dvd and bluray laptop questions??

Hi all, i hope this is in the right place.
First of i need to say that im not very clued up on computers, thats why im in here!

I need somebody to explain to me in simple terms about resolutions, dvd drives and bluray on laptops.
I have done searches online and come up with nothing.

When choosing a laptop what are the facts/myths concerning picture quality?
As far as i know dvd will output 480p? but lets say i have a 1600x900 display? the DVD drive will upsacale itself to fill the pixels? And if i had a bluray drive with the same screen it would output 1080p but i wouldnt get the full benefits? but would the bluray images be better on a 1600x 900 screen or not?

what about on 1680x1050 screens? to get the best movie playback on these screens do i NEED abluray drive or will a dvd drive be just as good??

help!

 

i meant to ask also, which is best on a 720p screen bluray or dvd? and is it worth the extra money?

 

First, if you did an internet search and came up with '"nothing" then you didn't look very hard. And second, a simple search of Wikipedia would have net a pretty good explanation on each of your questions (you can still check there). In any event, blu-ray, or HD, is the new video standard and has now (or soon will) completely supplant DVD.

The decision to whether you need to upgrade now or wait depends on whether you have a large DVD collection and whether you're satisfied with that current but outgoing technology of DVD.

In order to make the best of the higher resolution of blu-ray, you need a comparable monitor that can display all the quality of this format. Whatever monitor you get below 1920x1080 will net a picture below it's maximum output but only as high as the maximum resolution it is capable of displaying. If you don't have any blu-ray content (or intent to get any soon) then use the lower resolution screen. DVD can output a resolution at just over 500 an won't disappear overnight.

The 720p is an intermediary between DVD and blu-ray (or slightly less expensive format) which came about during the standardization and development of the 1080p standard which is the current state-of-the-art. I should also mention that anything beyond DVD quality can be referred to as HD.

Finally, blu-ray is not just for media. It's optial storage capabilities are nearly 5 times that of current DVDs

 

There is no doubt that Blu-ray looks much better than DVD on a 720p screen. ArcSoft Total Media Theater SimHD plug-in upscales DVD, but to my eyes it still looks awful on a 720p screen. I completely switched to Blu-ray two years ago.

The distance between you and a screen also matters, but Blu-ray usually looks great on a 720p monitor even though I usually use a 1080p external monitor.


Here is a Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray screenshot on a 1366 x 768 (720p) monitor. I didn't do a good job, but you can still tell how sharp the image is.

 

Thanks guys, and Krane, i did actually spend an hour trawling google, but couldnt find any specific info on dvd/bluray on laptops and how they compare.

 

In the many times that I've needed general information on a subject I have found Wikipedia to be an excellent source. Of all the times I've referenced that site, I can remember it lacking in accuracy only once. And as I recall, in that case, it was a relatively new field.

I'm one of the few members here that still believe in the future of optical; and am a proponent of blu-ray. I will be happy to help in any way I can and to the full extent of my knowledge.

p.s. I appreciate these questions because they help me learn more as well.

Ah, I see also from your sig (Pioneer BDR-205) we have a kindred spirit in support of blu-ray? Excellent!

 

You are absolutely right sir!

 

Sorry to nitpick, but 1920x1080 is still a compromise, before that we had 1920x1200 and that was on notebooks. On desktop displays 2560 x 1600 is available.

1920x1200 was seen over a decade ago on CRTs so calling 1920x1080 state of the art is not quite right.

True this has no effect on blu-ray playback seeing as 1920x1080 is its maximum resolution but that is a limit of blu-ray.