Has it really been almost a year-and-a-half since the death of HD DVD, and we’re still talking about a format war with Blu-ray?
Oh, we don’t mean a high-def optical disc format war. We’re talking about what some are already calling an irrelevant and in a death spiral, against one that’s the trendy future.
It’s Blu-ray vs. Digital Downloads/Rentals, and we’re taking a look at the tale of the tape for this prizefight. Yes, we know what you’re thinking – no contest, why even bother when everyone knows Blu-ray delivers the best video and audio for your movies (and some TV shows) out there?
You may have also thought Blu-ray would have taken off more in the time since rival HD DVD’s demise (despite the ardent HD DVD supporters still out there). Sure, player sales are up, but it’s hardly caught on like DVD.
Anyone who saw DVD as the successor to VHS could use the eyes and ears test to see it was plainly better, much better. Take a 37-inch widescreen TV, and go from upscaled DVD, which can be had for under $75, to Blu-ray, whose options start at twice that amount, and the masses might not think the associated costs are worth it. You know, that whole revolutionary vs. evolutionary argument. Some think we’ll be skipping mass Blu-ray adoption to go straight to digital.
Then again, today’s Blu-ray players can offer much more than just Blu-ray/DVD/CD playback, so value for even the average movie viewers is increased.
The general populace, though, might dig the convenience of a $99 Roku box and Amazon movie downloads for that 37- or 42-inch family room set. No, digital video downloads haven’t exploded quite the way music downloads did, but we’re guessing Apple wasn’t disappointed in the 200 million episodes sold within the first month of offering high-def TV shows either.
We’re not saying one’s necessarily superior overall to the other – it comes down to personal factors (we’ll get to my vote later). There’s plenty to weigh, so here we go, Nick Bakay-style.
Video Quality
Blu-ray’s been touting its native 1080p resolution since inception, and most new HDTVs are going that way, which makes for a tidy tandem. Pickings are slim if you’re searching for HD downloads in 1080p – there’s Vudu and its excellent HDX videos, but if you want Apple TV/iTunes, for example, you’re limited to 720p. If you’re a home theater buff – especially with a ‘Scope projection setup (2.35:1 aspect ratio screen, anamorphic lens, proper scaling) - you love the fact that Blu-ray embraces original aspect ratios, of which there’s a good portion with 2.35:1/2.40:1. If you hate the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen that result when a 2.35 movie is shown on your flat-panel TV, and aren’t a total videophile, you’re probably hitting your zoom mode to chop them out. Some high-def cable TV stations already do this, and so do some digital download services, and maybe you’re not bothered by less resolution.
Edge: Blu-ray
Audio Quality
Much like Blu-ray has seemed to drive 1080p resolution televisions (in the absence of 1080p cable or satellite programming), the format has also given rise to 7.1-channel-capable receivers/HTIBs (home theaters in a box). Relatively few Blu-ray discs feature original 7.1-channel soundtrack mixes (more common in only the most recent of theatrical releases), but the lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio options on most discs are encoded to fill those channels – digitally or through analog outputs – with audio data at high 24-bit/96-Hz or 24/192 resolutions. And again like video quality, digital download/rental options with full surround sound, typically in 5.1 channel, are playing catch-up. For standard-def or “near-DVD quality” downloads you can expect more stereo than multichannel, whereas your typical standard-def DVDs usually contain a 5.1 option.
Edge: Blu-ray
Despite the regrettable demise of HD DVD, Blu Ray has not caught on and is still very much less than 10% of disc sales. The economic down turn does not help but for most mass markets, it does not justify the high cost of replacing kit and discs. And it’s not just downloads and digital delivery that will compete with BR but also new digital media and SSD technology along with media the players/recorders that will help people store, organize and back up al their digital content and creations. I have yet to see a HD screen that can justify the significant extra outlay compared to seeing upscaled DVDs through my Onkyo system on my Sagem 50” DLP RPTV - even though it’s native res is only 720p! Hm, except maybe the new JVC projectors!
it’ll be blu ray for me until they can start giving me 1080p DL’s in a form of WM. because all the converters that i find that can convert from the .mkv format to WManything drops the hd and the sound. i use my 360 media center to de-clutter my home by having other av equipment tucked away.
or if anyone knows anywhere that offers dl’s of WM formats would be appreciated.
To quote David Pogue on HDX:
“It averages around 9 megabits a second, but spikes to 20 during action scenes. Compare that with Vudu standard definition: (2.2 megabits a second), Vudu and Apple TV high definition (4), regular DVD (8) or Blu-ray DVD (40). In other words, HDX quality is somewhere between DVD and Blu-ray.”
Given Pogue’s explanation, and the fact that I’m not allowed to own the films, and that HDX doesn’t have Lossless audio, and it takes up to 4 hours to download, I’m not going to hand my Blu-ray player and discs over to my brother-in-law and start racking up the rental fees any time soon. No thanks.
I don’t understand the aversion to physical media. I like having both and I love owning my own collection. I’m not a fan of renting; it makes me feel cheap and used, like I just threw money away.
physical media will never disappear.
even with the advent of CDs and now music downloads LPs remain. As a matter of fact LP sales have been up recently.
Blu-ray may be the last of the physical video media but I see it having a long future despite HD downloads. HD downloads will be slower to take off than many people think because even at the higher speeds there is a less likely chance that many users have those connections. I for one have a lower quality DSL connection at home because I can’t justify the cost. Bluray players will soon be in the $100 range and the disc arent expensive if you shop around. I have 65 bluray and for very few did I spend over $13 bucks for. A fast internet connection alone can cost you close to $100/month and then add in DL cost and it’s definitely not cheaper than a stand alone bluray player and buying a few disc a month.
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Blu-ray is on a limited lifespan, its core users are
home videophiles with huge screens, the majority
of people have 50 inch and below flat panels,
and at these sizes 1080p and 720p are
impossible to tell apart at beyond 6ft, and dvd
upscaling is ( depending on the original
mastering quality) is near enough
to blu-ray quality for most people, digital
downloads are about to explode due to some coming developements that are close to release