In a previous post I wrote about the DVDO high definition video scaler which does a good job converting standard definition video into finer high definition images. I mentioned that, while it does a good job cleaning up the signal, it does not make it Hi Def. To get the full experience of Hi Def you need Hi Def signal @ 720p or higher. No such material exist on or off the air in Kuwait or the region right now.
Enter the Blu Ray disc player. I ordered mine from Amazon along with a bunch of Blu Ray discs from different genres and I received them yesterday. Blu Ray discs have a capacity of 25 GB compared to the normal DVD’s 4.7 GB. This enables it to store uncompressed high definition video (@1080p) and audio (@ 96kHz/24 bit).
I will not bore you with any further techno babble. Instead, I will tell you about my first hand experience with it. Now, I am not a die hard fan of Destiny’s Child, so it says something when I watch their entire concert in Hi Def, twice! The show was great and well produced and choreographed, no doubt, but the sound and image quality is what got me. The picture and sound were so real it was like being there! I have been around quality audio and video for a while, so it’s not easy to impress me, but this, folks, is indeed impressive with a capital I.
The only downside is if your eyes and ears get used to this, you will be so spoiled, you won’t want to go back to regular DVD, let alone TV broadcasts. The other thing is the limited number of titles available at Amazon, although they are increasing every month or so. I believe if this format is commercially successful, it will replace DVD just like the latter replaced the VHS tape.
One last thing. There is a format battle raging right now between Blu Ray and its competitor HD-DVD. I feel the former will win because it is supported by more manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer and LG to name a few) and Hollywood studios. That is why I put my money on it.
Other Blu Ray discs used for this review:
The Pat Metheny Group – The way up (live)
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – Live at Radio City
Planet Earth – BBC
Enter the Blu Ray disc player. I ordered mine from Amazon along with a bunch of Blu Ray discs from different genres and I received them yesterday. Blu Ray discs have a capacity of 25 GB compared to the normal DVD’s 4.7 GB. This enables it to store uncompressed high definition video (@1080p) and audio (@ 96kHz/24 bit).
I will not bore you with any further techno babble. Instead, I will tell you about my first hand experience with it. Now, I am not a die hard fan of Destiny’s Child, so it says something when I watch their entire concert in Hi Def, twice! The show was great and well produced and choreographed, no doubt, but the sound and image quality is what got me. The picture and sound were so real it was like being there! I have been around quality audio and video for a while, so it’s not easy to impress me, but this, folks, is indeed impressive with a capital I.
The only downside is if your eyes and ears get used to this, you will be so spoiled, you won’t want to go back to regular DVD, let alone TV broadcasts. The other thing is the limited number of titles available at Amazon, although they are increasing every month or so. I believe if this format is commercially successful, it will replace DVD just like the latter replaced the VHS tape.
One last thing. There is a format battle raging right now between Blu Ray and its competitor HD-DVD. I feel the former will win because it is supported by more manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer and LG to name a few) and Hollywood studios. That is why I put my money on it.
Other Blu Ray discs used for this review:
The Pat Metheny Group – The way up (live)
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – Live at Radio City
Planet Earth – BBC
The Ghost (Halloween bonus)
2 comments:
LG's player can play both HD DVD and Blu Ray. I'm going to wait until the prices drop.
3baid
The prices already dropped in the US (I paid $480 for mine). If you wait for it to go that low in Kuwait, you'll have to wait at least 3-4 years. I can't wait that long. The lone Blu Ray player at Al-Ghanim Electronics is priced at 450 KD! Laptops with Blu Ray sell for 3000 KD at Sony!
From reviews, the LG dual player has several technical problems. It can't play either format properly.
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