I will be buying a 32" 720p hd ready lcd so is it still worth me going for blu-ray or will a good upscaling dvd playing be enough for this bearing in mind its only a 32" screen and not full hd. Thanks.
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CES Hands On - Samsung HW-Q990F review
Blu-ray or upscaled dvd
- Thread starter kitkat
- Start date
Definitely worth getting one, you will still see a huge difference with a native HD source from and upscaled SD one.
scene
Well-known member
Definitely Blu ray. Don't forget, with Blu-ray you'll also get all the HD Audio formats, rather than the lossy ones supported by DVD.
How prominent the improvement is does depend a bit on his viewing distance. The further away the seating the less evident
Agree with cram. The combination of screen resolution and viewing distance is what decides whether BluRay *discs* are worth the premium over upscaled DVD, not the native resolution of the discs. How often you expect to watch the disc is also relevant; if it's a keeper then you may see more benefit on a future system down the line, if it's a one-off not so.
This is one case where Your Mileage *Will* Vary. However, there's no case for buying a DVD-only *player* at any price any more; the premium for the BD option is too small not to invest.
This is one case where Your Mileage *Will* Vary. However, there's no case for buying a DVD-only *player* at any price any more; the premium for the BD option is too small not to invest.
3 out of the last 4 blu-rays I bought were bundled with the DVD anyway, and it seems to becoming more and more common, and the price difference on Inception was £13.99 for BD/DVD combo against £10.99 for the DVD.
daveloc:
Agree with cram. The combination of screen resolution and viewing distance is what decides whether BluRay *discs* are worth the premium over upscaled DVD, not the native resolution of the discs. How often you expect to watch the disc is also relevant; if it's a keeper then you may see more benefit on a future system down the line, if it's a one-off not so.
This is one case where Your Mileage *Will* Vary. However, there's no case for buying a DVD-only *player* at any price any more; the premium for the BD option is too small not to invest.
Well I disagree with this to some degree, distance does make a difference, but very rarely do people who buy a 32" TV sit over 2 metres from it (the recommended max viewing distance for this size TV).
In addition, new blu ray players tend to have better scalers in them than even the better, older DVD players, so the addition of a new player may breath new life into his existing collection.
Also a 576i/p picture up scaled to 720p will never be as good as a piece of native 720p material, even with the best scalers, have a look at content sent over one of the simulcast channels for example, and these use professional scalers
Agree with cram. The combination of screen resolution and viewing distance is what decides whether BluRay *discs* are worth the premium over upscaled DVD, not the native resolution of the discs. How often you expect to watch the disc is also relevant; if it's a keeper then you may see more benefit on a future system down the line, if it's a one-off not so.
This is one case where Your Mileage *Will* Vary. However, there's no case for buying a DVD-only *player* at any price any more; the premium for the BD option is too small not to invest.
Well I disagree with this to some degree, distance does make a difference, but very rarely do people who buy a 32" TV sit over 2 metres from it (the recommended max viewing distance for this size TV).
In addition, new blu ray players tend to have better scalers in them than even the better, older DVD players, so the addition of a new player may breath new life into his existing collection.
Also a 576i/p picture up scaled to 720p will never be as good as a piece of native 720p material, even with the best scalers, have a look at content sent over one of the simulcast channels for example, and these use professional scalers
markjaspi: very rarely do people who buy a 32" TV sit over 2 metres from it (the recommended max viewing distance for this size TV).
and you are are basing that assertion on what?
Will he notice a difference, possibly, will it be a huge difference on a screen of that size I don't think so.
and you are are basing that assertion on what?
Will he notice a difference, possibly, will it be a huge difference on a screen of that size I don't think so.
cram:
markjaspi: very rarely do people who buy a 32" TV sit over 2 metres from it (the recommended max viewing distance for this size TV).
and you are are basing that assertion on what?
Will he notice a difference, possibly, will it be a huge difference on a screen of that size I don't think so.
Hmmn.... I sit about 3.5 meters away from a 720p 32" telly and both me and my wife (who has no interest in this sort of thing) can see the difference clearly. We mainly watch blu-rays from our collection and from Lovefilm and a few months ago had a DVD from lovefilm of a film that wasn't available on blu-ray yet- as soon as the film started she remarked, "what's wrong with this disc? Is it not a blu-ray?" And she wears glasses as well.
markjaspi: very rarely do people who buy a 32" TV sit over 2 metres from it (the recommended max viewing distance for this size TV).
and you are are basing that assertion on what?
Will he notice a difference, possibly, will it be a huge difference on a screen of that size I don't think so.
Hmmn.... I sit about 3.5 meters away from a 720p 32" telly and both me and my wife (who has no interest in this sort of thing) can see the difference clearly. We mainly watch blu-rays from our collection and from Lovefilm and a few months ago had a DVD from lovefilm of a film that wasn't available on blu-ray yet- as soon as the film started she remarked, "what's wrong with this disc? Is it not a blu-ray?" And she wears glasses as well.
cram:
markjaspi: very rarely do people who buy a 32" TV sit over 2 metres from it (the recommended max viewing distance for this size TV).
and you are are basing that assertion on what?
Will he notice a difference, possibly, will it be a huge difference on a screen of that size I don't think so.
It would be useful to know what the actual viewing distance is I suppose. But remember ther average screen size is still 32" in the UK and average room size of 15.8 sqm.
Also I am basing it on my own experience, I have 32" LCD in my conservatory, and I can tell the difference between upscaled and native sources at 2 metres.
I was only trying to give my opinion, if you don't agree fair enough.
markjaspi: very rarely do people who buy a 32" TV sit over 2 metres from it (the recommended max viewing distance for this size TV).
and you are are basing that assertion on what?
Will he notice a difference, possibly, will it be a huge difference on a screen of that size I don't think so.
It would be useful to know what the actual viewing distance is I suppose. But remember ther average screen size is still 32" in the UK and average room size of 15.8 sqm.
Also I am basing it on my own experience, I have 32" LCD in my conservatory, and I can tell the difference between upscaled and native sources at 2 metres.
I was only trying to give my opinion, if you don't agree fair enough.
The best answer is buy a Bluray player, and buy or borrow a couple of the double/triple play BD/DVD packages that bendrummond mentions, or a couple of BDs you already have the DVD of.
Then try a few A/B comparisons at your standard viewing distance. It's not a question of whether the BD image will be better than the DVD - it will - but whether the premium you pay makes the difference worth it to you. Remember you may get a bigger screen in the lifetime of the disc, so give BD the benefit of any doubt.
FWIW, on my setup, 42" 1080p plasma at 2.5-3m, I'd always buy BD if:
(a) 3D movie on 3D TV - obvious
(b) high quality digital source - Pixar, Avatar 2D
(c) loving restoration - Disney, Warner classics, Sony James Bond 4K2K masters
(b) better version - CE3K includes three versions, Blade Runner TFC, Dark City DC...
and always buy DVD unless the BD was as cheap or cheaper if:
(a) one-watch stuff - e.g., Nic Cage in a bad wig...
(b) TV series boxsets, especially if 4:3
Remember also that a DVD will play on portables, and can be easily converted for media players, the BD won't and can't.
Then try a few A/B comparisons at your standard viewing distance. It's not a question of whether the BD image will be better than the DVD - it will - but whether the premium you pay makes the difference worth it to you. Remember you may get a bigger screen in the lifetime of the disc, so give BD the benefit of any doubt.
FWIW, on my setup, 42" 1080p plasma at 2.5-3m, I'd always buy BD if:
(a) 3D movie on 3D TV - obvious
(b) high quality digital source - Pixar, Avatar 2D
(c) loving restoration - Disney, Warner classics, Sony James Bond 4K2K masters
(b) better version - CE3K includes three versions, Blade Runner TFC, Dark City DC...
and always buy DVD unless the BD was as cheap or cheaper if:
(a) one-watch stuff - e.g., Nic Cage in a bad wig...
(b) TV series boxsets, especially if 4:3
Remember also that a DVD will play on portables, and can be easily converted for media players, the BD won't and can't.
Frank Harvey
Well-known member
markjaspi:Also a 576i/p picture up scaled to 720p will never be as good as a piece of native 720p material, even with the best scalers, have a look at content sent over one of the simulcast channels for example, and these use professional scalers
I agree here. Even if the scalers were top notch, it's still upscaling a heavily compressed standard definition picture, so the results are always going to be limited.
That said, I've seen a few DVD's on a 42" 720p Panny, and they can look pretty impressive when recorded and mastered well.
I agree here. Even if the scalers were top notch, it's still upscaling a heavily compressed standard definition picture, so the results are always going to be limited.
That said, I've seen a few DVD's on a 42" 720p Panny, and they can look pretty impressive when recorded and mastered well.
With the fact you can get a decent blu-ray player for under £100 usually and that a BD player will play DVD's there's no point in going for a DVD player. You may as well get a BD player and you can choose if you want to buy DVD's or Blu-rays and/or compare formats.
I would go blu-ray player as well, but really depends on how much you watch and how much you want to spend.Price gap has decreased and lots of bargains around on blu-ray at the moment. I invested in a Toshiba XDE 500 which upscales and its much better than my phat PS3 whch is used for blu-rays, ive considered getting a standalone player and at £100 i feel the Sony BDP-S370 the best value around, and can be made mutli-region. So go for the Sony and you can always rent the films before purchase.Sound performance will be a big improvement especially if you have a dedicated home cinema.
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