1) The premise that Blu-Ray offers no advantage over upscaled DVD is total garbage. That might be true on a 32” TV, but buy yourself a 1080p home cinema projector (90”+image, baby!) and a copy of Blade Runner and then you can see what the format can do. There is simply no comparison. Image quality can exceed your local multiplex.
2) Agree that Blu-Ray discs are too expensive, studios are trying to milk things as they always do with new formats. But then, I only rent movies these days, the only discs I buy are TV series.
I suspect that over the next couple of years, the number of folks who are going to want to put $3000+ on their credit cards for a TV set will be greatly diminished, and the Blu Ray consortium would do well to keep that in mind.
Re: Price.
I got Speed Racer (for my daughters) and Forbidden Kingdom (for me, Love Jackie Chan) for 42.00 on Amazon. Free shipping.
Check out this Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_1_8?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=iron+man+blu+ray&sprefix=Iron+man
Iron Man Blu-ray is 25.95
DVD is 22.99
Not too much of a difference there.
You may be right with regard to certain DVD/BR comparisons. I have run some comparisons with my own DVD/BR movies, and the difference was nowhere near as much better as I had thought it would be.
My old DVDs look pretty great upped. Yes the BR version is better, just not ‘as better (;-)) as I would have thought.
We have a 56” 1080p set that provides an amazing picture.