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IMO, the worst looking DVD I own is Star Wars Episode II (1 Viewer)

Randy Korstick

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From reading this thread and other posts on this release its seems that many people(not all) with tube displays think the picture is outstanding while many people(again not all) with rear projection T.V.'s find the picture just ok or dissapointing. I found the transfer did not live up to the hype on my Toshiba HD Widescreen it had alot of artifacts and noise in many places particularly solid colors while I found the colors of the picture itself to be sharp almost too sharp so that it makes it grainy or noisy on HD displays, maybe this is the problem that some are seeing and others are not. To me Episode 1 DVD was a much better transfer it did not suffer from this noise and artifact problem and I noticed no edge enhancement that some others here did.
The other problem I had with Episode 2 DVD was with the weak use of surrounds compared to Episode 1 and the original Trilogy on Laserdisc. By no means is this the worst DVD transfer just one of the most overrated.
 

Ruz-El

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You haven't seen Scarface, have you?
Scarface is pretty bad, but the worst I've seen is Universals "Born On The Fourth Of July". I just watched it again 2 days ago, and my god, I could not get past how awful it looked! The video almost appears distorted from noise, especially in out door daylight scenes. In comparison, I'd say AOTC looks great (in fact, I'd say AOTC looks better than most DVDs I've seen), and more importantly, it looks to me like it did in the theater. BOTFOJ unfortunately, looks horrible. Which is sad as it is one of the pictures that Robert Richardson really started to show his talent as a cinematographer.

I'd put BOTFOJ above Scarface for a re-release (but not too far above).

I find it's interesting that the majority of the people who complain about transfers are the one with larger that 36" TV/Projectors. Maybe it's a limitation of the size? I remember in the VHS days all the complaints that the projectors and larger screens looked like crap, but now that we are told what DVD can do technically, we expect these large format viewers to be gorgeous and film like, and a majority of the time, its just not happening. I own a 32" Sony wega flat screen, and everything generally looks great. The reason I didn't get bigger is because I'm yet to find something that looks better. What's the point of having a huge screen if everything looks like S**T?
 

Michael Reuben

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It's not a question of size. It's a question of experience. People see a few so-called "reference" discs, and they think that's what every disc should look like. And since most people don't go to the movies all that often, a lot of viewers have lost touch with the enormous variety of appearances and "textures" with which films are made.

M.
 

Paul_Scott

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i usually project 2.35 movies at about 82" wide on my fp (letterbox bars are masked off with screens), but i can't do it with ATOC. just isn't enough detail in some of the scenes (like the Jedi Library) and i get a really noticeably evident pixel structure.
if i pull the image in smaller ( probably around 65-70' wide) the image tightens up and comes across much better.

i saw this at the Ziegfield in NYC on a dlp and the image was tight across the board- every scene. and that screen was HUGE.


i'd just add that its not a limitation of DVD and pjs in general.
Quest For Fire looks incredible when i blow it up full size.
AOTC has some of the most beautiful colors i've ever seen, but for overall presentation of the image, Quest blows it away- imo.
there is plenty of detail and information in the pic that i never noticed the screendoor/pixel structure.
and this is a 20 year old film vs. a HD direct digital conversion of a year old film.

the strength of AOTC, again jmo, is more in the purity and intensity of the colors (due to the absence of grain?), than it is a matter of superior detail or resolution.

for this reason i don't think its one of the greatest discs out there PQ-wise, but as has been said, its far from one of the worst.
 

Felix Martinez

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The reason I didn't get bigger is because I'm yet to find something that looks better. What's the point of having a huge screen if everything looks like S**T?
A bigger image only reveals the deficiencies of the MPEG-2 compression and/or transfer.

On my 92 inch screen, with Sanyo PLV-60 LCD projector, AOTC looks *fantastic*. So does 5th Element: Superbit (all Superbits, actually), as well as all the "reference" DVDs that most folks talk about, inluding LOTR: Expanded, etc. There are quite a few of them out there, which is great. There's nothing like it (except HD). Makes theatrical presentations a moot point for me most of the time (and I used to *love* going to the movies regularly).

For those DVDs that aren't reference, it's becoming a rare event to see a truly wretched-quality DVD released nowadays(although there are a few out there!). The DVDs that have come out after the year 2000 have been - for the most part - very, very good looking on larger screens, and sometimes are extraordinary for a 480p image. Not to say there aren't screw ups now and again, but we've certainly come a LONG way from early 1997-1998 DVD quality.

My $.02
Felix
 

Patrick Mirza

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Funny, I and many other sites thought AOTC was the best looking DVD ever. I've looked at the disc every which way, and damned if I could find anyything wrong with it. It's a pristine thing of beauty.
 

Alma

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Dave-Did not start this post to only spark a debate. Just wanted some honest opinions from different HDTV users, do not know anyone else with HDTV gear besides the users on this board. I agree with Randy, I also feel Episode I looked better than Episode II. That is my personal opinion. Russell, no I have not seen Scarface. I only own about 15 DVD movies. So it is the worst in my collection. Maybe worst is to strong a word. Just looked very soft and blurry in some screen shots. I only have a 30" screen but immediately noticed the softness at the beginning of the movie. immediately. Seems some people feel the same as I do and some do not. No big deal, just getting different points of view ;)
 

Dave F

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One look at the arena scene and AOTC vaults to the top of the list in my book. The lack of artifacts in the Genosian audience is amazing.

-Dave
 

Joseph Young

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I also feel Episode I looked better than Episode II.
After reading some of the posts discussing why Episode 2's image looked 'soft' in comparison to what some of the people here are used to, I'm compelled to post a link to Bjoern Roy's great Edge Enhancement Tutorial.

Alma, after I purchased an anamorphic WEGA and adjusted the contrast and removed the 'edge enhancement' feature, I noticed a clarity and detail I'd never seen before. This 'softness' you and others are seeing is actually allowing viewers to discern more detail in the picture. The 'sharpness' that you saw in the Episode One transfer should not be confused with 'detail.' Edge Enhancement is just a way to artificially create the impression, on a regular CRT, that the DVD image's clarity has increased. It has actually been marred.

Also, anyone who complains of seeing excessive artifacting on a PS2 during DVD playback should realize that the artifacting is due to the PS2. I know from experience.

Joseph

edited for spelling
 

Dennis Pagoulatos

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Okay, let's put it this way: On a properly calibrated RPTV or FP system (full ISF tune-up) AOTC looks just about as good as it did at a good DLP screening (I saw 3 at three different theaters!), which is to say, it looks great. Some scenes look spectacular, blowing away just about everything (Asteroid chase, Geonosian arena) and some look only "good" but kind of "sterile" as others have pointed out (Coruscant night interior shots when Anakin & Obi Wan are guarding Padme) and a little soft. Comparing the DVD to the Ep.1 release, AOTC is clearly the nicer looking disk overall, no contest in fact.

The surrounds are too low? I don't think so. The LFE track sounds a bit cooked to me, but overall, this mix is active and extremely well done. It's probably one of the best, most complex sound mixes ever put together (DUH Academy) and it is VERY well represented on the DVD release.

I don't know how it looks on a TV, I've never seen it on one, except at CostCo, and I hardly use that as a measure of anything...

-Dennis
 

Dave H

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While I think Clones looked good - I too was a bit disappointed with how it looked. Sure, there is no "film" grain, etc., but the soft look just doesn't cut it for me. I do understand this is the look from the source. I do agree this represents the theatrical version. Of course, there is less detail on the dvd since the resolution isn't that of a theatrical movie.

The DVDs that have come out after the year 2000 have been - for the most part - very, very good looking on larger screens, and sometimes are extraordinary for a 480p image. Not to say there aren't screw ups now and again, but we've certainly come a LONG way from early 1997-1998 DVD quality.
I agree 100%. I would like to see nearly every DVD re-released prior to 2001. 2001+ releases show noticably fewer artifacts.
 

Aaron Cohen

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PS2 is hands down the worst dvd player I have ever viewed a movie on.... Piss poor awful and always has been. Too bad.
 

SvenS

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Everyone needs to stop feeding the trolls!!! Once you feed them they never go away!
 

Jerry Gracia

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Running on my SONY 51" HD RPTV in 480p, Episode II looks very good IMO.

It's been a while since I spun up my Episode I disc, before I got my new HD set.

I have not seen the Born on the 4th of July DVD recently, but I do remember it being quite bad.
 

Felix Martinez

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Felix, how far back are you sitting?
do you notice screendoor much with your pj in general?
It's been a while since I measured, but i think I'm about 10 feet back from the 92 in screen, and the projector is mounted about 11.5 feet from the screen.

With all the to-do about screendoor and black level, it has not bothered me one iota. One thing i did *not* like about the PLV-60 is its internal scaler/line doubler is not very good. But with the Panny RP-91 prog scan DVD player, it's just heaven!

Some pics here...
http://members.aol.com/beautymarkstudio/Home.html

Cheers,
Felix
 

Jack Briggs

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What gets me about any claim about a current DVD (or any film, for that matter) being the "worst ever" is that the complainers are not really judging against an absolute standard.

"Worst transfer"? Hey, I've only seen snippets of this disc, but what I did see (projected last summer via DLP onto a 20-foot-wide screen in a screening room on the Fox lot) looked mighty, mighty impressive.

"Worst transfer"? Hasn't anyone here ever seen any DVD put out by Madacy? Now, there's your standard of poor.

Similarly, I love it when someone claims that a fair to decent film itself is the "worst movie ever." Screen the vintage 1950s Z flick The Robot Monster and use that as another standard of poor.
 

Jeff Kleist

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See Jack, a movie like that is just horrible. When a movie causes me PHYSICAL PAIN is when you know how bad it really is. So far only Hercules vs the Moon Men and Battlefield Earth have accomplished that. The Core's physical pain was self inflicted
 

Alma

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Jack. I have already stated im MY opinion watching with MY eyes it is the worst DVD move "I" own. This is just my personal opinion, nothing more.
 

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