Is Blu-Ray worth it if I dont have a 1080p tv?

Question

I have a 40 inch LCD tv which is capable of going up to 720p (or 1080i, I'm not sure which one). It's also an HDTV. I'm looking into possibly buying a ps3 mainly because it plays blu-ray discs, but is it worth the 400 bucks if my tv isn't 1080p? In other words, will it look really nice on my tv or will the picture just look like as if it was playing a normal DVD. In that case I would just buy an xbox 360.

So i'm really asking 2 things:(1) is buying a blu ray player (ps3) worth it if my HDTV isn't 1080p and (2) if it is or is not worth the blu ray, should i still get a ps3 or stick with an xbox 360?

Answer 1

You can absolutely tell the difference from standard dvd's and blu-ray at that size.  A 40" screen with a standard definition signal will display a rather pixelated image.  That screen requires much more data to fill those pixels than a dvd can provide.  A blu-ray will output in 720p or 1080i or 1080p, what ever you have it set to.  We're essentially talking about the difference between high definition video and standard definition.  Furthermore, 1080p is completely wasted at this size as it is mathematically impossible to tell the difference at any reasonable viewing distance, so unless you sit a foot and a half from your screen it is unnecessary.

I would say get the ps3, because it has some great titles that you won't find on the xbox 360, such as Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Metal Gear Solid 4, and it has that added blu-ray functionality.  Mind you, the 360 is still a great system with a lot of great titles.

Answer 2

Yeah its still worth it.  Compare the games with PS3 with XBOX and look at the picture quality of both and then decide.

Answer 3

Not really since the high picture quality does not show without at least 1080p. I would recommend not buying it until you a better quality tv.

Answer 4

I have both PS3 and 360 (Elite) and they are both plugged into the same TV which is a Samsung 1080i HDTV with HDMI cables, personally I don't see much of a difference between the two for games and movies (most PS3 games don't even have 1080p capability) obviously the PS3 is a little clearer but I'm gonna be honest its barely noticeable. My cousin on the other hand has a 1080p TV and you can see a slight difference in clarity. You do see an improvement from regular DVD to Blue-Ray but if you buy one of the two get which ever console you think is better for gaming. PS3 doesn't even come with the HDMI cable so unless you buy that seperatly it can only reach 720p. If you want a good picture just turn the contrast and brightness up and it will look ok.