Not with the big old tube tv it isn't. Save your money. The only benefit you may get from a blu ray player is if it's a "smart" one and is equipped with apps like netflix access and the like. Blu ray discs hold a lot more information so they usually come with extras included like behind the scenes stuff etc that nobody watches anyway. If you watch TV with any regularity, I recommend a new TV. You're missing out on an exponential improvement in picture and sound quality. Don't drink the 4K Kool aid though, no one is broadcasting in that high a resolution. A 1080p LED smart TV can be had for probably less than that big old tube TV
Thanks all for the input. Biggest problem I'd have is what I faced when DVDs were replacing VHS: many of the titles I like were unavailable for several years (some still aren't) so I stuck with tape long after everyone else had been assimilated. From glancing around, I could not replace most of my tiny library as they do not exist on BR.
The HD world isn't all rainbows and sunshine either though. We just had our old LED TV go and I upgraded to a bigger screen, higher refresh rate, and better resolution and now I have judder and tearing....and it is the most distracting phenomena in the AV world. The pictures are pretty though..... I'd still recommend an HD TV and Blu-Ray though. It is awesome when you get it all smoothed out. You know how when you get new glasses after a year or so of having the same prescription and you can actually tell that trees have leaves? It's like that.
Oh, and moving a modern TV beats the living hell out of moving even the smallest tube. They are almost portable, even the big ones.
I guess that a BluRay player isn't compatible with an ol' tube TV. BluRay has HDMI connection out, tube TV has SCART connection in (all them new gizmo's! ) We (SWMBO, my son of 20, my daughter of 18 and me) still buy DVD's and only just started with some BluRays. We actually watch the extra's on the disks and enjoy them.
Blue ray prices are a lot lower than they used to be - I will buy one when it's time to get a new player but I personally don't feel they are worth it just to upgrade if your DVD player works. As others have said upgrading your TV would make a much bigger difference.
I couldn't go back to watching regular tv. I take that back....I have but it's all I can think about so it's not very enjoyable. Just to complicate things though remember not every HDTV is created equal and some of them look like garbage. Vizo for instance hasn't put out a tv that I've seen personally that had a good picture. If you decide to switch over which I think you should seeing how most Blu Rays these day come with a dvd and digtal copy included for close to the same price do your research before buying. Also check for open box deals which can be discounted quite a bit.
Unlike going from VHS to DVD, A BluRay player will play a DVD. But, as said by many above, it is not worth it until you get a non-tube TV
Buy a new T.V. at Walmart on Black Friday (actually, black Thursday). You'll have to stand in line to get a wristband and stuff, but you should be able to walk out out before midnight with an HD TV for under $200. If I remember correctly, last year even the massive 60" TV's were selling for less than $500. The difference in picture quality is more pronounced on films that have computer generated special effects. However, the Blu Rays of Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, and the Sound of Music are absolutely stunning.
I'll keep that in mind when this DVD unit blows. Same with the TV - no point in replacing what works until it doesn't.
Concur with the comments above. The first Blu-Ray disc I bought was Gladiator which I also had in DVD and I couldn't believe the clarity difference and I noticed colors in the Blu-Ray that I had not noticed in DVD. Game changer for us when we watch movies now from Blu-Ray or streamed in HD.
While I agree with that in general, our household watches a fair amount of TV, both broadcast and subscription. For us, the phenomenal HD picture is worth retiring a CRT relic. Back in '04 our tube TV finally kicked. I talked SWMBO into a 37" plasma flat panel. At the time, it was a $2000 TV. Last November we upgraded the plasma to a 50" LED Vizio M series...$500 or so out the door. TV prices are stupid low nowadays.
We haven't had cable since the late '90s and haven't missed it in the slightest (occasional stays in hotels and at our in-laws reminds us of that). When bunny ears went out some years back, that was it for broadcast. So now the tube is just a slave to the DVD player. It's going on 10 years old so something will blow soon enough.
Bunny ears will still work. You need a digital convertor. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/291475398202?lpid=82&chn=ps Where I am you can get 10 channels through the air. I am in the middle of nowhere by the way.
