Blue Ray vs Upconverted Standard Def

[3db]

With respect to video only, is there a big difference again in Blue Ray vs upconverted standrad def DVDs? As you know, I just purchased an HDTV 47" Visio and I played a Star Wars dvd thru my Samsung upconverting DVD player and I was floored at how much detail I was missing when watching it on my old 32" non progressve scan DVD. I have to watch my entire DVD collection again just to see what I missed. Anywat..back to the question.. is there a big difference between Blu Ray and standard def DVD thats been upconverted to 1080p?

 

[Adam]

Hey, good morning. Basically, it comes down to the source material, your viewing angle, and your visual acuity. Here's a post from another thread that I think applies here, so I'll be lazy and just quote it.

How large of a TV are you getting, and how far away will you be sitting?

I have a 50" widescreen 1080p TV, and I sit about 10' away. Some DVDs look pretty darn good when upscaled to 1080p...others don't. It depends on the source material. That said, 1080p source material on blu-ray makes a noticeable and positive difference in my case.

If you never see a blu-ray, then I bet you'll be happy with the upscaled DVDs. However, once you see a blu-ray disc, you'll want a player. I got a Panasonic DMP-BD60 for $200, and I think that it does a good job of upscaling DVDs in addition to being a blu-ray player.

 

[davidtwotrees]

Not sure if this helps, but I have a 720p plasma. I sit about 10' away. Blu Rays are noticeably better in my rig. I have had my girlfriend and neighbors look at dvds and blurays and not once have they picked the dvd for better pq. (they didn't know what was on, either)
Plus, for $250 my Samsung bluray streams netflix and pandora radio with amazing pq and sound quality. That little box to my rig up a lot of notches for a small amount of coin.
Then again, I am a movie renter, not a buyer. Sounds like you feel you'd have to upgrade your library which is pricey.
Blu Ray is worth it. HiDef is worth it.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Some movies look better than others regardless of format. Just like with dvd it depends on the transfer process and how well it was done. With a good BD transfer BD's will look much better than a dvd. With a bad BD transfer BD's will look somewhere between slightly worse to slightly better than a dvd.

As mentioned, these difference become more or less magnified by, among other things, distance to your viewing source, your visual accuity, and the picture quality of your viewing source.

I was always amazed by how great the PQ for the Fifth Element was on dvd, until I saw it on BD. Now I think the dvd PQ is just ok. Reread some threads on the Fifth Element BD release to see how much a difference the transfer can make. When first released on BD is looked worse than the dvd, then they fixed it up and re-released it. Now the BD looks much better than the upconverted dvd.

Jack

 

[cwall99]

Yeah, my issue is that I'd need a new display, and, while I'd love one, my current display, a seven year-old Sony 1080i RPTV has no real image issues, and, more importantly, was a gift from my wife on my 40th birthday.

An effort to upgrade my display would require more diplomatic skills than I have, especially in the current economy.

Still, it's the amount of hardware that I'd need to upgrade to take advantage of what BluRay has to off that's driving my decision to keep things where they are... for now.

 

[3db]

Not sure if this helps, but I have a 720p plasma. I sit about 10' away. Blu Rays are noticeably better in my rig. I have had my girlfriend and neighbors look at dvds and blurays and not once have they picked the dvd for better pq. (they didn't know what was on, either)
Plus, for $250 my Samsung bluray streams netflix and pandora radio with amazing pq and sound quality. That little box to my rig up a lot of notches for a small amount of coin.
Then again, I am a movie renter, not a buyer. Sounds like you feel you'd have to upgrade your library which is pricey.
Blu Ray is worth it. HiDef is worth it.

*LMAO* I was just thinking back about my better half's comment, "Your not going to upgrade your library to Blu Ray once we get a Blu-Ray Player???" translated "no dam way are you blowing anymore money on buying the same moives on on another format".

What I'm hearing from all of teh answrs so far that there still is a big improvement in Blu Ray over upconverted standard def DVD. I'll just wait until I can afford a new player but I must say that even the upconverted DVDs look astoundingly clear.

 

[j_garcia]

Even at 720p, the difference is noticeable in terms of clarity. A good upscaling player can get you near Blu-ray quality, but it still isn't as good as even a decent 1080p mastered film. I compared the upscaled SD DVD of Corpse Bride to the BD at 1080i and the difference was easily visible. At 1080p, the difference isn't even funny.

 

[mtrycrafts]

*LMAO* I was just thinking back about my better half's comment, "Your not going to upgrade your library to Blu Ray once we get a Blu-Ray Player???" translated "no dam way are you blowing anymore money on buying the same moives on on another format".

What I'm hearing from all of teh answrs so far that there still is a big improvement in Blu Ray over upconverted standard def DVD. I'll just wait until I can afford a new player but I must say that even the upconverted DVDs look astoundingly clear.

A standard def DVd has only so many pixels and lines of resolution on it. You certainly cannot improve the resolution as there is no hidden resolution in the video. The BD, on the other hand does come with higher resolution to begin with, hence a better video if all else is the same. Of course, screen size and viewing distance comes into play.
Watched a DVD, used subtitles for a friend but the letters were no different from standard, not upconverted. Reading subtitles on BD is crystal clear.
Another thing to remember is how well the BD was mastered.

May want to try to compare someplace, a friends house, if you have one, or in store, a DVD and a BD of the same film and see.
Serenity is just fantastic on the BD. The clothing texture and details are really something.