Replacing Standard Def DVDs - Blu-ray Forum

embreeb · 10-21-2009, 06:28 AM

I am in the market for my first HDTV and Blu-Ray player. My nagging question is: Should I replace some/all of my DVDs with their Blu-Ray equivalent, or let the Blu-Ray player upconvert the DVDs? I haven't really found any info as to whether there is a huge difference in quality between upconverted DVDs and movies encoded in 720p/1080p. Please advise.

YodasFootPowder · 10-21-2009, 06:31 AM

Ahh, with a good TV, there is a huge difference. I try to re-buy all my DVDs on Blu, if they get decent reviews for picture quality and the like.

Upscaling DVDs simply plays them at a higher resolution. But, the Blu-ray actually contains more picture information and audio information. DVDs upconverted will never look as good. Some people argue they have DVDs that look close to their Blu-ray counterparts, but I don't agree. I haven't seen any DVD that I thought looked better than it's Blu-ray counterpart.

Wayfarer · 10-21-2009, 06:36 AM

I definitely think you should replace the dvds you love/rewatch often with the blu-ray edition, since there is a huge upgrade in both picture and sound quality. Even the best dvd upscaled won't hold a candle to a good blu-ray disc on a 1080p screen. Granted there are some mediocre blu-ray transfers but these are few and far between, and if you read reviews on this site you'll know which ones to avoid.

I think we all had dvds we bought blind and didn't watch more than once or twice, or films we grew out of. Those are the ones I wouldn't bother replacing with blu-ray.

vegeta88 · 10-21-2009, 06:44 AM

I do not plan on upgrading every movie to Blu-ray but I don't quite have the income to really do that. I have replaced about a dozen becase the Blu-ray version looks so much better (aka Casino Royale). If you have the spare money to upgrade each film, I say go for it; if not, this site has great reviews and many will have a suggestion on whether or not DVD owners should upgrade.

My one real piece of advice, stop buying DVDs. I made the slow transition by still buying DVDs when I found them at cheap prices. It find it hard to upgrade certain movies that I just recently bought on DVD.

Mr Brzozowski · 10-21-2009, 01:38 PM

I bought a PS3 and a 32" LCD HDTV 120hs 1080p LG. The TV isn't super but for $700 it is sure worth every penny. I personally at the moment will only buy movies that I think are worth watching in Blu like Watchmen unless I find a Blu that is super cheap (I got "My Name Is Bruce" for $9 on Blu at Hastings

). I would like to get "The Dark Crystal" but not sure if it's worth it since I have it on DVD already.

Sixx · 10-21-2009, 01:42 PM

I'm only replacing DVD's for titles I know will blow me away. I read the reviews on the Blu PQ,SQ and wait for a sale. I have to admit, I have a hard time renting from Redbox anymore.....feels like I'm missing so much if I don't see a movie in BR.

HeavyHitter · 10-21-2009, 02:00 PM

I never owned more than a couple of hundred DVDs - I sold all of them some time back (expect some older TV series) so it's easier for me to replace all of them with BDs as opposed to if I had owned thousands of DVDs (like some people).

painted_klown · 10-21-2009, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vegeta88

I do not plan on upgrading every movie to Blu-ray but I don't quite have the income to really do that. I have replaced about a dozen becase the Blu-ray version looks so much better (aka Casino Royale). If you have the spare money to upgrade each film, I say go for it; if not, this site has great reviews and many will have a suggestion on whether or not DVD owners should upgrade.

My one real piece of advice, stop buying DVDs. I made the slow transition by still buying DVDs when I found them at cheap prices. It find it hard to upgrade certain movies that I just recently bought on DVD.

I agree 100% as this happened to me. It's sort of a sinking feeling that I wish I had avoided.

Seriously though, the advice dispensed here really is invaluable and the reviews are a great way (in conjunction to your own personal feelings about the film) to gauge waether or not it's worth upgrading to you.

Good luck and have fun.

Lucy Diamond · 10-21-2009, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by embreeb

I am in the market for my first HDTV and Blu-Ray player. My nagging question is: Should I replace some/all of my DVDs with their Blu-Ray equivalent, or let the Blu-Ray player upconvert the DVDs? I haven't really found any info as to whether there is a huge difference in quality between upconverted DVDs and movies encoded in 720p/1080p. Please advise.

I was just like you, especially in the beginning.

My advice is to start with the movies you really love and are close to your heart. Then look for movies you like based on Picture and Audio quality and then look for deals.

If you are careful and patient, it won't cost as much as you might think.

Amazon and ebay are excellent for buying movies that someone has watched once or twice at a fraction of the price and you are mostly safe because it is very difficult to ruin a Blu-ray under normal conditions.

Good luck, enjoy your collection, have fun and Welcome to The BluWorldOrder!!!

~LD

Steve · 10-21-2009, 03:18 PM

I'm pretty selective with which DVDs I replace with blu-rays. I only buy ones that I know I'll watch repeatedly.

benricci · 10-21-2009, 03:43 PM

I was selective at first, but as prices fell (and my DVDs became increasingly worthless), I just decided to upgrade everything and dump DVD altogether.

I still have about 150 titles to replace, which I'm sure will all be released over the next few years.

paulsandhu · 10-21-2009, 03:43 PM

I have a lot of movies and I don't plan on upgrading unless the movie receives a significant remaster and new special features.

I can only think of one or two movies that I'd upgrade.

MaCruz · 10-21-2009, 03:49 PM

Glad I had about 60 DVD's to begin with once I switched to BD back in December. I've been replacing my DVD's and I now have 30 or less.

Shallow_ · 10-21-2009, 04:38 PM

Went blu at about 1200 dvd's. Have replaced about 350 of the 600 I decided to upgrade when/if they come out..

ninjadan · 10-21-2009, 04:39 PM

Is there a general rule on whether to replace the DVD with a blu ray?

There are probably exceptions. But I've tend to replace them if the PQ and AQ are at least 3/5 based on this site and couple others. Of course this is assuming, the blu-ray also ported over the supplements and things I wanted from the DVD. There are those I want to replace like Fugitive but it was one of the early blus and the PQ is described as crappy.

P@t_Mtl · 10-21-2009, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninjadan

Is there a general rule on whether to replace the DVD with a blu ray?

There are probably exceptions. But I've tend to replace them if the PQ and AQ are at least 3/5 based on this site and couple others. Of course this is assuming, the blu-ray also ported over the supplements and things I wanted from the DVD. There are those I want to replace like Fugitive but it was one of the early blus and the PQ is described as crappy.

My rule is rather simple "do I enjoy the movie? Will I watch it often enough? Is it a huge difference in PQ from the DVD?" If I say yes to all these 3 questions well it's going to be an upgrade for me

Beta Man · 10-21-2009, 04:50 PM

Of my 125 Blu-rays, I think over half are ones I had on DVD.

I don't "Replace" either.... I "Re-buy" it's different, because of the 70 or so DVDs that I now have on Blu-ray, I still own every single one of them..... I won't sell them for a few bucks.... they still work, and I would rather lend them to friends etc... than sell them.

s-ray · 10-21-2009, 05:44 PM

Because you can still enjoy the movie on SD DVD, you have the luxury to wait for a really good price or sale. I'm convinced Blu-ray prices will continue to drop and plan to do more shopping next year than I am doing right now.

Renting is also an option for many people.

Gone2HiDef · 10-21-2009, 05:52 PM

Reading the posts, it obviously it depends on each person's particular motivations whether or not to replace or purchase the Blu-ray version of a DVD already in their collection. Me? I'm motivated by the knowledge that if I know there's a "better" version of a DVD out there, then I'll probably buy it eventually. But like others, I take into account whether I'll re-watch the movie often or not before I upgrade right away. Over the past year, I've significantly depleted by 200+ DVD library by selling them to FYE for trade in value, to help offset by BD purchases. And as I've read through this forum, I know there will be plenty of titles that I'll have to wait a while for before they're PQ is eventually "good enough" to be released on BD (e.g., Star Trek: The Next Generation). However, I'm grateful too that recent DVD releases have been remastered good enough to present well on HD; my Abbott and Costello box set and Elvis comeback concert look really, really good, noticeable better than my poor TNG episodes.

Owen Lol · 10-21-2009, 07:19 PM

I wouldn't double dip on everything. Only the movies you really, really enjoy.

10-21-2009, 06:28 AM	#1
embreeb Junior Member Member since:Oct 2009	Replacing Standard Def DVDs I am in the market for my first HDTV and Blu-Ray player. My nagging question is: Should I replace some/all of my DVDs with their Blu-Ray equivalent, or let the Blu-Ray player upconvert the DVDs? I haven't really found any info as to whether there is a huge difference in quality between upconverted DVDs and movies encoded in 720p/1080p. Please advise.

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10-21-2009, 06:31 AM	#2
YodasFootPowder Blu-ray Guru Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Twin Cities, MN Home Theater Gallery:40 4K collection:154 Blu-ray collection:565 Blu-ray reviews: 4 Trading Score:3	Ahh, with a good TV, there is a huge difference. I try to re-buy all my DVDs on Blu, if they get decent reviews for picture quality and the like. Upscaling DVDs simply plays them at a higher resolution. But, the Blu-ray actually contains more picture information and audio information. DVDs upconverted will never look as good. Some people argue they have DVDs that look close to their Blu-ray counterparts, but I don't agree. I haven't seen any DVD that I thought looked better than it's Blu-ray counterpart.

10-21-2009, 06:36 AM	#3
Wayfarer Active Member Member since:Nov 2008 Blu-ray collection:161 Blu-ray reviews:1	I definitely think you should replace the dvds you love/rewatch often with the blu-ray edition, since there is a huge upgrade in both picture and sound quality. Even the best dvd upscaled won't hold a candle to a good blu-ray disc on a 1080p screen. Granted there are some mediocre blu-ray transfers but these are few and far between, and if you read reviews on this site you'll know which ones to avoid. I think we all had dvds we bought blind and didn't watch more than once or twice, or films we grew out of. Those are the ones I wouldn't bother replacing with blu-ray.

10-21-2009, 06:44 AM	#4
vegeta88 Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Nov 2007 Location:CA 4K collection:94 Blu-ray collection:666 DVD collection:116 Blu-ray reviews: 6 Trading Score:1	I do not plan on upgrading every movie to Blu-ray but I don't quite have the income to really do that. I have replaced about a dozen becase the Blu-ray version looks so much better (aka Casino Royale). If you have the spare money to upgrade each film, I say go for it; if not, this site has great reviews and many will have a suggestion on whether or not DVD owners should upgrade. My one real piece of advice, stop buying DVDs. I made the slow transition by still buying DVDs when I found them at cheap prices. It find it hard to upgrade certain movies that I just recently bought on DVD.

10-21-2009, 01:38 PM	#5
Mr Brzozowski Active Member Member since:Oct 2009 Location:Texas	I bought a PS3 and a 32" LCD HDTV 120hs 1080p LG. The TV isn't super but for $700 it is sure worth every penny. I personally at the moment will only buy movies that I think are worth watching in Blu like Watchmen unless I find a Blu that is super cheap (I got "My Name Is Bruce" for $9 on Blu at Hastings ). I would like to get "The Dark Crystal" but not sure if it's worth it since I have it on DVD already.

10-21-2009, 01:42 PM	#6
Sixx Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Aug 2009 Location:Midwest Home Theater Gallery:36 Blu-ray collection:109 Blu-ray reviews:5	I'm only replacing DVD's for titles I know will blow me away. I read the reviews on the Blu PQ,SQ and wait for a sale. I have to admit, I have a hard time renting from Redbox anymore.....feels like I'm missing so much if I don't see a movie in BR.

10-21-2009, 02:00 PM	#7
HeavyHitter Blu-ray Baron Member since:Jul 2007 Home Theater Gallery:4 Trading Score:154	I never owned more than a couple of hundred DVDs - I sold all of them some time back (expect some older TV series) so it's easier for me to replace all of them with BDs as opposed to if I had owned thousands of DVDs (like some people).

10-21-2009, 03:18 PM	#10
Steve Blu-ray Knight Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:May 2008 Location:Anna, TX 4K collection:128 Blu-ray collection:416 Trading Score:41	I'm pretty selective with which DVDs I replace with blu-rays. I only buy ones that I know I'll watch repeatedly.

10-21-2009, 03:43 PM	#11
benricci Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Sep 2008 Blu-ray reviews:1	I was selective at first, but as prices fell (and my DVDs became increasingly worthless), I just decided to upgrade everything and dump DVD altogether. I still have about 150 titles to replace, which I'm sure will all be released over the next few years.

10-21-2009, 03:43 PM	#12
paulsandhu Active Member Member since:Oct 2009 Location:Surrey BC Blu-ray collection:45	I have a lot of movies and I don't plan on upgrading unless the movie receives a significant remaster and new special features. I can only think of one or two movies that I'd upgrade.

10-21-2009, 03:49 PM	#13
MaCruz Community Gaming Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Mar 2009 Location:Jacksonville, FL Home Theater Gallery:160 4K collection:104 Blu-ray collection:958 DVD collection:18 MA collection:394 Digital collection:570 iTunes collection:527 Prime collection:192 Blu-ray reviews: 23 Trading Score:139	Glad I had about 60 DVD's to begin with once I switched to BD back in December. I've been replacing my DVD's and I now have 30 or less.

10-21-2009, 04:38 PM	#14
Shallow_ Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Apr 2007 Location:Norway Home Theater Gallery:185 4K collection:659 Blu-ray collection:5122 Blu-ray reviews:25 Trading Score:21	Went blu at about 1200 dvd's. Have replaced about 350 of the 600 I decided to upgrade when/if they come out..

10-21-2009, 04:39 PM	#15
ninjadan Member Member since:Jun 2009 Location:California Blu-ray collection:84	Is there a general rule on whether to replace the DVD with a blu ray? There are probably exceptions. But I've tend to replace them if the PQ and AQ are at least 3/5 based on this site and couple others. Of course this is assuming, the blu-ray also ported over the supplements and things I wanted from the DVD. There are those I want to replace like Fugitive but it was one of the early blus and the PQ is described as crappy.

10-21-2009, 04:50 PM	#17
Beta Man Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Juuuuuuuust A Bit Outside.... Home Theater Gallery:4 Blu-ray collection:268 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:25	Of my 125 Blu-rays, I think over half are ones I had on DVD. I don't "Replace" either.... I "Re-buy" it's different, because of the 70 or so DVDs that I now have on Blu-ray, I still own every single one of them..... I won't sell them for a few bucks.... they still work, and I would rather lend them to friends etc... than sell them.

10-21-2009, 05:44 PM	#18
s-ray Active Member Member since:Oct 2009 Location:San Diego, California	Because you can still enjoy the movie on SD DVD, you have the luxury to wait for a really good price or sale. I'm convinced Blu-ray prices will continue to drop and plan to do more shopping next year than I am doing right now. Renting is also an option for many people.

10-21-2009, 05:52 PM	#19
Gone2HiDef Power Member Member since:Oct 2008 4K collection:123 Blu-ray collection:759 DVD collection:169 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:4	Reading the posts, it obviously it depends on each person's particular motivations whether or not to replace or purchase the Blu-ray version of a DVD already in their collection. Me? I'm motivated by the knowledge that if I know there's a "better" version of a DVD out there, then I'll probably buy it eventually. But like others, I take into account whether I'll re-watch the movie often or not before I upgrade right away. Over the past year, I've significantly depleted by 200+ DVD library by selling them to FYE for trade in value, to help offset by BD purchases. And as I've read through this forum, I know there will be plenty of titles that I'll have to wait a while for before they're PQ is eventually "good enough" to be released on BD (e.g., Star Trek: The Next Generation). However, I'm grateful too that recent DVD releases have been remastered good enough to present well on HD; my Abbott and Costello box set and Elvis comeback concert look really, really good, noticeable better than my poor TNG episodes.

10-21-2009, 07:19 PM	#20
Owen Lol Senior Member Member since:May 2009 Location:USA Home Theater Gallery:3 Blu-ray collection:68 Blu-ray reviews:28	I wouldn't double dip on everything. Only the movies you really, really enjoy.

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