DVD ETC. MAGAZINE ASKS: DVD versus D-VHS? (1 Viewer)

[Mark_Mac]

HBO does crop some 2.35:1 movies to 16x9 but not all. i took 2 screen shots of The Right Stuff, 1 from my DVHS machine the other from the DVD. I used the MYHD pc card to take the captures. I used Adobe Photoshop to compress both equally to .jpgs. I left both the original size so make sure to expand both. Now these are highly compressed so the quality isnt as good as the original but that was almost 6meg.
heres the link:
Link removed
Crap...as a guest you cant expand the picture....Ill try something else.
Ok i created a web page real quick. I added one more pic, the hd version displayed at 720x480, the difference is easy to see.
http://www.geocities.com/sircash13/DVDvrsDVHS.html

 

[Troy LaMont]

Mark,
Great shots...
Troy

 

[George B]

DVD versus D-VHS
For me it comes down to money.
Now I have a 27" tube, VHS VCR & Tivo in one room and in another I have a graphics grade (i.e. not HD) front projector, 100" 16x9 screen, S-VHS VCR and DVD&LD player. I love DVD and all its neat features!
I have seen HD and so has my wife, we want HD!!! It's just gonna take time.
The next upgrade will be the front projector. I'm not going to wait to win the lottery so we won't be getting the best there is. After that it will be a toss up between a HD source (D-VHS or possibly HD-DVD) for the projector and replacing the direct view tube.
Right now I must admit, I don't like the idea of going back to tape, but since I don't have the equipment it is a rhetorical question. But if I did, I imagine I would do whatever it takes to get HD source. DVD does look great on HD equipment but HD source looks even better.

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

The only reason I'm into home theatre now is because of DVD and I have become spoiled by it. The multiple audio tracks; the commentaries; the seamless branching; the chapter stops; the extras; the small size (storage and media size); the flexability of being able to play it in my car, my computer, my home theatre, my bedroom, a portable player.

D-VHS is/was a step in the right direction with the exception that they were walking with one leg longer than the other and ended up going in a circle. I want an optical medium that can equal the current features available on dvds with the video and audio quality capable of D-VHS. I don't want a linear, bulky, featureless, expensive tape medium.

I just wish everyone would quit the political BS, decide on a format and bring us HD-DVD.

-Jason

 

[Jan Strnad]

Jerome wrote:

If that means settling for cropped films and not having OAR on occasion then so be it. My cropped 1080i version of The Perfect Storm is still much more visually arresting than my DVD.

That flapping sound you hear is Jerome's credibility flying out the window.
Jan

 

[Michael St. Clair]

HBO is NOT showing an increasing number of 2.35:1 movies in OAR on HD-HBO. They crop them all. However, they have a few titles that they transferred in OAR before this policy, and those are still shown now and then.
As far as HD formats go, if HD-DVD doesn't have better picture quality than D-VHS, I'll go the tape route.
Likewise, if politics and format wars prevent a true standard HD-DVD format for years, I might go the tape route as well.
Heck, I'll probably get a deck regardless unless there is a recordable HD-DVD with supreme picture quality within a couple of years. The two might even coexist in my home.

 

[Jerome Saliga]

They crop them all.

This is NOT correct. Films shot in 35mm are cropped. Most films shot in Super35 are open matte. There's a big difference.

--Jerome

 

[Jerome Saliga]

That flapping sound you hear is Jerome's credibility flying out the window.

Why, because my priorities are different than yours? I'd probably be a lot happier with DVD if they all looked as good as Training Day, The Pledge, or The Fifth Element Superbit. But after spending thousdands on DVDs and being repeatedly disappointed with heavy EE, compression artifacts, filtering, and noise floor I have about had it. For every Training Day there are 10 discs with poor image quality (The Phantom Menace, Tombstone Vista Series, The Mothman Prophecies, you name it).

I'd prefer OAR myself, but not at the expense of a visually satisfying and detailed image. I don't know what display you use, but on my 92" front projected screen DVD is disappointing more often than not.

To each his own.

--Jerome

 

[Steve K.H.]

Well, of course with a 92" display... colour depth/saturation is much more important.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

This is NOT correct. Films shot in 35mm are cropped. Most films shot in Super35 are open matte. There's a big difference.

Most films shot in Super35 have at least some effects shots, or shots where microphones, prop handlers, or other inappropriate material has intruded onto the larger frame.

So they CROP at least those scenes.

Plus, open-matte trashes the original composition.

HD-HBO is pure butchery, in the same league as 4:3 pan-and-scan DVD.

 

[Jerome Saliga]

Funny, but I always thought encoding film to video at low bitrates, tossing in a heaping helping of EE, and cranking the filtering up is also butchery of the original composition.

Like I said, we have different priorities. To each his own.

--Jerome

 

[Michael Silla]

I'll accept D-VHS wholeheartedly the day they offer a D-VHS deck with HDTV tuner for $500 or less
I think around that pricepoint, it would be hard to argue against it. This is of course if we are still allowed the option of recording HDTV based material in this rosey "future world" of mine.
Would I be inclined to purchase pre-recorded tapes? Definently not. I'll wait for HD-DVD, thank you
Michael

 

[george kaplan]

As you say, different priorities, but man, how different can you get? I'd watch a plain, old, regular VHS tape of an OAR movie I love, over a p&s dvd. That's right. As much as I hate tape, if the only way to get the film OAR was vhs, I'd do it. So, I'd sure as hell take an OAR dvd over a p&s DVHS any day.

I just can not for the life of me understand how you can enjoy the world's most beautiful picture, if you're missing 1/2 the film. Then again, lots and lots of folks out there don't mind p&s, so you're in good company. As you also say, to each their own.

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

Another downside to D-VHS is that you won't be able to put one in a HTPC. HD-DVD on the other hand will more than likely be available for the pc and if it is recordable will be incredibly benificial. DVD-Rom players make up for a large percentage of the DVD user base and if HD-DVD takes the same route (which it most likely will) then it will have a better chance of expanding its user base at a much higher rate.

 

[Mark_Mac]

Another downside to D-VHS is that you won't be able to put one in a HTPC.

True but with WindowsXP you can connect your DVHS to your computer by firewire....thats how I got the screenshots that i posted above.

 

[Jerome Saliga]

I just can not for the life of me understand how you can enjoy the world's most beautiful picture, if you're missing 1/2 the film. Then again, lots and lots of folks out there don't mind p&s, so you're in good company. As you also say, to each their own.

George,

Thanks a lot for the personal insult. It's precisely the sort of infantile thing that ran a lot of good people off of this board over a year ago. But insults are a good sign that someone's argument is as weak and watered down as a drink in a Vegas casino. I also like how you use gross exaggeration to make your point. Nice try but no cigar.

You chose to compromise image quality (and make no mistake about it you are making a compromise) to get OAR. I choose to occasionally compromise (and it's only occasionally) some of the composition to get the image quality that I want. The difference between us is that you shell out top dollar ($15-$20 for a DVD is top dollar in my book) to get your compromised image quality. I spend $4 for a blank tape to get my occasionally compromised compositions with superlative image quality. I believe I am getting the better value. You might disagree with that, and you are naturally free to do so. I am sure there is an OAR DVD with compression artifacts, EE, and noise floor out there somewhere calling for you to come and buy it.

--Jerome

 

[Seth_S]

Mark_Mac,

Watching DVHS tapes by connecting a DVHS deck to your computer is a bit insane.

To go back to Jason Harbaugh comments, just about every college student who buys a new computer owns some to many DVDs. In fact, one of the single greatest aspects of DVD, is that I am able to bring my collection with my to college each fall and can watch them without having to own a TV or DVD player.

 

[Aaron Cohen]

I like my dvd's, I am happy with them. I have not personally seen D-VHS but I can only assume that it does look much better. After all, it is HD.

Let's stop the name calling and just argue the benefits and setbacks of the two formats as this thread was designed to do. I'm not in a position to do this as I have never seen D-VHS (though I do own a HDTV and am interested in at least seeing how it looks on my set)

Everyone has different preferences, if someone is happier with one format over another, so be it. I also personally am a little bit annoyed with some of the less than stellar dvd transfers, but I would expect that other formats will have transfers that aren't quite up to the par of others.

So, back to the discussion.

 

[Steve_Tk]

I'm so used to DVDs that the idea of rewinding, no special features, ect., sounds horrible. Plus, I don't want to invest into something when I know that HD DVD may only be a few years away. It's just not worth it to me to spend those thousands of dollars on titles and players KNOWING that I wont use it to watch movies again once HD DVD comes out. But yes it would be nice to see that thing on my HDTV.

 

[george kaplan]

Jerome,

You were the one who said that HD quality was more important than OAR. If you feel that way, I don't see how you can feel insulted when I point it out.

I think the only insults in this have come from you, not me. However, since I don't want to get kicked out of HTF, I'm not going to respond to the many logical errors in your argument. I'm simply going to add you to my ignore list and I suggest you do the same with me.