50Hz speed-up and HD-DVD (1 Viewer)

[Mark ZA]

Hi Folks,

I really dont mean to startup the whole speed-up debate again, but PAL-Speedup was the main reason my entire SD library is Region 1 even though I live in Region 2. With the XBox360 HD-DVD add-on coming out in a month or so, this is probably the best value option for me to jump onboard with HD-DVD.

My biggest concern however is that UK/European HD-DVDs will continue to be mastered at 50Hz therefore maintaining the dreaded speed-up society.

Does anybody know if UK/European HD-DVD software will be 50 or 60Hz - it just doesnt make sense to me anymore to master at 50Hz unless your're doing so for broadcast.

If they do this to HD-DVD I may just have to move to the U.S.A.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Marko Berg]

The official EICTA display device requirements for licensing of the "HD ready" logo requirements (PDF document) call for mandatory acceptance of both 50Hz and 60 Hz signals from external video sources, such as HD DVD players. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason not to master all HD software in 60Hz (assuming it is film-based) since all display devices bearing this logo (practically all of them) can display 60Hz signals natively.

(Over-the-air HDTV is a different matter and will probably be 50Hz in Europe due to backward compatibility reasons.)

As far as I know, the forthcoming European HD DVD releases from e.g. Studio Canal will be mastered in 1080p 24fps as is appropriate. It remains to be seen what WB will do with their announced releases, but since many of the titles appear to be exactly the same as those already available in North America, I'd be surprised if they went through the additional expense of mastering these titles again for 25fps playback. There is no technical requirement for this, after all.

I'm not sure why you'd need to move to the USA even if some clueless studio released improperly mastered titles. The HD DVD format is, after all, region free!

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

As long as the software (HD DVD or Blu-ray) is encoded 24fps, and as long as the players can output 50Hz, 60Hz and 24fps (user-overridable), I'll be happy.

 

[Marko Berg]

My speculation is that European HD DVD players will output a 50Hz signal for Region 2-encoded standard DVD playback only. It would be expensive to include circuitry that allows for proper conversion of a 60Hz high-definition signal to 50Hz standard-definition signal, and why would anyone need that feature? If you bought a HD DVD player, you probably have a HD ready display as well.

 

[Duncan Harvey]

but presumably you need 50hz for playback of non 24fps material? What about European HD TV material, such as the BBC's output. Bleak House, Robin Hood, Planet Earth, Torchwood to name but a few.

Looks like we'll have "PAL" slowdown...

Roll on the firmware update to do this.

 

[Yumbo]

A friend's (old) projector could not play KING KONG which required 60hz. Does that mean all HD-DVD is 60hz only?

 

[Andrew Bunk]

There are several people over at AVS who are claiming pitch problems with the Euro HD-DVD's of Total Recall, Basic Instinct and some of the Rambo movies. They are credible posters, not noobs. I would research this before buying them.

 

[ppltd]

I have 6 of the Studio Canal releases, including Rambo, and have noticed no issues.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

So far, the affected titles with the high-pitch problem are:

Basic Instinct
Total Recall
The Elephant Man
Rambo I and II

The Harry Potter disc is reportedly fine, but it was mastered in L.A.

Matt Stevens did testing with the Basic Instinct HD-DVD and the U.S. SD-DVD and the U.S. laserdisc as well as the CD soundtrack. He says the HD-DVD is clearly higher pitched than the others. Something is obviously going on, but no one knows what or why.

 

[Marko Berg]

Correct.

As for the higher-pitch sound on some releases, perhaps they used an incorrect master? In any case, speed-up on HD DVD as we know it from PAL systems (automatic and required for the system to function at all) is not necessary.