Does your significant other enjoy Blu-ray/HDDVD as much as you?

I was lying across the bed typing a another new thread here at DVDTOWN when the wife came in. She saw that I was typing away on my laptop when she asked, "What are you doing, let me guess you're on DVDTOWN." I just looked at her and smiled. Then she said something that rocked me to my core. "I don't see anything special about HD just as long as it's a viewable movie and I bet you that none of your buddy's on your site wives or girlfriends care either." Then she ask me to start a thread asking if you guys significant other enjoys HD as much as you do?

[Post edited by tony1569 on Mar 24, 2008]

i don't think shes into it as much as i am.. but she doesn't mind it either ... shes got her hd-dvd's/blurays in our collection that she really likes like shreck ect ect.

I asked her just now, and the Wife-O-Meter says she "sees a significant difference" in the picture and sound quality of high-def transfers over standard-def ones. However, I doubt that she would have gone out and bought an HD home theater on her own. She enjoys teasing me about my liking anything with buttons on it. I think most audio and video matters are male-dominated interests, for good or for bad and for whatever reasons. For instance, it's why we have so few (any?) women posting here at the Message Board.

John

Finally a thread that I can respond to and actually add to the discussion!!

My answer to the question would have to preceded by commenting that my wife enjoys movies as much as I do, and we still enjoy sitting down to watch one on occasion (having a 2 year old daughter makes such opportunities slim as of late

Now to the HD side of the question, while we do have an A3 with about 20 HD DVD's, currently it is not hooked up to an HD display of any kind (both of us being recent college graduates in Theatre Design and Illustration respectively, the price points of a screen that would serve our discerning creative eyes is way out of our budget. BUT we will have a nice 30" Panasonic Tau 1080i screen here in a week or so that I did plug my A3 into via HDMI and test out Beowulf on and we both agreed that it was glorious to behold. Thankfully the pawn shop where I found this old beast of a television at offers layaway, and the price was very doable (aroud $350)

Now anytime a film comes out my wife asks if there is an HD version of it (which we all know will not be a question that I will be able to answer yes to for long) She's the one that suggested we double dip on planet earth and get the HD BBC version as well (found it for 22 wooo hooo) so I think that in and of itself answers the question fairly well.

But does my wife like the 450+ dvd's taking up a ton of space, or my seeming unending desire for more, even though I rarely spend more than $10 on a single title anymore (having worked in the "used" market for a while back in college I got first dibs on more wonderful deals/rarities that I could care to list)??

The answer to that would be no. And my constantly hogging our powerbook to look at dvd town or amazon or whatever other such site, that is a definite NO.

So there is a nice long answer to a seemingly very simple question, and now i must relinquish control of the powerbook so that it may be used for something productive, as it should be.

I'm interested in others thoughts on this one!

JN

[Post edited by kudesignguy on Mar 24, 2008]

I also buy movies on blu ray just for her, now that I know her true feelings about HD I will buy all of her wishlist movies on SDVD.

My wife says she can see/hear a difference but she doesn't require it to enjoy a movie. That sounds like a pretty typical wife/girlfriend answer to me. She still watches movies on a VCR as well though.

My girlfriend certainly can tell the difference.

My wife and I watched both Hot Rod and The Fountain (could you pick two more different movies?) on HD DVD, and I said to my wife, "So, the HD DVDs are pretty impressive, right?". Her response was, "Sure.". She said she noticed a slight difference between those movies and others we have watched, but she really couldn't care less whether or not a movie is in HD in terms of buying or watching anything. We have a ridicuously large collection because we both love movies, but she never understood the need to upgrade to HD, and still doesn't. SDs look good, even at 120", so she would say, "Why bother? Regular DVDs look fine.".

My wife notices the difference so well, that's she'll often comment on the quality of HD transfers. And she'll often comment on the actresses - how their skin doesn't look so good, how their hair is full of split ends, or pointing out visible makeup, or how much older they look than she thought.

It's a curse I tell ya!

My wife feels the same as most here so far. She can see the difference but really doesn't care either way. To her a movie is a movie...

-JS
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."
- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

My wife has been tolerating my electronic fixations for years. (You should have seen the mess in my living room back in the old quadraphonic days!) The only thing that really irritates her is all of the remotes. Both she and my daughter keep on messing up the macros on my Logitec Harmony when they use the individual remotes. She is not opposed to me buying a BD player...she just doesn't want another remote. And yes, she can see the difference in pq and has commented on it occasionally. She also thinks everything is too loud (well, sometimes it is). When she watches a movie by herself, I can hardly hear it.

I'm gonna have to vote no. It took an act of God for the BF to part with his VCR when I brought the TiVO over to our place about a month ago. Only when the picture is really REALLY bad will he notice. He doesn't much care and puts up with my...unhealthy motion picture addiction.

Jason

Jason that is totally unacceptable. You probably should consider replacing that BF of yours!

Skyhawk,

Considering I just moved in with him, I don't think I'm going anywhere for a while. Besides, I'll be buying a 40 or 46 inch HD TV in the very near future. Maybe that'll get him on board.

Jason

You mean you're living in sin Jason?
Tsk.. tsk... don't you think you guys should be married first?

On a more serious note, prices are coming down on those 42" panels. For example, the LG 42LB5D 1080p is now going for $1,140 at Future Shop: http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0770HDS0010086860&catid=23524&logon=&langid=EN

Something like that should move him to the "righteous" side.

Sin Schmin. We all live in sin in some way, don't we? (As for getting married...well, that's a conversation for another thread, isn't it?)

I'm thinking the minute he sees something like National Geographic in HD, we'll be all set to go. (He's HUGE into nature and the like, so it's a big selling point.) I'm looking one of the Sony models, actually. Probably the KDL40V2500 or 46V2500. And, even better, within the next month with a little luck.

Jason

Well I just asked my girlfriend and she said, I can't really see the difference but I know you like them so I let you buy them. I don't think she'll let me buy a Blu-Ray player for quite some time.

My GF notices the difference but she says it'sreally not that big. She thinks DVD's look and sound good enough.

She also the type girl that doesn't care what type of car we have as long as it gets us from point A to point B.

StevePro said

Quote:
My wife has been tolerating my electronic fixations for years.

and

Quote:
The only thing that really irritates her is all of the remotes.

and

Quote:
She also thinks everything is too loud (well, sometimes it is). When she watches a movie by herself, I can hardly hear it.

StevePro, our wives must be related some how because everything you said is the exact same for me.

My GF of three years thinks it's nerdy when i go on this website. However she is happy that I chose the winning format and thinks i'm smart for doing so. I tell her it's research. She also enjoys when we are out with friends and a discussion moves towards mac vs PC or computer parts and like things. She enjoys how I can rattle off model numbers and great hidden codecs or updates that increase performance by 1%. When i start talking and it's so quick and confusing, she loves it. I do the same the BR now and, while she doesn't enjoy me going on this site too often, she does laud my insight on the whole future market of BR. I'm also a business major so when i start talking about market caps and economies of scale in tandem with firmware and potential capabilities,she damn near wets herself.

MasterScott I think you need a new girlfriend or screen name because it's clear your not the Master at the house

I'm in the same boat my wife doesn't care and it takes an act of congress for me to get something new.. I feel kinda like the chase commercial where the wife says I think your right we do need a new television.

[Post edited by museveni on Mar 24, 2008]

Quote:
My GF notices the difference but she says it'sreally not that big. She thinks DVD's look and sound good enough.

Time for you to replace that GF falcon and master!

And don't you dare tell me you're living in sin like Jason is.

[Post edited by Skyhawk on Mar 24, 2008]

Skyhawk,

Something tells me nearly everyone here who references a girlfriend (not a wife) is living in sin. Premarital sex is a sin, after all. (And the married people might be in sin, too. Marriage is only sanctioned for the procreation of the species. So if you have no interest in having children, then the marriage is a sham, thus also sin. )

Jason

Quote:
I'm also a business major so when i start talking about market caps and economies of scale in tandem with firmware and potential capabilities,she damn near wets herself.

Hmmm... and double hmmmm. I'd replace both of you!

OK Rev. Skyhawk, he without sin cast the first stone. , hey Skyhawk does'nt your wife like the pretty blue cases? I wish mine did then maybe she would buy me some pretty blue cases with movies in them.

[Post edited by tony1569 on Mar 24, 2008]

Quote:
Something tells me nearly everyone here who references a girlfriend (not a wife) is living in sin. Premarital sex is a sin, after all. (And the married people might be in sin, too. Marriage is only sanctioned for the procreation of the species. So if you have no interest in having children, then the marriage is a sham, thus also sin.

Jason, although I was kidding about the "sin" part, I do believe in the institution of marriage. It's not because of religious reasons, but because it makes joining with someone that much more of a commitment in this "throw it away when I get tired of it" society. I may be old fashioned, but when you decide to live with someone (apart from just room-mates), it should be a life-long commitment and not some 1 to 5 year trial period. In other words, the entire ritual and contract makes people take it more seriously. It has nothing to do with religion or the expectation of having children IMO. That's why you guys really should be married, unless it's just some convenient "pool our resources" kind of casual thing.

But like I said, I'm old-fashioned and terribly conservative.

[Post edited by Skyhawk on Mar 24, 2008]

Quote:
OK Rev. Skyhawk, he without sin cast the first stone. , hey Skyhawk does'nt your wife like the pretty blue cases? I wish mine did then maybe she would buy me some pretty blue cases with movies in them.

LOL, you remember that? Yeah my wife loves the pretty blue cases, and now hates those bulky black DVD cases in comparison. Heck, she even likes those red cases better. That is a definite plus for me

My Wife can see the difference but doesn't care. But the sound impact of movies SD or HD she agrees makes a difference. But my wife and my buddy's wife together learned to just say things like "If you say it sounds better then it sounds better" or "Yep looks good!". Just as long as i am happy with my gear she is happy!

Believe it or not, Skyhwak, I do agree with most of what you said. I don't necessarily agree with the idea marriage is reserved for people looking to only have children (it's a line from the Catholic Church to ban gays from getting legally married). Nor do I look kindly on short term marriages, like Elizabeth Taylor or Britney. That's like jumping into the deep end of the pool before knowing you can swim. For our particular case, we celebrated three years together last November. He's met nearly my entire family, I'm fully integrated into his. We've had our share of fuck ups and the like...still together. I've never seen a relationship or commitment as something disposable. Some people do. Not us.

The great ( ) state of Michigan, and another dozen or so, don't allow same sex marriage. When they do-when it is legally binding in ever single jurisdiction in the country-we will get married. But we're not going a Massachusetts or Canada wedding because the contract we enter into there will not be binding here. That day may never come and we may end up being together "unmarried" in the eyes of the government. So be it.

Jason, thread derailer

Quote:
Jason, thread derailer

Jason, that's funny because I was just getting ready to call Skyhawk a thread hijacker.

Quote:
Jason, that's funny because I was just getting ready to call Skyhawk a thread hijacker.

Sorry

I guess I couldn't help myself!

But personally I found this kinda sad:

Quote:
That day may never come and we may end up being together "unmarried" in the eyes of the government. So be it.

SO BE IT?

I guess I kinda take freedom and equality for granted. In his place, I'd fight tooth & nail for it. And they think soldiers in Iraq are spreading "freedom"? Time to fight at home IMO. But it's only a matter of time. Last I head American women can vote, and lately white people can even marry blacks legally! So freedom is happening... just a bit more slowly down there. Think they'll ever make sex-toys legal in Texas? I'm prejudiced with that sort of thing, because I don't think big government in our lives is a "good thing".

And neither is a "significant other" who doesn't see a difference between HD and standard definition.

I never intended the "So be it" to be a downer. I am fully aware some states, in my lifetime (29 yesterday), will allow us to get married. But I'm also well aware there is a possibility some won't. I don't do anything piecemeal, never have and never will. Therefore, it's not about stopping the fight for equality it's about recognizing the next generation may be the ones to reap the benefit and not me. (And none of this civil union or domestic partnership bullshit either. Marriage, just like everyone else. Same rights, benefits and all that jazz. Anything else is still "separate, but equal.")

Jason

PS-on the SD/HD difference, Jim doesn't notice detail in anything. Some of it is his eyes and some of it is he just doesn't care enough to examine what he's looking at. Won't read directions either...

[Post edited by JJ79 on Mar 24, 2008]

Hey Skyhawk don't feel bad, I was only kidding you know you're one of my favs here. And Jason you are the reason why I said significant other in the title because I value you're input as well.

Even though she says she notices the difference, she doesn't care a bit about HD. She's not a movie buff like me, much less a tech buff.

Mine is the same as most here....she sees the difference but according to her "if it was up to her she'll still be watching vhs"...but she does enjoy the hi def movies...

WOW You guys have been busy...

My wife can see the difference, but doesn't get why we have to change to a new format as of yet. She's the kind of girl that doesn't see the relevance in HD media. As long as she can watch it, that's all that matters. When we watched ET last night, she had it on a SD feed, and I almost fell apart... I quickly changed it to the HD feed. She thinks I'm crazy...

my fiance and I are very compatible, shes very into movies, and likes tech stuff aswell, even though she lets me handle most of the research etc. plus with the bonus BB cards from work, and from the credit card, she thinks is cool how im able to buy most of the goodies, spending only a minimum amount of my own $$

Shes eager to get the disney classics. and enjoys high def movies very much. she just hates how I get asked about it thirty million times a week.

Quote:
And Jason you are the reason why I said significant other in the title because I value you're input as well.

Thank you sir. It is very much appreciated.

Jason

the old ball and chain loves them as much if more then I do

Kucoloco
I read your post and all I can say is thats because your not married yet !
Just bugging you!

Skyhawk, Jason... about "freedom" of a same-sex marriage. Because of long-standing religious convictions, s-s marriage will never be accepted in the mainstream and considered equal (or normal) as traditional opposite-sex marriage. Attempts to make it 'legal' just complicates the issue, although you will perhaps feel 'safe' as a result. But many people cannot and will not accept that a same-sex marriage is equal to an op-sex marriage. Civil Unions (for legal issues) is the only answer that will bring the 'opposing sides' into unity... in my opinion [FYI: I'm single].

-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)

Quote:
But many people cannot and will not accept that a same-sex marriage is equal to an op-sex marriage.

Not equal as in "more" or "less"? I hope you're not saying that just because I'm a man married to a woman that my marriage is less?

In all seriousness, I don't care how well others "accept" my marriage. The measurement of the worth of our union comes from us, and not from others. The fact that she also enjoys movies in high definition is definitely a plus in that regard though.

But one battle at a time Hendrix. There are still people out there that think Blu-ray isn't equal to HD DVD (as in less)! But even this too will change in time.

update from above - [FYI: I'm single, and not gay]

ss-unions not being equal to op-s marriage is obviously true in may areas, as seen historically, socially, and as to procreation. Same sex unions cannot biologically conceive children within their union. Also, ss-unions are forbidden in some countries, and can result in punishment or even death. But more countries are allowing legal civil unions for ss partners, which are usually equal in legal rights to that of op-s marriages.

For same-sex parters to be allowed to have marriages (in the USA), requires major legal changes and a societal change/recognition from those uncomfortable with the concept. But even if it were to happen (ss-m legal in all 50 states), it will not change the opinions by many opposed to it, considering it a mortal sin (and not blessed of God), and unwilling to acknowledge the idea that same-sex partners can now exist in the same 'married status' as those favoring opposite-sex marriages. SS-partners might eventually receive the right to marry, but many opposed to it will never consider it equal to both the social status, and biblically-based origin of traditional opposite-sex marriage.

It's really quite a lot to think about, and for ss-partners I think it's best that civil unions be what they should strive for, for which most others are 'comfortable' with accepting (others = non-homosexuals, or those opposing the idea of ss marriage).

-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)

And my update from above - [FYI: I'm married, never divorced, with children and not gay (not that it actually matters)]

Quote:
for which most others are 'comfortable' with accepting

Well then fight to change your constitution!

I'd start off by having congress edit the founding document of America, the Declaration of Independence:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty for those most others are comfortable with accepting, and dedicated to the proposition that (<delete>all) men whom most are comfortable with accepting are created equal."

Then carry on to edit the First Ammendment:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion except for which most are comfortable with accepting, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof of which most are comfortable with or abridging the freedom of speech that most are comfortable with accepting, or of the press or the right of the people whom most are comfortable with to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances that most are comfortable with accepting."

And I'm sure most people would be accepting of these changes... no?

Something tells me that America would look much different today if it were founded on more democratized ideologies (as edited above). Blame your Founding Fathers for a government that opened its legislative, judicial, and executive branches to the influence of darn minorities of all types - that allows them to express things, go places, practice things, the right to life, and have crazy ideas that most have not been comfortable with at one time or another!

[Post edited by Skyhawk on Mar 25, 2008]

See, the problem with civil unions and the like is that companies have found ways around the terminology to deny benefits. Initially, when New Jersey (IIRC) put civil unions into law, UPS resisted offering benefits to their gay and lesbian employees. The rationale? Only marriage is covered by the company. It took a fight and repeated clarification by state legislators, but UPS relented and offers benefits to same sex couples.

Hendrix, I agree it's going to take a long long time (if ever) for same sex marriage to be equal with heterosexual marriage. I'm also reminded of "separate, but equal." As in, blacks and whites had different facilities back in the 1950s and 1960s before integration. Both had a water fountain which provided water, yet a black could not use a white one and vice versa. It's the same thing we would have with civil unions or domestic partnerships. Unless they are called the same thing with exactly the same rights and benefits, we go back to separate, but equal.

Quote:
Same sex unions cannot biologically conceive children within their union.

So now we're going to redefine the definition of marriage to say "if you can't make children, you can't get legally married"? If that's the case, then a man who has a vasectomy or a woman with her tubes tied can not get married. People who are outside their child bearing years (ie. 50 years old and over, possibly) can't get married. The elderly can't get married. People who have no intention of having children can not get married. That's an awfully slippery slope, I think.

Do you know, for example, how many different tax returns a couple in a same sex marriage is Massachusetts have to prepare? Four. Two individual returns to send to the IRS. A "fake" state return. A "dummy" joint return. All because the federal government won't recognize same sex marriages. Start adding kids (adopted, biological or foster) to the equation. A house, some other property, debt...

Frankly, by not allowing same sex marriage (and thereby same sex divorce), the government is holding back entire industries, and thus tax revenue. Think about all the gay divorce attorney's for a start!

Jason

who hijacked? where? when? what time?

I think the hijacking happened a couple pages ago. It all started with some living in sin talk and got completely away from the original topic. Alas, it's one of the great things about online discussions: the various tangents we can all go on.

Jason, partly to blame

...back to the topic....

My wife falls asleep just as fast in an HD movie as she does in a SD flick....so I guess she doesn't really see the difference.