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greg_mitch
Joined: 03 May 2006
Posts: 5320
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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I'm with you on that crabb. I want to see Casino Royale in HD as well. Also, Cars looked great upscaled so I bet the HD version looks great. Pixar movies might be the death of me.
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kal
Forum Administrator
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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Ratatouille looks and sounds simply phenominal in HD on Blu-ray. I watched some of it again last night with a couple of forum members. Amazing stuff. Very "3D" at times.
Here's an interesting comparison of the movie on DVD vs Blu-ray from dvdfile.com:
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The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
DVD:
The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 is presented in anamorphic video. The picture is stunning. I’m having trouble imagining the Blu-ray Disc transfer looking any better. I watch a lot of DVDs and I was in total awe at some of the detail. Individual hairs on Remi’s head. Texture on cement walls. Ripples of rushing sewer water. Some of the detail, from a technical standpoint, will make your jaw drop. Sharpness is similarly perfect. Small object detail and finely grained textures are only as readable as director Brad Bird wants them to be. There was nothing in the transfer that made me think, “Bird probably preferred that book spine be sharper.” It was all crystal clear. Color accuracy is spot on. The color palette is a bit more muted, going for browns and golds, as opposed to bright reds. And there are some shots that looked brighter than I thought were necessary. But that’s a director choice, not a flaw in the transfer. Close-ups of faces are especially impressive, as the smoothness of the colors and crispness of, for instance, every hair in Skinner’s moustache, lend an almost three-dimensional sheen to the transfer. There are no edge halos, compression artifacts, or any other transfer flaws to mar the presentation. Shadow detail, brightness and contrast feel 100% faithful to the original, not surprising considering this is a direct-to-digital transfer. A great transfer that provides an added level of enjoyment to watching the film.
Blu-ray Disc:
As good as the DVD is, the 1080p Blu-ray Disc takes it to a whole new level.
Phenomenal.
If it was possible to score a film better-than-perfect, Ratatouille would earn the grade. The 2.39:1 AVC-compressed image is, without a doubt, the best looking high-definition picture I have ever seen.
Period.
The image is utterly clear, razor sharp, bold and brilliant with no hint of noise or oversaturation, and incredibly three dimensional. Textures are so finely detailed that they look less like animation and start to look eerily real: water looks wet; cloth looks like woven textile; fur looks plush and soft. All of this dazzling detail serves to intensify the film’s potency on almost every level. Watching Ratatouille left me feeling like my head was in a spin – as if I had experienced something new altogether – a kind of visceral experience that brought with it a host of new emotions beyond those familiar from just watching a movie. Watching Ratatouille was like taking part in a movie.
I can’t stress strongly enough: if you’re on the fence about embracing high-definition software, the time is right now; watching Ratatouille in anything less than full 1080p isn’t watching the film that the artists intended you to see.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
DVD:
The audio, while as perfect as the video, is still excellent. There are moments you know were created with aural pleasure in mind. Early in the film, there’s a rainstorm that fills all speakers of the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix. What I like about the track is the balance. Not only does every speaker get its moment (easy enough considering there’s knives and foodstuffs flying everywhere), but there’s a smooth spread to, for instance, the rainstorm, that is very pleasant to hear. The music is very well rendered and filled with detail, but it sometimes kicked in a tad loud and I had to turn down the volume a tiny notch. The most hell’s bells scene was Remi’s sewer ride. Here’s combination of music, dialogue, and effects that created a stirring sequence. Pretty much the entire track had a great amount of crispness and punch. Dialogue was generally very tight, but every so often I failed to understand a word or two, probably hampered by the accents. Surrounds effects are everywhere, but there was never a sense of showing off. Bass was best in the music, which contains some jazzy riffs. Otherwise, the low-end foundation was strong, without being floor rattling. In all, while the track did have some aggressive moments (all of which were rendered expertly), it wasn’t an ambitious mix. Still, what it did, it did to complete satisfaction.
There is also an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track, and English subtitles, and English Closed Captions.
Blu-ray Disc:
Offered is a high bit rate (lossy) Dolby Digital track at 640 kbps that is outstanding. It’s bold, aggressive, and alive. It’s one of the best lossy-compressed soundtracks I’ve heard on Blu-ray, and sounds noticeably better than the lossy Dolby Digital tracks on DVD media (which use a lower bit-rate). However, even this excellent track is bettered by the full-quality 24-bit PCM soundtrack which matches the studio master bit-for-bit. Bold, dynamic, and powerful during high-action and yet subtle, articulate, and nuanced in low-action sequences: this soundtrack is an absolute reference standard in just about every category.
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Kal
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Moose
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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Is there any downside to a 20GB PS3, other than the smaller disc size. All I want it for is Blu-Ray playback - don't care one iota about games. Is it upgradeable to the same level as other PS3s?
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In the real world, I am alan halvorson, King of the Wild Frontier and Swell Guy.
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kal
Forum Administrator
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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Moose
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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Good answer, Kal. I just bought what is supposed to be a brand new one for $300, including shipping. Now I gotta take back that Sony BDP-S301 I just got from Sam's Club. Now - what do I need to make the PS3 work? Don't I need a different remote at least?
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In the real world, I am alan halvorson, King of the Wild Frontier and Swell Guy.
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garyfritz
Joined: 08 Apr 2006
Posts: 12088
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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Does the PS3 support add-on disk drives? If BD disks are rippable, or if you have .TS sources, it would be nice to have a large drive -- larger than the standard PS3 drives.
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kal
Forum Administrator
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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Moose
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | The BD remote is better |
BD remote?
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In the real world, I am alan halvorson, King of the Wild Frontier and Swell Guy.
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kal
Forum Administrator
Joined: 06 Mar 2006
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Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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