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Killing BluRay, new Oppo BR 83

OK, I have been vocal on these forums with my opinion that BluRay is a short term media, and will not become the dominant media format. My reason:

1) There is not a mind blowing difference in BluRay quality
over the existing domintant format of DVD. That's not to say BluRay is not better, but it's not the difference between VHS and DVD, where you couldn't believe what you were seeing. Does it look and sound better, yes. Does it change your life, no. Especially with the quality of the upconverting DVD players available.

2) Given my first point, I don't think there is a big call to replace any purchased DVD's with BluRay. Any videophile who had a bunch of VHS tapes did that immeadiately with DVD, but why do it again? Basically the same disk, great sound, and small size, with excellent picture. I don't think that investment is going to be made again, and that means the market for BluRay discs is MUCH smaller for classic movies.

3) The advenet of internet based movie downloads is already available in HD. Granted, it's only 720 and no HD soundtracks, but does anyone believe that is not coming, and quickly. I love using my AppleTV to rent movies, never leave the house, and don't have to return. Honestly, I have bought a bunch of movies that way, since I have such a big network storage capacity. I think this will be the dominant AV format going forward, both movies and music. More high res video and music available faster. I believe that the rise in the market for outboard DAC's will become even greater, and they will have he ability to decode the new higher res music, and possible video soundtracks in surround. Output to analog preamps for Audiophile grade sound will become the norm for audiophiles, or hybrid HT/2 channel systems, as is becoming the norm.

I whole-heartedly believe this since recieving my new Oppo BluRay player. It is a great player, and it's the second BluRay I have had in my system so it just has re-inforced my previous hypothosis regarding the future of BluRay. Don't get me wrong, the player is STELLAR in every way. Considering the price, it's almost criminal especially on SACD and DVD-Audio (which I have not had any of the problems that the first firmware owners had). I have not gotten to use it as a CD transport yet, I am waiting on one of Paul G's (TubeAudioDesign) new DACs and the redbook CD sound on it's own was just OK.

That said, after watching several movies in both BluRay and DVD on the same player, the difference is just not that huge. It is better, but not enough to make me run out and buy any of those movies again on BluRay. It's the difference, to me, between the Magnepan 3.6 and 20.1. It's definitely better, but they are both excellent.

OK, those are my thoughts, FWIW.

I came to these conclusion
macdadtexas
Ag insider logo xs@2x
knownothing
1,595 posts
 
Macdadtexas,

You said at first:

"The advenet of internet based movie downloads is already available in HD. Granted, it's only 720 and no HD soundtracks, but does anyone believe that is not coming, and quickly. I love using my AppleTV to rent movies, never leave the house, and don't have to return. Honestly, I have bought a bunch of movies that way, since I have such a big network storage capacity. I think this will be the dominant AV format going forward, both movies and music."

Then you say:

"I'm sticking to my guns on this one, BluRay may overtake DVD someday, but both will fall away and downloads for movies will join music downloads as medium by which people recieve this content."

I agree, BluRay will overtake DVDs, and then downloads will overtake both.

I disagree that Internet downloads "will be the dominant AV format going forward..." from now on as you infer in your first post.

You can't have it both ways. Its like saying a 2 year old is a "dead person" because they will die someday. There is still a lot of life left in BluRay, and it is far from peaking. If in two years BluRay is already toast, you can revive this thread and rub my nose in my general lack of prescience.
goatwuss
877 posts
 
I think blu ray looks way, way better than DVD. Much less grainy, much more crisp and detailed.

As big as the difference between DVD and VHS? No - but that is not relevant.

Streaming is annoying, there is always compression in both video and sound.
macdadtexas OP
1,794 posts
 
Knownothing (excellent Plato reference, btw),

I'm not "having it both ways" as DVD's go to zero, BluRay will prob still be produced, for the videophile.

Goatwuss,

Streaming gets faster all the time, and check out the speeds and available information bandwith's on the very nearly hear 4G technologies. These and other developed in in beta testing technologies should increase download speeds, and elimnate, or really more to the point, change the technology on compression.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
knownothing
1,595 posts
 
Some others opinions.

On the software side:

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/blu-ray-disc/report-global-blu-ray-sales-jump-not-quite-enough-offset-dvd-decline-16088

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/05/12/best-buy-leads-retailers-in-blu-ray-disc-sales-surge/

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/02/23/report:-blu-ray-disc-sales-top-100-million-year

On the Hardware side:

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6636897.html

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/05/08/report:-blu-ray-player-sales-72%25-first-quarter

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/05/06/blu-ray-player-sales-rising

And from the disks are dead crowd:

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/42950/99/

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Blu-ray+vs.+video+download+vs.+streaming.-a0200881654
bssk
22 posts
 
The quality of Audio is better in Blue Ray because Blue Ray discs usually have lossless audio. In addition, the video bitrate is much higher than DVD. You will be able to make out the differences better if you have a large screen (50"+ screen size), and a good audio system.

Some excellent upscaling DVD players come close to a Blue Ray player in Video quality.
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