blu-ray?

[EDM95]

Do you really need 1080p to watch bluray movies?

 

[dkane360]

If you're not watching blu-rays in 1080p, you're not getting the most out of the format. It'll still be better to watch blu-rays in 720p than dvds in 720p though. At standard definition, stick with dvds unless you're taking advantage of the lossless audio.

 

[goodman]

You don't need it. You'll get a fine picture with 720p, but particularly on a large screen you can tell the difference.

 

[j_garcia]

You don't need it. You'll get a fine picture with 720p, but particularly on a large screen you can tell the difference.

That's the key. On a smaller screen it doesn't matter as much, but the larger you go, the more noticeable it will be. Even at about a 46"display, I think it is worth it though

 

[Pyrrho]

Do you really need 1080p to watch bluray movies?

No. I watch BD (Blu-ray) on a 768p 42" TV, and sit about 8' from it. BD is very noticeably superior to DVD, even though I have one of the best upconverting DVD players ever made.

As a matter of fact, with the size TV that I have, and the distance I sit from it, having a 1080p TV would not help at all, unless one had better than 20/20 vision. See:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/features/2006/02/maxing-out-resolution

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

http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/Tv-viewing-distance.html

An online calculator:

http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/viewing_distance.php


Unless your vision is better than 20/20, you will not see the difference between 720p and 1080p with a 42" screen unless you are closer than about 8.19 feet. But at that distance, you will see a difference between 720p and 480 (DVD resolution).

Now, if you have a standard definition TV (480), then BD will not be better resolution than you could get off of a DVD. But even then, if you plan on buying an HDTV in the future, you might want to stop buying DVDs and switch over to BD, because it will make a very significant difference with an HDTV, if one sits close enough to it to justify getting an HDTV at all.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Do you really need 1080p to watch bluray movies?

Obviously, you've gotten the idea that 'no' you don't need a 1080p TV to watch Blu-ray. Almost all Blu-ray players support output of standard TV resolutions including 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i. Almost all players have component video, HDMI, and composite video outputs so you can connect to a wide variety of displays.

If you don't know, Blu-ray players are also compatible with DVDs and CDs so your existing DVD and CD library can be played back though just one player.

It's nice to have a single player which has so much versatility around it.

Now, sure, to get the MOST out of Blu-ray you will want to be viewing it on a quality 1080p display from the appropriate distance, and you should have a good surround setup so you can hear the HD audio.

But, it certainly isn't required to buy into the format, and while Blu-ray isn't outselling DVD yet, it likely will be in the next few years, so now is as good of a time to buy a player as any. Of course, you don't have to buy movies, but you can rent them at Redbox, Blockbuster, and Netflix without any problem.

Really nifty: Many Blu-ray players are Internet connected with extra features like Netflix streaming built in. So, if you are a Netflix subscriber, you can also stream movies right to your TV using your Blu-ray player. Thumbs up on that!