Band of Brothers DVD Picture Quality? (2 Viewers)

[Edward J M]

I was dismayed at the inconsistent picture quality on the Band of Brothers DVD.

There are a few scenes that are VERY grainy, and other scenes look perfectly clean with almost no grain at all. Some of the grainiest scenes are sandwiched in between almost grain-free scenes, so it is even more noticeable.

Has anyone else noticed this? Was this the fault of HBO?

As an aside, sound quality in DTS is very good, and the use of surrounds is effective during battle sequences. The LFE track certainly contains all the right stuff, frequency-wise, but was mastered a little on the conservative side for an such intense war movie. Clicking up the sub two notches at the receiver worked fine to add the needed room shaking impact during scenes like the L-88 shelling at Bastogne.

Regards,

Ed

 

[Ron-P]

Ed, get back over to Polk.....now!


Peace Out~

 

[Paul McElligott]

The picture quality of my set was never less than outstanding. The grainy, documentary style was deliberate.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Edward, can you give some examples of scenes (time code) where you saw lots of digital artifacts? I just finished watching the set, and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. (Of course, my TV ain't the greatest. . .)

 

[BertFalasco]

As Paul typed, it was intended. It is even admitted on one of the features, maybe Ron Livingston's Diary, or the making, check around. I think the look makes it that much more authentic, as if it were the 40s and such.

 

[Jeff Adams]

I was not dissapointed with the picture quality, I was dissapointed with the conservative sound. The sound quality was good but to conservative. I was totally expecting SPR type of sound mix. In fact the sound was even more aggressive on the HBO channel. I guess I will bump up the setting on my subs when I watch it.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

The same techniques used for Spielburg's "Saving Private Ryan" were used for BoB, minus the "film flares" that tried to simulate film that was flash exposed due to the rigors of battle. What you are seeing are NOT compression artifacts, but intentional film grain and increased washout and/or contrast due to artistic intent. Just as in SPR, the filmmakers tried to incorporate a 1940's newsreel look to the series, which goes right along with the jittery, handheld battle camera work contrasting the more picturesque, serene camera work of the non-battle scenes. This contrast of jittery handheld vs. slow and steady may be what you are seeing in your "sandwich" of "good" vs. "bad" scenes. All fully intentional and if there is one thing I have learned and must repeat for those that may think otherwise --- Film grain is NOT an inherently bad thing and it is definitely not to be confused with compression artifacts.

See the discussions of A.I or Minority Report for more debate on film grain vs. artifacts.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

He's seeing grain and thinking it's artifacting

 

[Aaron Silverman]

He's seeing grain and thinking it's artifacting

That was my guess, but I figured I'd ask and make sure. Digital artifacts and film grain don't really look alike to me!

 

[John Macri]

I found the DTS surround and LFE effects very impressive without being overdone. Battle scene sounds were extremely immersive with rounds flying with great directionality.

 

[Edward J M]

what you are seeing in your "sandwich" of "good" vs. "bad" scenes

Yes, that is it exactly. I was referring to the obviously enhanced grain in certain scenes, and the almost complete lack of it in others. Even back-to-back scenes - your sandwich analogy is perfect. You'd figure if they intentionally added grain to make it look like a historical film reel, they would have at least been consistent from scene to scene.

I'm really sorry I used the term "artifacts" instead of grain. It was my fault for misleading you guys. I altered my initial post to remove the term artifacts and substituted grainy.

Could anyone briefly explain what an artifact looks like as opposed to that shimmering grain I see in the background on certain scenes?

Thanks,

Ed

 

[Ted Lee]

think pixellation.

have you ever zoomed a picture on your pc too much? the picture breaks down into tiny little squares?

that's basically what an artifact is. it often happens in scenes with a lot of motion or panning. sometimes you can also see it in very dark scenes.

you'll see the pixels sort of "pop up" in weird places and flicker.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

The battle scenes were more frenetic and jittery, using grainy footage to enhance the action and tension. Compare these with the gorgeous landscapes and vistas of the final episode in Austria. The techniques were used to distinguish the action sequences from the non-action. Still, I thought the difference was quite subtle film-grain-wise and was much more emphasized by using the camera motion (or lack of). Overall, most of the series was full of obvious film grain, IMHO.

Also, grain should not shimmer. It should be, uhhm . . . grainy. If you are seeing a shimmer, it may be due to a deficiency of your display or player, not the DVD. I have a widesceen TV and progressive player and found I eliminated alot of shimmering and combing when I switched to progressive scan.