- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,424
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
The quality of a digital video release must initially be based upon the quality of the original transfer from film, which in turn is based upon the available/selection of a high quality film element.
However, a beautiful transfer can be either destroyed or come to us as reference quality by its handling in compression.
There is no doubt in my mind that, albeit in different packaging, Panic Room IS a SuperBit release.
The fact is that Sony has offered it at as a SuperBit ONLY release at a sell though street price of under $20...
AND that the release has some additional track information on it, which takes up very little real estate...
I am simply confounded that I'm seeing disgruntled comments because the release doesn't fit into a pre-determined totally stripped format which can be predicated by either the film's length or a combination of length, detail and movement within the frames.
I'll repeat.
This is a 112 minute film on a double layer disc, capable and designed to hold 270 minutes of compressed information.
Film doesn't lie!
It doesn't matter what compression numbers happen to be, the final analysis is what is on screen, and this release -- against all odds, because of the difficult values inherent in its production -- is beautiful.
Re: compression...
Some shots do not need to register more than 3.5 - 4 to look fully developed on your screen. Others need a faster bit flow and less compression.
I did a full comparison of Patriot. While the original release, which was quite beautiful in its own right, had a transfer range in the mid 3s to the high 8s and low 9s, its SuperBit incarnation works within a range starting in the mid 4s and going to a full 10.
And the difference in overall resolution, within those scenes which are affected is MAJOR. In general scenes, for which a higher rate was not a necessity, it is much less obvious, or of no higher quality.
In Panic Room, it is more what you DON'T see than what you do, that makes the difference is viewing pleasure based upon a higher overall resolution.
The best that I can do is to suggest viewing the film on VHS to get some concept of precisely how noisy this film might have looked. It is only because there is no non SB release that the transfer is calling attention to itself, but going along with Sony's edict for quality transfers AND the fact that this film was only 112 minutes, gave them the ability to do a general release in SB.
Have other companies released films with a high bit rate?
Certainly.
But Sony created this as a signature product of high quality, using the trade term "SuperBit." In releasing Panic Room as such, the studio is simply allowing the audience to know that while this is not being offered as a premium priced product, that it fits within the guidelines of a certain quantifiable quality upon which the audience should be able to rely.
The fact is that ALL films under a certain number of minutes could be released in a SB format with much lower compression.
However, most people who know what they're viewing wouldn't be happy with them.
Why?
As mentioned at the start of this note, the final product is a combination of transfer and compression... and finally authoring.
Although Panic Room can fit easily (space-wise) on a multi-layered disc with additional track information, it would not be a viable SB title had the transfer not be of equally superior quality.
This is why many titles which COULD be released with a high bit transfer rate are not.
The film elements and tranfer quality must both be of high enough value or the SB compression or whatever another studio might wish to call it...
WILL MAKE THE FINAL PRODUCED DVD LOOK WORSE.
As all of the transfer flaws will begin to show.
What Sony has created via their SB label is a viable working example of what THX might have and should have been, but never became as a confused audience never understood what it was. The fact that it was sold as a product of higher quality was a misnomer, created via poorly thought out marketing. THX merely meant that the recording hardware was working at a certain index...
and had nothing to do with the quality of the final product.
Sony, in marketing their SuperBit tradename has created and IS DELIVERING a higher quality product, albeit one which has its greatest value when played back on the high quality systems which most of you enjoy.
RAH
However, a beautiful transfer can be either destroyed or come to us as reference quality by its handling in compression.
There is no doubt in my mind that, albeit in different packaging, Panic Room IS a SuperBit release.
The fact is that Sony has offered it at as a SuperBit ONLY release at a sell though street price of under $20...
AND that the release has some additional track information on it, which takes up very little real estate...
I am simply confounded that I'm seeing disgruntled comments because the release doesn't fit into a pre-determined totally stripped format which can be predicated by either the film's length or a combination of length, detail and movement within the frames.
I'll repeat.
This is a 112 minute film on a double layer disc, capable and designed to hold 270 minutes of compressed information.
Film doesn't lie!
It doesn't matter what compression numbers happen to be, the final analysis is what is on screen, and this release -- against all odds, because of the difficult values inherent in its production -- is beautiful.
Re: compression...
Some shots do not need to register more than 3.5 - 4 to look fully developed on your screen. Others need a faster bit flow and less compression.
I did a full comparison of Patriot. While the original release, which was quite beautiful in its own right, had a transfer range in the mid 3s to the high 8s and low 9s, its SuperBit incarnation works within a range starting in the mid 4s and going to a full 10.
And the difference in overall resolution, within those scenes which are affected is MAJOR. In general scenes, for which a higher rate was not a necessity, it is much less obvious, or of no higher quality.
In Panic Room, it is more what you DON'T see than what you do, that makes the difference is viewing pleasure based upon a higher overall resolution.
The best that I can do is to suggest viewing the film on VHS to get some concept of precisely how noisy this film might have looked. It is only because there is no non SB release that the transfer is calling attention to itself, but going along with Sony's edict for quality transfers AND the fact that this film was only 112 minutes, gave them the ability to do a general release in SB.
Have other companies released films with a high bit rate?
Certainly.
But Sony created this as a signature product of high quality, using the trade term "SuperBit." In releasing Panic Room as such, the studio is simply allowing the audience to know that while this is not being offered as a premium priced product, that it fits within the guidelines of a certain quantifiable quality upon which the audience should be able to rely.
The fact is that ALL films under a certain number of minutes could be released in a SB format with much lower compression.
However, most people who know what they're viewing wouldn't be happy with them.
Why?
As mentioned at the start of this note, the final product is a combination of transfer and compression... and finally authoring.
Although Panic Room can fit easily (space-wise) on a multi-layered disc with additional track information, it would not be a viable SB title had the transfer not be of equally superior quality.
This is why many titles which COULD be released with a high bit transfer rate are not.
The film elements and tranfer quality must both be of high enough value or the SB compression or whatever another studio might wish to call it...
WILL MAKE THE FINAL PRODUCED DVD LOOK WORSE.
As all of the transfer flaws will begin to show.
What Sony has created via their SB label is a viable working example of what THX might have and should have been, but never became as a confused audience never understood what it was. The fact that it was sold as a product of higher quality was a misnomer, created via poorly thought out marketing. THX merely meant that the recording hardware was working at a certain index...
and had nothing to do with the quality of the final product.
Sony, in marketing their SuperBit tradename has created and IS DELIVERING a higher quality product, albeit one which has its greatest value when played back on the high quality systems which most of you enjoy.
RAH