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Blu-ray Releases

Started by Artemis, June 07, 2010, 03:21:23 PM

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Artemis

So about ten days ago I bought myself a blu-ray player (LG BD370). I was a little sceptical about it to be honest. I was one of those who thought DVD was actually pretty good and that it wouldn't get much better, certainly not enough to warrant the expense of a full HDTV and player. But I got a couple of good deals so I thought 'what the heck'.

Having bought a few movies, I have to say, I have completely converted. The clarity, detail and depth of a good blu-ray movie is sometimes literally breathtaking. Now ordinary DVD can be noticeably poor by comparison, something I never expected to feel. I can't imagine myself buying anything  on DVD I think will be released on bluray again.

This is best watched in high definition (well, 720p). It doesn't do it justice but gives a good idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cddK2HbWkSs

I know there's a thread for High Def, and one for old movies that have been transferred, but it'd be good to have a thread to discuss current, future and ongoing bluray purchases. I'm aware that not all bluray discs are consistently brilliant and some are downright poor, so recommendations and warnings would be great.

I now have the following on blu-ray: Precious, Baraka, Forrest Gump, Minority Report & Dumb & Dumber.

So far I've only watched the first two, but they're all supposed to be decent. I've seen screencaps of Avatar, and it looks extraordinary.

A really good page which ranks blurays on picture quality can be found here, and each movie/release links to the HDdb, which in turn links to all the reviews. A really helpful resource.

What's your experience with blu-ray?

Artemis

Here's a good DVD/BD comparison video for Avatar - it's a bit clumsy but you can see the difference...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noi_epW-bNk

Slaaaaabs

Best comparison I've seen is this very large I, Robot image... http://plastik.hu/media/irobot-4fele.jpg

Artemis

See I tend to be sceptical about screenshots because the DVD capture always seems to look worse than usual, and I suspect it's because whoever posted it wants to exagerrate the difference. But when you've seen a bit of HD, you can honestly tell that SD isn't very clear. I was watching a DVD the other day and imagining how much better it would look on BD.

Does anybody have any Pixar blu-rays? They're supposed to be immense.

Pseudopath

Quote from: Artemis on June 07, 2010, 04:32:16 PM
Does anybody have any Pixar blu-rays? They're supposed to be immense.

I've only got WALL-E, but the level of detail (especially in the wide-angle shots of WALL-E trundling around) is unreal. It's also much easier to pick out the little background gags and in-jokes Pixar love to scatter throughout their movies.

Glebe

I snapped up the Minority Report steelbook (with art cards) last week, just watched it the other night, friggin' amazing transfer. Also picked up Casino and Pan's Labyrinth in a sale. Ooh yeah, some details on the US release of the Evil Dead here.

papalaz4444244

Quote from: Artemis on June 07, 2010, 03:21:23 PM
So about ten days ago I bought myself a blu-ray player (LG BD370).

I'm intending to buy that same player. Do you recommend it? Does it work well with DivX, HD DivX and MKV files?

I went to Richer Sounds today and, as usual, I knew a LOT more about the machine than the staff. They could not answer any of my questions. Twats.

biggytitbo

Ooohh how long has Minority Report been out? I'll have to get myself that! I'm looking forward to the Wicker Man which is out soon too.

Santa's Boyfriend

I thought the Wicker Man wasn't out for months.

There's so many films I now want to rent on Blu-Ray (can't realistically afford buying them right now) that aren't out yet.  It's probably going to take them a long time to wade through the big releases until they get to some of the more interesting ones.  I was thinking the other day I'd love to have a really crisp HD version of 1984.  It's a superb adaptation of the book.  Still, it's a fair bet that anything new coming out now will also make it to Blu-Ray, no matter how obscure the title.

I wonder if it'd be worth having a HD version of the Battle of Algiers?  It's so grainy and messy to begin with I wonder if you'd gain anything at all.

the midnight watch baboon

Hellboy 2 is the best Blu transfer I've so far seen. Though Fight Club, Zodiac, Shoot 'Em Up are pretty hot too. x

PAGATRON

I recommend Star Trek and the Dark Knight too. Also everyone in the BD community raves about Planet Earth and Baraka.

El Unicornio, mang

This site: http://www.blubeaver.ca/ is ace for checking out blu ray reviews, as it does incredibly detailed technical specs, and comparisons between the different formats with loads of screen grabs.

Quote from: PAGATRON on June 07, 2010, 11:28:31 PM
I recommend ... the Dark Knight

Actually this movie kind of bothered me in Blu, because the IMAX scenes (which are sometimes just a few seconds) go fullscreen, while the rest of the film is in letterbox. It's weird when it's just the Batman in China scene, but when it's just the shot of the Joker escaping the police station sticking his head out of the window it's just annoying. Definitely understand why they're talking about filming the whole movie in IMAX this time round.

I also recommend Star Trek, but I equally recommend the box set of the original 6 Trek films. Star Trek 2, in particular, looks absolutely jaw dropping (in fact, it was the only positive thing I had to say about the movie, I'd rate it behind all the movies except The Final Frontier on this most recent revisiting). The rest of them are equally enjoyable to see at such detail, but the 2nd is the only one that got a complete remaster, the rest just got a good transfer.

Nik Drou

I find that animation generally benefits the most from high definition, particularly the Pixars.  Aside from that, 'There Will Be Blood' is one that really impressed me, particularly in the first 20 minutes or so.  Basically, any movie that is effects-driven and/or you consider to have great cinematography will probably make the most use out of the format.

Anyone have movies they want, but aren't available on blu-ray yet?  I'm very fond of 'Pleasantville', which is a perfect 'show off your telly' movie, but there's still no release date.  I also recently saw a documentary on 'Heaven's Gate', the notorious flop that more or less ruined United Artists and is currently awaiting reissue.  What's intriguing is that its then-gargantuan total budget was almost entirely down to director Michael Cimino doting on every scene to the point of insanity. It means that every cent of it is up on screen, from wonderful establishing shots and immense period detail.  I could well deem it a pretentious mess by the end, but this sequence is fantastic and I'd like to see it in the best available definition, please:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqTgpQkbMEE&

Artemis

Quote from: papalaz4444244 on June 07, 2010, 08:37:09 PM
I'm intending to buy that same player. Do you recommend it? Does it work well with DivX, HD DivX and MKV files?

I've not had it long enough to recommend it really, but it seems good - it looks the part, loads up discs really quickly and has a sumptuous backgroudn menu. The BD390 is a 'step up' but only because you're paying for network file streaming and internet stuff that personally I'd use maybe twice then never use again. The actual machine build is the same on both models, and the 390 is a load more money.

I caved in and ordered Up last night - my first Pixar blu, and I can't wait.

Quote from: Nik Drou on June 08, 2010, 02:44:33 AM
I find that animation generally benefits the most from high definition, particularly the Pixars.  Aside from that, 'There Will Be Blood' is one that really impressed me, particularly in the first 20 minutes or so.  Basically, any movie that is effects-driven and/or you consider to have great cinematography will probably make the most use out of the format.

Anyone have movies they want, but aren't available on blu-ray yet?  I'm very fond of 'Pleasantville', which is a perfect 'show off your telly' movie, but there's still no release date.  I also recently saw a documentary on 'Heaven's Gate', the notorious flop that more or less ruined United Artists and is currently awaiting reissue.  What's intriguing is that its then-gargantuan total budget was almost entirely down to director Michael Cimino doting on every scene to the point of insanity. It means that every cent of it is up on screen, from wonderful establishing shots and immense period detail.  I could well deem it a pretentious mess by the end, but this sequence is fantastic and I'd like to see it in the best available definition, please:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqTgpQkbMEE&

papalaz4444244

Quote from: Artemis on June 08, 2010, 11:09:42 AM
I've not had it long enough to recommend it really, but it seems good - it looks the part, loads up discs really quickly and has a sumptuous backgroudn menu. The BD390 is a 'step up' but only because you're paying for network file streaming and internet stuff that personally I'd use maybe twice then never use again. The actual machine build is the same on both models, and the 390 is a load more money.

I caved in and ordered Up last night - my first Pixar blu, and I can't wait.
OK Cheers.

VegaLA

I see like 'Zombie flesh Eaters' in 2004, another Fulci movie gets released in the same month by two seperate companies.
'City of the Living Dead'.

Here in the US Blue underground have released it, with the original UK artwork from its original release on Betamax back in 1980(ish).

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/City-of-the-Living-Dead-Blu-ray/9535/

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/3021/cityofthelivingdead.html

Unfortunatly I can't get on to the Melon Farmers site to check the Arrow release in the UK, which one review claims trumps the Blue underground release. Does anyone know of a worthy site to check up on?

Quote from: VegaLA on June 08, 2010, 10:14:11 PM
I see like 'Zombie flesh Eaters' in 2004, another Fulci movie gets released in the same month by two seperate companies.
'City of the Living Dead'.

Here in the US Blue underground have released it, with the original UK artwork from its original release on Betamax back in 1980(ish).

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/City-of-the-Living-Dead-Blu-ray/9535/

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/3021/cityofthelivingdead.html

Unfortunatly I can't get on to the Melon Farmers site to check the Arrow release in the UK, which one review claims trumps the Blue underground release. Does anyone know of a worthy site to check up on?

That there Blu Beaver site reckons the Blue Underground release is the better of the two:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews51/city_of_the_living_dead_blu-ray.htm

Glebe

Watched Pan's Labyrinth the other night, a definite step up from the standard definition. Strong on detail and rich in colour, particularly in the outdoor sequences. I still have Casino to watch... oh, and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button has been sitting there for a while - and I haven't watched the Extended Cut of Sin City yet!

VegaLA

That's the fucker! Do you choose the best picture quality version or the package with the best extras?
DL the best quality version and buy the one with the extras.
Sorted!

Artemis

Hugely exciting bluray news this morning: Back To The Future Bluray Announced!

Now with an official October 26th release date confirmed.

Lee

Watched Ponyo on blu ray last night, looks absolutely beautiful. And it comes with a free Four Lions poster, weirdly.

An tSaoi

Apparently there was a spot of controversy when William Friedkin messed around with the colour on The French Connection Blu-Ray, and the cinematographer isn't best pleased. Does anyone have it, and how good/bad is it? It's quite a grainy film anyway, so is it worth upgrading?

Glebe

Yay! MP & The Holy Grail up for pre-order at Amazon! Won't be stunning in HD, but a resonably reverent transfer would be perfectly satisfactory.

New US release of Predator is getting a kicking at the moment, over it's excessive use of Digital Noise Reduction. Interesting piece over at The Digital Bits:

"Here's a screenshot from the new Blu-ray to illustrate what I'm talking about (the original image is here, and all credit due to whoever posted it). The last time I saw the Governator's cigar-chomping mug polished up this shiny was at the Hollywood Wax Museum. His shirt is so smooth it looks like Mattel molded it for Mr. Potato Head. If you're not fully sickened by this, what kind of film fan are you? Now, if the film in question were Plastic Man, that'd be one thing. But trust me, this is NOT how Predator was EVER intended to look..."


biggytitbo

That seems to be what a lot of studios are doing with catalogue titles these days, just shoving them on a disc with no restoration other than an aggressive DNR process. Lazy, and cheap.

Slaaaaabs

It looks like that terrible CGI Arnie from Terminator Salvation.

biggytitbo

He'd probably welcome it looking at the state of him these days.

Glebe

Got the limited Dr. Manhattan head-thing Blu-ray in HMV yesterday. It's a bit ridulous looking, but it was only 13 euro. There's a Rorsharch one as well, which I'd have preferred if I saw it.



Considering getting US-only Ultimate Cut on import at some stage... it's region free, fortunately.

papalaz4444244

Quote from: biggytitbo on July 01, 2010, 10:34:59 AM
That seems to be what a lot of studios are doing with catalogue titles these days, just shoving them on a disc with no restoration other than an aggressive DNR process. Lazy, and cheap.
This is precisely what is still keeping me from making the BD leap. I suspect Doctor Who Series 5 Blu-Ray might be my cue to go down this route. Although I still don't know if these episodes were FILMED in 1080p resolution or will we just get a 720p image upscaled to 1080p? (i.e. NOT really 1080p)