Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (1 Viewer)

[Douglas Monce]

Originally Posted by Shane D

i dont think dvds and home theaters (modest ones anyway) can come close to the loudness or the audio range of a theater. part of that nazgul scream is so loud and high pitched that its just not the same.

The max bit rate for Dolby digital on 35mm film prints is 320 kbit/s. DVDs typically carry a 5.1 DD track at 448 kbit/s. If you are talking about sheer volume, then yes your local theater probably can crank out more decibels. However that would have no effect on your perception that audio on the Blu-ray is more like what you heard in the theater, than the audio contained on the DVD. Assuming you are playing the DVD and the blu-ray on the same system.



Volume and quality are not the same things.

Doug

 

[Robert Crawford]

Some interesting comments from Bill Hunt about this boxset release.


://digitalbits.com/#mytwocents




Crawdaddy

 

[Shane D]

does this really matter? is it something really worth pointing out and nit picking over because i said the blue ray sounds better than the dvd and is closer to what i remember in the theater?

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce

The max bit rate for Dolby digital on 35mm film prints is 320 kbit/s. DVDs typically carry a 5.1 DD track at 448 kbit/s. If you are talking about sheer volume, then yes your local theater probably can crank out more decibels. However that would have no effect on your perception that audio on the Blu-ray is more like what you heard in the theater, than the audio contained on the DVD. Assuming you are playing the DVD and the blu-ray on the same system.





Volume and quality are not the same things.

Doug

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Shane D /forum/thread/299501/htf-blu-ray-re...rings-the-motion-picture-trilogy#post_3678923

 

[Carlo_M]

Made it through to Lothlorien in FoTR and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality. Based on everything I'd read I was prepared for the worst, but this isn't anywhere near as bad as I feared. Sure, the PQ is a bit inconsistent, with some softness and DNR applied, but to be honest, I saw FoTR 3 times in the theaters and I recall some softness even in the release prints. So I'm not sure if the problem is with the source material or with the transfer.

Probably won't have time to finish this movie or view the other two until late next week, but I'm glad I purchased this set since the EEs likely won't be here until 2011.

 

[cineMANIAC]

I think it's safe to say that Warner won't have any trouble moving copies of this BD - I went to 3 Best Buys and all were sold out. This even outsold Twilight: New Moon judging from the number of copies of that film left on the shelves. One outlet did have 2 of the Limited Edition version with the sword replica. Are they really charging $25 extra just for that plastic replica?

 

[Carlo_M]

Mine charged $15 for the letter opener ($59.99 vs. $74.99).

Originally Posted by Luisito34

I think it's safe to say that Warner won't have any trouble moving copies of this BD - I went to 3 Best Buys and all were sold out. This even outsold Twilight: New Moon judging from the number of copies of that film left on the shelves. One outlet did have 2 of the Limited Edition version with the sword replica. Are they really charging $25 extra just for that plastic replica?

 

[Andrew Pierce]

The max bit rate for Dolby digital on 35mm film prints is 320 kbit/s. DVDs typically carry a 5.1 DD track at 448 kbit/s. If you are talking about sheer volume, then yes your local theater probably can crank out more decibels. However that would have no effect on your perception that audio on the Blu-ray is more like what you heard in the theater, than the audio contained on the DVD. Assuming you are playing the DVD and the blu-ray on the same system.

Sound mix is another factor independent of bit rate and playback levels. DVD soundtracks usually have a certain amount of dynamic range compression compression added in which was not on the theatrical soundtack. This is so the Nazgul shrieks and whatnot don't blow out your speakers, and you can hear people talk even if you're not running reference levels in your living room. I've found the audio mix on TruHD and DTS MA lossless tracks to be way less compressed than on a typical DVD. I went into Blu Ray thinking the sound wouldn't be noticeably better than on DVD -- after all a good DVD soundtrack sounds pretty damn good. But I was wrong, and I think the increased dynamic range in the mixes is more the reason than an increased bit rate.

 

What are those vertical lines present in some scenes of FOTR? The left side is purple and the right is white. They run from the top of the black bars to the bottom. They are especially noticeable during Arwen's scene on the horse in the river.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Eric Scott Richard

What are those vertical lines present in some scenes of FOTR? The left side is purple and the right is white. They run from the top of the black bars to the bottom. They are especially noticeable during Arwen's scene on the horse in the river.

I don't see them on my disc!





Crawdaddy

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Originally Posted by Andrew Pierce



Sound mix is another factor independent of bit rate and playback levels. DVD soundtracks usually have a certain amount of dynamic range compression compression added in which was not on the theatrical soundtack. This is so the Nazgul shrieks and whatnot don't blow out your speakers, and you can hear people talk even if you're not running reference levels in your living room. I've found the audio mix on TruHD and DTS MA lossless tracks to be way less compressed than on a typical DVD. I went into Blu Ray thinking the sound wouldn't be noticeably better than on DVD -- after all a good DVD soundtrack sounds pretty damn good. But I was wrong, and I think the increased dynamic range in the mixes is more the reason than an increased bit rate.

Also, as I pointed out in my review, the original DVD release of the Fellowship... Theatrical Cut was especially heavily compressed, even by home video standards. This was a brief but annoying phase that New Line's home video folks went through that also affected Blade II IIRC.

Regards,

 

[Sumnernor]

It seems to me that I saw the Blu-Rays on Amazon yesterday or the day before for something like $54. In the last days, Germany has gotten the Blu-Rays. My store that I often go too is charging 49 Euros but Amazon.de is a few euros cheaper.

 

Robert, do you have any overscan on your screen? The lines are at the very edge and they keep popping up in the movie. Some other boards mentioned it too...it was distracting.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Eric Scott Richard

Robert, do you have any overscan on your screen? The lines are at the very edge and they keep popping up in the movie. Some other boards mentioned it too...it was distracting.

I'd looked at that scene 2-3 times and I don't see them.





Crawdaddy

 

That's odd. Several people I have talked to have seen them, and it's not just in that scene. It happens earlier in the movie too...I will get some timestamps.

 

[Ricardo C]

Got my set at Best Buy last night (the $59.99 set, didn't really need a $15 letter opener, cool as it is). I'm watching the films on a 42-inch LCD.

While watching Fellowship, I did feel the image looked soft, even blotchy, like low-bitrate Quicktime trailers... Then realized our TV had DNR turned on! It was smooth sailing after turning DNR off.

While there are certainly Blu transfers with more "pop", these discs capture the films as I saw them in theaters, and I even managed to catch extra details I had never noticed before. They're everything I'd been craving since December 22nd, 2001, when I saw FOTR for the first time Tonight I'm breaking out the projector (not HD, alas...) and watching these bad boys LARGE

I'm now waiting for the EEs, but I'm thrilled beyond words to have the theatrical cuts that first captured my imagination almost 10 years ago.

PS-- My wife surprised me with a copy of Bakshi's LOTR, and say what you will about the movie, the picture quality is spectacular. This guilty pleasure is now a gorgeous-looking guilty pleasure.

PPS (Nothing to do with LOTR)-- We also picked up Pride & Prejudice (the HBO-produced version with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFaddyen), which is one of my wife's favorite films of all time. Truly stunning on Bluray, and highly recommended.

 

[Ron-P]

Pride & Prejudice with Keira is one of my favorites and the Blu is amazing.

As for this trilogy, well, I broke down and bought it today. These are some of my all-time favorite films and I just couldn't hold out. The PQ might not be perfect but after viewing the HD trailers that was enough, and, with the lossless audio it made it too difficult. Heck, half the reason I got into Blu was for the lossless audio, it's just as important as the video to me.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Ron:

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the audio after you've given them (or just one for that matter) a spin.

 

I thought that the first movie looked really good (the lines I mentioned, notwithstanding.) It was crisp and very much like I remembered it at the theatre. I don't know what all of the fuss is about.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'm willing to believe The Bits' theory that the softness of Fellowship has a lot to do with the fact that there is no complete digital intermediate film unlike the other two and that we're basically stuck with a double dupe. Its a problem that I'm fairly sure only effects this film and from the looks of the SD-DVD, O Brother, Where Art Thou.

Originally Posted by EnricoE

it should be noted, that they removed the preview trailer for the two towers at the end of the fellowship end credits. it wasn't included separately.

Why would it be? It was never part of the film to begin with.