Reference quality DVD's for new HDTV (1 Viewer)

[Brian_cyberbri]

Yes, after calibration. Pick up the Avia setup disc and calibrate your TV so you have proper brightness (black level), contrast (white level), color saturation, etc. You don't want to pop in a movie and find out the default settings make night scenes look like a puddle of black mud. If you have a surround setup as well, add an SPL meter and use Avia to calibrate your speakers and sub.

Having a Samsung DLP of my own, and seeing my parents' 65" and 43" 4:3 CRTs, and their Samsung Slimfit 30" HD CRT, CRTs have a great picture, great colors, etc. But both the Samsung Slimfit and a 35" Sony Wega or something CRT 4:3 (does HD in LB window) have geometry issues, with the latter Sony having some convergence issues. The big RP CRTs are beautiful, but even after calibrating the convergence they still didn't have the "exact" sharpness of a fixed-pixel display.

I agree about Cars and The Incredibles for DVDs. If you get Fifth Element, get the more recent 2-disc special version, which has the Superbit video transfer. King Kong looked great but was a tiny bit soft. SW Ep 3 is excellent. Sin City looks great, and the colors in Moulin Rouge are amazing (although the transfer isn't perfect). I also love the colors in There's Something (More) About Mary. The box set of the original SW trilogy also has amazing transfers for all three discs. Can't go wrong there. Monster House has a nice, unique look - looks like an animated storybook - lots of bass too.

A good upconverting DVD player is a good idea. There's quite a bit out there for $100-200. I use a Denon 2910 myself, and I love the picture. The 1920 is a lot more affordable, though. Although I got a refurb 2910 for not much more than a new 1920.

And yes, the HD-DVD drive for the 360 is pretty cool for only $200. I just hope MS releases a HDMI cable for the system to get the best picture, and especially if movie studios start restricting HD rez output to HDMI only. You won't get the HD audio formats from it down the road, unless it also gets HDMI and you have a receiver that can decode. But that's down the road.

I saw parts of the LOTR trilogy on TNTHD a few weeks ago - made me want to cry almost, the detail was so amazing. I saw frakkin' embroidered patterns in the green/white cloaks I'd never seen before. HD truly feels like you're looking into the film, making DVDs look like you are watching through a blurry lens in comparison. Close-ups on DVDs can still look amazing, though. But the detail HD truly is amazing.

 

[Dave H]

I have a question for some of you.

I've been reading that standard DVDs don't have the resolution to show film grain (I've seen this in some HD DVD/Blu-ray forums).

However, that doesn't seem to be true to me. All of this time, I thought I was largely seeing film grain - yet has it been digital artifacting??

I always thought of digital artifacting as moving blocks (almost like macroblocking.....maybe 'microblocking' a better word here).

However, film grain that I thought I've been seeing seems to be more consistent in the image...always present and in every film. Depending on the film, sometimes you can even see it as blue-green when it gets heavy. When it's lighter, it's very faint and covered over the image. I mean I can see what looks like grain even in King Kong (2005).

Any thoughts?

(My display is an ISF'd and well calibrated 57" Sony CRT RPTV with a Denon 2930CI DVD player which uses Silicon Optix "Reon" processing. I sit about 9-10 feet back in a dark environment.)

 

[JeremyErwin]

Dave, pick a film that was produced with Digital Video--the prequel trilogy films for example. If you can still see "grain," you're a good candidate for an HD player.

An HD player will display the actual film grain. Film grain may reduce resolution from the theoretical limits of the camera.

An accurate rendering of film grain, will however, allow you to make informed comments on the directors choice of film stock, just as a widescreen image allows a viewer to make informed comments on composition, and just as a calibrated display allows one to make informed comments about color timing.

And if you're not a film student-- shame on you.

Er, just enjoy the movie in the manner that the director (and the other members of the cast and crew) intended.

 

[Dave H]

I watched Attack of the Clones the other night on DVD, and yes, I certainly see artifacts - even some macroblocking (such as on the red walls in a scene in the beginning of the movie).

I have no problem with film grain (presuming I'm correct about what it is I'm seeing). I mean I always see it when I go to a theater. However, I'm curious what most of the "grain" really is I'm seeing on DVD.

Yes, the temptation for an HD player is increasing by the day!

 

[JeremyErwin]

Maybe. I don't have such a high end setup-- I mean, I thought Return of the King looked spectacular on my smallish hdtv fed by an oppo 971. Return of the Sith is, iirc, supposed to be grainless. If you still see "grain," it means that you'd likely be able to see details, were it not for technical limitations imposed by the DVD.

 

[Dave H]

I do know some directors have asked for grain to be added to some digitally-made films so they look more "filmlike." Although, I don't think this was the case with the Star Wars trilogy.