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Blu-ray VS. DVD - Why Switch?
What is all the Hype about Blu-ray players, you may be asking yourself. Is it really better than a standard DVD player? The players themselves and the discs look pretty much the same, so what's different?
Blu-ray players have a way superior picture quality over a DVD player. It offers a far more detailed image that can not be seen with a standard DVD. Eyes, hair, facial features, etc. are far more defined. You will see a truer picture that is much sharper and clearer. Technological differences for this picture quality, is that the Blu-ray's resolution is 1920x1080, to where the DVV is only 720x480. Therefore the Blu-ray, as you can see, has by far a way better resolution which in turn gives you a sharper, tighter, and more detailed picture quality. Not only does the resolution blow the DVD away but it also has richer colors and contrast due to its better video compression technique. Blu-ray picture quality is even better than the HD that your cable or satellite company can provide. It is the highest quality video format that can be provided today. It even surpasses that of your local movie theater, particularly if you have a high quality HDTV that your Blu-ray is connected to.
Audio quality on Blu-ray is at a different level than DVD. With DVD there are two main types of audio formats, Dolby Digital and DTS. These are two great sounds, the problem is these formats are too large to fit on a DVD disc. Therefore is has to be compressed to fit on the disc, which in turn there is some loss in sound quality. With a Blu-ray disc there is more space availability. This has allowed for more soundtrack formats to be created. Blu-ray has five soundtrack formats to the two that DVD can only allow. These five formats are Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS-HD Master Audio, and Linear PCM. This will improve the sound quality only if a high-end audio system is available. Otherwise, with out it there will be only a subtle difference in sound quality.
Blu-ray also has special features that a DVD may not have. For instance, the Blu-ray will have a pop-up menu which allows access to menu functions while the movie continues to play. Blu-ray will also allow easier access to many menu functions over DVD. There are other features such as BD-Live which allows you to download additional deleted scenes or outtakes, trailers, play games or quizzes, etc. To access this function your Blu-ray needs to be connected to your home networking system. Another feature is the picture-in-picture, or Bonus View, which shows the director giving a commentary or behind the scene footage shown in a small picture box as the movie plays as usual.
Another great aspect for having a Blu-ray Player is that it has the capability to continue to play DVD disc, in which a Blu-ray disc can not be played on a DVD player. So don't fret, your collection of DVD's is still at hand usable and doesn't need to be tossed aside. Yes, Blu-ray disc may be slightly more expensive than your standard DVD disc but in turn will be worth the extra expense.
With all the outstanding advantages that Blu-ray has to offer will eventually make the DVD a thing in the past, right along with VHS. Blu-ray will provide you with a more enhanced picture, better sound quality, and many more options to choose from. This makes the Blu-ray the choice of most people today. There are many positive aspects when it comes to the Blu-ray VS. DVD.