How come no one is talking about this Spike Jonze masterpiece on HD DVD?!

I just received my copy from amazon.com today and I will watch it tonight.

BJM and The Big Lebowski on the same day. Wow.

I like the movie, but I'm not too anxious to upgrade my copy to HD-DVD.

Watched it. Never saw it before but I loved it. The PQ on the other hand was atrocious. Some of the earlier scenes were so bad it was hard to make out ANYTHING beneath all the softness and black crush. Thankfully the quality got progressively better (or maybe my eyes just got used to the bad picture).

Watched it. Never saw it before but I loved it. The PQ on the other hand was atrocious. Some of the earlier scenes were so bad it was hard to make out ANYTHING beneath all the softness and black crush. Thankfully the quality got progressively better (or maybe my eyes just got used to the bad picture).

I wouldn't call it atrocious, but it was a letdown. It looks slightly better than the DVD, but that's about it. One of the softer looking HD-DVDs I've bought. It reminded me a lot of Lost In Translation.

Thats bad news about the picture quality. I ordered it anyway because I don't own the DVD and I love this movie.

Another bad transfer from universal, its like they don't even care about hd dvd anymore.

This was one of their DVHS titles (like Lost in Translation), so it's likely they used the same transfer. I don't think it means that they aren't focused on putting out quality product, they are probably just paying more attention to those titles that they don't have hi-def transfers for already.

I didn't think it was that bad. I figured that was just the way this movie looked. ( I did see it in the theater, but I have a hard time remembering theater picture quality from a movie I saw several years ago, unlike a lot of people here apparently.) Anyway, I don't regret buying it. I forgot how funny that movie is!

I didn't think it was that bad. I figured that was just the way this movie looked. ( I did see it in the theater, but I have a hard time remembering theater picture quality from a movie I saw several years ago, unlike a lot of people here apparently.) Anyway, I don't regret buying it. I forgot how funny that movie is!

I saw it in the theater too and as far as I can recall, it was never all that great-looking. My main complaint is that this doesn't provide much of an upgrade in picture quality over the SD-DVD.

If this is honestly the best Universal can make it look, so be it. But then the question becomes why release it on HD-DVD in the first place? At least instead of a title that could really benefit from the jump from 480p to 1080p.

If this is honestly the best Universal can make it look, so be it. But then the question becomes why release it on HD-DVD in the first place? At least instead of a title that could really benefit from the jump from 480p to 1080p.


I highly doubt that. Universal isn't making a separate hd masters like warner/disney/sony are doing. They are using old dvd masters and new titles like breach and 40year old virgin they are using HD transfers made for DVDs with edge enhancement. By checking out a few titles and reviews and i conclude that now universal is the worst company when it comes to hd transfers.
With Tokyo drift, fear and loathing, king kong etc etc they acutally minted separate hd master you can clearly see the work that went in to make a great transfer. Looking at the HD disk sales by title they clearly lost money by giving the disks a full hd treatment.

I highly doubt that. Universal isn't making a separate hd masters like warner/disney/sony are doing. They are using old dvd masters and new titles like breach and 40year old virgin they are using HD transfers made for DVDs with edge enhancement. By checking out a few titles and reviews and i conclude that now universal is the worst company when it comes to hd transfers.
With Tokyo drift, fear and loathing, king kong etc etc they acutally minted separate hd master you can clearly see the work that went in to make a great transfer. Looking at the HD disk sales by title they clearly lost money by giving the disks a full hd treatment.

That's why I qualified my statement with "if". :) I seriously doubt Universal is doing the best they can. For them right now, it's quantity over quality.

I may give Sony, Paramount, and Disney a lot of crap for the lack of releases lately, but when they do offer up catalog titles on HD-DVD/Blu-ray, they look terrific. Trading Places had an outstanding transfer. Had Universal been in charge of that release, it would've ended up looking like Midnight Run.

Trading Places had an outstanding transfer. Had Universal been in charge of that release, it would've ended up looking like Midnight Run.

I have to take you to task on these two points. On my 100" 1080p screen, Trading Places looks just ok. Lots of noise reduction smearing the image, and edge enhancement. By contrast, Midnight Run was an excellent transfer, very pleasing and much, much better than Trading Places.

I suppose no two people will see the same things :)