blu ray for 40" lcd tv? worth it?

[neastguy]

will I be able to tell a difference .... just not sure if its worth to spend the money on a blue ray... just wondering you experience.... thanks..

[SteveO]

You definitely will see the difference.

[neastguy]

cool thanks... since our dvd player is dying.. I guess I should start the search for a blu ray player... none of them seem to have that great of reviews...unless you get up into the big bucks... and I just don't watch tv that much... but I do want it to be wired to the network for streaming...

[dangeroso]

Yes, big difference. I'm assuming your LCD is 1080p.

[neastguy]

Yes, big difference. I'm assuming your LCD is 1080p.

yes it is

[Doodad]

We went this direction at Christmas in conjunction with a new TV and there is a large difference. Especially in terms of screen utilization. The DVDs were not only noticeably less clear than blu ray, but many times used a smaller portion of the screen.

And I am kicking myself for buying Lord of the Rings in the full screen version, but it looked better at the time on our old system.

[mwc2112]

Huge difference. And with Blu-ray players being so cheap nowadays, the price difference isn't nearly as significant as it used to be. You can get some really nice players now for under $100.

[doublea]

cool thanks... since our dvd player is dying.. I guess I should start the search for a blu ray player... none of them seem to have that great of reviews...unless you get up into the big bucks... and I just don't watch tv that much... but I do want it to be wired to the network for streaming...

Panasonic DMP-BD85K if you don't care about 3D. You can get one for about $160 online now. It also does streaming via wireless in case you ever decide to use it.

Blu-Ray PQ is on par with the higher priced players and DVD upscaling is excellent as well.

You will be able to tell a huge difference in BR vs DVD. With the upscaling, DVDs will look slightly better as well.

[joemilitello]

Definitely. Go for it.

[Darth Tater]

Just remember to hook it up via HDMI, otherwise it won't be any better than your DVD player. And don't pay more than $5 for an HDMI cable.

[zekmoe]

Yes, but if you're looking low price, just get a PS3, as that's the best VALUE in a bluray player. Does more that's worth the slight diff in price and is nice to have netflix, hulu, basic web, streaming from your home computer etc.. at the central location.

[EricPeterson]

DVD is only 480p, even if all you got out of a bluray is 720p you will see a difference on a 40 inch.

[neastguy]

Yes, but if you're looking low price, just get a PS3, as that's the best VALUE in a bluray player. Does more that's worth the slight diff in price and is nice to have netflix, hulu, basic web, streaming from your home computer etc.. at the central location.


so I can stream via ps3 unit to the tv?

[fish22]

Yes, but if you're looking low price, just get a PS3, as that's the best VALUE in a bluray player. Does more that's worth the slight diff in price and is nice to have netflix, hulu, basic web, streaming from your home computer etc.. at the central location.

+1

he beat me to it.

The netflix interface is waaaay better on ps3 than on most bluray players that my friends have.

[neastguy]

hmmm... ps3 is $300 though... gonna have to think about this one.... I really don't have time to play games at all

[Jaan]

Yes

[KLB]

With a 40" screen diagonal, 1080p resolution is useful if you sit about 4.5 to 6.5 feet from the screen.

I found this article very helpful for such a question:

http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter

Here is the key chart from the above article:

http://s3.carltonbale.com/distance_chart.png

[SimonBSinister]

Blue Ray is one of those technologies where you actually can see the improvement right off the bat....Highly suggested....

[paulscape]

Just remember to hook it up via HDMI, otherwise it won't be any better than your DVD player. And don't pay more than $5 for an HDMI cable.
And the HDMI will dramatically improve all your other non blu-ray dvd's. Using HDMI totally tranformed our TV. It adds so much detail, contrast and colour.

[captain_bob]

I notice the difference on a 27" 1080 lcd. You will have no problem on a 40.

[Pietro]

Even on a 720p set at 37" I see the difference. But I wouldn't call it "huge". At 40" 1080p, probably huge.