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jokell82 · Dec 31, 2008, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

Not really, the point it HDTV is still new and trying to becoming a standard, eventually everything will be HD whether you believe it or not. You seems to think this is an overnight process. Right now it is being marketed at the home, not cars and portable players, as it should at this point in its life. Once the technology has been out there for a while and stuff is cheap (your $100 player price) they can make them for cars and portables easily. Movies already scale from 480p to 1080p for SDTV and up. Once the players have more of a market studios can just create Blu-ray movies only if they want. However, I think they will need at least 5-10 years I think before that is even a thought, like I said this is not an overnight process.

The point I meant is that there is absolutely no need for a 5" screen to be 1080p. The human eye can only process so much, and there's a point where 1080p becomes irrelevant. (See http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html) My guess is that on a 5-7" screen you'd have to be sitting within inches of it to be able to notice a resolution that high. So what would be the point of an HD 5" screen other than a proof of concept?

If you think about it that way, there is no need for car players or portable players to move to HD (unless the screen sizes start increasing). So if Blu-Rays eventually take over for DVDs, they *will* be played on SD sets.

And on top of that, until Blu-Rays can be played everywhere like DVDs are (like in the car and on portables), they will not be able to surpass DVDs. That will take manufacturers creating a much better experience (faster loading, better navigation, etc) at a much cheaper price.

Honestly, I don't see Blu-Ray ever getting to where it needs to be to before downloads take over. It will simply take too long for manufacturers to get their act together and by then it will be too late.

Eug · Dec 31, 2008, 01:07 PM

I have a very small LCD screen (6 inch?) built into my treadmill. Even a relatively low quality DVD (eg. Fox Lorber discs) displayed via composite cable looks fine.

exca1ibur · Dec 31, 2008, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

The point I meant is that there is absolutely no need for a 5" screen to be 1080p. The human eye can only process so much, and there's a point where 1080p becomes irrelevant. (See http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html) My guess is that on a 5-7" screen you'd have to be sitting within inches of it to be able to notice a resolution that high. So what would be the point of an HD 5" screen other than a proof of concept?

If you think about it that way, there is no need for car players or portable players to move to HD (unless the screen sizes start increasing). So if Blu-Rays eventually take over for DVDs, they *will* be played on SD sets.

And on top of that, until Blu-Rays can be played everywhere like DVDs are (like in the car and on portables), they will not be able to surpass DVDs. That will take manufacturers creating a much better experience (faster loading, better navigation, etc) at a much cheaper price.

Honestly, I don't see Blu-Ray ever getting to where it needs to be to before downloads take over. It will simply take too long for manufacturers to get their act together and by then it will be too late.

I agree with you. That isn't what I'm talking about in this case. My point is, in time, moving to ONE format than can scale them all. It doesn't have to display 1080p on a portable. The same disc can display SD up to HD. Right now, due to price its targeted at the home market, when it is cheaper then it can be targeted to the portable market. AKA when DVD players are no longer made and only Blu-ray players are sold. During this time, movie prices are irrelevant as well as player prices.

I think downloads will be offered to complement Blu-ray, especially with companies putting caps on bandwidth, and companies trying to nickle and dime customers with service business models, this might not take off as fast as everyone thinks.

mrtew · 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by Eug

Hate to break it to you, but Blu-ray releases often suck too, by design. Many Disney Blu-ray releases suck royally. Unnecessarily complex navigation, designed specifically to make you watch as many idiotic trailers as possible.

I hit the >| skip ahead >| button a few times and I'm thru the trailers in 5 seconds. Does that work for you?

Edit: Actually I take it back. I tried it to see how long it too and my PS3 now won't respond to either the remote or the controller AT ALL. What a POS. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Anyone heard of any PS3 viruses' or anything like that? WTF

brassplayersrock² · Dec 31, 2008, 01:56 PM

lol

exca1ibur · Dec 31, 2008, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by mrtew

I hit the >| skip ahead >| button a few times and I'm thru the trailers in 5 seconds. Does that work for you?

Edit: Actually I take it back. I tried it to see how long it too and my PS3 now won't respond to either the remote or the controller AT ALL. What a POS. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Anyone heard of any PS3 viruses' or anything like that? WTF

They actually do that on purpose and FORCE you to watch the damn previews.

You figure since you PAID for the movie you could skip and watch it when you put the disc in.

Dakar V · Dec 31, 2008, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

They actually do that on purpose and FORCE you to watch the damn previews.

You figure since you PAID for the movie you could skip and watch it when you put the disc in.

Yeah, I feel like I should sue the movie companies for not providing an opt out from their previews via hitting the menu button.

Then again, why do I have to see/sit through disclaimers on half of DVDs too?

brassplayersrock² · Dec 31, 2008, 02:07 PM

the previews can be nice. i just pop the disk in and then go get my food and by the time i come back the movie is ready to play.

Dakar V · Dec 31, 2008, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock²

the previews can be nice. i just pop the disk in and then go get my food and by the time i come back the movie is ready to play.

That doesn't make the previews nice. That only shows that the movie companies have conditioned you to create workarounds to actually watching them. It's no different than going to take a dump during a commercial. Doesn't make the commercials 'nice.'

mrtew · 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

They actually do that on purpose and FORCE you to watch the damn previews.

You figure since you PAID for the movie you could skip and watch it when you put the disc in.

Well you didn't actually pay for the movie. The movie cost 200 million dollars and you only paid $25. So to make up the difference you have to watch a preview for another movie. Another way of looking at it would be that if there weren't any previews you'd come here and complain that you were cheated and you are thinking of suing to get what you paid for! It'd sure be nice if there were 20 - 50 previews on the disk that you could freely watch or not thru an extras menu though eh.

Also I figured out that my remote came un-paired and after re-pairing it I can now skip previews again. I put in Wall*E and hit the >| skip button 8 times and then press play and the movie is going in about 15 seconds. So I take back everyone's complaints :-]

exca1ibur · Dec 31, 2008, 02:23 PM

Fair enough. You paid to watch THAT movie, not the previews of something else.

Better?

brassplayersrock² · Dec 31, 2008, 02:36 PM

so do you get mad when you go to the theaters and are forced to watch previews of movies coming out?

Shaddim · Dec 31, 2008, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

Honestly, I don't see Blu-Ray ever getting to where it needs to be to before downloads take over. It will simply take too long for manufacturers to get their act together and by then it will be too late.

By then 2160p will be moving in, it's already available if you have really deep pockets (~$75k). For such a resolution we'll have Blu-Ray+ (X-BD), and I can't imagine downloads will be able to match that type of quality.

(*so is 4096p/4360p, but it's requirements place it squarely in the commercial arena.)

brassplayersrock² · Dec 31, 2008, 03:07 PM

yes.... 2160p looks amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgwHP8g8pQs

Shaddim · Dec 31, 2008, 03:21 PM

mrtew · Dec 31, 2008, 04:05 PM

I'd like to see actual 2160 video or higher! Is there someplace to download some?

ghporter · Dec 31, 2008, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock²

so do you get mad when you go to the theaters and are forced to watch previews of movies coming out?

Isn't that when like 95% of the audience bothers to show up? As in "they don't sit through the trailers." I personally would like the option of watching the trailers included in a disc or not; generally once I've watched a trailer I know whether I want to watch it again, so the second or third time I watch that disc, it's a waste of my time to watch the trailers-and plain old commercials-yet again.

Eug · Dec 31, 2008, 05:42 PM

The good thing about cheap Chinese DVD players is several of them allow you to skip those trailers, even if the DVD is authored to prevent it.

jokell82 · Dec 31, 2008, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

By then 2160p will be moving in, it's already available if you have really deep pockets (~$75k). For such a resolution we'll have Blu-Ray+ (X-BD), and I can't imagine downloads will be able to match that type of quality.

(*so is 4096p/4360p, but it's requirements place it squarely in the commercial arena.)

You're assuming that anyone would want a to sit close enough to a screen large enough for their eyes to discern the difference between 1080p and 2160p. That's probably something like a 100" screen if you sit 5' away.

Or rather, it'd be like sitting in the front row of a movie theater. Have fun with that.

ghporter · Dec 31, 2008, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Eug

The good thing about cheap Chinese DVD players is several of them allow you to skip those trailers, even if the DVD is authored to prevent it.

Do tell. Like which brands... I have a Sony DVD player, and it's party line all the way. Very unsportsmanlike of them.

Shaddim · Dec 31, 2008, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

You're assuming that anyone would want a to sit close enough to a screen large enough for their eyes to discern the difference between 1080p and 2160p. That's probably something like a 100" screen if you sit 5' away.

Or rather, it'd be like sitting in the front row of a movie theater. Have fun with that.

Or sitting 20' away from a 15' screen, which a lot of HT enthusiasts want (including myself). I guarantee you can tell a difference between 1080p and 2160p at that distance with that much screen real estate.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/12/09...o-screen-size/

HT buffs, with resources and floor space, run projectors. 2160p looks to be perfect for us.

olePigeon · Dec 31, 2008, 08:07 PM

I have a Pioneer Elite upconverting DVD player I bought for $60 on Vanns. It has some really awesome features, such as:

Region Free
Auto-Play Movie (when turned on, it skips menus, trailers, warnings, etc. and gets right to the movie)
Movie Bookmarking (this also works in tandem with Auto-Play, I can bookmark movies to start and stop wherever I want when I insert the DVD.)
2x HDMI, composite video, and optical audio so I can use it with my older but still awesome receiver that doesn't have HDMI
USB port. I can hook up cameras and stuff and it'll automatically do a slideshow. I can also use it for quick and easy firmware updates.

Other features I enjoy: it doesn't make any beeps or sounds when you press buttons, and, it doesn't have any super bright LEDs on it that are completely distracting; it has a soft, amber display.

hyteckit · Dec 31, 2008, 08:10 PM

I watch DVD's on my Mac Mini.

Skip commercials? Click on the "Menu" button.

jokell82 · Dec 31, 2008, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Or sitting 20' away from a 15' screen, which a lot of HT enthusiasts want (including myself). I guarantee you can tell a difference between 1080p and 2160p at that distance with that much screen real estate.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/12/09...o-screen-size/

HT buffs, with resources and floor space, run projectors. 2160p looks to be perfect for us.

(Thanks for linking to the chart I posted further up this page, which doesn't even mention 2160p)

And you honestly think that there is a possibility of 2160p becoming anything more than an extremely niche "pro" product?

Shaddim · Dec 31, 2008, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by jokell82

(Thanks for linking to the chart I posted further up this page, which doesn't even mention 2160p)

And you honestly think that there is a possibility of 2160p becoming anything more than an extremely niche "pro" product?

You did pay attention to the scaling of the chart, how it showed that on a 180" screen you can easily see the difference between 1080p and 1440p. Right? 2160p will be fantastic for projectors and those who want an immersive HT experience.

Honestly, I don't care if it becomes "more than an extremely niche "pro" product". Just like I didn't care if LDs and Blu-Ray would hit mainstream. As long as it's available, and I can make use of it, that's fine with me. Watch what you want, there will always be better products for those who want them.

Eug · Jan 1, 2009, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Do tell. Like which brands... I have a Sony DVD player, and it's party line all the way. Very unsportsmanlike of them.

Don't remember. You have to just try them. Most of the ones I've noticed are the real noname brands, like the ones that show up at Wal-Mart for a few months and then disappear.

Same goes for region free players with good PAL conversion and disc compatibility. You just have to try a bunch until you find one... and then buy it immediately cuz in a few weeks it may not be at the store anymore. A few of them come region free out of the box, while others require some special remote code you can often find online... which may or may not work depending on the revision.

Originally Posted by hyteckit

I watch DVD's on my Mac Mini.

Skip commercials? Click on the "Menu" button.

That also works on standard DVD players... if the disc is authored to allow it.

Eug · Jan 3, 2009, 12:15 AM

Ugh. The wonders of HDMI and compatibility issues.

With my PT-AX200U projector, I'm getting green bands for a split second every 20 minutes or so in 1080p24 and 1080i60 movie playback. However, it only happens with my Sony Blu-ray player. I never seemed to get it with my 1080i60 DVI cable box, and it doesn't happen over component either (Xbox 360). (It also happens with the PS3 apparently, and some HD DVD players too.)

Apparently I need a firmware update... but the stupid part is there is no way for me to do it myself. It requires sending back the unit to Panasonic. Dammit.