Just entered the world of Blu-Ray! (1 Viewer)

[Karim Nogas]

In a word - wow!

I researched the Samsung, Sony and Pioneer Elite and decided to go with the Sony. It looked good at the store on the 70" SXRD-XBR but there was a bit of worry about whether my 7 year old XBR and my 9 year old Denon would be up to the task. Well, even at 1080i and component, the picture is outstanding (calibrated by Michael TLV). But more impressive was audio via 5.1 analog; it's hard to describe but lossless audio is more than I could have imagined.

And this was all with XXX, a BR disc that didn't get great reviews. One review that I read stated it wasn't much better than the SuperBit. Well, it puts the SuperBit version to shame.

After my first experience with BR, I can't say I'm too worried about not having the latest audio codecs, a 1080p display or HDMI connections. I was concerned before purchasing, thinking I needed the 'latest and greatest' to experience a substantial improvement, but clearly I was mistaken. For those of you waffling for that very reason, don't hesitate to jump in.

I can't wait for my order of Black Hawk Down and other BR discs... I definitely won't be purchasing anymore SD-DVDs.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Congrats. Yes there are many other titles to choose from that will make you appreciate your system more too. I assume you hooked up the audio using multi channel analogue audio?

 

[Karim Nogas]

Yes, that was a must with no HDMI connections on my receiver. The sound has literally 'put me on the edge of my seat'.

 

[Dave_P.]

Congrats and welcome aboard! If the sound of XXX's PCM track put you on the edge of your seat, Black Hawk's Down's will blow you off of it and into the next room

 

[Dave Mack]

kingdom of heaven is no sluch either in the PQ/AQ dept.
I also hear Crank is fab!

 

[Neil Joseph]

I just picked up Crank today after hearing such positive things about it.

 

[Karim Nogas]

Of the 8 discs I have, 7 are of titles I already own and I really don't want to replace my SD-DVD collection, regardless of how good the Blue-Ray version is. I'll only be purchasing new releases that interest me from this point on. Of course, there would be some titles that I'll make an exception for if they come out (e.g., Air Force One, Aliens, Predator) but for the most part I'm happy with my existing collection and don't have the funds to replace it completely.