[motsivad]

Puzzling thing keeps happening to me. I want to get a good Blu-Ray disc for my upcoming HDTV.......but the economics of it all doesn't work out.

I have a 1080p upscaling DVD player, and now I have a Blu Ray (as part of PS3) player. Now as you all know Blu-Ray is the ultimate High Def experience, but then again although inferior, upscaled standard DVDs are hardly shabby. Of course we'd all choose Blu-Ray but looking at Play.com I keep noticing

Spiderman 3 DVD (£5.99)
Spiderman 3 Blu-Ray( £17.99)

Die Hard 4.0 DVD (£5.99)
Die Hard 4.0 Blu-Ray (£23.99)

Casino Royale DVD (£5.99)
Casino Royale Blu-Ray (£17.99)

Shoot 'Em Up DVD (£9.99)
Shoot 'Em Up Blu-Ray (£17.99)

Now ideally we'd all choose the Blu-Ray versions, because they're superior......but with the 'drop like a stone' price of DVDs it seems to make buying HD discs a bit silly. There is no question that Blu-Ray is better....but is it better enough to warrant paying 10-20 quid more for a 'prettier version'?

I can buy Die Hard 4.0 for peanuts, upscale it and have it look good on my TV. Yep it ain't HD, but would the extra ooomph of Blu-Ray justify the crazy £18 difference?

Another way of looking at it is that I can buy Casino Royale 3 times over on standard DVD before it equals the price of the Blu-Ray version.

Blu-Ray is better than standard DVD, but it seems to me the gulf in quality is not enough to justify the chasm of a price hike that exists.

[drashp]

Then there's the improved sound - if you've got kit that'll handle it.

When DVD came out it was a similar story compared with VHS - it's the nature of the beast. Early adopters pay through the nose - but they get the benefits for longer, so it's all down to your own personal priorities.

[JUS]

yep, very good point. I've only bought a handful of discs for that very reason.

I quite casually buy dvd's and dvd boxed sets as they are almost at a watch once and chuck away price :-) I've only watched my BR films once....so not very good value for money as I could have gone to the Cinema with the mrs and bought popcorn, a hot dog and a coke for that.

Bluerays are pricey. I buy most 2nd hand, when they are on offer or when I'm feeling a strong urge to watch some new HD...which isn't that often :-o

[Abbeygoo]

You can also factor in the sell-on price, should you wish to.

The Blu Rays can be sold on here (and bought) within a few pounds of their retail price ..... whereas SDs hardly shift at all anymore.

[Yardstick]

I was wondering this exact thing the other day. I've an old toshiba DVD player, (well its the 1st 1 we purchased - almost posted in the thread about who owns their first dvd player), and have recently purchased a Tsoshiba 37x3030db (great TV by the way in my opinion for the price we paid) and was wondering if I needed an upscaling DVD player to get the full benefits of my SD DVD's. Was told that the tv would upscale to 1080p and there would be no need. I guess the only improvement would be that the signal would be sent via HDMI if I bought an upscaling DVD player, but would I really notice the differance?

So until the HD DVD war is over, and the prices drop I think I'll stick to the DVD player thats been very loyal to us and let the TV upscale to 1080p as best it can.

And I can use the TV remote to work the DVD player is a bonus too

[Lion]

I just this minute ordered hot fuzz from play.com for £5.99 after considering it on hi def for £17.99... £12 more is just silly.
I also just ordered silver surfer for £5.99, the blu ray is £23.99.
I really love the look of hi def movies but those price differences are just too much.

[Peopleselbowpad]

With the HD Drive for my 360 and the losing battle against Blu Ray HD DVD's are expensive when they come out but are now falling sharply. T2 £8.43 on HD @ The Hut and 2 for £15.00 @ dvd.co.uk got Rambo and Total Recall.

Losing the HD war is helping me build my collection plus no rule that says you cant have both. Plus very few films I want so badly I get when they first come out now so I dont buy as many SD as I used to.

[True Romance]

Originally Posted by drashp

Then there's the improved sound - if you've got kit that'll handle it.

yep, this is were dvd fails you can't get TrueHD, DTS MA. These and the improved PQ make it worth the extra £'s, but not £20+ I will never pay that much. £17.99 is my limit.

[blaster9999]

It really depends on the kit you have . for me I am willing to pay a premium for hd version maybe not 10 quid a few yes. upscaling can change the nature of a film I remember watching 300 upscaled and then again later on HD they felt like different films, I really don't buy non HD films anymore upscaling just doesn't look as good. However I won't be replacing existing owed dvds with hd versions accept with good reason (eg new master, only own ntsc not pal version I can live with 576 upscaled to 720, but not 480. I just don't bother upscaling to 1080 pal or ntsc I just don't like the look.

[elicash73]

DVD's price depreciates a lot quicker than Blu-ray for obvious reasons.

Why don't you try comparing the prices of day and date releases on Blu-ray and DVD rather than bulk-buy blockbusters that have been out for 2/3 months.

For example: I have Enchanted on pre-order on Blu-ray for £14.99 at play. The DVD is £13.99 cheaper. Similarly, I think ended up spending £3/4 pound extra on the Ratatouille Blu-ray.

So actually I do find the economics work out; both in terms blu-rays position in the market and also from personal experience. Just not on titles that everyone has already owned for three months.

[Croftanator]

Look out for the best deals and it's far less expensive than you make out. I got Spiderman 1,2 + 3 and 2 other films for £45 when play.com had a 3 for 2 deal on. Works out at £9 each, so hardly breaking the bank Or get them usually slightly cheaper from movietyme.com. Those extra few quid are without exception worth it to me.

[Pincho Paxton]

Yes, I've said this in about 3 other threads. These prices do not work, but DVD's are going up in price, and HD is staying the same. But all that has happened now is that people are buying neither.

[bosque]

When DVD was taking off there was the same differential between VHS and DVD: VHS tapes were 5 for £20 and Fifth Element on DVD was £25, we're not basing take up on the kind of guy who waits until he can get a player for £10 and discs for a few quid, surely !

[pRot3us]

Originally Posted by motsivad

Now as you all know Blu-Ray is the ultimate High Def experience.

A few points

a. If you're going to pay RRP (or very near to) as those prices indicate, you deserve to get ripped off. Shop around, Casino Royale can be had for tenner for a start.

b. HD material looks far better than upscaled SD material. SD material looks awful in comparison.

c. I can't believe there are people who have spent hundreds/thousands of pounds on HD players/displays/amps and are now moaning about paying a few quid more for the discs.

[Ger]

I have about 30 BD's. 25 of these were bought from Amazon.com during their various BOGOF sales and 3 of the other 5 were presents.

The Amazon purchases worked out at just over €10 per film, which is excellent. I got 300 for this price, when the cheapest I could find the DVD was about €9.50 (for the single disk version). Its down to bargain hunting.

I couldn't justify paying full price for a BD either, especially when the DVD can be got so much cheaper (not always the case though).

[AgentCool]

I don't find HD media to be particularly expensive as long as you avoid paying through the nose at the likes of HMV and Zavvi. The most I'll pay for a standard HD disc is £17.99 and I'm finding this is becoming increasingly unnecessary. For instance, I recently bought 'Superbad' on UK Blu-ray for less than £15 on day of release which isn't bad at all considering it's a 2-discer.

Given these formats have been around for less than two years, the prices seem fair given DVDs were quite a bit more of a burden on the wallet at around the same period in its lifetime. As for VHS, my dad told me he paid £25 for Jaws in around 1980. Taking inflation into account, that works out at over £70 in today's money!

[Pincho Paxton]

Originally Posted by pRot3us

b. HD material looks far better than upscaled SD material. SD material looks awful in comparison.

c. I can't believe there are people who have spent hundreds/thousands of pounds on HD players/displays/amps and are now moaning about paying a few quid more for the discs.

b/ But upscaled DVD looks better than DVD, so people already have something new to gaze at.

c/ I bought a big tv. BIG was part of my purchase, not just HD alone. I bought a PS3, it is not just a BLu Ray player. I spend most of the time playing music on it. I bought a surround sound system. 5.1 is something that I have never heard before, so I don't care if it's on Blu Ray.. games.. or DVD.

Blu Ray alone is not worth paying much extra for over DVD. I feel that I am getting £2 worth of extras from a Blu Ray over DVD.

[Sonic67]

You are paying for a premium product.

Why buy Heinz beans when you can get Value beans? Why pay for a HD TV and HD player and an AV amp when you can get a CRT TV and a DVD player for a lot less.

If you think the price is too high don't pay. Buy the DVD or rent instead. I justify it in that having shelled out for the equipment then it's worthwhile paying for the disks. Like buying expensive glassware and then thinking do I now buy cheap wine or the good stuff?

[andythescientis]

For me HDM purchases are for those films i really want to own.. The rest i'll rent/watch in HD on Cable VOD.

Therefore for something i feel i'll watch a good few times i'm happy to pay £17.99.

I'm not sure the studios will be happy with that, but i think this will be the pattern for most people going forward.

[Urien Rheged]

When I buy a HD DVD or Blu-Ray I only buy things that are on special offer. I try not to pay more than £12.00 for a disc. There are regular offers if you look around. The bargain forum is full of great offers, you just have to check the forum regularly.

[Pincho Paxton]

Originally Posted by Sonic67

You are paying for a premium product.

Why buy Heinz beans when you can get Value beans? Why pay for a HD TV and HD player and an AV amp when you can get a CRT TV and a DVD player for a lot less.

If you think the price is too high don't pay. Buy the DVD or rent instead. I justify it in that having shelled out for the equipment then it's worthwhile paying for the disks. Like buying expensive glassware and then thinking do I now buy cheap wine or the good stuff?

It's not wine, it's media, and media is available in 20000 flavours. These flavours do not deteriorate, but the price rapidly does. So a £17.99 movie is £15.99 then £13.99.. and like the stock market, it is patience, and buying at the right time that counts. Like I said, I will be buying movies before 2009. I will buy the same movies as yourselves, but I will save 100's of pounds over what you early buyers are paying.

[bosque]

Originally Posted by Pincho Paxton

I will buy the same movies as yourselves, but I will save 100's of pounds over what you early buyers are paying.

But we will have seen the movies years before you and will be watching the latest releases while you are stuck with the old discs.

[Pincho Paxton]

Originally Posted by bosque

But we will have seen the movies years before you and will be watching the latest releases while you are stuck with the old discs.

I'm not talking about years.. two months prices drop, then two months more they drop again. But also, prices drop overall.. two months, latest movies are £15.99 on release. not gaurenteed, but pretty likely.

[philbam]

Originally Posted by pRot3us

A few points

a. If you're going to pay RRP (or very near to) as those prices indicate, you deserve to get ripped off. Shop around, Casino Royale can be had for tenner for a start.

b. HD material looks far better than upscaled SD material. SD material looks awful in comparison.

c. I can't believe there are people who have spent hundreds/thousands of pounds on HD players/displays/amps and are now moaning about paying a few quid more for the discs.

Totally agree with everything you have said!!

[Smurfin]

It seems to me that many people have jumped on the "early adopter" bandwagon in recent years, compared to "older" generations of technology. It is oft quoted in discussions of this sort, but a few things to bear in remember:

1. My first VHS player cost me £350 (this is when I was on £7000 per year)
2. Videos cost £13 for a new release (again I was earning £7000 per year)
3. My first laserdisc player cost me £475 (I was earning £12,900 per year)
4. Movies cost me £35 a pop, compared to £6-£10 for VHS (I was still earning £12,900!!!!)
5. My first DVD player cost me £450
6. My first DVDs cost me £20-£25! (and I thought they were bargains compared to laserdiscs!)

Fast forward many years, and whilst my earnings have spiralled upwards rather nicely, the cost of this stuff is ALOT more accessible. I bought my 2nd HD-DVD player a few weeks ago, and with the free discs it effectively cost me £120 (and p**** all over most upscalers for SD out there to boot).

Ok, so media costs anywhere between £10-£18 (sorry I dont include zavvi or hmv in this as it's not truly reflective of HD media prices), but honestly, it isn't expensive.

The trouble is that people have got used to paying little and then expect new technology to cost the same. D'uh! Doesn't work like that, and I'm sorry, it just makes me laugh when people moan about how expensive it is. There's all this talk of whether HD will truly breakthrough, but you know what? I really don't care. Laserdisc was a niche product and it was kind of special knowing that none of my mates (or anyone else I knew) had anything as good as it.

That said....I too am like anyone else...I still want it cheaper I struggle sometimes with buying a movie blind for £17, knowing I can get it alot cheaper on SD-DVD. But then i want the best, so I'll sit back and enjoy the best it's ever been, and if the movie is a load of poop I'll just sell it on here and make a £2 loss. That I can live with

[Sonic67]

You could of course still buy DVD which is starting to be left behind. Do you throw money at the new expensive format or at the old format that is being outdated?

[motsivad]

Originally Posted by Sonic67

You could of course still buy DVD which is starting to be left behind. Do you throw money at the new expensive format or at the old format that is being outdated?

You sure about that?

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf...0study_1058657

I have also seen a lot of articles saying the High-Def Disc uptake is slower than expected. BUT this is probably because people were awaiting a 'winner' in the format wars. Now it looks like Blu-Rays prevailed i'm sure things will start to speed up, but DVD is far from being 'left behind' at this minute.

[Smurfin]

Originally Posted by motsivad

but DVD is far from being 'left behind' at this minute.

DVD is obselete as far as video/audio enthusiasts go. VHS was left behind the moment I saw laserdisc, and laserdisc was left behind the moment I saw DVD. It's exactly the same with HD...DVD is left behind and out in the cold, the caveat being that I'm naturally an audio/video enthusiast.

[Pincho Paxton]

Originally Posted by Smurfin

DVD is obselete as far as video/audio enthusiasts go. VHS was left behind the moment I saw laserdisc, and laserdisc was left behind the moment I saw DVD. It's exactly the same with HD...DVD is left behind and out in the cold, the caveat being that I'm naturally an audio/video enthusiast.

LOL.. DVD left behind by Laserdisc.. I can see what you are saying, but it is completely false in respect of where DVD is today compared to laserdisc.

[epicdream]

...and now as an enthusiast, I will have to have two Blu-ray players (US & UK) instead of one thanks to regional coding...

Oh well...