Here in Canada there is a Sony rebate of $500 if you buy a Blu-ray payer with an HD TV.
So if you buy an applicable TV (there are lots that comply) you effectively get a BDPS300 for free or a BDPS500 for $200. Plus 5 free Disks. I got the BDPS500 for an additional $199, after the already $300 discounted 42" Bravia TV. Not a bad deal.
Plenty of blame to go around, including people like HMurchison. Go 50 or 60 pages back in this thread and you'll find him gleefully hoping the format war goes on and on and on. He knew even then HD DVD had very little chance of winning, but he outright wrote that he wanted enough of a stalemate that it could hold on until it was too entrenched to be abandoned like DIVX or CED were.
Which IMO was a reflection of personal hope that he hadn't made a bad choice in supporting a losing format. Which is quite understandable I suppose, but then if you take the risk of being an early adopter you have to roll with it
It's never been a film that has sat all that well with me, my SD-DVD copy isn't that great a cut (an early version rushed out in about 2000/2001)
But the BD copy has SO much more in the actual film, the story still has its slow deliberate pace, but theres more explanation that goes on, its the first version that I've seen that REALLY makes me WANT to watch it again right away. A real classic!
The picture: Well it's a fairly old film, and one review I read of it almost put off my purchase altogether, the reviewer said that it wasn't much of an upgrade from the DVD, it was grainy and soft. All I can think is that they must be losing their eyesight, because its Stunning! Yes in places the CAMERAMAN loses focus, or doesn't quite pull it, but that just means the original film was soft in places, not the transfer. Basically where its sharp its sharp as can be! But in a few close-ups it doesn't quite POP thats a 30 year old film for you, with 30 year old standards.
There seem to be extra little subtle efx dropped in here and there that, for me at least, make it almost like watching a brand new film. The crispness of some scenes and the visual richness of the sets at times are almost overpowering, I say almost because I've seen it before, and it is a film known for its "busyness"
I haven't even looked at the second disc yet, looks good!
If you like this film at all, I'd recommend a double dip
I think the question that must be answered here is: WHY are you a hold out?
I'm a holdout for the same reasons most people are holdouts.
First reason: there is no format that is decided upon yet. Refuse to invest money on either one until one is decided upon. UNLESS hybrid players grab hold but then the second reason comes into play...
Second reason: PRICE. Right now if I had to choose I would go HD DVD because of price but while most of my fave movies are available in HD DVD not all of them are so this goes back to the 1st reason.
Fact of the matter is dvd players that upconvert to a good enough job and so do the dish channels that broadcast in hd. Both offer great ways to enjoy my new plasma tv without feeling like I'm missing out. And I'm not even mentioning playing games or renting hd movies on my Xbox360 which is what I use the most on my tv. Everybody has a right to decide how to spend their hard earned cash. I personally don't feel like spending it on either format right now is a wise enough investment.
Are you sure that was for the movie on HD DVD and not just for the movie in general? Wal-Mart was pushing it in October with their own special edition DVD. Besides, the point isn't that Wal-Mart loves Blu-ray. There were a few people here who were laughing that Wal-Mart will make all the difference because they're so into HD DVD, which their Blu-ray ad clearly disproves.
The ad was probably intended just for the movie in general, but they were using the HD DVD copy. Point being, I don't think either that ad or the Blu-Ray player ad says anything about Walmart's allegiance, or lack there-of.
* Elton 60 - Live at Madison Square Garden (Universal Music)
* Masters of Horror: Season One - Vol. Four (Starz)
* Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Fox)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Buena Vista)
* Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid (Eagle Rock)
* Superbad (Sony)
Bite, I'm not quite sure what's the point of your post. Are you saying that BD should have a sales lead because it has more and better releases for that week? IMO, while HD is leading in lower cost 1080i players, they are trailing badly in the release of must-have HDM. For some people player price is more important, for others it's access to more quality titles.
BTW, it looks like the street price of the Sony 300 1080p BD player is settling at $300.
Walter, which version of Blade Runner did you watch? I've only seen the Criterion LD of the original theatre release with the voice-over narration.
Blu-ray Blade Runner The Final Cut.
NO VOICEOVER!
It's the 2007 cut I assume its the same as one of the cuts on the SD-DVD 5 disc set, theres an introduction by Riddly and HE says its HIS favorite cut of all of them.
Been too busy today to manage a look at the SD-DVD* for a quick comparison. and will be stupid busy for the next few days so don't know if or when I will get a chance to compare.
hope that helps.
*can we all please just assume that DVD means SD-DVD? its bad enough having to type H D _ D V D with out having to do it for S D _ D V D as well {rant over}
Walter did you see that 5 disk Blade Runner Ultimate Collector's Edition at amazon? Every cut of the film ever created. Looks cool, but only one of the Disks is actually BR. The rest are DVD.
I think I'm going to get it anyway. It's only like $65.00
Plenty of blame to go around, including people like HMurchison. Go 50 or 60 pages back in this thread and you'll find him gleefully hoping the format war goes on and on and on. He knew even then HD DVD had very little chance of winning, but he outright wrote that he wanted enough of a stalemate that it could hold on until it was too entrenched to be abandoned like DIVX or CED were.
And that's exactly what I'm getting. I'm relatively happy. In fact as I type this there's a banner stating "The future is Blu" and I just laugh. My HD DVD player is fine thank you. I doubt my future is all that Blu.
It's nice to see that consumers are not sheep. Blu-ray is a money grab. It always has been. BD+ has been broken and now sold to Macrovision which means it's dead. Frankly you can pin this SNAFU on the studios. I've never seen a more greedy group..worse than the common street pimp. As I've said..I'll probably buy a BD player next year some time for $250 or less but HD DVD will always win out on titles that ship on both formats. I don't support draconian DRM and money grabs.
Ratatouille is the only CG animated film I own thus far, but I also have 300, Casino Royale, Planet Earth, The Fountain, Paprika, and The Prestige.
I mean, the detail evident may vary depending on the TV you're viewing on, but I've got a 60" 1080p SXRD and as excellent as the Pixar DVD releases look (I own all of them, and the transfers on Cars and The Incredibles made me go 'How much better can HD be?'), Ratatouille is on another level entirely. There are moments where it feels like you could reach through the screen and touch the characters. Never any compression artifacting or unintended blurring resulting from an upsampled DVD image.
I've been trying to find comparable screencaps from DVD, but even with upsampling taken into account there's no comparison between 720x480 SD video and 1920x1080 HD video, especially when both transfers are taken directly from the digital source.
edit: Here we go. Close enough.
(as a comparison, here's a pretty-close-to-the-same image ripped from the DVD transfer)
There is no doubt about HiDef format being better than SD material even in CG animated film, but it doesn't have to look as washed out like the example you're presenting. I'm sure even the PS3 can upscale far better and the standalone players with dedicated video processors would do even better than that.
Anyway, it's hard to deliver comparative images of what's shown from one display on a photo unless it's done in a controlled settings and environment.
I was at a local BB today and one of the Sammy Blu-Ray player demo setup was playing Ratatouille. Even considering the demo display on a torch mode, it looked good. Actually, Shrek on HD-DVD setup had little more 3D pop, though, but I think 3D glossy look on the Shrek HD-DVD was intended.
Bite, I'm not quite sure what's the point of your post. Are you saying that BD should have a sales lead because it has more and better releases for that week? IMO, while HD is leading in lower cost 1080i players, they are trailing badly in the release of must-have HDM. For some people player price is more important, for others it's access to more quality titles.
My post was intended to provide objectivity for those who still seek them. Since, those sales numbers are heavily depending on the weekly releasing titles in all (SD & HD) Movie discs market.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldCodger73
BTW, it looks like the street price of the Sony 300 1080p BD player is settling at $300.
It doesn't surprise me. I think at some point I did make a guess that Standalone BD players will drop in price by the year end. And I have also pointed out that the price drop will be mostly to move the inventory and push out all the non-compliant BD-profile 1.1/2.0 hardware. Technically, these standalone BD players are already obsolete since the profile 1.1 should be already be in affect last month?
Isn't profile 1.1 Blu-Ray HDM coming out sometime next year?
BTW, I think Sammy bdp-1400 is $280 shipped from Amazon, another profile 1.0 standalone Blu-Ray player. This is definitely a great deal for BD supporters needing a player at a 2nd location.
And that's exactly what I'm getting. I'm relatively happy.
It's simply incredible that you can write things like this after writing this just over a week ago:
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison
This whole battle has been a fckn farce. Both sides are crowing about sales and eventually winning (which many in this thread suck the swill happily) but the reality is the players aren't moving unless they're giving away heaps of movies when compared to DVD sales.
The economy is not good..housing and fuel prices have stifled alot of entertainment expenditures yet the studios blindly trudge forward with outlandish pricing thinking that low cost "razors" will suddenly make the expensive razorblades more palatable to the public. Wake up.
So you don't think the format war you're so happy continues has anything to do with slowing adoption. 4metta must be talking through his hat for saying he refuses to throw money at either format until there is only one. You are simply unbelievable sometimes.
It's simply incredible that you can write things like this.....
He just blows hot and cold, pulls 180 degree turns in attitude on this thread... I'm afraid you have to get used to it, despite how unbelievable it is sometimes
Comments
The cheapest PS3 costs $399, giving HD DVD the definite edge on price -- which may be critical in achieving a long-term foothold in the market.
there are several BD and HD players that are below 399 and one HD that is below 299
So if you buy an applicable TV (there are lots that comply) you effectively get a BDPS300 for free or a BDPS500 for $200. Plus 5 free Disks. I got the BDPS500 for an additional $199, after the already $300 discounted 42" Bravia TV. Not a bad deal.
Article in my local paper today:
I don't see this war ending soon. What a drag. For the record I'm still a holdout.
I think the question that must be answered here is: WHY are you a hold out?
Plenty of blame to go around, including people like HMurchison. Go 50 or 60 pages back in this thread and you'll find him gleefully hoping the format war goes on and on and on. He knew even then HD DVD had very little chance of winning, but he outright wrote that he wanted enough of a stalemate that it could hold on until it was too entrenched to be abandoned like DIVX or CED were.
Which IMO was a reflection of personal hope that he hadn't made a bad choice in supporting a losing format. Which is quite understandable I suppose, but then if you take the risk of being an early adopter you have to roll with it
It's never been a film that has sat all that well with me, my SD-DVD copy isn't that great a cut (an early version rushed out in about 2000/2001)
But the BD copy has SO much more in the actual film, the story still has its slow deliberate pace, but theres more explanation that goes on, its the first version that I've seen that REALLY makes me WANT to watch it again right away. A real classic!
The picture: Well it's a fairly old film, and one review I read of it almost put off my purchase altogether, the reviewer said that it wasn't much of an upgrade from the DVD, it was grainy and soft. All I can think is that they must be losing their eyesight, because its Stunning! Yes in places the CAMERAMAN loses focus, or doesn't quite pull it, but that just means the original film was soft in places, not the transfer. Basically where its sharp its sharp as can be! But in a few close-ups it doesn't quite POP thats a 30 year old film for you, with 30 year old standards.
There seem to be extra little subtle efx dropped in here and there that, for me at least, make it almost like watching a brand new film. The crispness of some scenes and the visual richness of the sets at times are almost overpowering, I say almost because I've seen it before, and it is a film known for its "busyness"
I haven't even looked at the second disc yet, looks good!
If you like this film at all, I'd recommend a double dip
I think the question that must be answered here is: WHY are you a hold out?
I'm a holdout for the same reasons most people are holdouts.
First reason: there is no format that is decided upon yet. Refuse to invest money on either one until one is decided upon. UNLESS hybrid players grab hold but then the second reason comes into play...
Second reason: PRICE. Right now if I had to choose I would go HD DVD because of price but while most of my fave movies are available in HD DVD not all of them are so this goes back to the 1st reason.
Fact of the matter is dvd players that upconvert to a good enough job and so do the dish channels that broadcast in hd. Both offer great ways to enjoy my new plasma tv without feeling like I'm missing out. And I'm not even mentioning playing games or renting hd movies on my Xbox360 which is what I use the most on my tv. Everybody has a right to decide how to spend their hard earned cash. I personally don't feel like spending it on either format right now is a wise enough investment.
Are you sure that was for the movie on HD DVD and not just for the movie in general? Wal-Mart was pushing it in October with their own special edition DVD. Besides, the point isn't that Wal-Mart loves Blu-ray. There were a few people here who were laughing that Wal-Mart will make all the difference because they're so into HD DVD, which their Blu-ray ad clearly disproves.
The ad was probably intended just for the movie in general, but they were using the HD DVD copy. Point being, I don't think either that ad or the Blu-Ray player ad says anything about Walmart's allegiance, or lack there-of.
Once again, here is the missing release list:
HD DVD
* Arctic Tale (Paramount)
* Battlestar Galactica: Season One (Universal)
* Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid (Eagle Rock)
BD
* 20 Million Miles to Earth (Sony)
* Cast Away (Fox)
* Elton 60 - Live at Madison Square Garden (Universal Music)
* Masters of Horror: Season One - Vol. Four (Starz)
* Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Fox)
* Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Buena Vista)
* Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid (Eagle Rock)
* Superbad (Sony)
Bite, I'm not quite sure what's the point of your post. Are you saying that BD should have a sales lead because it has more and better releases for that week? IMO, while HD is leading in lower cost 1080i players, they are trailing badly in the release of must-have HDM. For some people player price is more important, for others it's access to more quality titles.
BTW, it looks like the street price of the Sony 300 1080p BD player is settling at $300.
Walter, which version of Blade Runner did you watch? I've only seen the Criterion LD of the original theatre release with the voice-over narration.
Blu-ray Blade Runner The Final Cut.
NO VOICEOVER!
It's the 2007 cut
Been too busy today to manage a look at the SD-DVD* for a quick comparison. and will be stupid busy for the next few days so don't know if or when I will get a chance to compare.
hope that helps.
*can we all please just assume that DVD means SD-DVD? its bad enough having to type H D _ D V D with out having to do it for S D _ D V D as well {rant over}
Watched Blade Runner last night O M G !
....................
Walter did you see that 5 disk Blade Runner Ultimate Collector's Edition at amazon? Every cut of the film ever created. Looks cool, but only one of the Disks is actually BR. The rest are DVD.
I think I'm going to get it anyway. It's only like $65.00
http://www.amazon.com/Runner-Five-Di.../dp/B000R6PKP2
Plenty of blame to go around, including people like HMurchison. Go 50 or 60 pages back in this thread and you'll find him gleefully hoping the format war goes on and on and on. He knew even then HD DVD had very little chance of winning, but he outright wrote that he wanted enough of a stalemate that it could hold on until it was too entrenched to be abandoned like DIVX or CED were.
And that's exactly what I'm getting. I'm relatively happy. In fact as I type this there's a banner stating "The future is Blu" and I just laugh. My HD DVD player is fine thank you. I doubt my future is all that Blu.
It's nice to see that consumers are not sheep. Blu-ray is a money grab. It always has been. BD+ has been broken and now sold to Macrovision which means it's dead. Frankly you can pin this SNAFU on the studios. I've never seen a more greedy group..worse than the common street pimp. As I've said..I'll probably buy a BD player next year some time for $250 or less but HD DVD will always win out on titles that ship on both formats. I don't support draconian DRM and money grabs.
Blu-ray is a money grab. It always has been.
Uhhh... it's called Capitalism. Our HDDVD players and discs are also money grabs and always have been.
Ratatouille is the only CG animated film I own thus far, but I also have 300, Casino Royale, Planet Earth, The Fountain, Paprika, and The Prestige.
I mean, the detail evident may vary depending on the TV you're viewing on, but I've got a 60" 1080p SXRD and as excellent as the Pixar DVD releases look (I own all of them, and the transfers on Cars and The Incredibles made me go 'How much better can HD be?'), Ratatouille is on another level entirely. There are moments where it feels like you could reach through the screen and touch the characters. Never any compression artifacting or unintended blurring resulting from an upsampled DVD image.
I've been trying to find comparable screencaps from DVD, but even with upsampling taken into account there's no comparison between 720x480 SD video and 1920x1080 HD video, especially when both transfers are taken directly from the digital source.
edit: Here we go. Close enough.
(as a comparison, here's a pretty-close-to-the-same image ripped from the DVD transfer)
There is no doubt about HiDef format being better than SD material even in CG animated film, but it doesn't have to look as washed out like the example you're presenting. I'm sure even the PS3 can upscale far better and the standalone players with dedicated video processors would do even better than that.
Anyway, it's hard to deliver comparative images of what's shown from one display on a photo unless it's done in a controlled settings and environment.
I was at a local BB today and one of the Sammy Blu-Ray player demo setup was playing Ratatouille. Even considering the demo display on a torch mode, it looked good. Actually, Shrek on HD-DVD setup had little more 3D pop, though, but I think 3D glossy look on the Shrek HD-DVD was intended.
Bite, I'm not quite sure what's the point of your post. Are you saying that BD should have a sales lead because it has more and better releases for that week? IMO, while HD is leading in lower cost 1080i players, they are trailing badly in the release of must-have HDM. For some people player price is more important, for others it's access to more quality titles.
My post was intended to provide objectivity for those who still seek them. Since, those sales numbers are heavily depending on the weekly releasing titles in all (SD & HD) Movie discs market.
BTW, it looks like the street price of the Sony 300 1080p BD player is settling at $300.
It doesn't surprise me. I think at some point I did make a guess that Standalone BD players will drop in price by the year end. And I have also pointed out that the price drop will be mostly to move the inventory and push out all the non-compliant BD-profile 1.1/2.0 hardware. Technically, these standalone BD players are already obsolete since the profile 1.1 should be already be in affect last month?
Isn't profile 1.1 Blu-Ray HDM coming out sometime next year?
BTW, I think Sammy bdp-1400 is $280 shipped from Amazon, another profile 1.0 standalone Blu-Ray player. This is definitely a great deal for BD supporters needing a player at a 2nd location.
And that's exactly what I'm getting. I'm relatively happy.
It's simply incredible that you can write things like this after writing this just over a week ago:
This whole battle has been a fckn farce. Both sides are crowing about sales and eventually winning (which many in this thread suck the swill happily) but the reality is the players aren't moving unless they're giving away heaps of movies when compared to DVD sales.
The economy is not good..housing and fuel prices have stifled alot of entertainment expenditures yet the studios blindly trudge forward with outlandish pricing thinking that low cost "razors" will suddenly make the expensive razorblades more palatable to the public. Wake up.
So you don't think the format war you're so happy continues has anything to do with slowing adoption. 4metta must be talking through his hat for saying he refuses to throw money at either format until there is only one. You are simply unbelievable sometimes.
It's simply incredible that you can write things like this.....
He just blows hot and cold, pulls 180 degree turns in attitude on this thread... I'm afraid you have to get used to it, despite how unbelievable it is sometimes
If I end up owning a HD player, I'm going to buy Blade Runner. Guaranteed.
Looks like Blade Runner is a must buy for HD-DVD player owners based on this review.
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/1040/...unner_cce.html
Perhaps, I should cancel my amazon order and just pick it up locally. hmm....
Uhhh... it's called Capitalism. Our HDDVD players and discs are also money grabs and always have been.
Yeah.... but I like it!
All my new orders are still in the wrapper. Need more time to watch!...