Should I buy bluray even though I have 4K devices?

Question

So my theater room is near completion. I will have an Epson LS11000 projector and be using my PS5 (for the time being...will probably upgrade after I see how it performs).

Since bluray is 1080, I was curious if I should buy bluray movies if I have access to 4K.

I have actually never seen bluray or owned it. Just never got around to it.

I am trying not to overthink this. I thought it would be a good idea to get some advice to help determine how I start spending money on content. I am fine going either way or splitting it up. I just don't know if regular bluray would be worth it for me, or if it would provide a good enough experience to circumvent buying everything in 4K UHD.

in 4kblurayby Semitar1

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lalalaladididi

Bluray is an excellent format with massive choice.

If you like movies then it's impossible to rely on 4k bluray. Then there's TV series too.

I've over 1000 bluray. I wouid buy more 4k if more were available and the prices weren't so silly.

I've maybe between 170 and 200 4k. There's not many more available that I want to buy.

Bluray is an excellent format. As is 4k.

Use them in unison to get the best out of your viewing experiences.

Don't forget your panel will also upscale.

BenGrahamButler

I have learned recently the same, I am happier when I just settle for a bluray sometimes. Either it is way cheaper or the 4k doesn’t exist. I doubt I will ever buy DVDs again however.

lalalaladididi

I've got a large dvd collection and ripped them all. Many aren't out on bluray.

I won't buy anymore. I still watch them tho

sivartk

I still grab DVDs, but lately they have been boutique labels and have cost $1 or less. In the past year I've picked up 27 Warner Archive DVDs for less than $20 total. I think only one of them has a Warner Archive Blu-ray (or any Blu-ray) release.

BenGrahamButler

nice deal agreed

Reasonable_Edge2411

see my post last week this is my hmv

[Image]

they have 3 full height shelves like this of 4k physical media a feel so lucky in belfast northern Ireland uk

Strong_Comedian_3578

That resembles my old video rental stores

MachineExorcist

I would let you dominate me and make me your personal Leprechaun if you bought me that Texas Chainsaw 4K.

P.S.

I make a mean quesadilla.

Reasonable_Edge2411

-1

plz dont think its okay to make a irish joke am from Northern Ireland who most prefer to be in the united kingdom the ira killed many civilians in our history

MachineExorcist

[GIF]

electricmaster23

They are also usually very cheap. Usually just a few bucks for most titles. Often they cost less than buying them digitally, too! For example, I’ve seen box sets of the Bond series (24 discs) for under $100, which is about $4 a disc. I can easily expect a 4K collection to be 3 to 4 times that.

lalalaladididi

CEX in the UK is very cheap for bluray.

I've not seen many bargains at amazon. Marketplace isn't the same anymore.

I've no problem buying second hand. Same with 4k. Picked a couple of 4k up at CEX this week and they were almost half price.

I think bluray is a brilliant format.

Films like the conversation look as good as 4k. Why waste £60 on the 4k?

electricmaster23

Yeah, I've been looking at CEX in Australia, too. Lot of absolute bargains. It's not like vinyl where they will deteriorate after a bunch of plays. Box sets tend to hold their value well, though.

lalalaladididi

When I upgrade to 4k I always trade my blurays in at CEX.

So I get my 4k imports at amazon UK. Then sell my bluray at CEX.

I rarely have to pay for my CEX bluray as I've got credit with them.

Got two this week from CEX . Both covered by trade in credit.

I subsidise my UK 4k bluray purchases with my 4k USA imports.

This works for me

Got two more 4k imports coming soon and will do the same

electricmaster23

Hmmm… they don’t have good resale value at cex, imo.

lalalaladididi

They do here. I sometimes think they overpay.

They pay around £10 trade in for criterion bluray which is very good.

It may vary between countries

The key is to trade in and get the voucher. Don't go for cash.

CanisMajoris85

i get the bluray if the 4k costs absurdly more or if the 4k transfer is rated poorly. Or if the 4k just doesn't exist.

Bluray I'd rather buy used for $3 than pay $20+ for the 4k, of course that's not super common. A lot of movies it's possible to get a new 4k for around $10-11 which also has a digital I can resell for like $3-4 so I'd certainly get that 4k over a bluray that would probably be $3+ used.

As for new releases... never bluray it makes zero sense. 4k is typically like $30 whereas the bluray is $25. Also the digital code is worth more on the 4k version.

Edit: How much do you want to build up your library? I wish I had started buying 4k lots on ebay sooner because often you can get some great deals, or bluray lots you can get movies for like $1.5 per movie if getting like 10+ movies at a time you just can't pick them but sometimes they're awesome.

Semitar1

Fortunate for me, I never really had a "library". But that was in large part because I had average gear, and since I have been selective about only buying things I'd want to see a lot over and over again, I never had a lot.

Library size isn't important to me. I am more so just trying to make sure I am not doing this wrong.

The overwhelming sentiment is that in many instances, blu-ray will be sufficient, but 4K can provide superior advantages...but I don't have to feel compelled to have a 4K only library.

MartyEBoarder

When I first watched bluray movies on Panasonic 820 I was blown away how amazing upscaled blu ray movies looks. This format isn’t dead yet.

Pirate-Angel

I popped an old T2 DVD in my 820 combined with LG OLED and I was stunned how great it looked.

Part_Time_Lamer

Blade 2 is still a really good looking DVD. I was shocked when I re-watched it a couple weeks ago.

mufasamufasamufasa

I typically choose 4k, but I don't stop myself from buying a title on Blu-ray if it isn't in 4k

sivartk

I am fine going either way or splitting it up. I just don't know if regular bluray would be worth it for me, or if it would provide a good enough experience to circumvent buying everything in 4K UHD.

Short answer: Yes

Not so short answer: Well, you won't find everything in 4K ...even with some new releases, so you will be missing out on a lot of movies. I want the best quality of the film I'm watching whether that be 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, LaserDisc, VHS, etc. If the story being told is good the quality of the picture drifts off into the background and I'll have a great experience.

Also DVD to Blu-ray is a much larger jump and much more noticeable than Blu-ray to 4K

goodcat1337

100% agree with your last sentence, for sure. With how good some devices are at upscaling now, blu rays can almost look identical to a non dolby vision 4k disc, while an upscaled DVD might only be the equivalent to 576p or maybe 720.

rhettscollection

I wouldn't say a Blu-ray would look almost identical to an HDR 10 disc, but I have been surprised with the quality of Blu-rays upscaled on my OLED TV. It made me realize how high quality the format can be, especially for it coming out in 2006.

its_mardybum_430

Blu-ray 1080p is in my humble ass opinion as good as 4k streaming. It’s like standard, really good. No disappointment. Plus your 4k player or tv will upscale. 4k Blu-ray is superior to anything for home consumer purposes. There’s nothing like playing a 4k Blu-ray in a 4k player on a 4k HDR tv.

stpetestudent

It will mostly depend on how larger you have your screen size set up for your projector, and how close to the screen you’ll be sitting. Most of the time, I’d bet the blu ray will appear shockingly good, but ideally aim for the 4K.

There are TONS of films on blu-ray that will likely never get a 4K release. There is no reason to avoid these films. They should still look great. (And as others have mentioned, there are even cases where the blu-ray is better than the 4K release)

Temporary_Detail716

Don't you do it! Don't you dare!!!!

Personally what do I care? I got 'The Late Great Planet Earth' on Blu-ray cause I doubt that fine piece of apocalyptic end of world documentary will ever make it to 4K.

There will be a ton of blu-ray movies that never make it to 4k. ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Reno_McCoy

When I first set up my theater (Formovie UST on a 120-inch screen), I was all about the 4K discs. I marveled at how much better they looked. Over time, I started watching more of the blu rays I've collected over the years. Guess what? They look damn good, too. Not as good as the 4K, maybe, but they're still a fantastic option. Now that I've had my system for nearly 2 years, I hardly notice the difference. Yes, I prefer 4K, but I no longer ooh and ahh over it, and I've found that I enjoy it all, regardless of format.

TI51082

I only buy Blu-ray if it’s not available in 4k.

Johnnybats330

There are some fantastic blu rays out there

Piper6728

It's a matter of preference

Ive bought blu rays of movies that aren't in 4k yet (there are still alot, there are some that are still only DVDs), I live by a used bookstore chain with a large movie section and just got 5-6 blu rays at $6-7 each. When they are released in 4k I will upgrade.

teebone673

Absolutely. Half the discs I buy are still blu ray.

goodcat1337

There are still plenty blu rays that look really good. I use my PS5 with my Sony X90L and there are still quite a few of my blu rays that I don't even need to upgrade. I don't really buy blu rays unless they're super cheap or if they just aren't available on 4k yet. But yeah, with some of the upscaling capabilities devices have these days, some discs might not even have that big of a difference.

sivartk

There are still plenty blu rays that look really good.

Exactly, I haven't felt the need to upgrade my Blu-ray copy of Face/Off yet because the Blu-ray looks so good.

ahufana

I still buy out-of-print blurays for movies that never got a 4K release, or weren't shot in a format that would actually benefit from 4K. But I draw the line at buying newer releases where the studio was just too cheap to make a 4K transfer.

teddy_vedder

I feel like half the stuff I like enough to own isn’t even available physically in 4K and might never be, so I go ahead and buy the Blu-ray if that’s all there is. It still looks really good — for example I have The X Files series boxset on blu ray (which is now OOP and under the thumb of The Mouse, so I’m not banking on a 4K release any time soon) and it’s incredible how good it looks compared to how it did just airing on TV or watching on DVD.

I typically won’t buy just plain DVDs anymore though unless there is no other way to watch something, which occasionally is the case.

SendThisVoidAway18

Sure. Why not. Buy both. Pick your favorites on 4K BD, and then the rest on regular BD. Thats what I would do. BD still looks great, and in most cases is more affordable. Most of my purchases are used and cost on average around 6 dollars.

SadAcanthocephala521

Yes, and some blurays look better than the 4K transfer.

draynay

The projector supports HDR10/HDR10+ which you aren't taking advantage of with regular bluray. I personally don't see the sense in going big on equipment and then cheaping out on media, saving ten bucks per disc that you're watching on a $4000 projector.

People are defending bluray, which is fine, but if you have the choice between formats, 99% of the time 4K is the better choice.

Semitar1

In technology circles, there's always this (in my opinion) pretentious viewpoint that "you're not doing it right" unless you do things a certain way. An example is how folks pay exorbitant amounts of money on cables because they believe they perform better than others, when in most instances, they don't. So those people are paying for the comfort of feeling they're having an optimal experience, even though scientific testing doesn't support believing that the cables provide superior delivery - I was trying to flesh out if such a thing exists in the movie space. What I am seeing is that in many cases 4K is superior, but in some cases, blu-ray is. And in a lot of cases it comes down to availability. So I am glad to read that there is room for both formats. At least for me. Not that I'm cheaping out. But that I don't have to lose my mind if I don't get 4K.

TylerStewartYT

Depends on the movie’s transfer, I would reference sites like blu-ray . com for transfer reviews.

For example, I picked up Inception for $3 with the original lenticular slipcover from a thrift store, and later on decided to get the 4K. I barely could tell a difference in the 4K version compared to the bluray.

There’s also blurays that haven’t seen a 4K release yet. Even though blurays are 1080p, they’re still a huge step up quality wise from a streaming service’s 1080p because of bitrare and compression.

SirOlli66

I think it depends on the picture and sound quality and wether you are willing to spend money on this particular movie, or not.

The majors re-release lots of old movies in 4k now, that are not really worth it, because they don't put much effort into it. I just do the following to save money

1.) Unknown movies i want to test or give them a try or missed them at the cinema, or TV shows: buy them on a sale at prime.

2.) The bulk of movies, where 4k is not available or the quality sucks: buy BD or DVD,

3.) Special movies, you simply love and/or the quality is clearly better: 4k.

Have fun!

scottyd035ntknow

Many movies and shows are not available on 4k yet, if ever.

Some 4K transfers are so botched that the BD version is better.

Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl is the first one that comes to mind for this.

T2 Judgement Day is also very badly done

Aliens (not Alien, that one is great) is another one

If you have a player that does upscaling well (IE not the PS5), then some Blu Rays look as good or better than their 4K counterparts. The aformentioned Pirates is one of them.

dztruthseek

If you want to save some money, yes. If you don't give a shit about saving money, then no. That's the only reason that I see.

Galactus1701

There are still a bunch of things that aren’t and probably won’t be released on 4K, especially series and some older films. Heck, even recent movies like Challengers and Poor Things don’t have 4K editions yet.

skitmando

That DV/HDR just hits different. But 1080p Bluray still a good choice.

foothilllbull530

I would buy anything animated in Blu-ray personally. I've got Rick and Morty and Akira on blu Ray and they look great on a 4k TV but also dragonball super hero 4k shits on both of them.

Reasonable_Edge2411

i dont think the ps5 can handle some stuff i cant remember the specifics

one4u2ponder

If the Blu ray has a 4k scan transfer then no question buy it. Especially if it isn’t on 4k.

If it is on 4k, always buy the 4k.

grantpalin

In Canada, 4k media are often noticeably more costly than Blu-ray equivalents. And has already been said here, 4k transfers are not always noticeably superior to Blu-ray, which is why I consult the blu-ray.com reviews to get an idea of whether the 4k version is worthwhile.

Quality aside, there's also completeness. As I understand it, the Lord of the Rings 4k boxset does not include the appendices, which is why I skipped that and stayed with the Blu-ray boxset, which does have the bonus materials. That's one example; there are probably others.

Outside of cost, quality, and completeness considerations, yes I do sometimes buy 4k media but for me it's still mostly blu-ray. A lot of older movies don't make it past blu-ray format, heck there are ones that don't even make it *to* blu-ray format.

kvs17

I've completely stopped buying blu-rays now that I have 4K, lol.

DrRob

I don't perceive the resolution difference, but I do perceive the HDR, so I'll just about always opt for that when available, unless it's a known stinker of a transfer. Otherwise, HD and UHD both have uncompressed sound, and upscaling in most systems makes them very similar at a normal viewing distance. You can tell if you're a pixel peeper, but that's not really my jam.

lhfong

I bought The Last Starfighter for $6 from Amazon even though it’s available on 4K. I’m certain the Blu-ray will look way better than the broadcast TV version I watched when I was a kid.

MacTeq

I've been collecting discs for about twenty years and have BR and UHD in parallel usage. They're both great formats and depending on your taste, you will have to choose much more rarely than you'd think. A native UHD can be a marvel if you can make use of the better sound options and HDR - if not, then I would worry too much about it. Really a lot of UHDs from about the last 15 years or so are also upscaled from 2k DIs, meaning they ultimately don't offer a big plus in detail over a Blu-Ray.

Strong_Comedian_3578

Sometimes Blu-rays are the only format that comes with additional video snippets like commentary tracks and behind the scenes footage, so don't worry.

fishboy3339

Yeah lots of good titles on blu ray. Special editions of some films that are only on that format. The audio is lossless and upscaling on high end players is good.

Ohiostatehack

I will look for a 4K first, but if it’s not available the Blu-ray is still worth it.

Part_Time_Lamer

When I bought a 4K player I told myself I was done with Blu-Rays.

I still buy more Blu-Rays than 4Ks.

Hurricane_Ivan

DTS Master and Dolby TrueHD make Blu-Ray still worth it IMO.

EmxPop

75% of our collection is Blu-ray. With the likes of Warner Archive Collection and Criterion Collection for example, the quality of Blu-rays today is top notch. Many Blu-ray Discs are receiving new masters from 4K transfers and the results are outstanding. With a Panasonic 4K player (such as the UB820), the upscaling technology is so good you can often think you’re watching a 4K disc and HDR would be the main differential.

shakma_dss

I agree with what seems to be the consensus here that bluray is a great choice. It is very affordable and also performs well. You can even get ATMOS tracks on some of the newer discs and a quality player will upscale the picture…. My problem is that most of our collection is still on standard DVD and I’m trying to come up with a solid plan of weeding through these and replacing with Blu/4k….