Has anyone tried a Disney Blu-Ray DVD?

[CampbellzSoup]

Is the difference in picture THAT noticeable? I have a Playstation 3, and while it seems logical that I should be buying movies in the high def format, it doesn't seem to economically logical. I mean the same movie I can get for sometimes 20 dollars less I can find on DVD, but I haven't had the experience myself of owning a movie I have on both formats to test.

If anyone knows can you post what you guys think of the format in general as well? I know I'll pick up any platinum release 100% on Blu-Ray if it comes.

The only thing I can't stand already is the cover art on some of the live action Disney ones with the pre-formatted area taking away art space, and the translucent blue cases.

[TM2-Megatron]

It's noticeable, depending on your TV, but whether or not it's actually worth it is a personal call. I'll assume you have an HDTV since you have a PS3 and are asking about Blu-Rays at all. At the moment, I do have an HDTV-capable display... a somewhat recently-acquired Samsung 30" CRT... however the most I've used it for is 480p from my progressive scan DVD player. I'm not interested in doubling my cable bill... and wouldn't be even if I didn't hate the vast majority of current TV shows. Nor am I interested, for the moment, in buying a Blu-Ray player that would cost me at least $800 CDN (the TV cost around this much; why would I want to pay it again?), and potentially as much as $1100. Since the TV is a CRT, it's capable of displaying SD and ED content without the awful artifact and degredation that flat-panel displays suffer from, so for the moment regular DVDs are fine for me.

As for you, it all really depends on how much you care about it. If you've already got the Blu-Ray player and want the extra quality they'd give you, go for it. Most of the cost involved in Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are the players, not the media. From my own observations in stores around me, most Blu-Rays don't seem to go for all that much more than DVDs. If I had a player, I'd probably buy them instead, provided their bonus content was equal to the DVD release. On the other hand, if you're happy with the quality of DVDs on your TV, then stick with them until the prices on Blu-Ray drop a little more.

[BackgroundActorman1976]

yeah ive watced several disney movies on blu ray allready.
Dinosaur is breathtakeing in this format. but on a whole i really do prefer HDDVD to Bluray.

haveing both formats in my home hooked up to my DLP Projector and viewing them at 300 inches on the screen on my apt wall , i have had hands on experience with both formats for a while now, and ive said it before i myself really do see a better picture quality on HDDVD than the same titles viewed on Bluray. again this comes from hands on use in my hometheatre enviorment and not standing infront of a display model at bestbuy for 30 mins to a hour, or reading an article on some home theatre magazine. and before someone mentions video codexs again i just want to say i trust my eyes to be able to tell me which picture is better, again i have had several months of hands on experience with these in my home.

but anyways i would say there is no need to rush out and replace everymovie you have on dvd allready for its bluray counterpart. true there are some titles that you should definately upgrade at the earliest possiblity you get.

but theres no need to start replaceing your entire movie library especially if your ps3 isnt the main tv you watch your movies on.
i would say save the money and get the standard dvd version instead. as you mentioned in many cases you can save 20 dollars or more.
do you need to spend 10 to 16 bucks more for eight below on bluray no i think not, the standard dvd version is just fine.
.

hey out of curiosity didnt you get a free copy of Talldega Nights in Bluray included in your PS3.

[dvdjunkie]

I am an avid fan of Blu-Ray technology, just look at my siggy.

I own only 10 titles in my Blu-Ray collection, and I have a Samsung BP-1000 Blu-Ray player along with my Hi-Def front projection system and also a 56" JVC HDTV Monitor that I have been watching my movies on during my recuperation from surgery.

No need to replace any of your movies, because the Blu-Ray system upconverts to near HD resolution and the movies look great. The PS3 doesn't do this, but if you have it hooked up to your television (which I hope is a HDTV monitor) via the HDMI cables, you will get a noticeably great picture compared to regular DVD's. My favorite Blu-Ray title is "Dinosaur" from Walt Disney, because the picture just jumps off the screen. The sound is totally awesome, and the whole experience when compared to a regular DVD is really noticable.

HDMI cables are not cheap, but if you want to experience Hi-Def the correct way, you need to have them. Good luck.

[CampbellzSoup]

Thanks for the MANY great responces.

Of course I have an HD Television that's why I was interested in the subject matter, and with it has an HD connection to 1080p DLP Samsung television. The PS3 is in the main living room as our "blu ray player" as well as a great game console (erm, not much to play now though lol).

Casino Royale, looks like it could be a great addition to the collection, but unlike DVDs I hope they don't try to double dip us on Blu Ray's as they are quite expensive, however maybe they will lower in price later on.

So I'm guessing the PS3 doesn't scale movies to 1080p then even with HDMI enabled? blah whatever - hopefully an update can correct this subject matter, if not I have a nice DVD player in the living room as well, but I've been watching my Disney DVDs on the PS3, and I was just confused about all the different formats and scaling and what have you.

btw dvdjunkie HDMI calbes are great priced at AMAZON for 10 dollars, and the reviews have been quite positive.

[PixarFan2006]

Blu-Ray sounds pretty interesting, but I would not replace every dvd I owned If I got a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player because I heard both formats are backwards compatible.

[DarthPrime]

Monoprice also sales some good HDMI cables and it will only set you back about $30 for a 6 foot cable.

I'm still on the fence about getting into one of the HD formats, but it looks like I might try HD-DVD this summer. I'm going to get my first HDTV in about 2 months, and I've been looking at the Oppo upconverting DVD players. However I can get a Toshiba HD-A2 with 5 free HD-DVD movies for around $100 more. The Toshiba is regarded as an excellent upconverting player for DVDs, plus I can also enjoy some HD content.

I still don't know if its worth it though. Two formats is making it a tough choice right now.

[BackgroundActorman1976]

Darth prime you are going to be very happy with the toshiba hddvd players

[PatrickvD]

Is the format war over already?

[Commander-Dan]

Is the format war over already?

Far from it. Though Sony would love to have you believe that it is. I think it’s a safe bet that both formats will still be around at year’s end.

I bought (and still own) a Toshiba HD-DVD player in July of last year. I bought it a few weeks after the lackluster reviews for the initial Blu-ray discs and first Blu-ray player started to roll in. I don’t regret my decision, but I do now somewhat fear for the future of the format.

It would seem that overall, HD-DVD “won” for 2006, in terms of both picture quality and sales. As such, it would seem that as of the beginning of this year, it was HD-DVD’s battle to lose. And I’m afraid that they are losing it. Studios that have been supporting HD-DVD (included HD-DVD exclusive Universal) have released few notable titles and have announced few forthcoming titles. I personally have not purchased any HD-DVD titles in more than 2 months. Moreover, unless we see additional manufacturers (other than Toshiba) producing HD-DVD players, I just don’t see how the format can survive.

Sony and the Blu-ray camp have definitely worked out many of the initial issues and glitches, and generally speaking, they are now on par with HD-DVD. I believe they have now actually exceeded HD-DVD in terms of software sales. Blu-ray may actually win this whole thing, given the greater studio support. On the other hand, I think that the best HD-DVD can really hope for at this point is co-existence.

Indeed, that is what I originally thought would happen, but I am now second guessing that prediction. We have seen differing formats co-exist, however, such as Super Audio-CD and DVD-Audio. So, it is possible.

At this point, I can see myself getting a Blu-ray player before the end of this year.

[BackgroundActorman1976]

Is the format war over already?

Far from it. Though Sony would love to have you believe that it is. I think it’s a safe bet that both formats will still be around at year’s end.

I bought (and still own) a Toshiba HD-DVD player in July of last year. I bought it a few weeks after the lackluster reviews for the initial Blu-ray discs and first Blu-ray player started to roll in. I don’t regret my decision, but I do now somewhat fear for the future of the format.

It would seem that overall, HD-DVD “won” for 2006, in terms of both picture quality and sales. As such, it would seem that as of the beginning of this year, it was HD-DVD’s battle to lose. And I’m afraid that they are losing it. Studios that have been supporting HD-DVD (included HD-DVD exclusive Universal) have released few notable titles and have announced few forthcoming titles. I personally have not purchased any HD-DVD titles in more than 2 months. Moreover, unless we see additional manufacturers (other than Toshiba) producing HD-DVD players, I just don’t see how the format can survive.

Sony and the Blu-ray camp have definitely worked out many of the initial issues and glitches, and generally speaking, they are now on par with HD-DVD. I believe they have now actually exceeded HD-DVD in terms of software sales. Blu-ray may actually win this whole thing, given the greater studio support. On the other hand, I think that the best HD-DVD can really hope for at this point is co-existence.

Indeed, that is what I originally thought would happen, but I am now second guessing that prediction. We have seen differing formats co-exist, however, such as Super Audio-CD and DVD-Audio. So, it is possible.

At this point, I can see myself getting a Blu-ray player before the end of this year.

i think what would really boost HDDVD is the studios that supported it, is lowering the retail price by about 5 dollars and making all the titles that warners and universal(and dreamworks/paramount) HDDVD/DVD combo discs. by doing so you have people who are buying those titles for there standard dvd player, in a year or so when they are looking more into HD formats, will allready have a home library of titles that are in HD, and could be more inclinded to side with HDDVD instead of bluray

[DarthPrime]

Is the format war over already?

Far from it. Though Sony would love to have you believe that it is. I think it’s a safe bet that both formats will still be around at year’s end.

I bought (and still own) a Toshiba HD-DVD player in July of last year. I bought it a few weeks after the lackluster reviews for the initial Blu-ray discs and first Blu-ray player started to roll in. I don’t regret my decision, but I do now somewhat fear for the future of the format.

It would seem that overall, HD-DVD “won” for 2006, in terms of both picture quality and sales. As such, it would seem that as of the beginning of this year, it was HD-DVD’s battle to lose. And I’m afraid that they are losing it. Studios that have been supporting HD-DVD (included HD-DVD exclusive Universal) have released few notable titles and have announced few forthcoming titles. I personally have not purchased any HD-DVD titles in more than 2 months. Moreover, unless we see additional manufacturers (other than Toshiba) producing HD-DVD players, I just don’t see how the format can survive.

Sony and the Blu-ray camp have definitely worked out many of the initial issues and glitches, and generally speaking, they are now on par with HD-DVD. I believe they have now actually exceeded HD-DVD in terms of software sales. Blu-ray may actually win this whole thing, given the greater studio support. On the other hand, I think that the best HD-DVD can really hope for at this point is co-existence.

Indeed, that is what I originally thought would happen, but I am now second guessing that prediction. We have seen differing formats co-exist, however, such as Super Audio-CD and DVD-Audio. So, it is possible.

At this point, I can see myself getting a Blu-ray player before the end of this year.

From what I have gathered Blu-ray and HD-DVD are pretty even in total sales. Of course Blu-ray has sold better in the past few months, but HD-DVD has outsold Blu-ray for several months before that. The first Blu-ray player (Samsung) and the first titles hurt Blu-ray. The Samsung player has gotten better with updates and the new Blu-ray titles have gotten better and are pretty much even with HD-DVD now. Blu-ray just had a really bad launch compared to HD-DVD.

Universal is keeping HD-DVD alive as far as studio support goes, and they could be a major turning point in the "war". Universal has several must have titles that if released on HD-DVD would really help the format. Of course they want release them because there isn't enough players out yet. If Universal goes format neutral I see a quick end to HD-DVD.

The way the format war is going right now it looks like we will have both formats co-existing. Of course if one wins it will still be a few years before we have a winner. This war want end in 2007. Sony is going to release a $600 player, and it has the two PS3 models. Toshiba will probably lower the price on their players, and several other companies are releasing "budget" HD-DVD players before the end of the year.

I would personally love to see an affordable combo player that fully supports both formats. The LG combo player is just to expensive for what it is, since it doesn't fully support all of the HD-DVD features.

[DaveWadding]

We have seen differing formats co-exist, however, such as Super Audio-CD and DVD-Audio. So, it is possible.

They didnt co-exist so much as they entirely cancelled each other out.

[george321]

I have a question:
Does Blu-ray players play HD DVDs?
Oh, also, a stupid question, but:
do you need a samsung blu-ray player if you have a samsung HDTV?
Thanks,
Disney FANATIC

[DarthPrime]

I have a question:
Does Blu-ray players play HD DVDs?
Oh, also, a stupid question, but:
do you need a samsung blu-ray player if you have a samsung HDTV?
Thanks,
Disney FANATIC

Blu-ray players do not play HD-DVDs. HD-DVD players also will not play Blu-rays.

You can use any Blu-ray player with your HDTV. If your not going to get a PS3, and just want a standalone player I would wait until the new Sony player is released. It should retail for $599.99 when it is released this summer.

[Okie Tigger]

To the OP; Sony has strongly suggested that the upscaling for SD DVD is on the way. Don't sweat it. The PS3 is one of the best electronics values ever.

You already have a PS3 so buying BDs is a no-brainer at this point. The extra $ for BD is well worth it. Just shop around for the best price. Actually, short of other retailers having a sale just shop at Amazon as they are typically the cheapest. Both the Pirates films can be pre-ordered at Amazon for ~$24, they will be 2-disc sets and will have *everything* the 2 disc DVDs had plus some BD-exclusive content.

Format War: It's all about content. Casino Royale (Blu-ray exclusive) came out today and officially marks the beginning of the end of HD DVD.

[Commander-Dan]

Format War: It's all about content. Casino Royale (Blu-ray exclusive) came out today and officially marks the beginning of the end of HD DVD.

Just like the way the release of the Samsung player marked the end of HD-DVD?

Just like the way the release o the PS3 marked the end of HD-DVD?

Give me a break. The notion that a single title (that’s not even in the same league as some of the highest grossing films of all-time) can drive the market to the point of stifling HD-DVD sales is ridiculous.

[Okie Tigger]

Give me a break. The notion that a single title (that’s not even in the same league as some of the highest grossing films of all-time) can drive the market to the point of stifling HD-DVD sales is ridiculous.

I said "beginning of the end".

And since you bought up "some of the highest grossing films of all-time" why don't you look up that list and tell me what you find re: the studios that produced those films.

However, the more important list you might be interested in is the list of the top films from last year as it is primarily new titles that will drive the new formats.

[DarthPrime]

Give me a break. The notion that a single title (that’s not even in the same league as some of the highest grossing films of all-time) can drive the market to the point of stifling HD-DVD sales is ridiculous.

I said "beginning of the end".

And since you bought up "some of the highest grossing films of all-time" why don't you look up that list and tell me what you find re: the studios that produced those films.

However, the more important list you might be interested in is the list of the top films from last year as it is primarily new titles that will drive the new formats.

Several older films could help each side a lot. E.T., Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, The Matrix, The Star Wars Films, The Harry Potter Films, Lord of the Rings, Jaws, and the list goes on. Older catalog titles will drive the sales of these formats just as much as new releases.

Casino Royale want be the end of HD-DVD, but its a great title that is Blu-ray exclusive.

I will give Blu-ray the edge lately with releases. I wished Universal would open the doors on their catalog for HD-DVD though.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Players that would play both HD formats could be a way to call off this unfortunate "gamble" (the "format war").