Is the improvement in going from dvd to blu-ray/hd-dvd as major as was going from video to dvd?

Question

In other words, will I have to re-buy all my dvd collection on blu-ray/hd, as I had to do when moving from video :-(

Answer 1

(I have to disagree with agb.. on this one).

YES - there is a HUGE improvement. Yes, you will want to re-buy.

VHS to DVD:

We got a digital source and 5.1 sound which we did not have with VHS. But the video is still based on the 1940's Television standard of 480 lines.

The "delivery" technology improved, but other than the sound -  it was not a huge advancement.

DVD -> HD/BluRay

Finally - the video comes close to movie theater quality in our homes because we could go beyond the 480 line limit.  This is a HUGE improvement.

Try This:

Tonight try to watch a network show on a HD channel. Pick something like ER, CSI, Greys Anatomy.

After  a few minutes - switch the TV to the standard def channel for the same show.

Decide for yourself how much of a difference you notice.

Next commercial break, switch back.

Is the switch to HD video worth re-buying?

Answer 2

The difference isn't as major, but there is a significant difference.  Depending on how big your TV is (if it's 42" or bigger) and what kind of HDTV you own will also determine the outcome.

No, you will not have to re-buy all of your DVDs.  Depending on what you purchase as your Blu-ray player, most "upconvert" your existing DVDs to look better.

In my opinion, the Playstation 3 is the best Blu-ray player available.  The 40GB can hook into your wireless home network, allowing you to stream your music, surf the internet, and obtain firmware upgrades.  Currently, it is also the only Blu-ray player that allows the PIP feature in the extras, and will be compliant to play web-enabled features once those are released on the Blu-ray disc.

If you are looking to upgrade, I would be wary of jumping in with HD DVD.  They only have 2 major supporting studios (Paramount & Universal) while Blu-ray has Sony, Disney, Warner Brothers, and Fox (along with a myriad of smaller studios like New Line, HBO, Anchor Bay, etc.).  The so-called "format war" between the two technologies is tilted firmly towards Blu-ray at the moment, with Blu-ray outselling HD DVD 2:1 in hardware (not counting the PS3) and 3:1 in disc sales.

Answer 3

For certain reasons..... no.  Blu-ray/hd is pretty much the same as a regular DVD.  not many people would be able to afford the DVDs and the world would be filled with sadness because nobody can watch their movies if all DVD players are moved to Blu-ray/hd.

Answer 4

Yes, the difference if you put DVD and Blu-ray HD DVD is huge, the colours are realistic, bright, and make you jump in to the picture.

The difference between VHS and DVD, was however bigger, as VHS was large, and not as durable, and DVD introduced menus, special features, but the image quality difference wasn't as great as the difference between DVD and Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.

Blu-ray Dis and HD DVD is actually a better looking DVD upgrade, with a bit more interactivity features, but isn't a whole new concept, it's still a disc, has menus etc.

Answer 5

There is nowhere near the improvement of VHS>>DVD. In fact in some ways there is a loss of convenience  that can reduce the advantage.

Under optimum viewing conditions (40" or larger 1080p HDTV viewed at optimum (short) distance and connected via HDMI) Blu-ray or HD DVD will generally give a significantly better image than even upconverted DVD. The degree of difference varies with the quality of the respective disks ... but even a poor HD disk will be better than a good DVD. See the link for a visual example (Mouseover flips between HD and DVD) ... not that spectacular a difference.

However, under less than ideal conditions (e.g. smaller HDTV, traditional viewing distance of 8-10 ft, 720p HDTV, non-HDMI connection) the difference is less noticeable.

Audio can be improved over DVD because of advanced audio formats, but your audio system needs to be up to it.

Unlike VHS>DVD, where there were significant advantages in not only significant video and audio quality, but convenience as well (smaller box to store, more durability, random access, extras, etc), DVD>HD Disks has only relatively minor video and audio improvements. There is only minor change in user convenience (menu structure, extras, etc), but a downside in that disks (unlike DVD) can't be backed up (copied) and can't be played in the ubiquitous DVD players that many consumers have in locations like their bedroom, car, cottage, kitchen (Forcing either restricted viewing or the purchase of a DVD as well).

As to whether you need to rebuy your DVD collection -- that's a personal decision. BUT, HD disk players all play and upconvert DVDs and the resulting image, while not as good as a true HD disk, is still very good (You saw the link comparison images didn't you?). I suggest that if you are watching the movie for the content the difference in video quality won't matter. If you are watching for the video quality you will want at least some of your library in HD. But, as a final note consider that to date only 1% of movies available on DVD are available on HD disks ... so you will have to watch DVDs for a long time to come unless you artificially choose to ONLY watch HD disks.

I hope this puts it all in perspective.

EDIT EDIT

I guess "He ... remote" disagrees with a lot of people, not just me. If you check the HD fora you will find that most contributors agree that VHS>DVD was a much bigger change than DVD>HD Disk.

BTW, "He ...remote"'s comments about TV are not what you asked, so not relevant.

Answer 6

There is a considerable difference, but it's not as significant a difference as going from VHS to DVD (the person above who said his VHS and DVD were almost the same must have a really bad DVD player). I have an upconverting DVD and an HD DVD and both have a noticeably improved picture over a standard DVD player. I just bought my Toshiba A30 1080p HD DVD player and I can't get enough of the crisp, sharp detail that it offers. It only cost $160.00, no tax or shipping through Amazon.com. It will play all your old DVDs and most other formats also, at 1080i. So if your DVD player is getting old, $160.00 is not much of a risk, and will certainly reward you with eye popping clarity if you have a 1080p TV. If you don't have a 1080p TV and aren't planing on getting one for a while you can get a 1080i Toshiba HD player for around $120.00 that would work great with a 720p TV. The size of your TV makes a big difference too. The larger it is the more difference you can see. If your TV is larger than 40 in. I would highly recommend the upgrade.

Answer 7

I notice a big improvement from standard dvd to hd-dvd.

The diference from a upconverted standard dvd to hd-dvd is not that big. If you have a 1080p TV and a 1080p blueray or hd-dvd you will see and hear a huge difference. Go into best buy and watch their displays 99% of them are 1080p tv's with blue ray playing you will see what its all about.

Answer 8

I really didn't notice any quality difference between VHS and DVD. In fact, I still have my VHS collection and I prefer to use VHS over DVD.

Answer 9

NO

Answer 10

It's not as major, but it is a significant improvement. I would suggest only buying movies that you think would benefit from better picture/sound such as action movies, sci-fi, horror.