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DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Pirates of the Caribbean (Highly Recommended) (1 Viewer)

Steve Christou

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There is a Keith Richards easter egg on the 2nd disc of Pirates and I've completely forgotten how I found it! Somewhere in one of the menus, it was only about a minute long.
 

Tommy G

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Well based upon this review as well as the dvdtalk coupon at DDD I pulled the trigger. I wasn't going to but you guys inspired me. Hey, for $14.31 I'll bite.
 

DaViD Boulet

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Feb 24, 1999
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Hey Matt!

Thanks for sharing your perceptions. Everyone be sure and thank Matt for letting me bug him and use his awseome HT system to screen the occasional HTF-review-DVD. It's a realy eye opener to see these DVD projected on a more "theater" scale where image details (and problems) can really become apparent. I think the reason I might have been a little more friendly about the EE thing in my review was because (curiously) it seemed less obvious on my direct-view, so I didn't want to come accross overly harsh thinking at the time that maybe it wasn't as bad as it had first looked on the projector. But apparently the way it looked on the Sony 10HT (how obvious the EE was) is also the way it looked on Bjoern's FP system and I'd imagine other large-screen presentations that are highly resolving as well...so I'm willing to concede that my set's resolving power masks a bit of this EE a bit where better systems "let it through". Not hard to imagine given how much more image detail I can see on the Sony 10HT vs what I can see on my own direct-view monitor.

We do indeed need to start a thread about Moulin Rouge on DTS... :D
 

Paul_Scott

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Jul 19, 2002
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Bjoern is saying that POTC is about on par with Die Another Day in terms of EE and crushed detail.

i haven't seen the movie yet, but was tempted to pick it up this week, until i read those comments.
DAD, although it did look good in some scenes, was a very disappointing disc (video-wise) overall.
blind buy and i ended up hating the movie so i'm a little gun-shy about POTC.
 

DaViD Boulet

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Paul, what type of system are you viewing on?

While I'm all on the side of trying to urge the studios to master their DVD product to look and sound its best on state-of-the-art-gear, at the same time I'd hate for someone to pass on the disc if it would still give them a satisfying experience on their particular system (if that's a criteria by which they'd decide whether or not to purchase).

I can honestly say that the image looks beautiful on my direct-view 16x9 34" monitor...and *still* looks beautiful on the Sony projector that we used except *occasionally* the EE was noticable from a 1.75 distance.

Folks watching between 1.75 and 1 screen widths distance on resolving projetors might find the EE distracing and the detail slightly lacking. Anyone watching from more than 1.75 screen widths is probably "home free" for the most part and some folks sitting within that "gray area" may or may not find the artifacts distracting depending on their perception and taste.

Just for reference, Bjoern also finds the MPEG noise on Lion King and Nemo distracting given the resolving power and accuracy of his system, whereas those artifacts were only really distracting to me in a few scenes on the Sony 10HT (and didn't hamper my enjoyment of those dvds...though naturally I would have preferred they not been there at all).

So you just have to figure out where you fall on the "discriminating" meter given your system, viewing angle, and taste.

If you've found yourself unhappy with other DVDs that Bjoern has criticized in similar fashion, then that's a sign that you might want to barrow a disc from a friend and check-it-out to test it first...

-dave :)
 

Carlo_M

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Jack Sparrow = Keith Richards
Hasn't Depp been saying this for months now, that he was trying to channel Keith when he came up w/ his Sparrow persona? I swear I heard this back when the movie was doing well in the theaters...
 

Paul_Scott

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Paul, what type of system are you viewing on?
i'm using an HT1000 at about 65-70" wide, about 1.75-2x back.
Most of the time when i read Bjoerns criticisms of certain discs i groan, because i either don't see the problem or, in the case of the superbits, don't find the smidgen of more finely resolved detail (or lack thereof) to affect whether i would enjoy a movie or an otherwise decent disc.

however, bringing up DAD definitely springs up a red flag for me. i can't honestly recall seeing a worse looking disc of a new release this year, than that one.

$15 is a great price, but with questions about the video quality and bloated length (almost all the reviews seem to say this movie should have quit about 1/2 hr earlier than it does), make me think i probably better rent this one first.
 

Steve_Tk

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Apr 30, 2002
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My PQ was fine, but then again I don't have the luxury of blowing up a DVD image to 100 inches.
 

Joe McCabe

Second Unit
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May 6, 1999
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336
I have this disc, and I'm thinking of watching it with my 6 year old (pirate loving) son this weekend. I was wondering if the content is suitable for him??

I know it's a Disney film, but I assume it's rated PG-13 for a reason.

It just hit me how funny/unfunny it is that I have to ask if a Disney film is suitable for children.

Anyway, thanks for any input in advance.
 

Johnny Jr.

Stunt Coordinator
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Jul 25, 2002
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Hi, I have heard that some people have bought this with a collectable book. Is this true? Any info. would be helpful
 

Jack _Webster

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May 13, 2003
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I've viewed this movie about 2 times now since buying it (saw it 3 times in the theater, too). Excellent movie! I honestly don't know what people are talking about when they say it was too long. I thought it was perfect. I must admit, though, I have a tendency to watch alot of long movies (LotR, Gods and Generals, Lawrence of Arabia, etc.)

I did notice some EE, but it wasn't that bad. I was so into the movie, I didn't even notice it after the first 5 minutes. Otherwise, the picture was great. The sound was amazing, too. All those cannon fires! Not to mention Klaus Badelt's score (I love it!).

I can't wait for the sequel.
 

Alistair_M

Second Unit
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Oct 11, 2002
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I thought the picture quality was poor. Very bad edge enhancement and I noticed halos all the way through. And this was only on a 42" toshiba rear projection tv. I'd give it only 6/10.

I read the review on dvd.ign and agree with its assessment. I don't understand why they release transfers as bad as this. I've seen so many catalogue releases with much better picture quality.

http://dvd.ign.com/articles/442/442845p1.html
 

CraigF

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This is an excellent example of why you must know what equipment was used for a PQ review. Only a tiny niche of the public watch using a projector, an irrelevant number really, certainly they're not catered to by the software manufacturers. No need to downgrade the rating of a transfer just because of them, gives a false impression. Of course we want the best quality transfers, but let's not go too overboard in criticism of a decent job, there are really lousy DVD transfers of recent movies that look bad on any screen, so save the indignant wrath for them.

This movie looked just fine on a medium RPTV. Better than some other recent highly touted releases, at least to me. But not the ultimate, I've seen better. I'd say check your set (or even DVD player) if you're seeing artifacts that others with similarly sized or larger screens don't see. Please, let's assume they're not blind. Obviously you're going to see more problems with a much larger screen.

For Joe: Most of what I found very funny about this movie would go well over the heads of a 13 year old (and 23 year olds, for that matter)...I think it's an adult movie myself, not because of the scenes or language, but who the dialogue and acting was aimed at.
 

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