OK, one thing past the unfortunate designer dress choices and cheesy overstaged production numbers!

We notice that there are a lot of movies and actors who are nominated for awards who we don’t recognize, and that we have a lot of catching up to do so that we can talk intelligently to movie devotees the week after the awards show airs.

While the best way to watch movies always will be on the big screen, as they were designed to be seen, the majority of us just don’t make it to the theater all the time.

After all, it costs a lot of money to see a movie these days. Movie tickets average $10 or more each, and by the time we buy our snacks and drinks, the tally for a movie date can really get expensive.

And why spend all that money when  you can watch the same movies at home for a fraction of the cost? When the first VCRs hit the market, it changed the way we all watch movies forever.

VCRs have gone on their way, with most homes updating to DVD players. The cost of DVD players continues to drop, and a movie lover can purchase a very good quality one now for less than $100.

Technology changes and grows however, and many movie lovers are now discovering that there is something that delivers an even better movie experience – the Blu-ray player.

For the general movie watcher, there are a lot of similaries between Blu-ray and DVD, but Blu-ray offers better audio and visual quality, as well as more special features. A Blu-ray disc can hold more memory than a DVD, and the overall resolution is better.

So, if you’re a movie lover who has found yourself missing most of the Oscar nominees, you might be tempted to really amp up your experience and update your DVD player to a Blu-ray player.

You’ll love the improved quality, yes, but there are some drawbacks. There are not as many title choices for Blu-ray, and the movies are often more expensive than DVDs. Additionally, many of the popular inexpensive rental services, such as Netflix, Blockbuster and even Redbox don’t offer Blu-ray choices. Luckily, Blu-ray players will play DVDs, but if cost and availability of titles are important to you, you might choose to wait a bit before making the investment. DVD players, however, will not play Blu-ray discs, so if you’re hoping to take a shortcut with your purchase, it just isn’t going to work.

Another choice would be to purchase a PlayStation 3. In addition to featuring some of the most exciting video games on the market, a PlayStation 3 will also play Blu-ray discs, meaning you’ll get more bang for your buck.

Many IMshopping visitors are showing a great deal of interest in Blu-ray players, so it appears that the technology is not just a temporary craze, but one that’s here to stay.

If you’re looking for a great deal on a Blu-ray player, there are some sites that are now selling refurbished models for much less than new models.

You can always rest assured that as these become more popular, the prices will continue to drop. If you don’t want to make the investment this year, perhaps the prices will come down even more by next year’s Oscar show!