Behind Enemy Lines (Blu-ray)
Video (MPEG-4 AVC hovering at 20Mbps): 7/10
Audio (DTS 1.5Mbps): 10/10
It looks decent, but usually never
that impressive for a 2001 film except for a few shots here-and-there. The DTS track is the sole reason to grab this, absolutely perfect demo material.
Reservoir Dogs (Dutch Import)
(HD DVD)
Video (MPEG-2): 7.5/10
Audio (DTS 1.5Mbps): 7.5/10
It looks better than the Blu-ray edition, but there are still some issues. The BD looks harsher, a tad softer, more reddish, and what almost looks like clipped blacks in comparison. This HD DVD has a more stable appearance with better color, depth, and details like hair looking more "reach out and touch" natural. Still, the color seems artificially drawn out like on the BD and the "remastered" DVDs, mostly seen in fleshtones (especially evident in the naming scene, Buscemi looks made up for burial) and a touch of edge enhancement is also present. Still, the "little" advantages add up to a better presentation over the BD and an HD DVD that holds on its own. Funny thing to note with that this disc was announced to have a VC-1 encoded transfer, but reads as MPEG-2. It doesn't "look" like an average MPEG-2 encode though. For a film with so many uniform surfaces (walls, sky, distant warehouse shadows), I didn't notice
any artifacting, which is odd. The entire transfer has that "easy-look" of VC-1/AVC.
The DTS track sounds just like the Blu-ray.
Other notes:
- Loaded and played fine on my HD-A1 with 2.4 firmware. If it played on this (the A1 was never released in Europe), it should be ready to go on any other model.
- Only 7 chapter stops.
- The Dutch subs are completely optional.
- No "during play" pop-up menu, but there is a main menu (in English BTW), like a DVD.
- No sound pitch problems.
- ICT is not enabled over Component, so no down rezzing.
- Comes in a "standard-size" U.S. Elite HD DVD case.
- George Baker must be a star in the Netherlands. There's a commercial for a "Best-of" album of his in Dutch on the disc.
