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A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

#1
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7/27/07 at 8:03am
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One of the more difficult things to accurately bring to video is black.

Some in the business don't want to see the deepest black levels, and many monitors cannot accurately reproduce it.

Zack Snyder's 300, which in it's final DI incarnation has overexposed highlights and fully crushed blacks, could have been a technician's nightmare, but what has arrived via HD and Blu-Ray DVD is nothing short of miraculous.

During the two hours of screening last night, a single word kept going through my mind.

Perfect!

Absolutely, undeniably Perfect!

With it's exaggerated tonal scheme intact, 300 has arrived as a perfect representation of what was released theatrically. As a digital port, this should not have been in question.

But many things can occur between final digital files which represent the wishes of the filmmakers, and the final DVD.

Here, everything went right.

Sharp as a tack.

Perfect grain structure.

Perfect colors and densities.

Just Perfect!

Of major interest to film afficionados will be the blue screen extra, which presents the entire film, with director commentary, as originally shot.

What a wonderful college level course in filmmaking, and a gutsy move in not hiding the magic behind the production.

300 is a superb high definition release that comes...

Very Highly Recommended.

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#2
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7/27/07 at 8:41am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Thanks for your review! I can hardly wait to watch 300 again on Tuesday!!
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#3
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7/27/07 at 10:10am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Nice, I was hearing bad things from a couple other places regarding the grain on this title. but hearing it from someone of your calibur just makes an already sure purchase even surer.

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What\'s really gonna make your noodle limp is when you realize that Thomas Anderson is an anagram for \"No Modern Asshat\".
Deep... -...

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#4
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7/27/07 at 10:32am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Very nice, thanks Robert. Looking forward to Tuesday.

Sometime's you reach what's real by making believe.

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#5
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7/27/07 at 11:46am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Looking forward to it on Tuesday, as well.
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#6
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7/27/07 at 12:25pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

I can't wait to watch it but I think I'll be without a player when it comes in b/c I'm shipping out my sold 360 add-on Monday and not getting another player till my HD-A2 comes from VE. Can't wait to get it hooked up and be able to watch it though!
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#7
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7/27/07 at 12:30pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

I should be receiving mine tomorrow...I cannot wait!!!!

~Jason

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#8
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7/27/07 at 1:30pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

I watched my copy last night and have to agree, it is a beauty to behold.. both audio and video.

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#9
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7/28/07 at 6:17am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

So which format is better or offers more? Or are they technically the same?
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#10
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7/28/07 at 6:36am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

HD DVD has the IME (In Movie Experience) with the entire film in Blue Screen, so that was my choice.

An excerpt from the HD Digest review:

Quote:
Warner has served up quite a treat for HD DVD fans with a cutting-edge assortment of high-def exclusives.

Easily the most anticipated bonus is the "Bluescreen Picture-in-Picture Version" of the film. A true first for any home video format, Warner has encoded the entire feature in its bluescreen, pre-post-produced version. Like your typical In-Movie Experience track, just activate the feature and a large picture box will appear in the bottom left of the screen, allowing you to watch the before-and-after versions of the film along with audio commentary by director Zack Snyder.
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus.
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#11
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7/28/07 at 6:37am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

The HD version is more heavily featured.

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#12
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7/28/07 at 7:17am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Perfect? Good to hear. My BD should be arriving today or Monday.
The Movie Library
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#13
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7/28/07 at 8:14am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Thanks for review Mr Harris! "Very Highly Recommended"

Will be able to see the film for the first time, when it arrives on Tuesday.

Paul
My Blu-ray / HD DVD / DVD Collection
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#14
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7/28/07 at 12:04pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Well, Mr. Mailman just delivered my copy! ...I had planned to mow the yard right now as it looks like something from Congo but holding the 300 HD DVD has me re-thinking.

Hmm....Mow the yard---(good exercise & yard looks good) or watch 300 HD. (eat popcorn and be a sloth?)

Stay tuned....
Club Timobi Wan-Episode II
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#15
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7/28/07 at 1:31pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Should be interesting to read how many are turned off by the over the top grainyness and how many actually find it to be "perfect"...Having seen the in store demo reel of it (Blu) my first thought was that it was WAY too grainy to sit and enjoy.

May rent it (SD) one of these days though to see what the buzz was about seeing that I didn't see it in the theater.

Takin it easy....

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#16
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7/28/07 at 1:45pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Glover
Well, Mr. Mailman just delivered my copy! ...I had planned to mow the yard right now as it looks like something from Congo but holding the 300 HD DVD has me re-thinking.

Hmm....Mow the yard---(good exercise & yard looks good) or watch 300 HD. (eat popcorn and be a sloth?)

Stay tuned....


go for sloth and report back!

http://www.myspace.com/franbro
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#17
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7/28/07 at 2:10pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Do both versions use the same VC1 transfer or is the BD transfer optimized to take advantage of its higher throughput. If the transfer is exactly the same I'll probably go with the HD DVD version, due to the higher feature set. Plus with the HD DVD version I'll be able to take advantage of the Dolby THD track.

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#18
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7/28/07 at 2:46pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edwin-S
Do both versions use the same VC1 transfer or is the BD transfer optimized to take advantage of its higher throughput. If the transfer is exactly the same I'll probably go with the HD DVD version, due to the higher feature set. Plus with the HD DVD version I'll be able to take advantage of the Dolby THD track.


It seems that yes both will get same VC1 transfer...

as far as soundtracks... romour is that on Blu-ray is 24bit DolbyTrueHD + 16bit PCM, and on HD DVD you will get 16bit DolbyTrueHD

Marek
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#19
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7/28/07 at 3:02pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Should be interesting to read how many are turned off by the over the top grainyness and how many actually find it to be "perfect"...Having seen the in store demo reel of it (Blu) my first thought was that it was WAY too grainy to sit and enjoy.

Seeing as how the "over the top? grainyness" was a stylistic choice made by the filmmakers and that the heavy grain was how it looked when I caught it at the theater in my mind "perfect" would be an accurate representation of how the director intended it to look in the theater = heavy grain.

Thankfully the crew at Warner didn't use the linoleum treatment on this.

I never knew there were such staunch "grain haters" out there until after getting into HD. It's pretty bizarre but since there are many who hate B&W films, subtitled films, etc, I shouldn't be surprised I guess.
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#20
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7/28/07 at 3:51pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarekM
romour is that on Blu-ray is 24bit DolbyTrueHD + 16bit PCM, and on HD DVD you will get 16bit DolbyTrueHD

Marek
Just rumor. Doesn't seem to be any fact at all.

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#21
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7/28/07 at 3:54pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
I never knew there were such staunch "grain haters" out there until after getting into HD. It's pretty bizarre but since there are many who hate B&W films, subtitled films, etc, I shouldn't be surprised I guess.
It still surprises me.

It's like refusing to buy any film of one of your favourite actors on HD, because the SDVD doesn't show a mole on his or her face that's clearly visible in HD versions.


Cees
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#22
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7/28/07 at 4:31pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by ppltd
Just rumor. Doesn't seem to be any fact at all.

well, somebody have to check it on PS3, and we will be sure if it is rumor or not.

Quote:
Warner has supplied both next-gen editions with matching Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround tracks (48kHz/16-bit), but this Blu-ray is also graced with an additional PCM 5.1 surround option (48kHz/16-bit/6.9mbps). Right upfront, the PCM sounded a bit louder, but after some level matching, a direct A/B comparison of several scenes revealed only slight differences. Although I'm sure this disc will stir up the whole TrueHD vs PCM debate, either way you slice it, the action scenes in '300' deliver the kind of demo-worthy audio that should be pure nirvana for any home theater enthusiast.
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#23
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7/28/07 at 5:45pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Someone with a PS3 has confirmed that the BR version has a 16bit TrueHD.
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#24
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7/28/07 at 6:36pm
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

So the 24bit DolbyTrueHD on BD was no more than a rumour indeed.

Which makes sense, because it was also "rumoured" that the sound track wasn't originally recorded in 24 bits in the first place, so a 24bit DTHD would have had meaningless lower 8 bits.


Cees
HTF Rules (uhm ... and has Rules)
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#25
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7/29/07 at 2:56am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Romar Armas
Someone with a PS3 has confirmed that the BR version has a 16bit TrueHD.

link ? did that someone has a chance to compare two movies with 16bit DolbyTrueHD ?

thanx
Marek
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#26
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7/29/07 at 2:58am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cees Alons
So the 24bit DolbyTrueHD on BD was no more than a rumour indeed.

Which makes sense, because it was also "rumoured" that the sound track wasn't originally recorded in 24 bits in the first place, so a 24bit DTHD would have had meaningless lower 8 bits.


Cees

rumour over rumour any link for that original recording in 16bits ?

thanx Cees

Marek
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#27
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7/29/07 at 5:08am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

From High-Def Digest -
"Warner has supplied both next-gen editions with matching Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround tracks (48kHz/16-bit), but this Blu-ray is also graced with an additional PCM 5.1 surround option (48kHz/16-bit/6.9mbps). Right upfront, the PCM sounded a bit louder, but after some level matching, a direct A/B comparison of several scenes revealed only slight differences. Although I'm sure this disc will stir up the whole TrueHD vs PCM debate, either way you slice it, the action scenes in '300' deliver the kind of demo-worthy audio that should be pure nirvana for any home theater enthusiast."

Full review here.

Every man is my superior, in that I may learn from him.

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#28
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7/29/07 at 5:17am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim_K
I never knew there were such staunch "grain haters" out there until after getting into HD. It's pretty bizarre but since there are many who hate B&W films, subtitled films, etc, I shouldn't be surprised I guess.

Yes, in many HD-releases, you can now "see" the grain better and this seems to be a surprise to many. It´s like they now see what has always been there in one way or another; the grain is always part of the film stock - in some degree (in some films more and in some films less). With "300" it´s also an "artistic choice". It´s not up to the reviewer to say how the film should look - they can merely report that how that "intended look" is preserved in the DVD/HD-release. And in the end; Plenty is still just the opinion of one person.

Reviewer doesn´t like "grain" and gives a lower score because of that? That would be strange IMO.

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#29
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7/29/07 at 6:11am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

I have to wonder why people would be interested in getting a film which has an inherent look they don't like. Or did they want/expect it to be altered to suit their subjective preferences?
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#30
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7/29/07 at 6:27am
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Re: A few words about...™ 300 -- in HD & BD

Quote:
It still surprises me.

It's like refusing to buy any film of one of your favourite actors on HD, because the SDVD doesn't show a mole on his or her face that's clearly visible in HD versions.

Really? Someone posted that?
Here on HTF?
Home Theater Forum?!
Whaaatt??!
Cees?!!!

I've read some pretty bizarre rationale for not being interested in HD media from the "anti-HD" crowd on HTF but that "reason" is a classic.

Quote:


Reviewer doesn´t like "grain" and gives a lower score because of that? That would be strange IMO.

Unfortunately it does happen quite a bit with reviews. There is a reviewer on a popular High Def site that does give lower PQ scores on certain films if he doesn't "like" the way it was filmed or the look of the film.


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