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[dallow_bg]

.
Since i got my 50" i find myself constantly cleaning my classes for even the smallest smear or spot.
Be glad you have good eyesight, glasses freaking suck.

Same for me! 55" and constantly microfibering!

 

[Raistlin]

Wow all HD-DVDs are region free? Why can't it be the same for Bluray?

Like DVD, they left it up to the studios (though a lot more BD's seem to be region free when compared to DVD).


While its generally cool to have no region titles, there is a negative however. Sometimes the titles need to be delayed until its available for distribution in all territories. There have been titles where the DVD/BD is released in a region a while before the HD DVD can come out.

 

[djkimothy]

anybody got Ratatouille yet? My supplier (movietyme) are saying that there have been production problems. Just wondering if that means a delay generally or just for them?

I picked it up today at Futureshop.

It's actually $2 less than best buy at $27.99, BB had it at 29.99. So that was a pleasant surprised.

Here's a a real kicker. Knocked up on DVD was 25.99. :lol This should finally put to rest that High def media is too expensive....

The disc has a trailer for Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray.

I'll give impressions in a bit. Watching "Lifted".

OMG, the picture quality on Lifted is incredible!!!!

If this is the quality you get from Pixar then I may have to pick up the Pixar shorts BD.

 

[Lord Error]

Yeah, I can imagine how good Ratatouille and Cars will look like, but I'm wondering if they've re-rendered those old short movies? Or were they high enough res to begin with?

 

[djkimothy]

Picture is excellent.

Please excuse the weird lines, camera conditions aren't ideal. Plus I propped my camera with a remote, hence the crookedness.

I picked random scenes, there are other scenes that look better.

 

[WORLDWIDEWII]

Well I ended up deciding to get a HD-DVD player the A3 from Best Buy. With 10 Free movies it was to good of a deal to pass up. With the 5 Free DVDs by mail what would u guys recommend. Heres the list

how do you get 10. i know you get 2 in box and 2 free with purchase and 5 more in mail. where did the other one come from?

 

[chubigans]

Picture is excellent.

Please excuse the weird lines, camera conditions aren't ideal. Plus I propped my camera with a remote, hence the crookedness.

Your colors are wayyyyyyyyy too pronounced...you need to dial that down a bit.

Just got the movie myself on BD...picture is great, but what astounded me is the PCM mix. This is easily my new home theater reference disc with the shotgun chase...I shutter to think what the Incredibles will bring.

The game on the disc isn't half bad...I can see kids actually having fun with it. Plus, there's a hilarious feature that has tributes to all the cut scenes from the movie, as they interview each animator who didn't make the cut in black and white with sad music playing. :lol

Lifted looks incredible; easily the best CGI I've seen on BD.

Wooooo!

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

the A3 has gone back to $299 on the BB website, but that may be because there's no stock.

 

[djkimothy]

Your colors are wayyyyyyyyy too pronounced...you need to dial that down a bit.

Just got the movie myself on BD...picture is great, but what astounded me is the PCM mix. This is easily my new home theater reference disc with the shotgun chase...I shutter to think what the Incredibles will bring.

The game on the disc isn't half bad...I can see kids actually having fun with it. Plus, there's a hilarious feature that has tributes to all the cut scenes from the movie, as they interview each animator who didn't make the cut in black and white with sad music playing. :lol

Lifted looks incredible; easily the best CGI I've seen on BD.

Wooooo!

I swear it's the camera. The colours aren't as intense in person.

The History lesson short is great. Very educational for kids. I love the Canadian reference in the short.

This was the first time I played an interactive game on BD. I haven't touched the POTC one. Game is okay but gets old really fast. Plus it's just too insane at later levels.

Making of featurette shown in HD. It has a brief teaser of Incredibles in HD.

 

[Forsete]

Rat looks godsmacking perfect... Cant wait to get it myself

Got three movies today, Déja Vu, Cinderella Man and Starship Troopers. Tomorrow I'm expecting Sunshine and Die Hard 4.0

 

[chubigans]

Oooh, what's this...the Digital Bits says...

By the way, we're hearing that Sony's sales numbers for Spider-Man 3 and Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy on Blu-ray are going to be pretty substantial. Watch for official details in the next few days.

I'm thinking in the 190k range.

Spoiler

lol

 

[FIREBABY]

the A3 has gone back to $299 on the BB website, but that may be because there's no stock.

Well I don't care as long as they send me my $99.00 A3 They upgraded my order from the A2. That may be the reason they are out of stock, fuflling all those A2 orders and what not. I think I can wait a couple more days for them to get their shit together. I got my other one from Sears for $67.00 after price matching last week.

And Ratatouille is wonderful in HD. Picked it up this morning for my stand alone bluray. I will say this, Pixar has my money if all the transfers are this good. The movie is actually good. Thanks for the advice guys. And yeah I support both formats. Is that against the rules? If so, oh well, it's hard to back to SD Dvd after watching it in HD.

 

[Gary Whitta]

What's the big difference between the A2 and the A3? They're both capped at 1080i, right?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Amazon has a sale on these six HD DVD titles:

The Big Lebowski
12 Monkeys

$16.50 each

Damnit. Two movies I love and rewatch a lot....

 

[Battlezone]

how do you get 10. i know you get 2 in box and 2 free with purchase and 5 more in mail. where did the other one come from?

Best Buy was giving three in-store away this week. They gave me my three movies (after showing my shipping confirmation) last night, no problem.

 

[FIREBABY]

What's the big difference between the A2 and the A3? They're both capped at 1080i, right?

I don't really know. I've read different things about sound output. The one thing I know is the A3 comes with 2 movies, both of which are going on sell when I get them. I already own them.

 

[djkimothy]

The game on the disc isn't half bad...I can see kids actually having fun with it. Plus, there's a hilarious feature that has tributes to all the cut scenes from the movie, as they interview each animator who didn't make the cut in black and white with sad music playing. :lol

Lifted looks incredible; easily the best CGI I've seen on BD.

Wooooo!

Just saw it. Very awesome. :lol Especially with the person playing the violin next to that guy.

OMG at the smashing of the computers. :lol

 

[jjasper]

Cars HDD review:

The Video: Sizing Up the Picture

Pixar's track record on standard DVD is practically flawless: 'Toy Story,' 'Bug's Life,' 'Finding Nemo,' 'The Incredibles' -- it's been one demo disc after another. When 'Cars' was originally released on DVD last year, it too received excellent reviews, but there were some complaints of edge enhancement at the time, causing some to speculate that perhaps this Blu-ray might suffer a similar fate.

Not to worry. Presented in 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 (at the film's original 2.40:1 theatrical aspect ratio), 'Cars' looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray. I have not a single nitpick -- every last pixel appears to be perfectly in place, and every aspect of the presentation is exemplary. A pure digital-to-digital transfer, there is no print to speak of, so don't even bother looking for any blemishes. Pixar also went for an extremely slick and shiny veneer for 'Cars,' so no intentional degradation (artificial film grain, etc.) has been added to the mix. The level of detail and sharpness to the image is extraordinary -- if you can find a single shot throughout 'Cars' that looks anything but fully three-dimensional, email me and we'll duke it out.

Colors are also gorgeous. Pixar films are always a sight to behold, and whatever narrative qualms I may have about 'Cars,' I can't deny that it's one of the studio's best-looking efforts ever. I loved the deep primaries that identify the various cars, and neat uses of lighting in the nighttime scenes -- this transfer radiates like neon. Hues are utterly stable, with no noise, smearing or fuzziness. Best of all, the AVC encode is easily up the film's challenges. Even with the bright exteriors, intense colors and fast racing action, there is no apparent banding or macroblocking. Finally, edge enhancement is never a problem -- whatever issues folks saw on the DVD, I didn't experience them here -- this image is simply flawless. Five stars all the way.

The Audio: Rating the Sound

'Cars' sounds smashing, too. Disney presents the film in uncompressed PCM 5.1 Surround (48kHz/24-bit/6.9mbps), and the film cruises along thanks to wonderfully immersive sound design. If only all next-gen releases sounded this good.

The highly aggressive surrounds really make things crackle. There is never a dull moment, with discrete effects consistent and often striking. The pedal really reaches the metal during the race scenes -- the crowd noises, car sounds and other effects all combine to create a full 360-degree effect. Directionality, accuracy of placement and transparency of imaging are all first-rate. Atmosphere and score bleed are also fun and lively, so even when the film gets quieter, it still sounds engaging and fresh.

Tech specs are also top drawer. The rev of the engines delivers a constant roar of low bass, and I can't remember the last time I heard a mix that so consistently utilizes the subwoofer. Seeing as 'Cars' has been completely constructed in the studio, every element of the track sounds crystal clear. Recorded dialogue is also superb, with every voice balanced just right. I had no volume problems at all -- instead, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. 'Cars' is a demo-worthy soundtrack through and through.

5/5 for both

I am not sure if I am going to get it, I personally didn't care for it but my gf did so....

 

[captive]

Cars blu-ray review
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/630/cars.html

Goddamit jjasper! :lol

 

[Gary Whitta]

CG animation - particularly the top-tier Pixar stuff - is really the best way to show off the eye-popping power of HD. Better than sports, better than Planet Earth. Even HD non-believers have to pick their jaws up from the floor.

 

[djkimothy]

With regards to the Cars review. He points out something that's equally annoying in the Ratyatouille release.

I'll get my beef with an otherwise-exceptional Blu-ray disc right out of the way upfront -- I hated the menus on this disc. Right from the start, I was irritated by the over-cluttered layouts, hard-to-read titles and just plain strange labeling of menu options. Even the real-time pop-up menus are somewhat obtuse, requiring you to scroll up or down in a very small little overlay, instead of just providing a large image block so you can select from a complete list of options.

There are essentially "two" top menus on the disc. And the pop up scene selection seems to be a poor effort in what is an awesome film. Presentation could be better.

 

[MobiusPigeon]

wouldnt u guys say that shrek this holiday on HD DVD will have a bigger impact than any of the disney stuff?

 

[FIREBABY]

CG animation - particularly the top-tier Pixar stuff - is really the best way to show off the eye-popping power of HD. Better than sports, better than Planet Earth. Even HD non-believers have to pick their jaws up from the floor.

I agree with everything but that. Please Gary don't say that again.

 

[chubigans]

Pixar carried over their poor menu design to BD, but thankfully it's not quite as bad being instantaneous and all.

Some things I really like (timecodes for all features) and I understand they're servicing families that aren't too smart with menus as well as movie enthusiasts, but the menus still aren't all that great. Ah well.

wouldnt u guys say that shrek this holiday on HD DVD will have a bigger impact than any of the disney stuff?

I would have said Transformers would have a huge impact than anything else released on HD-DVD this holiday...and it didn't.

So no, I don't think it will.

 

[FIREBABY]

wouldnt u guys say that shrek this holiday on HD DVD will have a bigger impact than any of the disney stuff?

:lol We'll see. We'll see.

 

[Gary Whitta]

I agree with everything but that. Please Gary don't say that again.

Okay, as good as Planet Earth.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I can't decide if I want cars, ratatouille or the short films.

I liked cars, but everyone says ratatouille is better and I have never seen it. It would be nice to have all the short films on a disc though.

 

[djkimothy]

wouldnt u guys say that shrek this holiday on HD DVD will have a bigger impact than any of the disney stuff?

Not really.

I can't decide if I want cars, ratatouille or the short films.

I liked cars, but everyone says ratatouille is better and I have never seen it. It would be nice to have all the short films on a disc though.

Ratatouille is a good blind buy. I'd recommend. But I love food and cooking so it suits my personal tastes.

Go for both.

 

[MobiusPigeon]

:lol We'll see. We'll see.

i mean really. dreamworks has been kicking disneys ass for the longest time. animated or not. its the only reason I can see disney being so cozy with the blu side.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

I've been a Pixar fan since I saw Luxo Jr at an animation festival an eon ago. I ordered all three.

 

[FIREBABY]

I can't decide if I want cars, ratatouille or the short films.

I liked cars, but everyone says ratatouille is better and I have never seen it. It would be nice to have all the short films on a disc though.

I hadn't seen it either until today. And I have to agree with everyone else, Ratatouille is the better movie. So if you are stretched to only get one get that one. Finding Nemo is the one I'm really waiting for though. Does anyone know the release date for that?

 

[chubigans]

Does anyone know the release date for that?

The official target release is Fall 08 it seems.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

i mean really. dreamworks has been kicking disneys ass for the longest time. animated or not. its the only reason I can see disney being so cozy with the blu side.

 

[FIREBABY]

The official target release is Fall 08 it seems.

What?!?!? Thats bullshit if true.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I hadn't seen it either until today. And I have to agree with everyone else, Ratatouille is the better movie. So if you are stretched to only get one get that one. Finding Nemo is the one I'm really waiting for though. Does anyone know the release date for that?

eh I could just get them all, but I'd rather wait until there is another huge sale I only want to pay full price for one. plus I kind of want to save some movies so that people can buy them for me for xmas.

 

[FIREBABY]

eh I could just get them all, but I'd rather wait until there is another huge sale I only want to pay full price for one. plus I kind of want to save some movies so that people can buy them for me for xmas.

Well in that case, get them all.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Disney vs Dreamworks?

I dunno. Shrek 3 will do well, I assume better than Rataollile (sp!?) in their respective HD formats, but taken as a whole I think Disney will outsell Dreamworks. Pirates alone should see to that.

 

[Grimmy]

i mean really. dreamworks has been kicking disneys ass for the longest time. animated or not. its the only reason I can see disney being so cozy with the blu side.

W.T.F.

In 15 years' time we'd all still be watching Pixar films, while Shrek will be but a forgotten relic of a decade long past.

 

[MobiusPigeon]

notice i said animated OR NOT. Dreamworks has been an amazing studio since its beginning.

 

[jjasper]

i mean really. dreamworks has been kicking disneys ass for the longest time. animated or not. its the only reason I can see disney being so cozy with the blu side.

Dreamworks hasn't made a good animated movie outside of Over the Hedge in a long time.

 

[VanMardigan]

I would have said Transformers would have a huge impact than anything else released on HD-DVD this holiday...and it didn't.

So no, I don't think it will.

How did Transformers not have a huge impact? It's the top selling HD DVD, isn't it? Didn't people get standalones for it? It would've EASILY pushed HD DVD over Blu Ray if Sony didn't give away Disney movies that same week, and even then, it was a 2 point difference. I think you're being unrealistic if you expected more than that. Other than Spiderman 3 and 300 (due to it being on both formats) I doubt any other HD movie will outsell it.

As far as Dreamworks vs. Pixar. I like 'em both. I like Shrek 1 and 2, I like Finding Nemo and Toy Story. Why do I have to pick? Oh yeah, stupid format war, that's why.

 

[chubigans]

How did Transformers not have a huge impact? It's the top selling HD DVD, isn't it? Didn't people get standalones for it? It would've EASILY pushed HD DVD over Blu Ray if Sony didn't give away Disney movies that same week, and even then, it was a 2 point difference. I think you're being unrealistic if you expected more than that. Other than Spiderman 3 and 300 (due to it being on both formats) I doubt any other HD movie will outsell it.

110k was underwhelming in my view...but, we'll see how Spider-man does as I think both movies are very similar to the target demographic and success.

 

[captive]

How did Transformers not have a huge impact? It's the top selling HD DVD, isn't it? Didn't people get standalones for it? It would've EASILY pushed HD DVD over Blu Ray if Sony didn't give away Disney movies that same week, and even then, it was a 2 point difference. I think you're being unrealistic if you expected more than that. Other than Spiderman 3 and 300 (due to it being on both formats) I doubt any other HD movie will outsell it.

So it was Sony's decision to give away Disneys movies? This is why you are still a tool.

 

[chubigans]

So it was Sony's decision to give away Disneys movies? This is why you are still a tool.

Also, HD-DVD "struck" back at the upcoming Pixar wave with sub-hundred dollar players. Why do I get the feeling software will still continue to favor BD?

Oh, we shall see.

 

[VanMardigan]

110k was underwhelming in my view...but, we'll see how Spider-man does as I think both movies are very similar to the target demographic and success.

So if Spiderman 3 sells 3 billion copies, Transformers is a failure? What about EVERY OTHER MOVIE that Transformers outsold? Failures too?

Get real, Transformers sold very well for the market size and just because another super popular movie outsold it doesn't mean squat. You don't even own HD DVD but yet a movie on that format did underwhelming to you? pffffffffffffffftttttttttttt. The movie looks and sounds amazing, has groundbreaking extras, and has outsold every HD DVD and every Blu Ray disc outside of a couple of them. How the hell is that underwhelming?

Also, HD-DVD "struck" back at the upcoming Pixar wave with sub-hundred dollar players. Why do I get the feeling software will still continue to favor BD?

It probably will, but that would prove my point that Transformers did very well, wouldn't it?

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Sony gave away Disney movies, or Disney did? You sound like those people who were sure that MS wrote Paramount that big check.

edit: Damn, I'm slow.

 

[captive]

So if Spiderman 3 sells 3 billion copies, Transformers is a failure? What about EVERY OTHER MOVIE that Transformers outsold? Failures too?

Get real, Transformers sold very well for the market size and just because another super popular movie outsold it doesn't mean squat. You don't even own HD DVD but yet a movie on that format did underwhelming to you? pffffffffffffffftttttttttttt. The movie looks and sounds amazing, has groundbreaking extras, and has outsold every HD DVD and every Blu Ray disc outside of a couple of them. How the hell is that underwhelming?

50-150 million to pay for exclusivity of said movie along with shrek 3?(honestly nothing else paramount is releasing is helping HD DVD we all know its about the recent blockbusters) I would generally say thats fairly underwhelming. Especially considering what it would have done on blu-ray as compared to HD DVD.

 

[VanMardigan]

Sony gave away Disney movies, or Disney did? You sound like those people who were sure that MS wrote Paramount that big check.

Sony/BDA interchangeable just like Toshiba/HD DVD. The BDA gave away Disney movies. I think it was a fantastic move, especially for the consumer. I'm not even arguing that, since I would've taken advantage of it if I had a Blu Ray player. But to somehow call Transformers underwhelming because that sale prevented HD DVD from taking a week is flawed reasoning.

 

[djkimothy]

50-150 million to pay for exclusivity of said movie along with shrek 3?(honestly nothing else paramount is releasing is helping HD DVD we all know its about the recent blockbusters) I would generally say thats fairly underwhelming. Especially considering what it would have done on blu-ray as compared to HD DVD.

It would have killed on blu-ray.

 

[chubigans]

50-150 million to pay for exclusivity of said movie along with shrek 3?(honestly nothing else paramount is releasing is helping HD DVD we all know its about the recent blockbusters) I would generally say thats fairly underwhelming. Especially considering what it would have done on blu-ray as compared to HD DVD.

That's what I'm referring to, yeah. Considering just how much HD-DVD has poured into making Transformers their flagship title this year...exclusive, tons of HDi extras, great picture and sound, etc...not to mention that HD-DVD up to that point hadn't had a whole lot in the way of exclusives, it should have been a LOT more, no?

Heck, even Paramount thought so, for them to rub those numbers up to 190k before being called out on it.

It did well, but not the smash bang-up success that Toshiba paid for.

*edit- I haven't mentioned BD sales at all. I don't care that BD outsold that week, all I'm talking about is Transformers.