Band of Brothers HD DVD PIX + Reviews

Xylon · 09-02-07, 06:09 AM

Got my copies several weeks ago and watched one episode so far. Altough it is a huge improvement over DVD there are some scenes I'm not quite satisfied particularly the night scene during the march in full battle gear (Not as bad as DMC or Brother's Grimm) but not as good as Hot Fuzz or KK. We already know when BoB was shown on HBO HD that the 'look" of film will be similar to Saving Private Ryan. Grainy and wash out colors. Since we still don't have SPR on HD disc I used Flags of Our Fathers as a reference in judging the PQ.

The daylight scenes is where it shines and actually look much better than FouF. Details are better (its still there but a LOT less compared to dark scenes). I remember when watching my archived HBO HD version I noticed that the PQ gets better as the series went on. I suspect it will be the same here.

I will reserve my judgement about the audio until I get to watch the next episode

The highlight of my HD collection.

Xylon · 09-02-07, 06:10 AM

Xylon · 09-02-07, 06:10 AM

Xylon · 09-02-07, 06:10 AM

Currahee

Xylon · 09-02-07, 06:10 AM

Xylon · 09-02-07, 06:11 AM

SickNic · 09-02-07, 06:31 AM

Very nice! Anyone know when the US version is going to be released? It amazes me that this was released in Japan first

Canary_Jules · 09-02-07, 07:30 AM

Nice shots! I've watched most of the series on HD-DVD now and have just finished the 'Breaking Point'. I continue to delight in the improvement which the HD-DVDs are over the SD-DVD version and which is so clearly demonstrated in these screenies. There are a few places along the way where the image loses its focus - one notable one for me was at the end of Episode 4 (Holland), but overall the sharpness and improved stability of the albeit muted colours are a very satisfying!

metalsaber · 09-02-07, 10:13 AM

THe few pictures show a nice improvement. I await the US version.

Damnationdoormat · 09-02-07, 10:31 AM

I wonder if Spielberg will sue since his picture is on an HD DVD, heresy!

Sporadic · 09-02-07, 10:46 AM

I wonder how the episode Points looks like.

I remember how the scene where they are at the Eagle's Nest talking with that lake behind them, beautiful even in SD.

eightninesuited · 09-02-07, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damnationdoormat

I wonder if Spielberg will sue since his picture is on an HD DVD, heresy!

Spielberg didn't direct any of them. I pray that Dreamworks releases it here. I have no problems with Chinese covers, etc, as I can make my own covers, but I don't want the menu in Chinese, so I'm not going to import.

hd nOOb · 09-02-07, 11:24 AM

A question for Xylon,

I personally thought Letters looked better then Flags whats your take?

I aslo think how ever Letters was shot is a better way to represent HD for older ( time/Period) movies. Do you happen to know how Letters was shot?
HD cam, 35 mm, 16 mm etc?

I mean the whole movie was in Japanese ( TrueHD

) and I did not complain.

Thx in advance.

nOOb.

eapleitez · 09-02-07, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eightninesuited

Spielberg didn't direct any of them. I pray that Dreamworks releases it here. I have no problems with Chinese covers, etc, as I can make my own covers, but I don't want the menu in Chinese, so I'm not going to import.

This was released in Japan, not China.

rover2002 · 09-02-07, 01:42 PM

$200 for the whole set, YIKES!

Sporadic · 09-02-07, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rover2002

$200 for the whole set, YIKES!

It was $150 before it was released.

Milt99 · 09-02-07, 02:43 PM

Xylon,
As always, thanks for the shots.
You are an asset to AVS.
Please continue your excellent work.
I too got in on the Amazon.jp pre-order and watched all of the episodes on successive evenings.
To some this will not be a hi-def showcase as every scene is not razor-sharp and some have a bit softness in the background and foreground as well.
To me, the PQ was a definite improvement over the already good SD DVD.
There were scenes that were less good but not a major distraction.
The film is heavily processed in many places. Even in daylight scenes.
I'd characterize it as a washed-out olive drab kind of look.
Not Matrix green obviously but still not natural and at times with a lot of grain that to me looked added for a time capsule effect.
In the final couple episodes like Eagle's Nest and Austria, the look was far more natural.
I have only watched the series through once and after awhile would forget about looking at the screen and would simply enjoy the film.
I have an A2 player and D2 processor via hdmi, so I'm not getting the full DTS-HD bandwith but the soundtrack was what I would characterize as "typical" DTS, i.e., juiced up low end.
The sound design was not particularly immersive for the most part coming mainly from the LCRs.
There were times however when the sides and rears(PLIIx) were used to good effect so I'm surmising that this was a conscious decision on the part of the sound people.
Some of the scenes feature HEAVY artillery and could be a bit of a challenge to some systems with the chest-thumping, visceral feeling that all real men seek

I would rate the Letters From Iwo Jima artillery scenes as "better" but the scenes in BoB are lacking only in comparison.
Please take my observations for what they are. I am not a pick-every-nit- obsess-over-it kind of guy but I do have a good, professionally calibrated system and a dedicated room.
Josh Z, Robert George, Kris Deering and Peter Bracke among a couple others would be your best bets.
Hopefully one or more of them will get a copy and likely shoot my impressions full of holes

For me, BoB was a must have and for $145 shipped overnight I was willing to take the chance to see this in Hi-Def.
No regrets whatsoever.

DrCrawn · 09-02-07, 04:57 PM

Nice improvement, I wish I had these discs. If the price comes down a bit, I'm going to order them. I imagine that if/when the set comes out in the U.S. it will be well over $100 anyway. I think I paid $89 for my DVD set. The HBO stuff is really expensive.

Thanks to Xylon for the caps.

josephmckinney · 09-02-07, 05:21 PM

Thanks for the pics, nice work indeed!

gooki · 09-02-07, 06:03 PM

Nice work - looks like the HDDVD is a great upgrade over the DVD.

phisch · 09-02-07, 06:08 PM

Very nice improvement ovet the sd version. This was a great series and I can't wait till the HD DVDs are released over here. Thanks for the great work with the pics.

dvdmonster · 09-02-07, 06:34 PM

I'll just echo what everyone else is saying..

Thanks for all your nice caps Xylon!

Very nice improvement ovet the SD version!

Kannisto · 09-02-07, 07:19 PM

Great pics, Xylon!

I watched the whole series for the first time with this set and enjoyed it a lot. I was particularly impressed by the daylight battle scenes starting from 2nd episode, I'd definitely use some of those scenes as demo material. It's also the highlight of my HD DVD collection

Xylon · 09-07-07, 04:45 PM

So many movies to watch tonight. I will try and watch Day of Days and Carentan and post pix after.

szitzma · 09-07-07, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporadic

It was $150 before it was released.

It might has well have been $1 before it was released.

Rurrik · 09-07-07, 06:20 PM

Anyone know if Saving Private Ryan is coming out in hi-def soon?

cybereality · 09-07-07, 06:55 PM

Those shots look pretty good. Not a big fan of war movies (too depressing) but I'll watch the good ones (FMJ, etc.).

Not to derail the thread, but wasn't HD DVD supposedly DOA in Japan? That don't look too dead to me.

Dave Mack · 09-07-07, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rurrik

Anyone know if Saving Private Ryan is coming out in hi-def soon?

Gonna be awhile, I think.

Xylon · 09-08-07, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rover2002

$200 for the whole set, YIKES!

Yes its expensive.

Xylon · 09-08-07, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hd nOOb

A question for Xylon,

I personally thought Letters looked better then Flags whats your take?

I aslo think how ever Letters was shot is a better way to represent HD for older ( time/Period) movies. Do you happen to know how Letters was shot?
HD cam, 35 mm, 16 mm etc?

Thx in advance.

nOOb.

FouR or LfIJ looks the same to me and has better PQ overall than BoB. Its sharper and less "washout look."

According to IMDB:

Letters

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0498380/technical

BoB

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185906/technical

09-02-07, 06:09 AM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
Xylon Lelouch is alive! AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Liecheinstein Posts: 6,578	*Band of Brothers HD DVD PIX* + Reviews Got my copies several weeks ago and watched one episode so far. Altough it is a huge improvement over DVD there are some scenes I'm not quite satisfied particularly the night scene during the march in full battle gear (Not as bad as DMC or Brother's Grimm) but not as good as Hot Fuzz or KK. We already know when BoB was shown on HBO HD that the 'look" of film will be similar to Saving Private Ryan. Grainy and wash out colors. Since we still don't have SPR on HD disc I used Flags of Our Fathers as a reference in judging the PQ. The daylight scenes is where it shines and actually look much better than FouF. Details are better (its still there but a LOT less compared to dark scenes). I remember when watching my archived HBO HD version I noticed that the PQ gets better as the series went on. I suspect it will be the same here. I will reserve my judgement about the audio until I get to watch the next episode The highlight of my HD collection. __________________ Project: Tandem 2.0 HTPC Worklog Project: Tandem 1.0 HTPC Worklog** Last edited by Xylon; 09-15-08 at 02:25 AM..

09-02-07, 06:10 AM	#2 \| Link
Xylon Lelouch is alive! AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Liecheinstein Posts: 6,578	__________________ Project: Tandem 2.0 HTPC Worklog Project: Tandem 1.0 HTPC Worklog

09-02-07, 06:10 AM	#3 \| Link
Xylon Lelouch is alive! AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Liecheinstein Posts: 6,578	__________________ Project: Tandem 2.0 HTPC Worklog Project: Tandem 1.0 HTPC Worklog Last edited by Xylon; 09-02-07 at 06:15 AM..

09-02-07, 06:10 AM	#4 \| Link
Xylon Lelouch is alive! AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Liecheinstein Posts: 6,578	Currahee __________________ Project: Tandem 2.0 HTPC Worklog Project: Tandem 1.0 HTPC Worklog Last edited by Xylon; 09-02-07 at 06:36 AM..

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Xylon Lelouch is alive! AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Liecheinstein Posts: 6,578	__________________ Project: Tandem 2.0 HTPC Worklog Project: Tandem 1.0 HTPC Worklog Last edited by Xylon; 09-02-07 at 06:17 AM..

09-02-07, 06:11 AM	#6 \| Link
Xylon Lelouch is alive! AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Liecheinstein Posts: 6,578	__________________ Project: Tandem 2.0 HTPC Worklog Project: Tandem 1.0 HTPC Worklog Last edited by Xylon; 09-02-07 at 06:18 AM..

09-02-07, 06:31 AM	#7 \| Link
SickNic Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: VT Posts: 30	Very nice! Anyone know when the US version is going to be released? It amazes me that this was released in Japan first

09-02-07, 07:30 AM	#8 \| Link
Canary_Jules Advanced Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Leicester, UK Posts: 739	Nice shots! I've watched most of the series on HD-DVD now and have just finished the 'Breaking Point'. I continue to delight in the improvement which the HD-DVDs are over the SD-DVD version and which is so clearly demonstrated in these screenies. There are a few places along the way where the image loses its focus - one notable one for me was at the end of Episode 4 (Holland), but overall the sharpness and improved stability of the albeit muted colours are a very satisfying!

09-02-07, 10:13 AM	#9 \| Link
metalsaber Al Roker's #1 Fan Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Western, Pennsylvania Posts: 3,008	THe few pictures show a nice improvement. I await the US version. __________________ My Blog My Photo Gallery Phillips 1080p 47PFL7432D/37 LCD Review

09-02-07, 10:31 AM	#10 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
Damnationdoormat AVS Special Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,716	I wonder if Spielberg will sue since his picture is on an HD DVD, heresy!

09-02-07, 10:46 AM	#11 \| Link
Sporadic Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cocoa Beach, Florida Posts: 407	I wonder how the episode Points looks like. I remember how the scene where they are at the Eagle's Nest talking with that lake behind them, beautiful even in SD.

09-02-07, 11:24 AM	#13 \| Link
hd nOOb CS Junkey = Beta 5.1 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 1,237	A question for Xylon, I personally thought Letters looked better then Flags whats your take? I aslo think how ever Letters was shot is a better way to represent HD for older ( time/Period) movies. Do you happen to know how Letters was shot? HD cam, 35 mm, 16 mm etc? I mean the whole movie was in Japanese ( TrueHD ) and I did not complain. Thx in advance. nOOb. __________________ Blu ray is the best Blah, blah, blah.

09-02-07, 01:42 PM	#15 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a591f81a' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:36&n=a591f81a' border='0' alt=''></a>
rover2002 The Dehumidifier Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 2,544	$200 for the whole set, YIKES!

09-02-07, 02:43 PM	#17 \| Link
Milt99 goober Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: West Of California Posts: 2,950	Xylon, As always, thanks for the shots. You are an asset to AVS. Please continue your excellent work. I too got in on the Amazon.jp pre-order and watched all of the episodes on successive evenings. To some this will not be a hi-def showcase as every scene is not razor-sharp and some have a bit softness in the background and foreground as well. To me, the PQ was a definite improvement over the already good SD DVD. There were scenes that were less good but not a major distraction. The film is heavily processed in many places. Even in daylight scenes. I'd characterize it as a washed-out olive drab kind of look. Not Matrix green obviously but still not natural and at times with a lot of grain that to me looked added for a time capsule effect. In the final couple episodes like Eagle's Nest and Austria, the look was far more natural. I have only watched the series through once and after awhile would forget about looking at the screen and would simply enjoy the film. I have an A2 player and D2 processor via hdmi, so I'm not getting the full DTS-HD bandwith but the soundtrack was what I would characterize as "typical" DTS, i.e., juiced up low end. The sound design was not particularly immersive for the most part coming mainly from the LCRs. There were times however when the sides and rears(PLIIx) were used to good effect so I'm surmising that this was a conscious decision on the part of the sound people. Some of the scenes feature HEAVY artillery and could be a bit of a challenge to some systems with the chest-thumping, visceral feeling that all real men seek I would rate the Letters From Iwo Jima artillery scenes as "better" but the scenes in BoB are lacking only in comparison. Please take my observations for what they are. I am not a pick-every-nit- obsess-over-it kind of guy but I do have a good, professionally calibrated system and a dedicated room. Josh Z, Robert George, Kris Deering and Peter Bracke among a couple others would be your best bets. Hopefully one or more of them will get a copy and likely shoot my impressions full of holes For me, BoB was a must have and for $145 shipped overnight I was willing to take the chance to see this in Hi-Def. No regrets whatsoever. Last edited by Milt99; 09-02-07 at 02:49 PM..

09-02-07, 04:57 PM	#18 \| Link
DrCrawn Take Him to Detroit! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: under sniper fire, Seattle Posts: 3,714	Nice improvement, I wish I had these discs. If the price comes down a bit, I'm going to order them. I imagine that if/when the set comes out in the U.S. it will be well over $100 anyway. I think I paid $89 for my DVD set. The HBO stuff is really expensive. Thanks to Xylon for the caps.

09-02-07, 05:21 PM	#19 \| Link
josephmckinney Advanced Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Allen Park, MI Posts: 857	Thanks for the pics, nice work indeed!

09-02-07, 06:03 PM	#20 \| Link
gooki AVS Special Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Queenstown, New Zealand Posts: 3,450	Nice work - looks like the HDDVD is a great upgrade over the DVD. __________________ International HDDVD Screenshot Archive (Full 1080p Images): www.hdmovies.co.nz

09-02-07, 06:08 PM	#21 \| Link
phisch AVS Special Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,572	Very nice improvement ovet the sd version. This was a great series and I can't wait till the HD DVDs are released over here. Thanks for the great work with the pics. __________________ Mike

09-02-07, 06:34 PM	#22 \| Link
dvdmonster Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Sweden Posts: 456	I'll just echo what everyone else is saying.. Thanks for all your nice caps Xylon! Very nice improvement ovet the SD version!

09-02-07, 07:19 PM	#23 \| Link
Kannisto Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 496	Great pics, Xylon! I watched the whole series for the first time with this set and enjoyed it a lot. I was particularly impressed by the daylight battle scenes starting from 2nd episode, I'd definitely use some of those scenes as demo material. It's also the highlight of my HD DVD collection __________________ HD DVD: 387 (new: Taking Lives ; list) Blu-ray: 262 (new: North Face (UK) ; list) HD DVD-R: 262 (new: Charlie Wilson's War ; list)

09-07-07, 04:45 PM	#24 \| Link
Xylon Lelouch is alive! AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Liecheinstein Posts: 6,578	So many movies to watch tonight. I will try and watch Day of Days *and* Carentan and post pix after. __________________ Project: Tandem 2.0 HTPC Worklog Project: Tandem 1.0 HTPC Worklog

09-07-07, 06:20 PM	#26 \| Link
Rurrik Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 40	Anyone know if Saving Private Ryan is coming out in hi-def soon?

09-07-07, 06:55 PM	#27 \| Link
cybereality Advanced Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 843	Those shots look pretty good. Not a big fan of war movies (too depressing) but I'll watch the good ones (FMJ, etc.). Not to derail the thread, but wasn't HD DVD supposedly DOA in Japan? That don't look too dead to me. __________________ Learn how to game in TRUE 3D!

Band of Brothers HD DVD *PIX* + Reviews

Band of Brothers HD DVD PIX + Reviews