Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   Can you watch a Blu-Ray dvd movie on the new Xbox 360 console?
   I got the new Xbox 360 with Kinect for Christmas. Can you watch Blu-Ray movies on it?

   • ANSWER:
     No sorry

2. QUESTION:
   When are blu ray and DVD movies going to get cheaper?
   Most new blu ray movies are about and DVDs are . I'm tired of spending so much on a movie.

   • ANSWER:
     where are YOU buying your movies? I get mine usually around . Brand new. I shop at Amazon and fye.com

     but they'll get cheaper once another source of media comes out. Notice how VHS players and cassettes became dirt cheap once DVD's came out? Then DVD's became cheaper once Blu-Ray came out. You can either wait, or check out Amazon and fye.com.

3. QUESTION:
   why doesnt walmart have blu ray combo pack movies in stock? but only the new movies in original dvd?
   how come when I try to buy a new movie like Iron man 2 and karate kid, why didnt I see the blu ray of it at walmart? but they only had the original dvd?

   • ANSWER:
     You may try this software, BestHD blu-ray ripper can backup your favorite Blu-ray DVD movie to your computer by converting Blu-ray DVD to AVI, DivX, XviD, VCD, WMV, MPEG4 format for ps3, ipod, Microsoft Zune, Pocket PC, 3GP Mobile Phone or any other MP4 player.
     http://www.besthdsoft.com/
     Also, you can google some other software:
     http://www.google.com

4. QUESTION:
   Does anyone know of a good website that has a list of new release DVD/BLU-RAY?
   I want to keep tabs on up and coming movies being released on Blu-ray/DVD. One that I can go and keep tabs on what's new coming and available. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

   • ANSWER:
     Well...the best thing to do is to go to the Blockbuster, Target or WalMart websites and just see what dvd's and blu rays they have in stock. This would help you keep up with what's out because these places receive all the new dvds and blue rays as soon as they come out on the market.

     I hope this gives you an idea:)

5. QUESTION:
   Why does my PS3 display black bars when playing Blu Ray DVD's?
   I have a new Toshiba 63" 1080p TV connected to a PS3 via HDMI.
   When playing Blu-Ray movies, I get black bars on the top and bottom. Also, the quality of the film is not any better than standard DVD's? I've checked the setup configuration on the PS3 and most all display settings are on 'automatic'.
   Any advice?

   Thanks!

   • ANSWER:
     A lot of films use aspect ratios wider than 16:9. The black bars are normal. Also, make sure your PS3 is outputting 1080p, and getting your TV calibrated (using a calibration disc is a good idea, and some movies have the THX Optimizer on them for video calibration) in order to get the best picture possible. And I'd suggest watching an actual DVD and comparing it to Blu-Ray to see just how much of a difference there really is...

6. QUESTION:
   How much better will blu ray movies look on a 50'' new tv compared to dvd?

   • ANSWER:
     if you have a HD-Compatible television you can expect the picture to 6X more clear.

7. QUESTION:
   Can anyone tell me where I can find the fast and the furious part 1 on blu ray dvd?
   I have been looking for just the first fast and the furious movie. I want as a new blu ray movie. Can you find a website where I can purchase this dvd and remember I dont want the whole trilogy I just want the first one.

   • ANSWER:
     http://search.deepdiscount.com/search?w=the%20fast%20and%20the%20furious&

8. QUESTION:
   Is there a way to use grey bars instead of black bars when viewing DVD/Blu-ray movies on the PS3?
   I tend to use my PS3 to watch a lot of movies, and as you can imagine there are a variety of ratio aspects that lead to pillar-boxes and letter-boxes. I recently bought a new plasma HDTV and I've noticed some burn-in occurring (it goes away after watching some full screen videos or playing video games) but I'm afraid for the long term effects. I heard that grey bars are better for your TV than black bars, so is there anyway to use them on the PS3?

   • ANSWER:
     no , there's no way of using grey bars , I suggest reading the tv manual to see if it has anti-burn in and setting it to use pixel shift if possible -- once a month or more if you want to use whatever burn in features the tv has
     my plasma uses regular pixel shift and has 3 other options to clear up the screen but these needed to be set up in the tv menu

9. QUESTION:
   Do i have to have a special monitor to view Blu-ray and HD DVD movies on computer.?
   I am planning on buying a Blu-ray/ hd dvd player on my new comp build.
   I need to know if i need to buy a monitor w/ like hdcp or some to view HD movies My vid cards are going to be 2x Evga GeForce GTX 280 FTW Edition 1GB 512-bit in sli

   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136154

   New build:
   EVGA LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI DDR3 ATX Intel Motherboard
   2x Evga GeForce GTX 280 FTW Edition 1GB 512-bit
   WD 1TB 7200rpm 32mb cache HDD SATA
   WD VelociRaptor 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB
   ABS Tagan BZ Series 1100w PS
   Intel 3.0ghz Core2quad yorksfeild
   4gb Corsair 2000mhz DDR3 RAM
   2x LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner
   Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional
   Silverstone Black Full tower case
   Water cooled with Feser products (X-changer quad 120mm Xtreme radiator)
   Vista 64-bit pro

   just thought i'd add for my amusement

   • ANSWER:
     No you DO NOT need a special monitor, but you do need a special DVD ROM Drive. It MUST be able to read Blu-Ray discs and be compatible with them, and other DVD's (: hope this helps have a nice evening (:

10. QUESTION:
    What's the Point of buying Movies (On DVD & Blu ray Disc's) ?
    Blu ray disc's are to expensive.Buying movies in my opinion is a waste of good money.Because once you buy it watch it a few times then you store it somewhere to get covered in dust or never see's the light of day again.Does the movie industry think that people will always be stupid enough to always buy movies over and over again? Yes I know you can watch your DVD collection on the Blu ray player.Just because they have come out with yet another New Technology.P.S I'm not against new technology I love it.What I don't like or understand is unnecessary spending.

    • ANSWER:
      I agree, and that's why we have a Netflix subscription, we pay less than a dollar per movie on average. The only movies I actually own on Blu-ray are my very favorites, ones I will watch multiple times. It's also nice to have a small selection of good titles on hand for when guests want to watch a movie, or just to demo your system.

      The Blu-ray titles I do own I got cheap on eBay or Half.com, no way I would pay retail.

      As for your point about new technology coming along, it will happen, but not for a few years. Blu-ray is still relatively new, and has enough capacity for 3D and other enhancements.

      It would be great if you could buy rights to a movie--in all forms--one time. But try talking the studios and their accountants into that.

11. QUESTION:
    How do they make older movies into Blu-Ray DVDs?
    I recently got a PS3 with a Blu-Ray DVD player, so I searched for "blu-ray" on a website that sells DVDs to see what titles would be out in that format. To my surprise, there was over 200 results. Some movies that dated back over a decade ago!...

    I admittedly am not familiar with the "technicalities" of Blu-Ray technology, but how could they convert an older movie like that into a format that didn't even exist at the time the movie was created??? Would those "older" movies that are on Blu-Ray DVD be of a lesser quality than a new release on Blu-Ray DVD?...

    Thanks!...
    I recently got a PS3 with a Blu-Ray DVD player, so I searched for "blu-ray" on a website that sells DVDs to see what titles would be out in that format. To my surprise, there was over 200 results. Some movies that dated back over a decade ago!...

    I admittedly am not familiar with the "technicalities" of Blu-Ray technology, but how could they convert an older movie like that into a format that didn't even exist at the time the movie was created??? Would those "older" movies that are on Blu-Ray DVD be of a lesser quality than a new release on Blu-Ray DVD?...

    Is there really any advantage to buying an older movie on Blu-Ray versus just regular widescreen format???...

    Thanks!...

    • ANSWER:
      Movies that are available in digital form, for example DVDs and the new high def BluRay and HD-DVD, are digital representations of the original analog work, which is typically a photographic type film (think Kodak and FujiFilm, not digital camera) Photographic film is analog in nature, and has very high resolution, meaning there are no pixel limitations like there are on digital cameras. This is why digital cameras go up and up in mega-pixels; they are trying to match the resolution of photographic film, but in the digital domain. So, original films, even old films, have very high native resolution and quality for the master copies. Although the original film is in this high definition analog medium, the picture you saw on your old standard definition TV is an inferior down-resolution version of that film, limited by the bandwidth of the television broadcast network. The actual film is capable of much higher resolution. Similar to music, original film works are kept in the form of pristine master copies. These master copies are stored in temperature and humidity controlled vaults. These master copies are considered priceless, because they are at the top of the "film tree" where are the other copies have been made from them. They use additional master copies (lower in the tree) for actual production, so as not to destroy the original film by playing it back too often. To make a digital version of the film, the film is passed through a Telecine machine. This machine takes a digital snapshot of the film frame by frame. You can think of this process similar to taking a digital photo of the film frame, or scanning a document into your computer. Now that there is a digital representation of the film (a file), anything can be done with it. Since the size of the digital file is so large, to make it practical to squeeze it onto a DVD disk, it must be compressed with very complicated algorithms, which reduces the size of file drastically. Now the compressed file can be stored on a disk, and you can put it in you DVD player and view it. It is uncompressed (think of it as the file going back to its original larger size) before going to your TV screen. If it was not for this compression scheme, digital movies on disks and for downloading from the Internet would not be practical. So the result of all of this, is you can now watch an old film, in digital form, in a way higher resolution than you ever saw before, thanks to the availability of the original master film and the Telecine machine. In the future, if a higher definition format shows up, and it will, then the Telecine machines may or may not need to be upgraded, and then the film is rescanned to pull off a yet higher resolution digital representation of the film.

      See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine

      See: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html

      See: http://www.unlv.edu/programs/filmarchive/articles/bad_dvds.html

      No, older movies are not necessarily poorer quality than a newer generation movie. Older movies can go through a touch up process after Telecine scanning to fix bad spots in the film, fix color etc. But, even though they are old, they should still be higher def like a new film when you view them via BluRay or HD DVD player.

      Yes, BluRay or HD-DVD is better than regular DVDs in wide screen, but ONLY if you have a high definition capable TV set.

      See: http://www.cornbread.org/FOTRCompare/index.html

      Bring your mouse in and out of the picture to get a feel for how high def compares to DVD. When your mouse is inside the picture, it represents HD. It's not obvious at first, but look at the edges of the text on the map, or the stones in the wall, or details in the forest around the waterfall to see the difference in detail.
      This of course is greatly magnified and more noticeable on a 50" high definition TV.

      Hope this helps!

12. QUESTION:
    Do you buy DVD or Blu Ray new or used, rent movies, or watch them online for free?

    I forgot an option, or do you watch them on Cable or Satellite TV
    or do you mostly just go to the movie theater

    • ANSWER:
      I buy cheap DVDs... usually at garage sales or dollar stores. I rarely pay full price.

      I don't usually buy Blu-rays unless it's something that I really want and isn't available on DVD (like Advent Children Complete), or it's a really good price.

      I generally don't watch movies online because the quality isn't so great, and I stay away from the theater because it's so expensive.

      And I have cable TV. Satellite sucks in my area.

13. QUESTION:
    Rip/transfer Blu ray DVD movie and mkv to samsung i9000 galaxy S?
    My new smartphone Samsung Galaxy S i9000 is perfect for watching movies on the go – its 4 inch SuperAMOLED display delivers crisp picture quality, and the DivX and XviD video playback support and a long-lasting battery (7 hrs of video playback) let me enjoy high definition videos freely without a hitch.
    So i want to enjoy dvd movie and mkv videos on samsung i9000,how to transfer mkv and dvd movies to samsung i9000???

    • ANSWER:
      Playing back: Supported HD (720p@30fps) video by Samsung Galaxy S i9000
      Supported Codec: MPEG-4, H.264, H.263, H263Sorenson, DivX HD/ XviD, VC-1
      Supported Video Format: 3gp (mp4), WMV (asf), AVI (divx), MKV, FLV
      Supported Audio Format: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, OGG, AMR-NB, WAV, MID, AC3, IMY,FLAC, XMF
      http://www.pavtube.com/hot-mobile-phone/transfer-mkv-avi-mpg-dvd-to-i9000-galaxy-s.html

14. QUESTION:
    How to watch movies in High Definition on my new HD LCD without Blu-Ray or HD DVD?
    Is it possible to watch HD movies with a regular dvd player on my LCD which supports HD? I spent all my money on my new LCD, and I can´t afford a blu-ray player nor a HD DVD player. Here in Chile, where I live the cable company still has the analog system and the image on the LCD is awful. But I know the LCD can do much more for me. I've heard something about Component or something like that that allows you to watch regular dvds in HD with regular Dvd player on the LCD? Is that true? Please, I don't want to keep watching bad definition after paying a lot of money on the LCD, I'd like to watch at least movies in HD without spending a lot more money. Thanks.

    • ANSWER:
      You can get an up-converting DVD player that plays regular DVDs and doubles the resolution to give you a better picture. It's not as nice as Blu-ray, but will be a real improvement. In the US they sell for around .

15. QUESTION:
    what are the last 3 dvd movies you purchased?
    how often do you buy a DVD or Blu-ray movie? what are the last 3 movies you purchased? do you buy new or used?

    • ANSWER:
      A mixture of new and used all DVDs don't have a blu ray dvd player. And purchase maybe once every two-three months, occasionally might go on a spree if a lot of good movies are being released or re-released on DVD at the same time.

      Pale Rider (New)
      The Red Baron (Used)
      Crossing Over (Used)

16. QUESTION:
    Blu-ray movies work on imac OS X?
    Hey, i have a new imac OS X and am planning to buy a blu-ray DVD, wondered if it was actually compatible on the imac?
    i might just be asking a silly question, i don't know.
    Any comments based on this matter is much appreciated.

    • ANSWER:
      Nope. You can't play blu-ray on a imac. No mac has a blu-ray drive and I'm not even sure apple is planning to make a mac with one.

17. QUESTION:
    My Blu-Ray DVD won't play in my Blu-Ray Player?
    I got the new 'The Princess and The Frog' Blu-Ray DVD from Netflix a few days ago. I haven't had a chance to watch it until today. First I put the DVD into my laptop, (which can support Blu-Ray movies) it didn't even recognize that there was a movie in the CD player, let alone play the movie. Then I put it into my Blu-Ray DVD Player, it would go through the opening previews but when i tried to play the movie it would take me back to the play menu no matter what I did. I tried my home computer and my XBox 360, they both did the same thing as my lap top. Has anyone else had a similar problem with this movie?

    • ANSWER:
      Exchange it. It has to be the movie since you tried to play it on many different machines.

18. QUESTION:
    When will Desktop computers with built in Blu-Ray DVD Players come out?
    Does anyone have any idea when Desktop PC's with built in Blu-Ray DVD Players will come out.I hope so soon,recently I was in a Circut City and I saw a Blu-Ray DVD Player showing a movie,it was very clear,the movie look 3-Dimensional like I could reach in and touch it,I hope they bring out New Desktops PC with built in Blu-Ray DVD Players soon.Who agrees?

    • ANSWER:
      These computers already exist, even Dell will install a blue-ray player in their systems. What you have to keep in mind however is that the monitor will also need to be of HD quality to display a truely HD picture.

19. QUESTION:
    Are non-HD movies(older) released in Blu-Ray/HD-DVD any better than regular DVDs?
    We know that HD is still in its infancy to the consumer. We also know that to come up with a true HD picture, it should start with an HD camera, right? Now if movies, even as recent as a few years back were shot using normal, non-HD (though better) cameras, and they will be issued in Blu-Ray/HD-DVD, will there be an improvement, say, playing a DVD up-converted to 720p/1080i? Do they have the technology to "remaster" movies, as in the case of audio?

    The answer to this will definitely help DVD collectors, whether they should change their current collection or retain them, along with their new HD/Blu Ray discs library.

    • ANSWER:
      Most major motion pictures shot in the last 5 or so years were shot in 1080p60 resolution or higher. DVDs are obviously unable to store this resolution so they were down converted to 480i or 480p. Now that HDDVDs and Blu Rays are around, they're able to take advantage of that theater resolution.

      Upconverted DVDs suck IMO. It just looks like someone turned the sharpness all the way up on your TV. There is no way to remaster film shot in 720 or 480 verticle lines into a true 1080i/p high def picture.

20. QUESTION:
    Does your movies have to be in Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D format in order to watch them in 3D?
    Ok let me specify a little more. I know you have to have the 3D HDTV or whatever but I'd read where you can watch your basic Blu-ray movies in 3D on these new 3D HDTVs. However, I saw where Disney has come out with their Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD combo packs but I haven't been seeing any other companies come out with the Blu-ray 3D format. Disney is the only one that I know of who has done this. So do you absolutely have to get the Blu-ray 3D in order to watch your movies in 3D or will the basic Blu-ray format work in 3D?

    • ANSWER:
      "To see 3D, you need ALL of these:

      - 3D TV
      - 3D glasses that are made for that TV
      - 3D Blu-Ray player
      - 3D Blu-Ray movie

      If anything from the above list is missing, you will either see a 2D picture, or a blurry mess."

      _____________________

      The above is mostly correct. If you own a Samsung 3D model from either 2010 or 2011, it will 'up-convert' any 2D picture to 3D. It's not as impressive as actually having a 3D Blu-Ray movie but it still looks pretty cool.

21. QUESTION:
    What is the difference between a dvd player and a blu-ray dvd player?
    I always used a DVD player to watch movies.

    I have to buy a new DVD Player because my old one broke. Why should I want to buy a Blu-ray dvd player instead of a regular dvd player.

    • ANSWER:
      For one thing any disc you buy in the future will be a blu-ray disc and will not work in a regular dvd player. What you should buy is a player that states on the box that it will work with all existing disc formats. They will come out with something else that makes all that garbage in a couple of years anyway.

22. QUESTION:
    I need to transfer home movies from VHS to DVD/Blu-ray and dub an audio track?
    I am looking for a VHS/DVD/Blu-ray player/recorder. I am looking for a combo set where I can transfer some old VHS tapes I made a few years ago to DVD or Blu-ray. The VHS tapes are copies from 8mm home movies with no audio. I would like to be able to dub an Audio track while I am transferring the VHS over to the new media. Any suggestions on who makes a good unit ?
    Thanks for the input. I think I may go with a Panasonic DMP-BD70VK Blu-ray. Not really sure yet. CNET did not gave Samsung DVD-VR357 that good of review.

    • ANSWER:
      I recommend either the Toshiba DVR620 or the Samsung DVD-VR357. Both are great units and the quality transfers are pretty good ( considering the copied source).

      You can get either one of the units at Amazon.com.

      Good luck.

23. QUESTION:
    The does anyone know when the new Resident Evil 2 movie comes out on DVD & Blu-ray?

    NO I am talking about the animation 3D!

    • ANSWER:
      it already has

24. QUESTION:
    Will Blu-Ray DVD's play on a regular old DVD player?
    I have a 4 year old DVD player that I don't think is HD and certainly not Blu-Ray. It plays regular Netflix movies fine, but since the industry is changing to Blu-Ray, will they play on my "regular" unit or do I have to go out and buy a new one?
    Also, will home movies I had put on DVD play on a new Blu-Ray?

    • ANSWER:
      simply put, standard DVD'sWILL play on Blu Rey machines, Blu Rey or HD DVD will NOT play on standard DVD players

25. QUESTION:
    Blu Ray movies with the best special features/extra content?
    I'm just getting into HDTV, so I was wondering what are some movies that have the coolest new bonus features that aren't on the DVD versions of the same movie? I heard some Blu Ray discs have picture in picture commentary so you can see the director talking in the corner of the screen while the movie is playing.

    • ANSWER:
      Picture in picture is Blu-ray 1.1. Blu-ray 2.0 adds BD Live, which allows you access to exclusive Live content such as games and trivia.

26. QUESTION:
    Should I keep it in the package star wars collection movies blu ray?
    I got the nine disk collectors set on blu ray yesterday of the entire star wars saga and I know if I keep it wrapped in the plastic it's value will grow. I already have the movies on DVD to watch if I want to but they are aged and used should I open the new collection or keep it shut for the sake of collecting? Or a third option keep it closed and buy an extra to open if the special features are worth it?

    • ANSWER:
      Actually I think its value will go to zero as soon as the Blu-ray standard is replaced with something else. Most likely ubiquitous wireless delivery which will eliminate ALL physical data delivery methods.

      Besides that, they made MILLIONS of those discs so they will never increase in value

27. QUESTION:
    Why do some Blu Ray movies also come with the regualr dvd?
    its stupid i mean couldnt i just give the regualer one to someone else
    the new harry potter movie is selling like that
    no, it also includes the digital copy

    • ANSWER:
      Its your digital copy to put on your PSP, ipod or whatever.

28. QUESTION:
    Can my laptop play blu-ray if i replace my dvd drive with a blu-ray drive?
    I have a Toshiba satellite p300-20c, basically is it worth me changing the current dvd drive with a blu-ray drive? My screen has a resolution of 1440 x 900, does this mean i can't play 1080p blu-ray movies if my laptop allows this new driver?

    THANKYOOUUUUUUUU

    • ANSWER:
      Technically yes.

      However, you will find it is almost certainly cheaper to have the Blue-Ray as an external drive on USB

      You can buy an external caddy that takes power over the USB connection. Personally I would avoid that and go for the mains option, as performance may be better and it is certainly going to save you battery power.

      1080p should be possible

29. QUESTION:
    Can you play regular DVDs in a Blu-Ray DVD player?
    We are about to buy a new TV and a Blu-Ray DVD player. Can we play the regular DVDs in the new player, even though I know we won't get the high quality? I'm just wondering if we should keep the old DVD player for all our regular movies or can we get rid of it, if the Blu-Ray plays the regular DVDs too.

    • ANSWER:
      A blu-ray player will play your regular DVDs and even upconvert them to near hd quality for you. Make sure you get a a Profile 1.1 or 2.0 player though or you won't be able to use the cool picture in picture features on the blue ray movies.

30. QUESTION:
    New Blu Ray Movies?
    I was wondering now that blu ray is by itself will they make transformers the movie on blu ray disk...and when is fred claus the movie coming out and will it be on blu ray disk also?
    I heard a rumor they was making batman begins on blu ray..it was only on hd dvd

    • ANSWER:
      we have transformers on blu ray and the graphics are awesome!

      As for the other ones; i'm not sure. i assume batman will be eventually!

31. QUESTION:
    I just bought a new HDTV. What Blu-Ray DVD should I buy to christen it?
    I don't care what genre, just give me a good movie to watch on it that will look pretty on the new tube!

    • ANSWER:
      The Golden Compass looks incredible on Blu-Ray.

      So does the Planet Earth series.

32. QUESTION:
    What is the difference between Blu-Ray and DVD?
    New movies are coming out on Blu-Ray and DVD. What is the difference between the two? Do you have to have a special Blu-Ray player, or can you play Blu-Rays on your DVD player?

    • ANSWER:
      Blu-ray disc is a storage medium that can hold much more information than a DVD. Because HDTVs have much higher detail/definition the movie and audio files are much larger for HD movies. These files are too big for DVDs, so a new format was developed a few years ago.

      Blu-ray players can play DVDs or Blu-ray discs. DVD players, because they're older, can only play DVDs.

33. QUESTION:
    can you play blu ray disks on a hd dvd player?
    i ask because iv relised there is more blu ray movies out than hd including the new 007 so if anyone got any info if it will or not let me know so i dont waste my money on dvd i cant play lol.

    • ANSWER:
      no you can't cross the formats.....BUT........lg have got a machine that will play both, get that one it's bout £500 at the mo.

      wg

34. QUESTION:
    Why is it that only Blu-Ray movies come with a separate digital copy?
    I don't have a Blu-Ray player because I have a Macbook and they don't play Blu-Ray discs. Therefore it would be quite useless for me to buy a Blu-Ray movie. Yet the DVD prices are still .99 for new releases, and all I get is the one movie. Even though the "digital copy" that comes with Blu-Ray is regular dvd quality. Why do only Blu-Ray buyers get a digital copy? Aren't I buying the movie too? Am I less of a customer because my brand of computer is unable to play Blu-Ray?
    I didn't ask if you thought I should buy a Blu-Ray player. I'm in college. I don't have a steady income. I have a laptop to watch TV and movies on. No TV. All I ask is that I be able to do whatever I like with the DVD I purchased, why can't I put it on my iPod but Blu-Ray purchases can? That was the question.

    • ANSWER:
      um you can buy regular dvds with digital copys
      get a ps3--they have built in blu ray players

35. QUESTION:
    Now that Blu ray disc is released will all new movies be in that format? Is the normal DVD already surpassed?

    • ANSWER:
      There are 83,000+ DVDs and less than 600 Blu-ray discs. Less than 80 new movies are expected to be released on Blu-ray in the next 4 months, while over 600 DVDs are scheduled for the same period ... so, not all new movies will be released on Blu-ray from now on (Partly because potential sales don't justify it, but also because the mastering process is too slow and expensive, and replication is undercapacity).

      There are over 200 million DVD players in the US alone ... and something like 10 million devices capable of playing Blu-ray disks (and most of these are game machines not used to play movies). While about 40% of US households have an HDTV less than half of these (~20%, this is the potential market for Blu-ray players) have HD programming.

      Blu-ray is a premium priced alternative to DVD and, other than a prettier picture and (potentially) better sound, offers no compelling advantage over DVD (relative to how DVD solved the problems of VHS).

      Until prices come down on players, hardware matures and disk prices fall to DVD levels, Blu-ray has no chance of going mainstream. DVDs currently account for 90%-97% of disk sales (depending on movie) ... so, bottom line, the predominence of DVD is not even threatened yet.

36. QUESTION:
    Is it worth buying a new blu-ray player vs. a standard DVD player?
    Our current DVD changer is too large for the entertainment center we just bought. I'm contemplating buying a cheap DVD player that will fit, but now I'm thinking I should just pay a bit more and get a Blu-ray. Is Blu-ray the future? Will standard DVDs still be created or is it going to be a situation where all the new movies will come out in Blu-ray and DVD will be phased out?

    • ANSWER:
      I personally believe that the Blu-ray vs. DVD thing is the same as DVD vs. VHS. They are both still being produced atm. but DVD will disappear in time.

37. QUESTION:
    i got a new laptop and it has a blu ray player but i cant get any of my movies to work. help!?
    i dont know what to do, im guessing i need some kind of a video player or somerthing to get it to work but i cant get any of my blu ray movies to work. please i kinda have a vary short time to get this to work i have to leave to get on a vary long flight soon and i just realized i cant get any of my movies to work. does anyone know of a sure fire way to get my blu rays work. i dont really have a ton of time to test out all sort of different options. please lemme know if there is some free dvd/bd player that i can download that will play blu ray movies. thanks i have a sony vaio vpcs111fm
    vlc doesn't work. i tried, only works on dvds

    • ANSWER:
      I think PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D is your best choice, The Best Blu-ray/DVD Playback Software on the PC!
      You can see detail and check it out: http://www.cyberlinkpowerdvd.net

38. QUESTION:
    Can I use a Blu-Ray movie in a regular DVD player?
    I want to know if I can do this WITHOUT adding any components, upgrades or whatever to my DVD player. I imagine that if I do this, I won't see the movie in its best. But I am thinking that whenever I need to buy a Blu-Ray player (since I think that DVD players are going to dissapear because of the Blu-Ray tech), I may buy my movies in Blu-Ray, watch them in my DVD player now, and whenever I buy a new player, I won't have to re-buy movies in blu-ray.

    Please, SIMPLE answers, not complicated tech answers, since I would not understand them.

    • ANSWER:
      No. The encoding is different and the DVD laser will not read the Blu-Ray data. It's that simple.

39. QUESTION:
    Older movies on blu-ray?
    This year we bought my Mother a new blu-ray DVD player for Christmas and I am trying to find some older movies on blu-ray. Does anyone know where I can find, “Where the Heart Is” and “Riding In Cars With Boys” on blu-ray?

    I have looked everywhere and am unable to find them.

    Thanks – Mo

    • ANSWER:
      well, they dont really make older movies on blu ray. It cost them to much to mass produce older movies in blu ray when they wont really sell. plus, they wont look any different because they wernt shot in HD.

40. QUESTION:
    Do all blu ray dvds come with a regular dvd as well as the blu ray dvd?
    I want to start buying new blu ray dvds of movies that I don't all ready have. But I only have one blu ray dvd player. All of are other DVD players play regular DVD's. If I buy new movies I want to be able to play them other then on my blu ray player.

    Please only answer this question if you can help me out. Please do not answer this question only for points.

    • ANSWER:

41. QUESTION:
    Is there anywhere to get cheap Blu-ray movies?
    I've pursued the Ebay route but the deals are hit and miss. I was curious if anyone knew of any new sites that have cropped up since Blu-Ray has taken over as the popular DVD format.

    • ANSWER:
      http://blu-ray-player.co.cc/discount-Blu_Ray_DVD.html

42. QUESTION:
    The menu in my new avatar blu-ray disc keeps popping up during the movie, what is wrong with it? Can it fix?
    Got the movie at target in a dvd/blu-ray special pack like a week ago, but now when I watch the blu-ray the menu randomly pops up, can anyone tell me what might be going on?

    • ANSWER:
      Both my disc played fine. Check all your settings in menu prior to watching movie. You may have chapter repeat or somethin enabled. You may also have a defective disc, exchange to see if problem resolves. Contact manufacturer of your player, if all else fails.

      Good luck !!

43. QUESTION:
    cheap blu ray movies??
    hey i just bought a new sony blu ray player bdp s300 and i was just wondering where can i buy cheap blu ray movies...does anyone know a website or a store to where to buy these blu ray movies....thank you........

    P.S..............any one own a blu ray and hd dvd player...which one in your opinion is better in both sound and video quality....and which one do you think is better overall....

    • ANSWER:
      Experts have concluded that while Blu-ray disks were initially lower picture quality than HD DVD (due primarily to the use of MPEG 2 instead of VC-1 coding) the two formats are now, on average, virtually identical in both picture and audio quality. There remain differences among disks of the same format due to mastering differences ... which is why few movies of either format are singled out as being exemplary.

      I personally think Blu-ray is technically the more advanced format (although not necessarily better) but HD DVD is the format I support because of the misleading way in which Blu-ray has been "sold" to the public and the imposition of excessive copy protection (BD+) and region coding (all of which have been avoided by HD DVD).

      Blu-ray just (Oct 31, 2007) implemented the 2nd stage of a 3 part implementation of the Blu-ray hardware specification. In essence this means that most players sold before that date can't play many of the more advanced special features ... and this was not made clear to unsuspecting customers who bought these players. Oh sure, the movie plays fine, but many customers paid more money for Blu-ray players that don't play what cheaper HD DVD players ALL handle fine because the HD DVD spec was final from day one. See the link.

      You by the way are a victim of this since Sony purposely started selling the BDP-S300 2 weeks befor the deadline so it did not have to be Profile 1.1 compliant. Doesn't that make you feel good. Persoanlly, I'd be PO'ed.

      As to cheap movies, other than a few titles that people got in givaways to help sell players -- and may be available on eBay -- you probably can't. The best deals have been at Amazon .. but even then prices are still high.

      The whole point of Blu-ray (and, to be fair, HD DVD) was to start a new format that could be sold at high prices, to replace the dropping revenue from DVD sales (where high prices could not be maintained).

      Consumers have taken the bait ... although the Blu-ray camp particularly have maybe shot themselves in the foot, because to build sales to help kill HD DVD, they have had so many buy one, get one free (BOGO) sales that there is increasing reluctance to buy Blu-ray disks at full price.

      The result is that those of us who consider DVD to be good enough for most movies (I see very little improvement from HD DVD disks over DVD on my HD DVD player), and reserve HD disks for the occasional worthy movie or documentary (e,g, Planet Earth) are able to, as I did yesterday, buy 21 DVDs for a little over 0, while shaking my head at HD disk prices of close to for Harry Potter and the Bourne Ultimatum ... movies I will buy previewed in a couple of months for under .

      The industry has made a big miscalculation. Sure HD disks are an improvement, but they are not the "mainstream" future. For multiple reasons I've detailed in previous responses here (do a search if interested) DVD will remain as the main disk medium for a long time to come, HD DVD and Blu-ray will both survive as niche formats for those who can benefit and are willing to pay the premium price, and slowly VOD and download mechanisms will take over from disks.

      Happy New Year

44. QUESTION:
    Why do some blu-ray movies look a lot better than others?
    I own about 5 blue-rays, all that are new and the movies are all new too and they look top notch of course, but then the other day I was at a friends house and he was watching "The Water Horse" wasn't sure if it was blu-ray or hd-dvd but it was like looking through a window, for some reason is was very like life looking compared to my new blu-rays.I noticed that when I go to bestbuy when they advertise blu-ray movies on their T.V.s they also look like you are looking through a window.

    • ANSWER:
      Probably the BRAND of TV and the model of TV you own is different than your friends....

      Or it's OLDER...

45. QUESTION:
    What is difference between a upconverting 1080p DVD HDMI player and a blu-ray?
    I'm sickened by this whole blu-ray / HD-DVD war. I know there are some DVD players that have both formats but why should I spend that much money on a new player and new movies when I can simply buy a Upconverting DVD 1080p player with HDMI? I guess my question is will the quality of the unpconvert be as good as the Blu-ray/ HD-DVD versions?

    • ANSWER:
      I personally own one Samsung DVD-HD960 which upconverts a normal DVD into 1080p quality signal. First of all, you need to make sure that you have a good 1080p capable monitor to see the difference between an upconverted signal and a pure Blue Ray or HD Disc. I used a Gateway FPD2485W 24-inch HD pc monitor as my display since it has a 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution, so I am fully covered to run a 1080p signal.
      With this setup, I can tell that the upconversion is really good, very close to a Blue ray or HD quality. However, it is not exactly as good as if you are running a pure Blue Ray or HD disc. The point is, there are some DVD (probably the older ones) that are not really upcoverted to 1080p. Since the normal DVD has only 480 lines of horizontal resolutions, the upconverter has a difficulty of converting it into a 1080 resolution. Not all movies in a DVD can be upconverted to 1080p, so I downswitched to 1080i and it will play normally. There might be an inferior image quality but it is still a lot sharper than just playing a normal DVD on a regular monitor.
      The advantage of just using an upconverter is for you not to spend another thousands of dollars collecting movies in HD or blue ray format. Like I got more than 500 DVDs which I just cannot dispose easily, so I just enjoy watching it in an upconverter DVD. Besides, if you are getting a Sony 1080p LCD TV, it has a built-in upconverter. So if you will use a 1080p or 1080i upconverter, the TV will step it up some more to produce a sharper image close to a blue ray or HD quality.

      Now, the main difference is, the Blue ray and HD DVD offers a lot of other functions that a normal DVD disc doesn't have. Since it has more data in it, either Blue Ray or HD DVD can really provide you with a better sound and functions like showing more scenes that a normal DVD can provide. For now, i will just use an upconverter but eventually I will be shifting to Blue Ray or HD DVD since at this moment, most consumers are still paying for the high price of this new technology. I will give it a year or two once their prices starts to drop down a little bit.

      Thats my 2 cents in there. I hope I gave a fair explanation.

46. QUESTION:
    Can I watch a Blu-ray movie on my TV played from an ordinary DVD player?
    I want to buy a movie online but comes only in Blu-ray. I don't understand new format things (although I don't think Blu-ray is very new).

    • ANSWER:
      No unfortunately you can't. Its a different format. I like plain old DVDs myself. But it wont play in your DVD player sorry

47. QUESTION:
    Want to replace samsung dvd player with new blu~ray player but still be able to use home theatre, please help?
    i have a samsung thx35 home theatre system and want to upgrade to a blu~ray player but still want to be able to use the speaker setup including the wireless speakers. does anybody know of a blu~ray samsung player that i can just swap instead of buying a whole new theatre system, has to be a black samsung one, my speakers are the type that you put the wire into a type of spring clip rather than a phono lead, please help,

    if i do this as some one suggested(below) , will this still give me the great 5:1 surround sound

    Connect the Blu Ray disc player to your tv using an HDMI cable and connect an optical cable from the tv to your home theater. This will let you watch the blu ray disc movies and hear the sound through your home theater system. Hope this will help you out.

    • ANSWER:
      There is more then one way to skin a cat. You can do it the way you said, and it will work fine, because your tv have a optical out for audio like my tv. Or you can use the optical out from the blu-ray to your home theater system. It will work one way or another and yes you will get 5.1 sound.

      I would use hdmi from both your home theater system and blu-ray player to tv, and optical out from tv to home theater system. That way you can watch sports, and movies that is playing on tv while using your theater system for sound.

48. QUESTION:
    I have a ps3, a new 1080p Samsung tv, and a monster HDMI cable, whats wrong w/ my blu-ray movies?
    I recently recieved a 1080p plasma samsung tv, a playstation 3, and a monster HDMI cable. The reason I bought it is because I was "WOWED" by the blu-ray demo they always show at best buy. The picture was so real, it almost looked 3D as though I could reach into the screen and grab it. I was excited when I got a player of my own, but when i played the movie, it wasn't nearly as sharp as the demo I watched. It just looked like a really good DVD picture, but a DVD pisture nonetheless. Could there be something defective in my PS3 or HDMI cable? What am I doing wrong? Someone please help me.

    • ANSWER:
      I think the display settings are set up differently at the store showroom. I have the Samsung model LNT40661F. The TV has three display settings: Standard, Dynamic, and Movie. Best Buy probably used the dynamic setting.

49. QUESTION:
    Questions Regarding Setting Up My New T.V. Home Theater System, Blu-Ray or HD-DvD and Possibly a PS3 Please.?
    Hi, I know my title might be a bit confusing but I have some general questions. I might sound like a noob because I am fairly new to all this HD/Blu-Ray Technology going on with all the electronics selling at the stores these days but if anyone can answer a few questions for me I would appreciate it.

    I recently bought a Sony Bravia KDL-46W3000 HD-TV which has 3 HDMI outputs and I plan to buy a Sony Home Theater System, along with an HD-DVD or a Blu-Ray Player unless I also decide to get a PS3 along with the HD-DVD player.

    Ive been searching the internet and read somewhere that you cant connect Home Theater systems to a HD-DVD player or a Blu-Ray player... and was wondering if this was true or not?

    And if I do decide to purchase all these items will I have enough HDMI outputs from my T.V?

    One last question does the PS3 play only Blu-Ray Discs, because so far not every movie is in Blu-Ray so I didnt know if I would have to buy both or if buying a PS3 only would be solve my problem?
    First of all thank you both for your answers but Ive come across a few more questions.

    1. Would there be a major difference if I decide to buy a DvD player that upconverts to 1080p versus buying a true HD-DVD player, because I feel that Blu-Ray will eventually win the format war.

    2. Going back to Home Theater, so I would have to look for one that had an Optical Output in order to connect it to an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player, Species mentioned that HDMI is better but Optical is what I need could someone elaborate a little more on that?

    3. About buying HDMI cables ive been searching for them online but I cant seem to find just a standard kind, and the prices vary like crazy, could someone just tell me how much one usually costs?

    So Ive decided to purchase a Home Theater System, PS3, leaning more towards a DVD player that upconverts rather an actual HD-DVD player unless there is a noticeable difference.

    I also found out that there are HD-DVD/Blu-Ray players but very expensive.

    Thanks!!

    • ANSWER:
      As long as your home theater system has optical, you are fine to connect it. HDMI would be better, but optical is the one you really need.

      The PS3 is only a Blu player. You would need a seperate HD DVD player. You should be fine with HDMI ports, because that would be 2 and your tv has 3.

      You are making a good decision to go with both formats. The format war could go on for a long time, and why miss out on certain movies just to support a single format.

50. QUESTION:
    Blu-ray disc help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?
    i have this blu-ray movie but i didnt no that i need a certain dvd player that only plays blu-ray movies..i just have a normal dvd player can i still play it on there?...i have a xbox 360 can i play it on there?...i also have a compaq new laptop...is there any other way to watch blu-ray movies without buyin a ps3 or the blu-ray dvd player?...if not how much does it cost for a blu-ray dvd player?

    • ANSWER:
      No you can not play the blu-ray dvds on an xbox 360 so you will have to go out and buy a blu-ray dvd player so if you go to wal-mart it will cost between 8.00 to 0.00