Hollywood: Free Blu-ray rentals....but not changing my mind

I've watched Resident Evil: Extinction, Batman Begins, and Cloverfield on Blu-ray this week. My local Hollywood Video is running a promotion where any singular Blu-ray rental is free for the time being. I figure if I keep watching DVD's and Blu-ray movies around the same time, I'll start being more impressed with every dork's lavished High-Definition-1080p-surround-sound sensory sex.

Nope.

It looks a little cleaner, sure. But after a few minutes, you really don't notice it. The same goes for any "flaws" in 480i DVD upscaled video. You really have to pay attention for it matter in my opinion, and I just don't. I'm starting to think Hollywood is doing this free-rental promotion to try to get the ball rolling on rentals since Blu-ray movies are extremely over-priced.

What I have come to appreciate is how much better extra-content is executed and organized thanks to a more versatile authoring approach. The menus are more interactive and interesting if the tech is taken advantage of. It's not super glamorous or a must-have though; most the time bonus content is boring and not worthwhile. And I've still been impressed what can be done with old DVD in that arena.

I do want to make a note on Batman Begins. Originally, I had downloaded this on Xbox Live in 720p. To me, it looked every-bit as good as the Blu-ray version, and it was compressed. Obviously the downside was that I didn't get a physical copy, but as far as quality is concerned, they are definitely comparable.

So until Blu-ray prices match those of DVD, I can't say I'll be purchasing anything else unless it's ALIENS-related. I thought my mind would change after a dozen movie viewings, but it hasn't. None of my friends seem to care about it either. It isn't worth the money; I really think they are going to have to FORCE us into the Blu-ray generation of movies.