watching blu-ray disks on my Sony KV-34xbr910

Hi all,
I've had the sony KV-34xbr910 for about 4 years now and still am amazed at the quality of the hi-def experience compared to neighbors lcd and plasma sets.

My question: I'm looking at blu-ray players now and I'm wondering if I will get the full blu-ray experience even though my set does not support hdmi?

Your responses are appreciated.

Mikey

Even though you can get 1080i via component video connection, for that size of display, the ROI will be rather small. The enhancements that Bluray offer only get appreciated when you get larger in size. I've watched DVDs on a 34XBR910 and it looks flawless because it's small enough to avoid many of the artifacts that one can see with DVDs.

IMO, not worth getting unless you plan on upgrading your display in the future, but plan on starting to buy bluray titles now so you don't have to replace those later.

I would say if the HD you are watching now is appreciably better than watching a DVD, then yes the Blu-ray will at least match the HD you are watching now. If you can't tell a lot of difference between HD and your current DVD video, then Blu-ray is not going to help much on that small display. If you decide on getting a Blu-ray, you might look at getting a PS3. It would play Blu-rays, upconvert DVDs and play games.

I would say if the HD you are watching now is appreciably better than watching a DVD, then yes the Blu-ray will at least match the HD you are watching now. If you can't tell a lot of difference between HD and your current DVD video, then Blu-ray is not going to help much on that small display. If you decide on getting a Blu-ray, you might look at getting a PS3. It would play Blu-rays, upconvert DVDs and play games.

Thanks to both of you for y our responses. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm doomed to one day get rid of the great hi-def on my Sony tube and get a larger lcd or plasma display to get the most out of blu-ray. With that as a given, your recommendations and thoughts on which way to turn will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to both of you for y our responses. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm doomed to one day get rid of the great hi-def on my Sony tube and get a larger lcd or plasma display to get the most out of blu-ray. With that as a given, your recommendations and thoughts on which way to turn will be greatly appreciated.I already recommended the PS3 game console. If your computer is capable and hooked to your HDTV, a Blu-ray drive might also be something to look at.

I have a Sony KD34XBR960 & I really LOVE the BR player I have! The picture is STUNNING with the right source material!! My BR player is the PS3, and I think you HAVE to have an HDMI connection for that... :2cents

Gary

I already recommended the PS3 game console. If your computer is capable and hooked to your HDTV, a Blu-ray drive might also be something to look at.

Thanks rbinck,
But I was more interested in getting recommendations on the display itself - lcd vs plasma, screen size for a 15' by 15' room. If you have any thoughts, please shoot them my way

Panasonic for plasmas, Vizio for LCDs. I have a Westinghouse 42" LCD in my bedroom that doubles as a computer monitor, but they can be hard to find.

I'd say go look at them and decide what looks best for you. Personally the glare was my deciding factor followed by the ability to be a computer monitor (not all are equal here) and the ability to turn off overscan. And also had to be 1080p with good video processing. For more detail see: The 1080p HDTVs (http://www.highdefinitionblog.com/?page_id=237)

Edit: Also personally I'd get the most waranty you can get on any flat panel. With the throw away approach to the flat panels, it can be very hard to get them fixed and even then it can cost almost as much as a new set.