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Advice about Future Purchasing Decisions (DVD vs. Blu Ray)


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EricDent



Joined: 28 May 2008
Posts: 997
Location: Georgetown, TX
PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:20 am Reply with quote
Thanks for the compliment, though I can't really take my own advice.
Since I don't have any plans to buy a Blu-Ray player & I also really can't afford a larger HDTV (mine's only 26" & does 720).

As for that Sony thing, yeah that's gonna sell...if you read the article it says you can't notice the difference unless you sit really close.
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Starsplash Taiwan



Joined: 03 Feb 2011
Posts: 134
Location: Taipei Taiwan
PostPosted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 2:36 am Reply with quote
As an international (Taiwan) if you really have an issue with price, DVD is the way to go. Honestly, Bluray is better. I know and Ill admit. But if to you its not a big deal... Just go with the cheaper version. Plus, if you are internation with ur first purchase 10$ +3$ for everything afterwards in shipping, and the extra cost of blueray, 4-6 $ each, it does add up.

Lucky for the people in the US, anything after 50$ is free shipping (lucky bastards... I HATE YOU GUYS!!!!!) and Canada 150$ (I hate you guys too.) Because all of my purhcases are above 150 because of shipping charges. But I dont mind the DVD quality. If you dont mind trhe DVD quality, then do get the DVD version.

My 2 cents.
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jockrobin



Joined: 07 Sep 2012
Posts: 13
Location: tokoy
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:40 am Reply with quote
Watching or showing anime on TV are much better than on laptop. Since you worried so much, you could opt for a low priced BD player. It would not break your bank.
If you prefer watching alone or you spend more time to watch it alone, it might be better for you to choose a laptop with BD player. Don't u think so?
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Bright_Spear



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 10:43 am Reply with quote
Didn't want to make another thread, so I just thought I'd ask here. Can you hook up a blu ray player to a regular tv? Not buying a high def tv anytime soon. Seeing Umineko: When They Cry and a couple others are just have a Blu ray release ( atleast for the time being) I might have to start buying blu rays.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:13 pm Reply with quote
Bright_Spear wrote:
Didn't want to make another thread, so I just thought I'd ask here. Can you hook up a blu ray player to a regular tv? Not buying a high def tv anytime soon. Seeing Umineko: When They Cry and a couple others are just have a Blu ray release ( atleast for the time being) I might have to start buying blu rays.


Depends on the outputs on the BD player, if it has component connections or not. If it's just HDMI, than no, because your TV likely won't have that. Always read up all of the specs on products your purchasing.
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varmintx



Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1196
Location: Covington, KY
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:24 pm Reply with quote
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Bright_Spear wrote:
Didn't want to make another thread, so I just thought I'd ask here. Can you hook up a blu ray player to a regular tv? Not buying a high def tv anytime soon. Seeing Umineko: When They Cry and a couple others are just have a Blu ray release ( atleast for the time being) I might have to start buying blu rays.
Depends on the outputs on the BD player, if it has component connections or not. If it's just HDMI, than no, because your TV likely won't have that. Always read up all of the specs on products your purchasing.
Practically every blu-ray player comes with composite out (the yellow, red and white jacks) that you can use to hook up to an SD display (unless it's REALLY ancient). For a better picture, you can find one with S-Video, or as walw6pK4Alo mentions, component, but whatever you get, you just have to make sure both the TV and player have the video/audio connections you need. You can use blu-ray.com's player search if you think it'll help.

Though, obviously, you wont get better than the SD resolution of the TV, the discs should still look better than DVDs simply due to the better compression of the AVC/VC-1 codecs over MPEG2.
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Bright_Spear



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:30 pm Reply with quote
Well the tv I would be using it on is one of those big old ones with the wood casing. I hooked up a dvd player to it, but I had to get some adapter for it. Didn't know if I could do the same for the blu ray.
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varmintx



Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1196
Location: Covington, KY
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:55 pm Reply with quote
Bright_Spear wrote:
Well the tv I would be using it on is one of those big old ones with the wood casing. I hooked up a dvd player to it, but I had to get some adapter for it. Didn't know if I could do the same for the blu ray.
Wow, ummm...okay, so that is pretty old. We had an old set like that up until about 2 years ago when it finally died; screen size was smaller than our laptop, but the TV itself was still pretty large. Smile

Anyway, I assume the adapter goes from the RF antenna of the TV to y/r/w composite wires for the player? Or, does the DVD player actually have coaxial (like for a cable box)?
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Bright_Spear



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:14 pm Reply with quote
varmintx wrote:
Wow, ummm...okay, so that is pretty old. We had an old set like that up until about 2 years ago when it finally died; screen size was smaller than our laptop, but the TV itself was still pretty large. Smile

Yeah, has to be atleast 30 years old, but the screen size is great. Think my grandparents said it was top of the line when they bought it.

varmintx wrote:
Anyway, I assume the adapter goes from the RF antenna of the TV to y/r/w composite wires for the player? Or, does the DVD player actually have coaxial (like for a cable box)?

Don't know how its set up now, because we got digital cable, so I have know idea how they got everything connected. But when I did it, I just got a little doodad that you hooked I believe the yello and white connection to the cable line, then had to get a splitter to hook the regular cable tv line.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:26 pm Reply with quote
With something that old, you're better off just waiting until you get a new HDTV. Sure, you can go ahead and buy the player and BDs now, but with that TV you're not doing yourself much benefit if you're going to run HD video through a composite RCA connection, through an RF modulator and cable line. If you're about to drop $100+ on a player and at least several times that on the BDs themselves, save up for a new TV first, there's always deals come Christmas time.
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Bright_Spear



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:44 pm Reply with quote
Have no plans on buying an hd tv. The old one still works like a boss and it'll be with us for many years to come. Even when it craps out, i'll probably never get one. Its not a money thing, I like the picture on the older sets. Just trying to figure out a way to watch blu rays if there's ever an anime I really want thats only a blu ray release.

Edit: Plus there's $50 Blu ray players at walmart. I could probably pick one up for half on black friday if I really wanted one.
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Vata Raven



Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 710
Location: TN
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:31 pm Reply with quote
Bright_Spear wrote:
Have no plans on buying an hd tv. The old one still works like a boss and it'll be with us for many years to come. Even when it craps out, i'll probably never get one. Its not a money thing, I like the picture on the older sets. Just trying to figure out a way to watch blu rays if there's ever an anime I really want thats only a blu ray release.

Edit: Plus there's $50 Blu ray players at walmart. I could probably pick one up for half on black friday if I really wanted one.

You best make plans and save up for an HD TV, you're not enjoying the HD. HD TVs are light, easy to carry around, save on power...and they DO NOT make those heavy ass TVs anymore. You can get a 36" at for $300, that's not a lot, just means you have to save up for it.

Being anti-tech isn't going to help you with the times, you have to expect that it gets better, instead of being "my 30 year old TV still works, I don't need that new crap." HD is standard has been when the PS3 came around, but you DO NOT need 3-d TVs and all that other junk.
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Bright_Spear



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:14 pm Reply with quote
@Vata Raven

I'm not anti-tech. I have a compooter and everything. Wink

I really don't care if I'm not enjoying the hd. I've watched blu ray movies on an hd tv, and seen them in walmart. I just don't like the picture on them. They just don't look right to me. Maybe its because I've watched everything on an older set for most of my life. Don't know.

And its not like the old ones are hard to come by. Hell, my aunt still has my other grandparents old tv in storage. So I can always get that and use it for another 15 or so years. They're built like fricken tanks.

Is saving up like a pet peeve for you? This isn't the first time I've seen you say that to people. I believe most of us know how to buy stuff we want. This isn't about money or living in the past. I've upgraded my vhs for a dvd, my tape player for a cd player, then that for an mp3 player, and my land line for a cell phone. I just l like this one thing and don't think I need to buy the new stuff. Me and my girlfriend like it the way it is.

We have two other(not as old) tvs that are just as good. Just trying to learn if I can use a blu ray if I have to get one. Key word is "have to". Still don't see a need to move away from dvd's.
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varmintx



Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Posts: 1196
Location: Covington, KY
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:20 pm Reply with quote
Bright_Spear wrote:
varmintx wrote:
Anyway, I assume the adapter goes from the RF antenna of the TV to y/r/w composite wires for the player? Or, does the DVD player actually have coaxial (like for a cable box)?

Don't know how its set up now, because we got digital cable, so I have know idea how they got everything connected. But when I did it, I just got a little doodad that you hooked I believe the yellow and white connection to the cable line, then had to get a splitter to hook the regular cable tv line.
While I share everyone's advice that you should just buy an HDTV (really, they got some great ways of changing the picture to suit your tastes and the picture settings they use in stores are ALWAYS awful), I'm not going to belabor the point.

Anyway, I'm not sure I follow exactly what you're saying. If the TV has coaxial input (like from a cable box) that makes things easier as it's much easier to get adapters for that to composite: yellow (video), white (mono audio) and possibly red (making the audio stereo). With a TV that old, it's possible that the only input is the RF antenna and to hook anything up to it, you use an adapter. Either way, your adapter needs to go to composite. Find out what the wires/adapter from your TV look like (upload pictures if you really want me to be the one to keep helping).

Then, you'll need to buy a composite switcher box and some sets of composite cables. The wires going from your TV will be output from the switcher, and you'll have wires going into the switcher from your cable box. Finally, when you buy a BD player, just make sure it also has composite out and they'll also go into the switcher. Then, when you want to switch between the player and the cable box, you'll just use the switcher instead of having to change wires.

If I'm not clear enough, you can bring the adapter you have to a local Radioshack and they'll tell you what you need. The most important thing is, it can be done.
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Bright_Spear



Joined: 24 Jul 2012
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:34 pm Reply with quote
varmintx wrote:
The most important thing is, it can be done.
Thanks, thats pretty much all I needed to know. I've attached all number of things to it. Just didn't know if a blu ray would work on it, or if it would just scramble the picture or the plugs were made to not be able to connect to anything other then hd tv's.

Honestly, I've never got the whole hd thing. The picture is fine for me. Its like people who have to get these home theater systems to make the sound better. The speaker on the tv does just fine.
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