Blu-Ray

[Tessian]

I'm curious-- how many of you watch blu-ray movies on a decent (24+in) HDTV? Do you use it for all your movie watching needs, or don't bother and stick with normal DVD's still?

I've had an HDTV for over a year and a half now, and the best I've used the HD part so far is for Xbox games... but I don't feel like wasting an extra $15/month to get compressed-to-hell HD channels from Comcast (plus I don't know if it'd work through my BeyondTV setup). I do tend to try to sit down and watch a movie on weekends, and Netflix offers Bluray rentals at no extra cost... but is it worth it?

Obviously if I was to get a Bluray player I'd have to break down and get a PS3 which currently appear to be going for $400, which is expensive, but I guess I'd get exclusive games at some point too (although even now I'm having trouble playing both PC and Xbox games). I wanna get more use out of things... but $400 still isn't something I can easily just drop money on a whim.

So I guess in the end I'm asking this: for someone who habitually watches movies with a 37" HDTV, is it worth it to drop an additional $400 on a PS3 mostly for the bluray?

[Oracle]

I've had an HDTV for almost 3 years, and I don't have any HD disc players.

I just recently got HD satellite (2 months ago), but other than that, the only thing I use HD for is also XBOX360 games.

DvDs are still good enough for me. I don't need a PS3, or want to spend that kind of money on a movie player.

[Zeus]

I've had a 42" LG for over a year now and the only HD thing on it is my 360. My up-converting 360 streaming and DVD player have been more than enough for me. Even my satellite at 480p is perfectly fine, and my TV doesn't sit much more than about 10 ft away from the couch.

I don't see a reason unless you're a video-phile to spend the money on either the player or the incremental costs of the Blu-Rays over DVDs. However, if you're gonna, say, but a PS3 to play MGS4 and already have it and you happen to be able to get a Blu-Ray disc for, say, $5 more than a DVD and it's a great, visual film (ie. 300), why not? But no reason to spend money solely for the experience IMO

[Shellie]

We have the HD pack from our cable ocmpany, but because we work there its only 4 dollars(8 dollars for reg customers). Because we have a larger (65in) TV, I think the regular channels look worse. It's really nice to watch Discovery, TLC, etc in HD.

[bovine]

I've got 4 bluray movies. They look pretty, but are too costly for mass consumption.

[Imakeholesinu]

I will not re-buy anything on Blu-Ray that I already have on DVD. DVD is still going to be a viable format for awhile. I use my PS3 for upconverting on my Samsung 40" 1080p TV and they all look amazing. SDTV is ok, I need to get DirecTV to get me the HD stuff but I think I'll wait till next Hockey Season for that.

[Zeus]

We have the HD pack from our cable ocmpany, but because we work there its only 4 dollars(8 dollars for reg customers). Because we have a larger (65in) TV, I think the regular channels look worse. It's really nice to watch Discovery, TLC, etc in HD.

An HD-pack up here is prohibitively expensive. $10 a month for the receiver and $8 a month for each about 8 channels or so in a pack, $5 a month if you get 4 of these packs. Or 12 channels for $9.

http://www.bell.ca/shopping/PrsShpTv_HDTV_howtoget.page
http://www.rogers.com/web/link/ptvBrows ... ck&group=6

This is part of the molestation our cable/satellite companies put on us up here.

[Tessian]

We have the HD pack from our cable ocmpany, but because we work there its only 4 dollars(8 dollars for reg customers). Because we have a larger (65in) TV, I think the regular channels look worse. It's really nice to watch Discovery, TLC, etc in HD.

An HD-pack up here is prohibitively expensive. $10 a month for the receiver and $8 a month for each about 8 channels or so in a pack, $5 a month if you get 4 of these packs. Or 12 channels for $9.

http://www.bell.ca/shopping/PrsShpTv_HDTV_howtoget.page
http://www.rogers.com/web/link/ptvBrows ... ck&group=6

This is part of the molestation our cable/satellite companies put on us up here.

I do know Rogers and Bell Canada pretty much have a monopoly up there... if you call into either company there's a good chance you'll be talking to someone who works for my company

[Oracle]

I use StarChoice where I live (Saskatchewan). It's a Shaw company. I'm pretty happy with it. Bought the receiver for $200, and my bill is like $54 (with tax) a month. I get about 15HD channels with that.

[Zeus]

We have the HD pack from our cable ocmpany, but because we work there its only 4 dollars(8 dollars for reg customers). Because we have a larger (65in) TV, I think the regular channels look worse. It's really nice to watch Discovery, TLC, etc in HD.

An HD-pack up here is prohibitively expensive. $10 a month for the receiver and $8 a month for each about 8 channels or so in a pack, $5 a month if you get 4 of these packs. Or 12 channels for $9.

http://www.bell.ca/shopping/PrsShpTv_HDTV_howtoget.page
http://www.rogers.com/web/link/ptvBrows ... ck&group=6

This is part of the molestation our cable/satellite companies put on us up here.

I do know Rogers and Bell Canada pretty much have a monopoly up there... if you call into either company there's a good chance you'll be talking to someone who works for my company

Is your company that full of useless CSRs? :-)

Seriously, the two companies up here used to both be monopolies in their own sectors (phone for Bell, cable for Rogers) and still only really compete against each other in everything they do (internet, home phone, TV, and cellphones) other than Telus in the cell market (there's actually talk of Bell and Telus merging too; yeah, that don't go against any anti-competition laws or nothin'). They really haven't changed their ways or mentalities or the fact that they treat their customers like nuisances. All thanks to our beautiful CRTC which don't allow competition.

At least that's changing in the cell area starting next month. They're opening up 50% of our cell airwaves to non-Canadian companies. Maybe the CRTC will wake up and realize just how fucked we get on all those services here (although we won't see the fruits of that until at least 2009 or 2010). Maybe then we'll only pay twice the price for half the service that the US pays......

[kali o.]

I'm curious-- how many of you watch blu-ray movies on a decent (24+in) HDTV? Do you use it for all your movie watching needs, or don't bother and stick with normal DVD's still?

I've had an HDTV for over a year and a half now, and the best I've used the HD part so far is for Xbox games... but I don't feel like wasting an extra $15/month to get compressed-to-hell HD channels from Comcast (plus I don't know if it'd work through my BeyondTV setup). I do tend to try to sit down and watch a movie on weekends, and Netflix offers Bluray rentals at no extra cost... but is it worth it?

Obviously if I was to get a Bluray player I'd have to break down and get a PS3 which currently appear to be going for $400, which is expensive, but I guess I'd get exclusive games at some point too (although even now I'm having trouble playing both PC and Xbox games). I wanna get more use out of things... but $400 still isn't something I can easily just drop money on a whim.

So I guess in the end I'm asking this: for someone who habitually watches movies with a 37" HDTV, is it worth it to drop an additional $400 on a PS3 mostly for the bluray?

It's worth it in the same way getting a proper surround sound system is worth it. The speakers in people's TVs provide an adequate output for most people...but once you go surround sound, you pretty much can't go back.

Personally, I can't buy standard DVDs anymore...the problem is Blu Ray "won" and I don't own a PS3. Luckily, HDDVDs demise means I can grab a bunch for $9.99 now (got Hulk, Van Helsing and Harry Potter 1-4 for $60 yesterday)...catching up on the HDDVD library should hold me a good year until the PS3 is around $250 or so.

[Tessian]

Seriously, the two companies up here used to both be monopolies in their own sectors (phone for Bell, cable for Rogers) and still only really compete against each other in everything they do (internet, home phone, TV, and cellphones)

Sounds a lot like Comcast & Verizon in half the US now too. It goes more away from "who do I like more?" to "who's horrible service and high prices can I tolerate more?"

[Lox]

I'm planning on going HD this summer (once we get our basement completely done). And I know I won't be doing Bluray still for quite a while (really not until the PS3 becomes a must buy for me or regular DVD is done). I'm just going to stick with my 1080p up-converting DVD player for now. I do plan on adding an HD receiver to my DirecTV package though and I have the Xbox.

[SineSwiper]

Heh, Comcast totally blows. I'm sure glad I don't work for them.

[Zeus]

Seriously, the two companies up here used to both be monopolies in their own sectors (phone for Bell, cable for Rogers) and still only really compete against each other in everything they do (internet, home phone, TV, and cellphones)

Sounds a lot like Comcast & Verizon in half the US now too. It goes more away from "who do I like more?" to "who's horrible service and high prices can I tolerate more?"

That's basically the way it is up here. You're picking the better of two evils rather than going to a company you want to go two.

It's kinda like buying gas or voting, no matter who you chose, you're gonna get shafted

[Zeus]

Luckily, HDDVDs demise means I can grab a bunch for $9.99 now (got Hulk, Van Helsing and Harry Potter 1-4 for $60 yesterday)...catching up on the HDDVD library should hold me a good year until the PS3 is around $250 or so.

I've been strongly debating doing that myself now that there's a mad dump of HD DVDs and I can get the Xbox HD DVD player for $50 or less. When the HD stuff is the same price, yeah, sure, I'm there. But when you have to pay $33 to buy Mystery Men? That's just fucking stupid.