The Blu-Ray Blues

[Anderton]

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/blu-ray-the-future-has-been-delayed/index.html?ref=technology

 

So it seems that HD-DVD going away hasn't helped Blu-Ray much, and the consumers are flocking to upconverting DVD players (which I must admit, do look pretty darn good).

 

So why should I care? I have no real desire to get a Blu-Ray player, I don't have that much time to watch movies and DVDs work for me. But I was hoping it would take off so I'd have a better storage option than standard DVDs...I need those Gigabytes for all my video stuff!!

[rasputin1963]

My closest contact with BLU-RAY so far has been those advertisements included on rental DVD's, at the beginning. About a 5-minute montage of some examples of the improved visuals and sound.

 

But it seems like all the examples they chose were from movies that didn't interest me in the first place, and from genres of film that are not my usual preferred fare (e.g., fantasy, sci-fi, hyper-violent action films, films with reams of special effects, etc.).

 

50 gigs of storage space would be excellent, though, for my own home projects.

 

I am a 3D artist myself, and a student of video, film and greenscreening, so I am well-familiar with how most of the effects I see in movies were created. I confess, that does take a wee bit of the magic away for me.... If I were still a small kid, I suspect I would be enraptured by the highly detailed special FX in a BLU-RAY movie...

 

If the movie industry moves hook-line-and-sinker into the BLU-RAY format for all its releases, then I will buy a BLU-RAY player. Otherwise, DVD is perfectly adequate for me.

 

Craig, you never told us about your own video projects...? What sort of material are you creating, and with what software and platform?

[Anderton]

I've been doing videos since the days of two Panasonic tape decks and a switcher...

 

As to current projects, go to the HC Theater! I have a ton of the videos there. Did all the videos for AES 2006 and 2007, and all the Frankfurt Musik Messe videos as well. The NAMM videos are a collaborative effort with me, Jon Chappell, Erik Beyer, and Bill Newman. Jon and I also did several instructional videos.

 

I use Vegas, baby, on Windows. Some of the Frankfurt highlight videos were done in my hotel room on a laptop!

[scud133]

i love my blu-ray player (ps3). the picture and sound differences are unreal (the audio is substantially better, in many cases it's the original uncompressed PCM in 5.1).

 

why waste your money on an HDTV if you aren't going to actually use it??

 

you're right about the storage space, tho -- why aren't these taking off in the computer market? 50gb of storage on a single disc would be nice

[UstadKhanAli]

I also was hoping for the 50G of storage. Oh well.

 

When I first got the DVD burner, I thought, "Cool, 4.5G storage is not bad." But just a few years later, it seems so little.

[John Sayers]

a friend just gave me an album to mix on a Seagate Freeagent Go disc drive. It 's a straight USB 2.0 plugin, usb powered - his one has 120gig but they are available up to 250gig. Small and compact as they use laptop hard drives.

 

The 250 gig costs $110 yet 5 x 50gig Blu Ray discs will cost $100 @ $20 each.

 

the Seagate is plug and play.

[rasputin1963]

re: the storage issue:

 

I was just surprised this past week to discover that my computer's disk drive, now three years old, supports the DVD+R DL format. (double layer).

 

The Double Layer format allows you to burn twice as much information on a DVD+R DL disc. So instead of the usual 4.7 Gigs, you've got about 9 Gigs.

 

No, it's not 50 Gigs, but it's more than the usual 4.7

 

John Sayers, above, is correct, of course, that the most expedient solution to this problem is a USB 2.0 add-on hard-drive!!

 

Why isn't BLU-RAY selling like hotcakes? It appears Americans aren't buying much of anything these days in the wake of the credit/mortgage crunch and wartime mentality. To commemorate this new fiscal soberness, all the European fashion designers are unveiling Fall lines of black clothing, head-to-toe. We're going to our own funeral, ha-ha.

[rasputin1963]

From MacDailyNews, Jan 10th, 2008:

 

As HD DVD goes limp, porn producers ogle Blu-ray

 

Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 01:16 PM EDT

"The adult film industry is still taking a wait-and-see approach to the Blu-ray /HD DVD wars. But while Blu-ray's perceived costs have pushed some companies into the arms of the HD DVD camp, Warner Bros.' decision last week to exclusively support Blu-ray has some thinking that the end of HD DVD is nigh," Chloe Albanesius reports for PC Magazine.

 

"Executives in the adult-film industry spoke Wednesday during the opening day of the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2008, which briefly overlaps with the more mainstream Consumer Electronics Show ending Thursday," Albanesius reports.

 

"'It could be a real sign that things will shift,' Jeff Thill, director of video operations for the Hustler Video Group, said about the Warner decision. Thill said he sees no advantage of one format over the other, but is "leaning Blu-Ray" after Warner's announcement," Albanesius reports.

 

"Hustler had some success recently with the Blu-ray release of Jenna Haze Oil Orgy, said Thill, who was on hand to showcase Hustler's latest releases at the annual AVN Adult Entertainment Expo," Albanesius reports.

 

"Vivid Entertainment, home to porn star Jenna Jameson, has also released videos on Blu-ray and HD, said David Peskin, Vivid's national sales manager. It currently has two Blu-ray titles and three HD DVD titles on the shelves," Albanesius reports. "Vivid was initially 'conservative' with its high-definition re-order numbers, but is 'starting to stock a little heavier' since sales have been promising, Peskin said. Vivid has seen Blu-ray sell more units online while HD does better in retail stores, he said."

[daklander]

re: the storage issue: I was just surprised this past week to discover that my computer's disk drive, now three years old, supports the DVD+R DL format. (double layer). The Double Layer format allows you to burn twice as much information on a DVD+R DL disc. So instead of the usual 4.7 Gigs, you've got about 9 Gigs. No, it's not 50 Gigs, but it's more than the usual 4.7 John Sayers, above, is correct, of course, that the most expedient solution to this problem is a USB 2.0 add-on hard-drive!! Why isn't BLU-RAY selling like hotcakes? It appears Americans aren't buying much of anything these days in the wake of the credit/mortgage crunch and wartime mentality. To commemorate this new fiscal soberness, all the European fashion designers are unveiling Fall lines of black clothing, head-to-toe. We're going to our own funeral, ha-ha.

 

I think you can add to that, the necessity of purchasing a sound reproduction system that takes advantage of the full BluRay sound. From what I gather it harkens back to, and is similar to, mono sound versus stereo sound. Yeah, you could play the stereo music or movie with stereo sound on a mono player but obviously, it's not the same.

[Anderton]

 

re: the storage issue: I was just surprised this past week to discover that my computer's disk drive, now three years old, supports the DVD+R DL format. (double layer). The Double Layer format allows you to burn twice as much information on a DVD+R DL disc. So instead of the usual 4.7 Gigs, you've got about 9 Gigs. No, it's not 50 Gigs, but it's more than the usual 4.7 John Sayers, above, is correct, of course, that the most expedient solution to this problem is a USB 2.0 add-on hard-drive!!

 

 

I thought DL was going to be really useful to me, but DL discs burn slowly...you'll be lucky to get 4X in a drive that does standard DVDs at 16X. And the media is way more expensive than equivalent storage on DVD.

 

Hard disks, yes, but they have moving parts and "sticktion." Good for maybe five year storage, but not archival unless you're willing to spin them up periodically and accept that mechanical parts are more prone to failure.

[nerol1st]

Blue Ray gives me a boner.

 

7.1 surround is tits to me (I've had 5.1 for a few years now).

 

The picture is great.

 

I haven't made the big jump yet though, I probably will next year, got to get married first. Yes I know that doesn't make sense .

[coyote-1]

When CDs came along, they were small units that replaced large, skippy, scratchy, noisy vinyl. It was a no-brainer.

 

When DVDs came along, they replaced bulky tape that often jammed - and replaced low-grade video with high-grade. Another no-brainer.

 

Blu-Ray is trying to replace DVD. The potential advantages of even better picture & sound don't come close to offsetting the price difference at this time. Not when an upconverting DVD player can be had for forty bucks.

[rasputin1963]

Wait-a-minnit.... what's an "upconverting DVD player" ?

[Ara Ajizian]

 

Wait-a-minnit.... what's an "upconverting DVD player" ?

 

 

It's a DVD player that upscales the picture from a standard DVD to a 1080i or 1080p signal. They do look great, as I own one, but one night I came across U2 Rattle and Hum on one of the HD satellite channels, and decided to do an A/B between the hi-def presentation and my regular DVD upscaled. While the DVD looked great, its limitations were evident against the HD picture.

 

My friend wanted to get rid of his PS3 so he let me borrow it for a while to decide if I wanted to buy it, and the Blu-Ray movies have definitely made it an easy choice. Grand Theft Auto IV didn't hurt either:D

[coyote-1]

When I was in the store doing research for my first HDTV, there was a woman there with her husband. She was looking at a channel in 480i and the same channel in 720p, side by side.... "I don't see a difference".

 

Blu-Ray has to get past THAT, plus people of my particular economic sensibility (cheepnis ), before it will really tap into the market. Here's how I see it:

 

- I don't really care about movies. My DVDs are mostly music performances.

- Unlike old videotape, DVD is sharp and clear. The sharpness and clarity are good enough that my 50" HDTV does not make it look bad in any respect, if the source material was good.

- DVD also has great sound, again depending on the source material and mix.

 

A Blu-Ray player would have to come along at a good price point, far less than $100, to get my interest. From that point on I'd gladly purchase BluRay concert discs if they are also reasonably priced. But for a picture whose benefits only really become apparent in a side-by-side comparison, I see absolutely no reason to rush out and drop $300 or more.

While the DVD looked great, its limitations were evident against the HD picture.

[scud133]

When I was in the store doing research for my first HDTV, there was a woman there with her husband. She was looking at a channel in 480i and the same channel in 720p, side by side.... "I don't see a difference". Blu-Ray has to get past THAT, plus people of my particular economic sensibility (cheepnis ), before it will really tap into the market. Here's how I see it: - I don't really care about movies. My DVDs are mostly music performances. - Unlike old videotape, DVD is sharp and clear. The sharpness and clarity are good enough that my 50" HDTV does not make it look bad in any respect, if the source material was good. - DVD also has great sound, again depending on the source material and mix. A Blu-Ray player would have to come along at a good price point, far less than $100, to get my interest. From that point on I'd gladly purchase BluRay concert discs if they are also reasonably priced. But for a picture whose benefits only really become apparent in a side-by-side comparison, I see absolutely no reason to rush out and drop $300 or more.

 

well we can safely say from experience that those price drops are inevitable. I remember when dvd first came out, everyone said "i can't see/hear the difference, why would I want a flimsy disc, etc etc" and now if you still use a tape, it's like you live in the stone age.

 

blu-ray will take hold. it will take time, but i do think it will be accepted more quickly than DVD was.

 

also if you can't see the difference on a big screen TV between SD and HD, then you need your eyes checked.

[scud133]

also has anyone thought about "upscaling" a DVD would be like "upscaling" an mp3? the source material is still compressed, lossy picture and sound. you can't get that information back...

 

no matter how much you polish a turd, it's still a turd (i still love my dvds of course, i'm just sayin...)

 

blu-ray has much less compression on the video, and usually no compression on the audio. concert videos SOUND a million times better. try to demo Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds at Radio City Music Hall on blu-ray, and be amazed.

[wwwjd]

Upscaled DVDs DO look better on high def TVs. I suspect because DVDs 720x480(?) resolution is never really FULLY realised on standard TV. So, take a slightly better res we never see on DVDs and stretch it to fit larger screens works great. I have seen more sharp detail since watching upscaled DVDs.

 

Blu-Rays look Great on my PS3, but I am only buying the EYE CANDY movies in BD, not regular flicks that don't have impressive visuals. There is room for both formats

[Hard Truth]

The way the price of the solid state USB memory sticks is going, they may be a cheaper and more convenient option for storage than any type of optical disc option.

[scud133]

 

Upscaled DVDs DO look better on high def TVs. I suspect because DVDs 720x480(?) resolution is never really FULLY realised on standard TV. So, take a slightly better res we never see on DVDs and stretch it to fit larger screens works great. I have seen more sharp detail since watching upscaled DVDs. Blu-Rays look Great on my PS3, but I am only buying the EYE CANDY movies in BD, not regular flicks that don't have impressive visuals. There is room for both formats

 

 

that makes sense... like a run of the mill comedy that doesn't really need to look our sound great?

 

i'll give you that, yeah

[matthewmilner]

i've decided to make the switch when you can get a blu-ray dvd player at cvs or walgreens for 39 bucks...though, i'm sure it will take a dump 2 weeks after i get it. so, on second though - i guess won't switch.

 

maybe if i actually had the time to watch movies - or if the movies being made these days were worth watching it might spur me into action. but as it is i don't believe drillbit taylor or 27 dresses on blu ray disc is going to get me spending my tax rebate check at best buys.

[wwwjd]

exactly. I've mostly been buying classics like 2001, 5th Element, Blade Runner... they LOOK freaking great and sound fine. I thought "Music and Lyrics" was fun enough to buy, but I bought it on DVD, not BluRay because it's just a NORMAL looking movie: sets, streets, dialog with close ups....

 

Blu-ray will NOT benefit you if you don't have a Hi-Def TV

[FrankieP]

HD-DVD was my format of choice when this HD Media format War started, bought an XA2 which i'm keeping even though the format is dead. There is not a Blu-ray player out there right now that is comparable to the Toshiba XA2 in PQ performance. The PS3 is indeed a great Blu-ray player. The best out there right now. But it is a game console first and foremost. Not a true set top box. The form factor just doesn't cut it IMO. So I went with the HTPC route (Home Theater PC) and scored myself a LG-GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD-DVD drive for less than $249. Works great for now until a true set top box with all the promised BD specs built into it (profile 2.0) arrives.

[Rabid]

My HDTV is only 32" and not a 1080. Regular DVD's look much better on it than they do only 32" Sony regular TV that I never think about paying extra for BlueRay. My PS3 goes unused and I have 3 BlueRay movies that have not been opened.

 

On the other side, my laptop has an HD-DVD/DL rewriter. I think the HD part made it cheaper than one with just DVD.

 

I wonder what used HD format movies are going for now? Maybe I don't want to go there. I still have a few hundred of those old VLD movies.

[wwwjd]

this weekend I still saw a rack of HDDVDs around $18 each at Walmart still for sale. [yes I hate Walmart too and NEVER shop there, but it was past midnight and I needed some bug killer and they were the only place open...]

 

Which Bluray movies you got un opened?