Should I upgrade my DVD to Blu...

bonerm

Mackman wrote: »

T2 looks pretty good on Blu-ray. I bought apollo 13 the other day, still have to watch it.

Anyone seen Die Hard on BR? (if its even released, i think it is)

WRT to T2 I have the Skynet version and it looks great imho. The only letdown for me was that the interactive menu which is just far too unweildy in terms of navigation and I found it dissapointing that a lot of the special features were PIP. I really hope this "feature" dies a quick death.

I also have Die Hard on Blu-Ray to and that looked pretty good as well. The commentary track by John McTiernan was especially enjoyable I thought (tho I guess maybe that is on some DVD version ... it wasn't on mine).

Cantona's Collars

Predator Ultimate Hunter Edition-huge improvement on the dvd version,picture quality alone is pin sharp.As was said earlier some blu rays are hit and miss regards quality but this is top notch.

Voodu Child

zerks wrote: »

Predator Ultimate Hunter Edition-huge improvement on the dvd version,picture quality alone is pin sharp.As was said earlier some blu rays are hit and miss regards quality but this is top notch.

Predator Ultimate Hunter edition is terrible; it's heavily DNRd and inferior to the original BD release of Predator.

Cantona's Collars

Haven't seen original bd release so can't compare,just comparing it to dvd release.Bit of a pain in the arse though when you spend good money on a blu ray and then they release another version,worse if you got same movie on dvd also.

Mackman

bonerm wrote: »

WRT to T2 I have the Skynet version and it looks great imho. The only letdown for me was that the interactive menu which is just far too unweildy in terms of navigation and I found it dissapointing that a lot of the special features were PIP. I really hope this "feature" dies a quick death.

I have the DVD Ultimate Edition, and it suffers from the same problem, very hard to navigate through the menu's. Im not even sure if ive watched everything on it, i think i have

squire23

Voodu Child wrote: »

Predator Ultimate Hunter edition is terrible; it's heavily DNRd and inferior to the original BD release of Predator.

Think you might be refering to the previous Predator Bluray release - that transfer was absolutely brutal. The Ultimate Hunter Edition has yet to be released (afaik - June 29th) & will have a new trasnfer

Voodu Child

squire23 wrote: »

Think you might be refering to the previous Predator Bluray release

Nope. Was referring to the forthcoming Ultimate Hunter Edition. Their 'new transfer' basically amounts to brightening it and applying DNR, but they've gone way overboard and some parts of it look like A Scanner Darkly.

squire23

Voodu Child wrote: »

Nope. Was referring to the forthcoming Ultimate Hunter Edition. Their 'new transfer' basically amounts to brightening it and applying DNR, but they've gone way overboard and some parts of it look like A Scanner Darkly.

Oh yeah sorry, my bad. Just read the thread on avsforums. Time to cancel that Amazon order methinks!

Galvasean

I see they're flogging off the toy Story 1&2 double pack. I want to invest. DVD is €17 and the Bluray is €25. Is the Bluray worth the extra dosh?

Speaking of double packs, HMV have Transformers 1&2 pack for €25, perfect for the special effects junkies among us.

rednik

Galvasean wrote: »

I see they're flogging off the toy Story 1&2 double pack. I want to invest. DVD is €17 and the Bluray is $25. Is the Bluray worth the extra dosh?

I would say definitely. Both are reference quality picture and sound. If you think back a while what Disney used to charge just for DVDs I think they are great value.

the_monkey

Deleted User wrote: »

Zulu, which I picked up today is similarly stunning. The picture quality is outstanding and may very well be the best released title on the format tha I have seen.

Not surprised Zulu is such stunning quality , it was filmed with 70mm film -even 35mm film has better def then 1080P ... so this is twice as good.

The James bonds from the 1960's are excellent transfers, I was really surprised with the quality.


These I think were filmed with 35mm.

the_monkey

the_monkey wrote: »

Not surprised Zulu is such stunning quality , it was filmed with 70mm film -even 35mm film has better def then 1080P ... so this is twice as good.

The James bonds from the 1960's are excellent transfers, I was really surprised with the quality.


These I think were filmed with 35mm.

Most film stock is of a higher quality that 1080P, the reason that myself and others were so surprised by how good the film looked was due to the rather lackstruck transfers which had previously been available. Being shot on 35 or 70mm does not mean a film will look great, it's all down to the quality of the transfer and the condition of the source print.

jaykhunter

Deleted User wrote: »

Most film stock is of a higher quality that 1080P, the reason that myself and others were so surprised by how good the film looked was due to the rather lackstruck transfers which had previously been available. Being shot on 35 or 70mm does not mean a film will look great, it's all down to the quality of the transfer and the condition of the source print.

That many films' original master print are way higher than 1080p but their Blu-Ray releases look like dirt makes me a sad panda

Morlar

the_monkey wrote: »

Not surprised Zulu is such stunning quality , it was filmed with 70mm film -even 35mm film has better def then 1080P ... so this is twice as good.

The James bonds from the 1960's are excellent transfers, I was really surprised with the quality.


These I think were filmed with 35mm.

'Patton' is another older movie with a very fresh, crisp release. In particular the flag scenes at the beginning are pin sharp.

Voodu Child

'Patton' is another older movie with a very fresh, crisp release. In particular the flag scenes at the beginning are pin sharp.

Patton wasn't a great release, it was liberally DNRd because the average dummy buying Blurays has an aversion to film grain.

Automated denoising filters always lose detail, and parts of the Patton are very soft and waxy.

Its not a complete disaster but I wouldn't hold it up as an example of a good 'old-movie' transfer.

Harrocks

Blu -ray all the way for lossless audio cant be touched by dvd audio.Saving private ryan is an experience to behold on blu-ray.Just need more studios to release more in 7.1.And for xtra vision to pull there finger out and for every new release to have a blu-ray copy aswell as dvd.I check out most blu-rays on blu-ray.com and then rent before buying.2012, district 9,transformers,saving private ryan,resident evil extinction,Rambo,Star trek,Terminator Salvation all look great and sound greater on blu-ray regardless of what you think of the movies themselves.Using a samsung 32" lcd 1080p tv sony blu ray player,onkyo607amp and Qacoustics 2000cinema pack for the soundssssssss.

krudler

Galvasean wrote: »

I see they're flogging off the toy Story 1&2 double pack. I want to invest. DVD is €17 and the Bluray is €25. Is the Bluray worth the extra dosh?

Speaking of double packs, HMV have Transformers 1&2 pack for €25, perfect for the special effects junkies among us.

Just wait for the trilogy, 38 quid delivered on zavvi:

http://www.zavvi.com/blu-ray/toy-story-1-2-and-3-triple-pack-plus-bonus-disc/10244502.html

Mikey23

the_monkey wrote: »

The James bonds from the 1960's are excellent transfers, I was really surprised with the quality.

These I think were filmed with 35mm.

I'm impatiently waiting for MGM/UA to release the full set in Blu-Ray once their financial troubles are finally sorted. Saw a bit of a Connery Bond in a showroom some months back and was mightily impressed also.

Mike Litoris

Jesus...Band of Brothers is worth buying a Blu Ray player for alone!!

JohnMearsheimer

Mike Litoris wrote: »

Jesus...Band of Brothers is worth buying a Blu Ray player for alone!!

I'd agree, Band of Brothers on blu ray blew me away and really convinced me that blu ray had something more to offer. I'm not really into Michael Jackson but This Is It was excellent on blu ray. I know it's not a movie but Wonders of the Solar System is well worth a watch on blu-ray too.

domrush

Anyone know what lord of the rings is like on blu ray?

jaykhunter

domrush wrote: »

Anyone know what lord of the rings is like on blu ray?

Looks great but it's the theatrical versions. IMO you're best off waiting for the extended editions next year.

those bigatures are gorgeous but the CGI is a bit dodgy in parts, getting used to Gollum takes a little while, but it's grand as he's such an intriguing character. Some bits in the final massive CGI battle are a bit waah too.... but overall the film is still a work of art

JohnMearsheimer

I ordered the Saving Private Ryan blu ray yesterday. Can't wait to see how it looks.

domrush

Ok so best to wait till next year for LOTR.

Any must haves? (already have band of brothers and saving private ryan)

jank

Maybe this thread should be stickyed and the title changed to "Blu-Rays to Get/Avoid"

Anyway had some time off over Christmas and watched a few blu-ray films on my new 50" Panasonic.
The Dark Knight is unreal espcially the night scenes (think they were shot using Imax?!) but Inception was beyond belief. The colour, atmosphere, the sound everything about it was unreal....must get!!

Terminator 2 was good too. Also watched Wizard of OZ (very good transfer), 12 monkeys (but meh but the film was never ment to be that clear with the using of filters) and Interview with a vampire (video was good but the sound was dissapointing)

Also watched the first few minutes of 2001 and it looks really really good! Not everyones cup of tea though.
The other half bought beauty and the beast for herself and I must say it was VERY impressive.

Anyway I suppose do a little bit of research on the title you want to purchase and see if its worth getting. There are some I am going to avoid due to bad reviews while others I well may look into I may have not before e.g. Zulu, Sunshine & Blade Runner

http://www.blu-ray.com/ is good for seeing what good or whats not.

Waiting to see if the Dances with Wolves BD out in a few weeks does it justice.

Anyway at the moment The Dark Knight & Inception are must haves for anyone with a Blu-ray player, you will NOT be dissapointed!

Simian!

I think having this as a sticky is a good idea too. If a blu-ray transfer is good then the exact version should be posted (I believe the Terminator 2 Skynet Edition is the one being referred to above) - the first Gladiator transfer was supposed to be poor so things like that need to be avoided.

jank

Yes it was the skynet edition which was the one I have.

crazygeryy

Renn wrote: »

Only one I was disappointed with was Run Lola Run (not sure as to why I even bothered to double dip on this one). Don't think this one is necessary to have on blu-ray. I'll pop it in to the player again some day to re-check but I remember the picture quality being a bit meh.

is that a good movie?ive never gotten around to watching it.

Picked up I, Robot the other day and it is downright one of the most impressive looking titles I have ever seen. It's as close to perfection as the format is likely to get. Skin tones are spot on effects look absolutly jaw droppingly beautiful and the level of detail is amazing. It also sounds amazing and for a disc which is a few years old to still be refrence material for the format shows just how much care went into the transfer.

rednik

Anybody looking for a classic should get, "In cold blood" with Robert Blake and Scott Wilson. The movie is in b&w and is a great transfer, can't recommend it high enough.