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miTunes75

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 29, 2006
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I have my DVDs that I rip as digital media for my appleTV to play. I also purchase HD movies through iTunes as I like watching things in HD. I do have a few blu-rays but my preference is using streaming media. I will compromise the 1080 to 720 to be able to stream. Question is does DVD quality of DVDs bug any of you when you know HD is out there available for the same movie? What are your preferences?
 
Nope, it doesn't bother me at all. HD is nice of course, but if the movie is more than 6-10 years old, what's the point in getting it in HD or Blu-Ray?

If I have a choice between a new movie on DVD or Blu-Ray, it just depends on the movie and if I think I'd prefer to watch it in HD or not and what the price is. If the price is the same or close, I will go with the Blu-Ray. If the HD is too much more than the DVD, I may just get the DVD. But I don't buy many videos anymore, I stream them from Netflix.

As far as ATV2 & Netflix, I'm satisfied with it's quality.

I used to watch TV in B&W when I was a kid, then color came along. So anything in HD is a bonus to me.
 
DVD quality still looks pretty good to me, so I don't get too hung up on it, but I do get the HD version when it is available for a reasonably comparable price.
Nope, it doesn't bother me at all. HD is nice of course, but if the movie is more than 6-10 years old, what's the point in getting it in HD or Blu-Ray?
On the other hand, what does the age of the movie have to do with it? Old black and white movies look incredible in HD.
 
It would be awesome when George Lucas allows iTunes to have Star Wars to sell. I would be on top of that one. Will I be buying Star Wars on blu-ray if iTunes doesn't get it? Probably not. My DVDs are just fine :)
 
but if the movie is more than 6-10 years old, what's the point in getting it in HD or Blu-Ray?

This doesnt make any sense

What are you trying to say


I saw goodfellas a few weeks ago in HD and it looks amazing

Why would i buy this old movie in dvd quality now
 
It depends on the quality of your tv set.

Ironically the better the TV the better you want you content, but the better its capacity for upscaling.

I have a new Sony Bravia TV that does a remarkable job on the upscaling. My parents have an older sony bravia and the difference between the SD content on both is quite noticeable.

I do enjoy HD video and audio- some HD soundtracks are just flat out exceptional. But only on newer movies I have found this to be true.
 
DVD quality still looks pretty good to me, so I don't get too hung up on it, but I do get the HD version when it is available for a reasonably comparable price.
On the other hand, what does the age of the movie have to do with it? Old black and white movies look incredible in HD.

I find the improved picture quality is not worth the extra hdd space. Dvd quality is fine.

Unless the old movie was remastered for HD, you're not getting the full HD effect. The older movies will look better than they did, but not as good as movies today that are coming out and were intended for HD from the start.

i think in most cases regarding old movies being sold under HD is wasteful of money.
 
Unless the old movie was remastered for HD, you're not getting the full HD effect. The older movies will look better than they did, but not as good as movies today that are coming out and were intended for HD from the start.

i think in most cases regarding old movies being sold under HD is wasteful of money.
There are some shady practices, just like a lot of low quality, highly compressed copies of old films that were marketed as cheap DVDs.

However, most old films had more resolution than any of the common HD formats. Often they used higher resolution (finer grain) film than is commonly used today. HD is really just an attempt to come close to the quality of film.
 
Who loves the $5 movies t Walmart! I have fun going through those bins. Love the pricing, too
 
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I find that DVDs are good space/price/quality trade off at the moment. I pick up Blu Rays when they are cheap, or I really like the film, but DVDs are fine as well.
 
Nope, it doesn't bother me at all. HD is nice of course, but if the movie is more than 6-10 years old, what's the point in getting it in HD or Blu-Ray?

There are a lot of great older movies in blu ray that make the SD versions unbearable to watch. Here's a good list that I follow when choosing to buy the blu ray version, or just watch via streaming.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342#anchor0

It doesn't surprise me that a majority of the blu-tier films are animation pieces of some kind, or heavily reliant on computer-generated effects.

I tend to generally agree with Sandboxgeneral on this point. I've never felt that DVD quality is anything to scoff at, honestly... even after seeing HD content. I do own some HD content, but that's only because a) it was cheaper than the DVD or b) it was bundled with the DVD that wasn't available to purchase separately. I certainly have no desire to re-buy movies in HD that I already own on DVD.
 
HD all the way, all the time, 1080p preferred, 720p great, too. DVD's only when there is seemingly no HD version to be found.

There is a lot of 720p on TV but one thing did annoy me during last year's NBA postseason. Half in 1080i (TNT), half in 720p (ABC/ESPN). Sports is where 1080 makes a big difference and the difference was noticeable. I only care about the NBA, so it's no biggie. I'm excited about the future of even higher resolution quality, such as 2K or some other format above 1920x1080. Not a big fan of 3D.
 
good question.

i think beauty is in the eye of the beholder :)

To me, I haven't seen one iTunes HD movie which has awed me with its quality. I've seen some BR rips which are far superior. my BR player does a good job of upscaling so DVDs are good.

But BR discs are the cat's meow for me personally. I don't own many and don't rent often, but when I do, I enjoy not just the video quality, but I find the audio much better than anything else - especially for action flicks.

I think we are treating movies like music - willing to sacrifice some quality for convenience. Not a criticism, just a fact I believe to be true.

Again for me, this is true as I'll rip some of my DVDs to watch on my mac pro b/c i have a dual screen set up while I work. Movie on 1 and work on the other, or i'll toss them on the ipad and watch them when I can.

Cheers,
keebler
 
I agree that at times iTunes is convenient, and I do download quite a bit, but there is a sacrifice in quality. Listen to to any SACD audio disc, and then listen to it from iTunes. I compare iTunes music to SACD like one could compare listening to a symphony on disc, or being there in person. The music sounds similar, but once you have been there in person, listening to it from your easy chair will never be as good again. The same goes for me with blu ray and DVD. Of course, HDDVD is one level above Blu Ray. I will always say the wrong standard won. In the end, blu ray will never really catch on like DVD's did. HD streaming is advancing too quickly for blu ray to be around for long. I doubt the movie industry will stick to that medium for much longer.
 
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I have my DVDs that I rip as digital media for my appleTV to play. I also purchase HD movies through iTunes as I like watching things in HD. I do have a few blu-rays but my preference is using streaming media. I will compromise the 1080 to 720 to be able to stream. Question is does DVD quality of DVDs bug any of you when you know HD is out there available for the same movie? What are your preferences?

Nope, it doesn't bother me at all. HD is nice of course, but if the movie is more than 6-10 years old, what's the point in getting it in HD or Blu-Ray?

If I have a choice between a new movie on DVD or Blu-Ray, it just depends on the movie and if I think I'd prefer to watch it in HD or not and what the price is. If the price is the same or close, I will go with the Blu-Ray. If the HD is too much more than the DVD, I may just get the DVD. But I don't buy many videos anymore, I stream them from Netflix.

As far as ATV2 & Netflix, I'm satisfied with it's quality.

I used to watch TV in B&W when I was a kid, then color came along. So anything in HD is a bonus to me.

DVD quality still looks pretty good to me, so I don't get too hung up on it, but I do get the HD version when it is available for a reasonably comparable price.
On the other hand, what does the age of the movie have to do with it? Old black and white movies look incredible in HD.

It would be awesome when George Lucas allows iTunes to have Star Wars to sell. I would be on top of that one. Will I be buying Star Wars on blu-ray if iTunes doesn't get it? Probably not. My DVDs are just fine :)

This doesnt make any sense

What are you trying to say


I saw goodfellas a few weeks ago in HD and it looks amazing

Why would i buy this old movie in dvd quality now

I find the improved picture quality is not worth the extra hdd space. Dvd quality is fine.

It depends on the quality of your tv set.

Ironically the better the TV the better you want you content, but the better its capacity for upscaling.

I have a new Sony Bravia TV that does a remarkable job on the upscaling. My parents have an older sony bravia and the difference between the SD content on both is quite noticeable.

I do enjoy HD video and audio- some HD soundtracks are just flat out exceptional. But only on newer movies I have found this to be true.

Unless the old movie was remastered for HD, you're not getting the full HD effect. The older movies will look better than they did, but not as good as movies today that are coming out and were intended for HD from the start.

i think in most cases regarding old movies being sold under HD is wasteful of money.

There are some shady practices, just like a lot of low quality, highly compressed copies of old films that were marketed as cheap DVDs.

However, most old films had more resolution than any of the common HD formats. Often they used higher resolution (finer grain) film than is commonly used today. HD is really just an attempt to come close to the quality of film.

Who loves the $5 movies t Walmart! I have fun going through those bins. Love the pricing, too

Nope, it doesn't bother me at all. HD is nice of course, but if the movie is more than 6-10 years old, what's the point in getting it in HD or Blu-Ray?[/QUOTE

There are a lot of great older movies in blu ray that make the SD versions unbearable to watch. Here's a good list that I follow when choosing to buy the blu ray version, or just watch via streaming.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342#anchor0

I find that DVDs are good space/price/quality trade off at the moment. I pick up Blu Rays when they are cheap, or I really like the film, but DVDs are fine as well.

It doesn't surprise me that a majority of the blu-tier films are animation pieces of some kind, or heavily reliant on computer-generated effects.

I tend to generally agree with Sandboxgeneral on this point. I've never felt that DVD quality is anything to scoff at, honestly... even after seeing HD content. I do own some HD content, but that's only because a) it was cheaper than the DVD or b) it was bundled with the DVD that wasn't available to purchase separately. I certainly have no desire to re-buy movies in HD that I already own on DVD.

HD all the way, all the time, 1080p preferred, 720p great, too. DVD's only when there is seemingly no HD version to be found.

There is a lot of 720p on TV but one thing did annoy me during last year's NBA postseason. Half in 1080i (TNT), half in 720p (ABC/ESPN). Sports is where 1080 makes a big difference and the difference was noticeable. I only care about the NBA, so it's no biggie. I'm excited about the future of even higher resolution quality, such as 2K or some other format above 1920x1080. Not a big fan of 3D.

good question.

i think beauty is in the eye of the beholder :)

To me, I haven't seen one iTunes HD movie which has awed me with its quality. I've seen some BR rips which are far superior. my BR player does a good job of upscaling so DVDs are good.

But BR discs are the cat's meow for me personally. I don't own many and don't rent often, but when I do, I enjoy not just the video quality, but I find the audio much better than anything else - especially for action flicks.

I think we are treating movies like music - willing to sacrifice some quality for convenience. Not a criticism, just a fact I believe to be true.

Again for me, this is true as I'll rip some of my DVDs to watch on my mac pro b/c i have a dual screen set up while I work. Movie on 1 and work on the other, or i'll toss them on the ipad and watch them when I can.

Cheers,
keebler

I agree that at times iTunes is convenient, and I do download quite a bit, but there is a sacrifice in quality. Listen to to any SACD audio disc, and then listen to it from iTunes. I compare iTunes music to SACD like one could compare listening to a symphony on disc, or being there in person. The music sounds similar, but once you have been there in person, listening to it from your easy chair will never be as good again. The same goes for me with blu ray and DVD. Of course, HDDVD is one level above Blu Ray. I will always say the wrong standard won. In the end, blu ray will never really catch on like DVD's did. HD streaming is advancing too quickly for blu ray to be around for long. I doubt the movie industry will stick to that medium for much longer.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME IT IS THE ONE THING THAT BUGS ME SO MUCH KNOWING THAT THERE IS A BETTER COPY OUT THERE

I LOVE JUST SITTING DOWN AND WATCHING A GOOD HD 720P/1080P STREAMED FROM MY MBP OVER TO MY ATV SURE IS A LOAD OF HDD SPACE BUT ITS IS SO WORTH IT I BUY WESTERN DIGITAL TERABYTES AT A TIME BUT I NEED A THUNDERBOLT IT WOULD HELP SO MUCH
 
ARE YOU KIDDING ME IT IS THE ONE THING THAT BUGS ME SO MUCH KNOWING THAT THERE IS A BETTER COPY OUT THERE

I LOVE JUST SITTING DOWN AND WATCHING A GOOD HD 720P/1080P STREAMED FROM MY MBP OVER TO MY ATV SURE IS A LOAD OF HDD SPACE BUT ITS IS SO WORTH IT I BUY WESTERN DIGITAL TERABYTES AT A TIME BUT I NEED A THUNDERBOLT IT WOULD HELP SO MUCH

Uhm...Apple TV does not output 1080p. ThunderBolt will not help you get a better picture either.
 
1) Film movies remastered in BluRay do look better than standard DVD
2) The difference is not enough to make me run out and replace my DVD collection with BluRay
3) Streaming is a convenience that will likely end physical media
4) Until bandwidth speeds/pipelines are improved, I am fine not having 1080i streamed.

5) As for keith4594: go decaf. Thunderbold will not make data from your platter HD stream andy faster. The Apple TV only streams video at 720p.
 
Guys, I need to ask you something off topic in my own thread :D

I have a WD 1TB external HDD using USB 2.0 connection. It annoys me that every time I want to search for something using spotlight, or load something up to play in iTunes or appleTV, it's gotta start spinning up and there is a good 10 second delay. THis annoys me. Do I need to purchase something faster? I had a WD 320GB external until my media outgrew it and I never had any issues as I do with this particular drive. I guess I shouldn't call it an issue, but it definitely tests my patience :)
 
HD is nice of course, but if the movie is more than 6-10 years old, what's the point in getting it in HD or Blu-Ray?
Are you serious? any film that has been filmed on film will look good in HD.

Obviously if the studios use DVD prints for the Blu then it will look crap but they don't so they look marvellous, better than their DVD counterparts by a long shot!
 
Only if it's a high action shoot-em-up/sci-fi, chick-flicks/dramas, DVD is fine.

----------

I used to watch TV in B&W when I was a kid, then color came along. So anything in HD is a bonus to me.

Every so often, I will be watching some old movie, just because I've never seen it in color before.
 
All of you folks who say it "really bugs you" that you cannot watch something in HD must be very young. Otherwise, if you'd have grown up starting with B&W and progressed with color TV, VHS tapes to DVD, I would think that the HD is a nice bonus and wouldn't have as much as a problem with the non-HD stuff because you were accustomed to it. Or you're easily spoiled.

1st world problems I suppose; to each his own.
 
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