I just received these three movies from my contact at Sony today. I will place mini-reviews over the next several days.

Arlington Road
Picture Quality - 3.5/5
Audio Quality - 4/5
Overall - 3.75/5

Comments: I just got through watching this film on Blu-ray disc. For this release Sony went with an MPEG-2 encode. The picture quality is what I would classify as average by today's HD standards. The major element which came to my eye during this film was the amount of grain. This film has as much grain as any other HD optical release I remember seeing thus far. I am sure the Director intended for this film to have this grain, however I do not think it adds any positives to the overall viewing experience. Other then the grain I felt the colors were somewhat faded/washed out in certain outdoors scenes. I felt the greens and blues look a bit muted. Other then that the film is sharp and skin-tones are spot on. As far as AQ goes, this film is solid. I listened using the PCM 5.1 4.6 Mbps option. The dialog is powerful and clearly audible in the Center Channel and the Surrounds and LFE get the occasional workout as well. If you are a hater of film grain, I can not recommend this purchase, however if you are a fan of this film, I can solidly recommend this purchase as this release is a substantial improvement over the DVD version of this film.



http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/345/803071no5.jpg

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~Josh

Excited to hear how Arlington looks.

Vacancy was... OK, but not really interested in Vacancy or The Lives.

Do all three have disc art?

Do all three have disc art?

Yes.

~Josh

Let me know when you actually have the reviews posted.

Even though Arlington Road may not have great PQ will probably pick this one up. Watched it on HD NET movies about a year ago and really like the movie itself.

As far as vacancy goes wasn't that great of a movie. If blu ray wants a good Kate Beckinsale movie then Van Heilsing would be much better lol. (good thing I am format neutral)

Even though Arlington Road may not have great PQ will probably pick this one up. Watched it on HD NET movies about a year ago and really like the movie itself.

As far as vacancy goes wasn't that great of a movie. If blu ray wants a good Kate Beckinsale movie then Van Heilsing would be much better lol. (good thing I am format neutral)

I agree, I thought Arlington Road was an amazing movie. Not 100% sure on the replayability, but if you haven't seen it you should. Even if the PQ isn't great.

Yes.

~Josh

If you get a chance, could you please take pics of the disc art? :)

Thanks for the heads-up Josh. I hope you sample The Lives of Others next. That's definitely the most exciting release for me out of this bunch. Since many people on these forums value technical ratings so much, I hope this title looks & sounds great, so that more people check it out and send a message to the studios that the release of a wider range of titles on Blu-ray is appreciated.

On a sad side note, Ulrich Muehe, one of the principal actors (wearing the headphones on the cover), died of stomach cancer two weeks ago. A GREAT loss for German film and TV. Obviously with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Movie, The Lives of Others was his biggest success. Check out the movie if you want to see what a brilliant actor he was.

Thanks for the heads-up Josh. I hope you sample The Lives of Others next. That's definitely the most exciting release for me out of this bunch. Since many people on these forums value technical ratings so much, I hope this title looks & sounds great, so that more people check it out and send a message to the studios that the release of a wider range of titles on Blu-ray is appreciated.

On a sad side note, Ulrich Muehe, one of the principal actors (wearing the headphones on the cover), died of stomach cancer two weeks ago. A GREAT loss for German film and TV. Obviously with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Movie, The Lives of Others was his biggest success. Check out the movie if you want to see what a brilliant actor he was.

Couldn't agree more.

Josh,

did you get around to any of the others yet, specifically The Lives of Others (pardon the pun)?

Josh,

did you get around to any of the others yet, specifically The Lives of Others (pardon the pun)?
Both The Lives of Others and Vacancy had nice PQ. The colors were accurate and natural, however there was a fair amount of grain in both transfers. I am giving each a 4/5. AQ is average for what we have seen in HD Optical lately.

~Josh

Both The Lives of Others and Vacancy had nice PQ. The colors were accurate and natural, however there was a fair amount of grain in both transfers. I am giving each a 4/5. AQ is average for what we have seen in HD Optical lately.

~Josh

Thanks, sounds good. "Average" has taken on a whole new meaning lately. :)

Another vote for Arlington Road based on the movie itself. Caught it on TV a couple weeks ago. It was on at around 2 AM so I wasn't expecting much. As it turns out, it's an incredibly gripping movie with a mind-blowing ending.