MidnightWatcher
08-30-07, 01:04 AM
... and an even more solid 5/5 for AQ. :)
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/664/dawnothedead2004.html
Earlier this year, Universal seemed to be tossing any flick they had onto HD DVD, regardless of whether it showcased the high-def format or not. The result was a sobering number of HD DVD duds that offered little upgrade over their standard DVD counterparts. More recently, however, the studio seems to have reversed that pattern, offering up a series of quality HD transfers. 'Dawn of the Dead' continues the trend, turning in a strong 1080p/VC-1 encode that looks much better than its DVD predeccessor.
Although the film's palette is starkly bleached and awash with blues and grays, primaries still pop and reds are particularly healthy. Shadow delineation is quite strong, with visibility in the shadows both deep and naturalistic. Black levels occasionally seem overbearing, but only in scenes where darkness is used to good effect. Skintones are intentionally pale, but exhibit excellent texture detail that renders hair, pores, and clothing fibers with ease.
The film boasts impressive fine details as well -- the mall setting is a jackpot of small background elements that look quite good. Tiny writing, ammo shells, leaves, and droplets of water are all sharp and rarely falter. There are some moments when shots drift out of focus, but the effect seemed intentional to me -- as if to capture the disorienting panic of the on-screen survivors. I also couldn't find any instances of the kind intrusive edge enhancement that has haunted many of Universal's poorer releases....
I really can't say enough good things about the TrueHD 5.1 surround mix (48kHz/16-bit/18 Mbps) that Universal has produced for this HD DVD. Paired the film's onslaught of screams, gunshots, and revving engines, the result is nothing short of spectacular. The zombies have a wet, throaty throttle to their moans that seems to emanate from every channel, while treble tones are stable and the sub woofer rumbles effectively on more than one occasion. Simply put, the dynamics of this mix will put your surround system through its paces.
Despite the explosions of violence that occur at regular intervals, dialogue remains crisp and well prioritized. Even more importantly, the mix takes full advantage of the rear channels to deliver an immersive and convincing soundscape. There were even a few occasions where I was fooled into thinking a sound was occurring in my home rather than in the film's soundfield. Combine that with exacting accuracy of pans between channels and 'Dawn of the Dead' reveals itself as a top tier audio track that left me with zero complaints.
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/664/dawnothedead2004.html
Earlier this year, Universal seemed to be tossing any flick they had onto HD DVD, regardless of whether it showcased the high-def format or not. The result was a sobering number of HD DVD duds that offered little upgrade over their standard DVD counterparts. More recently, however, the studio seems to have reversed that pattern, offering up a series of quality HD transfers. 'Dawn of the Dead' continues the trend, turning in a strong 1080p/VC-1 encode that looks much better than its DVD predeccessor.
Although the film's palette is starkly bleached and awash with blues and grays, primaries still pop and reds are particularly healthy. Shadow delineation is quite strong, with visibility in the shadows both deep and naturalistic. Black levels occasionally seem overbearing, but only in scenes where darkness is used to good effect. Skintones are intentionally pale, but exhibit excellent texture detail that renders hair, pores, and clothing fibers with ease.
The film boasts impressive fine details as well -- the mall setting is a jackpot of small background elements that look quite good. Tiny writing, ammo shells, leaves, and droplets of water are all sharp and rarely falter. There are some moments when shots drift out of focus, but the effect seemed intentional to me -- as if to capture the disorienting panic of the on-screen survivors. I also couldn't find any instances of the kind intrusive edge enhancement that has haunted many of Universal's poorer releases....
I really can't say enough good things about the TrueHD 5.1 surround mix (48kHz/16-bit/18 Mbps) that Universal has produced for this HD DVD. Paired the film's onslaught of screams, gunshots, and revving engines, the result is nothing short of spectacular. The zombies have a wet, throaty throttle to their moans that seems to emanate from every channel, while treble tones are stable and the sub woofer rumbles effectively on more than one occasion. Simply put, the dynamics of this mix will put your surround system through its paces.
Despite the explosions of violence that occur at regular intervals, dialogue remains crisp and well prioritized. Even more importantly, the mix takes full advantage of the rear channels to deliver an immersive and convincing soundscape. There were even a few occasions where I was fooled into thinking a sound was occurring in my home rather than in the film's soundfield. Combine that with exacting accuracy of pans between channels and 'Dawn of the Dead' reveals itself as a top tier audio track that left me with zero complaints.