Should I upgrade my DVD to Blu...

Galvasean

Galvasean wrote: »

I'm considering Leon since its also the director's cut. Plus its not too expensive at the moment.

Get it, the transfer is rather good though the sound mix is lacking. The theatrical cut is the better version, the added footage really isnt necessary.

G-Money

I'm wondering should we start a Blu-Ray Recommendation type thread on here. Basically where people can give their recommendations for good and bad Blu-Ray discs.

I know myself that when something comes out on Blu-Ray I have this automatic assumption that the picture quality is going to blow me away, and sometimes it doesn't seem much better than a normal DVD.

Also, what size of TV are people watching their Blu's on? I've a Sony 32" Bravia LCD 1080p television and while I like it, I'm really thinking about upgrading to a 40". A mate of mine has a Samsung TV which is bigger than mine and when we watched Wrestlemania 24 on Blu-ray on his TV, it looked far better than it did on mine. He says his TV is less than 40" but I can't see how it would be. It's much bigger than my Sony.

Galvasean

grandmaster wrote: »

I'm wondering should we start a Blu-Ray Recommendation type thread on here. Basically where people can give their recommendations for good and bad Blu-Ray discs.

Well that's pretty much what this thread has become.

grandmaster wrote:

Also, what size of TV are people watching their Blu's on? I've a Sony 32" Bravia LCD 1080p television and while I like it, I'm really thinking about upgrading to a 40". A mate of mine has a Samsung TV which is bigger than mine and when we watched Wrestlemania 24 on Blu-ray on his TV, it looked far better than it did on mine. He says his TV is less than 40" but I can't see how it would be. It's much bigger than my Sony.

It could be a 37". That's what I've got.

Picked up Heat and Gran Torino for my Dad for Father's Day. The reviews are pretty good. Anyone here watched them on BluRay yet?

jaykhunter

Ya, i think we should make a new Blu-ray thread and make it official.

Official Great/Bad Blu-Ray Transfers thread or something...If we could have the OP updating the first post with the list of good and bad transfers would be really helpful.

I have a 50" plasma in my tiny apt; blu rays in general look stunning; especially since i'm Chorus NTL and they only do standard def i think it's a case of the bigger, the more obvious the difference between HD and SD. Like I can see it on my friends 28" but it's not a huge difference.

Maybe just leave this one going as we've all ready seen opinions differ over releases with some thinking it's a poor disc and others feeling different.

I watch them on a 40" Sony Bravia and watching Transformers on it is just a religious experience. Watched Storm Warning and Sorority Row on Blu on it last night and they looked absolutely stunning, the depth in the picture in Storm Warning was superb.

Galvasean

jaykhunter wrote: »

Official Great/Bad Blu-Ray Transfers thread or something...If we could have the OP updating the first post with the list of good and bad transfers would be really helpful.
.

I'd be wary of such a list since what makes a god transfer is open to interpretation. For example some people say the 300 BluRay transfer is awful as there is too much grain. Others believethe grain is intentional and fits with the style of the film.

Renn

So Boogie Nights is out on blu-ray today but I'm not sure whether to get the UK release one or try and look for a region free US copy. Can anyone confirm if the aspect ratio of the UK release is 1.78:1 (as opposed to the original 2.40:1 ratio)?

krudler

Galvasean wrote: »

I'd be wary of such a list since what makes a god transfer is open to interpretation. For example some people say the 300 BluRay transfer is awful as there is too much grain. Others believethe grain is intentional and fits with the style of the film.

This I've never understood, its clearly a stylistic choice to make the movie look rough, like the pages of a graphic novel, its all digital post production and saturation not crappy film stock. The Hd whores who demand everything by crystal clear with no blemishes annoy me, grain is part of film, simple as. If something is shot digitally and intended to look crystal clear then fair enough, older movies it doesnt bother me at all, grain and bad transfers arent the same thing, when you see something that has loads of artefacting or in the wrong aspect or something thats a pain, but film grain doesnt bother me at all. I think it adds to the movie, I'd be disappointed for old movies to be missing the popping noise and scratches on the print, thats the way you're supposed to watch them.:)

Mackman

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)

foxyboxer

Mackman wrote: »

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

Not perfect but at circa 15 euro not a bad buy. Sound is good.

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.

SK1979

+1 to Inception on Blu-ray. Its a fantastic film and immaculate picture and sound. However thats not too surprising considering how new it is.

Got the Alien Anthology over the Christmas and have watched Alien and Aliens thus far. Both great conversions but particularly Alien, it looks immense. Crystal clear and deep deep blacks in it. The sound has been re-worked too and its dripping in atmosphere.

Another one thats a little more obscure is 30 days of night (I loved the film but its probably not to everyones taste), but the blu-ray is great. The snow setting is brilliant looking, and again really spooky sounds. Well worth checking out.

livlondon

SK1979 wrote: »

Got the Alien Anthology over the Christmas and have watched Alien and Aliens thus far. Both great conversions but particularly Alien, it looks immense. Crystal clear and deep deep blacks in it. The sound has been re-worked too and its dripping in atmosphere.

I got the full box set too and I just couldn't believe the transfer of Alien. It was a totally different film and the colours looked amazing. It honestly felt like it was only made a few years ago.

Can't wait to get Aliens into me tomorrow.

Harrocks

livlondon wrote: »

I got the full box set too and I just couldn't believe the transfer of Alien. It was a totally different film and the colours looked amazing. It honestly felt like it was only made a few years ago.

Can't wait to get Aliens into me tomorrow.

Watched Alien3 the special edition to me the sound was more aggressive on this compared to the 1st 2 discs propably the age.Looking forward to alien ressurrection overall its a fantastic box set.got band of brothers and the pacific box sets to look at yet.

Mike Litoris

Harrocks wrote: »

got band of brothers

Ah dude, you're in for a treat.:)

JohnMearsheimer

Ya, I'd say Band of Brothers is the best blu ray I've seen. Just wish I had a home cinema system to enjoy it even more.

Spunge

I've never watched a blu-ray movie but i'd love if my first one was Sunshine, with a great sound system.

Phony Scott

I have a PS3 with a Theme Scene HD 65 projector and by far the best film I've seen is Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland'. It really is like going to see a film at the cinema. The picture is flawless, and if your making that arguement in the other thread about CGI looking poor, you really need to see this film in HD, the CGI characters look seamless in 720p (my projector can't do 1080p). Shame really, because the film itself is awful. :rolleyes:

Renn

That's one major thing that's missing from the whole experience for me - a proper sound system. How much would a decent system set you back?

Mike Litoris

I got this recently. 5.1 sound ads a whole other dimension to movies.

http://richersounds.ie/asp/product.asp?objectid=938&mode=0&categoryid=3&sub=26&productid=1035&c=1

€375

Harrocks

Renn wrote: »

That's one major thing that's missing from the whole experience for me - a proper sound system. How much would a decent system set you back?

Definitely you need the sounds aswell as the picture for the 100% experience of blu-ray.If you can afford it go for an amp/reciever and speakers rather than an out of the box system.