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Taxi: A major step backwards in DVD IQ for Fox (1 Viewer)

TedD

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I watched "Taxi" last night and was very disappointed to see that the mastering quality for this title shows that high quality comression and mastering are still not something we can take for granted, even from a studio with a good track record in this area.

Taxi is riddled with compression artifacts, EE and haloing, and an overfiltered image lacking in any fine detail.

It's obvious from the second the titles hit the screen until the last credit (which are extremely fuzzy) rolls off the screen at the end.

I really had hoped, with some of the spectacular transfers that Fox has delivered recently, that I could safely preorder a Fox DVD and not have to worry about how it would look on a big screen. I guess not.

Equipment:

Sony Qualia 004 5'x12' screen
HTPC Theatertek 2
NVidia 6800GT video card

Ted
 

MikeEckman

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I am starting to get the impression that studios are purposely downgrading the A/V transfers of SD-DVD to make people want to upgrade to HD-DVD (or Blu-Ray) when it comes out.

Think about it, if Sony releases a subpar transfer for a brand new movie on SD-DVD, its going to look that much better when they make a pristine HD transfer for Blu-Ray.

I sincerely believe this practice has already begun.
 

Scott Kimball

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I don't buy that argument. HD-DVD will not have a solid market saturation for quite some time, no matter what the hardware and software manufacturers do. Combine that with the notion that most people (outside of the enthusiast community) wouldn't know a good transfer if they saw one.

Intentionally downgrading a title for a technology that has reached maturity and market saturation to possibly spur sales for a time period that isn't even on the radar doesn't make sense. Unless you're selling durable goods, you just don't look that far ahead... Studios certainly wouldn't adjust market strategies on a title-by-title software basis at this point in time.

-Scott
 

CraigL

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Yah...ummm...because a better transfer of Taxi will sure sell more of those discs. ;)
 

Dave H

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I think the only cases where Sony deliberately downgrades a DVD is when it's going to release a certain Superbit title. Spider-man, was a good example.
 

TonyD

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it does have an extended and a theaterical cut option.

god, everything about this movie was bad.

dont they look at these things before they release them.
right fro the beginning when we see the staue of liberty you can see so much ringing it makes me dizzy.

forget about the plot, please.
whats the deal with that car.
the openng, she has to put the car on stilts to open up all the extra features. then in another scene few minutes later everything is turned on, on the fly while she is doing about 100 mph DOWN THE STREETS OF NYC.

she had a cell phone, why coulnt she call her boyfreind and just tell him she was stuck in line trying to get her hack liscense
wow if this is what we have to look forward to from fallon, i dont ant anymore.

and when is besson going to make a real movie and direct it himself.
 

TedD

Supporting Actor
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Jan 9, 2001
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698
Yeah, you definitely do want to disengage your brain before watching this movie.

Still, the special effects were decent. And the IQ was terrible. The data rates were fairly high, and it was a dual layer DVD....

Ted
 

MikeEckman

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The only flaw I see in your reasoning is that you are thinking with your head and not your wallet, like the studios are.

In my opinion, these corporate money makers must be salivating at the mouth at the prospect of getting us to rebuy every DVD we already own when they release them in HD.

I totally agree with you that its going to take a while because the demand certainly isnt there, but you gotta just think like the studios do. All they are seeing is dollar signs, and if they need to subtly decrease the quality of SD-DVD to make that gap a little wider between the old and the new, you better believe they are going to do it. In their minds, they think by doing this it will speed up acceptance of HD-DVD (or Blu-Ray).
 

TonyD

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wow, hard to believe.
take another closer look, especially in the beginning with the statue of liberty.
 

Brian_cyberbri

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This all sounds weird, because the reviews I've read all say it's a "very good" to "excellent" transfer, and the ones that mention EE only say "slight."

I originally read the IGN review, which gave the video a 9 out of 10. But the other ones listed on http://www.dvd-basen.dk/uk/home.php3 also give it high marks.
 

Yumbo

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closer? I'll take a 2nd look.
viewed the extended version only.

Fox's bigger boo-boo are it's continued practice of overpriced double sided discs. They SUCK!
 

TonyD

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thats the version i watched too.
seamless branching on this?

anyway, i dont know why it looked dizzyingly bad on my and the origional posters display.
 

Jesse Skeen

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So they can use seamless branching on this and "From Justin To Kelly", but they CAN'T on "Star Wars"???
 

JeremyErwin

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Honestly, my first reaction to seeing a "downgraded" DVD would be along the lines of
"They can't even get a simple DVD transfer right!. Why should I pay extra for a high definition edge enhancement, high definition noise and high definition software errors?"

and not

"They really trashed this DVD-- but if I spend just $20 more, I'll get the real thing!"
 

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