Thursday, August 18, 2011

What's Your Blu?

With the release of Star Wars on blu-ray DVD just a month away my brain began to turn.

I have yet to jump onto the blu-ray bandwagon yet. I am sure I will in the future (if it remains that long), but so far I have not really had a reason - or the means - to purchase a blu-ray player.

There is one thing that appeals to me about this type of player - and that is that it sort of goes parallel. Unlike new technology of the past (read VHS/Beta) this move will still allow you to play your old DVDs.

When I made the jump from VHS to DVD 10 or 11 years ago, it took me quite a long time get all of my VHS tapes on DVD. Once I made the jump it made VHS obsolete to me - I can't even remember the last time I watched a VHS tape.

So, that is the good news. Once I do make the jump there is no reason to run out and buy a bunch of blu-ray DVDs that I already have on DVD. The old ones will still work. Which is exciting.

This sort of takes the same route that some of the new gaming systems have taken of late. By not allowing people to play their old games on the new consoles - it sort of penalizes someone for being loyal to a console maker. By making older games playable on the new consoles - it gives people a reason to make the switch and stay loyal.

So, the main reason that my mind began flowing was this: What movies out there would you absolutely have to make the switch from DVD to blu-ray?

A few jumped out to me.

Obviously, Star Wars. I have probably purchased these movies a handful of times already. I believe I owned three different versions of the original trilogy on VHS, plus I owned the Episode I on VHS before finally making the switch to DVD, which I own all six now.

Second, Back to the Future. I remember when it finally came out on DVD as a trilogy purchase how excited I was. It is one of the most iconic trilogies for me. It is an absolute upgrade for me.

Third, Indiana Jones. I know I am probably being obvious on these first three selections, but they are pretty obvious to me. I got the original trilogy on VHS and then quickly turned that around to the DVD trilogy - which I completed with the purchase of Crystal Skull.

Fourth, Toy Story. I am sorry, but the Pixar trilogy is one of my top set of films of all time. I would definitely need to upgrade these films.

Finally, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This film has been my all-time favorite film since I saw it as a kid. There is something about it that draws me in every time I see it. Of course I would need to upgrade my all-time favorite film.

So - I turn the microphone to you. What films would you absolutely need (or already have) to upgrade from DVD to blu-ray?

3 comments:

  1. I'm unqualified to answer. I don't think I've ever seen a film on Blu-Ray, so I don't quite understand exactly what the difference is in quality. My answer could be "OMG, so many of them!!" or "None, I'm cool with my plain ol' DVDs on my HDTV."

    I tend to think it'll be the latter.

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  2. If you have an HD TV to go with the Blu-Ray player (which is pretty necessity, or else there's no point), then the difference is pretty damn noticeable. I used to be one of those blu-ray nay-sayers, because I figured it couldn't bet that much of a difference, blah blah blah. But there is.

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  3. The Missus bought me our first player for Christmas, and when I hooked it up through the HDMI input, I was rather taken with the result (as a comparison point, I left the RCA cables hooked up so I could toggle and see the difference).

    Thing is, because the dvd's still look so handsome with the upconvert, my rule by and large has been "no double-dipping". There's a particular exception, but for the most part if I've already got it, the dvd does just fine.

    So the short answer to your question is "none" :)

    That said, new additions to the collectionthat I've bought on blu that were totally worth the loot...

    INCEPTION
    SCOTT PILGRIM
    2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
    SHUTTER ISLAND
    and
    TRUE GRIT

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