Should I buy a blu-ray player?

[Pryderi]

I have a 47" 1080p flat screen. Is a blu-ray player worth getting? I no longer buy dvds, nor rent them. I'm holding off until the library starts carrying blu-ray discs. Do you have one and think it's worth having?

[ChoralScholar]

1. I wouldn't buy a Blu-Ray Player

in the words of Alton Brown, its a 'unitasker'.

Now, a Playstation 3 wouldn't be a bad purchase. Even if you don't play games it:

-Plays Blu-Rays
-Upconverts DVDs
-Plays files from a media server (meaning I can use my PS3 to watch all the videos I have on my computer - across the network)
-Surfs the Internet
-Plays music either locally or streamed
-Streams Netflix, Hulu, and some other service that I've forgotten

[Pryderi]

2. Thx! n/t

[givemebackmycountry]

4. I second that...I LOVE my PS3

I recently watched a Blu-Ray edition of "Inception" and it was STUNNING!
The PS3 is really a high end Blu-Ray player with a lot of other perks.

[Dappleganger]

7. PS3 is what we use on our main tv.

We bought a cheapo Insignia player from Best Buy 2 xmas's ago for under $100 which works well, too (and has the Netflix interface).

[Betty88]

13. This is what I would suggest

I got my referbed for about $110 from newegg.com it came with netflix its a samsung. Had to replace the DVD player anyway otherwise would not have bothered.

[Liberal Veteran]

11. I'll 3rd that. The PS3 is a very good media player.

[Orsino]

3. The players aren't very expensive anymore.

I've found it worth owning even for just the very few movies I've bought in the format. A Blu-ray player "cleans up" even a regular DVD, smoothing its signal for optimal display on a large monitor.

Pride And Prejudice (1995) alone might justify the upgrade, if you're a fanatic like me. The BBC miniseries was translated poorly into VHS, with dull, lifeless colors. Ditto for both DVD releases. The computer processing from original negatives they used to build the Blu-ray is a triumph. The resulting picture is gorgeous, with just a slight graininess (due to the original's having been filmed in 16mm).

If you really, really like movies, you're going to want to see some in Blu-ray. It's even possible to rent a player, if there are, say, just a few favorites you want a new look at.

[alphafemale]

5. I bought mine to stream NetFlix more than anything.

And they aren't that expensive anymore. You can also stream NetFlix on most game systems, not just the PS3. We have a BluRay in the bedroom and stream movies to the Wi in the Living Room. Pay attention when you buy a BluRay though. They can't all stream movies.

[pintobean]

6. My DVD player/recorder shot craps

a few months ago. It was a nice up-converting Samsung. I replaced it with a cheap Insignia Blue ray player and the picture quality on DVDs is remarkably better on my hd-tv. I don't know if the up-convert technology has gotten that much better in the last 4 years, or what. Blue ray disks provide a spectacular picture.

[CabalPowered]

8. blu-ray is nice

But considering the purchase price for blu-ray disks and the netflix blu-ray tax.. I'm a meh anymore on blu-ray. If you have a sweet stereo to go with the tv.. then ya I'd look at it. But I think the better bang for the buck is boxee. Netflix, vudu, pandora, hulu.. all win.

http://www.boxee.tv/

[Starbucks Anarchist]

9. I'd go with a PS3.

It plays Blu-rays, DVDs, games and can connect to the internet. You can also get the apps for Netflix streaming and Hulu Plus for not much money.

[TheCanadianLiberal]

10. It you have a good network connection...

things like Netflix are the future. Optical media is outdated in terms on movies and music.

[jmowreader]

12. Not necessarily...

If all you do is watch current releases, streaming is fine--until all the streams plug the bandwidth of the phone/cable-tv/satellite-internet system, and you know it's coming.

The biggest problem I've got with moving from optical media to an exclusive diet of streamed media is the monthly bill. I watch a movie many times, and paying (insert name of movie provider here) every month so I can see the same 100 movies over and over doesn't make financial sense to me. Example: today I got a blu-ray disc of Fiddler on the Roof. I will watch that a lot--okay, I might just watch one or two songs at a sitting... Anyway, I paid $15 for the disc. This beats the shit out of paying $20 per month, every month (assuming Netflix or whoever doesn't go bankrupt) for access to that film.

[bikebloke]

14. I bought one.

My DVD player died Friday night. The piece of junk only lasted 9 years. For future-proofing I was looking for an upconverter since my CRT still works fine - but who knows when the grim reaper will claim it.

Did some quick research and found a Panasonic model that fit the bill, though I had to ride my bike a ways to get it. They didn't have the model but an earlier incarnation for $70 less. Even on a CRT, the image quality has greatly improved with much more depth. The sound has more dimension. And with grainy transfers like Hamish MacBeth, the image turned smooth and sharp.