Forbes: "No Blue Skies For Blu-ray"

[sarnell2]

"No Blue Skies For Blu-Ray"
http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/...c_0107blu.html

"Another worry, according to Robin Harris, an analyst with the Data Mobility Group, is that Blu-Ray adoption will be slow because few people will notice the difference between formats, since many players can neatly "up-convert" DVDs for high-definition sets. As a result, few will opt to replace their entire DVD libraries, as many did with the earlier generation of videotapes."

Upconverting is the biggest BS ever. It's a fancy term for stretching a crappy picture. I have never seen an upconverted picture look anywhere nearly as nice as a True HD picture. It's not an alternative at all.

[DealsR4theDevil]

Originally Posted by sarnell2

"No Blue Skies For Blu-Ray"
http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/...c_0107blu.html

"Another worry, according to Robin Harris, an analyst with the Data Mobility Group, is that Blu-Ray adoption will be slow because few people will notice the difference between formats, since many players can neatly "up-convert" DVDs for high-definition sets. As a result, few will opt to replace their entire DVD libraries, as many did with the earlier generation of videotapes."

Upconverting is the biggest BS ever. It's a fancy term for stretching a crappy picture. I have never seen an upconverted picture look anywhere nearly as nice as a True HD picture. It's not an alternative at all.

The industry may have screwed Hi-Def media by releasing the upconverts. They really dont look that good and imo, upconverted DVDs look worse than they did on 480i tube TVs.

I will also add that many of my friends believe upconverted DVDs are good enough. I have had 4 of my friends get Blu-ray players but the large majority dont seem to think "its that much better." I say they are blind, I cant even watch a DVD anymore without complaining.

[tron3]

Forbes obviously did NO research on upconverts. They took the propagana as gospel.

Besides, don't let every little story on the web get you rattled. The large majority of people never see nor hear of it. Warner was big news so it traveled... BS sits.

[greekjgg]

Now that one format is imerging I see it mandatory in every sales presentation for retailers to walk customers past a blu ray display to physically show them the difference and educate them. WIth margins lowering fast on TV's, the blu player will be an easy add on item at the POS especially wrapped with like 3 yr financing.

[ottscay]

It seems obvious to me that if this turns out to be a problem that future SD DVD players will stop offering upconverting as a feature (as they become "commodity items for $40 or less for name brands) and upconversion will be a feature of BD players. That way your old DVDs also look better with your BD machine, and of course Blu-rays look (and sound) better yet, plus have all the interactive features and web interactivity that will probably appeal more to J6p than to early adopters.

[JOECINEMA]

Agreed, once you watch Blu Rays for a while, the STD DVD's become harder and harder to watch, especially if you are watching on screen sizes bigger than 50".

[EvanX]

Originally Posted by JOECINEMA

Agreed, once you watch Blu Rays for a while, the STD DVD's become harder and harder to watch, especially if you are watching on screen sizes bigger than 50".

Ain't that the truth! I borrowed the SDVD version of Knocked Up from a friend the other week and it just looked like hell compared to what I'm used to.

And to think, I remember just 9 short years ago how much better DVDs looked over VHS.

[L or S of Perfect?]

part of the reason for news stories like this is the shoddy transfers of some hd dvds & blu-rays.

If you were to watch one of the outstanding transfers like KK or Apocalypto or whatever, there's no way you can make a statement like this unless you're half blind.

[venusiansky]

According to the Onion, Blu-ray will not succeed because in the near future humans will evolve to the point where they will no longer have eyes as a means of communication and sense, rather we will only use telepathic brain waves that which do not resolve any measured grade of video resolution in the visual sense.

j/k... The Onion cracks me up

[LynxFX]

Originally Posted by L or S of Perfect?

If you were to watch one of the outstanding transfers like KK or Apocalypto or whatever, there's no way you can make a statement like this unless you're half blind.

Hell have them take a look at Lost, even the HD broadcast version vs the blu-ray. It is an amazing transfer and the best you'll ever see that show. I believe the same could be said for Prison Break.

[Thomasbeau]

The problem is that some of the upconverted DVD's do look pretty good. For example "Star Wars: Episode 3" looks very good for an upconvert. Yeah, us BD guys can see the difference, but most of your average consumers are probably oblivious to the difference. It's unfortunate but the general public hardly ever knows what is best for them. Like lemmings everyone just goes with the flow.

I do think that most of the THX DVD's upconvert nicely. The majority do look like S**t though.

[SamInNorthCakalakey]

Looks pretty good compared to what?! You have nothing to compare it to, so you can't say "this is good enough" because you know what, that title, on BD is going to be incredible!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Thomasbeau

The problem is that some of the upconverted DVD's do look pretty good. For example "Star Wars: Episode 3" looks very good for an upconvert. Yeah, us BD guys can see the difference, but most of your average consumers are probably oblivious to the difference. It's unfortunate but the general public hardly ever knows what is best for them. Like lemmings everyone just goes with the flow.

I do think that most of the THX DVD's upconvert nicely. The majority do look like S**t though.

[mgonzo2u]

Originally Posted by DealsR4theDevil

I will also add that many of my friends believe upconverted DVDs are good enough. I have had 4 of my friends get Blu-ray players but the large majority dont seem to think "its that much better." I say they are blind, I cant even watch a DVD anymore without complaining.

I'm guessing your friends don't have TV's bigger than 25" (nor are the HD).

Watching an upconverted DVD of any movie and then compare it to the same BD version on a TV
55" HDTV, you can clearly see the difference.

[blu-backer]

Originally Posted by sarnell2

"No Blue Skies For Blu-Ray"
http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/...c_0107blu.html

"Another worry, according to Robin Harris, an analyst with the Data Mobility Group, is that Blu-Ray adoption will be slow because few people will notice the difference between formats, since many players can neatly "up-convert" DVDs for high-definition sets. As a result, few will opt to replace their entire DVD libraries, as many did with the earlier generation of videotapes."

Upconverting is the biggest BS ever. It's a fancy term for stretching a crappy picture. I have never seen an upconverted picture look anywhere nearly as nice as a True HD picture. It's not an alternative at all.

People who have been used to SD DVDs on SDTVs and then buy an HDTV and use an upconverting DVD player probably think they get good enough PQ. However, if you have a 1080p TV and a BD player, it helps to show them the difference by showing them the same movie in SD DVD upconverted and then BD.

I do this with some people using Blackhawk Down. There's a scene that I like to show around the chapter where Chalk 4 is on the move and they fire at a technical that drives up in front of a wall. On the SD DVD, you can't really read the writing on the wall but on BD, the writing jumps out at you. And on the DVD, you can't see the head of a person in the upper left of the screen but on BD, it's clear.

If someone can tell me that the SD DVD is just as good as BD in that scene, I can only shake my head.

[miked924]

Who would expect Forbes to get a tech story right?? That's like Sound and Vision throwing in their two cents on structured financing. It is true that some dvs can look good upconverted but it all depends on the compression of the disc....if it looks bad on a regular dvd player, upconverting isn't going to help much

[Go Blu]

Even uponverted movies more often than look look like crap compared to Blu-ray.

[Proteus]

There eventually comes a time when you have to trust that _retailers_ want to make money.

I'm pretty sure that no self-respecting retailer will miss the chance to 'up sell' a customer purchasing a HDTV into Blu-ray to go with it. As long as Blu-ray makes players that both play DVDs and upconvert DVDs this is a no brainer for a consumer.

It is true that most won't 're-buy' their DVDs, but how many really 're-bought' their VHS tapes? Just a few classics maybe? That era is long gone and, frankly, not even applicable in this digital age. I'm not sure why people even still reference it in terms of this 'format war' and other things. Not even remotely similar landscape.

Retailers will sell Blu-ray. In fact, I would be willing to bet that DVD players, in a few years, begin to take a very far backseat to Blu-ray players on retailers shelves since the backwards compatibility is there. As the price falls the need for DVD only players will fall also.

This is most likely what Toshiba is most fearful of. DVD patents were a pretty significant influx to their bottomline from what I have read. Those are soon to be lost to them.

[mystiksuicide]

That was a useless article.

[CptGreedle]

I know this is wrong. Sure some people won't notice the difference, but MOST people will.
No one needs to upgrade their entire DVD library! They are idiots and fools to even suggest that! If someone is happy with the way their DVD looks, then so be it! But if they want to upgrade some of them, now they can see it in true HD!

[Xerious]

the battle with HD DVD has been won... now the true war with DVD has begun... this will be even bloodier than the last...