As my dvd player seems to be dying, is it worth up grading to a blu ray player?

Currently I'm using a dvd player with built in 5.1 – can you get similar with blu ray or is buying an av amp the way to go?

To get the best from a blu-ray player, you would ideally have a television capable of displaying 1080P, and have an A/V amplifier to decode the sound…….but…….. if you haven't any of the above a blu-ray would still play dvd's and cd's and would possibly upscale to a better resolution if your current tv set is capable of displaying it, and you'd be set for when / if you do go down the 'home cinema' route.

Or you could buy a cheap as chips DVD from Asda / Tesco / Richer sounds etc for about £20,or an all-in-one Blu-ray for about £500.

only worth it if you have or plan to have a HD ready or full HD TV

if you have a standard TV you don't plan to upgrade then it will look exactly the same as your current DVD player

I've just got a Blu-Ray DVD player, it was thrown in free with my new TV. Haven't played anything on it yet cos I forgot it didn't come with an HDMI cable and I'm damned if I'm paying £30 for one in the shops – they're £3 online with free delivery!
From what I've read online while researching which TV to get, they're only really worth it if you've got an HD ready TV. If you haven't it'll still do the job until you upgrade your TV (so I've read anyway!).

I've got an HD ready tv – hence wondering if it's worth it – or will Blu Ray go the way of mini disc, beta max & other sony led technology

There has already been a format war HD v Bluray and Bluray won.

So for the moment, bluray is as good as it gets

billybob – Member

I've got an HD ready tv – hence wondering if it's worth it – or will Blu Ray go the way of mini disc, beta max & other sony led technology

No that what's happened to HD DVD.

I upgraded to Blu-Ray from my 8 year old DVD player in June, and must say that the improovement in quality is really quite noticable.

Blu-ray only worth getting if your telly is bigger than 32" IMO.

The big bonus Bluray has over DVD to me anyway on a decent HD TV, is the vibrant colour you get, its sharper too, but its the difference in colours for me that stands out.

I've only got a 720p 32" TV but the clarity of things like Planet Earth on Blu-Ray over SD broadcast or DVD is stunning.

The format war is over, the rental places have loads of BR, supermarkets and online places are doing offers that mean you rarely have to pay more than a tenner each, and you can pick up a decent player for £130ish.

If you've got (or are planning to get soon) a HDTV then it's a no-brainer. Have a look around the back of your all-in-one system and see if it can take inputs from other sources – if it can just hook up your new BR player and use it just like an AV amp.

To get the best from a blu-ray player, you would ideally have a television capable of displaying 1080P

Ideally yes, but IMO the difference between interlaced and progressive is only noticeable in tv's over say 40/42' in size. 1080p just happens to the "the latest thing" for now.

Billybob – Blu Ray discs are still quite expensive compared to regular dvd's, you could always sign up for a free trial at Lovefilm or the like and rent a few, the difference is quite noticeable, although my mrs can't tell 🙄

I agree 1080p not much better than 1080i on smaller screens.

seriously though bluray has been out a couple of years now

am i paranoid to worry that a new format will be out soon making blurays obsolete or at least old hat?