When DVD outmuscled VHS, most of us thought we had arrived at a format which would be around for many years to come. But when Blu-ray made its appearance, some of us began to question the longevity of DVD. True, we are satisfied with what DVD has to offer, but when something `better’ pops up, shouldn’t we sit up, take notice and probably get converted? If you’re not satisfied with your current DVD player and the quality of your DVD movie collection and are tinkering with the idea of going Blu-Ray, here are a few issues you would like to mull over.
Budget
Do you have the budget to purchase a new Blu-Ray player? You may be able to afford a Blu-Ray player, but what if you already have a DVD player which is performing fine and which you seldom use? What if you have a few DVD players? Are you going to let your investment on them go to waste and consign them to your personal museum?
High Definition Television
Once you get hold of a Blu-Ray player, you would want to upgrade your television set to high definition. If you try to watch a Blu-Ray disc on standard definition television, you aren’t going to notice any quality difference. Like one user said, you have to think of it like your grandmother watching high definition television without her glasses. So, ask yourself if you have the budget to upgrade to a high definition television to accommodate your Blu-Ray wish.
Blu-Ray Movie Collection
If you’re an avid movie fan, especially of flicks of yesteryears, ask whether you can get hold of your favorites in Blu-Ray? For instance, I checked out Bicycle Thieves, one of the best movies made the last century. It’s not available in Blu-Ray. If your favourite movies are available in Blu-Ray, how much do they cost? Amazon’s list price of Bicycle Thieves DVD is $25.99. How much would a Blu-Ray disc cost if it becomes available? At least 10 extra bucks.
If you’ve been amassing hundreds or thousands of DVD over the years, what are you going to do with them? Are you just going to leave them lying around and spend a fortune converting to Blu-Ray? Wouldn’t mind if you’re Bill Gates, would you?
Budget Options
You can still enjoy Blu-Ray quality with your existing DVD collection. If you have bought a high-definition television, check to see if your DVD player is HDMI-enabled. Such a player is called an upconverting or upscaling DVD player. All you have to do is connect a HDMI cable to your high definition television and you get to watch your DVDs at a resolution of 1080 lines instead of the usual 480 lines on standard definition television.
If you have a large collection of DVDs and are in the market for a DVD player, buy one with HDMI enabled so that you get to enjoy the best of SD and HD worlds.
You will also not have much to lose in case DVD wins the format war and Blu-Ray suffers the fate of Betamax. Otherwise, wait for Blu-Ray to become as affordable as or even cheaper than DVD. No doubt a wise option in these trying economic times.
