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The HD Movie thread

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I am honestly so tired of people bitching about blu ray movie prices.
If you pay retail it is your own fault.
Between Amazon, Buy.com and even ebay there are countless places to get movies cheap even a week or so after release.
Not only that but there was even a way to get No Country for Old Men for under 20 almost anywhere and there is another coupon floating around for enchanted also.
 
OokieSpookie said:
I am honestly so tired of people bitching about blu ray movie prices.
Click to expand...

Why? Why do you get so worked up over this? It's a legitimate concern that is not dismissed just because people can go bargain hunting on Ebay, wait for Amazon sales, or print online coupons.

The prices need to come down. I don't see why anyone would be bothered by that notion.
 
VanMardigan said:
Why? Why do you get so worked up over this? It's a legitimate concern that is not dismissed just because people can go bargain hunting on Ebay, wait for Amazon sales, or print online coupons.

The prices need to come down. I don't see why anyone would be bothered by that notion.
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QFT.

The majority of people don't shop online. I sure as hell won't buy a HDDVD/BD if I see with a price tag of $34.99. And there are plenty of titles with that price tag.
 
VanMardigan said:
Why? Why do you get so worked up over this? It's a legitimate concern that is not dismissed just because people can go bargain hunting on Ebay, wait for Amazon sales, or print online coupons.

The prices need to come down. I don't see why anyone would be bothered by that notion.
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I'm just tired of hearing it here on the same forum, over and over.

They obviously need to come down, and will come down eventually.
 
VanMardigan said:
Why? Why do you get so worked up over this? It's a legitimate concern that is not dismissed just because people can go bargain hunting on Ebay, wait for Amazon sales, or print online coupons.

The prices need to come down. I don't see why anyone would be bothered by that notion.
Click to expand...

Maybe because it never stops, and complaining on NEOGAF, a VIDEOGAME FORUM, is not going to bring those prices down.
 
dallow_bg said:
I'm just tired of hearing it here on the same forum, over and over.

They obviously need to come down, and will come down eventually.
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tha_con said:
Maybe because it never stops, and complaining on NEOGAF, a VIDEOGAME FORUM, is not going to bring those prices down.
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These.
 
Well, if you don't expect anything special. You won't be disappointed. I really don't know what people did expect from it but I found it quite amusing.
 
dankir said:
When is the Blu Ray version of Advent Children coming?
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yeah, that movie will look awesomely tremendous in HD. Hopefully they splurge and put a lossless track on it as well. even with my 2001 receiver I can hear a difference in the tracks, a distinct "loudness" that makes the room shake that much more.
 
my Enchanted bluray shipped from movietyme. First blind buy for ages. Hopefully it'll be a fun little movie with something in it for grown ups but good for the kids too.
 
mrklaw said:
my Enchanted bluray shipped from movietyme. First blind buy for ages. Hopefully it'll be a fun little movie with something in it for grown ups but good for the kids too.
Click to expand...

Took my nieces and nephews to see it, and I laughed a couple of times, it pokes fun at disney movies hardcore, so you'll no doubt laugh if you grew up at least seeing a few cliche disney movies.
 
*insert witty flame here about profiles*
OPINION: DVD revival
By Paul Sweeting
March 7, 2008

In the aftermath of Blu-ray’s victory over HD DVD in the high-def format war, many commentators predicted Blu-ray’s reign would be short lived, soon to be done in by digital downloads. But as Sony officials know, Blu-ray supporters’ biggest immediate challenge is to get consumers to make the leap from standard DVD to high-def.

“The battle really begins now to move people away from DVD to Blu-ray,” Sony Electronics president Stanley Glasgow told reporters at his semi-annual roundtable last week, according to VB sister publication TWICE. “We have a lot of work to do now, so we are not gloating. Upscale DVD players have gotten better and better. We need to explain the additional feature sets, PIP, BD Live and other features.”

It may not only be upscaling DVD players that Blu-ray finds itself up against, however. Barely missing a beat after abandoning HD DVD, Toshiba and Microsoft, two of that format’s principal backers, have turned their attention to an attempt to overhaul the standard DVD format by adding a host of new features and functionalities.

At the most recent DVD Forum meeting last month, Toshiba got itself reelected as chair of the Steering Committee for another two years, leaving it well-positioned to guide future developments in the format.

At the same meeting, according to a summary posted on the Forum Web site, the committee approved the formation of a new working group (dubbed WG-12) “to study and specify network applications and related network specification of DVD Forum formats, make recommendations for better interoperability and functionality of network-connected DVD Forum specified devices and content and communicate on relevant recommendations with other standard creation organizations.”

What that means in non-Forum legalese, I’m told by sources familiar with the plans, is that the new working group will look for ways to incorporate some of the same next-gen functionality developed for HD DVD into a DVD 2.0 format, including the HDi interactive layer and the advanced network connectivity.

One of the co-chairs of WG-12 is Microsoft, which played a major role in developing those capabilities for HD DVD (the other co-chair is Panasonic).

Toshiba and Microsoft are also working through the DVD Copy Control Assn., which oversees the CSS encryption format used on standard DVDs, to try to breathe new life into the old format.

Microsoft was behind a proposal to DVD-CCA—originally floated two years ago but revived in modified form late last year—to introduce “managed-copy” to standard DVDs, under which consumers would be able to copy their DVDs to a hard drive under carefully DRM’ed conditions, for streaming over a home network.

Since then, Microsoft has largely abandoned the effort, after meeting multiple objections from the studios.

The studios have since introduced their own proposal for managed-copy, but it met a cool reception from other members of DVD-CCA, in particular the computer and software companies, who felt the studios’ more limited proposal would not attract enough consumer interest to make it worth implementing.

There the matter sat until last week, when Toshiba unexpectedly raised the issue on a conference call, according to several knowledgeable sources, signaling an apparent new interest on the part of the CE company in managed-copy.

Whether Toshiba will have any better luck getting the studios to go along with a more comprehensive managed-copy proposal than Microsoft had, my sources have their doubts.

But clearly, Toshiba is doing everything it can to try to keep the DVD format relevant, now that it no longer has a horse in the high-def sweepstakes.

Whether anyone would actually build a machine that includes all the new functionality under discussion, even Toshiba, depends entirely on whether enough studios signal a willingness to release DVDs that take advantage of the new capabilities.

And that will likely depend on how quickly Blu-ray takes off.
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uh, OK then. good luck with that.*edited out crazy talk*
Facts:

- The SC agreed upon creating WG-12 by 17-1-2 (only Pioneer voted no, and Philips and Sharp abstained; all others voted yes).

- The SC unanimously approved Microsoft and Panasonic

- The mandate of WG-12 is exclusively "To study and specify network applications and related network specification of DVD Forum formats, make recommendations for better interoperability and functionality of network connected DVD Forum specified devices and content, and communicate on relevant recommendations with other standard creation organizations"
Click to expand...
so maybe, maybe not. blogs are bad!
 
Standard DVD, with or without an upgrade, is going to be at the top for a very long time. Doesn't really matter to me as long as they keep releasing movies on Blu Ray, I'll be happy.
 
Oh Toshiba, you are so *cute* :lol

Managed copy for DVD is a joke. Anyone with the technical background to stream movies over a network can easily find a program to rip DVDs already.

"Super Upscaling" (to 960p???) what the fuck TV accepts that resolution? Decent upscaling DVD players already go to 1080p.

HDi and network connectivity where clearly not the major selling points of HD discs.
 
Mmmkay said:
Nah, I was going to say something about you quoting Deadmeat instead.
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wait, what? oh, I see the topic title was changed. so the specs are bunk but what about the rest? is the linked article still true?

Deadmeat so needs his own Wiki page.
 
bune duggy said:
wait, what? oh, I see the topic title was changed. so the specs are bunk but what about the rest? is the linked article still true?

Deadmeat so needs his own Wiki page.
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I guess you didn't see this article in the same thread I saw it, I forgive you ;)
 
bune duggy said:
wait, what? oh, I see the topic title was changed. so the specs are bunk but what about the rest? is the linked article still true?

Deadmeat so needs his own Wiki page.
Click to expand...

Deadmeat needs to just live up to his handle...
 
Watched 2001 on Blu-Ray today.
It has been one of my favorite movies of all time for many years, but this may have been the first time it was a truly emotional experience. My endless appreciation for it has been because of its symbolism; its themes; its way of communicating complex ideas through a bare-bones plot and scarce dialogue; and of course the many awe-inspiring technical achievements.

Those still stand, but what I truly got a feel for this time was its sense of space and life. How much of it is connected to the improved picture quality I don't know. But I felt it from the very beginning, the images of the sky knocked the breath out of me, the superb detail of the clouds and the various colors of the sky beyond - contrasted with the barren earth and the thought that man, the same man for the first time fumbling with tools on the ground before us, would travel up there and break its barrier. When we got to space the sense of experiencing it was greater than I've experienced before, I connected with the perspective of the men up there. Truly exhilarating to see a movie I've loved and watched so many times in a new light, and feel an even stronger connection to it.
 
Flo_Evans said:
"Super Upscaling" (to 960p???) what the fuck TV accepts that resolution? Decent upscaling DVD players already go to 1080p.
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Actually, 960p is what PS3 does when in double scale mode.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9831604&postcount=463

For the lazy,
Double-scaling is basically exactly as it sounds. It is literally doubling the native resolution of a DVD (480p to 960p), and then boxing it in black to get it to a native 1080p resolution for TV compatibility.

Why do this? This is how anal the engineers working on PS3's media functionality are :p. When doing standard upscaling (regardless of the algorithms/filters employed), you are going from 480p (once deinterlaced) to either 720p or 1080i/p. That is not an evenly divisible conversion, so NONE of the original pixels remain in the upscaled image. All pixels are interpolated. When doing double-scaling, all the original pixels still remain … with the newly interpolated pixels filling out the rest of the resolution.

Basically, it’s for people looking for the most accurate image as compared to the original source material. On most material, I do find it subtly crisper … but that is a bit hard to verify since the image size is smaller. Once I get a front-projector, I think this will be especially interesting to mess around with.
Click to expand...

Note, you should only use double-scaling on a 1080p TV.
 
Alright, finally interested in jumping on the Blu-Ray bandwagon now that the war is over, despite not actually owning an HDTV. :lol

(I have a computer monitor that's better than any TV I own, my computer has a Blu-Ray player, and I'm getting the MGS4 PS3 bundle in June which will be able to play them on my cruddy SDTV until I get an HDTV, though, so I figure it makes more sense to start building up my collection of Blu Rays than it does to continue collecting DVDs.)

Got a few questions:

1) How is The Assassination of Jesse James both in terms of movie quality and in terms of picture quality? I've heard good things about its cinematography so I figured it'd make a good first Blu Ray to watch.

2) How is the transfer for 2001 and NCfOM? (I already know I want the movies; I was just wondering what the PQ is like)

3) What extras does the Blu Ray version of Ratatouille have the original does not? Are they worth buying it again for?

Thanks in advance for your guys' help.
 
speaking of scaling, has Sony improved the scaling with firmware updates, 'cause 'i'm watching the kingdom on dvd right now and it looks fantastic - like almost HD in places.
 
traveler said:
Got a few questions:

1) How is The Assassination of Jesse James both in terms of movie quality and in terms of picture quality? I've heard good things about its cinematography so I figured it'd make a good first Blu Ray to watch.

I thought the movie was excellent. Some people have criticized it for being "too slow" but I thought it was perfectly paced, it was one big drawn out suspense towards the assassination, and the movie was just beautiful I thought, very moving and thought provoking in a way. Quite tragic. The PQ has mixed opinions, some people weren't impressed, the transfer does contain edge enhancement, crushed blacks etc but the movie has a specific look which I think the Blu-ay portrays excellently, plus there is TONS of detail and imo an overall great transfer, I was delighted with it. It's overall one of my favorite Blu-rays, I would recommend buying it.

2) How is the transfer for 2001 and NCfOM? (I already know I want the movies; I was just wondering what the PQ is like)

PQ on both is outstanding. 2001 is probably the best transfer out of any "old" film released. You will be shocked how amazing it looks. NCFOM is reference quality, plain and simple. It's not really the perfect setting to show off Blu-ray but the PQ is pretty much perfect, Id rate it as the best one I own

3) What extras does the Blu Ray version of Ratatouille have the original does not? Are they worth buying it again for?

I dont own it personally but here's a review that details it's extras: http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1048/ratatouille.html

It's supposed to be one of the most complete Blu-ray releases to date, in terms of movie quality, PQ, AQ and extras.

Thanks in advance for your guys' help.
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.
 
Wait. They have a commentary for Ratatouille and it's only on the Blu Ray disc? Well, shit, Disney, that's friggin awful.

Now I have to buy your product twice. :(

edit: Looks like another version of Jesse James is on the way. Perhaps I should wait for that.
 
DVD 2.0 Format Specification

1. Video encoded in MPEG2 SD
2. HD available via Super Upconversion to 960p
3. HDi interactivity
4. Networking
5. Managed Copy
6. Fully backward compatible with existing DVD players.

:lol
 
DeathNote said:
DVD 2.0 Format Specification

1. Video encoded in MPEG2 SD
2. HD available via Super Upconversion to 960p
3. HDi interactivity
4. Networking
5. Managed Copy
6. Fully backward compatible with existing DVD players.

:lol
Click to expand...

I'm getting a S-VHS/D-VHS vibe from this.
 
Just watched Things we Lost in the Fire. Amazing transfer, I really wasn't expecting such a clean, crisp transfer. 5/5 in my book. The movie is also pretty good. Great character development, and Benicio Del Toro's performance was great.

Took a look real quick at No Country for Old Men and yeah, reference quality all around. Can't wait to watch it again with a friend that didn't see it yet in the upcoming days.
 
traveler said:
Wait. They have a commentary for Ratatouille and it's only on the Blu Ray disc? Well, shit, Disney, that's friggin awful.

Now I have to buy your product twice. :(
Click to expand...
If you have the DVD, there should be a rebate form in there for $10 back if you buy the Blu-ray release. It's good until the end of May, IIRC.
 
DeathNote said:
DVD 2.0 Format Specification

1. Video encoded in MPEG2 SD
2. HD available via Super Upconversion to 960p
3. HDi interactivity
4. Networking
5. Managed Copy
6. Fully backward compatible with existing DVD players.

:lol
Click to expand...

Give me a fucking break. I blame Microsoft...
 
JB1981 said:
speaking of scaling, has Sony improved the scaling with firmware updates, 'cause 'i'm watching the kingdom on dvd right now and it looks fantastic - like almost HD in places.
Click to expand...

They did a while ago. I'm not aware of any recent changes.
 
onix's link said:
Basically, it’s for people looking for the most accurate image as compared to the original source material. On most material, I do find it subtly crisper … but that is a bit hard to verify since the image size is smaller. Once I get a front-projector, I think this will be especially interesting to mess around with
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, double scale on a large screen (and a projector) leads to having your image framed all around by a black box depending on the source material. I've tried the different upscaling modes on the Ps3, and they're all pretty similar in what they achieve, imo. Pretty much every one is superior to my Xbox 360 and my Toshiba A3 in terms of scaling dvds.

And all of this Toshiba talk about upscaling is disappointing. The Ps3 does a fantastic job at upscaling, but on a tv that's big like mine (57"), there is simply no comparison and you can not confuse upscaled material with true HD. The lack of vibrant color and detail is just too obvious. I do like the idea of HDi material on SD DVD's, but I'd only ever buy it on movies that won't get the HD treatment. I just hope the BDA speeds up the profile process along so we can get comparable functionality on Blu Ray. This profile thing has taken entirely too long for the BDA, and it's frustrating for me.

NYTimes Article on Blu-Ray. It almost reads like a PR piece.
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If 300, with its heavy grain obscuring a lot of detail, impress him imagine what will happen when he sees Casino Royale. :lol

And in that article, yet another reference to the BDA cockblocking Chinese manufacturers to keep the BD player prices artificially high.

Either way, I can't wait for Sony to enable BD Live on Ps3. Aren't there already titles out that have BD live functionality? Is there a site that lists the Bonus View and BD Live Blu Ray movies?
 
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