Harry Potter ALL the movies so far . . . comparison *PIX* - Page 4

I usually watch HD DVDs via HDMI, but last night I started trying to watch HP (Year 2) via component cables. I got no picture when I set the resolution higher than 480P. I'm used to this non-sense when using SD DVDs, but thought we could play HD DVDs via analog at higher resolutions. I don't own that many commercial HD DVDs, so I cannot check all the HD DVDs I've played in the past, but I'm sure I've been able to use both analog or digital cables with all of them in the past.

I make my own 3x HD DVDs and they are sometimes 720P or sometimes 1080I. I'm trying remove HDMI from my system as much as possible because I hate the screen flashing during the hand-shaking sequence when I change resolutions.

I find this rather odd. You should be doing the opposite (screen "flashing' not withstanding).

Why is it odd? HDMI was never designed to make life easier or better for us - rather it was created to plug the 'analog loophole' in copy protection. In my experience, the only technical benefit to HDMI is that you get a one wire solution between devices. However, this hardly makes up for the many inconveniences caused by HDMI.

But that is not the point of my earlier post. I was trying to specifically ask if in fact you have to use HDMI with this disk and if this is a new requirement of all recent HD DVDs.

Whatever one's opinion on what the HDMI interface's designers had in mind, the simple fact is that now that most or all compatibility issues are minimized or eliminated, the interface does make our lives easier and it provides unquestionably the highest quality video and audio from digital sources to digital displays. A little screen flashing when syncing resolution is not much of an "inconvenience".

That issue aside, this is Xylon's thread on the Potter discs, and I for one am waiting impatiently for his comparison of the UK and US releases of Goblet of Fire .

No. It is the worst design ever. I can't believe the engineers said, oh well a little flashing doesn't hurt anyone. Depending on the movie I can have upwards of 6 flashes (mostly Blu-ray) as it goes from Preview to Preview, to Movie Start, to FBI Logo, to STudio Disclaimer, to movie. It's pretty sad actually.

Okay, I currently have the last three HARRY POTTER films on HD-DVD but have yet to pick up the first two. The final three all play at full HD resolution via my HD-A2 hooked up to my projector's component connection (the only connection I currently have as my projector does not have an HDMI or DVI input), and now I'm worried about picking up HP 1 and 2.

Can anybody confirm what Hyrax has seen here? Is it true that the ICT flag has been set on the 2nd HARRY POTTER film?

Vincent

DVDTalk reviews used to mention about ICT but I am not sure if they mentioned the same for HP.

Vincent -
It may be something in my setup (which is complicated because it drives a projector in one room and a RPTV in another). My RPTV doesn't have HDMI input and I just could not get it to display at anything other than 480P via component. So I was forced to use projector if I wanted to see the movie in HD. I'll simplify my setup to test the 3rd movie tomorrow and tell you if there is an ICT problem with it. Also, I am talking about the disks that came with the Special Ed. trunk. .. perhaps the earlier UK versions don't have the ICT flag set.

First two are fine(1080i) going component into my commercial Panasonic plasma. Tested using an HD-A1. I did not buy the boxset, these are the single releases. If ICT was set, wouldn't we have a lot of Xbox add-on users screaming bloody murder by now?

Weird enough, I was watching the Blade Runner extras beforehand, and the 2nd HP movie started off in 480p. I was able to change it using the resolution button. Usually the player resets back to 1080i once I remove SD DVD. I have not been able to replicate this again though...

No ICT set on Harry Potter films (I have all 5). I have all my players hooked up with component cables, and get full resolution.

Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse and Hero-Directors Cut from Highlight Entertainment (Germany) are the only HD DVDs worldwide which reportedly having ICT set.

excellent pictures xylon

The first two are obviously from the only HD transfers of these films made. I guess we'll have to wait awhile for them to be remastered. The PQ jump from 2 to 3 is huge.

So much for that. They're visually identical. Even the shadow areas are the same.

Waggle 1
Waggle 2
Waggle 3

Yup virtually identical.

I agree bro. No HDMI for me. DVI for video and analog for sound. I don't see my system changing for the next 5 years.

Nice screens (as always) Xylon!!!!!!!!!!

I have all of the potter films in the HD-DVD set and enjoy them all.

On the issue of combo discs, I think that if the studios stop selling 2 disc Special Editions on SD-DVD and instead start selling them with the first disc as a combo the production cost for combo discs will drop and a larger portion of the population will have HD-DVDs which would increase the chances of HD-DVD winning the format war.

For some reason, the screen caps from the different versions look slightly different to me. I see a very slight improvement in the amount of detail in dark areas from the caps of new release. Things in the background look to have minutely better detail and contrast.
For example, in the attached, I think I see more detail in the man in the suit (C. Fudge?) on the right in the new version. There is also a chair in the middle where I can see a little more definition in the new version. Try viewing the attachment in Paint and zooming in 600% and tell me if my eyes deceive me.

question... How do you paste pictures directly into a post?

Nice find mate. You have SNAKE EYES.

Again, GREAT workd Xylon!!!!

I agree with the above post. There is a tad more detail and black level on the new release. Slight? Yes, but also noticeable. In the next to last shot, look at Snape...he's clearer on the new release.

both look great but from those captures, the new encode does look a bit better.

What isn't readily apparent in Xylon's captures is that the movie is two and half hours long and although the encodes are virtually identical in most shots, some scenes may benefit more than others and without comparing every frame in both encodes, one isn't going to find a huge amount of difference.

Also, I am viewing on a 106" screen from a very high quality 1080p projector. Otherwise subtle differences can become rather more pronounced under those conditions.

They're identical. I can't see a single different pixel and Photoshop confrms it. Doh.

They're the same encode.