Talk to me about Blu Ray

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Neon Maniac
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Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by Neon Maniac »

I picked up a Samsung BD-P1600 player last weekend, but haven't done much with it other than watch a handful of regular DVDs with it. I also picked up Dawn of the Dead 2004 BR to check out how BR looks in general.

I've pretty much ignored BR, so there's a lot I don't know about it, and to be honest, a lot I don't care about it. From browsing around online there's not many titles out there that are very compelling, and any I buy will probably be replacements for DVDs I have now. What I want to know is, are BR's still region coded, or can I buy BR from anywhere in the world and it works? Also, what are some good places too look online for BR's, especially foreign (assuming there's no region coding). Any other useful tips would be appreciated too.
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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by Mairosu »

Amazon.co.uk is your best bet right now, as UK BR market is the by far widest of ones I've perused. DDM knows a link where it shows if stuff is region coded or not.

I have around 25-30 titles, and most of them have looked pretty damned good - noticeable difference even on my 32" CRT shitbox. So far, I've been most impressed by the WB Road Warrior (US) disc, as well as the Warriors (UK) and The Thing (UK) discs. WB Black Rain (US) also looks awesome - BR really pulls the most out of that film, as it really nicely presents all the night atmosphere and subtle grain.

UK editions of Escape from NY and The Fog are shitty and best avoided. Lionsgate's Reservoir Dogs comes in a very cool gas-can packaging but the AV is subpar to what I've grown to expect from BR.

So far, I've come to conclusion that big studio BR discs look best compared to others. Then again, this is only after sampling 20-30 discs.

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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by Neon Maniac »

So there is region coding, but many of them are not region coded?
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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by The Hitman »

There is region coding, I don't know what the ratio is.

I find it varies widely from title to title as far as improvements go. The best ones are excellent on my 42" HDTV.

I read High-Def Digest's Blu-Ray site for reviews and stuff. Gives me a decent general idea of whether something's worth an upgrade. I buy mostly from Amazon or trade stuff in at FYE. Beware - some discs port DVD cover art but not the special features (such as Predator or Black Hawk Down) from an SE, so if you dig the features, check the specs before you buy.
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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by damnationdoormat »

The Hitman wrote:I read High-Def Digest's Blu-Ray site for reviews and stuff. Gives me a decent general idea of whether something's worth an upgrade.
High Def Digest are a bunch of idiots.

Here's a great breakdown of some of the best and worst, many with direct screen captures.

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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by Neon Maniac »

Thanks for the links, interesting stuff. I wish the land of whimsey had more discs on it, just so I could get a feeling for what I've seen so far.
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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by damnationdoormat »

Here's another place with direct captures:

http://www.hundland.org/hd/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Click on the Archive for a bunch more.

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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by The Hitman »

damnationdoormat wrote:
The Hitman wrote:I read High-Def Digest's Blu-Ray site for reviews and stuff. Gives me a decent general idea of whether something's worth an upgrade.
High Def Digest are a bunch of idiots.

Here's a great breakdown of some of the best and worst, many with direct screen captures.
I can't compete with the nerdiness.

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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by Peter West »

I've been buying a lot of my BDs at Amazon. Either a good price on pre-order (like 50% off of Star Trek S1) or I wait a few weeks for the price to drop more, if my order is $25 or more I get free shipping (which is as fast as regular shipping I find).

The big issue with BD is the damn firmware issues. Some disks have Java that is so complex that new firmware is required to play the disc. I have not had that much myself with my Pioneer players. If you check forums like AVSForum you'll find there's a shitload of issues with all players.

Now on my BDP-09FD the "mother" of all current players, I find the A/V to be freaking amazing. Now that it decoded DTS-MA it is even better. Combine that with my VSX-59TXi flagship receiver and I am in HT heaven! Regular DVDs are still dependent on the source material to look good, but the BD player makes them look as good as they will ever get IMHO.

Welcome to the club!

Good BDs to check out:
Casino Royale (2 disc version)
Cloverfield
Transformers
Serenity
Quantum of Solice

You're in a whole new world now... Enjoy!

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Re: Talk to me about Blu Ray

Post by damnationdoormat »

Peter West wrote:Now on my BDP-09FD the "mother" of all current players...
Next to the PS3. :thumbsup:

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