Blu Ray titles I'm curious about ~ Are they worth the upgrade?

[Goremeister]

Ok, I don't have a 16x9 set yet or a blu-ray player but I know it's just a matter of time. What I don't want to do is buy a Blu Ray disc that doesn't blow away the old dvd release in terms of picture and sound quality. I don't care if it looks slightly better than the dvd release. It has to show a major difference. Anyone whose curious about a specific title can also ask about it here and we'll all be helping each other out. So if anyone has any info about the titles below like if they're worth the upgrade or they should be avoided, please let us know. If you're commenting on an import, please mention what region it is. Thanks!

Also, if anyone has a link to a decent review of any of these releases, please post the URL.

This list will be updated as new films are released:

- DEAD AND BURIED (The Blue Underground dvd has lots of grain so what does the Blu Ray look like)
- BLACK CHRISTMAS (74 ~ There's 2 domestic Blu-Ray releases of this. Mention if you're commenting on the Anchor Bay of the Sommerville House release)
- DAWN OF THE DEAD (Original)
- DAY OF THE DEAD (Original)
- HALLOWEEN (Original)
- THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Original)
- THE ROAD WARRIOR


Titles that aren't out yet (In the US at least):

- MANIAC (80)
- MY BLOODY VALENTINE (81)
- MAD MAX

[HighlyTENSE]

Originally Posted by Goremeister

- DEAD AND BURIED (The Blue Underground dvd has lots of grain so what does the Blu Ray look like)
- BLACK CHRISTMAS (74 ~ There's 2 domestic Blu-Ray releases of this. Mention if you're commenting on the Anchor Bay of the Sommerville House release)
- DAWN OF THE DEAD (Original)
- DAY OF THE DEAD (Original)
- HALLOWEEN (Original)
- THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Original)
- THE ROAD WARRIOR

-Yes
-Mmm yes, but with caution
-Hell yes
-Yes
-Hell yes
-Hell fucking yes.

Basically any BD version is going to be worth the upgrade because of the higher resolution. Are you gonna get a good size HDTV? If so, then you'll need the higher res to compensate for the size. DVD will just look horrible.

[HighlyTENSE]

Originally Posted by Dobe Dobe

Transformers on a 52" looks HORRIBLE.

You mean on blu-ray?

[HighlyTENSE]

Originally Posted by Dobe Dobe

You said DVD looks bad on large TVs, so I assumed you meant a non-blu ray version on an HDTV.

Oh.. duh right right right. Yeah, you would be correct sir. 480 lines trying hard to spread across a 52" screen is going to combust with pixelation, ghosting, blurry images, etc. I heard the bd of Transformers is phenomenal!

[BeRightBack]

Originally Posted by HighlyTENSE

-Yes
-Mmm yes, but with caution
-Hell yes
-Yes
-Hell yes
-Hell fucking yes.

Basically any BD version is going to be worth the upgrade because of the higher resolution. Are you gonna get a good size HDTV? If so, then you'll need the higher res to compensate for the size. DVD will just look horrible.

that's not true. All the movies don't simply look good because they have been upgraded to blu-ray. For instance on my 46 Samsung LCD 1080P, 28 Days Later looks horrible. grain in every scene of the film. Men in Black wasn't impressive either. I wish I hadn't bought 28 days later, because I have it on dvd already :/

when you set up your HDMI, that will make the quality of your dvd better, not worse. upgrading from 27' sd to 46' hd with hdmi there is a MAJOR difference in the quality you will get from the dvd. some movies will look like they have been made recently (tremors 2)

what sucks is that you won't know what kind of quality you'll get until you have bought the blu-ray, but for the most part the quality is great.

Originally Posted by Dobe Dobe

Transformers on a 52" looks HORRIBLE.

It looked decent on mine, however movies like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, WALL-E, Beowulf, and even Terminator 2. show what blu-ray is really capable of. Bram Stoker's Dracula was a good watch as well.

generally speaking with blu-ray, i try to stick with movies with a lot of bright color, or a lot of action. Those titles look the best, especially animated features.

[Goremeister]

Originally Posted by HighlyTENSE

-Yes
-Mmm yes, but with caution
-Hell yes
-Yes
-Hell yes
-Hell fucking yes.

Basically any BD version is going to be worth the upgrade because of the higher resolution. Are you gonna get a good size HDTV? If so, then you'll need the higher res to compensate for the size. DVD will just look horrible.

What do you mean by horrible? I heard some blu-ray discs don't look that much better than the old dvd releases. I'm thinking of getting a 37 or 40 inch set. Here's what a friend had to say about Sub Par Blu-ray releases:

"Just as I thought my worst suspicions confirmed (OK not for all Blu-Rays, but the more obscure, cult, or "niche title" stuff we like, buyer beware). Dad thinks it's not so much the source (i.e. original film stock, indie films shot on 16mm then blown up to 35mm which often will cause a more grainy effect), as much as the manufacturer of Blu-Rays are to blame. His theory is that they're taking the "Digitally Remastered DVD's 720px480" and just upconverting upconverting them to 1081i (kinda like I do when I download DivX and Xvid files and try to turn them into full MPEG's). He says in order for the kind of "films" we like if they don't go through the film frame-by-frame- and actually do physical image resolution enhancement, some films (his picks were Blue Underground's; Shock Waves, Fight For Your Life a.k.a. I Hate Your Guts, and MGM's The Last House on The Left, I didn't even bother mentioning the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre - seeing as he already had some good examples selected in the above-mentioned titles) are actually gonna look even worse with higher resolution and contrast ratios. He said you might as well just buy a Blu-Ray player that upconverts 720p to a fake 1080i simulated resolution, and just buy Blu-Rays that are significantly upgraded like How The West Was Won - only the Blu-Ray edtion reproduces the true Cinerama Widescreen fish eye lens effect, or Conquest of The Planet of The Apes for the Uncut Version. But ditching your entire DVD collection to switch over to Blu-Ray is folly in his opinion. I mean if you compare standard DVD's to VHS or Laserdiscs, they're still a vast improvement. Plus some regular DVD's - like the most recent re-issues of the Bond films, but lacking the supplements of the original first run, which are my preferred versions - cause of all the extras, have been digitally remastered in High-Def to begin with, so in the end how noticeable is the resolution loss gonna be between these ones and the Blu-Ray Edtions, especailly if you played those DVD's through and upconverting DVD player.

I had read a year or two ago in Widescreen Review that the consesus was this "Sure Blu-Ray offers a great improvement on picture and sound - for those who can afford it, but the complete phasing out of DVD's, no". Basically what the article summarized was that just like our neighbour down the street who has the biggest and nicest house, drives a Porsche, and has a Penthouse Pet for Trophy Wife - yeah he'll get a Blu-Ray player just so he can be the first to boast that he has. But the reality - and current economic situation - dictate otherwise, and most consumers like you and me are already contnet with the medium as it is. So basically what the article said was that as a "luxury item" for those who can afford it, great, but for the average Joe and Jane Doe the difference in price and quality really doesn't do much to make them want to switch over again. Then there's that demographics that film distributors never want to address, but they exist regardless and like movies too - Seniors. It's bad enough that they were comfortable with the practicality of VHS, and then boom now they have to learn a brand new way to watch films. Well not every senior's a certified Home Entertainment Technician, and for some the transition of going over from VHS to DVD is overwhelming enough, but then you drop hi-def and terms like 1080i, HDMI cables, etc, etc... and it's apt to just drive them over the edge. Although fucking box-store retailers a la Best Buy or Future Shop (again catering to that Babyboom demographics of 13 - 35 years olds - see we're too old already - with Blu-Ray PS3, etc, etc) would have us believe that it's signaling the death knell of DVD's I think it's still gonna be around for awhile, plus now that everbody's getting familiar with DVD-R media too, now they excpect everybody to jump on the Blu-Ray bandwagon. Don't think so."

[mmyersisgod]

Originally Posted by Goremeister

- BLACK CHRISTMAS (74 ~ There's 2 domestic Blu-Ray releases of this. Mention if you're commenting on the Anchor Bay of the Sommerville House release)
- DAWN OF THE DEAD (Original)
- DAY OF THE DEAD (Original)
- HALLOWEEN (Original)
- THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Original)

BC is pretty bad. I would just stick with the regular DVD.(AB)

Dawn and Day are very nice.

Halloween is excellent.

TCM is excellent as well.

[HighlyTENSE]

Originally Posted by BeRightBack

that's not true. All the movies don't simply look good because they have been upgraded to blu-ray. For instance on my 46 Samsung LCD 1080P, 28 Days Later looks horrible. grain in every scene of the film. Men in Black wasn't impressive either. I wish I hadn't bought 28 days later, because I have it on dvd already :/

when you set up your HDMI, that will make the quality of your dvd better, not worse. upgrading from 27' sd to 46' hd with hdmi there is a MAJOR difference in the quality you will get from the dvd. some movies will look like they have been made recently (tremors 2)

what sucks is that you won't know what kind of quality you'll get until you have bought the blu-ray, but for the most part the quality is great.



It looked decent on mine, however movies like Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, WALL-E, Beowulf, and even Terminator 2. show what blu-ray is really capable of. Bram Stoker's Dracula was a good watch as well.

generally speaking with blu-ray, i try to stick with movies with a lot of bright color, or a lot of action. Those titles look the best, especially animated features.

The upconverting didn't help at all for me. 46 inches of course DVD will look better upconverted, because its a smaller screen. I'm rocking 52" LCD, and the dvd's looked horrendous upconverted and all.

28 Days Later is an exception as well as poorly done transfers. 28 Days was shot on low resolution digitalcams, so yes that won't make much of a dent on High def. Not sure what to say about MIB, I have it and it looks great. Also if you see grain, then that's totally normal. Film grain is supposed to be there, and BD accentuates the grain to look more natural instead of pixelated like with DVD.

In general, BD is going to be better than DVD even the lesser quality ones.

BTW, I knew not to get 28 Days Later on BD due to that very reason.

[HighlyTENSE]

Originally Posted by Goremeister

What do you mean by horrible? I heard some blu-ray discs don't look that much better than the old dvd releases. I'm thinking of getting a 37 or 40 inch set. Here's what a friend had to say about Sub Par Blu-ray releases:

"Just as I thought my worst suspicions confirmed (OK not for all Blu-Rays, but the more obscure, cult, or "niche title" stuff we like, buyer beware). Dad thinks it's not so much the source (i.e. original film stock, indie films shot on 16mm then blown up to 35mm which often will cause a more grainy effect), as much as the manufacturer of Blu-Rays are to blame. His theory is that they're taking the "Digitally Remastered DVD's 720px480" and just upconverting upconverting them to 1081i (kinda like I do when I download DivX and Xvid files and try to turn them into full MPEG's). He says in order for the kind of "films" we like if they don't go through the film frame-by-frame- and actually do physical image resolution enhancement, some films (his picks were Blue Underground's; Shock Waves, Fight For Your Life a.k.a. I Hate Your Guts, and MGM's The Last House on The Left, I didn't even bother mentioning the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre - seeing as he already had some good examples selected in the above-mentioned titles) are actually gonna look even worse with higher resolution and contrast ratios. He said you might as well just buy a Blu-Ray player that upconverts 720p to a fake 1080i simulated resolution, and just buy Blu-Rays that are significantly upgraded like How The West Was Won - only the Blu-Ray edtion reproduces the true Cinerama Widescreen fish eye lens effect, or Conquest of The Planet of The Apes for the Uncut Version. But ditching your entire DVD collection to switch over to Blu-Ray is folly in his opinion. I mean if you compare standard DVD's to VHS or Laserdiscs, they're still a vast improvement. Plus some regular DVD's - like the most recent re-issues of the Bond films, but lacking the supplements of the original first run, which are my preferred versions - cause of all the extras, have been digitally remastered in High-Def to begin with, so in the end how noticeable is the resolution loss gonna be between these ones and the Blu-Ray Edtions, especailly if you played those DVD's through and upconverting DVD player. I had read a year or two ago in Widescreen Review that the consesus was this "Sure Blu-Ray offers a great improvement on picture and sound - for those who can afford it, but the complete phasing out of DVD's, no". Basically what the article summarized was that just like our neighbour down the street who has the biggest and nicest house, drives a Porsche, and has a Penthouse Pet for Trophy Wife - yeah he'll get a Blu-Ray player just so he can be the first to boast that he has. But the reality - and current economic situation - dictate otherwise, and most consumers like you and me are already contnet with the medium as it is. So basically what the article said was that as a "luxury item" for those who can afford it, great, but for the average Joe and Jane Doe the difference in price and quality really doesn't do much to make them want to switch over again. Then there's that demographics that film distributors never want to address, but they exist regardless and like movies too - Seniors. It's bad enough that they were comfortable with the practicality of VHS, and then boom now they have to learn a brand new way to watch films. Well not every senior's a certified Home Entertainment Technician, and for some the transition of going over from VHS to DVD is overwhelming enough, but then you drop hi-def and terms like 1080i, HDMI cables, etc, etc... and it's apt to just drive them over the edge. Although fucking box-store retailers a la Best Buy or Future Shop (again catering to that Babyboom demographics of 13 - 35 years olds - see we're too old already - with Blu-Ray PS3, etc, etc) would have us believe that it's signaling the death knell of DVD's I think it's still gonna be around for awhile, plus now that everbody's getting familiar with DVD-R media too, now they excpect everybody to jump on the Blu-Ray bandwagon. Don't think so."

Does your friend know the concept of paragraphs? Sorry man, I just can't read that. I don't have Tylenol in hand.

If you're going to get a 40 inch, then dvds upconverted won't look bad. Blu-Ray will look stupendous though. Not only that BD is becoming way less expensive. You can get 150 dollar players easy.

[Goremeister]

Originally Posted by HighlyTENSE

BTW, I knew not to get 28 Days Later on BD due to that very reason.

That's the reason I started this thread. So people won't my BLU-RAY discs that aren't worth getting. Remember that many of us still have rather large dvd collections and we don't want to upgrade titles that aren't worth upgrading. Especially if the difference is small. People should know that just because it's a BLU-RAY disc, doesn't mean it will look great. With the economy the way it is, no one wants to throw money away.

If anyone gets to see the BD of DEAD AND BURIED, please post your comments. I'm curious about this one.

mmyersisgod,

By excellent, do you mean you compared the old dvd with the BD on your widescreen set and there's a major difference? I had already heard about BLACK CHRISTMAS which is another reason why I started this thread. Which disc did you watch?