Is Blu-ray REALLY better than DVD?
Pardon me for shouting:
Yes.
Nevertheless, I am wondering: is the Blu-ray format really better than DVD? I have heard lots of people saying it is but I rarely get any really good explanations or comparisons.
Let me be fair about this: DVD is really good. The difference between
analog broadcast and DVD is
substantial, and actually is greater than the difference between DVD and Blu-ray. But that's really a credit to just how much better DVD is than analog broadcast -- it doesn't really take anything away from Blu-ray.
The advantage of Blu-ray over DVD is very significant,
if the program was made to exploit that advantage. So, for example, I wouldn't bother with Blu-ray for, say, The Simpsons, but for a program where picture quality was a significant concern in the crafting of the program, you will definitely note a significant improvement going from DVD to Blu-ray.
Do keep in mind that Blu-ray delivers effectively double the bitrate of HD television (broadcast or cable). So if you think all you get from Blu-ray is HD (like the HD channels you get) on disc, that's not the case -- Blu-ray is even better than that.
Something else to keep in mind in this regard: While Blu-ray does support more advanced audio technologies, DVD did support DD5.1, which is the best most of us can handle in our home theaters anyway. So while there is significant advantage in video quality that can be derived from Blu-ray, don't expect a big step-up in the quality of the audio... again, this is a credit to how good DVD was, and doesn't take anything away from Blu-ray.
Blu-ray is still significantly more expensive than DVD. However, for some things, I think it is worth it. We have purchased the Blu-ray version of Planet Earth, and of the Harry Potter films. We probably won't buy many BDs (but we didn't buy many DVDs either), but rather instead add BD access onto our Netflix subscription next summer, and exploit our new device that way. It's a few extra dollars a month and at that rate well worth it.
