Blu-ray is Sony's way of keeping us buying disks forever ?

[KeithTalent]

I bought game of thrones season 3 on blu ray. Might never watch it again but it's still worth the$30 I paid for it. Much cheaper than cable and hbo.

Yeah that was a good deal, was way cheaper than the first two seasons for some reason. I still have 8 episodes to watch before I get to season 3 though.

KT

 

[Xonim]

I bought game of thrones season 3 on blu ray. Might never watch it again but it's still worth the$30 I paid for it. Much cheaper than cable and hbo.

I did too, own all 3 seasons. The best time to buy them is during the first release week, they've all been $29.99 at that time (except I think the first may have been $34.99).

Target actually had the first two seasons for $29.99 each a couple weeks ago. They're all bluray/dvd combo packs for that price, which is cool. Unfortunately, when I bought the first season at release, it was for bluray only. At least that's only a problem when I want to let someone borrow them that doesn't have a bluray player >.<

EDIT: Also, if you have Comcast you can get HBO Go for an extra $5/mo in some markets (maybe all, I don't know).

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Yeah that was a good deal, was way cheaper than the first two seasons for some reason. I still have 8 episodes to watch before I get to season 3 though.

KT

Great show. Will likely rank right up there with breaking bad once it's all said and done. I can't even imagine the costs to film this show. It's like a Hollywood blockbuster in terms of quality but it's an actual ongoing show.

 

[KeithTalent]

Great show. Will likely rank right up there with breaking bad once it's all said and done. I can't even imagine the costs to film this show. It's like a Hollywood blockbuster in terms of quality but it's an actual ongoing show.

It's very impressive and the Blu-rays are fantastic; I was thinking the same thing about the cost as I was watching yesterday. When I was re-watching the first season I used the in-show reference guide a few times too and it is pretty cool. Too distracting to use when watching episodes I have not seen though.

KT

 

[poofyhairguy]

Are you saying, "no DVD of any movie can ever match" here? Because I'm pretty damn sure that I can pick out a DVD that is pretty comparable to that screenshot.

No, the same movie. I bet for 95+% of that movie the Blu Ray copy looks better. Maybe some DVD somewhere looks better than the worst Blu Ray, in fact I have seen that for extra content where the scaling was off. But for the same movie the Blu Ray is going to look better than the DVD, the Netflix copy or iTunes copy even if its a crappy Blu Ray if the original source is the same.

And then the great Blu Rays are simply AMAZING!

You missed out the key word 'if'. If I already have a movie on DVD, why should I buy it on BR, so I can watch the same version as I have on DVD?

Putting 'Aliens' on BR would have been utterly pointless if they had just done a little work on actors' faces like they evidently did for 'For a Few Dollars More', it's the rest of the movie (Aliens) that needed the work. I already have most of the Star Trek TNG seasons on DVD, and I would feel absolutely cheated if I shelled out for BR versions to find that there are still obvious artifacts left over from a cheap-and-cheerful digital transfer, even if I could make out some pores on Picard's face!

You pay to get the Blu Ray because its giving you the extra resolution and quality only a Blu Ray can provide.

You say you are viewing on a 32 inch screen, so it might be a difference in perspective. Not to be all classic ATOT, but for reference I have 3 TVs bigger than 50 inches- one is 65 inches. On that 65 inch at a viewing distance of 7-ish feet, I can EASILY see the difference between not even Blu Rays and DVDs, but 720p sources and 1080p sources. I want as much visual data to feed those screens as I can get, often leading to a richer overall experience.

TNG is a GREAT example. Even with the two poorly done seasons, you get more out of the Blu Rays than "pores on Picard's face." You can see the detail they put into sets (or not on the first season) and more than anything I can see the many expressions on Riker's face that are simply too blurry to see at 480p. Thanks to the TNG Blu Rays, Riker is now my second favorite TNG character because I can see all the whimsical faces he makes. TNG is made modern and new, and isn't left as a relic to compare poorly to modern content shot with HD cameras.

Often its the HD audio that provides the extra experience. On my setup rain actually sounds like rain, and voices are crystal clear with that uncompressed Blu Ray track. Very few DVDs had comparable DTS tracks to what almost every Blu Ray has.

DVD's are simply too limited of technology: 8GB is too small, MPEG2 is too primitive and prone to macroblocking, DVD audio standards were too puny, and too much content on DVDs are interlaced (a rarity on Blu Rays). I love DVDs for providing a source for digital content- it is much better to rip a DVD then have to record a VHS tape a 1X speed. But I simply won't watch a movie that has been release in the last 15 years on DVD on my setup when Blu Rays are always a huge upgrade.

If I didn't have a nice HT setup, DVDs would be fine. I get that. But if you have the setup, the difference between Blu Rays and DVDs is often night and day.

 

[Golgatha]

The updates are due to Blu-ray's retarded copy protection. They change the keys for new discs.

Ah, but they can't change the master keys on the hardware without breaking all hardware produced before the point in time when they would theoretically make the switch. Thus, Bluray DRM is broken now and forevermore. Cinavia on the other hand is a bitch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinavia

 

[vi edit]

You say you are viewing on a 32 inch screen, so it might be a difference in perspective. Not to be all classic ATOT, but for reference I have 3 TVs bigger than 50 inches- one is 65 inches. On that 65 inch at a viewing distance of 7-ish feet, I can EASILY see the difference between not even Blu Rays and DVDs, but 720p sources and 1080p sources. I want as much visual data to feed those screens as I can get, often leading to a richer overall experience.

Step up further to a 100+" projector and the difference is even more...uhh..clear. I tried watching a few DVD's on that setup. Looked like a low bandwith Netflix feed

 

[Ichinisan]

And just exactly how is this Sony's way? They don't "own" blu ray technology...

They kinda do.

 

[Dirigible]

Step up further to a 100+" projector and the difference is even more...uhh..clear. I tried watching a few DVD's on that setup. Looked like a low bandwith Netflix feed

Yup. I now have a projector with 115" screen. DVD is shit.

 

[norseamd]

Oh give me a break. KT

about what? forget about my comments they were nothing more than comments. what about my questions on streaming and digital distribution

 

[Mark R]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinavia

This watermark is surprisingly resilient and can be very annoying - however, it is transmitted very slowly, and you are therefore unlikely to run into it under most domestic use cases.

However, it does significantly alter the audio - the most important thing it does is change the pitch. You probably won't notice it in an action movie, but a to a person with perfect pitch a fine music performance will be ruined, by constant pitch shifts of 1/8 - 1/4 tone. In fact, once you know what to listen for, it's not subtle even if, like me you don't have perfect pitch. Sadly, like a lot of these things, "what is heard, cannot be unheard".

 

[mikeymikec]

No, the same movie. I bet for 95+% of that movie the Blu Ray copy looks better.

Ok, your wording was odd because you said "any DVD", as if any DVD of "For a Few Dollars More" is going to be better or worse than any other, hence I wondered.

And then the great Blu Rays are simply AMAZING!

I'm sure that the best BR is better than the best DVD. I really wasn't questioning that, plus "the right equipment" shows off BR, etc. My original point still stands IMO, that it very much depends on the quality of the BR produced as to whether it's worth the extra money. For a quick cash-in BR rip, "the right equipment" is going to show off even more how much of a rip-off that particular BR was.

On that "Top 25 worst BRs" list I posted, "The Fifth Element" was allegedly the worst, and for that the company felt obliged to give the properly remastered newer version out for free to people that had bought the piss-takingly bad version. That means they thought that they could get away with it to begin with, then after sale and bad reviews they changed their minds.

I remember seeing some decent hi-res screenshots of the Aliens BR job (comparing it to the DVD screenshots) a while back, but I can't find them now. I wanted to check them out again before committing to a purchase. I'd get that on BR no question if they had cleaned it up significantly.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'm sure that the best BR is better than the best DVD. I really wasn't questioning that, plus "the right equipment" shows off BR, etc. My original point still stands IMO, that it very much depends on the quality of the BR produced as to whether it's worth the extra money. For a quick cash-in BR rip, "the right equipment" is going to show off even more how much of a rip-off that particular BR was.

I mean, it will show an opportunity wasted, but the Blu Ray will still look better.

The best example I can think of is Farscape. It is a DISASTER of A Blu Ray set. Unlike TNG, they did not go back to the source and redo everything in HD. Instead they took the old SD master made for the DVD, upconverted it, and stuck it on a disk because the film was lost. It was an incredible wasted opportunity.

But despite that the Blu Ray set is still better than the DVDs. Sure its SD, but we get EVERYTHING that SD master had, nothing is lost to compression like on the DVD. Also unlike on the DVD the Blu Ray has progressive video instead of interlaced video, so no visual clarity is lost when my TV/HTPC deinterlaces the video. Finally the HD audio track is way better than the DVD can even carry.

I am not ignoring your point which is- is it worth buying Farscape, or any bad Blu Ray, when you have the DVD? For Farscape it is a maybe, simply because the source is the same - you really need a good sound system for it to matter. But for TNG? It is a yes because they went back to the film, and even the poorly done seasons are a HUGE upgrade from the DVD.

Heck I have that terrible Fifth Element Blu Ray still, never traded it out. Is it a disappointment? Sure, the SD 1990's computer effects look cheap, they needed to be redone for the movie to be modernized. But does a lot of the video still look better than the DVD? Yes it does.

This was a bigger debate back in 2008-ish when every Blu Ray was $30, players were $150+ and unless you had a Kuro your average TV wasn't as good as today. Now if you are buying something for the first time and you are not paying the few extra bucks for the Blu Ray, or rebuying your favorites for $10 a pop on Blu Ray, you are really missing out.

 

[spacejamz]

They kinda do.

Blu ray technology is owned by the Blu Ray Disc Association (formerly the Blu Ray Founders Group). If you want to use blu ray technology in your products, you must pay them to use it, not Sony.

Sony is a member of this group though so if you want to split technical hairs, then fine but they are not the sole owners/developers of blu ray that many people think because of their support for the format.

 

[mugs]

So years ago, I got a Blu-ray player, and today I could not watch a new disk. Had to upgrade firmware first, and could only do it over the internet. So this is how the industry assures themselves to keep selling new disks ? Just fix it so you have to upgrade firmware or it won't play ? You have to have an internet connection forever ? And who says they don't fix it someday, that firmware won't fix it ?

I don't understand how requiring a firmware update to play new discs would cause you to buy more new discs.

 

[Ichinisan]

the manual said that the audio in for the vga can be used with the dvi hdmi and i tried it but if i remember right it did not work. might try it again. my asus dx drivers do not allow me to run audio through the hdmi even though the sound card can on older drivers. also my headphone input on the front of my case does not work either.

The TV is probably detecting (silent) audio in the HDMI sign and ignoring the analog audio input.

I think you need to do this to get digital audio through the HDMI connector:

• Connect the HDMI cable and make sure you're getting the picture on the TV.
• Right-click the standard Windows volume icon.
  (ignore any third-party utility that might have a similar speaker icon)
• Click "Playback Devices" from the pop-up.
• Right-click and enable any disabled audio devices that allow you to.
• Right-click each audio device and click "Test" from the pop-up menu.
• When one of the tests causes a sound to come from your TV, right-click it again and choose "Set as default device" from the pop-up menu.
• Right-click one more time and click Properties from the pop-up menu.
• Rename the audio playback device to "HDMI" for clarity.

 

[KeithTalent]

about what? forget about my comments they were nothing more than comments. what about my questions on streaming and digital distribution

Sorry, I should have bolded your last part as that was what I was referring to. The other stuff is fine.

KT

 

[Ichinisan]

Yeah that was a good deal, was way cheaper than the first two seasons for some reason. I still have 8 episodes to watch before I get to season 3 though.

KT

The first 2 seasons were also $30 all over the place on launch week (yes, Blu-Ray). I got the giant collector's edition GoT season 1 Blu-Ray box set from Amazon for $30 when it was on sale months after release.

 

[Ichinisan]

Unfortunately, when I bought the first season at release, it was for bluray only. At least that's only a problem when I want to let someone borrow them that doesn't have a bluray player >.<

I didn't know S1 was sold without the DVDs included. Every place I've ever seen it for sale, the BD set was "Blu-Ray+DVD+Digital Copy" (and I've made good use of the digital copy).

 

[KeithTalent]

The first 2 seasons were also $30 all over the place on launch week (yes, Blu-Ray). I got the giant collector's edition GoT season 1 Blu-Ray box set from Amazon for $30 when it was on sale months after release.

Yeah I waited too long on the first seasons. I bought season 1 & 2 together for $90 (CAD) but it game with these three little guys:

:awe:

KT

 

[Mark R]

I don't understand how requiring a firmware update to play new discs would cause you to buy more new discs.

It's more to keep you buying players.
Don't think for one minute that the manufactures will offer an extended period of firmware updates for their players. Many players now only have 3 years of updates. If you have a player where the manufacturer has ceased support, then basically, it can now only play old discs, or be relegated to doorstop use.

 

[norseamd]

The TV is probably detecting (silent) audio in the HDMI sign and ignoring the analog audio input. I think you need to do this to get digital audio through the HDMI connector: Connect the HDMI cable and make sure you're getting the picture on the TV. Right-click the standard Windows volume icon. (ignore any third-party utility that might have a similar speaker icon) Click "Playback Devices" from the pop-up. Right-click and enable any disabled audio devices that allow you to. Right-click each audio device and click "Test" from the pop-up menu. When one of the tests causes a sound to come from your TV, right-click it again and choose "Set as default device" from the pop-up menu. Right-click one more time and click Properties from the pop-up menu. Rename the audio playback device to "HDMI" for clarity.

you sir are a genius. even with the dhs speakers it is not as good as my ad 700s but at least it now works.

here is the name of the device

1 - LC-42LB150U

do you know why my asus dx and the drivers will not allow any sound output except that going out of the main output from the audio card?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Disc based movie viewing is the way of the dinosaur but these companies and the movie/music keep insisting it should be the only way and have even got as far as passing laws against other methods. It's kinda sad really.

With the easy availability of raid storage devices and fairly cheap multi TB drives I have no reason to have anything on physical media.

Movies should come as an mp4 file (or other popular format) on a USB stick that can then be reused for something else after. That would be awesome. No need to upgrade the players whenever they make a change, either. They could agree on a decent format that is standard and you just plug it into your TV or other device and watch it. You can also copy the file to your library or w/e. Of course, they're never going to do this, and even if they did they'd stick so much DRM crap in it it would defeat the purpose.

 

[Ichinisan]

And just exactly how is this Sony's way? They don't "own" blu ray technology...

They kinda do.

Blu ray technology is owned by the Blu Ray Disc Association (formerly the Blu Ray Founders Group). If you want to use blu ray technology in your products, you must pay them to use it, not Sony.

Sony is a member of this group though so if you want to split technical hairs, then fine but they are not the sole owners/developers of blu ray that many people think because of their support for the format.

Key word: "kinda"

My friend, YOU are the one "splitting technical hairs."

Sony had a huge stake in the Blu-Ray format because Sony has a HUGE stake in the BDA.

BD has been as successful as I ever expected a DVD successor to be. I don't hold that success against Sony. BD is still as much "Sony's format" as it ever was. Sure, major CE entities have to join the alliance, that's the reason it exists. Sony is making royalties from patents they owned before the BDA was created.

All the people mocking Sony's failed formats conveniently omit the successful ones...

Sony was one of 4 companies that created the original DVD format. Successful beyond what anyone could have imagined with market saturation far beyond what VHS was ever able to reach. What about Playstation? It was wildly successful. S/PDIF is still used today and carries codecs that came out decades after S/PDIF was created. Even minidisc was somewhat successful in Japan (and that's closely tied with S/PDIF).

 

[norseamd]

Sony was one of 4 companies that created the original DVD format. Successful beyond what anyone could have imagined with market saturation far beyond what VHS was ever able to reach. What about Playstation? It was wildly successful. S/PDIF is still used today to carry much newer codecs to your surround sound equipment. Even minidisc was somewhat successful in Japan (and that's closely tied with S/PDIF).

what about these holographic disk technologies? does gigabit fiber hold enough speed for 4k at 120 or 240 hz. like maybe enough for multiple video streams or gaming