Tell Me About Blu-Ray?
In 2006, a new type of DVD was introduced called the Blu-ray. With their high storage capacity, Blu-ray discs can hold and play back large quantities of high-definition video and audio, as well as photos, data and other digital content.
A current, single-sided, standard DVD can hold 4.7 GB of information. That’s about the size of an average two-hour, standard-definition movie with a few extra features. But a high-definition movie, which has a much clearer image , takes up about five times more bandwidth and therefore requires a disc with about five times more storage. As TVs and movie studios make the move to high definition, consumers are going to need playback systems with a lot more storage capacity. You can purchase a Blu-Ray Player or you can even find a Home Theater System that has the technology here at Number1Direct by Goedeker’s.
Pros of Blu-Ray
- Image quality: Superior resolution, you’ll see a more detailed image: more clearly defined strands of hair, wrinkles in clothing, etc. The technical difference is that Blu-ray’s maximum resolution is 1,920×1,080 (1080p), while DVD is limited to 720×480 (480p). Beyond resolution, Blu-ray also uses better video-compression methods, resulting in more contrast and richer colors. If you like the way HD from your cable or satellite provider looks, Blu-ray looks even better. It’s the highest-quality video format available today, and in some ways it surpasses the picture quality of your local movie theater, especially when shown on a high-performance HDTV or projector.
- Audio quality: Audio quality is also improved. New high-resolution soundtrack formats, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, are essentially identical to the studio master, so you’ll be hearing things exactly as the director and audio engineers intended.
- Special features: Blu-ray also has additional special features over DVD. The most basic innovation is the pop-up menu, which allows you to access the menu functions while the movie continues playing. Other innovations include picture-in-picture video commentary and the ability to download new content right from your Blu-ray player, although your player needs to have the right Blu-ray profile to access these features. In our opinion, the special features on Blu-ray have mostly been underwhelming and aren’t a good reason to upgrade. For more information on special features, check out our detailed buying guide on Blu-ray Players.
Cons of Blu-ray
- Cost: Blu-ray’s main drawback is cost. Prices for players are still generally over $200 and movies cost about $25. While the one-time cost of a player isn’t that bad, the cost of building up a new Blu-ray library really adds up. At least it’s possible to pick and choose which movies you “buy Blu,” since every Blu-ray player can also play standard DVDs.
- Load times: When Blu-ray first came out, load times were unbearable; it could take more than 3 minutes to load a movie. Since then, players have gotten much faster, but they still don’t compare with the speed of loading a DVD. While simple Blu-ray movies can load in about 20 seconds on a good Blu-ray player, movies with complex menus still take close to a minute and a half to get to the actual movie, regardless of the player.
- Portability: Lastly, if you start buying Blu-ray movies, you may get frustrated that your new movies won’t work in places where you only have a standard DVD player. For example, if your bedroom only has a DVD player, you won’t be able to watch the second half of your new Blu-ray Disc from the comfort of your bed. Or if you have a car with a built-in DVD player, your new Blu-ray Discs won’t work there, either.
