Pimping out the New LED

[Kraven]

Yesterday I went to Best Buy looking to by some accessories for the new Bravia (LED 3D 240hz). As I had my paws on a Sony 3D Blu Ray player...then I started to wonder if its really worth buying a disc player nowadays due to VOD and capability to store purchased movies on various cloud servers (or USB key).

This came to mind as we're regular VUDU customers.

Any Thoughts, feedbacks or experience?

Cheers, K

 

[Ilya]

It depends on your viewing preferences. Do you want the best possible picture and sound quality? Then Blu-ray is still your best choice.
Do you prefer the convenience of streaming, are you willing to sacrifice some quality? Are the movies you are interested in even available via streaming at all?
I think it's best to have both options.


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[jayn_j]

I tend to agree with Ilya.

There are a fair number of comparisons out there comparing the various streaming sources against the BluRay. All are soft in comparison. In addition, a lot of the streaming content really lacks in the audio quality. Lower bitrates, lack of even 5.1 support, no advanced codecs.

A lot depends on the TV as well. I will definitely put on a BluRay in the theater with the front projector and the 120" screen. If I am watchong on the bedroom 32" 720P set, a download is just fine and I may choose it rather than run down to the basement to get the disc.

I have a fear that downloads are going the way of convenience over quality that happened to the music industry. While a downloaded song may sound fine on an ipod, it really lacks when you try to attach it to home audio setup. The result has been that the home audio industry is all but dead. Nobody sets up a listening room anymore (except us fossils with our bad hearing) and the quality has dropped back to a level not acceptable since the early '60s.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Ive tried em all, seriously.

Vudu HDX
Amazon VOD
Blockbuster VOD
Netflix
Dish and Directv 1080p VOD
Apple TV and Itunes 1080p

NONE of them compare to Blu-ray, and as you increase screen size and decrease view distance, they look worse. Do yourself a favor with a new shiny tv, get a nice Sony or Panasonic blu-ray player and go to Redbox. I mean Vudu HDC is like $6, Itunes (which looks quite good isnt cheap), but you can get the Bluray at Redbox for $1.61 (here anyways). Then there is DD 5.1 and plus vs lossless...

Id like to see Kiosks go to a system of not having discs, but a full encode of the blu-ray. You'd walk up with an SD card or USB stick, plug it in, rent and download your movie as a file. Go home, plug the stick into the player, and enjoy. There would be no disc availability problems, carbon footprint would be better. I do not see why we arent there yet.

 

[dfergie]

Besides the PQ mentioned above there is also the AQ - with Blu-ray you get either DtsHDMA or Dolby TrueHD audio ...

 

[navychop]

I'd go with a modest BD player now. Then when they start shopping UHD & 3D capable players, go for a nicer one. Maybe even an OPPO, which would also play SACD and DVD- Audio discs.


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[mike123abc]

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/03/the-ars-itunes-1080p-vs-blu-ray-shootout/

I find iTunes good enough for average movies. I have gotten down to buying very few BDs, in fact if they include an iTunes copy I am more likely to buy them. Loss less audio is a big plus for BD.

 

[gadgtfreek]

My 2nd gen ATV 2 looks quite good with 1080p VOD movies, and I like that Apple uses RAM to buffer some of the movie, so there is no variable rate picture quality. It's all as good as it can be regardless of your speed. I do see some softness and banding at times though, and just would rather watch a Blu.

 

[Kraven]

Thanks folks... as usual the feedback was well appreciated.

Sound wise...the man cave isnt that big... so am on the fence about it. Been looking at sound bars, in-ceilling speakers or just rehook what I ahve (sony 5.1amp, bose speaker set).

Sound bars I like because of the clean look. ceiling speakers are a bit pricey... not crazy about the size of the bose gear.

Cheers, K

 

[gadgtfreek]

SOundbars can be nice, but the good ones are pricey.

 

[jayn_j]

and there is nothing really wrong with Bose. Just overpriced if you are buying, but if you've got it, why not use it?

I find 5.1 is a big plus, even in a small space.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Agree.