DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD - View Single Post - Derb's take on HD DVD + film ratings, mini reviews.

Derb · 08-22-2006, 03:19 AM

The Italian Job (2003)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 8/10

Was really looking forward to seeing this title because as mentioned on various review sites, there is edge enhancement. True there are a few select scenes where you can spot it but it is never distracting from the film itself & it is very minor. Blacks are solid, but don't hold well during some night time scenes. Occasionally during darker shots the colors seem to look washed out or smeared. Not much digital noise in the picture & I didn't detect any motion artifacts. Aside from these nit-pics, the picture quality is definitely a step up over the standard definition & it shows with lots of detail & three dimensional depth. The picture is never razor sharp nor too soft. The Dolby Digital Plus track by Paramount is again plagued by below reference level output. While dialog & surrounds are well balanced throughout, I didn't find the soundtrack that impressive. 5 to 10db below reference isn't my cup of tea, so having the volume remote in hand.. is.. well handy.

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 9/10

Universal continues to prove that you don't need bigger storage space on disc with HD DVD to get excellent PQ. A film almost 30 years old & a 100 minute run time, this disc shines. Night time shots look three dimensional, detail & colors are vivid, blacks solid. The transfer has very minor grain & there is subtle noise throughout which is typical for most Universal HD transfers. All in all, I was expecting the worst given the films age & was pleasantly surprised with the video. The DD+ track is mainly driven by the center channel & the mains get some use during some musical numbers throughout the film. Not a overwhelming surround sound type flick to begin with anyway so I didn't expect much of a workout from all 6 speakers. Dialog is loud & crystal clear & serves its purpose for this comedy, just don't expect to wake up the neighboors.

Unleashed (2005)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 10/10

Its official. 15GB discs encoded using VC-1 can produce the most stunning images on the High-Def format. Unleashed is how I would describe this transfer. NO grain, NO digital or compression artifacts & NO noise of any kind. Three dimensional look, sharpness, clarity, depth, colors, rock solid blacks, perfect contrast. Audio is near reference. Only a few scenes could have used a little more muscle with the surrounds which is actually more of a personal preference than the source. No doubt about this HD transfer being top notch & I'll go further to say that if this film could look & sound any better, we would need a whole new format. Its all good.

Ray (2004)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 9/10

08-22-2006, 03:19 AM	#24 (permalink)
Derb Actor Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Canada	The Italian Job (2003) HD Video - 8/10 HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 8/10 Was really looking forward to seeing this title because as mentioned on various review sites, there is edge enhancement. True there are a few select scenes where you can spot it but it is never distracting from the film itself & it is very minor. Blacks are solid, but don't hold well during some night time scenes. Occasionally during darker shots the colors seem to look washed out or smeared. Not much digital noise in the picture & I didn't detect any motion artifacts. Aside from these nit-pics, the picture quality is definitely a step up over the standard definition & it shows with lots of detail & three dimensional depth. The picture is never razor sharp nor too soft. The Dolby Digital Plus track by Paramount is again plagued by below reference level output. While dialog & surrounds are well balanced throughout, I didn't find the soundtrack that impressive. 5 to 10db below reference isn't my cup of tea, so having the volume remote in hand.. is.. well handy. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) HD Video - 8/10 HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 9/10 Universal continues to prove that you don't need bigger storage space on disc with HD DVD to get excellent PQ. A film almost 30 years old & a 100 minute run time, this disc shines. Night time shots look three dimensional, detail & colors are vivid, blacks solid. The transfer has very minor grain & there is subtle noise throughout which is typical for most Universal HD transfers. All in all, I was expecting the worst given the films age & was pleasantly surprised with the video. The DD+ track is mainly driven by the center channel & the mains get some use during some musical numbers throughout the film. Not a overwhelming surround sound type flick to begin with anyway so I didn't expect much of a workout from all 6 speakers. Dialog is loud & crystal clear & serves its purpose for this comedy, just don't expect to wake up the neighboors. Unleashed (2005) HD Video - Reference HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 10/10 Its official. 15GB discs encoded using VC-1 can produce the most stunning images on the High-Def format. Unleashed is how I would describe this transfer. NO grain, NO digital or compression artifacts & NO noise of any kind. Three dimensional look, sharpness, clarity, depth, colors, rock solid blacks, perfect contrast. Audio is near reference. Only a few scenes could have used a little more muscle with the surrounds which is actually more of a personal preference than the source. No doubt about this HD transfer being top notch & I'll go further to say that if this film could look & sound any better, we would need a whole new format. Its all good. Ray (2004) HD Video - 10/10 HD Audio Dolby Digital Plus - 9/10 __________________ My Blu-ray Collection Time for Blu to go mainstream. Last edited by Derb : 08-24-2006 at 02:21 AM.