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The New PQ Tier thread for Blu-Ray - Discussion - Page 662

post #19831 of 20409
12/4/12 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TitusTroy View Post

how does Lawrence of Arabia compare to Thin Red Line in terms of overall PQ?

I don't believe it is as sharp as TTRL and the color palette is a bit more drab (with all of the desert scenes).
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post #19832 of 20409
12/4/12 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

I don't believe it is as sharp as TTRL and the color palette is a bit more drab (with all of the desert scenes).

that's what I thought as well but since I saw a few people calling Lawrence of Arabia the best catalog title ever released I wasn't sure
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post #19833 of 20409
12/4/12 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TitusTroy View Post

that's what I thought as well but since I saw a few people calling Lawrence of Arabia the best catalog title ever released I wasn't sure

The Thin Red Line was made in 1998, which isn't that old. I am probably guilty of using the phrase "catalog title" out of context, because in my mind it speaks of a much older film than that. But that would beg the the question, How old does it have to be to be called a "catalog title?" Is a catalog title any movie that was originally released on DVD/VHS? If it is the latter, then I would retract my statement about LOA being the best, for I still think TTRL is better, albeit marginally.
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post #19834 of 20409
12/4/12 at 3:26pm
Thin was 35mm way less info there compared to 70mm
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post #19835 of 20409
12/4/12 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dvdmike007 View Post

Thin was 35mm way less info there compared to 70mm

So, are implying something by giving us that statistic?

Have you seen TTRL on Blu-ray? If so, what are your impressions?
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post #19836 of 20409
12/4/12 at 4:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

So, are implying something by giving us that statistic?
Have you seen TTRL on Blu-ray? If so, what are your impressions?

I have both, and TTRL is outstanding, but LoA trumps it for shear detail
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post #19837 of 20409
12/4/12 at 5:19pm
70mm film does have more visible resolution than 35mm film. The larger area produces finer grain and greater resolution, all things else being equal. If the studios were still shooting 70mm movies today, almost all of them would be instant Tier 0 Blu-rays. Hollywood abandoned the format due to costs.
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post #19838 of 20409
12/4/12 at 6:43pm
The Dark Knight Rises

Tier 0? For the IMAX shots, no question. For the rest of it, not so much. Definite fuzzy and imprecise quality to the 35mm material that represents a drastic downgrade in quality. While not smeared or sharpened like the previous flick, there are still similarities. Some ringing is evident, and medium shots struggle to retain definition.

Tier 1.75*

Borderline 2.0 BTW. I'll see what the rest of this crew thinks.
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post #19839 of 20409
12/4/12 at 8:18pm
I just finished watching Finding Nemo, but I only have my iPad right now (a new computer is being built for me) so I'm going to wait until I get the new computer to write a review. I will say that my anticipation was greater than the event this time, for even though it had brilliant colors and details, they weren't always on display. Add to that a definite lack of texture in many of the fish and many soft shots. This will still be Tier 0 but no where near the top. mad.gif
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post #19840 of 20409
12/5/12 at 9:53am
A $5 DisneyStore.com Gift Code is up for grabs to the first person that names their favorite Disney/Pixar movie found in the Picture Quality Tiers List and correctly identifies which tier it is in.


To redeem, visit DisneyStore.com, add items to your cart, and insert your unique promotional code upon checkout. Restrictions apply: Offer expires 11:59 pm PT, December 31, 2012. $5 off applies to any order of $5 or more. Offer cannot be combined with other offers. Qualifying purchase based on pre-tax, post-discount amount. Offer excludes Shipping & Handling charges, Gift Cards, CDs, Books, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, Video Games, Electronics, Club Penguin, D23 Memberships, Limited Edition dolls, Dooney & Bourke, Duffy – The Disney Bear Collection, Create-Your-Own Merchandise, Personalization, Gift Wrap and Gift Boxes and items not in stock. No adjustments to prior purchases. Merchandise must be exchanged for identical item or returned at discounted price with valid packing slip. Offer valid on phone orders and orders placed online at DisneyStore.com. Not valid on purchases from Disney Store retail or outlet locations. Promotion Code may not be redeemed for cash. Limit one Promotional Offer per Household. Promotion Code may not be sold, altered, duplicated or copied and will not be replaced if lost, stolen or corrupted. Use of Promotion Code is acceptance of its terms. Disney E-Commerce reserves the right to cancel or modify this offer at any time. Void where prohibited.
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post #19841 of 20409
12/5/12 at 1:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamereviewgod View Post

The Dark Knight Rises
Tier 0? For the IMAX shots, no question. For the rest of it, not so much. Definite fuzzy and imprecise quality to the 35mm material that represents a drastic downgrade in quality. While not smeared or sharpened like the previous flick, there are still similarities. Some ringing is evident, and medium shots struggle to retain definition.
Tier 1.75*
Borderline 2.0 BTW. I'll see what the rest of this crew thinks.

I hope to watch this either tonight or on Friday. I'll be satisfied if this is "demo-worthy" (i.e. Tier 1) and has the excellent overall audio quality that I've been reading about. I hope to get my new computer tomorrow, which makes it a lot easier for writing full reviews.
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post #19842 of 20409
12/5/12 at 1:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dvdmike007 View Post

I have both, and TTRL is outstanding, but LoA trumps it for shear detail

It's been awhile since I watched TTRL so I may have to check it out for comparison with LOA. What I do remember about TTRL was amazing sharpness, clarity, and details (with the exception of some of the battle scenes where smoke was quite pervasive). I also remember the lush green colors, which would be in contrast to some of the rather drab desert scenes in LOA.

I realized what you were implying when you referred to TTRL being shot in 35mm versus LOA being shot in 70mm, but there are other variables that determine PQ that enter into the mix. But in the end they are both stellar Blu-rays that are of reference quality.
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post #19843 of 20409
12/5/12 at 2:48pm
I want to retract a statement made in a previous post. I had said that Finding Nemo will still make it into Tier 0, but nowhere near the top. I was rash in saying that, for although it may not dethrone Madagascar 3, it may still find its way into the top ten. One *negative* that I cited was softness in numerous scenes, but the more I think about those deep ocean scenes (where they appeared to be soft) the more I'm convinced of the realism of those images. For me the greatest difference between this title and recent Pixar works, is TEXTURE. There isn't a whole lot of texture in some of the sea creatures, though there is plenty of texture in other areas (most notably in the Sidney Harbor docks, buildings, and the resident pelicans.....be prepared for astounding detail and texture in those shots).

One could argue that what one loses in texture is more than made up for in COLORS, for they are awesome in every scene. Black levels are VERY GOOD too with amazing shadow details.

I just realized how much I have already said about this title, so the next time I chime in I will simply give my placement recommendation.
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post #19844 of 20409
12/5/12 at 7:01pm
The Dark Knight Rises

recommendation: Tier 1.25/1.5*

A somewhat disappointing release by Warner Bros. for video quality considering expectations, but that is nothing new for Nolan's Batman trilogy on Blu-ray. The IMAX footage looks spectacular and amazing in its scope and depth. The city-wide vistas possess an incredible sense of pop for a 2-D presentation and clearly deserve Tier 0 consideration on their own. Absolutely perfect black levels allow Batman to jump in and out of the shadows.

Not all is well in Gotham, however. Practically the entire film has been low-pass filtered, removing a layer of high-frequency detail and content while leaving behind a relatively constant level of ringing to the picture. If it weren't for the incredible cinematography on display and the amount of money behind the film's production, the transfer might be labeled a disaster. Some scenes are affected more than others, but it's tough picking out a truly extraordinary close-up. Yes, the image is razor-sharp and clarity is never less than excellent.

The AVC video encode is adequate for a movie that runs nearly three hours, but the obvious filtering applied in post-production was totally unnecessary. The Dark Knight Rises simply lacks the absolute fine-detail necessary for a disc to be ranked in Tier 0 and it was definitely there in the film's principal photography before digital processing got to it. There is also an unhealthy orange glow to flesh-tones that becomes noticeable in a few of the warmer scenes.

If the IMAX footage and a few of the best moments are taken out of play, The Dark Knight Rises probably merits a Tier 1.5 ranking. In totality for the entire movie, giving a bit of extra credit for the IMAX footage, I will recommend Tier 1.25.
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post #19845 of 20409
12/6/12 at 6:57am
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

This one looks better than expected for what amounts to an adver-film. Detail is high, and sharpness is consistent. Black levels are deep. Color steers towards yellows and browns which are not terribly appealing. Noise is light, and the encode is transparent to the source.

Tier 1.75*
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post #19846 of 20409
12/7/12 at 7:19am
Catch Me If You Can

Pleasing catalog master that looks up to date. A few grain spikes are handled well considering their severity. Foggy atmosphere doesn't dim the outstanding level of fine detail. Color saturation is scene dependent. Excellent black levels.

Tier 1.75*
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post #19847 of 20409
12/7/12 at 4:28pm
The Dark Knight Rises
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamereviewgod View Post

The Dark Knight Rises
Tier 0? For the IMAX shots, no question. For the rest of it, not so much. Definite fuzzy and imprecise quality to the 35mm material that represents a drastic downgrade in quality. While not smeared or sharpened like the previous flick, there are still similarities. Some ringing is evident, and medium shots struggle to retain definition.
Tier 1.75*
Borderline 2.0 BTW. I'll see what the rest of this crew thinks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

The Dark Knight Rises
recommendation: Tier 1.25/1.5*
A somewhat disappointing release by Warner Bros. for video quality considering expectations, but that is nothing new for Nolan's Batman trilogy on Blu-ray. The IMAX footage looks spectacular and amazing in its scope and depth. The city-wide vistas possess an incredible sense of pop for a 2-D presentation and clearly deserve Tier 0 consideration on their own. Absolutely perfect black levels allow Batman to jump in and out of the shadows.
Not all is well in Gotham, however. Practically the entire film has been low-pass filtered, removing a layer of high-frequency detail and content while leaving behind a relatively constant level of ringing to the picture. If it weren't for the incredible cinematography on display and the amount of money behind the film's production, the transfer might be labeled a disaster. Some scenes are affected more than others, but it's tough picking out a truly extraordinary close-up. Yes, the image is razor-sharp and clarity is never less than excellent.
The AVC video encode is adequate for a movie that runs nearly three hours, but the obvious filtering applied in post-production was totally unnecessary. The Dark Knight Rises simply lacks the absolute fine-detail necessary for a disc to be ranked in Tier 0 and it was definitely there in the film's principal photography before digital processing got to it. There is also an unhealthy orange glow to flesh-tones that becomes noticeable in a few of the warmer scenes.
If the IMAX footage and a few of the best moments are taken out of play, The Dark Knight Rises probably merits a Tier 1.5 ranking. In totality for the entire movie, giving a bit of extra credit for the IMAX footage, I will recommend Tier 1.25.

As to the IMAX footage...WOW!! As to the non-IMAX footge...INCONSISTENT! I absolutely, positively agree with GRG that the IMAX footage is clearly reference quality and would have easily fallen into the top of that coveted Tier. But the cropped 35mm footage was so inconsistent I would rate that, as a whole, near the "borderline 2.0" that GRG mentioned (though I totally disagree with his conclusion that the whole title falls into that category.

I LOVE BLACKS!! And this title had some of the best blacks in the format (not just the nighttime, cityscape scenes, but even indoors....in IMAX scenes, that is). Flesh tones did suffer with the "orange glow" that Phantom alluded to, but this was only the case in several scenes, not throughout the whole movie. Depth, clarity, and details were astounding in the IMAX scenes and even in *some* of the non-IMAX scenes. Thankfully I didn't see the ringing that the sharper eyes of my peers noticed. I could go on with a more detailed analysis, but I think I'll "cut to the chase" and nominate this for the following placement....

Tier Recommendation: 1.5*

PS The audio was excellent, with plenty of accurate and precise action in the surrounds, good low to midbass for LFE, and exceptional dialogue (I could finally understand everything Bane was saying).

Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment used below....
Edited by djoberg - 12/8/12 at 1:49pm
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post #19848 of 20409
12/8/12 at 2:04pm
Finding Nemo

Well, I'm finally prepared to offer a placement recommendation for one of my all-time favorites, Finding Nemo. I've already given enough commentary on the PQ in previous reviews, but let me just say that I longed for this title to make it into the Top Ten, but I simply can't put it there with a good conscience. Even though it has a fair amount of texture and details in some scenes (most notably the first couple of scenes when Nemo is leaving for school and then all the scenes taking place in the Sidney Harbour), there are too many deep ocean scenes where you have Dora and Marlin and a somewhat soft, blue ocean background. Yes, they look incredible against that background, but there is little detail/texture to speak of. Add to this the lack of detail and texture in many of the sea creatures and one can't assign this to a place at or near the top of Tier Blu. Make no mistake about this though....the colors and blacks are incredible, and when there are texture/details they are stupendous, so this is still a candidate for the top Tier and one that can make the Top Twenty. My vote goes for....

Tier Recommendation: Tier 0 (between Tangled and Avatar)*

Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment used below....
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post #19849 of 20409
12/8/12 at 7:13pm
Ninja Scroll

recommendation: Tier 2.25*

One of the most famous anime movies to Western audiences outside of Miyazaki's body of work, Ninja Scroll was released on Tuesday by Sentai FilmWorks. The 92-minute film from 1993 is encoded in AVC, on a BD-25. One of the signature creations from the animation studio, Madhouse, Ninja Scroll looks better than ever and wisely has been presented in its original production ratio of 4:3. This is a fine transfer of hand-drawn cel animation from the original film elements, made before the days of polished digital animation tools turned the process simpler and cleaner. There is a distinct lack of processing to the image, leaving the animation completely unmarred by sharpening or digital noise reduction. While a tiny amount of dirt and debris is visible, it's relatively minor and not worth mentioning to veteran viewers of classic animation. In all regards the condition of the print is excellent.

The increase in clarity and sharpness from the jump to 1080P makes the various DVD versions obsolete for picture quality. Black levels are sturdy without a hint of clipping, though the color palette lacks the vibrancy and immediacy of more recently created animation. A reference transfer for Ninja Scroll and the final word for the film on Blu-ray.
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post #19850 of 20409
12/9/12 at 7:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamereviewgod View Post

The Dark Knight Rises
Tier 0? For the IMAX shots, no question. For the rest of it, not so much. Definite fuzzy and imprecise quality to the 35mm material that represents a drastic downgrade in quality. While not smeared or sharpened like the previous flick, there are still similarities. Some ringing is evident, and medium shots struggle to retain definition.
Tier 1.75*
Borderline 2.0 BTW. I'll see what the rest of this crew thinks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantom Stranger View Post

The Dark Knight Rises
recommendation: Tier 1.25/1.5*
A somewhat disappointing release by Warner Bros. for video quality considering expectations, but that is nothing new for Nolan's Batman trilogy on Blu-ray. The IMAX footage looks spectacular and amazing in its scope and depth. The city-wide vistas possess an incredible sense of pop for a 2-D presentation and clearly deserve Tier 0 consideration on their own. Absolutely perfect black levels allow Batman to jump in and out of the shadows.
Not all is well in Gotham, however. Practically the entire film has been low-pass filtered, removing a layer of high-frequency detail and content while leaving behind a relatively constant level of ringing to the picture. If it weren't for the incredible cinematography on display and the amount of money behind the film's production, the transfer might be labeled a disaster. Some scenes are affected more than others, but it's tough picking out a truly extraordinary close-up. Yes, the image is razor-sharp and clarity is never less than excellent.
The AVC video encode is adequate for a movie that runs nearly three hours, but the obvious filtering applied in post-production was totally unnecessary. The Dark Knight Rises simply lacks the absolute fine-detail necessary for a disc to be ranked in Tier 0 and it was definitely there in the film's principal photography before digital processing got to it. There is also an unhealthy orange glow to flesh-tones that becomes noticeable in a few of the warmer scenes.
If the IMAX footage and a few of the best moments are taken out of play, The Dark Knight Rises probably merits a Tier 1.5 ranking. In totality for the entire movie, giving a bit of extra credit for the IMAX footage, I will recommend Tier 1.25.
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

The Dark Knight Rises
As to the IMAX footage...WOW!! As to the non-IMAX footge...INCONSISTENT! I absolutely, positively agree with GRG that the IMAX footage is clearly reference quality and would have easily fallen into the top of that coveted Tier. But the cropped 35mm footage was so inconsistent I would rate that, as a whole, near the "borderline 2.0" that GRG mentioned (though I totally disagree with his conclusion that the whole title falls into that category.
I LOVE BLACKS!! And this title had some of the best blacks in the format (not just the nighttime, cityscape scenes, but even indoors....in IMAX scenes, that is). Flesh tones did suffer with the "orange glow" that Phantom alluded to, but this was only the case in several scenes, not throughout the whole movie. Depth, clarity, and details were astounding in the IMAX scenes and even in *some* of the non-IMAX scenes. Thankfully I didn't see the ringing that the sharper eyes of my peers noticed. I could go on with a more detailed analysis, but I think I'll "cut to the chase" and nominate this for the following placement....
Tier Recommendation: 1.5*
PS The audio was excellent, with plenty of accurate and precise action in the surrounds, good low to midbass for LFE, and exceptional dialogue (I could finally understand everything Bane was saying).
Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment used below....

I agree with the general praise for the IMAX shots and the general complaints about the 35mm shots. The 35mm shots did not look as bad as those in TDK, or at least they did not look bad in the same way. The 35mm shots in TDK looked horribly processed with ringing so bad that I simply cannot imagine watching that movie again. TDKR did not have that look, but instead, as Phantom noted, looked filtered, some shots much more than others. The party scene near the beginning was particularly bad, but was by no means alone. Because of the problems with the 35mm shots, my recommendation is

Tier 1.75*
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post #19851 of 20409
12/9/12 at 10:06am
Welcome back Rob. smile.gif

I agree that Lawrence is possibly the cream of the crop amongst the restored catalog titles. Man, some of the scenes looked stunning. eek.gif Well worth the wait and kudos to SPHE cool.gif

Looks like I was a bit harsh with MIB-3. Revised recommendation: Tier 1.0.
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post #19852 of 20409
12/10/12 at 9:15am
Hey guys, was wondering if you could tell me what I am seeing in the Batman movies which I will cut and paste an explanation of from a post I made in the Dark Knight Rises thread here in the software forum..............I watched all 3 of these films on blu ray Fri night back to back to back and ALL 3 show this symptom at various times with BB being the worse of the 3 and most obvious.......


By FAR my biggest complaint with these films (besides the horrible variable aspect) from a technical perspective is what appears to be some sort of image stability issue with both the IMAX and non IMAX footage with mainly background type footage. There is this almost faint strobing and flickering type characteristic to many parts of these films either with the way they were filmed or the equip/techniques used which I have not seen mentioned anywhere but I find distracting. I first noticed this last week when I popped in BB on HD-DVD for the first time in years as I was going to watch it and DK before DKR came out last Tues. This strobing caught my eye in both dark and brighter type scenes at times to the point that I turned off the movie thinking there might be something wrong with either my disc, HD-DVD player, projector or receiver. I then popped in Chronicles of Riddick and Beowulf as both have some great dark material where this would show up if it was an equip issue and Riddick has both great dark and bright scenes to test with. Both titles were rock solid. I then tested some blu rays and further ruled out my equip as they were rock solid as well. I chalked it up to maybe a faulty disc somehow and left it at that. I then went and bought DKR on Tues and they had BB on blu ray on sale so I decided to buy it to see if my disc was in fact the culprit. Turns out the blu ray has the exact same issue, so I now knew it was the transfer. To further prove it was just something with the transfer, I then went and played the disc on my upstairs plasma/PS3 and could see the EXACT same thing. It was something in the transfer.

When we watched DKR for the first time Thurs night I thought I was going crazy as I could see this same thing, although not as intense, in both the IMAX and non IMAX portions of the film! At this point I started to question my setup again, but once again I could see the exact same thing testing on the upstairs setup and I even tested it on a 3rd bedroom setup which has just a little 20" tube TV and I could even see it on that. Fri night I watched all 3 films like I mentioned and while BB was clearly the most severe as far as this issue, I could see it in all 3 films off/on at various times.

So that is my biggest issue as far as all 3 of these films from a technical perspective. What is this exactly? To see what I am talking about, a great scene to see it with is on the Batman Begins blu ray or HD-DVD starting at the 54:38 mark through the rest of this scene in Gordans office. You should be able to see this kind of sporadic faint strobing of the picture in general, but if you look at the dark part on the right side starting at this time stamp it should be easy to see. Is this due to the type of camera used? Or maybe the technique? Again, I can see it even with the IMAX footage at times. Is this something to do with the way Nolan films? I find whatever this is very annoying to the point that it detracts from a lot of the otherwise amazing IMAX footage.

My other complaint about the video is just the mixture of IMAX and non IMAX in general and the lack of consistency this causes in both DK and DKR. There are many jarring examples of switching from one to the other, but a great example is right in the beginning of DKR right after the plane jack scene when it switches to the scene in Gotham during the Harvy Dent event. It is like going from some of the best blu ray I have seen to DVD quality! I personally hate this technique as it is just way to inconsistent between shots and really pulls me out of the film to some degree.

This strange off beat strobing type effect I have replicated on 4 different HD players in my house (Oppo 93, Panasonic BD30, PS3 and a Toshiba A-35 HD-DVD player) and on 3 different displays (JVC RS45, Panasonic 46" plasma and a 20" tube TV) so I have completely ruled out any sort of equip issue. Not to mention I have spot checked and/or fully watched ~10 titles since and all are rock solid. What am I seeing here? This must be something to do with the way it was shot, the cameras used, etc.........confused.gif

Thanks

EDIT: One other thing I thought I would mention is that I can see how this could be missed pretty easily on smaller sets. While I can see the exact same thing on all 3 of my displays, it is most obvious on my 9' wide 2.35 screen in my pitch black HT where everything good and bad with a transfer stands out more vs my 46" set in my lighted living room. Point is I can see how this could be missed and at the same time I am surprised this has not been brought up as I know there are plenty on this forum that are at least as discriminating as me if not more so.
Edited by Toe - 12/10/12 at 9:30am
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post #19853 of 20409
12/10/12 at 11:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toe View Post

Hey guys, was wondering if you could tell me what I am seeing in the Batman movies which I will cut and paste an explanation of from a post I made in the Dark Knight Rises thread here in the software forum..............I watched all 3 of these films on blu ray Fri night back to back to back and ALL 3 show this symptom at various times with BB being the worse of the 3 and most obvious.......

This strange off beat strobing type effect I have replicated on 4 different HD players in my house (Oppo 93, Panasonic BD30, PS3 and a Toshiba A-35 HD-DVD player) and on 3 different displays (JVC RS45, Panasonic 46" plasma and a 20" tube TV) so I have completely ruled out any sort of equip issue. Not to mention I have spot checked and/or fully watched ~10 titles since and all are rock solid. What am I seeing here? This must be something to do with the way it was shot, the cameras used, etc.........confused.gif

Thanks

EDIT: One other thing I thought I would mention is that I can see how this could be missed pretty easily on smaller sets. While I can see the exact same thing on all 3 of my displays, it is most obvious on my 9' wide 2.35 screen in my pitch black HT where everything good and bad with a transfer stands out more vs my 46" set in my lighted living room. Point is I can see how this could be missed and at the same time I am surprised this has not been brought up as I know there are plenty on this forum that are at least as discriminating as me if not more so.
I can't say that I noticed it, but it has been years since I watched Batman Begins on Blu-ray. Nolan does seem to have very specific requirements when filming his movies and it's possibly a result of his direction or the particular cinematography of the Batman trilogy.

42nd Street Forever

recommendation: Tier 4.5*

Synapse Films released this compilation of exploitation and grindhouse trailers that runs a total of 226 minutes. Thankfully the unprocessed vintage material is fitted on a BD-50 and its AVC video encode averages 23 Mbps, perfectly reproducing without error whatever resolution the transfer could extract from the trailers' sources. Print quality varies a great deal from movie to movie, though I would guess the vast majority of them are from unrestored 16mm and 35mm elements. There is not a trace of edge enhancement or filtering, so grain structure is untouched and a swath of film debris and age-related wear is visible.

BDInfo scan (courtesy of CinemaSquid's website)
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post #19854 of 20409
12/10/12 at 11:58am
I noticed some flicker in the IMAX shots in the previous movies, but always attributed it to the way it was filmed. I've only seen Batman Rises once, so I may notice it again in future viewings.
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post #19855 of 20409
12/11/12 at 3:41pm
The World God Only Knows: Season One

recommendation: Tier 1.25*
"The game design of real life is incredibly flawed."

Natively produced animation in 1080P, the 2010 series from Japan looks mighty great in this 2-disc set of the first season. It might have deserved a bump even further up the tiers, if some infrequent banding had not shown up in a few instances on the AVC video encode. The color palette is bright and cheery as brilliant hues of red dominate the art design. Clean line-art finishes off the suite of virtues that justifies the high ranking. Gamereviewgod might like this one, the main character is obsessed with playing videogames.

Color Of Night

recommendation: Tier 5.0*

One of the poorer transfers churned out by Mill Creek on Blu-ray, as the detail merely reveals a slight increase in actual resolution over a high-quality upscaled DVD. This movie was only released as a double-feature disc, sharing a sole BD-50 with Playing God, which happens to be from a much better HD transfer. Whatever transfer Mill Creek dug up for Color Of Night, it's positively ancient and should not have been used for a Blu-ray release.
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post #19856 of 20409
12/11/12 at 4:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toe View Post

Hey guys, was wondering if you could tell me what I am seeing in the Batman movies which I will cut and paste an explanation of from a post I made in the Dark Knight Rises thread here in the software forum..............I watched all 3 of these films on blu ray Fri night back to back to back and ALL 3 show this symptom at various times with BB being the worse of the 3 and most obvious.......
Thanks

I'll definitely check this out Toe the next time I slip in TDKR. I will probably watch this again soon, for we have company staying with us this weekend and I'm hoping they'll want to see it. Even if they don't, I'll make it a point to check out the time stamp you gave us from Batman Begins (I have the HD-DVD copy).
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post #19857 of 20409
12/11/12 at 11:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

I'll definitely check this out Toe the next time I slip in TDKR. I will probably watch this again soon, for we have company staying with us this weekend and I'm hoping they'll want to see it. Even if they don't, I'll make it a point to check out the time stamp you gave us from Batman Begins (I have the HD-DVD copy).

Sounds good, thanks!
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post #19858 of 20409
12/12/12 at 6:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by djoberg View Post

Finding Nemo
Well, I'm finally prepared to offer a placement recommendation for one of my all-time favorites, Finding Nemo. I've already given enough commentary on the PQ in previous reviews, but let me just say that I longed for this title to make it into the Top Ten, but I simply can't put it there with a good conscience. Even though it has a fair amount of texture and details in some scenes (most notably the first couple of scenes when Nemo is leaving for school and then all the scenes taking place in the Sidney Harbour), there are too many deep ocean scenes where you have Dora and Marlin and a somewhat soft, blue ocean background. Yes, they look incredible against that background, but there is little detail/texture to speak of. Add to this the lack of detail and texture in many of the sea creatures and one can't assign this to a place at or near the top of Tier Blu. Make no mistake about this though....the colors and blacks are incredible, and when there are texture/details they are stupendous, so this is still a candidate for the top Tier and one that can make the Top Twenty. My vote goes for....
Tier Recommendation: Tier 0 (between Tangled and Avatar)*
Viewed from 7.5' using the equipment used below....

I don't know that the lack of texture is that detrimental. Having watched a bit of this in 3D at a friends house and then coming home, the depth was outstanding enough to still make it seem like the fish were popping out. I've never seen depth like this. I'll bump it a bit.

Tier 0* (above Tangled)
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post #19859 of 20409
12/13/12 at 7:23am
Ice Age: Continental Drift

Awesome. Remarkable depth aided by a great contrast and then pouring detail over every frame. Amazing shots of crumbling landscapes are matched by the enormity of the close-ups with stunning fur. Definition is simply perfect. Medium or close-ups don't matter; they're all equal. I didn't find much of anything to complain about.

Tier 0* (Above Incredibles)
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post #19860 of 20409
12/14/12 at 1:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamereviewgod View Post

Ice Age: Continental Drift
Awesome. Remarkable depth aided by a great contrast and then pouring detail over every frame. Amazing shots of crumbling landscapes are matched by the enormity of the close-ups with stunning fur. Definition is simply perfect. Medium or close-ups don't matter; they're all equal. I didn't find much of anything to complain about.
Tier 0* (Above Incredibles)

I just picked this up today based on your review (and because I know my grandchildren will love it smile.gif).
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