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High-Def => General HD Discussion => Topic started by: barrister on May 21, 2010 at 01:59 PM

Title: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on May 21, 2010 at 01:59 PM
How about some short comments about the picture and/or audio quality of your Blu-ray titles.




=================================




(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515W9YXBgQL._SL160_AA115_.jpg)
The Dark Knight

I see some shimmering on the long shots of buildings.  Other than that, PQ and AQ are very good.


(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uSlXUt69L._SL160_AA115_.jpg)
Elizabeth

I needed to upgrade my DVD because the SD version was terrible.  This BD is a great improvement over the SD.  

However, the BD is still not good enough when compared with other high profile BD releases of 2010.  The Elizabeth BD looks like it was tweaked too much  ---  too much sharpness, too much contrast.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on May 24, 2010 at 12:40 PM

Avatar is now the highest-ranking BD on avsforum's PQ Tier Thread:


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on May 24, 2010 at 12:54 PM
Cool! Can't wait to get Avatar Blu but will have to wait until Nov release.

My hands are so itchy to get Avatar now...  ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on May 24, 2010 at 01:37 PM
Avatar is now the highest-ranking BD on avsforum's PQ Tier Thread:


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342

Yes i am not surprised.  Avatar is now my demo BD disc, replacing I-Robot.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Blu-devil on May 24, 2010 at 02:34 PM
I have to say, I was never totally happy with the visuals from my Various DVD's of King Kong. They always looked overly soft. I appreciate some people said this was down to the director's style for this particular movie (ie fantasy) However I have to say I am constantly floored by the sheer beauty of the Blu-ray image. It's like a proverbial kick in the nuts. I especially love the V-Rex fight scene. I must have watched that particular scene a hundred times since January 2009 (when it came out on BD in the U.S) And don't even get me started on the magnificent audio.

I agree with everyone about Avatar, it looks and sounds phenomenal. I was away at Waterfront Mactan for my sister in laws swimwear fashion show and decided to bring my Blu-ray SteelBook™ of Avatar along to watch at night. Unfortunately when I placed the BD in my laptop it would not play (not without an update on my TMT3 software) I did this yesterday evening and now Avatar plays fine on my laptop. It looks gorgeous, even on my 14" wide screen LED. The dts HDMA will kill lesser sound systems, believe me.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Moks007 on May 24, 2010 at 09:10 PM
Cool! Can't wait to get Avatar Blu but will have to wait until Nov release.

My hands are so itchy to get Avatar now...  ;D

Its down to 16.99 bucks..hmmm indeed very tempting Paul ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on May 24, 2010 at 10:52 PM
Its down to 16.99 bucks..hmmm indeed very tempting Paul ;D

Yes Raymond esp with the low price now...really tempting. :)
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on May 26, 2010 at 12:56 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41kHYcIVRoL._SL160_AA115_.jpg)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Video is good.  No DNR.  Good details and sharpness on both close-ups and long shots.  Color is faithful to the undersaturated film presentation.  There's some edge enhancement, but it's so slight that you'll have to look for it to see it.

Sound is good, but dialog level is too low.  Dialog volume is about 6 dB below the average BD, but that's typical of horror genre titles.  

Don't get the UK version, which uses MPEG-2 video and has no special features.  The US version uses AVC video and has some special features.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Oct 20, 2010 at 06:46 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xLA0Z2f6L._AA115_.jpg)
The Thin Red Line

Reviewers and forums are saying that this title is the new reference.  Possibly better than Avatar!


================


I'm feeling a little bold today, so I'm going to go ahead and say it: 'The Thin Red Line's' 1080p AVC MPEG-4 transfer (aspect ratio: 2.35:1) is the single greatest high definition transfer I have ever seen. I mean that. The bar has been raised. And now there's something to compare all other releases against.

In the booklet, the following note is made about the transfer: "Supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick and cinematographer John Toll, this new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 4K Datacine from the original 35mm camera negative in 4K resolution. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system."


http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/3385/thethinredline.html

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=858316&page=569

Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Oct 20, 2010 at 08:45 PM
Thanks for the heads up barrister. Will surely get The Thin Red Line.  :D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mandyb on Oct 20, 2010 at 10:03 PM
wow the thin red line is quite pricey, but quite tempting.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Oct 27, 2010 at 09:57 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JvzE0ymKL._AA115_.jpg)
The Sound of Music (45th Anniversary Edition)


Matindi talaga ang 70mm Todd-AO format.

This is an impressive remaster.  Very film-like quality.  Black levels, contrast, image depth and colors are all great.  Grain structure is natural. 
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: comitatus on Oct 28, 2010 at 12:35 PM
...my first shot at an aq/pq comments

for the blu-ray release of "The Relic"

movie tech spec:

1080p hd
widescreen
dts 7.1 master hd

pq:

the relic was shot, with very very dark scenes and thankfully retains the theatrical look of the film. just the way i remember it on screen when i was 12 years old! there was no attempt by the studio to make it any brighter than it should, keeping true to how the filmmaker intended it to be, so that in itself is great. during the films rare moments of "day" shots, one could appreciate the vibrancy of color and contrast despite the age of the flick. this, however, is no demo material and is simply "loved" by me, bec of the fact that it's a finer than fine upgrade to my old dvd version...i think that's the reason why we "blu" our films.

aq:

what the relic lacks in the pq department, it makes up for it with a strong audio performance...that will give your subs the much needed exercise. from pulse pounding gunfire bursts to the thundering hoofs of the beast of the film, the audio surrounds with intensity making it a very good sound demo material especially if you want to freak out some of your friends. it blew my shorts more than ten years ago, in the theatre, and it still does to this very day with the blu-ray.


yun lang ;)
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Oct 28, 2010 at 02:05 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JvzE0ymKL._AA115_.jpg)
The Sound of Music (45th Anniversary Edition)


Matindi talaga ang 70mm Todd-AO format.

This is an impressive remaster.  Very film-like quality.  Black levels, contrast, image depth and colors are all great.  Grain structure is natural. 

I like this!  The amazon $23.99  3 disc set is very tempting for this classic.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Oct 29, 2010 at 12:14 AM
That's a reasonable price to pay for a good restoration.  Here's a 2-minute promo video about the process:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150282259450612

They scanned the 70mm Todd-AO film negative, frame by frame, at 8K resolution.  From the 8K scan, they made a digital master at 4K resolution.  
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mandyb on Oct 29, 2010 at 12:34 AM
I like this!  The amazon $23.99  3 disc set is very tempting for this classic.

its a little cheaper than that landed in amazon uk fyi:)

im thinking about it too
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Oct 29, 2010 at 11:10 AM
(http://images2.blu-ray.com/movies/covers/1970_small.jpg)

Dexter Season 1

PQ :  The 1.78:1 orig TV aspect ratio fills up your screen wonderfully.  The 1080p transfer using the MPEG-4 AVC is very well done and in most scenes were truly glorious.  It has that glossy, 3D effect and details are superb.  I said mostly because the darker scenes were quite a letdown where the noise and grain were noticeable.  I guess this is the drawback when you shoot films entirely in HD.  Parang mahina ang HD camera sa mga night scenes?  Just like Collateral and Band of Brothers.  But overall, the PQ is a fantastic experience.  This is my first time to see Dexter but I'm sure the BD blows out the SD and even its HD TV broadcasts.

SQ : The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is also very good.  The sound effects and music of Dexter are enough to engage the audiophiles ( which I'm not >:( ) ) but this has more dialogue than effects guys.  However, when the few action scenes kick up, they really do kick. 

Extras : Only commentaries.  And not even a Michael Hall here.  Ho-hum.  The rest of the extras can be accessed thru BD live.

Great BD for an outstanding series!   ;D ;D ;D

on to season 2, and 3 and 4!
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Nov 02, 2010 at 12:14 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JvzE0ymKL._AA115_.jpg)

I think they've finally solved the bookmarking problem on Java BDs.

The Sound of Music is a Java BD that has an auto bookmarking feature.  Just press "stop" and the last scene is automatically bookmarked.  The bookmark remains saved even after removing the disc and turning off the player.


==================


Film preservationist Robert A. Harris praises Sound of Music:


Viewing the new Blu-ray, which was apparently scanned from a 65mm interpositive in 8k by FotoKem, is an extraordinary home theater experience.  The larger one can view this release, the better it's going to look.  The vibrancy of colors, richness of blacks, shadow detail, and total lack of misuse of digital tools is extremely evident.  The final result looks very much like film.  And in those unfiltered scenes -- the overall detail is stunning.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/305455/a-few-words-about-the-sound-of-music-in-blu-ray



==================


First professional review:

(http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg472/Blu-news2/Sreenshots%20Q3-Q4%202010/SoundOfMusic07.jpg)

http://blu-news.com/index.php/2010/11/the-sound-of-music-blu-ray-review/

Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Nov 02, 2010 at 02:04 PM
I like this!  The amazon $23.99  3 disc set is very tempting for this classic.

It's now $19.99 na lang!  Yehey!
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Moks007 on Nov 02, 2010 at 06:21 PM
Ordered na the limited edition sa amazon ;D. Can't resist. ;D I just can't wait to check this out.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Nov 02, 2010 at 06:54 PM
Nakita ko yung Limited Ed. sa Cardinal V-Mall.  Ang laki pala ng box non ...  :o

Pero sulit naman kung ganong kaganda ang restoration and remaster.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Clondalkin on Nov 04, 2010 at 10:03 AM
The level (more specifically the size) of grain on The Sound Of Music is something that not everyone would appreciate... I guess that's how a 1960s movie is supposed to look anyways - compared to say an 80's grainy movie like Aliens which has "very fine" layers of grain.  

Agree on the inkiness of the blacks in particular.  The dress of the nuns is scarily black.





Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Nov 04, 2010 at 02:03 PM

Some Sound of Music shots used a soft focus.  But they're obviously the deliberate glamour photography style that was in vogue at the time.

Good thing the restorers were knowledgable enough to recognize when a soft focus lens was being used.  No artificial  sharpening or edge enhancement was applied.   
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Moks007 on Nov 04, 2010 at 02:07 PM
Sound of Music just got all 5.0's from blu-ray.com, man really can't wait to watch this with my wife and daughter ;D

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Sound-of-Music-Blu-ray/13695/#Review
   
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Nov 04, 2010 at 02:24 PM
Sound of Music just got all 5.0's from blu-ray.com, man really can't wait to watch this with my wife and daughter ;D

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Sound-of-Music-Blu-ray/13695/#Review
   


Just placed my order from oreoshake ;D  Yeah, can't wait for the good stuff.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Clondalkin on Nov 04, 2010 at 02:41 PM
Some Sound of Music shots used a soft focus.  But they're obviously the deliberate glamour photography style that was in vogue at the time.

Good thing the restorers were knowledgable enough to recognize when a soft focus lens was being used.  No artificial  sharpening or edge enhancement was applied.  

It is still evidently more detailed and more colorful than any previous version of the film I have seen, including the last high def broadcast.  However personally, I feel you need to be some kind of film-making critique, or, pretty knowledgeable on how old films should look, to fully appreciate the quality of the remastering.

In general, I have no major issues with grains or soft focus here and there, but I got distracted a little bit instead of "wowed" at the beginning (to the point that I had to move as far away from the plasma as I could to minimize the visual masking due to heavy grains) - and then I gradually got used to how it looks because the grains are consistent.  Perhaps it would be interesting if they release another version with some artificial digital processing employed for those whose general image of high definition is "eye-popping" - similar to what they did with some old war movies - but probably that is a stupid idea.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Nov 04, 2010 at 05:29 PM
Another Sound of Music review with lots of screen shots comparison:  :o

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare8/sound-of-music.htm
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Nov 04, 2010 at 07:00 PM
The level (more specifically the size) of grain on The Sound Of Music is something that not everyone would appreciate... I guess that's how a 1960s movie is supposed to look anyways - compared to say an 80's grainy movie like Aliens which has "very fine" layers of grain.  


I haven't seen the Alien Anthology BD, but I'm sure that's not natural grain you're seeing on Aliens.

Reviewers say there's slight DNR (digital noise reduction):

Things are a bit more problematic when it comes to Aliens. James Cameron terrified DNR-haters everywhere when he declared that, "We got rid of all the grain," on the new Aliens transfer. Fortunately, he wasn't being entirely truthful. There's still some measure of grain left intact, though it's obvious that DNR has been employed to some degree. For the most part, the actors manage to avoid looking too "waxy" (certainly nothing on the level of the recent Predator debacle), but it's still a bit much for my tastes.  

http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/alienanthologybluray.php

They say that in the case of the Aliens BD, slight but expert use of DNR improved the picture because the original film stock was in bad condition.  

As far as grain and DNR are concerned, the studios should just listen to the experts and not let their decisions be dictated by what the average consumer wants.

It wasn't too long ago when Joe six pack absolutely hated those black bars.

These days, film grain is the new black bars ...  :D




Perhaps it would be interesting if they release another version with some artificial digital processing employed for those whose general image of high definition is "eye-popping" - similar to what they did with some old war movies - but probably that is a stupid idea.

Actually, removing grain from film will not give you a great image.  The process will not simply remove grain, it will also introduce new problems.

Maybe you're referring to the Patton BD.  Here's a screencap comparison between the BD and the HD broadcast.  The film grain on the sky is greatly reduced, but the side-effect is that details on the face are also greatly reduced:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-movies-north-america/65914-lord-rings-trilogy-2010-a-343.html

Patton was shot on 70mm Todd-AO!  Why does that BD screencap look like an FHM magazine?  :D

Even the HD broadcast screencap is probably still not good enough.  When Patton gets a proper remaster, I think we'll be seeing a much better image.  

Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Moks007 on Nov 05, 2010 at 03:14 PM
Ok this is getting ridiculous ;D..Another perfect score. Where is my darn copy ;D..Sana shipping soon na ;D

http://www.dvdtown.com/review/sound-of-music-the/blu-ray/8585
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Clondalkin on Nov 07, 2010 at 08:53 AM
Too much grain or not, the movie's image quality certainly gets better and better as you watch and re-watch.  The level of details is absolutely impressive even during dark scenes - the mother superior singing within the dark shadows, the romantic scene in the garden between Maria and the Captain, the texture of the clothing, the walls, the grass, the buildings and the roads for instance.    Many scenes look like postcards.   Amazing!
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Clondalkin on Nov 08, 2010 at 10:05 AM
Three Kings

I'm still at halfway point as I forced myself to go to bed but I noticed something interesting before pausing the playback.

Up to the scenes when the humvee and the truck containing the looted gold were mined as they were escaping from Karbala, the film was heavily grained and the color saturation was kinda "artistic"; anyhow that's how I recall the DVD version.  Then the main characters were rescued by civilian Iraqis and brought inside a cave, while Walhberg was captured by the Iraqi Republican Guards.  Suddenly, all the grains were GONE - scenes became totally clean - almost 3d like.   Anyone else notice this?  Will update later how far the "clean" image will last.   I paused at the scene where Wahlberg was being interrogated/tortured.

I dont know if any of the professional reviewers have noticed this, although I dont expect any of them to be actually watching a movie (for review) from start to end.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Nov 08, 2010 at 01:13 PM
I'm not familiar with Three Kings because I never liked the movie ;D.  But since you seem to have taken a recent interest in cinematography styles, I tried doing a little googling for you.

Don't assume that only one type of film stock is used from beginning to end of a movie.  Many movies shift from one film stock to another for artistic effect.

Three Kings was shot on 35mm Panavision cameras and lenses, but used different stocks of Kodak film.

Portions used Kodak EPP 404 Ektachrome 100 Plus Professional Color Slide film, a reversal film (for slide projectors).  Kodak made custom rolls of the slide film for this movie.


====================


I dont know if any of the professional reviewers have noticed this, although I dont expect any of them to be actually watching a movie (for review) from start to end.

Some Blu-ray reviewers commented on the variety of film stock used.  doblu.com says:

Three Kings utilizes multiple Kodak stocks, one of them not even used for film, but slide transparencies. That is to say, nearly ever scene looks different in terms of contrast, color saturation, and depth. The film’s opening shot in the middle of the desert is washed out, the contrast is pumped up, and almost everything but the sky has been drained of color. Wait a while and when the soldiers move into town, the sky and flesh tones take on this neon hue, the sky so bright and vivid it becomes a character on its own. You can’t miss it.

http://www.doblu.com/2010/10/21/three-kings-review/



=====================



Here's Three Kings info that's more specific, from a film and video production magazine:



Filmmakers on Visual Story Points
Apr 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Michael Goldman


Three Kings -

... Therefore, Russell decided to split the movie into three visual parts: One for the film's opening where we first meet "naive young soldiers out in the desert," another for when they go off on their treasure quest, and a third for when they are in their protective military environment.

... Sigel shot the film's opening on traditional Super 35mm, Kodak Daylight stock (Kodak 5246) and then performed a bleach bypass on that footage in the lab in order to retain unexposed silver on the final image. The process created what Russell calls a "sense of dislocation."

... For the middle portion of the piece, when the soldiers go on their quest, Sigel chose a technique that he and Russell had to "work hard" to sell to Warner Brothers: the use of Kodak Professional Plus Ektachrome film, a stock normally reserved for still photography. Because some film labs wouldn't insure the Ektachrome portion of the film's negative since they are not used to working with it, the director says the studio was "understandably nervous" about the approach.

... For scenes in which the soldiers return to a friendly environment, the filmmakers returned to standard Super 35mm stock but used filtration and lighting techniques to add more color saturation to the images, making them "friendlier," according to Sigel.

... Russell also cited Oliver Stone's work as influencing his method for designing the visual style for Three Kings. "Stone was the real trailblazer, in my view, for this sort of stuff," Russell notes.
 

http://digitalcontentproducer.com/mag/video_filmmakers_visual_story/


Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Clondalkin on Nov 09, 2010 at 08:28 AM
Thanks barrister

Thanks to high definition, kitang-kita ang pinagtagpi-tagping negatives even for regular movie fans; it's nice to discover things you didn't notice on DVD.  :)
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Nov 10, 2010 at 02:57 PM
The Lookout

Very good PQ & Audio.  The grain, intended by the director, is well used here.  Very film like indeed.  Audio is superb.  Bass is heavily used. 

Bad Boys

PQ is not as detailed but definitely superior to my DVD Superbit version.  Flesh tones are very good especially in the day scenes. Sound is robust and active with all those explosions and gunfires.  It's a loud movie indeed.  Having read the reviews first, I had managed my expectations well before watching this, and, I was very pleased with the BD.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Moks007 on Nov 10, 2010 at 03:11 PM
Too much grain or not, the movie's image quality certainly gets better and better as you watch and re-watch.  The level of details is absolutely impressive even during dark scenes - the mother superior singing within the dark shadows, the romantic scene in the garden between Maria and the Captain, the texture of the clothing, the walls, the grass, the buildings and the roads for instance.    Many scenes look like postcards.   Amazing!

I'm so excited na. My copy just shipped from amazon. Btw, I viewed a d****l**d copy ;D thru my xtreamer last night and it does indeed look fantastic. ;)

Perfect for Christmas/holiday fever viewing with my wife and daughter. ;D My 2 1/2 yr old daughter really loves the songs especially the do re mi ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Nov 19, 2010 at 12:37 PM
On avsforum's Blu-ray tier thread, The Thin Red Line is now #1 at Tier 0, beating Toy Story 3 and Avatar.  

The Sound of Music is also at Tier 0, but it's only on the lower end of the Tier.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Nov 19, 2010 at 04:11 PM
I'm so excited na. My copy just shipped from amazon. Btw, I viewed a d****l**d copy ;D thru my xtreamer last night and it does indeed look fantastic. ;)

Perfect for Christmas/holiday fever viewing with my wife and daughter. ;D My 2 1/2 yr old daughter really loves the songs especially the do re mi ;D

Same here. I'm excited to get this film so the whole family can watch together just like my dad did to me when I was 6 or 7 years old. Watching this film will be a family tradition.  ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Dec 09, 2010 at 02:47 PM
Too much grain or not, the movie's image quality certainly gets better and better as you watch and re-watch.  The level of details is absolutely impressive even during dark scenes - the mother superior singing within the dark shadows, the romantic scene in the garden between Maria and the Captain, the texture of the clothing, the walls, the grass, the buildings and the roads for instance.    Many scenes look like postcards.   Amazing!

My family and I watched last weekend.  I totally agree with Clondalkin on the PQ - Postcard quality indeed.  I was totally blown away by the picture quality.  A classic movie like this deserves only the best treatment and it got it alright. 
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Dec 20, 2010 at 04:34 PM
The Fifth Element Remastered Version

Didn't see the unremastered version so I have no point of comparison.  Nonetheless, the PQ here shines.  Very impressed with its HD quality.  SQ is also a blast!  Happy to watch this sci fi flick again, in its full hi def glory. 

Knowing

WOW is all I can say.  First, the PQ.  This has got to belong to my top demo BD, together with Avatar and I-Robot.  Fantastic definition and depth that will surely please even the most cynical videophiles.  Then the SQ.  Double WOW. From the crash of the airplane to the rushing subway train to the discreet sounds, it's something to be experienced indeed.  I'm running out of praises.  Just watch the BD.

next in line is Kramer Vs Kramer

very good PQ as per reviews

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kramer-vs-Kramer-Blu-ray/3255/#Review (http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kramer-vs-Kramer-Blu-ray/3255/#Review)
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1991/kramervskramer.html
 (http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1991/kramervskramer.html)

can't wait for my order to arrive!
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Jan 03, 2011 at 10:31 AM
avsforum's Blu-ray Tier update --- today's top titles:

1. Toy Story 3
2. A Christmas Carol (2009)
3. The Thin Red Line
4. Avatar

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Feb 13, 2011 at 01:24 PM
Ralph Potts of avsforum gives the Inception BD a "100" rating for audio quality:

... Having seen Inception in the theater I had high hopes for its soundtrack in the home environment and I wasn’t disappointed. This lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio soundtrack is demonstration quality and is going to please those who like to play their systems loud. ...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1295481
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Apr 09, 2011 at 08:59 AM
Just in time for the Holy Week:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512eh732KRL._SL160_SL90_.jpg)

The Ten Commandments (1956) Blu-ray is very good.  Another fine restoration work from Paramount.

It's a 2-disc set, split at the intermission.  

(http://images.blu-ray.com/reviews/4001_2.jpg)

Picture is magnificent, similar to the Sound of Music.  Of course, rear projection work for backgrounds are still obvious, but that's how the original looked.  At least they didn't do any digital tweaks that would have made the film's 1956 "look" seem weird.  Black levels and sharpness are very good.  High color saturation was the Technicolor style of the day, and the gorgeous colors of the original is intact.  No edge enhancement.  No DNR.  Film grain is light and very natural.

Audio quality is also top-notch.  It won't sound like a new movie's soundtrack, but the restoration work ensured that the audio would sound as natural as possible.

 
 
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Apr 09, 2011 at 06:38 PM
Just in time for the Holy Week:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512eh732KRL._SL160_SL90_.jpg)

The Ten Commandments (1956) Blu-ray is very good.  Another fine restoration work from Paramount.

Wonderful news. Another classic worth getting! ;)

Ralph Potts of avsforum gives the Inception BD a "100" rating for audio quality:

... Having seen Inception in the theater I had high hopes for its soundtrack in the home environment and I wasn’t disappointed. This lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio soundtrack is demonstration quality and is going to please those who like to play their systems loud. ...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1295481

Couldn't agree more. I enjoy the movie very much. The bonus audio soundtrack is the icing of the cake! :D
avsforum's Blu-ray Tier update --- today's top titles:

1. Toy Story 3
2. A Christmas Carol (2009)
3. The Thin Red Line
4. Avatar

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1168342

Whoa...all check! The Thin Red Line is on its way. :D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Apr 18, 2011 at 10:35 PM
I finally got the corrected versions of the these two problematic titles:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51inT85gEvL._AA115_.jpg)           (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-dDsYiA%2BL._AA115_.jpg)
Saving Private Ryan    &     Gladiator



My Saving Private Ryan has the yellow UPC at the back cover.  Everything's exactly the same, except for the adjusted audio sync.    

The first one I bought had an ever-so-slight audio delay on the first half of the movie, and an obvious audio delay on the second half.  On the corrected version, I couldn't detect any sync problem at all, and I'm very sensitive to audio sync problems.  (The smallest sync error I can detect is about 25 ms.)  



My Gladiator does not have the yellow UPC, but it's a remastered edition, as identified by the lack of the words "2 Disc" above the Paramount logo.  

The Gladiator remaster was beautifully done.  It's sharp, no edge enhancement, no DNR, and black levels are very good.  But the color looks slightly different now.  It's obvious that color timing was changed, but word is that Ridley Scott approved the master, so I guess everything's fine.


Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Apr 18, 2011 at 11:18 PM
My Gladiator does not have the yellow UPC, but it's a remastered edition, as identified by the lack of the words "2 Disc" above the Paramount logo. 

The Gladiator remaster was beautifully done.  It's sharp, no edge enhancement, no DNR, and black levels are very good.  But the color looks slightly different now.  It's obvious that color timing was changed, but word is that Ridley Scott approved the master, so I guess everything's fine.

Hi barrister, I got the Gladiator France Steelbook edition. Is there any way I can tell if this is a remastered edition since I don't have the US original (problematic) edition? Any specific obvious scenes that I can easily detect those defects? 
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Apr 19, 2011 at 08:19 AM
I'm not familiar with that, but an avsforum member is saying that the remastered version in French steelbook has a POCKET.BLU application stated on the back cover:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1263450&page=36




Any specific obvious scenes that I can easily detect those defects?  

There are many obvious scenes, but this one is especially obvious to me:

BD first release: http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6021/glad17zbd.png

BD remastered: http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4625/glad17dbd.png


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1173155

Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Apr 19, 2011 at 09:38 AM
Thanks for the useful info & links barrister! I will check it out this evening! :D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Jun 18, 2011 at 12:00 AM
(http://images3.blu-ray.com/movies/covers/12237_medium.jpg)

The Lord of the Rings Extended BD (June 28, 2011), review from blu-ray.com:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Motion-Picture-Trilogy-Blu-ray/12237/#Review


The Controversy: An Unexpected Journey

If you haven't been embroiled in the debate over the revised color timing that graces the new Extended Edition release of Fellowship of the Ring, you may soon be. The differences in color and contrast between the extended cut's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer and its theatrical cut presentation are substantial and unmistakable; the differences in color and contrast between the EE's presentation and that of its 2002 Extended Edition DVD counterpart are substantial and unmistakable as well. Shadows are darker, saturation has been dampened in key scenes (the Council of Elrond, in particular) and greens and cyans, though already heavily at play in the film's original palette, have been noticeably intensified throughout, in some cases during sequences that once featured very little green or cyan at all. (Ironically, the "Scene Selection" thumbnail images feature the film's previous color timing.) Most of the resulting debate, though -- at least at this point -- should center around film revisionism. Both Peter Jackson and director of photography Andrew Lesnie have confirmed that these sometimes drastic changes were intentional and were made under their supervision.


http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Fellowship-of-the-Ring-Blu-ray/19929/#Review



Somebody on the blu-ray.com forum saw the June 14, 2011 theater screening of the remastered Fellowship of the Ring (Extended), and he says he also noticed the green on the theater screening.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/4854791-post3732.html



Other reviews:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviewshd/bdreviews061411.html

http://www.avforums.com/movies/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Motion-Picture-Trilogy--Extended-Edition-review_10572/blu-ray.html


YouTube comparison, extended vs theatrical FOTR BD:

(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/Vwcm-73kZE8/default.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwcm-73kZE8
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: zankuro on Jun 18, 2011 at 10:03 PM
oh no :(
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Jun 18, 2011 at 10:30 PM
I saw the pics comparison & I don't like the new tint. :( Will wait & see what others say about it. Hopefully it'd not distract us during viewing.  :-\

On the other hand, if Robert Harris and Bill Hunt like what they see on the actual BD discs then there's probably nothing to worry about...  ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Jun 19, 2011 at 12:30 AM
Forum discussions about this issue are really getting hostile...  :o 
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Jun 19, 2011 at 06:22 AM
Yes, the debate is still rage on. Other than the snowy part, it seems the tint effect on the rest are subtle. In terms of picture quality this release is vastly superior to the theatrical blu-ray release so I'm happy with that.

And now some guys pointed out the change of colors has caused loss of dynamic range, hence certain scenes are now  underexposure...darn this EE edition! :-[ Too many complaints, what i'll do is just wait for Amazon to put it on the discount corner so I can grab a copy then I can no longer complain!!  ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Jun 19, 2011 at 02:10 PM
Maybe it depends on the scene.

The snowy mountain pass looks bad, like somebody made a mistake with the color timing.  However, the Hobbiton and Rivendell scenes might still look OK to me despite some green tint, even if I'm already very used to the strong yellow push on the previous releases.

Neverthless, I stumbled on one screen cap comparison where the Extended BD actually looked better to me than the Theatrical BD.  

Take a look at this cap:

(http://www.thephotobooth.net/photos/i-2KhkmLK/0/O/i-2KhkmLK.gif)
TE: Theatrical Edition; EE: Extended Edition (from blu-ray.com)

To me, the magenta push on the TE looks out of place; but a green push that reduces magenta on the EE makes the image more consistent with the mood of the film (or the mood of that particular scene).
  

  
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Jun 19, 2011 at 05:25 PM
TE: Theatrical Edition; EE: Extended Edition (from blu-ray.com)

To me, the magenta push on the TE looks out of place; but a green push that reduces magenta on the EE makes the image more consistent with the mood of the film (or the mood of that particular scene). 

In the above example, me too agree the EE looks better. :) 
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Clondalkin on Jun 19, 2011 at 05:42 PM

And now some guys pointed out the change of colors has caused loss of dynamic range, hence certain scenes are now  underexposure...darn this EE edition! ...;D


AGREE!
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: james16 on Jun 26, 2011 at 07:49 PM
I purchased the LOTR EE blu ray yesterday and saw FOTR EE , it is certainly darker and has a shade of green tint if you looked hard enough and compared to FOTR EE DVD counterpart but i still enjoyed the film, the clarity and excellent SQ.

with the news around forums about people complaining about the supposedly green tint, it will only bother me if I looked at it hard enough I guess.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Jun 29, 2011 at 04:08 PM
From digital bits editor Bill Hunt:



6/27/11 - 3:30 PM

Here's the studio's official statement on the issue, as of this afternoon:

"Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group confirms that The Lord of the Rings The Motion Picture Trilogy Extended Edition Blu-ray accurately represents the intended look of each of the three features.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ was remastered from the original digital production files in order to reproduce the full color imagery of the feature."

So there it is. We have little doubt that the controversy will continue in some quarters, and that those who are convinced there's a problem here will continue to feel that way. Nevertheless, we are told that the filmmakers have checked the discs and confirmed this is the intended look. We suspect that when the discs are actually in YOUR hands tomorrow, the vast majority of you will be very happy with them. We further suspect that many of those who've been following the controversy for the past couple of weeks will wonder what the fuss was about.



6/28/11 - 4:30 PM

To follow up on that WHV statement yesterday, our friend Harry Knowles over at AICN had this to say today:

"Earlier this month there was some hub-bub about some of the Blu Ray forums that the FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING EE Blu-Ray mastering was completely f--ked with an ugly green hint over everything, oblitering any real whites and messing up the entire gorgeous color palate of the film. I wrote Peter Jackson to alert him to the rumors. Peter had Andrew Lesnie look into it – you see… of the 3 films, FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING EE was the only film of the trilogy that did not go through the extensive and expensive Digital Color Grading process. They did that for this. Peter had seen the new mastering of FELLOWSHIP – in fact anyone that had seen it on HD broadcasts recently was looking at the gorgeous master sans any tinting. In Peter’s opinion the film has simply never looked better – including theatrically, because this new digital color grading was something that Peter wanted from the very beginning."
 


http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa194.html#062711b
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa194.html#062811

Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: pchin on Jun 29, 2011 at 04:15 PM
Great to hear that. Now we can put our worries behind... :)
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: streetsmart on Jun 29, 2011 at 05:40 PM
@barrister, thanks for the info. My bluray copy of the LOTR EE is already in JAC NJ office. Can't wait to watch it next week.  :) :)
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Jun 30, 2011 at 09:19 PM
blu-ray.com and avsforum are calmer, now that the discs are out.

The green is there, no question about it.  Most are saying it looks fine.

There are still some who are saying that it looks terrible, but they're in the minority.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Clondalkin on Jul 02, 2011 at 09:54 PM
Well, I watched Two Towers and Return Of The King from morning til afternoon today.  After a few minutes, wala nang effect yung new tint.  Maganda pa rin yung film both in terms of audio and video and especially the movie itself, especially since I followed that with Battle Los Angeles (that made me nap on the sofa). Hehehe
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: at_sunset_blvd on Jul 03, 2011 at 04:34 AM
Nakatulog kayo sa BATTLE:L.A. ? It was full of gunfire & gigantic blasting effects :o great movie & SQ especially the low end ;)
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on Jul 03, 2011 at 10:05 AM
The Kingdom

PQ Very good live action material.  Somewhat subdued but the more you watch, the more glorious it becomes scene by scene.  Love it.

SQ  Rocking!  Make sure you wear your kevlar baka tamaan ka ng bala ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: at_sunset_blvd on Jul 03, 2011 at 02:17 PM
The Kingdom

PQ Very good live action material.  Somewhat subdued but the more you watch, the more glorious it becomes scene by scene.  Love it.

SQ  Rocking!  Make sure you wear your kevlar baka tamaan ka ng bala ;D
+1  ;D
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: streetsmart on Jul 06, 2011 at 06:49 AM
I got my bluray copy of LOTR EE and I watched a few scenes. As expected, since this is bluray, there's a lot more detail in the picture, deeper blacks, sharper picture, higher contrast ratio.

I checked out the scene in FOTR when Gandalf visits the hobbit village and sure enough, the grass looks "neon green". Doesn't look natural at all. However, based on what I've read, Peter Jackson says that is what he originally intended so maybe that's fine.

To my ears, sq has also improved. Similar to pq, you can now hear a lot more fine detail.

I still have to watch the full films but so far, my impression is favorable.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: barrister on Mar 09, 2012 at 05:01 PM


Looks like we'll have a new Tier 0 title on avsforum's Blu-ray tier thread:



(http://images.static-bluray.com/movies/covers/35629_medium.jpg)
Hugo



Hugo's 1080p Blu-ray is sure to dazzle and delight as much as the movie. This is nothing short of an astonishing transfer, one that will mesmerize even the most seasoned Blu-ray watcher.  

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hugo-Blu-ray/35629/
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: Slaveknight on May 09, 2012 at 01:07 AM
PQ wise there are a lot in there,

I found these examples great to me.

Children of Men
Inglorious Basterds
Avatar - most common of all

2k12 releases - Haywire, MI4, Hugo, Adventures of Tintin and many more

A lot to mention, especially the 2012 releases. Much clearer than expected.

AQ wise - Star Wars saga with 7.1 is a blast.
Title: Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
Post by: mattia on May 21, 2012 at 04:33 PM

Looks like we'll have a new Tier 0 title on avsforum's Blu-ray tier thread:



(http://images.static-bluray.com/movies/covers/35629_medium.jpg)
Hugo



Hugo's 1080p Blu-ray is sure to dazzle and delight as much as the movie. This is nothing short of an astonishing transfer, one that will mesmerize even the most seasoned Blu-ray watcher.  

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hugo-Blu-ray/35629/

Watched it.  Totally agree.  It's TRUE!!