice some artifacts when there is fast action sequences.

[solidt12]

oh yeah, my next set will be 120hz.

[solidjun5]

...before there were articles negative towars blu-ray. I mean, there were some positive yesterday and it seems to me that the topic of blu-ray is Ying and Yang. Can't have Ying without the Yang. You can't have good blu-ray articles without the bad.

meh

[dukadork]

a funny sitcom to watch with your breakfast.
new fresh losers everyday, dorky dialogs, a cheesy comedy from the people who brought you: "hddvd is gonna win baby!"

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

Is that 'funny sitcom' on Blu-ray??? ;-D

Must be a xBot who wrote this, they haven't got much, i.e like -

NO Blu-ray

NO HOME

NO FREE internet Playing

NO Games next year

NO...etc etc...

[dukadork]

no, it's so full of sh!t, it won't even fit on bluray!

[Sir_Ken_Kutaragi]

Ok ;-D I'll get 'The Dark Knight' instead;)

+ PS3 games look STUNNING on a HD:TV!!! ;-P
(I'm still in SHOCK after a week of having mine) ;)

[Aclay]

If the person that wrote this thinks that Blu-ray isn't worth the extra money, that's his opinion, but to me it is.

I see this guy is whining about Blu-ray disc prices, and like I said in another Blu-ray article, buy them online.

Sometimes I go to Walmart and see them selling STANDARD DVD's for more than what I paid for a brand new Blu-ray DVD that I bought discounted Online.

Best Buy is selling I Am Legend on Blu-ray for $27.99

http://www.bestbuy.com/site...

But I got my copy of I Am Legend on Blu-ray for $18 dollars on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-...

I know that a lot of people still don't shop online, but you can really save some money by doing so.

Also, a lot of Blu-ray DVD's come with an extra Digital copy so you can transfer it to Itunes/Windows Media Plaer and put it on your Ipod and that's another plus of buying Blu-ray.

[LethalToxins]

Unless you got free S & H, the prices you're listing are a little misleading. Usually, they sell cheaper online because after you pay shipping, it's a lot closer to what you'd pay in retail.

[vlazed]

I think some people just want to counter/downplay the success of the Dark Knight.

[Nikkelz]

i know what you mean brother,i seen a new bravia xbr at circuit city and they had the discovery channel running,i was blown away.....im already talking to my wife about getting me a new set...my "regular" bravia aint cutting it,i need 120 hz

peace and game on

[Stereojet]

Wow!

This site is really spamming the anti Sony news items lately...

USA USA USA!!!

LOL! what a joke!

[Nathan Drake]

HD Streaming is a great idea.Tell me,how exactly are Walmart-BestBuy-Target-GameSto p-and a million other retailers,how exactly are they going to make revenue from HD Streaming?Because it sounds like you're under the impression that Microsoft will magically rule Movie streaming due to their support of digital downloads.

Buying movies>Renting movies>Streaming movies.Once you understand this,you'll understand why physical media won't go anywhere anytime soon

[jrsenkbe]

Blue-ray costs more than a movie? My wife and I just went to the movies last weekend and saw Australia.

$10.00 for tickets x 2
$5.50 medium popcorn
$5.50 medium pops x2
$36.50 total cost.

So what is really cheaper? Plus if I buy a blue-ray when it comes out there usually $24-$26 and I get to keep the movie.

These are articles are getting crazy.

In this persons words, theres no difference between SD TV and HDTV.

[mrdxpr2]

uh another diference betwen dvd and bluray is that dvd can get scratched very easy bluray doesnt get scratch that fast and if it does it still works i dont have not one scratch on my bluray discs and sometimes they fall to the flor and nothing compared to dvd its incredible people would think i was trying to dj with dvds and i really take care of my discs is just that dvd gets marks fast i love bluray for that ...plus bluray holds alot of info yay yay..

[ToastyMcNibbles]

watched the dark knight last night on blu-ray...infackingcredible

[xwabbit]

Lol y do people approve this dumb articles.

[strotee]

Ask them:

Nineball2112
JimmyJames70
hiphopgamer
bgrundman
roblef

[roblef]

It just seems a little silly to respond to all this negativity, but it just floors me when you can't take the time to use basic grammar and spelling, but criticize the article as "dumb." Good lord, man, WHY is it dumb? What do you disagree with? The article is one guy's opinion of a technology that he owns. He's ALLOWED to think that way. He can't stop you from enjoying all the Blu Ray goodness you can handle! I thought it was a good article.

</rant>

I don't mean to pick on you specifically, man, but whew the negativity is thick around here, PLUS many can't be bothered to add any depth to their replies.

[bviperz]

started with the article. If the author is entitled to his/her opinion then so are we. Don't forget that.

[Nineball2112]

Because it is gaming/tech related. And it's discussion worthy.

Just because YOU don't like it, doesn't make it worthless or "stupid".

Also per N4G guidelines:

Posting Negative News
Even though negative news about a console can make the fans angry, it is still news and should be posted as any other story. Again as with all news stories the important thing is that what you report is newsworthy. That some no-name-blogger writes a story about how much he dislikes console X, that is not news. On the other hand, if a high profiled developer shares his negative opinion about a console on his personal blog it would be considered news and should therefore be posted.

Although, I guess you could argue about the no-name-blogger part. :-)

[running rampid]

i'm sick of this.

[lordgodalming]

This isn't news. This is nothing.

@7: No joke. I started reading N4G to get away from flame wars and flame whores. How quickly that went down the toilet...

[running rampid]

sometimes i feel like quiting this site all together. too HOT for me lol, what with all the flames and stuff. +bubble.

[Grimhammer00]

Ok...we all agree that HD 1080p is the cats meow, preferably in 120mhz.

But honestly, their are upscaling dvd players (like OPPO series) that can approximate Blu-Ray visually from a current DVD. Most people can't tell the difference. The TV makes a far bigger impact on the picture than the storage medium...sure HD is a must have if you are still watching SD. But DVD was better than VHS for obvious reasons...the jump to Blu-Ray is not a big enough jump to carry us for say 10yrs or so.

Things will go the streaming route eventually...quite possibly in 10-15yrs.

However, Blu-ray is being marketed well...this has far more to do with sales than the suggestions that Blu-ray is soooo much better visually than DVD.

PS3 can also take alot of the credit.
Anyhow, IF we as consumers can get over not owning a physical copy...I mean, how cool would it be to go to your virtual blockbuster with your blockbuster 100gb fob and download the movie of your choice for a fraction of the current cost (provided the owners of the copyright share the savings)? Keep it forever, with new technology built into the actual data of the movie making it pirate free (ok...this will be the reason that none of this will ever be realized likely).....and obviously this is not around the corner...at least 10yrs I'm thinking.

Am I wrong? Do we think Blu-ray or similar format will be around 50yrs from now?

[roblef]

Good points, all. I like your vision of the future, but don't share your optimism that corporations will allow ANYTHING to be downloaded for a fraction of the current cost. I'm pretty sure they'll find some way to charge equivalent prices to the physical copies now. Just look at e-books. WAY overpriced for the lack of production overhead.

[killyourfm]

@Roblef: 100% true - look at STEAM, which most of the time charges full retail price for a downloaded version of a game.

[eagle21]

360 arcade = not worth the money.

DVD = not worth the money, when on amazon.com they cost the same as Blu-ray.

hd dvd = remember me...RIP

Wii at $249 = not worth the money

360 wifi = not worth the money

360 HDD = not worth the money

xbox live = not worth the money

99% of 360 games = not worth the money

[pp]

I can't even notice any picture quality between my video recorder and Blu-Ray their exactly the same.

[majorsuave]

"Yeah, 120hz makes a big difference. Though, I've had friends over to watch regular BD movies and often their comments will something like "why does it look like the movie was filmed on a handy cam?".
Sometimes the added frames make it look a little...strange?

Also, the 120hz technology isn't quite perfect yet, as you can notice some artifacts when there is fast action sequences."

LOL LOL
hahahaha 120 hz is the number of times the image is refreshed per second (120 times) but movies have 30 frames per second. this feature will only make a difference on computers that support a refresh rate of 120hz.

A blu ray movie still has 30 fps at 120 hz, each frame is refreshed 4 times. and the artifact is more than likely caused by the screen itself that is blown away by a refresh rate that is too high.

[Slinger420]

WOW, ANOTHER FAIL ARTICLE ABOUT BLU RAY, PEOPLE REALLY HAVE NO LIVES

[BigKev45]

Yeah, because the person who wrote that simply can't afford it.

[ceedubya9]

But I'm picky on which movies I pay the BR price for. Big movies with great special effects and such, animated stuff, I'll usually go the BR route. Comedies I can deal with regular old DVD in most cases, unless I find a good deal.

An interesting thing that I've noticed, is that special edition 2 disc DVD sets are costing about as much as a BR disc these days. Same features and all. The gap IS at least getting smaller unless you count the Bare-bones dvd movies with just the film and a small bit of special features.

[VampHuntD]

The movie has to be animated or have crazy special effects or music to be worth the blu-ray price. Which is certainly getting smaller too so that's a plus.

[Grimhammer00]

Yeah...but I can dream. LOL
I personally only have a 1080i Sony 50" Bravia.
The research I did showed me some startling facts.

When viewing an HD signal...especially from satellite ala your cable company...they often reduce the signal to 720p to cut down on data which in turn saves them processing power at source.

Anyhow...here's what Everdog says from the AVSforums.com not saying I agree completely, and it's an opinion we all can currently relate to:

"Yeah, who goes to Walmart and buys a DVD player for $25 and a big stack of those $5 DVDs is an idiot.

Why not buy a $300 BD player to play those DVDs? Or even better buy $25 BDs instead of $5 DVDs because the sound on his TV speakers will be so much better.

Its not like the economy is bad or anything."

(You can get $9 DVD's at your local blockbuster to own. DVD players are largely standardized now...though the cheaper "no name" brands turn out to be better due to DIVX with no restrictions and no region coding. Also, a little Red fox and a half-brother of Dante's will make that $9 turn into $0.....so I'm told...)

[HDgamer]

When I didn't have an HDTV, bluray movies didn't matter. Now that I have one with an HDMI cable, I am willing to buy bluray movies because it looks so good.

[Bon Scott]

It really isn't worth it in the long run.

We spend years building a DVD collection,and now Sony wants to make more money off people,so what do they do,
come up with this hogwash Blu Ray crap to squeeze another cent out of dullard naive customers(same goes for HD-DVD too).

The difference is no where near as astounding as it was when VHS shifted to DVD.......FACT

I will not repurchase my whole collection again for this minimal of a difference between upscaled DVDs and Blu Gay.

GamesAreEvil is actually 100% right.

Therefore I say to you Sony morons running around here patting each other on the back,
Sony thanks you for your ignorance and hard earned money!

[dukadork]

dude, there are dirt cheap HDTVs these days...
what are you waiting for: xmas?

[Senden]

Blu ray isn't worth the money.. sure it's nice and by preference i'd take it but it isn't worth spending almost double the cost of a normal dvd on. Unless you watched a SD and a HD movie at the same time, you really don't notice the difference.

[truehunter]

Who buy HDTV an uses old DVD to watch movie...... hypoctie ? Mayb or just sad.

W/e i watch a DVD movie i like it on SDTV cuz it looks way better then HDTV. Watching HDTV on high def movie on BD thats a huge diffrent.

[darthv72]

I only recently got my plasma tv. I have lots of regular dvd's that I would like to watch on this new big tv. I currently have only 1 bd player (ps3) which is really nice on it but I am in the market to move it back out to the game room (as I game on it too). I have been looking around at the various brands of upconverting dvd players. Right now I am leaning towards the philips dvp5992 or 5990 for much much cheaper than a stand alone bd player.

My reason for this is rather simple (and obvious). I could continue to use the ps3 as an upconverting player but it would take away from my wanting to use it to play games. You see with only one hdtv in the house I have kids that like movies. If they are watching the movies on the ps3 then I cant play with it. So to get them a cheap ($50+/-) hdmi dvd player is more cost effective in my case.

I also choose to get the majority of movies on dvd because I have far more sdtv/dvd's in the house than hd/bd combos. There is nothing wrong with that. Movies I want specifically on bd, I get on bd. I just tell the kids that there is only one place in the house where we can watch then in their full glory. They understand.

So in my case I have hdtv and watch regular dvd's on it simply because I have more of them and I will have a dedicated player to up-them for better representation. My ps3 will still be used for bd (obviously) and games. Fine by me.

[dash--]

I thought blue ray surpassed DVD sales in japan?

[Grimhammer00]

I bought an HDTV...a Sony Bravia 50"
I don't own a Blu-ray...and am very happy with my 360 upscaling regular dvd's.

I also cheat - as I stream much of my media from AVI with a high bit rate through FDDSHOW...if you really consider your viewing as a videophile, then this option gives you the best picture imaginable. You can control every aspect, and add or subtract artifacting from the original digital source.

But forget all that - it isn't for the average user, which is kinda the point with Blu-ray...and in the latter case, does NOT increase the visual sooo much that it completely distroys DVD - like DVD did to VHS.

Don't get me wrong - BR looks great! But pound for pound, dollar for dollar...i'll stay with DVD and streaming video everytime.

And as an aside - a test was doen by OPPO industries back in early 2007...they took a Blu-ray movie (can't remember which one) and had a group of people watch the movie without telling them what the test really was. In one of the segway black screen moment in the blu-ray movie - they switched the signal to the OPPO upscaled DVD player.

Guess how many people said something - yep, none. Nobody could tell.
When both were shown side by side, people could tell...only barely.

What was important was how quickly the mind adapts to the original HD image...and hence the WOW factor quickly takes a back seat to the actual content; the movie.

I wish I could find the link...but I can't find it anymore on the site. So if you don't believe me - oh well.

Thems the breaks.

[LethalToxins]

You're gonna get disagrees, though you probably shouldn't.

It's the same principle behind why the vast majority can still play older gen games after playing pwnsaucing games in HD. When the game's being play, the graphical wow factor takes a backseat to the actual content; the game. I still love beating up Tyson in Punch Out. Or playing Zelda fot the NES. And how many people still love FFVII? ...

[strotee]

http://fwd.five.tv/videos/n...

[GarandShooter]

Props for the link strotee.

[solidsnakus]

they have some scientific chat on this.

http://www.carltonbale.com/...

since blueray is literally just a movie but in 1080p this article is comletely the same for blueray players.

http://s3.carltonbale.com/r...

unless you have a 40" tv or bigger than blueray is completely useless as well as 1080p.. unless your sitting 2-4 feet infront of the tv that is. lol

[Arsenal4Ever]

Dark Knight says hi :)

[Grimhammer00]

solidsnakus...yeah, I meant to get into all that, my train of thought took me elsewhere LOL.

I was at a friends who uses a 22' (yes thats feet) wall when he plays Gears 2...full 1080p projector...he has more money than brains, but I digress.
It's just wrong....in all the right ways! You just shouldn't be capable of experiencing entertainment that good! LOL

It looks great of course - at that size you could argue 480i would look good.

But here's the catch - at 1080p you need at least a 40" screen or bigger Like solidsnakus said...and even then you need to sit I think it's 11' away for optimum viewing.

If you can afford this - great! But I'll wager a pretty penny that most cannot, and in these dark days...save your money for the wicked games that PS3 has...you'll be doing Sony a much bigger favour and sending them a message...that the PS3 is a gaming machine first!

This whole thing kinda reminds me of 5.1 audio compared to 7.1 or even 9.1.....nobody can really tell the difference. (ok...you can tell, but it isn't like a massive difference.) ...the quality of the equipment is far more rewarding than the extra channels of sound.

But like VHS to DVD...2.1 to 5.1 is a huge and needed difference!

[beavis4play]

at this time last year, "gamesareeveil" was probably a supporter of HDDVD.
this guy needs to do his homework. DVD was selling for 29.95-34.95 the first several years out. a "bargain" was considered to be 19.95
heck, there is no point in breaking this guys opinion down......he's wrong on pretty much everything.

[rawd]

Oh, go show me Bluray Dark Knight sales and then touch my bum ho

[ps34ever]

BLURAY FOR THE WIN.

[Main_Street_Saint]

How much of a difference does blu-ray have on a 19" 720p TV? I usually don't have a lot money so I can't buy expensive entertainment rigs and my place isn't really big enough to have the space for it anyhow.

Sometime in the future I'll probably have blu-ray but right now with my current expenses not really going to happen.

[Silly Mammo]

"According to a report from NPD Group unit DisplaySearch, consumers purchased 147,000 stand-alone Blu-ray Disc players during the week of Thanksgiving, which includes the popular Black Friday. These sales generated $30 Million in revenue (averaging to a little more than $200 per player), which was triple from a year ago even though prices have significantly dropped.

Additionally, 25% of all optical disc players purchase were of the Blu-ray format, up 6% from a year ago. By the end of the shopping season, manufacturers will ship 911,000 Blu-ray Disc players during the fourth quarter, for a total of 2.2 Million players on the year.

These numbers do not include the Sony PS3, which is one of the most popular Blu-ray Disc players on the market."

[evilmonkey501]

Why do we care what blind people think anyway? It's like asking a quadriplegic how a car drives. How the hell are they gonna know?

[tk]

I actualy own only one BR title (Monster House) that came with the PS3. But I own around 40 PS3 games now. As enthuisiastic as I am about BR - I do not yet put my money down - because it is so expensive - down here anyway.

But BR is awesome for games. No more disk scratching. And the PS3 plays the PS2 titles well - without adding scrathces to the disk. Which is funny really. Of the two consoles - the XB360 really needed the drive that is less prone to scratch - or the BR coating. As it is it is 2:0 in the PS3's favour.

[locos85]

Not only does Blu-Ray look tons better than DVD the sound is unbelievable. The Subwoofer is dangerous on Blu-Ray. Love it!!!

[thereapersson]

Why do we keep seeing STUPID articles like this?

Digital Distribution is NOT going to catch on any time soon. Not when the current broadband infrastructure exists with such polarity between different regions of the country. Not when ISP's are currently experimenting with bandwidth capping, especially cable networks who want to push their OWN on-demand-like features of their television service. Not when consumers are STILL wanting a physical back-up of their media.

Even if you can't tell the difference in 1080p, chances are, a movie will still look 10x better than a standard DVD. This is ridiculous.

[deadie]

"Envy (also called invidiousness) may be defined as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."

It can also derive from a sense of low self-esteem that results from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image:
another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. If the other person is perceived to be similar to the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the envier that it just as well could have been him or her who had the desired object."

This is what the whole article is about - right there! ;)

[darkdoom3000]

try watching a DVD on a HDTV... my PS3 looks so crisp, while DVDs look blurry.. and normal SD tv programs look like sh!t

and i dout DD will catch up atm. 1080p 5minute trailers from the PS store are like like nearly 1 gb in size. and thats just for 5 minutes. good luck downloading a whole 90 minutes of that.

america might have good internet speeds, but it will take a while for the rest of the world to catch up. and lets not forget about ...data caps...

[Neo604]

go buy HDDVD 360 drive.

[Neco512]

now thats really not worth your money hahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa

[Neco512]

this is whats wrong with you people! you want an honest point of view and when you get one you burn them up

[deadie]

I like honesty - very much indeed - and honestly, this article (or opinion) isnt really telling the truth.

Thats what I dislike about it.

[sarshelyam]

Seriously? Maybe they're running these articles based on crappy purchases of poor-transfer movies like Austin Powers, and anything predating a digital medium.

Seriously, if you can't see the differences on a movie like Wall-E running in SD and HD you should probably head to the local DMV and register as legally blind.

[TheColbertinator]

This article begs to differ

http://www.videobusiness.co...

[AriesFury]

Blu Ray is not worth the money? I'm sure you said the same thing when DVDs first came out.

[RAVEN81]

blu-ray is worth the money and how else are you going to watch movies
digial download i like to own my movies. so if i dont want them i can give them away, sell, trade them so you just let me know

[ToeKneeHaze]

moronic article.

Suck it up and wait for the price drop.

Remember when CDs first came out? it was like almost 25-30 bucks for a music album on average.

Its not like that format failed.

People are annoying nay sayers these days...or these are bogus articles hunted and revered by fanboys.

lame lame lame.

[OGharryjoysticks]

Sure we can all still watch VHS and Beta tapes of our favorite old movies and in some cases those imperfect film prints add to the charm, but anybody who buys a HDTV and wants to bad rap Bluray is a hypocrite because nothing is ever worth the money.

[VforVideogames]

Has anybody here have compared a blu-ray movie vs dvd movie on an upscale dvd-player? the only difference is the menu, but everything else is the same!!!!!!!!!! what a waste of money, no wonder its included on the ps3

[donnie-2105]

i own 1 blu ray film and a 720p 30"hdtv and although bluray is superior to upconverted dvd unless its the same price i would not buy it over dvd.the vast majority of people only have 720p hdtv and its hard to convince them of the difference btween blu and dvd.

[glennc]

blu-ray is too expensive for this era. it should not be more expensive to move to the next tech and expect it to become mainstream. it will become mainstream when it drops in price. consumers are moving to FREE (crap quality) downloads both in music and movies. just look at the torrent sites - 700MB sized latest cinema movies go crazy. that is what is being accepted by a whole new generation of people. they don't care as much about quality as someone who would read this article, and even this comment. you guys do care, most don't.

blu-ray will succeed, but it has more competition than DVD did. DVD was up against big chunky VHS tapes. Blu-ray is the same physical size as DVD but requires a new TV (from day one)to benefit from it. DVD never had to compete with digital downloads and you didnt need a new TV to see an improvement. i am constantly amazed at the complete lack of common sense of some people when it comes to posting comments, this isn't rocket surgery.

[HALE2K]

And give up on these BS Articles, look toward the future people because like it or not DVD is going away at every store I go to there are tons of DVD bargin bins full of $5 DVDS OR EVEN 2 OR 3 FOR $5 DVDS. HINT HINT HINT. its almost 2009 so get a freakin clue people!!!

HALE2K

[BenderDGreat82]

Watch the Dark Knight on blu ray and tell me it's not worth it. watching it on blu ray was like watching it for the first time. in my opinion, the few extra dollars is definately worth it. I can't go back to regular dvd's after I've gotten a sweet taste of Blu.

[gamfreak]

All bots has either 1 or 2 bubbles left... That's quite a sight.

Back to topic: Wow what happen....? 404 error show...?

[blakstarz]

How can it be a failure when movies are selling rather well in the format...and also the movies are not that expensive if you know where to shop....just use some common sense and shop around...I know one thing...the quality beats the hell out of watch DVD's

[wh0am1]

is it just me or is the article gone???

[magnusfalkirk]

I find it really amusing to read, and listen, to people complaining about spending $30, or so, for a copy of a movie in Blu-Ray format. I'm going to show my age here, because I can remember 25 years ago spending $80 to buy a copy of Conan the Barbarian in VHS format! I can also remember just a few years later deciding that I'd rather buy a previously viewed version of Top Gun, for about $35, from a rental place than pay the $60 for a brand version in VHS format.

Also having been willing to spend $800 on a Betamax recorder in 1985, yeah I was one of those people, I find complaints about the price of Blu-Ray players amusing also. I think we've gotten spoiled over the last few years by the cost decrease in DVD's and DVD players. Remember when they first came out they weren't exactly cheap either.

Just my two cents worth,
magnusfalkirk

[N2NOther]

My mother is technically illiterate to the point where she doesn't even really know how to use a DVD player, DVR, or pretty much anything else of that ilk and she LOVES Bluray and notices a huge difference.

[AngryTypingGuy]

While BluRay is the winning HD DVD format, I don't think that it will ever be as prominent in the home as DVD is, simply because I think things will go more toward digital download quicker than people think. Both the PS3 and especially the 360 with Netflix offer a huge selection. Not to mention PPV, etc.

Just a prediction, I could be wrong. I guess it depends on how quickly BluRay comes down in price, but regardless, I think digital download will be the dominant form of digital movie entertainment quicker than people think.

[YouNoob]

it's just the fony fangirls who don't (want to) see it. I mean it's so obvious with increasing storage space and broadband capabilities, DD is the only way to go and is the format of the future. I already buy all my music this way (like most ppl) and any game/movie i can download, i will. why anyone still would want discs is beyond me.

[Mutley416]

My 42inch PHILIPS
And my SonyDream Surround System tm...(Love Guru)

Disagree-

[Evocation]

If you take into account, the difference between upscaled DVD's vs blu-ray, vs DVD's vs VHS
then into account that blu-ray is only really for the market of people with HD TV's vs DVD they had basically the whole market
and then how DVD did back then vs blu-ray

it's surprising how well blu-ray is doing imo

[robotnik]

ROFL, what can you expect from a site called "gamesareevil", sh¡tty articles of course.

[Bolts]

Insert a BR movie into your player. Watch the uberness. If you can't notice the difference or how it is "worth it" then you're f*cking blind. I can't imagine why anyone with a good 1080p HDTV would not want a Bluray player.

[hulud86]

I'm still on the fence. I had a PS3 but i sold it because it sucked and i wanted to stick with the 360 but i still like Bu-ray. Seems to be getting cheaper though.

[YouNoob]

DD is happening right now, Fable2 soon for download. At latest in 3 years the format is gonna be dead. yep, you heard it here first and you are welcome.

[hulud86]

Your face is gonna be dead

[VampHuntD]

Guess the author couldn't take the heat.