A Few Words About A few words about... The Phantom of the Opera -- In High Definition (1 Viewer)

[Paul_Scott]

and Casablanca,
and Adventures Of Robin Hood,
and Wizard Of Oz,
and Forbidden Planet,
and The Searchers,
and The Dirty Dozen,
and Mutiny On The Bounty,
and 2001,
and all due this year.

and unlike the earliest dvds, the first HD releases, like the one Robert comments on here, appear to be spectacularly encoded (albeit with the audio issue that does need to be addressed- but shouldn't be a deal killer in either case)- so there should be less of a need to re-visit these same titles a couple years down the line (YAY!)

 

[Robert Harris]

I'm quite certain that the audio / authoring situation will be handled quite quickly.

As to Van Helsing, being not only a fan of the classic Universal horror genre, but Mr. Daviau's brilliant cinematography on this and many other films, this is sure to be a winner in high definition for Universal, who's slate of releases will also come along nicely. Van Helsing is not A Streetcar Named Desire. Nor was it meant to be. Its simply a fun film - beautifully shot.

RAH

 

[Jim Robbins]

Not having a 1080P set is just not a good enough excuse for not going to HD DVDs. I have an older projector that I will be getting one of the HDCP converters for and with players selling under $500, the only thing I'm waiting for are more titles.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Mike,

Just to clarify, the Tosh HD-DVD will *not* upscale SD-DVD via component unless the disc was mastered without CSS protection. Almost all consumer grade SD-DVD's were mastered with CSS, and therefore you'll need to run DVI/HDMI in order to upscale 98% of the current DVDs. (This will also be true of Blu-ray).

Also, the current HD-DVD discs provide 1080i via component only due to the fact that, so far, Universal, Warner, and Paramount have chosen not to implement the "ICT flag" on the initial discs. Once that flag is enabled, the resolution via component drops to around 560p or so. (Again, this is true of both formats.)

The bottom line is that you really need DVI/HDMI with some form of HDCP recognition in order to get the most out of any HD optical disc deck.

 

[Paul_Scott]

the trailer for VH that was on the demo i saw looked spectacular. Easily on par with the King Kong one that has just about everyone salivating. it looks like each weeks releases on this format is going to bring a new 'reference' disc with it.

 

[John Hodson]

Being absolutely delighted with my current set-up - I'm not watching on a projector, just a 42" screen and upscaling DVD player - I'm still not convinced that HD will be a quantum leap at normal viewing distances. (I'm also unconvinced because most of my collection consists of films slightly older than I am...)

You seem convinced howver Robert; on what size/type screen did you make your assessment?

 

[Robert Harris]

I'm currently viewing on a screen roughly 100" via a Sony 2k projector.

There have been numberous disucssions of proper viewing distances, and at a "proper viewing distance" the HD image looks hugely superior in terms of black and color levels, and of noise, which really becomes apparent in an A/B comparison.

The interesting thing is that if one disregards the PVD, and walks up to within a foot of the image, the HD release of Phantom looks very, very much like film, with an image fully resolved to the finest details.

RAH

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I watched PHANTOM in HD_DVD last night, and agree 100% with Mr. Harris's asessment. I saw this film twice theatrically, once digitally projected, the other on film. This new HD-DVD, to my eyes, looks better than either. It's absolutely beautiful, detailed, with amazing levels of shadow detail and gorgeous color. And this was on a frumpy 47" CRT display. I can only imagine how these things look on high quality projectors!

 

[Reagan]

Thanks for the report, Robert. The number of times that the advantage for one format over the over has shifted is mind-boggling.

At the very least, it's an exciting time.

-Reagan

 

[Reagan]

Sorry about the double post. Dial-up connection was playing tricks on me.

-Reagan

 

[Michel_Hafner]

Ruby? Qualia?
I can imagine how it looks. Have not seen any HD-DVDs so far but if one knows D-Theater tapes one has a good idea. The Toshiba player has a HDMI bug that clips all values < 16 and > 235 (or so). That can mean lost black and highlight detail. The component out does not have the bug.
I have not bought any DVDs for several years. Once you know what good HD looks like it's kind of pointless investing in DVD when one's home cinema uses a 'large' screen. HD is so much better. DVDs can be rented after all...

 

[Michel_Hafner]

Not (much) better, just bigger picture. CRT with its high contrast looks wonderful with HD material.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Phantom was actually a good choice for the first release; it has a ton of dark and shadowy scenes and lots of fog and smoke. Both of these problematic transfer areas come across much, much better on HD-DVD than on standard. It's those sequences, rather than the brightly-lit ones, that show off HD's advantages best, IMHO.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Joseph: Thanks for that comprehensive--albeit disappointing--summary of the situation. I must have misunderstood someone else's post in a different thread in which it was said that, surprisingly, most commercial SD-DVDs were NOT mastered with CSS protection.

Thanks for you your clarification.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

"Quantum leap" may be in the eye of the beholder. I also have a 42" screen. I owned it for over four years before I actually saw a high-def image on it, which was three months ago when I finally got DirecTV. Seeing programs on Discovery HD Theater and HDNet were definitely a quantum leap from the world of standard DVD, IMHO. I can only imagine that HD-DVD will be even better, since the compression artifacts that come with satellite HDTV will not exist.

Just my $.02....

 

[Dave H]

I have a Sony ISF'd 57" CRT RPTV. I haven't seen "Phantom," but did view "The Last Samurai" HD-DVD and A/B compared it against the SD. The difference is night and day....the HD-DVD version with it's greater detail, resolution, sharper, and color fidelity is just SO much better than the SD. I'll have to check out "Phantom" -- definitely looking forward to the titles coming in May.

 

[Felix Martinez]

A quick observation about comparing HD and SD...

I recently purchased Sony's HC-1 HDV 1080i camcorder, shot some home movies, and projected them on my 92 in. screen. It looked great, but I couldn't help but think...is it that much better than standard def...?

Well I did an A-B comparison, and it just blew me away how much better HD is. You kinda take HD for granted until you see SD again. Then you'll never want to go back!

Sorry to go slightly OT

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Hmmm ... What about the original "Superman" movie which is coming late this year from Warner? Or the rumored 30th Anniversary Star Wars release (November of 2007 - Probably on SD-DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray)? I have a feeling that those catalog releases *will* be implementing ICT.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

Yes, I admit I have no hard evidence to back up my theory. I just think the studios would avoid shooting themselves in the foot by implementing ICT at all. It seems like the cons of implementing would far outweigh the pros from their standpoint.

 

[Mike_G]

Robert,
I'm curious about something. As a former film collector, I've always been trying to find the best presentation possible. I stopped collecting film years ago because I found that DVD was "good enough" and film was just impractical to keep in the home. Now that you've seen HD-DVD, do you think it's comparable to watching a movie on film? I have HD-DVD and I have my own VERY positive opinions on it, bt I figured you'd be the best person to ask about how it compares to film.

I guess what I'm asking is this - has a perfect format for watching movies at home finally emerged?