In the process of updating my tv and DVD set up at the mo, so the question is do I need to get a blu-ray player or stick to DVD? Not a massive viewer of films but the kids watch a lot of DVDs. My thinking is that soon DVD will be obsolete and so I'll need a blu-ray. Only tend to renew equipment after several years (tv is 9 years old, DVD player 7) so I want to make the right choice now.

I'd hold off a bit personally, Doovd's will be around for a good while yet they will only phase out when blueray players are down to £30 and Blueray Disks are 3.99 in the bargain bin. Theres no doubt DVD will drop of eventually but if you are happy with the pic quality you currently get then keep the cash warm for another year.

Or buy a PS3 as an excuse and then you have a toy too

I'd hold off a bit personally, Doovd's will be around for a good while yet they will only phase out when blueray players are down to £30 and Blueray Disks are 3.99 in the bargain bin. Theres no doubt DVD will drop of eventually but if you are happy with the pic quality you currently get then keep the cash warm for another year.

Or buy a PS3 as an excuse and then you have a toy too

I agree. Blu-ray players are dropping in price fast- you can now get one for £100, or a known brand for £150. If they follow the pattern of DVD, they will drop much further.

In the process of updating my tv and DVD set up at the mo, so the question is do I need to get a blu-ray player or stick to DVD? Not a massive viewer of films but the kids watch a lot of DVDs. My thinking is that soon DVD will be obsolete and so I'll need a blu-ray. Only tend to renew equipment after several years (tv is 9 years old, DVD player 7) so I want to make the right choice now.

If you're getting a high definition tv it would be a shame not to be able to appreciate high definition images from a source like a blu-ray player. Upscaling exisiting dvd's is some way off the quality you'll get with blu-ray.

I got a blu-ray player when I upgraded the tv last year and although I don't watch too many movies, when I do watch one I'm amazed by the image quality (though in truth there is some variability in image quality from film to film).

I say go for it

Definitely get a bluray player, the picture quality is amazing, much better than Sky HD.

I'd advise gettting a subscription to Love film as well, as they charge the same to rent a bluray as they do to rent a Doovd. No need to pay £20 a time to watch a fillum then.

Definitely get a bluray player, the picture quality is amazing, much better than Sky HD.

I'd advise gettting a subscription to Love film as well, as they charge the same to rent a bluray as they do to rent a Doovd. No need to pay £20 a time to watch a fillum then.

Have to agree the difference with BR is stunning. Glad i upgraded last year. Even the mrs is converted now. :eek:

Also don't forget Blockbuster do 5 blurays for 4 nights for a tenner too.

Cheers

Dave.

I’d vote yes. Get one now, as long as it is version 2.0 compliant. The sound quality off BluRay is sooooo much better than standard compressed 5.1 (as long as you have a reasonable sound system, or intend to purchase one). Oh and the picture quality isn’t too shabby either:D

A lot of BluRay players can play DVD, CDs and show pictures off SD cards so if your telly (or DVD player) doesn’t’ support SD, you can do slide shows through the bluray.

Probably not.

If you're not going to use it as intended, its probably worth waiting a little before replacing the DVD player.

If the kids are the main user of the TV, id say no, they wont notice the difference.

As many people have mentioned, Bluray players are still coming down in price, and although the picture is absolutely stunning, once you've got past the initial WOW factor, it wont actually make your viewing habits change.

You could get an upscaling DVD for now.

Cheers for all the advice from everyone. I've decided to go for an upscaling dvd home cinema system at the mo, I appreciate that blu-ray is better quality, but for the few times i'd use it it probably isn't worth the extra expense at the mo! Once blu-ray prices have come down i'll get a stand alone player to add to the system.

Cheers for all the advice from everyone. I've decided to go for an upscaling dvd home cinema system at the mo, I appreciate that blu-ray is better quality, but for the few times i'd use it it probably isn't worth the extra expense at the mo! Once blu-ray prices have come down i'll get a stand alone player to add to the system.

As your decision has been made I'm afraid theres other things to watch out for now!

Make sure that your home cinema system has a digital input for future use and check it will be capable of decoding the enhanced audio that bluray has which far exceeds normal 5.1 sound!

Who said buying new equipment was easy eh?

I want a Bluray player but my current surround sound has a built in normal dvd player so if I got a bluray player i would have to sacrifice the surround sound.

Prob upgrade next year.

Blu-ray was one of my main reasons in buying a PS3.

It has built in up-scaling for normal dvds, plays Blu-Ray, streams all my media from my PC etc...plus browse web, oh, and it plays games.

Granted, a little dearer than the current Blu-Ray players, but good value when you consider the features.

To me, I would say no to be honest buddy, PS3, I can see the benefits. But then how about home made media PC, plenty of room for space, TV cards, mine is a quad channel Sattelite card and can view HD and recorded HD sources, 7.1 surround, internet access, this list goes on.

However have you ever thought about media players in general, dvd's will soon no doubt be obsolete, BR's can be prohibitedly expensive for what they are...

Think about this :

Western Digital Media Player

Just add an external Hard Drive with video files on it, be it AVI's, MKV's etc, and your away... High Def output in a box that is really, really small....

And before anyone dismisses the idea, look at costs, not having to have discs stored around, and that you can actually do a lot of mods to this device so it can run a version of Linux, run a Wifi Dongle, have internet access and PC streaming....

I want a Bluray player but my current surround sound has a built in normal dvd player so if I got a bluray player i would have to sacrifice the surround sound.

Prob upgrade next year.

Just check for a digital input and you should be OK