Derb's take on BD

[Derb]

I consider myself more of a Videophile than an Audiophile.

My set-up for picture;

HDMI - 60" SXRD set, native rez - 1920x1080p

My set-up for audio;

HDMI

I'll rate these transfers on a 10 scale. Some 10's I might rate as Reference. This does not mean one is better than the other, it is just my personal preference with the picture & or audio quality. The player is the Playstation 3 game console.

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

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

50 First Dates (2004)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 7/10
HD Audio LPCM - 10/10

The Terminator (1984)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 7/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

Saw (2004)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 7/10
HD Audio dts-ES - 9/10

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10
HD Audio dts-HDMA - 10/10

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 7/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Click (2006)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 7/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Into the Blue (2005)

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

Fantastic 4 (2005)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10
HD Audio dts-HDMA - 9/10

Black Hawk Down (2001)

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

The Omen (2006)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10
HD Audio dts-HDMA - 9/10

Tears of the Sun (2003)

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

Kingdom of Heaven - Director's Cut (2005)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10
HD Audio dts-HDMA - 10/10

The Transporter (2002)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10
HD Audio dts-HDMA - 10/10

S.W.A.T. (2003)

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

Lord of War (2005)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio dts-ES - 9/10

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

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

Enemy of the State (1998)

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

Ultraviolet (2006)

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

Underworld: Evolution (2006)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

Speed (1994)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Pearl Harbor (2001)

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

Silent Hill (2006)

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

Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Total Recall (1990)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

[dugpa]

Of the ones I've watched so far:

X-Men: The Last Stand

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

The Devil Wears Prada

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

Sky High

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Crash

HD Video - 7/10 (yes, it looks bad, but so did the original film, so I'm not going to be as harsh as other might because it does accurately represent the theatrical image)
HD Audio DTS - 5/10

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (BD50 version)

HD Video - 5/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

[Derb]

Stir of Echoes (1999)

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

Flightplan (2005)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

Superman Returns (2006)

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

All the King's Men (2006)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 10/10

Not the most entertaining film I ever have seen, but damn.. I couldn't find a single flaw in the PQ. The film shows off an incredible amount of detail without the slightest hint of noise making the 120m runtime all three dimensional looking. The LPCM track is also flawless, but it isn't the type of flick to throw in to wow your friends/family. Practically all front heavy, dialog is crisp & clear all the way through. The dolby mix isn't that bad, but I found the track sounded acoustically flat & the audible output weak in comparison to the LPCM track.

Transporter 2 (2005)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Flight of the Phoenix (2004)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

The transfer is inconsistent. Lets see, grain, digital noise, compression artifacts, softness in picture, yada yada. The dts mix is loud, unfortunate they encoded the disc 4.1 Center channel?, we don't need no stupid center channel! Alright not that bad, but it isn't anywhere close to the other channels audible output so you basically need remote in hand to balance the mix yourself.

Monster House (2006)

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

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Unrated (2006)

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

Stealth (2005)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

House of Flying Daggers (2004)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 10/10

Basic Instinct 2 (2006)

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

The Benchwarmers (2006)

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

The Covenant (2006)

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

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

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

25th title I played back on the PS3, 1st. playback glitch.

A Knight's Tale (2001)

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

xXx (2002)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

The Guardian (2006)

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

The Descent (2005)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

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

Stargate (1994)

HD Video - 6/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

[Derb]

Hitch (2005)

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

[ganthc]

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

X-Men: The Last Stand

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Did you watch it again and see a downgrade in video quality?

And I saw Hitch on the display at Best Buy and it looked terrible. Very grainy and noisy. I guess I'll have to see it on my setup to see if my opinion changes for it, because 9/10 seems very high.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Did you watch it again and see a downgrade in video quality?

Derb gave it the 10/10 vid, and Dugpa gave it the 7/10. Derb & Dugpa posting back and forth can prove to be a wee bit confusing though.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Derb gave it the 10/10 vid, and Dugpa gave it the 7/10. Derb & Dugpa posting back and forth can prove to be a wee bit confusing though.

AH! Gotcha!

[dugpa]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Derb gave it the 10/10 vid, and Dugpa gave it the 7/10. Derb & Dugpa posting back and forth can prove to be a wee bit confusing though.

It's not confusing, all you have to do is remember that I'm the one who's always right.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by ganthc

And I saw Hitch on the display at Best Buy and it looked terrible. Very grainy and noisy. I guess I'll have to see it on my setup to see if my opinion changes for it, because 9/10 seems very high.

A lot of what I've seen on BD demos look like utter crap. It is the display defintely. Before I bought a BD player, I brought my T1 disc to try out on a 42" Samsung. It looked worse than the DVD on that display. I have Hitch on DVD & it is a big improvement. What striked me most was the dvd has a pumped up contrast making scenes & actors look like ghosts. Thankfully none of that is present on the BD. As fer artifacts, I spotted 1 scene which lasted 15 seconds with excessive grain & noise.

Ok, are ya ready for my next rating?..

Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio dts - 10/10

No joke, this disc looks killer (AVC) & sounds amazing (1.5mbps) I do like surprises.

Dark Water (2005)

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

Invincible (2006)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Kiss of the Dragon (2001)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Flyboys (2006)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Casanova (2005)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Rocky (1976)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

The BD is an improvement over the standard-def version but age has unfortunately caught up to Rocky. The good news is most of the film is crisp & clear & has that 3D pop to it. Overall color & detail & sharpness shine on this transfer with minimal artifacting. It is clear that the worst looking scenes are from the source which I guess could be called a good thing however I somewhat had "restoration" expectations from this classic that were no where to be found. There are some scenes that look horrible with lots of grain & noise, colors washed away, but thankfully they do not take up much of the film's runtime. The dts audio at first sounded like a massive improvement but as the film progressed I noticed a few audible flaws. Again, I think this directly from the source as well. Surrounds are used mainly during Rocky's training & main event fight while the rest of the audio is front heavy. I did pick up on the center channel sounding like mono at one point. I didn't listen to the mono track which is included for die-hard fans. All in all, I think this is the best we will see & hear Rocky on the BD format until MGM goes back & spends more mula for a better restoration.. in the meantime, I do recommend this disc for fans only.

Glory Road (2006)

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

The Tailor of Panama (2001)

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

Gridiron Gang (2006)

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

Courage Under Fire (1996)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

The Fifth Element (1997)

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

The Big Hit (1998)

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

Crank (2006)

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

Open Season (2006)

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

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 9/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

RV (2006)

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

Annapolis (2006)

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

Broken Arrow (1996)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Chain Reaction (1996)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

Dinosaur (2000)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

[Derb]

Entrapment (1999)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Finally, a fox catalog title that looks more HD than SD. The video does look flat though with minor specs of dirt & minimal artifacting. Color is vibrant with very little noise to speak of. The dts audio (I am finding on most 20th Century titles) is near perfect for this type of film. I felt the audio sounded "dated" & lacks that nice 360 soundfield I'm used to hearing with LPCM tracks. I'm sure once there are receivers out there that have built-in dts-HD decoders, these Fox titles should sound perfect.

The Devil's Rejects (2005)

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

I hate intentional grain. That be said, it works quite well for this type of flick. Distinguishing what is & what is not intentional film grain in HD is much more easily done than standard-def. So occasionally, I saw some impressive three dimensional looking images, but not many. Blacks were solid during dim-light scenes & excellent color all around, especially during daylight exteriors. For the most part, I was impressed by the consistency of the picture quality. I guess the real shocker with this transfer isn't the video but the audio. I found that the dolby digital track produced clearer vocals, heavier LFE than the dts track. Even audible output was mixed louder. Switching between the 2 tracks during random scenes, I found the surrounds were on par with each soundtrack. The "Reject's Road" scene was worth the purchase alone. Good stuff.

[DavidCantu]

If there is one thing I've noticed is that LCD TVs look a lot worse than plasma screens.

Maybe that has something to do with your low scores in the PQ. I can't say that I'm disappointed in the majority of my Blu-Ray disks, which are played on a PS3 on a 42" Panasonic plasma screen (1080i max).

When I took the PS3 over to my brother-in-law's house to show him what a Blu-Ray movie looked like, I noticed how much worse it looked. He has a 42" LCD screen. Then and there, I swore that I'd never buy an LCD....

[chlngr1970]

What model Plasma do you have? Flat pannel TVs are progressive by nature. If you have the TV I am thinking of, it's 720P...

j

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by DavidCantu

If there is one thing I've noticed is that LCD TVs look a lot worse than plasma screens.

Maybe that has something to do with your low scores in the PQ. I can't say that I'm disappointed in the majority of my Blu-Ray disks, which are played on a PS3 on a 42" Panasonic plasma screen (1080i max).

When I took the PS3 over to my brother-in-law's house to show him what a Blu-Ray movie looked like, I noticed how much worse it looked. He has a 42" LCD screen. Then and there, I swore that I'd never buy an LCD....

I think that could also do with the calibration and brand of LCD tv, in my opinion. I haven't noticed terrible pq on bd films, and I have a Sony GrandWega 42a10. I'm sure Plasma might look better in light levels, but I'm not sure if LCD is as bad as you make it out to be.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by DavidCantu

If there is one thing I've noticed is that LCD TVs look a lot worse than plasma screens.

Maybe that has something to do with your low scores in the PQ. I can't say that I'm disappointed in the majority of my Blu-Ray disks, which are played on a PS3 on a 42" Panasonic plasma screen (1080i max).

When I took the PS3 over to my brother-in-law's house to show him what a Blu-Ray movie looked like, I noticed how much worse it looked. He has a 42" LCD screen. Then and there, I swore that I'd never buy an LCD....

I havn't tried out a Plasma before but I've seen some HD content on one in a store. There is a Panny 1080p plasma either out now or coming out soon. Tempting but I avoid Plasma because of burn-in, glare, smaller screen, high price. The same can be said of Flat Pannels, minus the burn in issue. I've tried 2 DLP sets & noticed a softer image on them compared to a couple of SXRD sets I tried out. Even tried out a 1080p Bravia. My 2004 Sony RPTV LCD is 720 & I noticed with 5 1080p sets that the difference is minimal, no where near night & day nor the cost upgrade to 1080p if you already own a 720 set. LCD ain't perfect & I found out the hard way that Flat Pannel LCDs, SXRDs, & DLPs ain't either. As for my low scores, I don't think there that low. I've probably given a majority of BD titles a 10 when some here might give the same flick an 8.

Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 10/10

The Haunted Mansion (2003)

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

The Marine (2006)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Phone Booth (2002)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Saw II (2005)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

Saw III (2006)

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

The Usual Suspects (1995)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Planet of the Apes (2001)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Reign of Fire (2002)

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

The Sentinel (2006)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 10/10

Ladder 49 (2004)

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

Crash (2004)

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

Young Guns (1988)

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

Employee of the Month (2006)

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

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

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

At first glance this disc looks like reference material but that quickly changes throughout the course of the film. Interior shots have slight grain & noise. I noticed a bit of macro & some edge enhancement as well. Colors really pop & there is a fine level of consistency with the Video transfer. The dts atmosphere is a hint better than the Dolby mix. Randomly switching between the two, I found dialog sounded a bit more crisp with Dolby even though the audible output between the two soundtracks are nearly identical. Surrounds are not that active nor should they be for this flick. Was a bit disappointed with the LFE. A much better release from Lionsgate & a definite upgrade for fans.

The Prestige (2006)

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

Vertical Limit (2000)

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

Vertical Limit looks like a 10. Aside from a few rough patches & maybe 5 seconds of softness, this disc is something else. 1.85:1 & MPEG-2 & an LPCM track & over 2 hours, this flick must have pushed beyond 25GB. Thankfully Sony used a BD-50 disc for this title cause I seriously doubt the level of consistency with both picture & sound would of been this good otherwise. The LPCM track didn't blow me away, however I couldn't find anything wrong with it neither.. hence the 10 rating. If you are at all a fan of this flick, you won't be disappointed with this transfer.

Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Species (1995)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Men of Honor (2000)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Bulletproof Monk (2003)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Chicago (2002)

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

The Wild (2006)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

The Great Raid (2005)

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

[Derb]

Sky High (2005)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 8/10
HD Audio LPCM - 9/10

Eight Below (2006)

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

Stranger Than Fiction. (2006)

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

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Derb

The dts audio (I am finding on most 20th Century titles) is near perfect for this type of film. I felt the audio sounded "dated" & lacks that nice 360 soundfield I'm used to hearing with LPCM tracks. I'm sure once there are receivers out there that have built-in dts-HD decoders, these Fox titles should sound perfect.

I wish that LPCM was a standard for BD. It really is audio perfection, and while I hope that the ps3 gets a patch that allows for decoding of dts-hdma, I would rather see Fox just use pcm instead. Is dts-hdma a compressed lossless audio track that saves space but is still lossless like TrueHD, or is it also uncompressed?

[Derb]

Originally Posted by ganthc

I wish that LPCM was a standard for BD. It really is audio perfection, and while I hope that the ps3 gets a patch that allows for decoding of dts-hdma, I would rather see Fox just use pcm instead. Is dts-hdma a compressed lossless audio track that saves space but is still lossless like TrueHD, or is it also uncompressed?

dts-HD "Master Audio" is a compressed or "Lossy" soundtrack as far as I know. These can be heard already. We need "Master Lossless Audio" decoder chips in our receiver to hear the full rez. Thats how I understand it right now. I agree with ya 100% that FOX should have choose LPCM tracks for their lossless soundtracks but I believe they have some sorta deal with dts preventing them.

[dkny75]

DTS-HD Master Audio is a compressed lossless track just like Dolby TrueHD. Unfortunately there's no player that can decode them yet.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by dkny75

DTS-HD Master Audio is a compressed lossless track just like Dolby TrueHD. Unfortunately there's no player that can decode them yet.

Thanks for the info. I know that it can eventually be added on as a firmware upgrade for the ps3. That would be awesome, as I would love to be able to take advantage of those soundtracks eventually. I guess Fox is at least being forward thinking in providing those lossless tracks for when it's available, rather than force customers to have to buy an updated disc for better sound. I do hope that it sounds as good as lpcm does.

[Derb]

The Punisher (2004)

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

Running with Scissors (2006)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 9/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

Discovery Atlas: Australia Revealed (2006)

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

Discovery Atlas: Brazil Revealed (2006)

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

Discovery Atlas: China Revealed (2006)

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

Discovery Atlas: Italy Revealed (2006)

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

The Pat Metheny Group: The Way Up (2005)

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

Alice Cooper: Live At Montreux (2005)

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

Black Crowes: Freak ‘n’ Roll... Into The Fog (2005)

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

Elvis Costello - Club Date: Live In Memphis (2004)

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

Toto - Live In Amsterdam (2003)

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

The Holiday (2006)

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

Picture & detail is a bit soft throughout the film. I didn't notice any artifacts & color is great. I did find the picture to look a little dark, could be intentional though. Presented 1.85:1 & transfered in AVC with a VBR in the 30's, the picture quality throughout is very consistent. The Dolby Digital (640kbps) & LPCM (4.6mbps) tracks are surprisingly a wash. I sampled many scenes, the dialog, surround effects used, etc. etc. That said, this obviously isn't the type of film which should rattle your home theater.. Dialog is always clear & what little surrounds are used throughout the course of the film do not interfere with the center channel making this track very front heavy. Overall, a solid transfer & a not so bad flick to boot.

First Blood (1982)

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

Big Fish (2003)

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

Casino Royale (2006)

HD Video - 10/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 9/10
HD Audio LPCM - Reference

There is minor noise throughout the picture. I didn't find that it was tweaked, nor had a bad digital processed type look. Color reproduction is excellent & accurate, not to mention skintones. This was something that I looked for most, mainly because of Pete's take over at High-def-digest. Contrast did look a bit tweaked which made some areas of the transfer soft. This is barely a complaint as most of the film is either shot in very light or dark locations. I really wanted to give the video transfer a lower rating but it seriously looks too good & it is overall, very, very consistent throughout which is the highlight to what I expect from all HD transfers. The Dolby Digital track is agressive, much more so than I thought it would be. All speakers get a nice workout but sometimes surrounds can drown out the center whenever action scenes approach. This is easily the best sounding DD track I've heard from Sony yet. The LPCM on the hand suffers just the 1 issue I had with the DD track, vocals & action do not intermix well but the trade off is a mix that not only increases the db output, but also fine tunes each channel to perfection. The soundstage is very dynamic giving it a pleasing 360 feel instead of the DD pingpong effect. Each channel is crisp & clear + the LFE rocks. I don't know what more this track could offer.. unless there was a hidden 7.1 easter egg track. Overall, a very impressive transfer on both fronts, excellent film, & worth all the hype.

Little Man (2006)

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

Memento (2000)

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

American Psycho (2000)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 8/10

Rocky Balboa (2006)

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

Chicken Little (2005)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio Dolby Digital - 9/10
HD Audio LPCM - 10/10

Eragon (2006)

HD Video - 9/10
HD Audio dts - 10/10

[ganthc]

bump

[Derb]

Hart's War (2002)

HD Video - Reference
HD Audio dts - 8/10

Rising Sun (1993)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 9/10

Layer Cake (2004)

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

Windtalkers (2002)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 7/10

Hoosiers (1986)

HD Video - 7/10
HD Audio dts - 7/10

Finding Neverland (2004)

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

Happy Feet (2006)

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

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

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

Couldn't find anything wrong with the PQ. The LPCM track is a step up on the DD track but not by much as there are only a few scenes in this dialog driven flick to give the surrounds any workout. The film may have had that processed look some reviewers shrug at, but imo I think more of it is intentional now with newer films because of new HD equipment & directorial choice. Anyways, this film is a real winner for Will Smith & his son.

March of the Penguins (2005)

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

Bubble (2005)

HD Video - 8/10
HD Audio D