Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Swordfish looks very good, and goodfellas looks very nice as well. If you wanted the best demo material should pick up Constantine (which i watched last night and its the best looking one so far), Training Day , Serenity , etc.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Goodfellas is really not a good demo for someone who is not a movie fanatic IMO, simply because the original print that was used is in rough shape.

The other ones you ordered through amazon have good video quality, but suffer from the low audio glitch.

You might want to try picking up Doom, Apollo 13, and Constantine for some nice demo material.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

If you're saying that Goodfellas isn't a good HD DVD presentation then the first part of this thread disagrees with you. I have the HD disc and will try to watch it so I can determine whether I agree with RAH and a few others that think it's a good presentation.





Crawdaddy

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

I didn't say it wasn't a good HD-DVD presentation, its the best Goodfellas has looked to date. What I said is that its not good demo material, because the best Goodfellas has looked to date isn't so hot compared to other demo material out there for HD-DVD due to the nature of the print and filming style.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

None of these transfers are derived from "prints."

When a film element is used, it is normally an interpositive, which reflects the looks and textures of the original, as seen theatrically.

That should be the intent.

RAH

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Thank you for your clarification.




Crawdaddy

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Very true, but some people don't understand that their desired expectations might not be the same result as either HD format can deliver to them.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Swordfish, Which I own, looks very nice and if you are using Dolby Digital Plus sounds extremely nice(especially the Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

But look wise, I would also have to go with Constantine. Jarhead is another.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

hey,
you guys forgot about RIDDICK...not only is riddick eye candy the surround sound is just spectacular...the best demo discs out of all the HD DVD's i think are Doom and Riddick....

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

I've not seen any of the other incarnations of Goodfellas on home video media before (did see it at the theater) so I can't comment on it based on that kind of comparision. The only 'problem' with the film, is that it is not exactly show-offy, visually. Many scenes take place in dimly lit circumstances (bars, night exteriors, etc). But when compared to 99% of the sd dvds out there, you should still be able to decipher what the strengths of the format are from this disc. For me, these come down to purity and stability.

If you already value the film, the presentation here is solid. No reason to be disappointed.

The problem I have with Swordfish is that much if not all of the film has a very digitally manipulated look, as is common nowadays. Its almost never ''natural' looking which impinges on that 'like looking out of a window' effect.
Its better than the sd, but on first and second glances, I didn't think it was really all that much better.

If I were going to get a disc to show off the system to other people I would recommend Serenity and Van Helsing and Unforgiven- all films I very much enjoyed (yes, even VH) and that offer plenty of visual and/or aural spendor that have you momentarily forgetting to breathe.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Netflix sent me this yesterday, and I'm going to watch it late tonight. Even though I'm not excited about the movie itself, I'm now curious about the sound/image

Plus, you can forget about Bourne Supremacy That has got sharp/colorful image. Plus the sound is top notch.

Serenity does look good, but not A+, but the sound is amazing on it, especially the begining when the ship is in space and it's vibrations(ship shaking) through space, shook my own walls, with that nice SVS sub!

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Ahh Riddick was the one i forgot about.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

I've had Swordfish for a month and haven't watched it yet. I've run Goodfellas several times and will agree that while this is the best I've seen the movie look, it's cinematography is not going to best show off the capabilities of the HD-DVD format.

I rented Training Day from Netflix and so far it's had the most impressive picture quality of any HD-DVD I've seen as far as detail, sharpness, and striking color. The cinematography isn't blatantly stylized as is the case with Riddick so it's imho a better indicator of the ability of this format to reproduce a natural looking picture. There is one scene toward the beginning of the film that takes place in an alley where Denzel and Ethan Hawke stop a rape in progress. There are water puddles in the alley that reflect the blue sky overhead--totally real looking with no artifacting in the ripples etc. just really striking.

16 Blocks, another Netflix rental, also had truly amazing pq and was a much better film than I was expecting.

BTW, you should be able to pick up Phantom at any local Best Buy for $24.95--just cancel your Amazon order. The pq on it is also extremely good.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Top ten from someone's opinion I respect, and some titles to consider if you want to show off HD DVD...

Amirm's Top 10

- Walter.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

i also noticed no ripples in halle berry's nipples either in swordfish...

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

The Last Samurai was the first title I viewed on the HD-A1 and it immediately made me a believer. Great color performance in terms of saturation and subtlety on this title and some wonderful detail in facial closeups and costumes, not to mention dazzling scenery. The wooden sword fight in the rain features some incredibly saturated blue hues and the scene with the snow falling in the courtyard creates a great sense of dimensionality.

( Just make sure you are viewing in 1080, not 720 like I mistakenly did for a few moments while playing around with the HD-A1 my first night. )

- Walter.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Ron,

You use the resolution button ( 4th button down on top left of remote ) to cycle through the settings. Note: when you press this button the HD-A1 will restart playback of the HD DVD from the start of the feature. I'm not a big fan of this 'feature' but since resolution isn't something you change all the time, not a big deal. Once resolution is set via this button it will be retained on all future playbacks.

At the bottom of the remote, but not underneath the slide panel, is the display button. Pressing this will give you a pop up box on the left side of your video display that will show you some information about the title including the current output mode. Of course, you probably also have a way of checking the input signal on your display ( CRT/RPTV/FP, etc. ) that will show you the status.

One other note. The display pop up will show you the current run time into the feature, but not the time remaining. The front panel of the HD-A1 ( per another thread on HTF - thanks goes out to Steve Blair ) will switch to time remaining. When you hit display a second time to toggle off the pop up, the front panel of the HD-A1 will revert to current run time into the feature.

Edit: One other note concerning the slide panel on the bottom of the remote. The SETUP button is 'hidden' underneath this panel. Saves you from hitting the button inadvertently which is good, but if you are like me and and want to jump in without reading the instruction manual then it takes a few minutes to locate the darn thing the first time.

- Walter.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

You're welcome Walter, knew that info would come in handy someday lol Also Ron, the biggest thing to remember for new buyers is the Voutput button. I believe the player defaults to component which is good for Ron but for others using hdmi remember to hit the voutput button to switch to hdmi. Otherwise you'll just get a black screen on the hdmi output.

Another reminder is when doing an update, afterward some people were stating their hdmi output didn't work anymore but the problem is the player reset its' functions and reverted back to component. So, if you're an hdmi user after the update don't forget to hit that voutput button to get the picture back.

Ron, I envy your first time on Wednesday. I'd put in POTO first as that one is great. The Last Samurai looks great too but is a little bit softer than some of the other hd dvds but I believe that's the way it was filmed. Not soft by any means, just softer than the new stuff. Some recent reference stuff I've seen is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Chronicles of Riddick and Training Day. Please let us know how you like it all on Wednesday and if you have any questions.

Oh, and use a universal remote asap as the tosh remote is not the one you want to use daily. I use the HTM mx-600 and it works great with the tosh.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

I just got my RCA on Friday and the right out of the box, I couldn't see anything via HDMI.
A quick look in the manual, and a press of the V.Output solved the issue.

I picked up Goodfellas and Unforgiven and rented Van Helsing.

I haven't seen enought of Goodfellas to comment but Unforgiven is jaw dropping.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

How is it in "rough shape"? As I recall, there's one brief shot in GOODFELLAS that has a small verticle line running through it, but what else is wrong with the "print" used for GOODFELLAS that categorizes it as being in "rough shape"?

Vincent

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Ron, Serenity? IMO, a must have.

TLS looked beautiful, some of the scenes looked almost 3D. PotO, most impressive as well, one of the best.

The amount of detail and color saturation your in for is fantastic, my jaw was on the floor, it looked stunning. Both my wife and daughter could not stop pointing out the details in PotO.

Set your player at 1080i out and never change it for HD-DVDs or SD-DVDs. You are in for such a treat.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Ron, you don't have to have seen the show to follow or enjoy SERENITY.

I've heard from many people who never saw the show and liked the movie. Your milage may vary, of course.

And many find this to be one of the best HD DVDs!

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Ron, do you like Sci-fi? If so, Serenity is one of the best since the original Star Wars. Most all my friends loved Serenity w/o ever seeing or hearing of Firefly.

If you do like Serentiy, pick up the series, some of the best TV Sci-fi todate.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Since this thread is so off track (hardware issues & all) already, I don't mind asking;
Any word of Firefly on HD?
Is it years & years away?
Thanks...
And now back to GoodFish.

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

I don't know about years, but it's not coming anytime in the forseeable future since Fox is still one of the Blu-Ray exclusive studios...

Re: Any comments on GOODFELLAS and/or SWORDFISH on HD?

Ron, Serenity is an excellant 'programer'- it doesn't have the scope of SW, but it's witty, exciting, funny and has that certain joie de vivre a lot of us felt have been missing from sci-fi/space opera movies since the glory days of SW.
But honestly, to fully appreciate the film, I'd dip into the series first and see if it's your cup of tea. It's a short series, so it wouldn't eat up a lot of your time, and the resolutions to certain characters and 'mysteries' in the film is just so much stronger when you have the context of the series events/relationships behind you.

Last I heard the series was available for around $25- or you could always netflix a couple of the discs. And yeah, it's Fox so it isn't likely we'll see it anytime soon on HD DVD.

Its a top flight HD DVD, but it would just be a shame to short change yourself of the 'total' experience.