Author Topic: BD PQ/AQ comments  (Read 15635 times)

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Offline barrister

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BD PQ/AQ comments
« 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.




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





The Dark Knight

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



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.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2010 at 08:26 PM by barrister »

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #1 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

Offline pchin

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #2 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

Offline mattia

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #3 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.

Offline Blu-devil

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #4 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.
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Offline Moks007

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #5 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

Offline pchin

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #6 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. :)

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2010 at 12:56 PM »

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.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2010 at 01:14 PM by barrister »

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #8 on: Oct 20, 2010 at 06:46 PM »

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

« Last Edit: Oct 20, 2010 at 06:57 PM by barrister »

Offline pchin

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #9 on: Oct 20, 2010 at 08:45 PM »
Thanks for the heads up barrister. Will surely get The Thin Red Line.  :D

Offline mandyb

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #10 on: Oct 20, 2010 at 10:03 PM »
wow the thin red line is quite pricey, but quite tempting.

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #11 on: Oct 27, 2010 at 09:57 PM »

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. 
« Last Edit: Oct 27, 2010 at 11:45 PM by barrister »

Offline comitatus

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #12 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 ;)
Panny 50C10 and Sammy 40A650

Offline mattia

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #13 on: Oct 28, 2010 at 02:05 PM »

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.

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #14 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.  
« Last Edit: Oct 29, 2010 at 05:19 PM by barrister »

Offline mandyb

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #15 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

Offline mattia

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #16 on: Oct 29, 2010 at 11:10 AM »


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!

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #17 on: Nov 02, 2010 at 12:14 PM »


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

« Last Edit: Nov 02, 2010 at 06:59 PM by barrister »

Offline mattia

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #18 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!

Offline Moks007

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #19 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.

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #20 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.
« Last Edit: Nov 02, 2010 at 06:55 PM by barrister »

Offline Clondalkin

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #21 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.





« Last Edit: Nov 04, 2010 at 10:06 AM by Clondalkin »

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #22 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.   

Offline Moks007

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #23 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
   
« Last Edit: Nov 04, 2010 at 02:10 PM by Moks007 »

Offline mattia

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #24 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.

Offline Clondalkin

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #25 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.
« Last Edit: Nov 04, 2010 at 02:56 PM by Clondalkin »

Offline pchin

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #26 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

Offline barrister

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #27 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.  

« Last Edit: Nov 05, 2010 at 02:42 PM by barrister »

Offline Moks007

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #28 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

Offline Clondalkin

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Re: BD PQ/AQ comments
« Reply #29 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!
« Last Edit: Nov 07, 2010 at 08:55 AM by Clondalkin »