It's like mp3 all over again? I guess DVD is "good enough" for most people because the equipment they have is not capable enough to show the difference?
I do a lot of streaming and I own some BD movies. There is no comparison on my equipment because I only buy good stuff. If I had a Vizio and (maybe) a soundbar I would not be able to see the difference.
True story: I dated a woman who had a Westinghouse 1080p LCD HDTV. At my insistence she picked up a basic BD player for $50. I brought over my GoT season one BD discs one night to watch at her place. On her equipment it was like watching a DVD at best. The sound was also crap.
At my place I had a plasma and a 7.1 surround system. The viewing experience was night and day.
Well, I do recall reading an article showing that a significant percentage of people with "HDTVs" some years ago were misconfigured and/or watching only SD content without realizing.
Well, I do recall reading an article showing that a significant percentage of people with "HDTVs" some years ago were misconfigured and/or watching only SD content without realizing.
Yes. This is mostly due to people connecting cable with a coax or other cable besides HDMI. The picture shows up on screen, so they don't realize anything is wrong.
Well, I do recall reading an article showing that a significant percentage of people with "HDTVs" some years ago were misconfigured and/or watching only SD content without realizing.
Yes. This is mostly due to people connecting cable with a coax or other cable besides HDMI. The picture shows up on screen, so they don't realize anything is wrong.
Not just that. While this affects only TV watching, as opposed to movies, cable boxes often receive both HD and SD channels, even when there are redundancies. For example, you'll have both ESPN SD and ESPN HD listed and available to you. The SD channel gets the original pre-HD channel number whereas the HD one gets a different one. In my case, ESPN SD is channel 70 whereas ESPN HD is channel 570. While generally the mapping from SD to HD is pretty simple (with FiOS, at least in my area, you just add 500 to the SD channel to get the HD version, with the amusing exception of channel 166), people may just always tune to the channel number they always tuned to before and never even try to tune to the HD version.
DVDs let people access the content more easily than VHS and other technology. It was more convenient to get exactly what you wanted, as you could skip to the chapter markers, select the language options, select the subtitle options. It also let people access MORE content like the commentary tracks and other DVD extras.
How did Blu-Ray improve on this? In no way. The picture quality was never an issue for 99% of people. All it does is add expense and DRM issues.
Streaming improves access to the content in some ways, with picture quality a secondary concern.
If the best movies were only available on Blu-Ray, it would be a success. Just like top movies only being shown on 3D screens in theaters... of course those are successful 3D movies. If people have a cheaper choice, and in the end they'll still get the same content, why would they pay more?
Yeah, it's like they included the bad parts of the theater experience we don't want at home (unskippable commercials and trailers) along with what we did want to bring home (better sound and picture quality.
Also: spoilers in the menu backgrounds and transitions. FUCK THAT!
If you insist on still using DVD/Blu-Ray and are annoyed by things like unskippable bullshit, there is a solution. There is an expensive, but high quality, software called SlySoft AnyDVD HD.
I've used this for years, and it keeps updating. It works amazingly well, as long as you are someone who uses a Windows HTPC for your media playing. It removes all encryption and other bullshit from all DVD and Blu-Ray you stick into your computer. Then every other piece of software that interacts with the drive and sees it as unencrypted, regionless, and restriction-free.
It works really well when you want to rip something with handbrake. Worth everything I paid for it. Maybe you can also pirate this software?
Luke is completely right, convenience in accessing the content won the day for DVD. Rewinding VHS tapes was a total chore. Hell, we even had VHS rental places that would fine you for bringing back un-rewound tapes.
DVD just brought so much to the table. It lowered the barrier to entry for being a film buff or home theater geek, in a big way. Widescreen video. Loads of additional content and commentary tracks. Easy setup of 5.1 audio, hand in hand with a big price drop for cheap, serviceable speaker setups. It made consuming movies this new awesome experience.
I always liked movies as a kid, but I never thought about movies until I became an early adopter of DVD. I forced my parents to put a DVD drive in a computer we were ordering in late 1998. My friends and I would pore over the release schedule and watch things solely because they were on DVD. Tear into that thing and consume every ounce of it. Shit, I remember being fascinated simply by the MENUS. Go check out The Abyss, or the original special edition of Terminator 2. These things were crazy rabbit holes filled with little secret areas and awesome easter eggs.
Blu-ray brought none of that fluff to the table, and streaming put the last nail in the coffin for extravagant DVD productions (they were already on their last leg due to cost cutting competition).
Shit, I remember being fascinated simply by the MENUS. Go check out The Abyss, or the original special edition of Terminator 2. These things were crazy rabbit holes filled with little secret areas and awesome easter eggs.
Oh god, yes! I remember the first time my family got a DVD player for Christmas and we popped in The Matrix. That menu was as mind-blowing as the movie.
While some of those menus were cool when they first appeared I prefer the pop-up menu on a BD disc so I don't have to sit through ten second menu animations all the time.
I also turn off internet access for my BD movies. I find that gets me to the menu quicker on DRM discs with commercials.
"I rented this DVD and it won't play in my DVD player."
"Sir, that's a Blu Ray disc."
"Can't I play it in my DVD player?"
"Not even a chance..."
- When I worked at a rental place in college. The was incredibly common.
Every time we rent a Blu-Ray we are asked "You sure you want the Blu-Ray and not the DVD?" We do, of course, but I understand why they ask everyone every time.
I started double checking with people after the first time it happened but the other staff were not as diligent. Being in a college town you'd also get a lot of people if I double checked with the "You don't think I know the difference?" reaction and I'd say "You'd be surprised."
Comments
I do a lot of streaming and I own some BD movies. There is no comparison on my equipment because I only buy good stuff. If I had a Vizio and (maybe) a soundbar I would not be able to see the difference.
True story: I dated a woman who had a Westinghouse 1080p LCD HDTV. At my insistence she picked up a basic BD player for $50. I brought over my GoT season one BD discs one night to watch at her place. On her equipment it was like watching a DVD at best. The sound was also crap.
At my place I had a plasma and a 7.1 surround system. The viewing experience was night and day.
Content is king.
DVDs let people access the content more easily than VHS and other technology. It was more convenient to get exactly what you wanted, as you could skip to the chapter markers, select the language options, select the subtitle options. It also let people access MORE content like the commentary tracks and other DVD extras.
How did Blu-Ray improve on this? In no way. The picture quality was never an issue for 99% of people. All it does is add expense and DRM issues.
Streaming improves access to the content in some ways, with picture quality a secondary concern.
If the best movies were only available on Blu-Ray, it would be a success. Just like top movies only being shown on 3D screens in theaters... of course those are successful 3D movies. If people have a cheaper choice, and in the end they'll still get the same content, why would they pay more?
I paid for this disc, why must I wait through your commercials before I can access the content?
Also: spoilers in the menu backgrounds and transitions. FUCK THAT!
http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvdhd.html
I've used this for years, and it keeps updating. It works amazingly well, as long as you are someone who uses a Windows HTPC for your media playing. It removes all encryption and other bullshit from all DVD and Blu-Ray you stick into your computer. Then every other piece of software that interacts with the drive and sees it as unencrypted, regionless, and restriction-free.
It works really well when you want to rip something with handbrake. Worth everything I paid for it. Maybe you can also pirate this software?
DVD just brought so much to the table. It lowered the barrier to entry for being a film buff or home theater geek, in a big way. Widescreen video. Loads of additional content and commentary tracks. Easy setup of 5.1 audio, hand in hand with a big price drop for cheap, serviceable speaker setups. It made consuming movies this new awesome experience.
I always liked movies as a kid, but I never thought about movies until I became an early adopter of DVD. I forced my parents to put a DVD drive in a computer we were ordering in late 1998. My friends and I would pore over the release schedule and watch things solely because they were on DVD. Tear into that thing and consume every ounce of it. Shit, I remember being fascinated simply by the MENUS. Go check out The Abyss, or the original special edition of Terminator 2. These things were crazy rabbit holes filled with little secret areas and awesome easter eggs.
Blu-ray brought none of that fluff to the table, and streaming put the last nail in the coffin for extravagant DVD productions (they were already on their last leg due to cost cutting competition).
"Sir, that's a Blu Ray disc."
"Can't I play it in my DVD player?"
"Not even a chance..."
- When I worked at a rental place in college. The was incredibly common.
I also turn off internet access for my BD movies. I find that gets me to the menu quicker on DRM discs with commercials.