What's the take on the Blu Ray discs? Are they actually any good?
Actually they aren't all on release are they? I'm anticipating OHMSS because on the Ultimate Edtion they messed up the pts, making it a lot darker and bluer than it should be. Ditto Moonraker's space scenes, it seemed a bit too murky - more realistic perhaps but this is Moonraker!
What's the take on the Blu Ray discs? Are they actually any good?
My brother and I picked up the first batch of Bond BluRays and we found them all to have a visibly better picture than their Ultimate Edition counterparts. The detail in all the movies (even stuff from the older ones like the hall where the chess match from FRWL is played) really comes out and the colors are far more vibrant.
Actually they aren't all on release are they? I'm anticipating OHMSS because on the Ultimate Edtion they messed up the pts, making it a lot darker and bluer than it should be. Ditto Moonraker's space scenes, it seemed a bit too murky - more realistic perhaps but this is Moonraker!
The did some color correction on FYEO; specifically the scenes where Bond and Colombo attack Kristatos' opium plant and Bond kills Loque. In the old DVD masters the scene inexplicably went from dead of night to broad daylight; for the BluRay, everything remains dusky. So I'm hopeful that the OHMSS pts will also be similarly corrected.
The next batch of BluRay Bonds will be released in March 2009 BTW, probably to coincide with the home video release for QoS.
Here's an article from highdefdigest.com on the anticipated next wave of Bond on BluRay. The titles expected to be released are Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me, License to Kill, Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough.
The appeal of Blu Ray players is that they're backwards compatible, ie they can play all your old DVDs too, right? I'm thinking of getting one in the sales - but are some better at playing your old DVDs than others? Not that I have a huge library, but if I'm renting obscure flicks off lovefilm.com, it would be good to know...
Do you just wack in the old DVD and it recognises it and starts playing? Or is it a kerfuffle?
Some BluRay players are also better than others at putting out a nice picture with standard DVDs. In my experience, Sony BluRay players (either the PS3 or dedicated models like the BDP-S350) do a very nice job of upscaling the image to your TV's resolution.
Picture quality is largely subjective and both technologies have their pros and cons.
LCDs can't be beat if you play a lot of videogames or watch a lot of TV with static logos like I do. They are completely free of the risk of image retention and burn-in, where the afterimage of a logo or other stationary object that stays on the screen for extended periods and gets burned into the screen permanently.
If you're going to be primarily watching movies, plasmas are generally better than most LCDs in terms of viewing angles (LCD images still can fade in color if you're off to the side too much) and tracking fast-moving images on screen. The glass panels on plasmas also give the image a sheen that some people prefer.
Panasonic makes some very good plasmas. I own a 42" Panny plasma that is over 4 years old and still going strong. They have vibrant colors, good image controls, lots of inputs, are very resistant to burn-in and image retention, and the newer models incorporate 480hz refresh rates for superior image tracking.
If you're looking at LCDs, I'd stick with Sony, especially their Bravia XBR line which now incorporates the 120hz or 240hz refresh rates and also yield smooth image processing. They're a little pricier than other brands but I think they're worth the extra cost. They also have a ton of image tweaking options. I have an older Bravia XBR2 LCD (bought it right before the 120hz models were announced) and even though its only 60hz, it still puts out a very nice picture (though the slower refresh rate means that I sometimes to get a little motion blur with very fast images).
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,923Chief of Staff
Thinking of getting a Panasonic Plasma telly; I guess the larger the screen the more you need BluRay. I understand Plasmas are better than LCDs.
Better ?
Depends what you are after. Plasmas are much better for watching films on, as they can almost get a perfect 'black'...LCD's can only get a very dark grey at best.
I bought a Panasonic 50' PZ80 not too long ago, great TV and a great picture - the PZ81 is very good too.
Just remember that a plasma needs 200 hrs of 'wearing-in' time before you get the best results from it.
EditI see you beat me to it TonyDP ! All good stuff.
EditI see you beat me to it TonyDP ! All good stuff.
) No problem Sir Miles. If the girls can have their watercooler, then I guess us boys with toys need to look out for one another as well.
You're absolutely right about plasmas having deeper blacks. I find they also have very rich colors, although LCDs have closed the gap recently. There are also tricks you can do, like putting one or two small lights behind the LCD TV. The ambient glow they produce can trick the eye into thinking that the blacks are blacker.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,923Chief of Staff
EditI see you beat me to it TonyDP ! All good stuff.
) No problem Sir Miles. If the girls can have their watercooler, then I guess us boys with toys need to look out for one another as well.
You're absolutely right about plasmas having deeper blacks. I find they also have very rich colors, although LCDs have closed the gap recently. There are also tricks you can do, like putting one or two small lights behind the LCD TV. The ambient glow they produce can trick the eye into thinking that the blacks are blacker.
That's a really good tip - I hadn't heard that one before, thanks.
The TV's also need to be 'set up' properly...you can't leave the TV on the 'factory settings'...they are normally too bright and garish.
I have had a blu-ray player for a while now...but I'm on the lookout for another...I think the current 'standard' firmware is 1:1...do you know when the 2:0 players are due...or are they already out ?
Nap - my local ASDA has the Sony BDP-S350 player in for £175. That's a good price.
The TV's also need to be 'set up' properly...you can't leave the TV on the 'factory settings'...they are normally too bright and garish.
Absolutely right Sir Miles, especially with the newer models where you can literally control the amount of R/G/B in the image. I've found AVSForum.com to be a good source for calibration settings for just about any TV set out there. Any settings used will need to be tweaked to your room's characteristics and your personal preferences but they're a good starting point.
I have had a blu-ray player for a while now...but I'm on the lookout for another...I think the current 'standard' firmware is 1:1...do you know when the 2:0 players are due...or are they already out ?
I haven't done anything with BD Live but I'm pretty sure 2.0 is already available for the PS3 and some Sony and Panasonic models. I have a PS3 and a Sony BDP-S350 dedicated player and I'm pretty sure both support v2.0. The S350 has an ethernet port for going online to update the firmware and USB slot on the back which can hold a thumb drive up of to 4GB for v2.0 and BD Live functionality. I'm pretty sure Panasonic has an equivalent model. Personally though I've found the PS3 to be the best BluRay player; it loads discs faster than any other player I've seen (probably because of the Cell Processor) and the built-in hard drive and wireless support make updating firmware pretty much transparent.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,923Chief of Staff
I use AVForums.com to help with what I need...HGVTest is pretty good too...
...my blu-ray has been upgraded to v1:1...but it can still take an age to load the newer discs...and you're not the first person to mention that the PS3 seems to be the best out there at present...I also have HD-DVD....and, for my money...the picture is better with that format !
Nap - my local ASDA has the Sony BDP-S350 player in for £175. That's a good price.
Cheers Sir Miles. Is this a 2.0 you are talking about though? That part goes over my head a bit. Would you get that one now?
Also, when installing plasmas is that a hassle? Can you move one from one room to another (not on a regular basis but rather if you prefer to change it up on the wall - does that require getting someone in again to install it?)
Nap - my local ASDA has the Sony BDP-S350 player in for £175. That's a good price.
Cheers Sir Miles. Is this a 2.0 you are talking about though? That part goes over my head a bit. Would you get that one now?
The BDP-S350 is 2.0 compliant. That refers to a firmware revision which has a number of features that, quite frankly, are pretty useless so far and that most people will never use.
The nice thing this about this model is that if you should every need a firmware update, you can get it either by connecting it to the internet and downloading a file right into the player or simply calling Sony (the appropriate phone number is in the instruction manual) and having them send you a DVD with the update on it.
The BDP-S350 puts out a very nice picture and is also an excellent upconverter. The only downside is that it can take up to a minute for some movies to load and start playing (a problem currently shared by most dedicated BluRay players).
Also, when installing plasmas is that a hassle? Can you move one from one room to another (not on a regular basis but rather if you prefer to change it up on the wall - does that require getting someone in again to install it?)
Once you've set it up to your liking you shouldn't need to tweak it again for a while. After a few hundred hours of use, the phosphors in the TV will have aged and you may need to fine tune it a bit, but other than that its a very low maintenance type of TV. We've moved our plasma thru several rooms and have never had to change any of the settings.
You'll probably just need a friend to help you move it around since a 50" plasma can weigh in the vicinity of 100lbs and the size and shape makes it pretty awkward for one person to carry.
BTW does that model take the same minute's worth to load a DVD?
Regular DVDs load up very very quickly.
As for BluRays, it depends on the movie; I think it has something to do with the complexity of the menus and other special features coded onto the BluRay discs. Depending on how they were coded and their complexity, it can take anywhere from 20 seconds to about a minute to get the disc up and running. Also, making sure the player has the latest firmware often (but not always) helps speed up the load times.
So you can play regular dvds on a blu Ray? That's all I needed to know! {[]
Not sure what you mean Alex, but I'm buying this for my folks and my Dad being a bit irascible and unfamiliar with CD let alone DVD, I can see him grumbling if it takes a minute to set up a DVD! You know, they want an instant result.
So you can play regular dvds on a blu Ray? That's all I needed to know! {[]
Not sure what you mean Alex, but I'm buying this for my folks and my Dad being a bit irascible and unfamiliar with CD let alone DVD, I can see him grumbling if it takes a minute to set up a DVD! You know, they want an instant result.
After the regular power surge 'round these parts, my mom will call to have her vcr programmed.
But I have tons of regular DVDs and video cassettes. If I'm going to spend 2 hundred dollars for a bluray, playing them will be essential. The bonus being I can pick up the random BR here and there. (like Lady Chatterley, you know)
Shuffles up to ask another dumb question... can we record onto DVDs using this? Otherwise methinks the video recorder may still be necessary...
All of the models I know of are for playback only. I think there are some some recordable BluRay drives available for personal computers, but to the best of my knowledge, there are currently no set-top, console-style BluRay recorders available on the market.
Comments
Actually they aren't all on release are they? I'm anticipating OHMSS because on the Ultimate Edtion they messed up the pts, making it a lot darker and bluer than it should be. Ditto Moonraker's space scenes, it seemed a bit too murky - more realistic perhaps but this is Moonraker!
Roger Moore 1927-2017
My brother and I picked up the first batch of Bond BluRays and we found them all to have a visibly better picture than their Ultimate Edition counterparts. The detail in all the movies (even stuff from the older ones like the hall where the chess match from FRWL is played) really comes out and the colors are far more vibrant.
The did some color correction on FYEO; specifically the scenes where Bond and Colombo attack Kristatos' opium plant and Bond kills Loque. In the old DVD masters the scene inexplicably went from dead of night to broad daylight; for the BluRay, everything remains dusky. So I'm hopeful that the OHMSS pts will also be similarly corrected.
The next batch of BluRay Bonds will be released in March 2009 BTW, probably to coincide with the home video release for QoS.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Bond on BluRay - The Next Wave
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Do you just wack in the old DVD and it recognises it and starts playing? Or is it a kerfuffle?
Roger Moore 1927-2017
"Better make that two."
Thinking of getting a Panasonic Plasma telly; I guess the larger the screen the more you need BluRay. I understand Plasmas are better than LCDs.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Picture quality is largely subjective and both technologies have their pros and cons.
LCDs can't be beat if you play a lot of videogames or watch a lot of TV with static logos like I do. They are completely free of the risk of image retention and burn-in, where the afterimage of a logo or other stationary object that stays on the screen for extended periods and gets burned into the screen permanently.
If you're going to be primarily watching movies, plasmas are generally better than most LCDs in terms of viewing angles (LCD images still can fade in color if you're off to the side too much) and tracking fast-moving images on screen. The glass panels on plasmas also give the image a sheen that some people prefer.
Panasonic makes some very good plasmas. I own a 42" Panny plasma that is over 4 years old and still going strong. They have vibrant colors, good image controls, lots of inputs, are very resistant to burn-in and image retention, and the newer models incorporate 480hz refresh rates for superior image tracking.
If you're looking at LCDs, I'd stick with Sony, especially their Bravia XBR line which now incorporates the 120hz or 240hz refresh rates and also yield smooth image processing. They're a little pricier than other brands but I think they're worth the extra cost. They also have a ton of image tweaking options. I have an older Bravia XBR2 LCD (bought it right before the 120hz models were announced) and even though its only 60hz, it still puts out a very nice picture (though the slower refresh rate means that I sometimes to get a little motion blur with very fast images).
Better ?
Depends what you are after. Plasmas are much better for watching films on, as they can almost get a perfect 'black'...LCD's can only get a very dark grey at best.
I bought a Panasonic 50' PZ80 not too long ago, great TV and a great picture - the PZ81 is very good too.
Just remember that a plasma needs 200 hrs of 'wearing-in' time before you get the best results from it.
EditI see you beat me to it TonyDP ! All good stuff.
You're absolutely right about plasmas having deeper blacks. I find they also have very rich colors, although LCDs have closed the gap recently. There are also tricks you can do, like putting one or two small lights behind the LCD TV. The ambient glow they produce can trick the eye into thinking that the blacks are blacker.
That's a really good tip - I hadn't heard that one before, thanks.
The TV's also need to be 'set up' properly...you can't leave the TV on the 'factory settings'...they are normally too bright and garish.
I have had a blu-ray player for a while now...but I'm on the lookout for another...I think the current 'standard' firmware is 1:1...do you know when the 2:0 players are due...or are they already out ?
Nap - my local ASDA has the Sony BDP-S350 player in for £175. That's a good price.
Absolutely right Sir Miles, especially with the newer models where you can literally control the amount of R/G/B in the image. I've found AVSForum.com to be a good source for calibration settings for just about any TV set out there. Any settings used will need to be tweaked to your room's characteristics and your personal preferences but they're a good starting point.
I haven't done anything with BD Live but I'm pretty sure 2.0 is already available for the PS3 and some Sony and Panasonic models. I have a PS3 and a Sony BDP-S350 dedicated player and I'm pretty sure both support v2.0. The S350 has an ethernet port for going online to update the firmware and USB slot on the back which can hold a thumb drive up of to 4GB for v2.0 and BD Live functionality. I'm pretty sure Panasonic has an equivalent model. Personally though I've found the PS3 to be the best BluRay player; it loads discs faster than any other player I've seen (probably because of the Cell Processor) and the built-in hard drive and wireless support make updating firmware pretty much transparent.
...my blu-ray has been upgraded to v1:1...but it can still take an age to load the newer discs...and you're not the first person to mention that the PS3 seems to be the best out there at present...I also have HD-DVD....and, for my money...the picture is better with that format !
Again...thanks for the tips TonyDP -{
Cheers Sir Miles. Is this a 2.0 you are talking about though? That part goes over my head a bit. Would you get that one now?
Also, when installing plasmas is that a hassle? Can you move one from one room to another (not on a regular basis but rather if you prefer to change it up on the wall - does that require getting someone in again to install it?)
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The BDP-S350 is 2.0 compliant. That refers to a firmware revision which has a number of features that, quite frankly, are pretty useless so far and that most people will never use.
The nice thing this about this model is that if you should every need a firmware update, you can get it either by connecting it to the internet and downloading a file right into the player or simply calling Sony (the appropriate phone number is in the instruction manual) and having them send you a DVD with the update on it.
The BDP-S350 puts out a very nice picture and is also an excellent upconverter. The only downside is that it can take up to a minute for some movies to load and start playing (a problem currently shared by most dedicated BluRay players).
Once you've set it up to your liking you shouldn't need to tweak it again for a while. After a few hundred hours of use, the phosphors in the TV will have aged and you may need to fine tune it a bit, but other than that its a very low maintenance type of TV. We've moved our plasma thru several rooms and have never had to change any of the settings.
You'll probably just need a friend to help you move it around since a 50" plasma can weigh in the vicinity of 100lbs and the size and shape makes it pretty awkward for one person to carry.
BTW does that model take the same minute's worth to load a DVD?
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Regular DVDs load up very very quickly.
As for BluRays, it depends on the movie; I think it has something to do with the complexity of the menus and other special features coded onto the BluRay discs. Depending on how they were coded and their complexity, it can take anywhere from 20 seconds to about a minute to get the disc up and running. Also, making sure the player has the latest firmware often (but not always) helps speed up the load times.
Not sure what you mean Alex, but I'm buying this for my folks and my Dad being a bit irascible and unfamiliar with CD let alone DVD, I can see him grumbling if it takes a minute to set up a DVD! You know, they want an instant result.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
But I have tons of regular DVDs and video cassettes. If I'm going to spend 2 hundred dollars for a bluray, playing them will be essential. The bonus being I can pick up the random BR here and there. (like Lady Chatterley, you know)
Roger Moore 1927-2017
That's a shame...was in my local ASDA today and they must have had ten or so on the shelves.
In return, here's an amusing thread on aintitcool:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/39615
Roger Moore 1927-2017
All of the models I know of are for playback only. I think there are some some recordable BluRay drives available for personal computers, but to the best of my knowledge, there are currently no set-top, console-style BluRay recorders available on the market.