Spider-Man Deluxe Edition & Spider-Man Superbit (1 Viewer)

[Neil Joseph]

Jusding from those shots, it looks like the superbit has more edge enhancement.

 

[Mike Wadkins]

it has lots more if u look on the dvd (2 disc orig) at the arriving in ny portion 1st screen shot at that building you will see the mpeg blocking is beyond substandard the superbit looses this tho

 

[Dave H]

It doesn't look like these comparison shots are of the exact same frames.

On any rate, I see more detail on the left side of the building shots on the Superbit. I think the edge enhancement is more noticable on the Superbit because of the ability to see more detail --- since this was clearly the same transfer being used. Seeing more detail on an existing transfer means seeing a bit more film grain too or flaws.

 

[Sven Lorenz]

Has anybody found any reviews of the Superbit yet?

It's coming out in a few day and it seems strange that there are no reviews yet - is Columbia Tristar too afraid of the reviews and didn't send any review discs?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

No, they're being sent. Mine just arrived today along with the SB of Black Hawk Down and the Spidey DE.

Not only are discs 1&2 of Spidey DE the same as the prior release, they even come in the same packaging! Clearly they used old stock. They come in the same old case with disc three in a separate one.

The packaging repeats to this degree: the shrink-wrap cover of discs 1&2 includes a sticker for Cingular offers that expired in January 2003! Couldn't they at least have repackaged things?

 

[GuruAskew]

In that case, I may buy it and unload the 2-disc set. I imagine this DE will be pretty cheap when it comes out anyways, I'll probably be able to score the third disc for a few bucks when all is said and done.

 

[Dave H]

Is Black Hawk Down on one or two discs? There was a report that it was on two discs.

 

[Brent M]

Colin,

When will your reviews for the Spiderman and Black Hawk Down Superbits be up? Thanks.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Early next week, mehopes. BHD first, since I need to listen to the commentary for Spidey and won't get the chance until I hit the road for the weekend. Hope to get up Spidey by Tuesday, though...

 

[Sven Lorenz]

Colin,

any chance of a quick 'worth it/not worth it' review of the video quality of the Spider-Man Superbit?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

If the mods here say it's okay, I will. I'm very cautious of stepping on toes; putting up any form of early review - even just a quick
or before street is kinda rude, since HTF may run their own review.

Haven't watched it yet, so I can't say anything right now anyway! Hope to check it out tonight...

 

[Elliott Willschick]

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/html/...p?sequence=740

 

[Brent M]

That review seems a little ambivalent. It looks better, but not noticeably better than the original release and the DTS track is not an improvement over the DD? If this is confirmed in other reviews I'll be passing on this one, but I would like to see some other opinions before I make up my mind. I find it hard to believe that the DTS on the Superbit is no better than the DD. :frowning:

 

[Brian_H]

I'd also like to read a review by someone that wasn't totally impressed with the original transfer. I don't think it was terrible, but I think there's a good bit of room for improvement. So I think I'll hold off on buying this unless I see a review from someone that thought the original transfer was less than spectacular, but was impressed with how the Superbit looks.

 

[Adam_Reiter]

I have both the 3 disk and the SuperBit on the way. They should arrive today. I also have the original.

I can't wait to see the difference. Hopefully my money wasnt totally wasted on the SuperBit.

 

[Dave H]

Yes, it was. Such reviews are worthless. It's either do it, or not at all.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Hey guys,

I just picked the SB up on my way home. I'll have a chance to pop it in and compare in a couple hours. I have a 57" 16:9 that's ISF calibrated, so I should be able to see the improvements if they are there.

If anyone has any specific scenes they want me to check out post the timecode here and I'll try to get ot it tonight.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

OK, I just spent some time with both discs. Video-wise, this appears to be the exact same transfer, just with a higher bit rate. I checked the bit rates for both during the same scenes and found the SB to be consistently in the 7-9 range, while the original disc was more 5-7. I'm not the world's biggest EE expert, but the video looked identical to me.

The good news is I find the DTS track significantly better than the DD 5.1 track on the original. (I did not play the DD 5.1 track on the SB). Comparitively, the DTS track was noticeably louder (though not excessively), and the rear channels were much more active, creating a much better surround effect.

The disc does come with MovieCash for Spider-Man 2. For me the better DTS track is probably worth it since the MoiveCash is included. However I wouldn't expect anything dramatic in the way of video improvement. I still don't think it's a bad looking film, but I'm pretty sure it's the same transfer. Chapter stops and titles were identical between both versions.

My recommendation would be if you are planning to see Spider-Man 2 in the theater and are a DTS fan, pick it up. If you're looking at this for a better picture, don't get it unless you don't have the previous version.

Oh, and I got a look at the 3-disc version, and it is indeed just a slipcase with the old 2-disc set and a third disc inside.

 

[Dave H]

Good to hear the movie cash is there for Spider-Man II on the Superbit.

I will definitely be picking this up next week (and Black Hawk Down in a couple of weeks).

 

[Eric F]

I know some people have a real aversion to tape (and so did I), but if you have a HDTV, you might seriously want to consider picking up a refurb DVHS for