The concept of the "safe" list came about during discussions over the past month or so with home theater aficionados (after the major DNR problems) seeking a simple way of not purchasing or pre-ordering a problematic disc.
As I can find time to cull through discs, they'll be added to the list. There will be some movement from one level to another as discs are compared, and what I perceive to be the correct parameters are found, especially on the cusp between levels.
As has been noted in the "safe" thread, Level One discs are not necessary perfect. They are based upon being viewed, and in many cases sampled, with nothing egregious showing up on screen.
There are problems, inclusive of early releases that may not have been up to 2008 standards, which must also be re-visited with a more demanding eye.
Many discs, especially from Universal and Paramount, will find their way onto the list as they appear for the first time on Blu-ray, with or without upgrades from their original HD orientation. This means that some of these masters can go back several years.
While comments are welcome -- they seem to be coming fast and furious over at AVS -- keep in mind that the first couple of weeks will have a learning curve -- which in this case is neither virtual nor digital.
As an example, Broken Arrow appeared problematic as having a soft image, but could otherwise look reasonably good. It ended up down one level, as it could not hit the minimum for Level One on an overall basis.
Also, I would not be surprised if certain early releases that were well reviewed by me as well as others dropped a level with a new field of titles for comparison which did not exist two years ago.
The bottom line is that for at least a couple of weeks, this will be a work in progress.
RAH
As I can find time to cull through discs, they'll be added to the list. There will be some movement from one level to another as discs are compared, and what I perceive to be the correct parameters are found, especially on the cusp between levels.
As has been noted in the "safe" thread, Level One discs are not necessary perfect. They are based upon being viewed, and in many cases sampled, with nothing egregious showing up on screen.
There are problems, inclusive of early releases that may not have been up to 2008 standards, which must also be re-visited with a more demanding eye.
Many discs, especially from Universal and Paramount, will find their way onto the list as they appear for the first time on Blu-ray, with or without upgrades from their original HD orientation. This means that some of these masters can go back several years.
While comments are welcome -- they seem to be coming fast and furious over at AVS -- keep in mind that the first couple of weeks will have a learning curve -- which in this case is neither virtual nor digital.
As an example, Broken Arrow appeared problematic as having a soft image, but could otherwise look reasonably good. It ended up down one level, as it could not hit the minimum for Level One on an overall basis.
Also, I would not be surprised if certain early releases that were well reviewed by me as well as others dropped a level with a new field of titles for comparison which did not exist two years ago.
The bottom line is that for at least a couple of weeks, this will be a work in progress.
RAH
