I know that Animatrix is available in HD as I saw the HD presentation of it on TNT HD some time ago when they showed the Matrix trilogy in HD.

Why is everyone assuming it is not in HD on the Ultimate Matrix collection?

Where was this confirmed? I believe that it will be included in the HD version on the Ultimate collection. I have no reason to believe it will not be.

If anyone can dispute this with facts, please post.

Bill Hunt reported this:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa134.html#mat1

Bill Hunt reported this:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa134.html#mat1


From the website, it says "For the record, Warner has told us that ALL of the extras are standard-definition video only, including The Animatrix shorts."

If this is true, I don't see why not? The HD version of The Animatrix looked great on TNT HD. Some of the concepts/ideas in this was even better than the actual sequels (Reloaded and Revolution).

I am still not convinced with this Bill Hunt. What's his track record? How reliable are his sources? In an earlier report, he stated that the Ultimate Matrix Collection was going to be 8 discs. This turned out to be untrue.

I would find it odd if Warner doesn't include the Animatix in HD, I mean they made a couple of their Looney Tunes cartoons HD for their "Robin Hood" release.

I would find it odd if Warner doesn't include the Animatix in HD, I mean they made a couple of their Looney Tunes cartoons HD for their "Robin Hood" release.

exactly. If Bill is right, then I'd be puzzled with Warner's take on the "Ultimate" part of the collection...

This is a deal-breaker for me. I don't care about all the extras but if Animatrix is in HD I will gladly pay an extra $15 for the Ultimate Edition. Until then, I'll stick with just the movies.

The whole Animatrix thing not being being HD or is going to be HD is keeping me from pre-ordering. If its officially only coming in SD format then i will skip the UMC and just get the movie trilogy instead in HD. No point of paying an extra $14-15 for another disc of extras that aren't in HD when i already have its SD version in my old UMC collection. You would think they could/would make them HD as they were mini movies and not really extras themselves

Well, there were some extensive cut scenes filmed for the "Enter The Matrix" 1080i game (on the original Xbox) that will be included as extras, but only as 480p. These could also have been released in HD, but sadly will not. It doesn't surprise me at all the Warner would release everything but the three movies in 480p. Considering the way that these are selling, they're saving money not producing the extras and Animatrix in HD. Maybe they'll double dip down the road and release the Animatrix in HD.

I'll pick up just the movies and keep my SD box set unless something definitive comes along to change that strategy.

Well, there were some extensive cut scenes filmed for the "Enter The Matrix" 1080i game (on the original Xbox) that will be included as extras, but only as 480p. These could also have been released in HD, but sadly will not. It doesn't surprise me at all the Warner would release everything but the three movies in 480p. Considering the way that these are selling, they're saving money not producing the extras and Animatrix in HD. Maybe they'll double dip down the road and release the Animatrix in HD.

I'll pick up just the movies and keep my SD box set unless something definitive comes along to change that strategy.

See to Me warner has taken better care of its releases then anyone even Universal. They are also the least likely to double dip (they tend to sell different packages with the same movie on it but those are intended for people who don't already own them) so for me It would seem like a pretty sizable oversight not to include HD animatrix if it is available in HD because this is really the only legit time to do it. I mean its almost half a movie itself once all the episodes are counted up.

Half a movie? It's 102 minutes. An hour and 42 minutes. That's longer than most movies.

Is there a way that we can email Warner to ask them for an HD version of Animatrix?

Is there a way that we can email Warner to ask them for an HD version of Animatrix?
I emailed them Sat about it, haven't heard back yet. Has anyone asked Amir if he knows, or could find out for us?

I don't think most of you realize that many of the shorts on Animatrix were not originally made for HD. They were mastered in SD.

So what we have here is a situation where WB can't win. If they released Animatrix on HD, everyone would bitch that some of it looks horrible.

This is a deal-breaker for me. I don't care about all the extras but if Animatrix is in HD I will gladly pay an extra $15 for the Ultimate Edition. Until then, I'll stick with just the movies.

Yep. I'll buy the Ultimate Collection only if the Animatrix is HD. If they just want to sell me three HD-Combo discs and two DS DVD's, I'll pass on the "Ultimate" collection.

HD Animatrix means "Ultimate" for me. SD means the complete trilogy...

I don't think most of you realize that many of the shorts on Animatrix were not originally made for HD. They were mastered in SD.

So what we have here is a situation where WB can't win. If they released Animatrix on HD, everyone would bitch that some of it looks horrible.
Even though this is likely true, where is your source confirming this? I know Last Flight of the Osiris was shown in theaters and didn't look SD at all. If that exists on a film print, it was mastered at higher than 480i/p.

I don't think most of you realize that many of the shorts on Animatrix were not originally made for HD. They were mastered in SD.Wrong. (http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/TechTips.php?item=HD+Productions+Listing) Shot in HD, transferred to 35mm film.

Good find.

It should be obvious from the DVD that the Animatrix source is not capped at 480p. These were put on film, and the quality shows. As for Final Flight of the Osiris, this was shown in theaters, and produced bySquare. Square would not limit the resolution of their digital file at 480p! Plus, TNT did show the whole thing in HD.

I will only preorder when we get concrete info on the Animatrix.

Wrong. (http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/TechTips.php?item=HD+Productions+Listing) Shot in HD, transferred to 35mm film.

People keep pointing others to that like its the Holy Grail. 5 Different companies made the 9 episodes. 8 of them were really outside a few select showings exclusive to a website before getting its own DVD release and each of the 5 did the animation different ways. How do we know that the information their doesn't just apply to the largest and most expensive episode Flight of the Osiris.

It should be obvious from the DVD that the Animatrix source is not capped at 480p. These were put on film, and the quality shows. As for Final Flight of the Osiris, this was shown in theaters, and produced bySquare. Square would not limit the resolution of their digital file at 480p! Plus, TNT did show the whole thing in HD.

I will only preorder when we get concrete info on the Animatrix.

I am not questioning the very large and probably very correct statement that Flight of the Osiris was more then likely done in HD. But how does the fact that any of these were put on film prove the original resolution. My favorite commercials (Trunk Monkeys) were once on film, but I can promise you those were almost all hot on DV at 480.

What animation studio would have artists sketching away on Wacom tabs using a mere 720x480 canvas, or scan tactile media elements in at only 720x480?

If Warner did not order up an HD master, they were being very unusually short-sighted, and could still strike an HD master from the original elements.

Anything drawn on paper or cells could be re-scanned, and anything that was drawn into the computer I can almost guarantee you was using a canvas at a resolution much higher than 720x480 (likely much higher than 1080x1920.)

I think the most telling proof that the Animatrix is in SD is economics. If Warner went to the trouble to create an HD master for this and then created a HD DVD with it then they would be charging more than $20 retail for all of that plus an additional 6 sides of content.

Also from a marketing perspective they would be highly touting this as another reason for you to dip again...

The fact that the official release went to all of the trouble to mention the IME features and all of the extra content but did not mention Animatrix in HD should really speak for itself... Warner has a pretty good marketing department... they tend not to leave money on the table.

So far I've seen a few things indicating that The Animatrix had an HD master for the whole thing. Not ONE piece of info. mentioning the masters were done at 480SD yet people keep saying that as if they had facts. BUt they are just assumptions.
This new site states that the film "THE ANIMATRIX" was HD. Not that only one segment was. It states "THE ANIMATRIX" This site seems very intent on being accurate from a bit of reading.
They showed 2:35-1 35mm film prints of the whole film. Do you know what 480 res. looks like blown up that big at that ratio? Would look worse than the hi-8 video footage from The Blair Witch Project as that was 4x3. 480sd res.
Why would they even HAVE a theatrical showing then if only one segment looked good and the rest looked like hell?
Why does anyone keep assuming that the masters are only 480? This was done in 2003, not 1993.

I mean, maybe I and the others are wrong but so far all evidence back up what we're thinking and there is NO evidence supporting the Sd master theory.

I think WB just considers "The Animatrix" an extra. The extras are in SD.

Here is a screen shot from the Hd broadcast of Final Flight of the osiris on TNT-HD. Looked pretty good w/5.1 DD. I have two of the other shorts as well, but would love to have all of them on HDDVD or Blu.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/2541/vlcsnap892113ng1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

That TNT shot looks sort o like a decent 480 uponvert, but I am certain that segment was created in resolution beyond HD.

I think the most telling proof that the Animatrix is in SD is economics. If Warner went to the trouble to create an HD master for this and then created a HD DVD with it then they would be charging more than $20 retail for all of that plus an additional 6 sides of content.

Also from a marketing perspective they would be highly touting this as another reason for you to dip again...

The fact that the official release went to all of the trouble to mention the IME features and all of the extra content but did not mention Animatrix in HD should really speak for itself... Warner has a pretty good marketing department... they tend not to leave money on the table.

I agree with all of this, but there have been cases where Warner heard the outcry of fans and changed course. There have also been cases where their press releases omit key elements which are brought to light at a later date (such as lossless TrueHD audio on Superman Returns.)

My hope is that if they really were short-sighted enough to not strike an HD master, that they have seen the response from he fans and are quietly working on adding an HD Animatrix to the set and will blame a press release error for the misunderstanding, claiming it was going to be in HD all along (even if that's not the case.)

:)

Yea, I'm undecided as to which box set to buy now. The Animatrix was going to be the main reason for the ultimate but I already have that one on regular DVD.

I'll def be picking up one of the two sets though.

So far I've seen a few things indicating that The Animatrix had an HD master for the whole thing. Not ONE piece of info. mentioning the masters were done at 480SD yet people keep saying that as if they had facts. BUt they are just assumptions.
This new site states that the film "THE ANIMATRIX" was HD. Not that only one segment was. It states "THE ANIMATRIX" This site seems very intent on being accurate from a bit of reading.
They showed 2:35-1 35mm film prints of the whole film. Do you know what 480 res. looks like blown up that big at that ratio? Would look worse than the hi-8 video footage from The Blair Witch Project as that was 4x3. 480sd res.
Why would they even HAVE a theatrical showing then if only one segment looked good and the rest looked like hell?
Why does anyone keep assuming that the masters are only 480? This was done in 2003, not 1993.

I mean, maybe I and the others are wrong but so far all evidence back up what we're thinking and there is NO evidence supporting the Sd master theory.

I think WB just considers "The Animatrix" an extra. The extras are in SD.


link please.

the screencap above looks like upconvert of sd material.

want to see some hd animation?

http://i.yimg.jp/images/evt/5cm/teaser8000k1280_720.wmv

The whole Animatrix thing not being being HD or is going to be HD is keeping me from pre-ordering. If its officially only coming in SD format then i will skip the UMC and just get the movie trilogy instead in HD. No point of paying an extra $14-15 for another disc of extras that aren't in HD when i already have its SD version in my old UMC collection. You would think they could/would make them HD as they were mini movies and not really extras themselves


that's basically the correct take. if you already have the extras, no need to re-purchase them unless you want it all in one neat box.

animatrix is not hd.

animatrix is not hd.As I posted above, the Digital Cinema Society disagrees (http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/TechTips.php?item=HD+Productions+Listing). And before the bellyaching about "who the hell are they" begins, here's who is a part of the Society:
We now have an international membership of over 2,000 and count some of the top filmmaking, technology, and business leaders in the Entertainment Industry among our membership, proudly serving as a conduit for these diverse disciplines to work together. Academy Award winning Filmmakers such as Michael Mann and Frank Marshall, are joined by dozens of ASC Cinematographers, ACE Editors, leading Technologists, and top management from almost every important business in the Entertainment Industry.

http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/TechTips.php?item=HD+Productions+Listing


link. Animatrix listed, cinematographic process, HDTV.
Also says so on IMDB.com.

Warner probably put it on as SD material to save costs and make the ultimate edition more profitable.

That screencap is definently upconverted SD. HD anime looks supersharp and ultra clean. Checkout Stand Alone Complex or Ergo Proxy, thats what HD anime is supposed to look like.

Alot of high profiles in Japan are now broadcast in HD.

Like others have said, The Animatrix not being in HD is the deal breaker for me. I already own the SD Ultimate set and the only thing I want now are the films in HD. Warner get The Animatrix in HD and I'm sold but until then its the movie only set for me.

http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/TechTips.php?item=HD+Productions+Listing


link. Animatrix listed, cinematographic process, HDTV.
Also says so on IMDB.com.


i'd like to hear it from the horses mouth. lists can contain errors due to the sheer size and scope of it. imdb isn't foolproof either. sometimes one gets it wrong and others just compound the mistake.

has anyone ever seen it in hd? not upconverted and can verify?

people saw the whole thing on 35mm film. At 2:35-1. 480SD video blown up that big looks HIDEOUS. Also this was made in 2003, not 1993.

http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/TechTips.php?item=HD+Productions+Listing

http://imdb.com/title/tt0328832/technical

Since so far there are 2 pieces of evidence stating that this is indeed considered an HD feature, not one shred of evidence that it wasn't, I think the people here guessing are the ones assuming these were SD mastered. Burden of proof for that theory now lies with you guys as 2 pieces of evidence state the opposite. "I think that they were most likely probably mastered at 480..." isn't good enough.

I may be wrong and will eat crow if I am but so far I haven't seen anything to show that I am.
Someone "guessing..." doesn't count.

I posted the screen cap. It is in HD, it's just probably I'm not capturing it right. here is another cap that shows it is in HD and it is in 5.1dd. When i watch it on my 47" westy, it looks pretty nice.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7384/vlcsnap2624969nt4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I posted the screen cap. It is in HD, it's just probably I'm not capturing it right. here is another cap that shows it is in HD and it is in 5.1dd. When i watch it on my 47" westy, it looks pretty nice.

http://img263.imageshack.us/ (http://imageshack.us)


the clearly an upconvert....... they can say its HD ... coz they are sending you a 1080i signal.. but their source is clearly 480p upconverted.... .. which is not uncommon...

Since so far there are 2 pieces of evidence stating that this is indeed considered an HD feature, not one shred of evidence that it wasn't,

well, the upconverted screencaps suggest an SD source. and unless you have a screencap of the theater showings, you really can't verify the resolution of those. afterall, the "HD" tv screencaps were posted as proof of high resolution when they are obviously NOT.

also, 2003 was before mainstream HD - meaning cell animation would have been much more expensive at HD than it is now.

I emailed the president of the digital cinema society, linked earlier here.
This was his reply...

"Hi David,
I'm sorry, but I don't have any inside info on The Animatrix. I just looked on IMDB, hoping that some of the crew might be Digital Cinema Society members, but didn't recognize anyone.
My guess would be that it was definitely mastered in HD, anything less over the last few years would be very unusual, but I don't have definitive info.

All The Best,
James Mathers
Digital Cinema Society
Mathers@DigitalCinemaSociety.org"


the mystery continues....
But he does seem to think that it would have been HD.

;)

Soooo... even if it wasn't shot in HD, why couldn't a HD transfer be done from the 35mm film? I'm a bit ignorant on the subject of transfers and the like. I always assumed HD movies were created from scans of the film.

I believe that 35mm blowup was made from the digitally sourced files.
The debate is what res. were they done in? I and the pres. of digital Cinema Society think HD most likely. A 35mm blowup at 2:35-1 ratio would look like The Blair Witch Project PQ-wise (color footage from that was shot on hi8 video)
Considering this was 2003, they should have been thinking HD.

I've never even seen it but if it is in HD count me in! :)

Very true that not everything TNT-HD shows is genuinely HD. They upconvert (and badly distort I believe) programs that were originally in SD.
But, even if the presentation on TNT-HD was not from an HD master, that doesn't mean there isn't one.

you would be better off emailing a producer for one of the production companies
or the company that brought it all together.

not to knock the digital cinema society guy but he's got nothing to do with the production.

the screenshot above looks horrible for hd.

From the Warner site:

Pack Info:
Matrix Reloaded (HD/Combo) ( 1 )
Matrix Revolutions (HD/Combo) ( 1 )
Matrix, The (HD/Combo) ( 1 )
Ultimate Matrix Collection, The Bonus Disc (DVD) (Multi-title) (HD Ver.) ( 1 )

Looks HD in my A-1.... :eek:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC05168.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC05167.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC05166.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC05172.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC05177.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/bigfnjoe96/DSC05178.jpg

I think there is a large leap in quality from a regular SD with even an upconvert HD.

Even if a true HD version is not available, I would be happy with a very good upconvert HD that I saw on TNT HD.