***Official LOTR: The Two Towers DVD Discussion Thread*** -- All Posts Here; NO EXCEPTIONS (1 Viewer)

[Nick Sievers]

David, would it be possible to give us some screenshots for comparison? Look forward to your findings.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Dave - YGM.

 

[David Ely]

I have a feeling that screenshots would cause a legal concern.

 

[SarahG]

My screener is all grainy....I mean you get the feel, but I am defiately looking way forward to getting the real deal in 2 weeks! Its going to be great.

Nick...can you detail a little more on the extra features....have you watched them at all?

 

[David Ely]

I would like to stress something that has already been mentioned. If you have a copy of The Two Towers that is 'VHS quality', grainy or of low quality in any other way, you do not have the real academy screener of the film.

 

[Nick Sievers]

Sarah, I don't have the official release yet. Just the Academy Screener, David is the one with the Official release.

 

[David Ely]

Unfortunately I didn't have quite as much time as I would have liked to sit down and compare the two disks today. I did a comparison of the opening sequence between the screener and the retail disk and can see no visible differences. I will compare more scenes later tonight when I get back from dinner.

Tomorrow, I will do a quick comparison of the DD5.1 tracks on both releases.

 

[Max Leung]

It seems that the retail release's soundtrack is far more bassy than the screener. Video quality looks the same, but I haven't found the time to do any real analysis. I suspect the best place to check for PQ differences is the scene of Theoden's "exorcism", which has a slight hint of grain on the screener (the real one, not a bootleg!).

For me, the soundtrack difference is very "dramatic".

EDIT: What that hell is an excorism anyways? Sounds painful...spelling mistake corrected!

 

[Brian W.]

If you have a copy of The Two Towers that is 'VHS quality', grainy or of low quality in any other way, you do not have the real academy screener of the film.

I would like to stress something else: If you have a Two Towers "screener" with COVER ART of any kind, it is a bootleg. Academy rules prohibit any screeners from being packaged with any artwork on the box other than the studio logo, the title of the film, and the awards the film is being considered for, on two-color paper. Anything else is a bootleg.

Tons of bootlegs were sold on Ebay as "screeners," but if it has LOTR artwork on the disk or the keepcase, it is a bootleg.

 

[Nick Sievers]

For me, the soundtrack difference is very "dramatic".

Please don't say that it is as overcooked as last years theatrical release of FotR.

 

[SvenS]

The best place to check for video differences is the beginning where the camera flies over of the mountains before if goes through the mountain to the battle with Gandalf. I noticed some shimmering in this part on the screener.

And to the one who said the official screener is on DVD9... you are incorrect as I have the real deal and it is indeed a DVD5 DVD. Since it has only the film, a single audio track, a single static menu it can easily get by on a DVD5 disc.

To the one who claims VHS quality of the screener you indeed are obviously watching some sort of bootleg (busted!) because the real screener is quite good video and audio wise!

 

[Julian Lalor]

Isn't a DVD 5 a single layered DVD? I thought you could only squeeze a 2hr film on to one of those and that a film as long as TTT would require a DVD9.

 

[Richard_D_Ramirez]

I paid to see FOTR in the theater four times. I bought the Canadian DVD because I found it 2 weeks early. Then I bought the US version on street date (just because I wanted the "American" version of the DVD). Then I bought the EE gift set, and I bought an extra EE "just for safe keeping". Then I paid to see TTT in the theater three times. I will buy the TE later this month, and I will buy the EE in November (probably two of them again), and I'll keep both TE and EE of both films. I'm more than happy to give New Line any money they want from me, and then some!

Good man, woman or person, Sean! I pretty much did the same. I've been waiting for these films for 18 years, and I am happy to give New Line eight viewings worth of LOTR, six viewings worth of TTT, gosh knows how many of ROTK (I wouldn't be surprised to give a double-digit's worth), the TE and EE cut of each film, as well as the super-duper deluxe set of all six versions of the films in 2004/5!

 

[rick stein]

Exactly what is this screener that everyone is talking about and how did you get them?

 

[David Ely]

After further testing in my home theater, I am able to find difference in both audio and video between the screener and retail version of the film. In both cases, the retail version is superior.

For the video, there seems to be a better black level throughout the film on the retail release. This allows for even further detail to be seen. The retail release also seem to have a slight higher bit rate in certain sequences.

For audio, the retail release has tighter and more controlled bass. The screener tends to get a little bloated and boomy.

you are incorrect as I have the real deal and it is indeed a DVD5 DVD

Sorry, but nope. The screener is indeed a DVD-9. If you have a DVD-5, then ... and I can't stress this enough ... you do not have a real copy of the screener. They would never try to squeeze this 3hr film on a single layer disk.

Also, you mention 'shimmering' during the opening sequence of the film. I've seen the DVD-5 screener that was floating around the net and it definitely had this problem. The official DVD-9 does not.

 

[Max Leung]

Screeners are usually called "Academy award screeners", which are DVDs sent to Academy Award members for their consideration. To get them you have to be a voting member of the academy, or know someone who is and borrow the disc.

They are barebones, no menus, just the movie -- often with a DD5.1 soundtrack if available. Every 10 or 15 minutes a subtitle pops up saying "For Your Consideration". The subtitle is actually part of the raw video, and cannot be removed.

 

[Nick Sievers]

The screener tends to get a little bloated and boomy.

I definitely noticed this as well, glad its better for the Retail version.

I've asked this a couple of times but it hasn't been answered. David, is the audio better than last years FotR disc? Surely New Line heard the complaints about the overcooked audio.

 

[David Ely]

Nick,

I'm one of the people that didn't mind the 'extra' bass in the first release of FOTR. The retail release of TTT is more like the DTS version of the extended FOTR.

 

[DaveGTP]

Good man, woman or person, Sean! I pretty much did the same. I've been waiting for these films for 18 years, and I am happy to give New Line eight viewings worth of LOTR, six viewings worth of TTT, gosh knows how many of ROTK (I wouldn't be surprised to give a double-digit's worth), the TE and EE cut of each film, as well as the super-duper deluxe set of all six versions of the films in 2004/5!

Me too, LOL. 5 times for FOTR, 3 times for TTT. A fellow computer geek (nerdier than me) got it for me at a LAN party. However, they used some very sucky compression techniques to squeeze it onto one DVD-R. Very blocky during action scenes.

 

[Dave H]

For the video, there seems to be a better black level throughout the film on the retail release. This allows for even further detail to be seen. The retail release also seem to have a slight higher bit rate in certain sequences.

This is good to hear.

(To take it a step further, surely the extended version in November will slightly improve upon the retail theatrical as it did with FOTR.)