# We have a 5 year-old TV; is Blu-Ray worth it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272 "2011-11-08T14:34:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/21 "2011-11-08T23:14:08Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Also, if you don’t have Netflix some Blu-Ray players are also Netflix players. True, but keep in mind you can also play Netflix on any current-generation game console (which you probably already own), or a Roku-type box (which is much cheaper than a Blu-Ray player). ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/22 "2011-11-09T03:39:06Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > I’m going to go out on a limb here and say almost every TV that has 720p also has 1080i. There may be a few that don’t, but they are few. Sorta-clarification: with a few exceptions, “720p” displays don’t really exist, except as marketing. 720p and 1080i are signal resolutions. 720p TVs almost always have 1366x768 resolutions. So…“768p.” 720p signals are slightly stretched to fit. 1080i signals are massively shrunk to fit. To the OP: I can absolutely tell the difference between Blu Ray and DVD on my 32" 720p TV. Blu Rays also tend to have additional special features and some nicer navigation features. Blu Ray players also frequently have options for internet video like Netflix or streaming music like lastFM, both of which can be very nice. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/23 "2011-11-09T18:55:38Z")
I was lukewarm to blu-ray players, but when we got a new tv last Christmas, we got a rebate that we put into a blu-ray player. I have to say, when watching blu-ray movies it still stops me in my tracks, just how gorgeous it looks. I say go for it. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/24 "2011-11-09T19:12:52Z")
Clarification to some of the above comments: 1. The current TV, which was nearly top-of-the-line for 2006, does have HDMI connections, one of which is being used for the current DVD player. it’s quite good - it’s just not 1080p. 2. We do NOT have a current-generation console. A PS3 is a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/25 "2011-11-09T19:16:16Z")
Well, there you go. If you get a PS3, that will give you a Blu-Ray player. And I read someplace (perhaps Sony’s marketing literature) that it’s one of the best Blu-Ray players out there. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/26 "2011-11-09T19:58:21Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Well, there you go. If you get a PS3, that will give you a Blu-Ray player. And I read someplace (perhaps Sony’s marketing literature) that it’s one of the best Blu-Ray players out there. True perhaps. But you shouldn’t buy a PS3 unless you want a game system. A PS3 will cost you about three times as much as a non-game Blu-Ray player. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/27 "2011-11-09T20:10:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > True perhaps. But you shouldn’t buy a PS3 unless you want a game system. A PS3 will cost you about three times as much as a non-game Blu-Ray player. Oh, I’ve been considering it anyway. I haven’t done it yet because I think the games are too pricey and I don’t have time to play them. But the Blu-Ray could be the tipping point. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/28 "2011-11-09T20:10:26Z")
Yeah, buying a PS3 JUST as a Blu-Ray player made sense when the PS3 launched, but Blu-Ray players are much cheaper now. If you’d like a game system, though, the PS3 is a pretty full-featured performer. I have both a 360 and PS3; I like the 360 better for gaming and Netflix and Hulu, but the PS3 does better with downloaded videos and discs. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/29 "2011-11-09T20:17:17Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Going from 480p to 720p is a difference of over 2.5 times the pixels. > > Also an image that isn’t being upconverted (displays at the native resolution of your panel will look nice and crisp vs blurry. > > So you’ll have an image with a lot more detail being displayed at your panel’s native rez without any up-resing. > > You won’t see as much difference as if you had a nice 1080p panel, but the difference from DVD will be noticeable. Same for cable. The box on my desk at home somehow got stuck in 480p mode so I hooked it to the (smallish) HDTV using component video instead. What a difference! ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272/30 "2011-11-09T22:00:43Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Well, there you go. If you get a PS3, that will give you a Blu-Ray player. And I read someplace (perhaps Sony’s marketing literature) that it’s one of the best Blu-Ray players out there. Seconded. At a $250 starting price, it’s a pretty good deal, considering all that it does. Aside from being a top-notch gaming system, it’ is indeed one of the best Blu-Ray players on the market, and the firmware has been upgraded several times to support new features, including 3d support and additional Blu-Ray functionality. It also does Netflix and Hulu Plus streaming quite well, and has decent support for networked media streaming - it won’t support every format you throw at it, but if you stick with h.264 Main or High Profile mp4 files, you’re golden. Overall, I’d say its the best consumer electronics investment I’ve made. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-5-year-old-tv-is-blu-ray-worth-it/602272.md?page=1)