To Blu-ray or not to Blu-ray?
That has been the question facing many DVD consumers, including yours truly, who have purchased widescreen, high-definition televisions and now have to decide whether to replace their old DVD player with a Blu-ray player. (Blu-ray players can play conventional DVDs as well as Blu-ray discs, while traditional DVD players cannot play Blu-ray discs.)
So, is the cost of a Blu-ray player and the higher cost of Blu-ray DVDs worth it?
One disclaimer: I may know something about movies and television, but I am electronically backward. Many years ago, when I was slow to purchase my first VCR -- remember videotapes? -- my daughter Chloe lamented that our family had become "the Amish of Contra Costa County." I am not equipped to discuss matters such as video resolution or master audio soundtracks, so for a learned discussion of the technological superiority of Blu-ray, please look elsewhere.
But I can tell if one disc looks better and sounds better than another, and I do know that Blu-ray discs have much greater storage capacity than conventional DVDs and can thus provide expanded bonus features on a single disc.
Now that the price of decent Blu-ray players has dropped below $300, I recently took the plunge and purchased one. So let's examine some Blu-ray DVDs that are being released this week:
"Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb," director Stanley Kubrick's brilliant political satire about what could go wrong with U.S. nuclear-warfare strategy, is out this week in a 45th-Anniversary Special-Edition Blu-ray version (one disc, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $38.96, rated PG). One of the most devilishly funny black comedies ever made, Kubrick's 1964 film stars Peter Sellers in three different roles -- as American President Merkin Muffley, British Exchange Officer Group Captain Lionel Mandrake and presidential adviser Dr. Strangelove -- alongside George C. Scott as Air Force Gen. Buck Turgidson and Sterling Hayden as the psychotic Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper.
The movie looks great. Compared to the 40th-anniversary edition DVD, the Blu-ray presents a black-and-white picture that is as clear and sharp as I've ever seen and makes the older version look fuzzy in comparison.
This edition packages bonus features that came with the previous edition, including an excellent documentary on the making of the film and an interview with former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
An exclusive feature is "The Cold War: Picture-in-Picture and Pop-Up Trivia Track," which is both funny and educational. The Pop-Ups explain the film's prescient use of terminology such "go codes" and "airborne alerts," explain the U.S. nuclear policy of deterrence and discuss the origins of certain characters -- Scott's Turgison is based in part on Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay while Dr. Strangelove is a composite of German rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun, nuclear physicist Edward Teller ("the father of the hydrogen bomb") and nuclear-warfare strategist Herman Kahn. The Picture-in-Picture feature includes video interviews with experts on U.S. nuclear-warfare policy, such as former Rand Corporation and Defense Department employee Daniel Ellsberg (of "Pentagon Papers" fame) and national-security expert Richard A. Clarke.
Also new to Blu-ray this week: "John Adams"(three discs, HBO Home Entertainment, $79.98, rated TV-14), HBO's wonderful miniseries about John and Abigail Adams, two of America's foremost founding fathers and mothers; and "Lost: Season One: High Definition Edition" and "Lost: Season Two: High Definition Edition"(seven discs apiece, Touchstone Television/Buena Vista Home Entertainment, $69.99 apiece, rated TV-14), the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons of the popular ABC series.
The seven-episode "John Adams" is worth owning in any DVD form. It's first-rate in every way, from the attention to historical detail to the winning performances of an outstanding cast led by Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.
Compared to the standard DVD edition released in 2008, the look of the Blu-ray edition is very good, particularly in the vibrancy of its colors, whether at the Adams' farm in Quincy, Mass., the French royal court or the newly constructed White House in Washington, where Adams resided as the second American president.
The bonus features, however, are somewhat disappointing. In addition to carrying over the extras from the DVD release -- a behind-the-scenes documentary and a look at historian David McCullough, on whose Pulitzer Prize-winning biography the miniseries is based -- the Blu-ray edition includes "Who's Who in History," a Picture-in-Picture series of short biographies of the prominent people portrayed in the miniseries, and "Facts Are Stubborn Things," a running account providing historical background for the people and events depicted.
There's nothing wrong with these features, but one hoped for more to accompany a miniseries that won 13 Emmy Awards and stands among the best productions ever made about the American Revolution and the early years of the United States.
As for "Lost," the popular ABC series about the survivors of a plane crash who find themselves on a mysterious and scary island, I must admit that this isn't one of my favorite TV shows. I find it difficult to suspend disbelief to the extent demanded by this series. But the Blu-ray editions for the first two seasons (Seasons 3, 4 and 5 are already available on Blu-ray) are very impressive, with a digitally remastered, high-definition picture and sound that is simply stunning -- love those lush jungle greens and ocean blues.
The bonus features largely repeat the extensive extras -- over eight hours of material for each season -- that came with the 2005 and 2006 DVD sets, including behind-the-scenes documentaries, a guide to the connections among the various characters, cast audition tapes, interviews with the series' creators, audio commentaries by cast members, deleted scenes and more. The main new Blu-ray feature is "Season Play," which appears to have been made for viewers with weak memories. After you create a personal profile, this feature remembers which scene and episode you were viewing when you stopped watching.
Although the additional capacity for bonus features on Blu-ray discs is not developed to the fullest on these titles, the enhanced picture and sound quality is far superior to that of standard DVDs. To me, it's worth the price of a Blu-ray player and the slightly higher cost of Blu-ray discs. But I'm not going to run out and replace the DVDs I already own with Blu-ray discs except perhaps for favorites that I joyfully watch over and over, like "Dr. Strangelove" or "The Godfather."
(Contact Bruce Dancis at brucedancis(at)comcast.net.)
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