Video Asylum

The only reason to keep the DVD is the extras. In terms of picture and sound, the BD is the way to go NT

68.165.5.205

Jazz Inmate

In Reply to: RE: I've been looking forward to this, but I'm not sure it's worth it, based on the recent DVDBeaver comparison. posted by Audiophilander on May 10, 2008 at 22:57:47

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Call it, friendo.

Follow Ups:

Do you already have this title and have you compared it with the standard DVD release, ... - Audiophilander 22:46:12 05/11/08 (7)
...or are you just flailing about with your pompoms again? The DVDBeaver comparison and analysis provided by Mr. Norwitz is far more objective than your unqualified endorsement of this title unless you've assembled your own comparisons and can credibly display those impressive improvements!

Leonard Norwitz didn't say the Blu-ray release was bad, but in this particular instance the Blu-ray release apparently isn't that much of an improvement over the well mastered standard DVD. It certainly isn't the eye-popping experience folks expect from a high definition format (touted as having six times the resolution of DVD).

I suspect that the standard DVD release of Master and Commander over a good high quality up-converting DVD player (such as the new benchmark OPPO DV-983H with Anchor Bay Video processing) while slightly less detailed than actual 1080P, would be difficult to distinguish from the Blu-ray release judging from the screen grabs.

The sound is already great on the standard release, so a marginal picture improvement isn't going to blow anyone's skirts up, ...even your's! ;o)

AuPh
- Yes, I received the Fox screener more than a week ago - Jazz Inmate 09:36:32 05/12/08 (3)
  My DVI2USB SOLO screencap device is on the way from Epiphan, but I will be capturing images from BD at 720 resolution (DVDBeaver's are even lower res). You can't judge on the basis of those screencaps because they do not show 1080 or even 720. I can't find anywhere on DVDbeaver's website a legit explanation of what devices they are using for screencaps, but the DVI2USB SOLO is a brand new device capable of 1080 and I can almost guarantee that DVDbeaver isn't using it. The previous devices allowing 1080 screencaps ran as much as $2000, and I doubt DVDbeaver sent those to its reviewers or that Norwitz has such a device.
  So while you blindly follow what is posted on DVDBeaver which is not representative of the resolution delivered on BD, I am actually commenting on what I have seen and heard.
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  Call it, friendo.
  
  Edits: 05/12/08
  - Will Not Watch WithThe SD DVD Again - Robertc88 11:00:30 05/15/08 (0)
    PQ is much better IMHO and the audio is quite stunning! Tried it so far on two displays and with two different BD players.
    
    The SD DVD went with me lots of times when I was interested in checking out new SD DVD players that were coming out and new displays.
  - "So while you blindly follow what is posted on DVDBeaver" - Duilawyer 05:27:27 05/15/08 (0)
    amazing that you can take a discussion of toys to a level of personal insults. Grow up, Snakeoil.
  - RE: Yes, I received the Fox screener more than a week ago - David Aiken 14:34:14 05/12/08 (0)
    I seem to remember seeing a mention in some of the early DVDBeaver high def reviews that their screen captures for high def were actually photographs of the projected image. I think at that stage they only had 1 person doing high def reviews. There's at least 3 now and they may each be doing something different.
    
    David Aiken
- RE: Do you already have this title and have you compared it with the standard DVD release, ... - David Aiken 01:03:10 05/12/08 (2)
  I haven't seen M&C on either DVD or BD but I have duplicated a number of my DVDs with BD releases. Some of those BD releases have had extremely favourable reviews re picture quality, some less so. Despite that, in my setup with a 32" Loewe LCD screen with 1366 x 768 resolution, admittedly not a world beater but still giving quite good picture quality, I have yet to see a BD disc of a film I'm familiar with on DVD that I did not think a clear improvement over the DVD and the biggest improvement is not always in sharpness or in resolution. Often I feel its simply that the colours are clearer and there's simply a greater clarity of image, as if a very fine veil were removed.
  On the basis of what I've seen over, say, 25 BD discs where I'm also familiar with the DVD release (note: I'm in Australia and our DVDs are PAL and, according to DVD comparisons at DVD Beaver that doesn't always translate into a better DVD picture despite the gain in resolution from 480i to 576i), I'd be prepared to say that I've tended to think that the gains in picture quality I've seen on BD are often greater than what the DVD Beaver reviews suggest.
  Now it's always possible that one reason for that is that my screen doesn't do a brilliant job of upscaling and that I'm getting proportionately less in picture quality from DVD than I do from BD and perhaps Jazz Inmate has a problem like that too, but in my system so far I'd have to say that while my experience tends to agree with DVD Beaver's comments for BD discs with very good picture quality, my experience tends to indicate that I feel the improvement is somewhat greater than they suggest for BD discs which they don't feel offer a major improvement.
  And then perhaps I just do my viewing through rose tinted glasses :-)
  As far as the sound goes, I think that uncompressed PCM and the Dolby and DTS lossless formats are definitely better than DVD soundtracks. The greater richness in tonality, especially voice tone, from the new audio formats surprised me. Not every soundtrack provides the same level of improvement but there has always been a clear level of improvement so far for me with BD where there was a genuine high definition soundtrack.
  
  David Aiken
  
  Edits: 05/12/08
  - RE: Do you already have this title and have you compared it with the standard DVD release, ... - Jazz Inmate 09:46:53 05/12/08 (1)
    > > Now it's always possible that one reason for that is that my screen doesn't do a brilliant job of upscaling and that I'm getting proportionately less in picture quality from DVD than I do from BD and perhaps Jazz Inmate has a problem like that too, < <
    
    No problem here, David. My screen is full 1920x1080 resolution and the PS3 does an impressive job of upscaling DVDs.
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    Call it, friendo.
    - RE: Do you already have this title and have you compared it with the standard DVD release, ... - David Aiken 14:35:23 05/12/08 (0)
      I'm using a PS3 too, and I'm impressed with it's performance on standard DVDs though I don't use it for upscaling. It can only upscale to 720p or 1080i and my TV is then going to rescale to 768p anyway. I think I get better results letting the TV do the upscaling in a single operation rather than upscaling in the PS3 and rescaling again in the TV. It's not a difference I can point to in simple A/B comparisons but more a feeling that I'm happier with the image letting the TV do all the rescaling when I just sit and watch a movie.

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