Anyone else reported Unbreakable PCM problems to BVHE?

[powerknowledge]

In early May, I used BVHE's customer service link to report the well-documented issues with Unbreakable's PCM track. I received a boilerplate response saying that "we are currently researching the issues you are describing", with an invitation to give additional information, which I did (cutting and pasting the time-stamped list of problems in the Unbreakable thread here, as well as links to our thread, AVS's, and highdefdigest's).

I've had no reply since.

Has anyone else tried contacting them in this way, and if so, any further updates?

And in any event, if you are bothered (as you should be) by these problems, I would urge you to send a message to BVHE regarding this issue. They do listen, but I would expect that they listen more carefully to larger numbers of complaints than a handful.

[ganthc]

I'll send one if you provide the link you used to send your feedback.

[Derb]

There is 1 scene near the beginning (on the train) when the camera pans from Willis to the left side of the train where there is clearly a 2 second audio anomaly.

All other time codes I checked out are part of the lossless track. A sharp sound is heard when Bruce gets touched by another & he sees a flashback. I guess for some HT set-ups, this sound causes crackles or pops which is normal sinse the db does spike at extremely high levels.

[powerknowledge]

Originally Posted by ganthc

I'll send one if you provide the link you used to send your feedback.

Video.com DVD Technical Support

This is a newer, more comprehensive page than the one that was there when I reported the issue. Maybe I'll report it again, just to check in... (Note: this is ostensibly for DVD only; I made clear that the issue was with a BRD and the response was appropriate).

Originally Posted by Derb

There is 1 scene near the beginning (on the train) when the camera pans from Willis to the left side of the train where there is clearly a 2 second audio anomaly.

All other time codes I checked out are part of the lossless track. A sharp sound is heard when Bruce gets touched by another & he sees a flashback. I guess for some HT set-ups, this sound causes crackles or pops which is normal sinse the db does spike at extremely high levels.

I disagree; even the increased frequency response and dynamic range of the lossless track doesn't account for the distortions throughout. As these crackles, pops, and distortions aren't present in any way on the more compressed tracks, I can see how arguments both for the deficiency and the superiority of the PCM track could be made, but I don't think that the latter bear out. On the PCM track, some of the snaps, crackles and pops (sorry) don't precisely correlate with db spikes or other sound design properties (e.g., Bruce being touched), and those that do evidence distortion or crackling even at low output levels (-30 from reference). While my HT audio setup isn't the highest-end -- Onkyo 805 with mid-level JBLs -- it's proved more than capable with extremely challenging material. All I'm saying is that I think there's more to the story here. And even if not, the early crackling across channels is clearly a flaw in the encode.

[Ruined]

IMO Disney is letting this one go unfixed much like Warner has not fixed the Led Zeppelin release.

Hopefully they will revisit the title when The Happening arrives.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Hopefully they will revisit the title when The Happening arrives.

Won't Fox be releasing The Happening? In which case, I think that Disney will just keep this on the backburner until they hear more complaints. So sending an email asking for a correction is not a bad idea.

[supercutz]

I haven't reported the problem to BV because I've been holding off buying the movie until they fix it. Catch 22.

["The Dude"]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Won't Fox be releasing The Happening? In which case, I think that Disney will just keep this on the backburner until they hear more complaints. So sending an email asking for a correction is not a bad idea.

I think it was released through WB, at least here in the states.

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by "The Dude"

I think it was released through WB, at least here in the states.

The Happening is a Fox release. Shyamalan's previous movie, Lady in the Water, was a Warner Bros. release.

The Happening (2008) - Company credits

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Won't Fox be releasing The Happening?

Its not Disney, but that doesn't mean they can't capitalize on another M. Night movie's release.

In which case, I think that Disney will just keep this on the backburner until they hear more complaints. So sending an email asking for a correction is not a bad idea.

In this type of case sending complaints is always a good idea.