It took them some time to get there, but Blu-ray players finally got over the hump during the last several years. There was never any question that the tech offers up sound and picture quality that is superior to any other home media format out there, but now they have really become accessible to the everyman. Yet there are still large portions of the population that are without a player. They've been left behind in the DVD wasteland of standard definition and just nine gigabytes of storage space. The horror…the horror.
There are always late adopters who hang back and hold off on purchasing for as long as possible with any new piece of technology. Now that prices have fallen and just about every movie comes out in Blu-ray along with DVD, though, there's really no point in continuing the holdout. Furthermore, less and less movies will come out in the DVD format going forward; so the stragglers will have to get on board eventually anyway.
Born for Each OtherSeparated at birth, but destined to one day reunite like Luke and Leia, your HDTV and Blu-ray player are brother and sister. Don't let the dark side keep the two apart any longer; it's time to pair your HD set up with a movie-player that is actually capable of taking advantage of all those pixels. If you're using a DVD player with your HD set, then you are suffering needlessly through crummy image and sound quality. Stop it. Make the jump to Blu-ray and find out what you've been missing out on.
Space – There's Lots of ItStandard DVDs have a puny nine gigabytes when dual-layered. Blu-rays have 50. We're talking 41 more gigs to fill with movie special features, your own recordings or just super long films – Lord of the Rings Extended Editions, I'm looking at you.
Space – Even More of ItThere are plans in the works to possibly expand the amount of available storage on a standard Blu-ray disc to 25 times more than that of a DVD. Just imagine all of the content that could fit on such a disc. Tired of switching discs to view extra content? That won't be a problem if this becomes a reality.
Falling PricesEvery new technology gets cheaper over time. For Blu-rays, the time for cheapness has arrived. They used to be wildly expensive, but can now be had for cheaper than some DVDs. Pricing is no longer a valid excuse.
Backwards CompatibilityIf you have a huge assortment of DVDs lying around, you don't necessarily have to get rid of them when you make the Blu-ray jump. Most of today's players can actually play those DVDs. Not only that, but they're also capable of upscaling the image to improve the viewing experience.
Stop dragging your feet and make the jump already. As you can see, there are a lot more reasons why you should than excuses why you should not. See you in the blue.