....should be submitted for drug testing. I keep seeing these claims against VC-1. Well, see Happy Feet first and then tell me VC-1 is soft. Happy Feet blows Ice Age II out of the water.

Add the TrueHD(even with a slightly filtered master) track and the downhill avalanche scene and you have true reference. I don't see how anyone who is unbiased can disagree.

....should be submitted for drug testing. I keep seeing these claims against VC-1. Well, see Happy Feet first and then tell me VC-1 is soft. Happy Feet blows Ice Age II out of the water.

Add the TrueHD(even with a slightly filtered master) track and the downhill avalanche scene and you have true reference. I don't see how anyone who is unbiased can disagree.

Its the only movie to get a 5 on video and on audio on hidefdigest. Not even the BD copy got that.

....should be submitted for drug testing. I keep seeing these claims against VC-1. Well, see Happy Feet first and then tell me VC-1 is soft. Happy Feet blows Ice Age II out of the water.

Add the TrueHD(even with a slightly filtered master) track and the downhill avalanche scene and you have true reference. I don't see how anyone who is unbiased can disagree.
I can't wait to get mine.. :(

ill be picking it up tommorow! (hd-dvd)

Its the only movie to get a 5 on video and on audio on hidefdigest. Not even the BD copy got that.

That's because Warner decided not to include the PCM track on BD. It would be SO easy for them to do too. All they'd have to do would be to decode their TrueHD track since it's lossless. :confused:

Had Warner not played favorites and included PCM audio on the BD, both discs would get the same rating.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.

Its the only movie to get a 5 on video and on audio on hidefdigest. Not even the BD copy got that.

You can also see the same results on dvd verdict.

http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/happyfeetbluray.php

http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/happyfeethddvd.php

That's because Warner decided not to include the PCM track on BD. It would be SO easy for them to do too. All they'd have to do would be to decode their TrueHD track since it's lossless. :confused:

Had Warner not played favorites and included PCM audio on the BD, both discs would get the same rating.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.

Shame. There stuck with only BR quality for audio.

One of the Blu-boys is bragging about VC1 on LOTR coming out ....
So its good in some select intances , they flip flop like mad !!

Its the only movie to get a 5 on video and on audio on hidefdigest. Not even the BD copy got that.

"Nine Inch Nails: Beside you in Time" also got 5 for PQ/AQ.

As for Happy Feet, I am SO tempted to buy it blind. I don't have kids and not sure if I'm really into singing and dancing penguins. All this I hear about the video and audio is really tempting me.

Damn you people!!!

Happy Feet blows Ice Age II out of the water.
I'm on my way to get mine in a few, can't wait to pop it in and take a good look, first animated hi-def movie I'll have watched since Ice Age II, and frankly, that did not blow me away, not considering the hype anyway, I loved the rich color, but it was far from perfect, with tons of swiming pixles and other annoyances...so I'm really looking forward to HF. I won't mind the singing and silliness, just looks like good family fun, and I've been needing to add a title or two for that reason...like I'm also hoping Eternal Sunshine can be considered a chick flick (anyone seen it?) as buying that will help smooth over some of these other purchases. ;) :D

I'm on my way to get mine in a few, can't wait to pop it in and take a good look, first animated hi-def movie I'll have watched since Ice Age II, and frankly, that did not blow me away, not considering the hype anyway, I loved the rich color, but it was far from perfect, with tons of swiming pixles and other annoyances...so I'm really looking forward to HF. I won't mind the singing and silliness, just looks like good family fun, and I've been needing to add a title or two for that reason...like I'm also hoping Eternal Sunshine can be considered a chick flick (anyone seen it?) as buying that will help smooth over some of these other purchases. ;) :D

This will be the movie to smooth things over with girlfriend... She yells at me for buying 19.99 HD-DVDs but for 27.99 she does not say a word about Happy Feet.

No, this one she wants and it does not matter, but when I want a movie, its too expensive... Well sure enough, I can only hold her off for so long. Will have to order it today. :rolleyes:

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.

...and EVERYONE with a Blu-Ray player wouldn't be able to enjoy TruHD at all, since none of the players decode it! :confused:

I am not impressed with Ice Age II picturewise - so let's see if Happy Feet on HDDVD can surpass it.

That's because Warner decided not to include the PCM track on BD. It would be SO easy for them to do too. All they'd have to do would be to decode their TrueHD track since it's lossless. :confused:

Had Warner not played favorites and included PCM audio on the BD, both discs would get the same rating.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.

While PCM apparently sounds terrific (from what I read in reviews) and it is a "neat" way of getting around the lack of HD audio decoding standards on BD players, as uncompressed raw audio, is takes up a ton of disk space. The BD release of Happy Feet is on a single layer 25 GB Blu-ray disk, so there was probably not enough disk space to include a PCM track. ;)

...and EVERYONE with a Blu-Ray player wouldn't be able to enjoy TruHD at all, since none of the players decode it! :confused:

Misinformation:
~90% of all BluRay player in the market can decode it... aka PS3 :)
In fact there are far more BluRay player with TrueHD decoding capabilities out there in peoples homes than HD-DVD player ;) So what's your argument again :)

btw I got my Happy Feet HD-DVD today. I agree that it has a MAGNIFICENT VC-1 transfer and the TrueHD track is pure reference.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.
Well technically only for the time being. Once the Elite and subsequent Premium upgrade happens (HDMI addition), those willing to swap or upgrade will (should) be able to enjoy TrueHD with everyone else.

Here's hoping (I'm holding my 2 year replacement plan close praying that the upgraded Premium SKU hits before December).

Oh and I'll be grabbing Happy Feet ASAP

This will be the movie to smooth things over with girlfriend... She yells at me for buying 19.99 HD-DVDs but for 27.99 she does not say a word about Happy Feet.


This is merely a question so please don't take it as an insult.

YOU work and make the money
YOU buy the movie using YOUR money
so why your girlfriend is ticked off about that?... she's not even your wife yet.
what rights does she have to control YOUR money?

:confused: :confused: :confused:

That's because Warner decided not to include the PCM track on BD. It would be SO easy for them to do too. All they'd have to do would be to decode their TrueHD track since it's lossless. :confused:

Had Warner not played favorites and included PCM audio on the BD, both discs would get the same rating.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.
Wouldn't it make more sense to just put the TrueHD track on the BD disc? It will sound the same as a PCM track but take up much less space.

Shame. There stuck with only BR quality for audio.


No sweat.....update coming soon. :D

Wouldn't it make more sense to just put the TrueHD track on the BD disc? It will sound the same as a PCM track but take up much less space.
This is something I hope we see happen more often, not just from Warner but from the Blu-ray exclusive studios as well. PCM is just a stupid waste of space that could be given to extras or at the very least, tossed towards the main video bitrate.

I understand why PCM was used initially, because the players simply didn't support the advanced codecs, but at the moment the PS3 is the de facto BD player, and all the new stand alones coming out should support the lossless compressed codecs. The fantastic Beside You In Time disk has a truehd track, hopefully we'll see more studios pull their heads out of their ass. They've already abandoned Sony's garbage mpeg 2 encodes, now the audio just needs to follow suit

Misinformation:
~90% of all BluRay player in the market can decode it... aka PS3 :)
In fact there are far more BluRay player with TrueHD decoding capabilities out there in peoples homes than HD-DVD player ;) So what's your argument again :)

btw I got my Happy Feet HD-DVD today. I agree that it has a MAGNIFICENT VC-1 transfer and the TrueHD track is pure reference.

Good point! Since 90% of BD Players can decode TruHD, how come no BD studio is using it? Why is Fox using DTS-MA when no player can decode that
format. :confused:

So why did Warner use PCM for the Departed instead of TruHD on BD?

Seems kinda odd.....

I actually like the idea of DTS-ma, because even the core audio is two and a half times the bitrate you get with the standard Dolby Digital. For people without HDMI receivers, this is the best audio available until sony gives the PS3 the ability to transcode PCM =>DTS like the 360 does for TrueHD => Dolby and soon DTS. Once players start supporting DTS-MA for full lossless(soon for the PS3) it'll be even better.

Good point! Since 90% of BD Players can decode TruHD, how come no BD studio is using it? Why is Fox using DTS-MA when no player can decode that
format. :confused:

So why did Warner use PCM for the Departed instead of TruHD on BD?

Seems kinda odd.....

Isn't that because MA offer 24bits/48khz Loseless Encoding vs TrueHD witch is still tuck in 16 bits?

My guess..

I agree with the pq/aq ratings for this movie. It is absolutely fantastic and what I really expected when all the hype over high def discs came out. It is amazingly crisp and simply reference. Amazingly, the movie itself is only around 14 gb.

Good point! Since 90% of BD Players can decode TruHD, how come no BD studio is using it?

Unfortunately this is not true... the Samsung players do not - even the 2nd gen one. Most/all of the first gen players (save the PS3) have no lossless audio decoding, either. It is a frustrating "feature" of BluRay.

Isn't that because MA offer 24bits/48khz Loseless Encoding vs TrueHD witch is still tuck in 16 bits?

My guess..
I am almost certain TrueHD is not stuck at 16 bits. It is essentially Dolby MLP from DVD-A disks, and those were almost all 24bit 96khz.


And for the other comment, even though none of the standalones decode lossless compressed, they are a tiny number of the players next to the PS3 which can.

I am almost certain TrueHD is not stuck at 16 bits.

I'm 100% certain. TrueHD is most certainly cabable of carrying 24-bit audio. It just raises the bit rate over 16-bit or 20-bit.

Has anyone seen banding in underwater and sky scenes of Happy Feet? I'm trying to determine if it is a source issue or an equipment issue.

I have a Benq 8700+ DLP projector, using an HTPC with PowerDVD 6.5 and also using TheaterTek with custom graphs, using DVI connection (8 bit RGB). NVIDIA 7900GT card.

This is merely a question so please don't take it as an insult.

YOU work and make the money
YOU buy the movie using YOUR money
so why your girlfriend is ticked off about that?... she's not even your wife yet.
what rights does she have to control YOUR money?

:confused: :confused: :confused:

No offense taken at all :)

The reason being is that, we are trying to save for a place we are looking to buy. So we try to cut down on non essential expenses.

The argument usually tends to sway toward the fact that she can have her manicure done every week, but buying a movie every week is not the same.

I can essentially tell her to shut up and not bother me about the issue, but where is the fun in that...

We go back and forth on these issues, but ultimately we try to make decisions as a couple.

No offense taken at all :)

The reason being is that, we are trying to save for a place we are looking to buy. So we try to cut down on non essential expenses.

The argument usually tends to sway toward the fact that she can have her manicure done every week, but buying a movie every week is not the same.

I can essentially tell her to shut up and not bother me about the issue, but where is the fun in that...

We go back and forth on these issues, but ultimately we try to make decisions as a couple.

LOL, this sounds like a carbon copy of my relationship....

No offense taken at all :)

The reason being is that, we are trying to save for a place we are looking to buy. So we try to cut down on non essential expenses.

The argument usually tends to sway toward the fact that she can have her manicure done every week, but buying a movie every week is not the same.

I can essentially tell her to shut up and not bother me about the issue, but where is the fun in that...

We go back and forth on these issues, but ultimately we try to make decisions as a couple.

This is texbook woman logic. They will drop $20 easy on a "mani and a pedi" which is tangible but doesn't last beyond a week. Your optical movie disc will last centuries (in a landfill) in many cases. I've never seen a woman trade a manicure for another item or sell their manicure ;)

You're doing good...give her that sense of fulfillment from having a "discussion" about the purchase and slide in some male logic and then move on. My gf has the same hubris. I'll conveniently mention the fact that she has 15 handbags or 20+ pair of shoes just for the thrill of seeing that initial denial phase sweep across her face.

I'm trying to ameliorate the costs of supporting my habit a bit by waiting for movies to come out for purchase. $27 is nothing when you've neatly avoided paying $8.75 x2 plus the obligatory $5 popcorn and $5 drink in the Theatre. I plan to do more cooking at home as well. Thus I've justified my lust for collecting movies. That's the plan stan.

Oh yeah back OT

VC-1 can be as sharp as any codec out there. Peace.

LOL, this sounds like a carbon copy of my relationship....

Not far off myself, and in my case, marriage would be a huge boost, because we already are married in every way, shape, and form. But we're missing out on the taxbreaks :)

(own a house together, joint bank accounts, been together for 7 years)

No offense taken at all :)

The reason being is that, we are trying to save for a place we are looking to buy. So we try to cut down on non essential expenses.

The argument usually tends to sway toward the fact that she can have her manicure done every week, but buying a movie every week is not the same.

I can essentially tell her to shut up and not bother me about the issue, but where is the fun in that...

We go back and forth on these issues, but ultimately we try to make decisions as a couple.

What is this, the Dr. Phil web site?

That's because Warner decided not to include the PCM track on BD. It would be SO easy for them to do too. All they'd have to do would be to decode their TrueHD track since it's lossless. :confused:

Had Warner not played favorites and included PCM audio on the BD, both discs would get the same rating.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.

Played favorites? Just be thankful if you're blu only you got the thing. And if Warner is playing favorites what can we say for Fox, Disney, blah, blah: playing stupid?

Not far off myself, and in my case, marriage would be a huge boost, because we already are married in every way, shape, and form. But we're missing out on the taxbreaks :)

(own a house together, joint bank accounts, been together for 7 years)

Thin about it this way: If you get married, you can use the tax breaks to purchase more HD Content... However, you may have to throw in a small bag, or a pair of shoes into the purchase to avoid a confrontation. Its all about playing the odds.

Ie. If I buy a lot of HD-DVDs the probability of me being screamed at goes up. If I buy some HD-DVDs and a small bag, the probability of me being screamed at, goes waaaay down. Now, I just have to decide whether the incremental probability of the yelling is worth the incremental cost of the bag...

Simple as pie...

Since 90% of BD Players can decode TruHD, how come no BD studio is using it? Why is Fox using DTS-MA when no player can decode that
format.

So why did Warner use PCM for the Departed instead of TruHD on BD?

I realize that this is a rhetorical question. But I'll answer any way. Blu-ray is not, nor has it ever been, a coherent format. That is why there is no agreement on encoding standards, audio standards, interactivity standards, etc. among the studios. HD DVD is brilliantly coherent. Everything about from a design, performance, and economics point of view hangs together and just works right. It was designed from the getgo to be this way. Blu-ray was designed to protect mpeg2 licensing. These fundamental differences in the driving business dynamic is behind all of Blu-ray missteps, bad launches, delays, etc. etc.

Simple as pie...
Are we talking Apple/Cherry? or 3.1415926535897932384626433832795

OK, enough OT discussion :D

I realize that this is a rhetorical question. But I'll answer any way. Blu-ray is not, nor has it ever been, a coherent format. That is why there is no agreement on encoding standards, audio standards, interactivity standards, etc. among the studios. HD DVD is brilliantly coherent. Everything about from a design, performance, and economics point of view hangs together and just works right. It was designed from the getgo to be this way. Blu-ray was designed to protect mpeg2 licensing. These fundamental differences in the driving business dynamic is behind all of Blu-ray missteps, bad launches, delays, etc. etc.
I agree with you there. Blu-ray is a bit of a mess, really. Specs aren't finalized and current stand alone players are already obsolete, even though most cost an arm and a leg.

Has anyone seen banding in underwater and sky scenes of Happy Feet? I'm trying to determine if it is a source issue or an equipment issue.

I have a Benq 8700+ DLP projector, using an HTPC with PowerDVD 6.5 and also using TheaterTek with custom graphs, using DVI connection (8 bit RGB). NVIDIA 7900GT card.
A reviewer over at the 'Spot' stated that he observed banding in those same scenes and blamed it on VC-1 :rolleyes:. My copy will arrive today (another 'first day' score from Netflix! :D) and I will be checking to see if the problem exists with my configuration (XA1->Lumagen HDQ->ISF calibrated Mitsubishi 65813).

This will be my "first" animated movie on this configuration and I really looking forward to it based on the various posts. Nice to feel like a kid again waiting for something good to happen :p!

web

Thin about it this way: If you get married, you can use the tax breaks to purchase more HD Content...

Not sure how you do your taxes, but typically a married couple pays more in taxes than if they were not married... hence the "marriage tax penalty."

Since we are back OT... Can anyone post screen caps from Happy Feet?

I saw the screens from the other thread, but they do not look that good. I suspect it is the camera's fault and not the content...

Not sure how you do your taxes, but typically a married couple pays more in taxes than if they were not married... hence the "marriage tax penalty."

not in Canada. Married couple pays less taxes here. Not by much, but still a "savings" (I don't know which cost more, paying tax as a single person or paying the shrink after I got married) :p

I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie. Based on the reviews to-date, it sounds like this is probably a great movie to show off your setup to friends and family. I haven't seen Happy Feet (though I do enjoy the animated genre), so this was an easy blind buy.

I placed my order with Amazon this morning (for the HD-DVD version), so hopefully it will be here for the weekend...

In the meantime, any screen shots, yet?

In the meantime, any screen shots, yet?Sorry, I wish I had the ability to put some screen captures up.

As for banding, I did not notice any during the underwater scenes. It's possible there was slight banding on the sky scenes, but to be honest, my display is only 46" so it's not as detectable as it is for you guys running a projection home theater. I'll be interested to see some more reviews as people pick up and watch this title today. I was simply blown away by the quality of this title and as i mentioned before, the avalanche scene is absolutely stunning. Anyone with a faily good setup will actually feel like they are in the scene and falling down the mountain with the characters. The audio and visual work together that well.

A reviewer over at the 'Spot' stated that he observed banding in those same scenes and blamed it on VC-1

Yeah, and without comparing to the master, or seeing a different encode with a different codec, you could blame it on sunspots and be just as credible.

Yeah, and without comparing to the master, or seeing a different encode with a different codec, you could blame it on sunspots and be just as credible. :D :D

"Nine Inch Nails: Beside you in Time" also got 5 for PQ/AQ.

As for Happy Feet, I am SO tempted to buy it blind. I don't have kids and not sure if I'm really into singing and dancing penguins. All this I hear about the video and audio is really tempting me.

Damn you people!!!

The movie is not just for kids. I like Robin Williams and I think he is funny. Also you should buy it on HD DVD to truly show off what HD DVD is all about. :D

"Nine Inch Nails: Beside you in Time" also got 5 for PQ/AQ.

As for Happy Feet, I am SO tempted to buy it blind. I don't have kids and not sure if I'm really into singing and dancing penguins. All this I hear about the video and audio is really tempting me.

Damn you people!!!

I said movie so I do have a technicality to get out on, but your right I forgot about that. Which is funny I own that and I might not ever get happy feet.

A reviewer over at the 'Spot' stated that he observed banding in those same scenes and blamed it on VC-1 :rolleyes:. My copy will arrive today (another 'first day' score from Netflix! :D) and I will be checking to see if the problem exists with my configuration (XA1->Lumagen HDQ->ISF calibrated Mitsubishi 65813).

Notice what he used to review it with, a Mitsubishi HC3000 720P DLP Projector
, while HDDigest uses a Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70" LCoS 1080P HDTV and gave a perfect 5 out of 5 for the video picture of Happy Feet.

Notice what he used to review it with, a Mitsubishi HC3000 720P DLP Projector, Crappy reviewer equipment = minus 1/2 paw. :)

Is the HC3000 that bad a projector?

Anyways, I will try to work on screenshots tonight. Unfortunately, smugmug.com does not allow PNG files.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.

Yet...

Yet...

if its connecting to a HTPC with multi-channel audio you can receive trueHD now

Has anyone seen banding in underwater and sky scenes of Happy Feet? I'm trying to determine if it is a source issue or an equipment issue.

I have a Benq 8700+ DLP projector, using an HTPC with PowerDVD 6.5 and also using TheaterTek with custom graphs, using DVI connection (8 bit RGB). NVIDIA 7900GT card.
Yes, there is banding, saw it on my 73" Mits CRT-RPTV. If there is anything good at hiding banding it is a CRT. I have to say the PQ was better in the theater- fabulous. It also doesn't have the 3D look it had at the theater. I'm disappointed. Glad I only rented it. Needs to be done again with less compression AFAIC. Then again, film definitely is better.

I thought it had a 3D look. It was like the characters were going to pop out of the screen. It was gorgeous. Definitely glad I purchased it!

Thin about it this way: If you get married, you can use the tax breaks to purchase more HD Content... However, you may have to throw in a small bag, or a pair of shoes into the purchase to avoid a confrontation. Its all about playing the odds.

Ie. If I buy a lot of HD-DVDs the probability of me being screamed at goes up. If I buy some HD-DVDs and a small bag, the probability of me being screamed at, goes waaaay down. Now, I just have to decide whether the incremental probability of the yelling is worth the incremental cost of the bag...

Simple as pie...

As a guy who has been married 10+ years, you guys are cracking me up. :)
happy wife = happy life

I've been noticing what looks like flickering caused by deinterlacing issues or something. It's always on pans and in areas of very very fine detail. I think because "Happy Feet" has so much minute detail and texture in it, I see it more. Anyone know what I'm seeing and if it's an issue in my player (HD-A1) or is it my TV (JVC FH97 DILA)? I was thinking maybe it's some deinterlacing issue since the HD-A1 is techincally outputting 1080i and then my TV has to change it to 1080p. I am thinking of testing this by renting the Blu-ray version for my PS3, that outputs straight 1080p and seeing if the flickering goes away.

FWIW, I noticed banding on some of the sky scenes and underwater scenes on the Blu-Ray.

I have just seen Happy Feet for the second time. Here is all I have to say...

1. I havenever seen such amazing such a crisp and clear picture from any movie. Now I know thats kind of unfair since this movie was cgi based but..WOW....mountains never looked so good, the fur on the penguins looked so real....I can go on and on....what a visual experience.

2. I'm not sure who the animation team was but seriously.....these guys can hang with PIXAR anyday.

3. Considering that the add-on can'ty pick up TrueHD yet even though I click on it and it sounds very good anyway the sound of the movie was very rich and clear.


I can't say it's my favorite animated movie but I HAVE TO GIVE IT TO WB for making this movie an amazing experience on HD-DVD. Thanx Warner!

I agree, this is the most amazing animation HD has to offer. Three things make this tier 0 for me: the particle effects, the animal texture, and the crisp truehd sound with amazing bass. The Steve irwin tribute is in crisp HD also. This is the animation demo disc to own and the movie is good too.

One of the Blu-boys is bragging about VC1 on LOTR coming out ....
So its good in some select intances , they flip flop like mad !!


Wait, what? LOTR is coming out? When? What format?

Wait, what? LOTR is coming out? When? What format?
New Line Cinema owns the rights to LOTR which is part of Warner Bros. Last reports from New Line were that they would make an announcement about HD support and titles sometime around June. They were rumored to be holding off until June for BD-J completion and THD Disc implementation. BD-J has revised it's standards and moved it's completion deadline out to October 31st. It's anybody's guess if this will change New Line's announcement plans or not. The Matrix release seems to indicate that Warner is getting impatient with the BDA's apparent lack of urgency to finalize BD-J. HDi insiders are skeptical that BD-J will be finalized this year at all, based on their experience finalizing their interactive format last year.

Men! We all know the deal when it comes to women. If you want piece of "something" including mind, you just have to do what is necessary...Women have the power over everything, and we all know why..;) So until you can get your own to do with it , whatever, whenever and wherever you want, let her get her nails done..

FWIW, I noticed banding on some of the sky scenes and underwater scenes on the Blu-Ray.
Yes, too much compression. A movie in 14 Gigs? My HDV camcorder takes up 13 gigs for 1 hour. Those of you who think this is great PQ obviously didn't see it in the theater or saw a not excellent print. I wonder how many gigs the original takes up? Now don't get me wrong, it's not bad I just think it could've been better.

Yes, too much compression. A movie in 14 Gigs? My HDV camcorder takes up 13 gigs for 1 hour. Those of you who think this is great PQ obviously didn't see it in the theater or saw a not excellent print. I wonder how many gigs the original takes up?What are you talking about? This is Tier 0! Did you see the reflections on the penguins? Or their prints in the snow? you are comparing your HD cam's chip based compression to studio based professional mastering compression protocols? Are you one of those VC-1 haters?

Nope, just think it could have been better. BTW, I also have a 1920x1080p LCD that isn't giving me that wow/3d/color palete I saw in the theater either. Maybe there's a lesson here. I should stop going to the theater so much. I hope "The 300" in HD doesn't disappoint me.

A movie in 14 Gigs? My HDV camcorder takes up 13 gigs for 1 hour.HDV and this HD DVD are compressed in two entirely different ways. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison.

Nope, just think it could have been better. BTW, I also have a 1920x1080p LCD that isn't giving me that wow/3d/color palete I saw in the theater either. Maybe there's a lesson here. I should stop going to the theater so much. I hope "The 300" in HD doesn't disappoint me.

Perhaps if you are really looking for movie-theater like experience, you might want to get a Projector.

Nope, just think it could have been better. BTW, I also have a 1920x1080p LCD that isn't giving me that wow/3d/color palete I saw in the theater either. Maybe there's a lesson here. I should stop going to the theater so much. I hope "The 300" in HD doesn't disappoint me.

Just flip the disc over, HD is on the other side... :p

Perhaps if you are really looking for movie-theater like experience, you might want to get a Projector.

or at least professionally ISF calibrate the display and your lighting condition too.

Perhaps if you are really looking for movie-theater like experience, you might want to get a Projector.
I already have a CRT projector on a 73" screen. However, there in lies the problem for me I guess, home theater is not as good as the real thing.

How do I enjoy the TrueHD on this movie there is almost no bass? I was using the 5.1 analog out on my HD-A1 to my Harman Kardon and my sub was turned up more than normal, but yet the avalanche scene had no opmh to it.

I guess I'll need to double check the cables incase I the sub output was knocked out. And I did turn on sub and set all speakers to small in the player's setup.

I already have a CRT projector on a 73" screen.

is it properly calibrated and convergence set by an ISF technician? if yes, then when did the last time you calibrate it? If you calibrate the projector less than once a year, then you're missing out a lot.

is it properly calibrated and convergence set by an ISF technician? if yes, then when did the last time you calibrate it? If you calibrate the projector less than once a year, then you're missing out a lot.
Thanks for the concern but there is nothing wrong with my set. It has the best picture I have ever seen. Easily beating out my 1080p LCD. But like I said, it is NOT a good commercial theater, no home display is. To get back to the original post, yes, the picture is sharp. I agree with that. I've seen seen HD-DVD and BR that looks better (closer to the theater) but they weren't animation.

Ok, just watched this movie for the first time. Watched it on HD DVD. Hoooooly CRAP that is one BEAUTIFUL PICTURE!!!

I have to ask because I honestly couldn't tell....are the humans in this movie CGI or Live-action?? Seriously...if that's CGI...well....there are no words...

Bill does fit the VC-1 hater profile. Whose opinions usually differ from the experts are are often fed FUD via PMs from BD supporters regarding issues with VC-1 transfers. At least I hope he actually saw the movie before posting his thoughts. One never knows ;)

New Line Cinema owns the rights to LOTR which is part of Warner Bros. Last reports from New Line were that they would make an announcement about HD support and titles sometime around June. They were rumored to be holding off until June for BD-J completion and THD Disc implementation. BD-J has revised it's standards and moved it's completion deadline out to October 31st. It's anybody's guess if this will change New Line's announcement plans or not. The Matrix release seems to indicate that Warner is getting impatient with the BDA's apparent lack of urgency to finalize BD-J. HDi insiders are skeptical that BD-J will be finalized this year at all, based on their experience finalizing their interactive format last year.


Tanks!! :D

Bill does fit the VC-1 hater profile. Whose opinions usually differ from the experts are are often fed FUD via PMs from BD supporters regarding issues with VC-1 transfers. At least I hope he actually saw the movie before posting his thoughts. One never knows ;)
Your kidding, right. God forbid someone should have a different opinion.

I thought the movie looked great. I am watching on a 1080p Sony Ruby and Pearl. Beautiful results here. Amazing transfer in my opinion! Not sure how it can get better??

I thought the movie looked great. I am watching on a 1080p Sony Ruby and Pearl. Beautiful results here. Amazing transfer in my opinion! Not sure how it can get better??
Well not to mention all the ways I think it can be better but one is elimination of banding which equates to too much compression and not large enough color pallete to me.

Bill does fit the VC-1 hater profile. Whose opinions usually differ from the experts are are often fed FUD via PMs from BD supporters regarding issues with VC-1 transfers. At least I hope he actually saw the movie before posting his thoughts. One never knows ;)
You know what happens when you feed them :)

As long as your opinion was formed after seing the movie and not before (as I suspect yours to be, perhaps you're reading the BD thread) :)

As long as your opinion was formed after seing the movie and not before :)
Again, you're kidding right? How could I have an opinion if I haven't seen it in the theater and on HD-DVD? How could I make specific comparisons that you too would see comparing the HD-DVD to the theater? I guess if someones opinion doesn't match yours, there must be something wrong with them. Heck of a way to have a discussion.

What do you think?

I've read the BD version has the same exact transfer but I haven't seen it. It was posted that the BD has banding also. I guess I could rent it also to see if it looks better to me but based on this, I'm not hopeful and doubt it. I'm not knocking VC-1, I'm knocking this transfer.

There should not be a difference. The BD and HD DVD have the exact same video transfer. The HD DVD has better audio though.

I think it looks and sounds spectacular. I haven't noticed the banding that some are talking about. I'm just miffed about the problem at the 28 minute mark that a lot of us are seeing. I'm hoping the replacement I get doesn't have the issue (and that there were just some bad disc batches) because the movie and its PQ/AQ are all very good.

Wow, great to hear the reviews! I usually don't trust Mr. Bracke in his PQ reviews (his AQ reviews tend to be more tenable) - But I can't resist an animation title. I hear it's a pretty neat film too.

I just recieved my XA2 today and it's fantastic! Not much different from the standard A1 - but it deinterlaces noticeably better than my 46in Sony Bravia. In any case, I'm very excited to have my young niece and nephew over this weekend for some film watching - I ordered this and Ant Bully from amazon yesterday for 2day shipping (along w/ Children of Man and Departed)

I've seen a few screenshots of HF here and they look astonishing - made me think this was live action w/ the walruses

If any of your viewers haven't seen "HF", they/you are in for a very special treat.

Shame. There stuck with only BR quality for audio.

"BR Quality"?

How many HD-DVDs have lossless or uncompresed audio? How many BDs have lossless or uncompressed audio?

Better yet, how many HD-DVDs have 24-bit uncompressed audio? None.

Warner just doesn't like doing PCM tracks on BDs so that they can make the HD-DVD version the superior one. They're just playing favorites.

Oh and it's just Warner's releases that give off the whole "VC-1 is soft" myth. Universal's VC-1 titles more often than not look amazing.

How do I enjoy the TrueHD on this movie there is almost no bass? I was using the 5.1 analog out on my HD-A1 to my Harman Kardon and my sub was turned up more than normal, but yet the avalanche scene had no opmh to it.

I guess I'll need to double check the cables incase I the sub output was knocked out. And I did turn on sub and set all speakers to small in the player's setup.You may want to check that Tim. I have an XA1 using the 5.1 analogs and during the avalanche scene the cubes of ice that hit you when you tumble down with the characters had a nice umph I could feel in my chest like the pieces were actually hitting me and the large glaciers falling in the water had plenty of radiant bass.

Thanks for the concern but there is nothing wrong with my set. It has the best picture I have ever seen. Easily beating out my 1080p LCD. But like I said, it is NOT a good commercial theater, no home display is. To get back to the original post, yes, the picture is sharp. I agree with that. I've seen seen HD-DVD and BR that looks better (closer to the theater) but they weren't animation.


uhmmm, but you stiill don't answer the question. I can only assume that your display is not ISF calibrated and haven't been calibrated for more than a year.

You may want to check that Tim. I have an XA1 using the 5.1 analogs and during the avalanche scene the cubes of ice that hit you when you tumble down with the characters had a nice umph I could feel in my chest like the pieces were actually hitting me and the large glaciers falling in the water had plenty of radiant bass.

Today I did look behind my receiver and while I couldn't read the inputs, there only seemed to be 5 rca cables plugged into the receiver with one free, which is assume was the sub. I'm almost ready to return the disc for Blu-ray since the 2nd viewing locked at that 28 minute mark again, but I want to attempt watching it once more with the TrueHD track setup right despite the freezing issue since I don't have anyway to do audio for Blu-ray other than optical.

Hopefully Tim, this will get you back some bass! The avalanche scene shook the house here and it was powerful. Actually there were a lot of bass pounding scenes. I'm just getting the 5.1 DTS downconversion and it is awesome. This disc is definitely a reference disc! I have never seen a more detailed animation in the home theater or regular theater. A lot of it looked real especially the sky, water and the elephant seals!

Hopefully Tim, this will get you back some bass! The avalanche scene shook the house here and it was powerful. Actually there were a lot of bass pounding scenes. I'm just getting the 5.1 DTS downconversion and it is awesome. This disc is definitely a reference disc! I have never seen a more detailed animation in the home theater or regular theater. A lot of it looked real especially the sky, water and the walruses. (sp?)


There were the elephant seals and the sea lion I think.

My roommate is going to be gone be gone half the day Sunday, perfect time for me to get some audio testing done. When she's home the walls don't stop the bass from being loud in her room, and most times actually pop her door open.

This movie looked great!

uhmmm, but you stiill don't answer the question. I can only assume that your display is not ISF calibrated and haven't been calibrated for more than a year.
It is amazing how many people on the AV Science forum do not understand how crucial it is to have their display calibrated. Also, PQ ratings are subjective to begin with. I think I see why Plazman thought this was BR FUD. :(

We watched "Happy Feet" last night and it was FANTASTIC!!! :)

Sound, PQ, all excellent. The movie keeps you in awe even after it is over. A great HD accomplishment. :)

It is amazing how many people on the AV Science forum do not understand how crucial it is to have their display calibrated. Also, PQ ratings are subjective to begin with. I think I see why Plazman thought this was BR FUD. :(

that's the thing.

In the olden days of AVS we'll be discussing about HT sound and picture calibration, how close certain display can display 6500K, how close a certain player can reproduce the image to SMPTE standard. We'll talk about bias light, about what colour we should paint the room so the viewing condition will be as close as ideal.

Nowadays, nobody seem to care anymore yet some of those are vocal about PQ.

It's sad, really.

Nowadays, nobody seem to care anymore yet some of those are vocal about PQ.It's no so much that they don't care they're just ignorant and expert at the same time. Much easier that way. ;)

Well we finally got to watch Happy Feet and have to say it was a real treat. PQ/AQ and the movie itself were excellent and entertaining. ;)

that's the thing.

In the olden days of AVS we'll be discussing about HT sound and picture calibration, how close certain display can display 6500K, how close a certain player can reproduce the image to SMPTE standard. We'll talk about bias light, about what colour we should paint the room so the viewing condition will be as close as ideal.

Nowadays, nobody seem to care anymore yet some of those are vocal about PQ.

It's sad, really.

I'm sure they are still discussing this techy stuff in other threads that are aimed at that. But right now this thread is in the HD DVD Software area and they are discussing VC-1 being sharp when watching Happy Feet.

This data on the disc is really only 14 gigs? Why didn't they increase the video bitrate to make it 25 gigs, so it would fit on both HD-DVD and 25-gig Blu-ray?

I know it looks great as is, but why not make it bigger?

This data on the disc is really only 14 gigs? Why didn't they increase the video bitrate to make it 25 gigs, so it would fit on both HD-DVD and 25-gig Blu-ray?

I know it looks great as is, but why not make it bigger?
Why make it bigger? Was there anything about the transfer that you think needs improvement? I thought the extra features could have all been in HD, on the HD-DVD side! But over all great job WARNER.

That's because Warner decided not to include the PCM track on BD. It would be SO easy for them to do too. All they'd have to do would be to decode their TrueHD track since it's lossless. :confused:

Had Warner not played favorites and included PCM audio on the BD, both discs would get the same rating.

Oh and none of the people who have the 360 add-on can even enjoy that TrueHD audio track.

true,it does suck they shafted the BD'ers.
however, it is NOT at all true that those using the xbox driver can't do trueHD. mine is hooked up to my PC and it decodes TrueHD just fine.

At least warner release on both formats. Something you cant say about some other companys.