Do you want the future to be "Blu"?
0 voters
Just a few minutes ago, I saw a commercial for Blu-Ray that said, “All your favorite movies are better in Blu-Ray.” Then they showed numerous clips from Americans’ favorite movies, including Ratatouille and Cars. The last part of the commercial: “The Future is Blu.”
That got me thinking: Do you want the future to be “Blu”?
No.
Personally, I enjoy watching my favorite films via VHS tape. Sure DVDs are easier to work and clearer, and without a doubt Blu-Ray is even better. But there’s a point where I draw the line. I don’t need the best form of technology to enjoy the videos I know and love.
Worldwide, or even nationwide- if people stopped giving into buying the latest form of something or other, these companies would lose money and movies will still be produced on DVD. It’s the society that’s the fault- people are always out to impress others with the next great thing, thus persuading others to go out and do the same. It’s ludicrous. 
I’m all for HD, no really I am. It’s brilliant, the picture clarity is fantastic and 7.1 surround sound, it’s pretty much better than a theatre. With current projection technologies in use at most cinemas today, we aren’t getting the clarity that can be found on HD. I love HD. I just wish I had a HDTV.
However as for Blu-Ray, I don’t care. I don’t even care for HD-DVD. How long has this tech been around? A few years now, and companies are on the verge of introducing better formats. I kind of see the battle for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray much like companies trying to introduce DVD-Audio discs. It’s a dud.
I guess one format will prevail because imagine being able to back up your files onto 25GB+ discs. The discs might even hold 200GB one day. If this format war stretches out any longer, the next gen format will rush in and we’ll be all over that.
Although many people think skipping the next gen format is the best idea and just going straight to HD digital downloads i think they have missed one important factor…people who can’t afford large download limits and HD downloading is going to push you over your quota quickly. And if they have DRM restrictions on these files a la iTS Movies, you can’t back up your movies to disc and if you drive dies, then you loose that. Consumers want something in their hand, not something on their computer. Music is a different case. Rumours are going around that Microsoft are bribing the industry into taking up HD-DVD just to drag out the format war so they have time to perfect digital downloads. I don’t care which format prevails actually, but one has to and needs to. Sony may have been calling the war in favour of their format (Blu-Ray) prematurely by putting the drive in the PS3. If the format becomes redundant in less than 5 years then Sony have problem on their hands. A whole lot of PS3 owner’s wanting to play movies on their PlayStation but can’t because the drive is outdated. At least with DVD it was clear DVD was the successor to VHS. Laserdisc had it’s day but was over quickly.
Why Blu-Ray and HD-DVD isn’t taking over as quickly as DVD is because a) it’s expensive b) you need a HDTV To experience it fully c) HDTV’s are expensive c)the companies are undecided. Half of your movies are with Blu-Ray but the other half that you want are on HD-DVD. Do I spend lots of money on both player’s? Or do I wait until a cheap Hybrid player comes out. Or do I skip this format entirely?
Why companies don’t do some forward thinking I don’t know. What they could try and do is develop a player for the next thing after HD. Super HD? Then we get that player within the next 3 years and it lasts us this generation and next generation. Not really forcing us to upgrade for an even longer time.
I’m just rambling. Forgive me.
Those are some very good points, bawpcwpn. Currently, I have all the Pixar movies on DVD, and together, they all cost about $150.00. If they were Blu-Ray, they would probably be over $400.00!!!
Blu-Ray is not the format of the future, and if it is, I am going to die. (well, maybe not 
)
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Blu-ray is an advancement in technology, so it’s going the same way as all advancements in technology ever go- it starts off expensive, then when the masses buy into it, the prices are lower.
I wouldn’t be surprised if in, say a couple of decades, we’ll all be watching Blu-ray DVDs and wondering how people ever coped without them. It’s the same sort of thing as the transition from black and white to colour, although perhaps not as big a step- when everyone was watching black and white TV, they all thought it was amazing. Then, when colour came along, black and white became obselete.
There are always cases of people that still use the older formats, such as video or, in audio terms, vinyl because they seem to hold more sentimental value, or because it’s quite retro, or for a number of any other reasons. But ultimately, technology will always move on and Blu-ray DVDs, as well as general HD TVs, are the future.
I see what you’re saying. It’s something like Vista and XP, isn’t it?
I voted “no”.
Not because I have anything against Blu-Ray, or that I am a HD girl. It’s because I am so annoyed at Disney-Pixar’s marketing tactic of giving us the bare minimum of Ratatouille/Cars extras on normal DVD, and putting all the best extras on Blu-Ray.
Past normal DVD releases such as the The Incredibles DVD were perfectly fine to be released the way they were, so Disney must think we are pretty dumb by holding back on the 2-discs just before Blu-Ray came out, thinking we wouldn’t notice.
Maybe it is a bit of a selfish reason to not like Blu-Ray, since I don’t have anything else against the format, but this is the way it’s panned out and I’ll stick with DVD until I’m forced to switch over to the winning format. Heck, it only seemed like a couple of years ago that we finally made the switch to DVD, and I’m in no position to switch (nor do I feel like) I should have to invest in another format again.
I really don’t care. I would be happy with a blu-ray. Then again, I would be happy with out it too. Right down in the middle.
I said no. Not just because the Disney/Pixar releases have been skimpy (which I believe has something to do with this Blu-Ray business). But also first of all there’s this whole thing with HD DVD and Blu-Ray. Cant we just pick one? Then (the main reason), I’ve been spending the last 5 or 6 years trying to replace all my VHS tapes with DVD (some of which I know will never be on DVD) and now I gotta start thinking about replacing all my DVDs? And buying yet another player to take up more space? Geez.
Whoa, I would hate that. And you’re right: this whole Blu-Ray stuff is rubbish. What would happen if WALL•E came out on only Blu-Ray? What would you do?
I voted no. I am a DVD user.
I don’t buy Blurays nor HD DVD’s because my brother told me that the two are currently competing against each other. If HD wins and I bought Blurays for all my films, then I’ve wasted a lot of $$ (since people won’t manufacture any more Blurays and Blu players), and vice versa.
You guys are very right about the Bluray/HD thing- this sort of format war hasn’t really occured in the past, and it doesn’t help the situation at all. I’ve never actually seen a HD DVD in the shops, and Bluray seems to be being marketed more, but not knowing the outcome is annoying, especially since it’s inevitable that one will become more popular than the other.
lizardgirl- I know it’s annoying, but format wars have happened in the past (and will probably happen again, and again). Anyone remember BetaMax VS. VHS, I was too young to remember but my parents have told me how they bought both types of merchandise and how VHS prevailed.
martini- I’ve never heard of Betamx, but that was probably before my time too. My knowledge of this kind of stuff is pretty limited. But as the two formats battle it out, the masses aren’t buying anything just yet, since it isn’t affordable at the moment. By the time it does become affordable, it’s more than likely that one or the other would have prevailed, so I guess the lesson with these sorts of things is not to buy into it too early.
I remember Betamax! Well I dont remember the wars, because I was too young, but i remember watching Betamax tapes, recording on Betamax tapes, etc. We still have our Betamax player as well as a number of Betamax tapes we’ve recorded things on. I watched a few of them and nearly 20 years later, they are still in very good condition and what’s recorded there is still in very decent shape (which wont happen with my VHS tapes). So based on that and what i’ve read about it, VHS won out even though Betamax was the superior product.
Wait a minute. Is it possible to take screencaps on your computer with a Blu-ray disc? If not, then no wonder Disney’s trying to rip us off on Blu-ray! 
Well it’s actually not entirely legal to take screencaps from DVD’s on your computer. I know for a fact that DVD Player.app on OS X doesn’t allow you to take screenshots in it, hence you have to open up the DVD in VLC to do screencaps. Don’t worry A113, you’ll be able to take screencaps.
If WALL-E only came out on Blu-Ray I wouldnt be able to do anything about it. I’d just have to go without, that’s all. I’d be disapointed and probably quite angry if that happened though. Of course I can buy the disc, but in no way can I afford a player right now. I think it would be a little presumptuous of Disney to release it just on Blu-Ray at this point, because most people dont have Blu-Ray players yet.
Yes and no.
Yes becasue Blue is my favorite colour
No because i hate Blu-ray
My apologies for not responding directly to the topic of discussion or participating in the poll, but I thought that I would mention this interesting tidbit of information to you all…
Some of you may have heard of the “Disney Movie Rewards” program. Directly related to the Disney Company, the basic premise of this foundational system is to provide its members with beneficial/exclusive products via a special process involving points and DVD codes. Certain Disney DVDs contain special codes within them, and you can submit these to the DMR (“Disney Movie Rewards”) website to gain points. The more points you acquire, the more items you can purchase free of charge. (Of course, you are spending money on the DVDs in order to get the points, but that’s expected in the Disney universe.)
While recently browsing the list of merchandise they have for purchase, I noticed that they added on a few things, two of these being a Blu-Ray player and a high-definition television set. That’s right. For 8,000 points you can acquire the former, and for 11,000 points you can redeem a brand-spankin’ new high-definition TV. Pretty nifty, non? Of course, you sure would have to purchase a mighty fine collection of Disney DVDs to earn enough points to buy either one or both of those items, but it’s better than nothing. It would seem more sensible to just purchase a Blu-Ray player or high-definition tv right off the bat at your local Best Buy store. Again, this is Disney we’re talking about here…
To visit the official “Disney Movie Rewards” website, please refer to the link below:
Just thought you’d like to know that.
– Mitch