Buy Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights Together and let your eyes be opened to EE (1 Viewer)

[Grant H]

I thought these two films would help out people who have a tough time spotting Edge Enhancement, so they can know what the rest of us are talking and griping about.

First off, before anybody attacks, let me state I saw NO edge enhancement on Shangai Noon. In fact, it is possibly one of the most beautiful film-like, detailed transfers I've seen in years. Very pleasing to the eye. The quzality of Noon is all the more amazing when you consider the DVD is a few years old.

But watch it and its sequel, Shanghai Knights back to back and you're bound to think your eyes just went bad.
Shanghai Knights, the newer DVD, suffers from what at times is just TERRIBLE edge enhancement. I noticed almost immediately in the film that picture quality seemed lower resolution, or less detailed. It wasn't long before I realized it was horrible edge enhancement that was obscuring the detail from the film print.
There are SEVERAL instances in this movie where actors are shot in profile and you can clearly see the halos around their faces, especially around noses.(as if Owen Wilson's needed enhancement) It's almost like the characters are apparitions at times.

Thanks so much, Touchstone, for not living up to the video transfer of the first movie. Or are you saving the good transfer for HD?

This was viewed on a 38" Direct-view HDTV, 480P.

If you can't see the night/day difference between no edge enhancement and bad edge enhancement on these films I fear there is no hope for you. (Assuming you're using a larger display with good convergence anyway.)

You can see the same kind of difference on Scream 2 and Scream 3 if I recall correctly. 2 being good, 3 being EE-plagued.

 

[Bleddyn Williams]

Grant - I couldn't agree more with you. While I haven't revisited Noon for about 4-5 months, I remember being well pleased with the transfer.

Watching Knights this last weekend, I was shocked to find a brand-new hit release having such an unnatural looking transfer.

First Gangs of New York, now this - something very odd is happening right now with Disney-related live-action releases. Perhaps the same house is behind both discs.

I'm hoping that none of the DVDs I want to be released any time soon are coming from this studio!

 

[Deane Johnson]

Luckily, I seem to be able to remove EE with my projector controls. I have never had to remove so much on any DVD as Shanghai Knights.

 

[Sean Moon]

Shanghai Knights was a little soft, probably due to the edge enhancement, but it didnt distract me from enjoying the film.

I loved this film. Great fun without too much thinking. The perfect escapist film for a late night.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Try to dig up some contact info the the studio and voice your opinion. If you dig deep sometimes you can end up getting some of the production folks on the phone. Let them know this is a *bad* thing and that it needs to be avoided...

 

[Jeff Adams]

Can anyone post pictures showing the difference between Noon and Knights?

 

[chris rick]

Off Topic a bit, but regarding Edge Enhancement--Tombstone Vista Series--also a Disney Product (Hollywood Pictures) has awful EE also, anyone else notice that?

 

[Cassy_w]

My husband won't buy Disney DVD's anymore because he hates the EE so much. I have grown to dislike it as well. Now that I know it is not supposed to be there, I cannot NOT see it.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Cassy,

You are *just* the sort of consumer who would really land some influence-points with Disney's marketers.

Be sure to call the 1-800 number in my signature and tell them just how you feel...and that you *and* your husband both avoid Disney DVDs as a rule because of the distracting EE that *both* of you see. I think that every 1 woman who comments is worth about 10 men calling and commenting in their marketers' minds...

BTW, I see from your profile that you're interested in birds... I'm a bird nut and used to live on a nature preserve with lots of wild waterfowl (Mallards, Wood-Ducks, the usual canada geese, cormorants, herons, and we'd even get merganzers and grebes that would visit during migration). I also used to breed exotic finches (Gouldian) and hope to do it again when I get the new house in shape. What's your interest?

-dave

 

[Grant H]

And don't forget to look out for almost every MGM "Special Edition" these days. Usually suffer from EE seemingly not applied to their bare-bones catalog titles. Like EE is a special feature or something.

Interestingly, I recently re-watched my Species DVD which came out very early in the DVD format. The transfer wasn't as good as today's can be, but most of its problems seemed to be related to over-compression. (Widescreen and Full Frame on the same side of the disc and not a really short movie). Had more aliasing in places than you generally see today, but otherwise the quality was very good, and NO EDGE ENHANCEMENT on what appears to be a 2.40:1 AR film.!
What went wrong, MGM? Seems to me Disney used to be known for nice transfers too. Why are so many studios going downhill? Unless they're doing what car manufacturers tend to do--Ugly up the product for its last year before the totally re-invented model comes out so it looks like a big improvement. (Read GM vehicles) Think they're purposely making DVD look bad so when HD comes around they'll be able to get more title re-purchases?