Is having HD-DVD or Blu Ray that much different than a Regular DVD?

Question

Ok, I know the whole DVD= 4.5 mb and the others have like 25MB..
Better sound, better quality...

But, if you got a nice sized regular TV, a nice Surround sound, and a nice regular DVD player...
Is it really like that much of a mind blowing change??

Because DVD's are still good quality....are they not?

I've seen the HD and Blue ray, and yes it is clearer,
but that i'm only guessing, IS because of the Plasma HD LCD TV to begin with. Am i correct?

I hope someone can shed some light with this...

Answer 1

You are correct. Blu-ray and HD DVD are native 1080p resolution. On an HDTV (720p or 1080p) they give a sharper picture than DVDs (480i). But on a standard definition (SD) TV they will display at 480 lines resolution and won't look sharper than a DVD (Although colour may be slightly improved due to the use of the 709 colour space on HD disks).

One of the biggest issues preventing the acceptance of HD disks is that many consumers (estimates I've seen vary from 60% - 90%) can't, or choose not to, benefit from HD disks.

At a minimum a consumer needs a moderate sized HDTV with 720p mimimum resolution, and to really benefit from HD disks they need a 1080p HDTV larger than 40", a good quality A/V receiver, HDMI connectivity, and surround sound speakers, and -- forgotten by most -- to watch from an optimum distance (usually less than the 10-12 feet they are used to). Some choose not to upgrade because they don't want to spend the money to upgrade their equipment, are overwhelmed by the complexity, or don't see enough benefit to justify the higher cost and other disadvantages of HD disks (e.g. more restricted use -- they can't play in the car, the kid's or the bedroom DVD player, limited choice of movies).

The truth is that relative to moving from VCR to DVD (which offered visual, aural and convenience advantages) moving from DVD to HD disk represent an incremental advance in audio and video, but decreases in convenience and all at much higher cost in complexity and price (It's not just switching a VCR for DVD palyer ... it's all the other equipment too). Overall, certainly not a "must have".

You are identifying the benefit/cost problem. There are those who swear there are night and day differences vs DVD, but an increasing number of people are recognizing that DVDs on a good upconverting player and an HDTV are "good enough".

I watched "Cars" the other night on DVD via an upconverting player on a 720p projector and 110" screen ... and I remember thinking that while an HD disk might look "better" in an A/B comparison, I couldn't see any obvious problems with the picture or sound of the DVD ... great colours, impressive picture, etc. And I only paid $7 for the disk as a previewed movie ... can't do that with Blu-ray.

After all, why do we watch movies ... for the content or the glitz (i.e visual quality, good sound)? HD disks, unfortunately, largely play to those who value glitz (CGI graphics and big boom car chases) and while there is an attraction to this it quickly gets old if the content isn't there. And sharper pictures of two people talking isn't sufficient to sell HD given the cost inrease (i.e. many films simply do not require or really benefit from HD).

HD disks are destined for a niche market as the majority of consumers contine to use DVDs or turn toward downloadable HD media. No it might not be in 1080p and lossless HD audio but it will be convenient and good enough video and audio quality for most people. Just think CD vs MP3.

A discussion at AVS forum (see link) makes an interesting read as a high end home theatre owner has recognized that he's going to have to turn to another hobby since HD disks with intelligent content are not plentiful enough to keep him interested. And that is the other problem with HD disks ... there simply isn't enough program material (there are only 1% as many HD disks as there are DVDs!) and studios are losing money on the majority of disks they have produced to date .. 1-3000 disks total sales don't make money.

Hope this provides some useful thoughts.

Answer 2

No, the basic DVD player will not be able to use Blu-ray or HD DVDs. The only way to view them is to purchase a Blu-Ray or HD DVD player. Since Toshiba has stopped supporting HD DVD, the next Generation DVD is Blu-Ray. So don't buy any HD DVDs.

Answer 3

Short answer yes. You've already said it, better audio and better video from the new DVD players and TV's.
Remember how when DVDs came out and replaced the VHS tape? Better quality, better usability, more features, etc? Technology has again made a jump forward.
Standard def TV displays 535 lines of horizontal resolution picture. HD is 720 or 1080, Flat screens replacing standard CRTs, that in itself is a tremendous change.
However if you're like most you still have many SD discs in your home library. An up converting DVD player, (I like the Oppo 971), will make those old movies look like they were made in HD.
So in summary it's both, the new DVD players and the new plasma and LCDs produce the definition that everyone is excited about.

Answer 4

DVD - single layer- 4.7 gb -------plays Standard Definition 3hrs
dual layer - 9 gb
Bit rate - 8 mbps

HD DVD - single layer- 15 gb
dual layer- 30 gb -----plays SD 24 hrs, HD 8 hrs
protypes- triple layer 45 gb and quadlayer 60 gb
Bit rate - around 30-35 mbps

Blue Ray- single layer- 25 gb
dual layer- 50 gb ------plays SD 23 hrs, HD 9 hrs
prototypes- quadlayer 100 gb , 8 layer 200 gb
Bitrate- around 48 mbps

the blu ray and hd dvd provide about 4-6 times better quality.
u need more than the 9 gb a dvd can provide to enjoy the best of what we can get. Even though u might not find the better picture quality a nessecity, the audio will be amazing bcoz of the uncompressed DTS neo,DTS hd ; Dolby prologic 2, dolby hd amongst others; these things take up a lot of space for a movie.

If u have a good hd tv bigger than 50" and a powerful surround audio system, then the 1080p resolution of the hd players and uncompressed audio will make a huge difference

Answer 5

The jump from DVD to HD DVD is nothing like the jump from VHS to DVD regarding movies. As far as Sports & Nature flicks, there is a huge leap. If you are mainly a movie watcher, then you better make sure that you have a 1080p TV, because what you see on the screen is limited by what your TV can produce. I can bring back a Next Gen Video PLayer from year 2040 via my time machine. But if i hook it up my mother's 20 inch black and white tube TV from the 60s, it will still look like black and white crap.

Answer 6

hd dvd & blu ray are definitely clearer than regular dvd, even upconverted dvd. The hd tv itself may make the picture clearer than a sd tv, but still doesnt compare to the high def discs.

Answer 7

You said:

"But, if you got a nice sized regular TV, a"..

Your TV is limited to 480 lines of display. These new players will work on a standard-def television, but you will not get the benefit of HD video without a HDTV.