fairly unequivical.

Film This is fairly unequivical. Helen O'Hara of Empire Magazine posts to their blog about how the Blu-ray pick-up has slowed and offering a range of potential reasons from consumers being quite happy with the picture and sound quality of dvd and other feeling like they're being treated like suckers having just spent the past ten years replacing VHS. And:

Blu-rays are big enough that they can hold as much information as you can throw at them - standard-setting releases like Blade Runner: Final Cut or Close Encounters come packed with every conceivable version of the film and every possible extra to boot. In other words, not just the standard DVD extras from the most recent release (or even a longer-ago release, or even fewer extras than the DVD boasted, as is the case with some Blu-rays) but specially-cut new material or long forgotten snippets. I know there's been a rush to get some films on to Blu-ray to boost the selection, but we need all discs to be up to this standard to make it worth shelling out for.

Usually when anyone writes anything about anything online, especially in relation to film, there's a sea of negative comments underneath. Not this time. In the comments section, the vast majority of people say that though they can see a boost in the picture quality its not enough for them to shell out and buy replacement copies of anything they've got and to only selectively buy new releases on blu-ray. I can only agree with them too.

Here is my blu-ray collection with some justifications:

Leon: Directors Cut
Replacing a VHS of the theatrical cut. In sale.

T2: Judgement Day: Directors Cut
Replacing a VHS. In sale.

The Dark Knight
Only film I've double dipped so that I could see the IMAX sequences within the film.

Starship Troopers 3
Dragon Wars
Presents. Oh yes.

Hamlet (Tennant)
Because I had to.

Hamlet (Olivier)
Henry V (Olivier)
Review copies.

Cinema Paradiso
Bought preview copy.

Torchwood: Children of Earth
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead
Just see if BBC-HD is anything to write home about. It is. I'll be buying all Doctor Who releases in the best available format in the future.

Meanwhile I'm still purchasing other films on DVD and even the odd thing on VHS (Bill Forsyth's Being Human). But other than my favourite franchise I can't see myself buying many blu-rays in the future. Of course, it helps that it can be a format of rental choice at Lovefilm ...