High Def movies...your "NO BS" assessment

[vi edit]

I received my PS3 a week ago and have been able to watch a handful of Blu-Ray movies since then. So far I've watched The Last of the Samurai, Black Hawk Down, PotC:AWE, and The Simpsons Movie.

I'm viewing on a 720p plasma screen and processing sound through HDMI an H/K 247 receiver on a 5.1 setup. I'd say that I have an "above average" system. No where near elite level, but certainly better than a HTIaB quality.

That being said, I went into the high def viewing with no real expectations. I wasn't expecting miracles but I was hoping for some value out of the step up. And that's pretty much what I got.

The first movie I watched was BHD. I could tell in little places here and there the difference. The waves as the Blackhawks were flying over them were much more pronounced. Dirt and grime on peoples faces actually showed some textures. Little things here and there "popped more". And the soundtrack felt like the channels had better seperation. More gunfire and background noise filled each speaker a little clearer than before.

The Last Samurai was next. This movie was absolutely gorgeous. The mountains and wheat fields looked amazing. Colors were much more vibrant. The army formations in the valley were much more clear than the DVD version. Easily the best movie out of the bunch that I watch so far.

The Simpsons. Expected nothing. Got nothing. But it was available for rental. Pointless on Blu-Ray.

Pirates: AWE. This one left me dissapointed. I guess not having watched the DVD version hurts my ability to compare, but I just didn't feel like there was anything special or added to it. The soundtrack didn't really seem much improved and the picture didn't really feel like it was on the level as the first two movies (BHD and TLS) I watched.

Which leads me to my point...

I don't think I could in good faith say that it was worth it to a family member or friend. I certainly appreciate the option of better picture and sound...but a huge percentage of the buying public really couldn't care less or would even notice what they are getting.

And all of the hoopla around the format war just seems even more ridiculous given that it's not that revolutionary of a advancement like SD to High Def television broadcasts or even VHS to DVD.

I see it as a novelty left to film junkies and tech oriented people want to brag about having the latest and greatest...but nothing more than that.

I'll continue renting Blu-Ray disks and enjoy the little extra that I get. But if I was buying a movie and had the choice of a $10 DVD or a $25 Blu Ray copy of the same one, I'd take the cheaper DVD.

 

[Eug]

IT'S MOST DEFINITELY WORTH IT... for me. However, I have a 90" projector image.

It's also an improvement on my 42" LCD from 8' away, but not as much of an improvement. Mind you, it's hard to complain when you get an HD DVD player and 9 free movies (including Transformers) all for $210.

Also, for certain titles, the extras are much nicer on HD DVD than DVD.

I wouldn't have a problem recommending HD to a family member or friend... as long as they have an HD TV that's bigger than about 32", and aren't sitting too far away. The bigger the TV and the closer they sit, the more the noticeable improvement.

To put it another way... If they enjoy broadcast HDTV, then they'll probably enjoy HD DVD (or Blu-ray) even more, since the image quality is noticeably superior to broadcast HDTV most of the time.

Actually, I even notice an improvement on my 26" LCD, but obviously, the improvement is much less marked than on my 42" LCD. However, for someone with just a 26" LCD, I wouldn't necessarily recommend they spend the extra cash on HD DVD. I'd suggest getting a bigger TV first.

 

[Wuzup101]

As Eug stated, it has a lot to do with the size of your TV and how far you are sitting from it. The best HD experiences require a large screen or a relatively close seating distance. As you move farther away, the eye loses it's ability to resolve the detail presented by a HD setup. What size is your plasma? How far are you sitting away from it? Also remember that you have a 720p set (that alone is responsible for dropping 50% of the detail presented in a HD-DVD or BRD - again if you were sitting close enough to take care of it).

Also remember that not every BRD or HD-DVD is created equally. There are some movies that are MUCH better than others based on the time spent producing them. Simpson's movie... eh... cartoons usually scale pretty easily. While things like cars or that rat movie (lol) will look great on BRD, something like the Simpson's movie doesn't benefit that that much. It's hand drawn... and you don't really gain any detail by putting it on an HD disc. I mean homer's head is going to be the same shade of yellow... it doesn't matter if there are 100 pixels telling you that... or 600 pixels... Films and HD computer renderings can have that detail (think video games in the case of a pixar movie). However, something hand drawn like the Simpson's really doesn't.

 

[vi edit]

It's a 42" screen that is about 7 feet away from the couch. A pretty typcial setup for a large number of makeshift HT.

It's just a question of value. How much more do you actually gain for the premiums? When you look at sales numbers, I'd wager that huge % of DVD players are being sold in the $50-$75 range. DVD's are in the $7-$15 range.

Excluding scattered deals/fire sales you are hard up to find an HD-DVD player for under $200 and a BR player for under $300. Media is anywhere from $15 (B1G1) to $35.

I'm not saying that I ultimately have my pulse on what people want/will buy, but I just don't see how the industries can really push DVD's out the door given the price to performance...if that's the ultimate goal. The returns just don't seem to be there to gain the buy in from the mass consumers.

The jump from regular TV's to HDTV size is something that you see on your TV stand. And then when you jump from an SD broadcast to an HD broadcast it's night and day.

Going from VHS to DVD was an immediate win in media styles because of chapter skipping, no need to rewind, as well as the bump in image quality, sound quality, and special features.

Going from SD-DVD to HD/BR just brings a much smaller return for the premiums it costs.

Again, please don't take this as me hating on the formats. I am greatful that people that want the added detail and lossless sound have that option. I just don't see how it's a viable war that will be won through sales.

 

[Eug]

At 42" and 7' away, to me it's a no brainer. HD DVD looks way better than DVD.

As for pricing, I'll say again I got an HD DVD player a few months ago (which also upscales my existing DVDs) for $210, including 9 movies. And of course, you can also rent hi-def discs (both HD DVD and Blu-ray).

 

[Auric]

The potential benefit is significant yet I would hasten to add not necessarily worth a premium for most flicks. Classic epics and nature docs are most deserving. However, A/V quality is irrelevant if it is hardly worth watching in the first place -which is the category into which most movies fall. After that there is a goodly number for which SD is fine.

 

[Xed]

With my old Toshiba 36" tube, and Sony htib I bought back in high school (mid 90's) it was a decent upgrade but nothing major. With my new 60" plasma, receiver and 7.1 speaker setup...oh my it's very worth it. As larger quality displays continue to get more affordable I think hd/bd will really pick up steam.

 

[SlickSnake]

Check this link out on the HDMI audio portion of High Def movies.

Hi Def HDMI 1.3 Audio or NOT???

And as far as the overall picture quality goes, on my 46" Sharp LCD, HD appears to be a toss up versus DVD on picture quality, mostly depending on how long ago the DVD I am playing was mastered. I am using the Toshiba A2 for HD, and the upconversion from regular DVDs mastered recently is simply outstanding. But if I pop in a DVD that was mastered way back like the original Dune DVD master from 1998, the quality difference is noticeable versus the recent Dune HD release.

So for $5-8 bucks on sale for a regular DVD recently mastered versus $15-30 for a HD (if you can get one on sale) the price difference means I may likely get a regular edition DVD. For instance I bought Pan's Labyrinth for $8 bucks for the 2 disk DVD set a few weeks ago at BB. And a few weeks before that, I got Superman Returns and The Green Mile 2 disk DVD sets for $8 each at Buy.com. I kind of doubt those will be in the HD bargin bin at Amazon for buy one get one free anytime soon, but who knows. I will buy various HD titles for $10 a piece, though. But I have been trying not to rebuy titles I have bought previously on DVD.

Oh, yea. I noticed a lot of Sony titles not available in HD are hitting the bargain bins in DVD, too. So I am more likely to pick up a Sony title I don't have on DVD. And remember those high bit rate Superbit titles? They are still out there, and a lot are Superbit but you have to read the fine print on the back of the DVD to find it, like on The Fifth Element 2 disk DVD set, which I picked up on BF for $3 at Walmart!

Amazon Buy 1 Get 1 FREE HD Offer! Limited Time! (but they have offered these deals a lot lately!)

 

[Kadarin]

On my 42" plasma, I notice less of a difference than I expected when comparing between upscaled DVD and BD.

 

[Muadib]

I also went Blu-Ray, and I gotta say yes. However, I also have a projector using a 92" screen.
I want a 1080p projector now, because I know it will be that much better.

And lets not forget the audio. I just watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the DTS-HD MA sound is unbelievable!

 

[SlickSnake]

Originally posted by: Muadib
I also went Blu-Ray, and I gotta say yes. However, I also have a projector using a 92" screen.
I want a 1080p projector now, because I know it will be that much better.

And lets not forget the audio. I just watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the DTS-HD MA sound is unbelievable!

Really? if you clicked my above link, it is claimed that those units tested did NOT pass DTS-HD sound formats. What receiver and and player are you using? Are you certain you are getting the DTS-HD enabled sound, or just DTS?

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: SlickSnake

Originally posted by: Muadib
I also went Blu-Ray, and I gotta say yes. However, I also have a projector using a 92" screen.
I want a 1080p projector now, because I know it will be that much better.

And lets not forget the audio. I just watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the DTS-HD MA sound is unbelievable!

Really? if you clicked my above link, it is claimed that those units tested did NOT pass DTS-HD sound formats. What receiver and and player are you using? Are you certain you are getting the DTS-HD enabled sound, or just DTS?

Oh yes, I'm quite certain. I have a Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-Ray player, and the Onkyo pro PR-SC885P pre amp.

EDIT: Let me read your link....

 

[cubby1223]

56" 1080p dlp, and it's worth it to me - but I cannot convince anyone else that HD is better than even low bit-rate dvd rips.

Last weekend I watched a movie at someone else's home theater setup, has a lot of money put into the room, the speakers, receiver, dvd player, stand, seating, tons of dvds, but still using an aging 60" crt that is just horrible, black levels are *very* bright, and the entire right side of the screen the rgb colors are separated it's not close to a solid image anymore. And nobody cares about picture quality, except that it's "big".

HD movies will always be a niche format. But it's still worth the money, realizing that these copies may be the best copies we will ever own. My same rule with dvd still applies to Blu-ray, though, I will only buy movies that I'm fairly certain I can watch at least twice a year and not get bored with them. DVD or Blu-ray/HD DVD, buying a movie to watch once and sit on a shelf forever is a waste of money.

Anyways, if not for the resolution of the new formats, at least appreciate the much improved color space.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: SlickSnake

Originally posted by: Muadib
I also went Blu-Ray, and I gotta say yes. However, I also have a projector using a 92" screen.
I want a 1080p projector now, because I know it will be that much better.

And lets not forget the audio. I just watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the DTS-HD MA sound is unbelievable!

Really? if you clicked my above link, it is claimed that those units tested did NOT pass DTS-HD sound formats. What receiver and and player are you using? Are you certain you are getting the DTS-HD enabled sound, or just DTS?

The author of the article was mistaken, at least for HD-DVD players. The A20 does not output True HD or DTS-HS MA over bitstream (via HDMI). Only the XA-2 and A35 players do that (and the XA-2 only received those capabilities via a firmware update relatively recently).

 

[Rio Rebel]

I have a projector with about a 100" screen. There is a very significant difference between standard DVD (including upconverted) and my Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player. It is absolutely worth it.

If I were playing them on my 42" ED plasma, I'm sure the conversation would be very different.

 

[ProfJohn]

I think it is movie dependent, as a few people have said.

300 with its odd visuals didn?t impress me as much as I thought it would.

But Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix looked awesome as did the little bit of Batman Begins that I have had time to watch.

 

[Insomniator]

I'm sitting here watching the pats-giants game on a old (but good) 27inch crt screen. I've watched football on hdtv's and yes, it is worth it.

Hell, I saw bluray on a 1024x768(!) plasma tv at costco today and was tempted. Looks beautiful.

 

[CMC79]

I've found that it varies a bit from film to film, but I definitely prefer HD DVD and BD titles to DVD now. I essentially don't buy DVD's unless it's TV shows or its the only way a particular film is available. I have a 3 year old, 50" 720p DLP that I sit about 9 feet from, and I still see a big difference. Further, I always choose the uncompressed PCM or TrueHD soundtrack when it's available, and even my wife, who professes to never see or hear a difference in these kinds of things, noticed when I would switch from Dolby Digital to PCM on Harry Potter OOTP. To be honest, though, it does depend on the disc--The Mummy looked only a bit better on HD DVD, and Sleepy Hollow looked awful. Sleepy Hollow brings up an interesting point--I'm not sure it was the encoding job necessarily, but the film itself. I think Tim Burton deliberately used a very grainy film originally, and the enhanced resolution of HD DVD made that more apparent, and thus oddly it looked "worse" when in fact I was seeing the film more as he intended. I could be wrong, but that's an issue to consider. As for The Mummy, it was a relatively early release I believe, and my impression from my Netflix rentals has been the earlier the title was released the poorer its overall quality, with recent releases being better (maybe part of the move away from MPEG2 encoding to VC1/AVC).

My bottom line--well worth it, but not as big of a jump as VHS to DVD, and thus more evolutionary than revolutionary.

 

[CorCentral]

Bottom line for me is it's worth it, but the movies (if not on sale or Bogo) are a bit pricey still.
I own a 50" Panasonic plasma 50px50u (720p/1080i) coupled with a Toshiba A3 and sit about 7-8 feet away.

Over reg dvd.......

Pros--- Better Picture, Better sound (95% of the time)
Cons-- HD disc prices, Might get stuck w/the next Betamax whichever format you choose......BD or HDDVD
My Biggest worry--- Disney has sided w/the Smurfs and may well just clinch this.

 

[spidey07]

It is absolutely worth it. If nothing more than the color alone.

 

[jpeyton]

Can easily see the difference on my 56" 720p DLP, and my 42" 1080p LCD.

 

[TheDrake]

I think it was worth the difference, but I didnt spend that much at all for playing HD media, I use my PC for everything and well just rent the HD/Blu-ray movies and your in business. Now if I actually had to buy all the movies I have seen in HD then I would say its not worth it, but thats what netflix/blockbuster are there for How many people can honestly say they watch every movie they have bought more than twice? I usually only watch a movie once and never play it again, only the rare few that I thought were worth watching again, prolly less than 10% of all movies I have seen as a quick estimate.

everyone in my household can see a improvement between DVD's and HD movies without question. And I am the only technical person in the house! I only have one 47" 1080p screen.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Yes, also note that I do not buy movies. I rent them through netflix, as I (for the most part) watch movies only once. NetFlix is a good way to get access to BluRay or HD-DVD movies if your local rental stores lack them.

Player: Playstation 3 60gb (connected via HDMI port) with the BluWave USB IR receiver controlled via my Logitech 676
TV: Samsung LNT5271F

 

[Genx87]

Got my Toshiba A2 for 100 bucks. So yeah it is worth it. However I wouldnt drop 200+ on HiDef just for the sake of having it. yes, the picture is crystal clear. But not worth 200+ for the player imo.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Genx87
Got my Toshiba A2 for 100 bucks. So yeah it is worth it. However I wouldnt drop 200+ on HiDef just for the sake of having it. yes, the picture is crystal clear. But not worth 200+ for the player imo.

This is surprising because even a decent DVD player runs 200 bucks. To get a HD one for the same price seems like a no brainer. This is the same argument that says buy the cheapest CD player there is.

It just isn't true. 200 bucks to get HD playback is the bargain of the century IMHO. The color alone is worth it, not to mention the resolution.

I hate to be an elitist arse, but if somebody doesn't view HD movies and drop their jaw over a regular DVD then something is wrong. Something is very wrong.