A Few Words About A few words about...™ Casablanca -- in HD-DVD (1 Viewer)

[dpippel]

Yes.

 

[Geoffy]

Thanks Doug.

 

[Ron Z]

Any comments on the audio of this disc?

 

[Douglas Monce]

Thanks for the info. I normally go to the Fry's on Baseline, but they seem to have a limited selection, and almost never get new releases on the day of release. I did noticed the prices being better at Fry's. I'll have to check out the Thunderbird store.

I got my Casablanca and Forbidden Planet in the mail a few days ago. Very pleased with both.

Doug

 

[Vincent_P]

It's Dolby Tru-HD 7.1 The LFE track is amazing.



Vincent

 

[EnricoE]

geez vincent, so you got the the rare edition. i'll only get the dolby plus 1.0 edition

 

[Vincent_P]

The color rendition and widescreen compositions are where my copy really shines

To get back on track, I have a serious question- what bit rate are they using on 1.0 DD+ tracks? Or 2.0 DD+ tracks, etc.? Still 640K or a lower rate? One of my pet peeves with the DVD format (or rather, those who author the DVDs) are the low Dolby Digital bit rates used for mono and 2.0 films. I always wished they'd max out the DD bit rate when presenting original audio tracks, so a DD 2.0 Surround track would be 448K instead of the far more common 192K.

Vincent

 

[Tim Glover]

Watched this last night. Amazing HD-DVD. Glorious black and white. Kudos to Warner Bros.....again!

 

[Bob_L]

RE: The Audio

The audio seemed calibrated at a rather low level. I had my system cranked MUCH higher than I usually do. Also, I believe the audio remastering tinkered with the levels to boost them up a bit at the higher volume moments (perhaps to appeal to contemporary audiences already deafened by the garish mixing levels of modern films).

That said, watching on my front projector, I can't imagine that there would be a significant difference between seeing this HD DVD and watching a good quality theatrical print. The quality is superb.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Interesting. It sounds like what you may be encountering is something related to "ground noise reduction", in which the aperture is opened all the way during quiet passages of variable-area sound tracks. Perhaps Mr. Harris would know whether Casablanca was recorded variable-area or variable-density?

 

[EnricoE]

welp, today i finally saw casablanca on hd dvd and boy, what a treat. warner did a hell of a good job in the restoration ... kudos warner

as for the film, i wouldn't rank it up to my top 10 of all time but it surely makes it into the top 50.

btw, i encountered an audio problem while watching the film over my xbox360. the audio doesn't come from the center channel but rather from the middle of the left and center channel. is this a problem caused by the xbox360 hd dvd player or is it the hd dvd itself?

 

[JackKay]

Any word on The Maltise Falcon on HD-DVD?

 

[Jordan_E]

Watched it last weekend. What a treat! Beautiful looking disc for a terrific movie! Reminded me when I got to see this at Seattle's 5th Ave Theater years back.

 

[PaulDA]

Just picked this up yesterday (found one buried on the shelf at the "holiday special price" that hadn't been jacked up 9$ to its "regular price" at a local B&M). This is in my top 5 films of all time and I've watched it many, many times over the years--late night classic movie on TVOntario and on PBS, mostly, a few times at "film society" screenings, and then on SD DVD (among the first DVDs I bought, so I have the original release). I've always found the SD DVD to look very good in its own right (better than many more modern releases) and the best presentation I've seen thus far. Sadly, I don't have time to watch the HD DVD before sometime next week, but I look at it as a reward for all the work I have to do between now and then. This is my first "double-dip" (I suppose, technically, Blade Runner is, but the Ultimate Collection is so much more than the original SD DVD of the Director's Cut that I don't consider it a "double-dip").

Looking forward to seeing one of my all time favourites in all its glory.

 

[Mike Williams]

I don't believe an upgrade from SD-DVD to HD a "double dip" since they are different media. Did you consider VHS to DVD a double dip?

 

[Jason Seaver]

I would - I look at it as I've purchased Casablanca at least three times.

 

[Robert Crawford]

You might have purchased the title three times, but seeing it in HD is like seeing it for the first time in all its glory.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Amazon is a great way to jettison your old copies and earn cash towards a new HD purchase.

 

[PaulDA]

Actually, yes. And I've not done it very often. My VHS purchases were made well before DVD was available (with a few exceptions for things I use in the classroom--I continued to buy VHS after DVD hit the scene for compatibility reasons and availability until about 2002). I understand viewing it another way (different media and/or "definitive" vs "approximate" versions of a film) but while I collect films (more than anyone, save one, that I know personally), I don't necessarily feel the need to "upgrade" automatically. If it's a film I watch 5 times a year, then yes. If it's one that I watch once every 3-4 years, then not unless the price is really low. However, I always buy (audio or video) in the best format available that I am capable of playing--so I will be buying HDM versions of anything I don't already have but I will not be automatically replacing SD DVDs (or even VHS) as soon as possible. Money is one factor, frequency of viewing is another (and, as I still use films for teaching, I will continue to get versions of those specific titles in formats I can widely use in class).

 

[PaulDA]

I watched the first 40 minutes of Casablanca on HD DVD last night (it was late and I could not stay up to finish it and, besides, I was A/Bing the SD DVD so it wasn't so much a movie watching but a "gear comparison" experience).

My impressions are as follows: This is a beautiful edition and it is the best I've ever seen Casablanca in any format or environment. The detail and natural sharpness (things like jewelry, items on tables, the receipt Rick signs--all look more like the real thing than ever before). I imagine it must have looked like this on opening night at one of the better cinema houses of the day.

I must say, however, that it is not the greatest leap forward over an SD DVD that I've seen (in my admittedly brief exposure to HD DVD). That honour remains (so far, in my experience) with Blade Runner. This is not a criticism of the HD DVD of Casablanca, but rather a testimony to the good quality of the SD DVD and of my PJ's video processing prowess (all relative to budget, of course). I have the first SD DVD release and I've always thought it looked great. In fact, it looked good enough that I was never tempted to get the re-release on SD DVD (I know the newer release added a lot of extras, but was it a seriously improved transfer? If so, then the difference between it and the HD DVD would be even smaller than what I perceived last night with the first edition.).

As with others where I've made the direct comparison (varied fare--Blade Runner, Serenity, The Bourne Ultimatum and now, Casablanca), with the exception of Blade Runner, the improvement in PQ from a normal viewing standpoint (not a frame by frame comparison or several hours of repeated viewing of the same scenes) is noticeable and worth the effort/upgrade, but not "jump out of your seat" extraordinary. I understand the potential reasons for this (my gear is 720p, I have a "small" screen for a front PJ (64" 16:9), Bourne is not the most dazzling HDM show off piece because of its style, Serenity has an excellent SD transfer and so on).

Again, the HD DVD of Casablanca is clearly better, but it is not as drastic an improvement over the SD DVD as some others (or even as some SD DVDs vs earlier tranfers on SD DVD). Last week I watched Suspicion (SD DVD) and it included an unrestored theatrical trailer. The difference between the trailer and the film itself was significantly greater than the difference between the two Casablancas I examined last night.

I have no regrets whatsoever for having "upgraded". But I think it worth noting that the SD version is pretty good and, generally speaking, it is a good idea to manage one's expectations.