Neutral as of tonite. Opinions needed for 1st HDdvd viewing experience... (1 Viewer)

[Dave Mack]

Thanks guys.

Kong sounds good. I actually liked it alot and while not perfect, had some very impressive bits and some beautiful imagery. I also liked the longer version and would like to see that in HD eventually.

I'm very excited to get "eternal sunshine..." as that is one of my fave films.

 

[Paul Arnette]

It is a great movie, but I wasn't overly impressed with the PQ. Perhaps it is an accurate representation of how the film looked in the theaters, but isn't the kind of title you're going to go demo-ing your system with.

 

[Dave Mack]

I actually consider faithfulness to the source more important then eye candy and I love the way the film looks. I even bought the Korean SDdvd because it had slightly better PQ than the R1.

The reviews all seem to give the PQ raves...


http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/etern...tlessmind.html


" The Video: Sizing Up the Picture


I've been disappointed by the video quality on a couple of Universal's more recent HD DVD catalog titles (namely 'The Game' and 'The Jerk'), but thankfully 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' brings that trend to an end, with a gorgeous transfer that's as impressive as I hoped it would be. Presented in 1080p using the VC-1 codec, this disc showcases a beautiful source, heavy black levels, and vibrant bursts of color despite the film's muted palette..."


http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=28103


"The Image:
Universal presents Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with a VC-1 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The long and the short of this transfer is that it's great from start to finish. A film with this much visual imagination deserves a transfer with tremendous detail and that's just what we get here. Heck, I never even noticed the dot on Joel's temple during the opening titles until I watched this disc. Color reproduction is equally impressive, with the disc handling the contrast of muted colors and bright scenes that flit back and forth like images across the eyelid. In other words, this is everything a great transfer should be..."


http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?opt...&Itemid=3.html

"The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio is presented in a very appealing high definition transfer compressed with the VC-1 video CODEC. Finely grained textures and small object detail are outstanding. Clementine's hair, which assumes various hues, is frequently seen as a collection of individual hairs rather than an amorphous collection of vague strands. Black levels seamlessly blend into the thin letterbox bars of my 1.78:1 screen. The film sports a rather muted palette, perhaps indicative of the emotional mood the filmmakers wished to evoke. And yet, vivid bursts of color appear, like in the ‘50s kitchen where Jim Carrey’s Joel Barish has regressed to a four-year-old. Flesh tones remain very natural throughout. Shadow detail in the nighttime scenes is quite revealing. Film grain becomes visible, particularly in the darker scenes; it almost looks like the film was pushed ever so slightly in the darkroom. What we’re left with is a nice, film-like presentation..."

 

[Paul_Scott]

I thought Eternal Sunshine looked just fine. Excellant even. It pretty much represents all that I want from these formats- a clear, crisp, no baggage transfer; some decent extra value features; and all at a modest price.
You still have an fp, don't you Dave? I can't see you being disappointed with the A/V on this one.

It was one of the first titles I ordered when Amazon ran it's latest sale a week or so back. Happy to finally own the movie, as I always kept passing on the sd releases.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Which player did you end up getting?

Doug

 

[Dave Mack]

I got the hd-a2.

And I have the mits hc3000u FP.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Well it can't be as slow as my A1.

Doug

 

[Dave Mack]

After the Ps3, it's Slow........

But for $202 shipped with 3 amazon freebies + the 5 free from Tosh it seemed worth it. There are too many Universal and Paramount films out there that I like. If it was JUST Uni, I would have waited.

 

[Bradley-E]

EXCELLENT FILM....FANTASTIC VIDEO TRANSFER. I've watched OUT OF SIGHT 2 times already on HD DVD and ready to watch it again.

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/outofsight.html.

 

[Dave Mack]

thanks Bradley. I haven't seen that in years.

 

[Ivy Mike]

Question for the neutral owners out there. How do you make a decision on all the Warners releases? A curious inquiry from a poor decision maker...

I'm thinking I'll go neutral as well like Dave, but I'm sort of curious how you guys make decisions on the neutral releases (assuming all things equal when it comes to what's included on the disc).

 

[Douglas Monce]

I started out with HD DVD so basically I'm buying blu-ray only if its not on HD DVD. If the blu-ray version had something interesting (special features or what not) that was NOT on the HD DVD then I would lean that direction.

Doug

 

[TonyD]

i have an xa1 and a ps3.

i decide blu first because of the ease of use and quickness of the ps3 compared to xa1.

then i go to true hd for xa1 as i dont have pcm or uncompressed sound ability from ps3.

then i go features.

whichever has better features.

i'm considering 300, i'll pick hd dvd for that due to 1. true hd abiility and then pip bluescreen feature not on the blu version.

if all is equal i go blu.

 

[Paul_Scott]

I've taken a look at both formats and came to a conclusion that one had more advantages that would translate to long term viability.

On the other hand, I actually like the ergonomics and operational qualities of the other format better.

So basically I have to choose between one format that I honestly think will be around longer, vs one format that I enjoy playing the media on more.

But then here is something else to consider. Let's say I amass a sizable collection of software on one format. Then for one reason or another I end up bricking my player. Which player from which format would be more painless to replace so I could just go back to watching my content?

For these reasons, I lean towards one format more heavily, but I still buy some dual format titles on the other...just because I can.
And because I want to make sure there is an incentive to keep both players active and their purchase justified

 

[Dave Mack]

good question on the wb releases...

I do have to say that after 2 nites with both, the PS3 seems much faster, more responsive and less quirky than the hd-a2 as far as the mechanics go. PQ and AQ are stellar but when you're used to the PS3 and the truly instant response to say hitting the FF button, it's a bit weird even though the a2 seems like more of a dvd player and less of a "game" machine.
It took me hours to figure out the "can not find server" quirk was because it needed to reboot and rest while I was trying to upgrade the firmware. The PS3 connects to the net so effortlessly it's child's play. I finally burned an ISO image to a CDR and was still getting the error message when upgrading. I did a search for hd-a2 can not find server and found a review where the writer had the same issue and advised powering down for 10 minutes. It worked, firmware is upgraded but it just seems like the player itself will have quirks.

Good question though as far as which format.

 

[DavidJ]

The PS3 really is a great Blu-ray machine even if many find it unconventional. I try to base my decision on differences between releases...audio options, special features, etc. After that, it sometimes comes down to the best deal i can find. I also have more local friends who have HD DVD so I sometimes go red to loan to them. That is what made my Planet Earth decision.

 

[troy evans]

Everyone has made excellent recommendations. Here are three of my favorite HD DVD releases, "Last Samurai" awesome, "Matrix Trilogy" speaks for it's self, and finally "V for Vendetta" which has to be one of the most impressive HD DVD releases to date. It's hard to pick a bad one with what everyone here recommended.You may not like some of the films,but, you'll love how they look and sound.

 

[Flemming.K]

Grand Prix. In terms of visuals, the most impressive HD title released.

 

[Jim_K]

Well ever since I went format free I've gone with the Blu-Ray version. The response time and speed of the PS3 over the XA2 is one reason. Also playback reliability on my PS3 has been flawless. I've had a handful of minor hiccups and burps with the XA2, which were a little annoying but forgivable - thankfully no grand mal seizures i.e. titles that refused to play.

Two things I prefer with the XA2 is the front panel readout (lacking on the PS3) and that I can keep my wood/glass cabinet closed when using the XA2, something I can't do when playing a Blu-Ray as I have to remember to keep the cabinet door open when using the PS3 because of the amount of heat it generates.

Also the combo vs. non-combo releases make my decisions more palatable.

 

[Jim_K]

Oh and the recommended HD DVD title for Dave............The Thing.