Is it worth upgrading to Blu-ray?

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Hi, I currently have a Sony Dvd player/5.1 surround set up hooked up to my 32" Sony HD ready Tv. My Tv is only able to dispay 720p or 1080i resolution and my Dvd player is capable to upscale standard Dvd discs to near HD quality. My question is: Now that the Blu-ray/HD Dvd format war is over and Blu-ray has won the war, is it worth me upgrading to a Blu-ray player? As my Tv is not able to display 1080p, which is what a Blu-ray player is capable of displaying, in order to display the ultermate high defination viewing, shall I stick with my current Dvd set up for the time being? My Tv is only 18 months old and I dont think I will buy a new one for at least 5 years, or if it packs up. Its a shame that I didn't purchase a Full HD Ready Tv (1080p), but as I have a small living room, 32" was the ideal choice for me. Full HD Tv's sizes start at 37" I think? Will there ever be a 32" Full HD Ready Tv on the market? One last thing, my Tv has only 1 HDMI input. Is it worth getting a HDMI switching box? Thanks.

 

[Clare Newsome]

[quote user="DJ_ROLANDO"]Will there ever be a 32" Full HD Ready Tv on the market?.[/quote]

There are already two - click here for a review of the latest one.

I wouldn't fret too mcuh about Blu-ray right now: your TV won't support 24fps either, so you could end up with a juddery picture for the sake of a tiny bit more detail.

If you've a good upscaling DVD player that's making the most of your set's HDMI socket, stick with it: DVD's not going anywhere for a good few years yet.

 

[Anonymous]

Have to disagree with you Clare. There is simply no comparison between BD and SD DVD upscaled or not. You may need to buy a decent TV to avoid the judder though as 24fps is how the film was intended to be shot by the director.

I cannot stand to watch SD DVDs anymore they are just bad on the eyes.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes but the OP said he wasn't planning on changing his TV any time soon - maybe not for five years.

And upscaled SD DVDs 'bad on the eyes'? Pah, pish and pshaw - I'm still using a standard def DVD player through an upscaling receiver, and good DVD discs look gorgeous. If I had a six-foot wide screen I might think otherwise, but I'm yet to find a compelling case for buying my whole disc collection again. I'm still buying DVDs.

 

[Anonymous]

By no means would i suggest you trade up all your old SD DVD lol. Having a 50" plasma the difference is mindblowing. Also the BD players upscale your dvds as well.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I don't disagree with you, Bullseye (that Blu-ray is superior, in the right set-up), but I tailored my answer to the SPECIFIC question asked!

And upscaled DVDs can look great with the right scaling - I have an 80in screen and Full HD projector and still enjoy SD TV and DVDs. Yes, I have a Blu-ray player and Sky HD, too, but I still pick my viewing based on what I want to watch (like the superlative Ashes to Ashes just now) rather than whether it's on HD or not.

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

Totally agree with you Clare. Also, if the OP wants to test what Full HD would look like on his screen, he could do worse than borrowing or buying a Toshiba HD-EP30 for about £50. Yes, HD DVD is dead but for £50 you get a great upscaler and a couple of free films to test how you're tv would cope with HD discs. Then the OP can judge for himself whether it's worth fully investing in Blu-Ray.