10 Blu-ray questions keep the newbies in the know

We've already passed along one Blu-ray primer this holiday season, but just in case you missed it (or your one specific question remains unanswered), we'll point you to this one. USA Today has written ten relatively basic questions (and answers) that may be in the minds of those teetering on taking the plunge into high-def media. Things like "Will my sound system work with Blu-ray?" and "What features do Blu-ray movies have that DVDs don't?" are covered in sufficient detail, so we'd highly recommend having a look if "your friend" is still a bit clueless.

[Big Wizz Posted Dec 6th 2008 11:53AM]

Q: What do I need to watch Blu-ray?

A: Other than a Blu-ray player, you'll probably want a HDTV...

No shit! Probably want?!?! Since when does USA Today let monkeys write their A/V pieces?

[RealHTInfo Posted Dec 6th 2008 1:01PM]

Is watching a Blu-ray disc without an HD TV any worse than listening to a Blu-ray without decent speakers and an AVR that can decode Dolby TrueHD? I'd say no, and audio barely gets a mention this article.

Marshall
The Real HT Info Podcast

[DrXym Posted Dec 7th 2008 6:01AM]

Blu Ray discs can still look better in SD. The higher bitrate combined with (usually) better transfers / remastering and smaller block size means the image will be superior. But probably not enough to matter to anyone. If they cared that much they wouldn't be watching in SD in the first place.

Eventually of course everyone will go HD. The digital switchover will mean SD sets will become the minority in a year or two and practically obsolete 5 years hence.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 6th 2008 12:33PM]

The answer to the sound system question seemed genuinely misleading, the right answer being "It depends".

The last question seemed ridiculous fanboism and had no place anywhere outside of a Engadget HD "We're whoring for WB!" piece.