I do. No real reason for this thread just felt like sharing. Every disc I buy now I expect to look amazing and I think that sort of takes away the luster. I prescribe a dose of SD for every 10 hours of HD so we can relive those glory moments.

Not me, I still get quite a few wow moments with every HD-DVD I watch. Personally I think your cure is worse then the disease. :D

I just had the "WOW" factor all over again today when I saw what the Looney Tunes shorts on the Robin Hood HD DVD looked like. Holy crap! :)

I have about 600 SD DVDs so every time I look at HD DVD I still find myself paying more attention to the details of the picture than I do the details of the movie.

With HD DVD, I get that WOW experience fairly often. Have you seen Hulk or V for Vendetta??

No, not me either.

Watched "V" last night after watching the SD-DVD about 4 to 5 months ago. Stunning picture and the TRU HD soundtrack played thru 5.1 analog was sharp, tight, clean and powerful. And for an old dude, with a bad case of tinnitus, that is saying a lot.

Steve

I'm talking WOW guys. Not "Oh that's nice." I mean that rush you get knowing you have just experienced the next generation of home video. Imagine yourself letting out an evil cackle because you can see the sweat dripping off Vin Diesel's face. I'm talking new car smell. That's what I miss.

I don't need to watch SD to remind me why I bought HD DVD and BD players. I just watch some broadcast HD occasionally. That reminds me why I can't wait until my next shiny disc arrives from Netflix.

You said you wanted WOW factor :D

http://adult.dvdempire.com/Exec/v1_item.asp?site_id=74&userid=99365143908961&item_id=1274203&tab=

Sweat from who, from where and let's not get into the smell-a-vision thing :D

Steve

Nope, as I still get that Wow factor during most of the movies. There are a few which discs which are better then the DVD, but dont have that "pop". However most of them have that point where you just say look and think "I love HD".

Not me, I still get quite a few wow moments with every HD-DVD I watch. Personally I think your cure is worse then the disease. :D

I'm with Capek on this one. I love having a format where I can actually look for problems on and still not find any. Love it.

I'm talking WOW guys. Not "Oh that's nice." I mean that rush you get knowing you have just experienced the next generation of home video. Imagine yourself letting out an evil cackle because you can see the sweat dripping off Vin Diesel's face. I'm talking new car smell. That's what I miss.
Ya ya! No, I know exactly what you mean. It's what I love best about HD-DVD. That it can make movie watching THAT much fun. Lets see, of the last couple HD-DVDs I've watched [spoilers?]:

Dune: The final attack at the very end where you see thousands of Fremen pouring across the desert, jumping on the backs of dozens of worms, and attacking the emperors forces. It was by FAR the best I'd ever seen that sequence look, and then when the lead guitar comes blaring in, I just starting cracking up and smiling with glee like and idiot.

Assault on Precinct 13: One of the finals scenes where Hawke is stalking Byrne in the woods. That first shot in the woods had this amazing 3D look that totally took me by surprise and reminded me of something I'd only expect to see from a next gen PC game on a really high end PC. I was just like WOW for about a minute.

Ray: Well, no laughing out loud in glee because the movie was so damn depressing, but I was wowwed throughout none the less. It's right up there with the best of them.

There have only been two HD-DVDs that held no WOW Factor for me whatsoever: Tomb Raider, and LotD. But every other title I've watched has given me that WOW rush in varying degrees. Sure, some more then others. But with each movie I'd at least get enough that I'd be able to keep going until I could get my next fix. :D

I like watching the 480 extras on the discs after the movie just to compare the difference in PQ from the actual movie. Makes me feel better and re-affirms that my investment was worthwhile

I'm a HD DVD fan. I watched Training Day last night for the second time (Last time was about 3 months ago) and I was WOW'd. I have the 360 addon and the TRUE HD sound track WOW'd me again also.
Second, I watched HULK last night. Let me tell, I WOW'd through the whole movie. There's lots of close ups that show off HD DVD's PQ.

I've only seen BluRay at local stores. At BB they had the Panasonic BD player hooked to a Sharp Aquos 1080p TV running Superman Returns @ 1080P. I must say that I was far from impressed. The picture was just not sharp and detailed like the HD DVD version of Training Day or HULK.

Just my .02 cents

I was "wow'd" last night.
I rented "Mutiny on the Bounty" a film shot in 1935! I didn't expect much seeing the film is nearly a century old, but I really didn't expect it to look as good as it did. Apparently Warner (and MGM) takes great care of their masters. Not only was the picture quality surprisingly good, but the movie plot is five star.

This certainly gives me hope that other older flicks may also look excellent too. :)

I was "wow'd" last night.
I rented "Mutiny on the Bounty" a film shot in 1935! I didn't expect much seeing the film is nearly a century old, but I really didn't expect it to look as good as it did. Apparently Warner (and MGM) takes great care of their masters. Not only was the picture quality surprisingly good, but the movie plot is five star.

This certainly gives me hope that other older flicks may also look excellent too. :)

That title would've been WOW x10 if those beautiful ladies weren't covered up strategically with leafy tropical foilage...

I have the 360 addon and the TRUE HD sound track WOW'd me again also.The 360 addon reencodes that to DD on the fly before output, so it shouldn't be much of an advantage (and maybe a disadvantage) compared to a DD track encoded professionally. To really get the TrueHD track output as lossless would require one of the standalone HD DVD players and 5.1 analog connectors or HDMI output.
The picture was just not sharp and detailed like the HD DVD version of Training Day or HULK.Reports from people who have compared the HD DVD version (VC-1) of Training Day to the Blu-ray version (MPEG2) are that they are very close.

--Darin

Why not watch a VHS every now and then that HD factor will really impress. Although who even has a player or any movies.
230 lines and hi-fi sound oh yeah..


But anyway my first HDDVD was serinity so it was a top teir movie from the begining. Still looks very amazing. I'd makes watching D* very hard as regular Channels are SVHS and HD channels are upconverted DVDs.

Kong still has that wow factor but I find it difficult to get all the way thew the movie. Its way to long yet misses on many points. As the adveture seems more important then the details. Like how did kong get to NY. Weres all the pepole, the natives the NYers.the ship how'd they fix it.

Well, imo, compared to cable HD, the WOW factor is pretty limited. Still, it's, for the most part, a step above HD movies on cable and air

I agree w/ OP, I'm rarely ever truly WOWed by HD DVD, but that might be b/c I've stepped up my Cable HD viewing time recently.

I'm rarely dissapointed though and far from just complacent...once in a while, you'll get a disc that WOWs like Batman Begins, Serenity, Hulk and Out of Sight

BTW, I think that Mutiny disc was the 60s remake not the 30s original. For a '38 film that wows, pick up Robin Hood - includes a few 30's WB Looney Toons shorts in HD also

I am trying to watch one HD DVD movie then a SD DVD movie back and forth. But I just gave up because I liked them both.

I can see things that I am amazed with with the detail of HD DVD, but the SD upconversion is so good that I'm enjoying watching those movies I have all over again on my huge 110 screen. It's great when I watch a couple related sequals and end with with the HD DVD version like T3.

Even though some PQ has been softer than others (The Perfect Storm etc.) I have enjoyed every HD DVD I have watched.

Almost every HD movie I watch, I have a "wow" moment. I never thought that would happen like that.

In 1997 when I was in Ken Cranes, buying my LDs, I remember they were running a DVD and LD side by side. My thoughts were, the DVD looks like a couple clicks up in clarity from the LD and it probably wouldn't catch on... the movie was "Mars Attacks."

I was watching the LDs on a Mit 4x3 55" RPTV and the LDs looked great. Next came a Panny DVL-700 DVD/LD combi player and now I had the best of both worlds, but the player wasn't a progressive one.

Sold the TV and bought a Mit 65"711 RPTV and had it professionally calibrated by one of the best in the business. I upgraded the DVD player with one of the best ever made for the money IMO, a Panny RP-82.

I had to watch my DVD collection all over again because of the calibration, it made that much of a difference! You have to remember that the RPTVs have one of the best black and contrast levels, so my DVD's looked great.

When I bought my A1, I wasn't expecting a "WOW" factor. I have OTA HD and it comes out pretty damn good looking.

My first HD DVD was "Aeon Flux" and it was great looking, but to me, it was kind of like when I first watched a DVD at Ken Cranes.

I'm sure there are those who say you have to watch it on a Plasma, LDC, DLP to see the difference, I don't believe that. No TV out there gives the pic of a RPTV, but then again, it doesn't matter any more...they stopped making them...* see below is what I'm waiting for!

When you watch it on a professionally calibrated system, there is no "WOW" factor, just a knowing that you're looking at a disc that is the best that can be produced today.

Even watching upscaled SDs on the A1 is nice, but it's been proven (shown here on AVS) that you're not getting a better picture. It might look clearer, but it's actually missing information.

My RP-82 is for my DVDs and my A1 is only for my HDs. I just wish they would come out with more titles, but we'll just have to keep waiting!

Just to let you know, I have never seen a DVD or a HD DVD on a large projected screen in 720p or 1080i. There might be a "WOW" factor there, I don't know.

*SED is an emerging technology that shows promise but has been delayed again and again. It is also expected to be very expensive for a long time after its introduction. For those who don't know, SED is a fixed pixel, flat panel, cold direct view CRT. It has thousands of very tiny CRT's (one for each pixel) that are very small and do not require heating as tubes due. Because of its nature, SED should provide all the benefits of CRT along with all those of fixed pixel; excellent black level, sharp edges, no burn in possible, and a very thin hang on the wall profile. They will also use very little electricity and last upwards of 60,000 or more.

The 360 addon reencodes that to DD on the fly before output, so it shouldn't be much of an advantage (and maybe a disadvantage) compared to a DD track encoded professionally. To really get the TrueHD track output as lossless would require one of the standalone HD DVD players and 5.1 analog connectors or HDMI output.
--Darin
I know about the re-encode of the TrueHD. I can still tell a difference in the sound and it is an improvement over the DD. To my ears at least. I'm very pleased with the addon. I won't buy a standalone, until i can get one for sub $200

I had that wow! christmas day. first let me say that i am (or was) an hd dvd boy. I have the a-1 (6 of 06) and i just got the a-2. I got the sony s1 br. for christmas and watched x-men 3 and the wild. I was in awe. they were the best i've seen so far. Oh, by the way, we watched the hulk hd dvd just before and yes it was awsome too. man this is great, I am a part of both worlds now.

I think Ive gotten use to HD now so the WOW is gone. Oh well

I know about the re-encode of the TrueHD. I can still tell a difference in the sound and it is an improvement over the DD. To my ears at least. I'm very pleased with the addon. I won't buy a standalone, until i can get one for sub $200


I agree, there is a noticeable difference. I don't know why, but there is.

If you don't mind more than a little blood.....check out chapter 12 Blood pool on The Descent BD.
This entire movie has the best dark lit scenes ever in HD....and chapter 12 among others will make you think Wow. :eek:
The 7.1 LPCM audio will also have you thinking Wow.

No, but I have only had my HD player for a week :)