By John C.

 

I got a Blu-ray player last year at Christmas.  I watch a lot of movies, so the only natural step forward was upgrading to the more-modern format.  But the question keeping a lot of people from purchasing a new machine is if there really is a noticeable difference between Blu-ray discs (BDs) and DVDs.  The simple answer?  With crisp colours and sharp contrasts, watching movies in full-HD is spectacular.  Although it only really matters when watching big budget productions or animation, the differences are quite noticeable when both formats are put side-by-side.

 

Recently, while watching a 3D enabled BD of Monster House, the picture started breaking up part way through the movie, reminding me that my player was in need of an upgrade.  Players can be easily upgraded with a quick download from the internet, ensuring that they are always up to date with the latest discs.  When I switched to my pre-existing DVD in order to finish watching, I immediately noticed that the picture quality paled in comparison.

 

After the launch of Blu-ray, only several years after the advent of the DVD, many worried that it would be Beta vs. VHS all over again.  It feels like only yesterday that we were in the middle of a format war between Blu-rays and HD DVDs.  Although the majority of consumers thankfully placed their bets on Blu, I often wonder what happened to all of those players and red-packaged discs, and I particularly sympathise with those who went with the now-defunct format when upgrading their collections.

 

If you have a large collection of movies, then you’ll know that at a certain point shelf space is going to run out.  Though simple, one of the things I like best about Blu-ray is that the more efficient packages take up less space than the bulkier DVD cases.  I do not plan to replace my entire DVD collection – many of them wouldn’t even benefit from an HD upgrade, but when adding new titles, Blu-rays are easily the preferable choice.

 

What seems illogical is for studios to release three formats for each movie.  Many titles are being released as a 1-disc DVD, 2-disc BD, or 4-disc combo – which also includes a digital copy.  Take the majority of Disney releases for example.  I understand that the studio is offering choice, but the combo gets you both formats, and it’s also a practical way to encourage people to buy a Blu-ray player.

 

These days, manufacturers are obviously also counting on 3D TVs and BD players to catch on.   What I’ve seen is spectacular, but for a lot of people it would mean upgrading their previous models.  With the system’s still costly, and select few movies available on the format, I’ve yet to make that step forward.

 

With standard Blu-ray players always coming down in cost, I highly recommend making the switch.  And your DVD collection need not worry, as the majority of them will look better than ever on your new machine.  With Christmas and the holidays closer than we think, and numerous new releases and pre-existing classics coming to Blu-ray, it’s the perfect time to upgrade.