43 replies to this topic

[glad2Bme]

We bought a sony blu-ray player over Christmas, and a 40inch Samsung LCD for our game room. We didn't have anything but toys in there, so I figured if we got a TV, we could put our Wii in there and have a place to send the kids when friends are over.

We get a lot more use out of that room now, for sure, but was disappointed in the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince blu-ray. I didn't think the overall experience was that great considering all the hype.

I had gotten a 40in samsung at costco for $650 before Thanksgiving, which I thought was great. Then, a month later, I saw a 46in Toshiba LCD for $750.....ok, 6inches more for $100 was nice, but what I was more interested in was the fact that the Samsung was 60Hz and the Toshiba was 120Hz.....that's great!!!! Blu-ray should look hot on this!

So, we put in the Blu-ray disk, and see major ghosting with the 60Hz LCD, which was to be expected. On the Toshiba, the 120Hz took care of the ghosting issue, but I still feel that our DVD player & our 15+ year old 36in Mitsubishi gives a better overall experience. Some portions of the scenes were super clear, but others were not.....some text was really sharp, but not others......maybe it's how it's filmed??? Is it just me, or is blue-ray not a huge leap from DVD as was DVD from VHS??????

Maybe for HD programming, the difference would be drastically noticeable???? I wasn't planning on adding to our DISH service, I just was going to use this LCD for movies & video games.....and the picture looks better on our non-hdtv as far as the wii goes (maybe because the old tv is a bit smaller???) I know the wii only transmits in 480, and I did get the HDMI cables for it which was supposed to improve the picture; still see some jaggies, especially on Beatles Rock Band.........but anyway.....

Haven't decided which LCD to return....keep the 120Hz set, and spend $100 more for it plus 6 inches of viewing, or keep the 60Hz set, and save $100 bucks......any opinions on Samsung vs. Toshiba????? Between these two sets, visually, I didn't see any difference. When it was blurry on the Toshiba, it was also on the Samsung........decisions, decisions!

[chris v]

Are you using HDMI cables? And if you are, are you using the correct ones? Blu-Ray not only has amazing sound the picture quality should be way better than dvd. Are your tv's 720 or 1080?

[glad2Bme]

Are you using HDMI cables? And if you are, are you using the correct ones? Blu-Ray not only has amazing sound the picture quality should be way better than dvd. Are your tv's 720 or 1080?

I am using HDMI cables and both LCDs are full HD. The screen even shows that the picture is putting out 1080p.

[chris v]

I'll have to think for a little bit about this. I too came from a larger Mitsubishi Tube TV (40") and there is without a doubt huge difference in our new setup vs old.

[Chad Vander Veen]

We bought a sony blu-ray player over Christmas, and a 40inch Samsung LCD for our game room. We didn't have anything but toys in there, so I figured if we got a TV, we could put our Wii in there and have a place to send the kids when friends are over.

We get a lot more use out of that room now, for sure, but was disappointed in the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince blu-ray. I didn't think the overall experience was that great considering all the hype.

I had gotten a 40in samsung at costco for $650 before Thanksgiving, which I thought was great. Then, a month later, I saw a 46in Toshiba LCD for $750.....ok, 6inches more for $100 was nice, but what I was more interested in was the fact that the Samsung was 60Hz and the Toshiba was 120Hz.....that's great!!!! Blu-ray should look hot on this!

So, we put in the Blu-ray disk, and see major ghosting with the 60Hz LCD, which was to be expected. On the Toshiba, the 120Hz took care of the ghosting issue, but I still feel that our DVD player & our 15+ year old 36in Mitsubishi gives a better overall experience. Some portions of the scenes were super clear, but others were not.....some text was really sharp, but not others......maybe it's how it's filmed??? Is it just me, or is blue-ray not a huge leap from DVD as was DVD from VHS??????

Maybe for HD programming, the difference would be drastically noticeable???? I wasn't planning on adding to our DISH service, I just was going to use this LCD for movies & video games.....and the picture looks better on our non-hdtv as far as the wii goes (maybe because the old tv is a bit smaller???) I know the wii only transmits in 480, and I did get the HDMI cables for it which was supposed to improve the picture; still see some jaggies, especially on Beatles Rock Band.........but anyway.....

Haven't decided which LCD to return....keep the 120Hz set, and spend $100 more for it plus 6 inches of viewing, or keep the 60Hz set, and save $100 bucks......any opinions on Samsung vs. Toshiba????? Between these two sets, visually, I didn't see any difference. When it was blurry on the Toshiba, it was also on the Samsung........decisions, decisions!

Do you think HDTV is superior to Standard Def? If so, I can't see how you wouldn't find Blu-ray superior to DVD since in both cases it's 1080p (i in TV's case) vs. 480p.

[glad2Bme]

Do you think HDTV is superior to Standard Def? If so, I can't see how you wouldn't find Blu-ray superior to DVD since in both cases it's 1080p (i in TV's case) vs. 480p.

Maybe it's my expectation. I expected the whole scene to be crystal clear, or at least close.....but in fact, it is not. For instance, the people look extremely clear and real, but the background is not. Maybe this contrast is too much for me, as it makes the characters appear to be against painted or cardboard props (ok, slight exaggeration here). In standard tv, watching a dvd, I felt like even if the background was not sharp (afterall it is just the background) it didn't take away from the effect of it seeming real. In several scenes of the Harry Potter movie blu-ray, I felt like the characters in the foreground were definitely real; you could see the nubbly threads on their clothing, for instance. But, the crowd behind them almost looked computer generated or something, and backgrounds of buildings, mountains, etc almost looked like a painted scene with the actors standing in front of it-- almost like the foreground was too clear and the background too fuzzy.

Anyway, maybe because blu-ray is so clear, you can see more imperfections? I think I like watching DVDs on the blu-ray player better than the blu-rays on the same player. I guess I won't need to spend the extra $$$$ on blu-ray disks and will stick to watching DVDs.

[B&G]

Certain DVD's claim to be blu-ray but I don't notice much of an upgrade. However, try watching Transformers, GI Joe, or Pirates. You will see a huge diffence in pic and sound.

[glad2Bme]

Certain DVD's claim to be blu-ray but I don't notice much of an upgrade. However, try watching Transformers, GI Joe, or Pirates. You will see a huge diffence in pic and sound.

I think you're on to something. I just rented "cloudy with a chance of meatballs" for the kids, in DVD format, and I'm stunned at how good it looks. A couple of other DVDs I've tried didn't look this good, and this isn't even blu-ray. I will try my Harry Potter blu-ray again once this movie's over, to see if maybe I just hadn't connected my cables firmly enough (I've been swithching them back and forth from set to set-- am I reaching for straws here or what!)

I'm really impressed with this movie, hope to have great results with others. Also, I'm using a regular HDMI cable, but I hear there's a category 2 and even an optical HDMI??? I need to research this to see if this is true and if it can make a difference. I may go to Best Buy and see what cables they have.

I look forward to watching Transformers......thanks for the feedback.

[chris v]

You need to make sure you have the correct HDMI cable. Also, optical is only for sound.

[glad2Bme]

You need to make sure you have the correct HDMI cable. Also, optical is only for sound.

thanks Chris, didn't know that, will do the research!

[chris v]

The more I think about it, the more I think it could be your cable. Make sure the cable you have will support 120hz refresh rate. They are definately more expensive, but if you have a cheaper cable it could be causing your problems.

[glad2Bme]

The more I think about it, the more I think it could be your cable. Make sure the cable you have will support 120hz refresh rate. They are definately more expensive, but if you have a cheaper cable it could be causing your problems.

You're probably right-- I didn't realize there were HDMI cables with different refresh rate capacities. I'd heard about certain cables accessing other things like dyna-color or whatever, but refresh rate limitations on the cable itself makes sense

[Dat Orc Homey]

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but...

wouldn't you see a more significant improvement watching Blu-ray discs at 24Hz if your player and screen support it? Then there is no telecining required, and you don't get the annoying pulldown artifacts. (Again, I'm definitely no expert on this though.)

With that said, I stood on the floor of CES and stared at a trio of 60Hz, 120Hz and 240Hz screens running sample programming and I could tell absolutely no difference whatsoever.

As far as the original question goes though, is there really a big difference between Blu-ray and upsampled DVD...on medium size sets (46" or less?) with a typical transfer (i.e. not great, but not horrible) I don't think there is much of a difference. With a great Blu-ray transfer, a decent sized screen (50" and up) and 1080p, I'd say Blu-ray video is an appreciably better experience, but definitely not night and day over upsampled DVD.

[B&G]

I think you're on to something. I just rented "cloudy with a chance of meatballs" for the kids, in DVD format, and I'm stunned at how good it looks. A couple of other DVDs I've tried didn't look this good, and this isn't even blu-ray. I will try my Harry Potter blu-ray again once this movie's over, to see if maybe I just hadn't connected my cables firmly enough (I've been swithching them back and forth from set to set-- am I reaching for straws here or what!)

I'm really impressed with this movie, hope to have great results with others. Also, I'm using a regular HDMI cable, but I hear there's a category 2 and even an optical HDMI??? I need to research this to see if this is true and if it can make a difference. I may go to Best Buy and see what cables they have.

I look forward to watching Transformers......thanks for the feedback.

Be wary when buying HDMI cables. Best Buy has some that are $300. They are not needed. All HDMI Cables are created equal and can get pricey. Don't fall for the scam of buying Monster or other high end brand HDMI cables that you don't need.

[chris v]

Be wary when buying HDMI cables. Best Buy has some that are $300. They are not needed. All HDMI Cables are created equal and can get pricey. Don't fall for the scam of buying Monster or other high end brand HDMI cables that you don't need.

I fully disagree... not all HDMI cables are equal. Some do not support 120hz and above.