Blu-ray Meh thread.

S

sparklecopy

CAGiversary!
As I've bought or rented a lot of Blu-rays since launch I've noticed that some Blu-rays are not as big a upgrade on DVD either because the transfer is poor from the original source material or the studio was too cheap to remaster it and they didn't include the extras from the DVD. I wished someone had just made a list to tell me that it wasn't worth upgrading cause the picture quality is like 10-20% better than upconverted DVD. Some titles are spectacular like Unforgiven and 2001 and definitely deserve an upgrade but that should be a given for HD discs. Why waste your time upgrading to Blu-ray if the discs aren't worth it? it's better to save your money until a remastered deluxe version comes out when the studio's double dip. so here's my list of titles that aren't worth uprading if you have the DVD's so far:

Edward Scissorhands: 10-20% better picture. gimped extras from DVD version

Sleepy Hollow: 10-20% better picture

Enter the Dragon: 10-20% better picture. same SD extras.

Robocop: 10-20% better picture. no extras

Spiderman trilogy: part 1 and 2 have decent pictures but no extras

Van Wilder: same picture quality as dvd

21 days later: same picture quality as dvd

That's entertainment: 10-20% better picture quality as dvd and sound is gimped

sky captain and the world of tomorrow: almost same picture quality as DVD


feel free to add movies. I don't know where this thread should go so mod's move as you please
 
[quote name='Megalith']Feel free to actually read some reviews before buying.[/QUOTE]
I do read reviews. But the reviewers are all over the place. They say that the picture is good and decent. some of the early reviews showed a bias not to criticize blu-ray too much for fear of consumer alienation and said the picture quality was excellent even though it wasn't.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']This is why I only buy HD-DVDs. They are much higher quality.[/QUOTE]

Oh, don't lie.... The 2 formats are pretty much identical in potential picture generated, it all depends on the transfer. There are some absolutely terrible HDDVD transfers too.
 
[quote name='Malik112099']they put 300 in the wrong teir...unless the BR version of the movie is WAY less grainy than the HD version[/quote]

The grain is intentional--the director put it there ON PURPOSE to make his visual style. Everything about the movie, including the grain, is reproduced perfectly on both the HD and BR releases. 300 is a shining example of everything that's right about HD DVD/Blu-Ray--the presentation at home is IDENTICAL to that in the theater--and as such, its position on the tier list is well deserved.
 
[quote name='nosferatu51']Oh, don't lie.... The 2 formats are pretty much identical in potential picture generated, it all depends on the transfer. There are some absolutely terrible HDDVD transfers too.[/QUOTE]

Whatever.



Sony fanboy.
 
Blu Ray? Meh....

I kid, right now i'm picking up on all the hd dvd deals and as soon as that's over somewhere down the line ill go blu. I have a 32" panel and the difference from sd to hd isn't as noticeable as if it were on a 42" or so.
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']Whatever.



Sony fanboy.
[/quote]


Someone speaks the truth! THEY ARE CLEARLY A FAN BOY!!!!!!!!!

:roll:

Look at HD-DVD and Blu-ray reviews at Highdefdigest.com and I guarantee you both sides have their share of crappy and outstanding looking movies.

Microsoft Fanboy Troll

And the problem is not with the Blu-ray's (most of the time). The problem is with your expectations. You bought a bunch of old movies, and expected them to wow you. Well let me tell you something, old movies (generally) won't ever wow you, but they will be a significant upgrade over DVD, and provide an outstanding picture quality (Blade Runner or the Searchers for example).

Robocop. The movie is over 20 years old, it's not going to look great, but it is an upgrade over DVD, which is the point.
28 days later - The movie was filmed on 480p cameras, so there isn't much for them to do on that one. Except upgrade the sound (which they did).
Edward Scissorhands: 10-20% better picture. gimped extras from DVD version. Old movie.

Sleepy Hollow: 10-20% better picture. Old movie.

Enter the Dragon: 10-20% better picture. same SD extras. Old movie.

Spiderman trilogy: part 1 and 2 have decent pictures but no extras. Shaninigans Spider-man 2 has no extra's. It has the entire Spider-man 2.1 on the disc, remastered in hi-def. That's not "no extras." And Spider-man 2 looked awesome I thought.

Van Wilder: same picture quality as dvd. Early movie. The transfer just sucks. Give you that one.

That's entertainment: 10-20% better picture quality as dvd and sound is gimped. Movie over 50 years old, what did you expect?

sky captain and the world of tomorrow: almost same picture quality as DVD. Probably just a crappy transfer.

Buy Crank, any of the Pirates movies, Apocalypto or even any of the Pixar movies and tell me Blu-ray is not worth it.
 
[quote name='H.Cornerstone']sky captain and the world of tomorrow: almost same picture quality as DVD. Probably just a crappy transfer.[/quote]

"Sky Captain" has an intentional soft look to it that many people think is a flaw with the transfer much like the graininess of "300."
 
[quote name='geko29']The grain is intentional--the director put it there ON PURPOSE to make his visual style. Everything about the movie, including the grain, is reproduced perfectly on both the HD and BR releases. 300 is a shining example of everything that's right about HD DVD/Blu-Ray--the presentation at home is IDENTICAL to that in the theater--and as such, its position on the tier list is well deserved.[/quote]


if you are blind....i was let down by my 300 hd dvd as was most of my friends who bought it...
 
[quote name='Malik112099']if you are blind....i was let down by my 300 hd dvd as was most of my friends who bought it...[/QUOTE]

Nope, you are wrong. You might not like the grain, but that does not make anyone "blind". Its not an actual flaw of the movie or the transfer.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Nope, you are wrong. You might not like the grain, but that does not make anyone "blind". Its not an actual flaw of the movie or the transfer.[/quote]


ok..that's fine and dandy....but the grain (which is super crisp and clear) looks like balls
 
[quote name='Liquid 2']This is why I only buy HD-DVDs. They are much higher quality.[/QUOTE]

XBL Marketplace downloads look much better than HD DVD or Blu-Ray (at least like 20% better), plus they don't take up space with those useless cases. Also MS keeps them on their servers so people can't whine about possible piracy like they can with HD DVD and Blu-Ray. Downloads all the way, baby.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']XBL Marketplace downloads look much better than HD DVD or Blu-Ray (at least like 20% better), plus they don't take up space with those useless cases. Also MS keeps them on their servers so people can't whine about possible piracy like they can with HD DVD and Blu-Ray. Downloads all the way, baby.[/QUOTE]

:rofl:
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']XBL Marketplace downloads look much better than HD DVD or Blu-Ray (at least like 20% better), plus they don't take up space with those useless cases. Also MS keeps them on their servers so people can't whine about possible piracy like they can with HD DVD and Blu-Ray. Downloads all the way, baby.[/QUOTE]

:rofl:

Okay let me break down and rip you apart for this......

XBL Marketplace downloads look much better than HD DVD or Blu-Ray (at least like 20% better)
Click to expand...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Seriously how can an 720p video and Dolby 5.1 audio file "look much better" and "at least like 20% better" than even an HD-DVD with 1080p video with, say, Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio?

Oh, and did I forget to mention that the HD-DVD/Blu-ray will always have an higher bitrate for the video too. Something that will be compressed as much as possible on that XBL Marketplace download in order to save bandwidth. Anyone with brains will quickly realize that will hurt the quality.

plus they don't take up space with those useless cases.
Click to expand...

:baby:

Also MS keeps them on their servers so people can't whine about possible piracy like they can with HD DVD and Blu-Ray.
Click to expand...

:rofl:

Who in their right mind would pirate from XBL Marketplace when they got far better and easier sources to get the same stuff from? Not to mention that the video is downloaded to your 360 hard drive before you watch it. Therefore if someone wanted to pirate it from XBL Marketplace it wouldn't be too hard to take it from the 360 hard drive onto their PC and then strip whatever copy protection that is on said file.

And even then why would I want to rely on XBL Marketplace for my HD content? I can only watch it on my said 360. I have to "phone home" every time I want to watch something (even if its nearly invisible... trust me, its there). What if I want to sell the movie to a friend or swap it or whatever? Nope you can't do that. What if I want to take the movie to a friend's house? Unless if I'm lugging that 360 over there and then praying he/she has an broadband connection and will let me hook my 360 up to it just to "phone home" to watch said movie.... no thanks too much work involved.

Downloads all the way, baby.
Click to expand...

If it makes you sleep better at night then have at it. I suspect you might be very lonely in your quest but enjoy.
 
Half of these posts HAVE to be elaborate trolls. Its hard to believe people with access to all the information on several forums and websites can be this ignorant.


Also:

[quote name='becuzimbrown']I have The Prestige on Blu-Ray, but i dont have a PS3 to watch it on :([/QUOTE]

That is a shame, sir! Prestige is one of my favorite transfers (and movies) out there. I think it looks fanTASTIC on blu-ray.
 
Oh, and to add to the OP: Big Fish.

Its not consistently shitty, but I'd go as far as to say certain scenes look WORSE than their DVD counterpart. This is, of course, offset by the fact that its one of the best movies ever, but don't bother upgrading if you already own the DVD I suppose.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']Half of these posts HAVE to be elaborate trolls. Its hard to believe people with access to all the information on several forums and websites can be this ignorant.


Also:



That is a shame, sir! Prestige is one of my favorite transfers (and movies) out there. I think it looks fanTASTIC on blu-ray.[/quote]


i've seen it in theatres and its an awesome movie. i feel like buying a PS3 just so i can watch it again in HD
 
I'm not defending one format versus another but get a 40"+ 1080p HDTV and a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player. Watch a movie in upscaled on DVD and then the same movie in Hi-Def and you will see the difference. Just remember that not all movies will get a great transfer to Hi-Def. Spartacus on HD-DVD is a fine example of this. It looks like about the DVD version.
 
Until you've watched the same film side by side, on both dvd and bluray/hd-dvd, you can't judge them at all. You can't compare a high def version of a movie to your memory of the dvd version.
 
[quote name='JolietJake']Until you've watched the same film side by side, on both dvd and bluray/hd-dvd, you can't judge them at all. You can't compare a high def version of a movie to your memory of the dvd version.[/QUOTE]

dude that's what i have. that's why I posted this thread. I compared my upconverted dvd on hdmi on ps3 to the BR in 1080p 52" HDTV. These BR transfers are clearly lacking.
 
[quote name='H.Cornerstone']Someone speaks the truth! THEY ARE CLEARLY A FAN BOY!!!!!!!!!

:roll:

Look at HD-DVD and Blu-ray reviews at Highdefdigest.com and I guarantee you both sides have their share of crappy and outstanding looking movies.

Microsoft Fanboy Troll

And the problem is not with the Blu-ray's (most of the time). The problem is with your expectations. You bought a bunch of old movies, and expected them to wow you. Well let me tell you something, old movies (generally) won't ever wow you, but they will be a significant upgrade over DVD, and provide an outstanding picture quality (Blade Runner or the Searchers for example).

Robocop. The movie is over 20 years old, it's not going to look great, but it is an upgrade over DVD, which is the point.
28 days later - The movie was filmed on 480p cameras, so there isn't much for them to do on that one. Except upgrade the sound (which they did).
Edward Scissorhands: 10-20% better picture. gimped extras from DVD version. Old movie.

Sleepy Hollow: 10-20% better picture. Old movie.

Enter the Dragon: 10-20% better picture. same SD extras. Old movie.

Spiderman trilogy: part 1 and 2 have decent pictures but no extras. Shaninigans Spider-man 2 has no extra's. It has the entire Spider-man 2.1 on the disc, remastered in hi-def. That's not "no extras." And Spider-man 2 looked awesome I thought.

Van Wilder: same picture quality as dvd. Early movie. The transfer just sucks. Give you that one.

That's entertainment: 10-20% better picture quality as dvd and sound is gimped. Movie over 50 years old, what did you expect?

sky captain and the world of tomorrow: almost same picture quality as DVD. Probably just a crappy transfer.

Buy Crank, any of the Pirates movies, Apocalypto or even any of the Pixar movies and tell me Blu-ray is not worth it.[/QUOTE] you want me to keep my expectations low when I paid 2 grand for a quality HD setup? your defense that it's old movies, that's why, is bullshit cause 2001: a space oddyssey is old and it looks amazing. blade runner is old and it looks amazing. You know why? cause the studios spent money to clean it up the dirt, color correct it, and remaster it to 4k definition. If they don't do that for other catalogue titles, then what is the point of releasing catalogue titles if they just re-use DVD masters? I'd rather just save my money.
 
[quote name='infamyRISE']Half of these posts HAVE to be elaborate trolls. Its hard to believe people with access to all the information on several forums and websites can be this ignorant.[/QUOTE]

That.
 
[quote name='djbooba']Spartacus on HD-DVD is a fine example of this. It looks like about the DVD version.[/QUOTE]

I still say the Criterion DVD release is better than the Universal HD-DVD since Criterion did their own restoration that is used on their version. Yeah the Universal HD-DVD is a bit sharper at times but the Criterion DVD is much cleaner looking plus the colors are more natural looking.

I do hope someday if/when Criterion starts releasing on Blu-ray that "Spartacus" will be given an release on Blu-ray. I'd love to see their restoration version given then 1080p treatment. That = :drool:

[quote name='Pookeymeister']DemoMan didn't think so ;)[/quote]

Whatever you mean by that...... ;)
 
[quote name='Demolition Man']:rofl:

Okay let me break down and rip you apart for this......



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Seriously how can an 720p video and Dolby 5.1 audio file "look much better" and "at least like 20% better" than even an HD-DVD with 1080p video with, say, Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio?

Oh, and did I forget to mention that the HD-DVD/Blu-ray will always have an higher bitrate for the video too. Something that will be compressed as much as possible on that XBL Marketplace download in order to save bandwidth. Anyone with brains will quickly realize that will hurt the quality.



:baby:



:rofl:

Who in their right mind would pirate from XBL Marketplace when they got far better and easier sources to get the same stuff from? Not to mention that the video is downloaded to your 360 hard drive before you watch it. Therefore if someone wanted to pirate it from XBL Marketplace it wouldn't be too hard to take it from the 360 hard drive onto their PC and then strip whatever copy protection that is on said file.

And even then why would I want to rely on XBL Marketplace for my HD content? I can only watch it on my said 360. I have to "phone home" every time I want to watch something (even if its nearly invisible... trust me, its there). What if I want to sell the movie to a friend or swap it or whatever? Nope you can't do that. What if I want to take the movie to a friend's house? Unless if I'm lugging that 360 over there and then praying he/she has an broadband connection and will let me hook my 360 up to it just to "phone home" to watch said movie.... no thanks too much work involved.



If it makes you sleep better at night then have at it. I suspect you might be very lonely in your quest but enjoy.[/QUOTE]


Not that this is a surprise to anyone - but holy shit, you are dense.


Really, if the percentage thing didn't give it away, you're fucking retarded.
 
[quote name='Malik112099']if you are blind....i was let down by my 300 hd dvd as was most of my friends who bought it...[/quote]
Well then you just don't like the movie. The grain is part of the look of the movie. If you think it's a bad transfer, watch it with the PiP enabled. The green screen "original" version of the film is sharp enough to cut you and totally devoid of grain. The grain was added by the director in post. It's supposed to be there. If you don't like it, that's fine. But it's not a failure of the technology. 300 on HD DVD looks exactly the same at my house as it did when I saw it in the theater. In fact, when I saw it in the theater, my friend and I remarked that there would be a lot of idiots complaining about the grain on the eventual HDM release. Looks like we were right. :)
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']Really, if the percentage thing didn't give it away, you're fucking retarded.[/QUOTE]

Well excuse the fuck out of me for not knowing your lame sorry ass was being sarcastic.

And welcome to my ignore list bitch.

Population = You.
 
^
lol.gif


That's why I haven't bought a Blu-ray movie yet.
 
[quote name='sparklecopy']you want me to keep my expectations low when I paid 2 grand for a quality HD setup? your defense that it's old movies, that's why, is bullshit cause 2001: a space oddyssey is old and it looks amazing. blade runner is old and it looks amazing. You know why? cause the studios spent money to clean it up the dirt, color correct it, and remaster it to 4k definition. If they don't do that for other catalogue titles, then what is the point of releasing catalogue titles if they just re-use DVD masters? I'd rather just save my money.[/quote]


There are just some movies, (especially in the 80's) that were just shot in a way that does not translate well to Hi-def. The Die Hard's and Robocop are examples of this. There were intentionally shot in a soft mode and therefore it's hard to transfer it. And I didn't say keep your expectations low. All I said is people have expectations that all old movies are going to wow you and look as good as a newer movie such as Hot Fuzz, Crank, And POTC, when that is just not realistic. For example, I was at my friends house and watched Top Gun. Did it look good? Yes, did it wow me? No. I own Superman II. Did it look good? Yes, did it wow me like a Crank or a POTC? No. And I even pointed out there are some old movies that look fantastic. But, lets be realistic, is every studio going to spend the time and money to painstakingly restore every movie? No. Does it suck? Yes. Thats why when a company (such as warner) takes the time to restore a movie, I want to support them and buy such movie. But it's hard for studios to do this when it costs so much to do that and there is such a small fan base. But to argue with that, there are many old movies that still look a lot better in hi-def, and are still worth it IMO (especially if you don't own them on DVD).

And geko, if you recall 300 was one of the first BIG releases on 300, and the grain, while intentional, makes the movie look worse. And I guess people were just expecting more out of it. And, grain and other artificial effects do make the Play quality worse. Now, is the transfer still fantastic? Yes, but it still does make the image worse to many people's eyes.

As HDD points out : "Well, I'm going to put on my flame-proof suit and say that because the film has been so intentionally processed and "degraded," its very nature just doesn't lend itself to the kind of truly eye-popping and ultra-realistic high-def that I've come to equate with the term reference quality. Yes, I know that this is the way the film is "supposed to look," but when you're dealing with a source that is so over-contrasted and "crushed down" -- not to mention intensely desaturated and laced with so much video noise that it seems like a swarm of mosquitoes has infested your television -- for me, the "wow!" factor is lessened considerably."
 
I kinda agree with the OP that i have not been so impressed with BluRay. The picture does look better but i don't know if it is enough to warrent a format upgrade. Maybe i just need a better TV.
 
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