3D Blu-ray Review Gravity: THE HTF 3D ADDICT REVIEW (1 Viewer)

[DavidJ]

If I'm not mistaken, this film wasn't filmed in 3-D, but was converted later on. When I watched it in an IMAX theater earlier this year, it ranks as one of my favorite big screen experiences in my lifetime.

Robert, I have said pretty much the same thing to others after seeing it and they initially thought I was nuts, but it truly was one of the greatest cinematic experiences I've ever had.

 

[DavidJ]

Crawdaddy,

You will be proud of me. Just made an inquiry to Atlantic Technology about
obtaining two additional 2400-SR speakers for the rears directly behind me
which would upgrade me to 7.1.

Seems like the right thing to do now that most every new Blu-ray release
has a 7.1 encode.

Not sure about 7.2. I still have the monstrous SVS prototype subwoofer
from about 14 years ago. That beast, by itself, shakes the entire room.

DSC_0025.jpg

Ron, that looks like it might have been the forerunner to the sub I spec'd out for a system where I teach media production. We generally have to keep it turned down quite a bit because it can put out an insane amount of bass, but even so it is true that a second sub may give you a better and more even bass experience.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Crawdaddy,

You will be proud of me. Just made an inquiry to Atlantic Technology about
obtaining two additional 2400-SR speakers for the rears directly behind me
which would upgrade me to 7.1.

Seems like the right thing to do now that most every new Blu-ray release
has a 7.1 encode.

Not sure about 7.2. I still have the monstrous SVS prototype subwoofer
from about 14 years ago. That beast, by itself, shakes the entire room.

DSC_0025.jpg

Not trying to sell you on the second sub as that's my setup, but think you should upgrade to seven speakers.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

So, it appears that GRAVITY was upconverted to 3D in post production...

...which makes sense.

It's not nearly the best 3D I have seen. Yet, I am going to place it at the
very top of my 3D list as I believe that with the sound mix, it is the most
enveloping experience that most viewers will ever enjoy to date.

 

[Kevin EK]

If I understand it correctly, Gravity was designed and shot for 3D but not with 3D cameras, at least not all the time. Part of this may have had to do with Cuaron's penchant for long and uninterrupted single shot scenes like the mid-movie bit with Bullock in the capsule. I believe he intended the movie as a 3D presentation but shot as efficiently as he could.

This was not a situation where the movie was shot for 2D and then converted in post-production as an afterthought. Cuaron and his team knew exactly the effect that they wanted to achieve throughout the process.

I attended a screening of the movie where James Cameron acted as moderator and fan of the movie. Even he was blown away by it.

I should also note that this movie actually pulls off the Douglas Trumbull concept of "First Person Cinema" in a huge way at multiple points along its trajectory.

 

[Citizen87645]

http://www.screendaily.com/features/chris-parks-gravity/5063943.article

 

[McCrutchy]

I can't help but be disappointed with what WB did here. It seems like they lowballed the encode and cut down the sound in order to fit the 3D version of the film onto a BD-25 disc:

Gravity 3D

Runtime: 1:30:58.494
Disc Size: 23,393,149,583 bytes
Feature Size: 22,631,921,664 bytes
Video Bitrate: AVC: 16521 kbps; MVC: 10964 kbps

Audio: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2369 kbps / 16-bit
(DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)

Yet The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3D (and 2D, incidentally) gets to retain its Dolby Atmos 7.1 mix on the BD. Even though that film is split over two discs, notice how Part 1 is longer than Gravity is in its entirety:

Runtime: 1:33:44.493
Disc Size: 35,576,126,122 bytes
Feature Size: 35,108,708,352 bytes
Video Bitrate: AVC: 25974 kbps; MVC: 11993 kbps

Audio: English / DTS-HD Master Audio / 7.1 / 48 kHz / 5234 kbps / 24-bit
(DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

The Hobbit 3D BD also includes several more dubs and subtitle options than the Gravity disc, and all of this with plenty of space left over on the BD-50.

I know encoding can be apples and oranges, but both of these films are relatively the same age, both used high resolution camera formats and Dolby Atmos audio, and both were delivered in the end as 2K DIs, according to IMDb.

I guess WB felt a surprise hit film, which is a critical darling and nominated (and really, a frontrunner) for a Best Picture Oscar is less deserving than a mediocre entry in a fantasy franchise.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Why this Blu-ray, with the most impressive sound mix ever created, is only in 5.1
is just criminal.

I rarely criticize the people at Warner Bros. but they deserve the criticism now.

 

[schan1269]

Maybe they are setting us up for a double dip...4K 3D 12bit color Dolby Atmos requiring a HDMI 2.0 player/AVR.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Very likely.

 

[bluraypandey]

I know it's best not to judge based on screenshots but several of the ones I've seen floating around look incredibly soft. More concrete, however, is that there's only a 5.1 mix (WB continues to be finnicky on 7.1, which is ridiculous, since somehow Hobbit AUJ got one but The Dark Knight Rises didn't), and that WB managed to put the entire 3D presentation onto a SINGLE LAYER disc. Looks like they cared more about using a cheaper disc than offering a 7.1 mix, as the latter would have liekly required a BD-50.

I really do think WB is holding off on material for a better release, whether it be 4K or plain ol' Blu-ray. I'm thinking of the two Casablanca releases -- first one was solid and serviceable, while the second one was a subtle but definite improvement. Sure, there isn't HUGE room for improvement on this release, but the room is definitely there.

If Gravity wins Best Picture, you can be damn sure we'll get a "Zero Gravity Edition" next year.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I have had 7.1 for almost a year and a half now and would have liked to see this movie come with a 7.1 track.

 

[Persianimmortal]

Well it looks like I'm going to pick up this 3D movie. Never saw it in the theater, don't usually watch any of the recent releases, but you've convinced me

 

[Citizen87645]

I mentioned this in my review, but it's curious that the special features don't include a lick of information about the 3D aspects of the film.

 

[Tino]

Great review Ron. And of the seven Oscars the film won, the one I'm most happy about is for Steven Price's magnificent score. Since day one I've been saying that it's the most effective use of music in a film since Jaws. And I'll gladly double dip for a more extensive edition.

 

[Gary Seven]

I agree that Warner did indeed botch this release by not using a 7.1 mix. While most MAY have 5.1, it is still no excuse to release this stellar production in anything less. Having a 7.1 system myself, there is a definite beneficial difference which I enjoy with such releases. That said, other than the 5.1 mix decision, it is a great transfer.

While Gravity is indeed a gratifying 3-D experience, one thing I noticed in common with 3-D releases is a problem with depth of field. I would guess this is more of a problem with conversion rather than natively shot but I'm not sure since I can't recall a natively shot film I've seen. The problem is that when a object within the scene is the focal point, objects , particularly in the foreground, lose focus. Thus the unfocused object is in 3-D, which actually loses its effect and is a bit unnatural. Were the object to be in focus, along with the rest of objects in the scene (foreground, middle, and background), this would achieve the optimal effect. My question is has anyone seen such a 3-D film? Can it be achieved with conventional cameras? I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this as well.

 

[Tino]

I saw the film countless times in IMAX 3D and Dolby ATMOS , and as much as I love this blu ray, the sound definitely isn't as dynamic as I remember in the theater. And I have a 7.1 setup. Woulda been nice......

 

[cb1]

I finally got to watch this. Being the space geek that I am, it was intense. The 3D was good, not as good as I would like, but very good.
I enjoyed the movie and it does have the all important repeat playability factor.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I was going to wait on this title because of the non-7.1 audio track, but at 19.99, I just bought the 3-D release from Amazon.

 

[TonyD]

Robert I was doing the same as you but I caved.

Target price matched and I also got a 5% off with their debit card.