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Bad HD Transfers. Let's compile a list
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DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantstephan.klose
2k+ Blu Rays
Registered: June 27, 2007
Austria Posts: 2,049
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Hi, after seeing a couple of really terrible HD Transfers, either on Blu Ray or, the now at lot less important HD-DVD you wanna warn people about?

I wanna start with 2 Movies that really were bad.
(To be clear. I am just talking about the picture or sound here, not the movie itself)

1.) Hostel 2. (Blu) The picture was extremely grainy and undetailed. It looked like an unrestored transfer of a movie 20 or more years old. It was by far the worst transfer of a new movie I have seen so far. The sound was pretty okay. But hey, the movie is less than a year old.

2.) Robocop. (Blu)  Even though it was the 2nd try to release this movie, (The sony release got cancelled shortly before it's release) they weren't able to present it even in a half decent quality. The picture was grainy, especially in darker scenes, The colors were often messed up. For a movie that good it was really a shame to watch it in High-def in such a bad quality. The lossless 5.1 DTS HD Mix was a lot better than the picture. Still, they could have done a better job of restoring it. (Right now I am watching the even older "The Thing" on HD-DVD and the quality is way, way better). Why wasn't Fox able to give us a good copy of that movie?

Are there Discs out there you wanna warn people about? Please do so right here.
Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantAscended_Saiyan
A Blu-ray crack fiend
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 1,127
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Please don't tell me you are one of those people that doesn't understand that grain IS the picture. 

Film Grain

That should help you and anyone else that doesn't understand that "grain" is what captures the image.  Removing it removes the finer details.  Removing grain from an image should NEVER be done.

Complaining about film grain is as silly as complaining about getting movies in their OAR.

BTW, Robocop's transfer was done by Fox...not Sony.  The PQ (picture quality) can not be better than the source material.  So, your comment saying, "they weren't able to present it even in a half decent quality" doesn't make sense.

On the other hand, maybe the source could have been restored to a better quality.  I do know that Robocop was restored before the 2nd transfer was done and released (that's why it was delayed from it's original BD release date).  The transfer BEFORE the source was restored (via Sony) was reported as being MUCH worse than the released BD version (via Fox for MGM).

Here is a Robocop review...before and after.

1) Kiss of the Dragon (video) - I believe this was transfered from SD source material.  'Nuff said.

2) 28 Days Later (video) - There is no other version but a SD source for this movie.  It was shot on a SD camera in the first place.

3) Ocean's 11, 12, & 13 (video and audio) - They were all softened to hell!  From what I saw, it seems Warner pushed the detail way down to be able to encode it within the allotted bandwidth without serious compression artifacts.  The sound was no where near what it should have been.  I guess I will have to wait for a recode at a much higher bitrate for audio and video.

There is no need to mention HD DVD titles for obvious reasons.
To err is human...
-----------
473 Blu-ray Titles
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantstephan.klose
2k+ Blu Rays
Registered: June 27, 2007
Austria Posts: 2,049
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Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:
Quote:
Please don't tell me you are one of those people that doesn't understand that grain IS the picture. 

Film Grain

That should help you and anyone else that doesn't understand that "grain" is what captures the image.  Removing it removes the finer details.  Removing grain from an image should NEVER be done.

Complaining about film grain is as silly as complaining about getting movies in their OAR.

BTW, Robocop's transfer was done by Fox...not Sony.  The PQ (picture quality) can not be better than the source material.  So, your comment saying, "they weren't able to present it even in a half decent quality" doesn't make sense.

On the other hand, maybe the source could have been restored to a better quality.  I do know that Robocop was restored before the 2nd transfer was done and released (that's why it was delayed from it's original BD release date).  The transfer BEFORE the source was restored (via Sony) was reported as being MUCH worse than the released BD version (via Fox for MGM).

Here is a Robocop review...before and after.

1) Kiss of the Dragon (video) - I believe this was transfered from SD source material.  'Nuff said.

2) 28 Days Later (video) - There is no other version but a SD source for this movie.  It was shot on a SD camera in the first place.

3) Ocean's 11, 12, & 13 (video and audio) - They were all softened to hell!  From what I saw, it seems Warner pushed the detail way down to be able to encode it within the allotted bandwidth without serious compression artifacts.  The sound was no where near what it should have been.  I guess I will have to wait for a recode at a much higher bitrate for audio and video.

There is no need to mention HD DVD titles for obvious reasons.


Sorry about my grain comment. I am not sure that was really what I meant. My english isn't that good. I meant more like color noise in the dark scenes. Every darker shot was full of blueish noise. I know they could have done better, because later yesterday I watched "The Thing" (on the now obsolete HD-DVD) which is 5 years earlier, and that had way better picture. And wasn't softened to hell either.

Coming back to Robocop they could have done a way better job in restoring the original.

I also know that the first release try of Robocop was done by Sony. The second was MGM/Fox. At least we got the unrated Version. (the 2 added shots)..

Considering the quality I saw presented in the Fox "robocop" I don't even wanna know what the Sony version would have looked like. At least the sound was pretty decent in DTS HD 5.1

PS: Have you seen the Fox Version of Robocop? If not check it out. I read all about it first in the high-def digest and he didn't seem to upset by the quality. It still got 3/5. (The Thing got 4.5/5)..

Anyone else saw anything that was particularly bad on Blu Ray to watch?
Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantstephan.klose
2k+ Blu Rays
Registered: June 27, 2007
Austria Posts: 2,049
Posted:
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Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:
Quote:
Please don't tell me you are one of those people that doesn't understand that grain IS the picture. 

Film Grain

That should help you and anyone else that doesn't understand that "grain" is what captures the image.  Removing it removes the finer details.  Removing grain from an image should NEVER be done.

Complaining about film grain is as silly as complaining about getting movies in their OAR.

BTW, Robocop's transfer was done by Fox...not Sony.  The PQ (picture quality) can not be better than the source material.  So, your comment saying, "they weren't able to present it even in a half decent quality" doesn't make sense.

On the other hand, maybe the source could have been restored to a better quality.  I do know that Robocop was restored before the 2nd transfer was done and released (that's why it was delayed from it's original BD release date).  The transfer BEFORE the source was restored (via Sony) was reported as being MUCH worse than the released BD version (via Fox for MGM).

Here is a Robocop review...before and after.

1) Kiss of the Dragon (video) - I believe this was transfered from SD source material.  'Nuff said.

2) 28 Days Later (video) - There is no other version but a SD source for this movie.  It was shot on a SD camera in the first place.

3) Ocean's 11, 12, & 13 (video and audio) - They were all softened to hell!  From what I saw, it seems Warner pushed the detail way down to be able to encode it within the allotted bandwidth without serious compression artifacts.  The sound was no where near what it should have been.  I guess I will have to wait for a recode at a much higher bitrate for audio and video.

There is no need to mention HD DVD titles for obvious reasons.


3.) Damn, I just ordered the Trilogy. (On HD-DVD I might add. Was the same price as Blu Ray and I just still like to support the format, even though it's now dead).
Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorNadja
Small and broken
Registered: March 13, 2007
United Kingdom Posts: 775
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There's a whole wealth of information on the subject here; a friend showed me this link after I remarked how I admired the video quality of Pan's Labyrinth. It's criminal, I say, criminal!
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantAscended_Saiyan
A Blu-ray crack fiend
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 1,127
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Quoting Stephan.klose:
Quote:
Sorry about my grain comment. I am not sure that was really what I meant. My english isn't that good. I meant more like color noise in the dark scenes. Every darker shot was full of blueish noise. I know they could have done better, because later yesterday I watched "The Thing" (on the now obsolete HD-DVD) which is 5 years earlier, and that had way better picture. And wasn't softened to hell either.

Coming back to Robocop they could have done a way better job in restoring the original.

I also know that the first release try of Robocop was done by Sony. The second was MGM/Fox. At least we got the unrated Version. (the 2 added shots)..

Considering the quality I saw presented in the Fox "robocop" I don't even wanna know what the Sony version would have looked like. At least the sound was pretty decent in DTS HD 5.1

PS: Have you seen the Fox Version of Robocop? If not check it out. I read all about it first in the high-def digest and he didn't seem to upset by the quality. It still got 3/5. (The Thing got 4.5/5)..

Anyone else saw anything that was particularly bad on Blu Ray to watch?

No worries about the film grain comment.  I thought you were just trying to find something to talk negatively about BDs, so I think I was a bit too harsh with you.  I apologize.

If I remember correctly, the source was in TERRIBLE shape.  I think that's about as good as it gets (besides color depth and resolution beyond Blu-ray's capability).  I have Robocop.  I thought it was decent for the condition it was reportedly in.
To err is human...
-----------
473 Blu-ray Titles
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantAscended_Saiyan
A Blu-ray crack fiend
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 1,127
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Quoting Stephan.klose:
Quote:
3.) Damn, I just ordered the Trilogy. (On HD-DVD I might add. Was the same price as Blu Ray and I just still like to support the format, even though it's now dead).

I would send it back if you can.  If you thought Robocop was bad, you will cry when you see Ocean's.
To err is human...
-----------
473 Blu-ray Titles
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantAscended_Saiyan
A Blu-ray crack fiend
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 1,127
Posted:
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Quoting Nadja:
Quote:
There's a whole wealth of information on the subject here; a friend showed me this link after I remarked how I admired the video quality of Pan's Labyrinth. It's criminal, I say, criminal!

That's good information.  Some of the titles mentioned only seemed to have minor issues in those areas, but they ARE there.
To err is human...
-----------
473 Blu-ray Titles
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantstephan.klose
2k+ Blu Rays
Registered: June 27, 2007
Austria Posts: 2,049
Posted:
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Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:
Quote:
Quoting Stephan.klose:
Quote:
Sorry about my grain comment. I am not sure that was really what I meant. My english isn't that good. I meant more like color noise in the dark scenes. Every darker shot was full of blueish noise. I know they could have done better, because later yesterday I watched "The Thing" (on the now obsolete HD-DVD) which is 5 years earlier, and that had way better picture. And wasn't softened to hell either.

Coming back to Robocop they could have done a way better job in restoring the original.

I also know that the first release try of Robocop was done by Sony. The second was MGM/Fox. At least we got the unrated Version. (the 2 added shots)..

Considering the quality I saw presented in the Fox "robocop" I don't even wanna know what the Sony version would have looked like. At least the sound was pretty decent in DTS HD 5.1

PS: Have you seen the Fox Version of Robocop? If not check it out. I read all about it first in the high-def digest and he didn't seem to upset by the quality. It still got 3/5. (The Thing got 4.5/5)..

Anyone else saw anything that was particularly bad on Blu Ray to watch?

No worries about the film grain comment.  I thought you were just trying to find something to talk negatively about BDs, so I think I was a bit too harsh with you.  I apologize.

If I remember correctly, the source was in TERRIBLE shape.  I think that's about as good as it gets (besides color depth and resolution beyond Blu-ray's capability).  I have Robocop.  I thought it was decent for the condition it was reportedly in.


Yeah but if you take other movies from that period. There are a lot that are cleaned up way better. I really hated the Robocop Transfer. I have seen my share of bad Blu's and HD-DVD's but Robocop.. Man... I actually can't send the Trilogy back because I live in Austria and sending it back to amazon would be really expensive. They are way newer though, shouldn't the quality be much better?

Maybe I just reacted so strongly to Robocop because I just saw "The Thing" on HD-DVD and the quality was so damn excellent. (Looked better than the other movie I mentioned.. "Hostel 2".

Also: I wasn't trying to find something bad about Blu Ray. Since I abandonned the fight for HD-DVD I love the format. I sell a lot of players where I work. Actually the most there because I am the only one who really knows something about it. (Although I always get them to buy Samsung or Panasonic. Never Sony.. because of the Sound Issues).. So I am actually doing something for the format in promoting it. Also I sell a lot of Onkyo 606's which will be a good thing to have once those people go blu.. I really came around on the Blu issue. I loved HD-DVD. Mostly because it was a finished product from the beginning and because there were no region codes. I am still pi**ed about every Fox title that is US exclusive..
Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantstephan.klose
2k+ Blu Rays
Registered: June 27, 2007
Austria Posts: 2,049
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Quoting Stephan.klose:
Quote:
Quoting Ascended_Saiyan:
Quote:
Quoting Stephan.klose:
Quote:
Sorry about my grain comment. I am not sure that was really what I meant. My english isn't that good. I meant more like color noise in the dark scenes. Every darker shot was full of blueish noise. I know they could have done better, because later yesterday I watched "The Thing" (on the now obsolete HD-DVD) which is 5 years earlier, and that had way better picture. And wasn't softened to hell either.

Coming back to Robocop they could have done a way better job in restoring the original.

I also know that the first release try of Robocop was done by Sony. The second was MGM/Fox. At least we got the unrated Version. (the 2 added shots)..

Considering the quality I saw presented in the Fox "robocop" I don't even wanna know what the Sony version would have looked like. At least the sound was pretty decent in DTS HD 5.1

PS: Have you seen the Fox Version of Robocop? If not check it out. I read all about it first in the high-def digest and he didn't seem to upset by the quality. It still got 3/5. (The Thing got 4.5/5)..

Anyone else saw anything that was particularly bad on Blu Ray to watch?

No worries about the film grain comment.  I thought you were just trying to find something to talk negatively about BDs, so I think I was a bit too harsh with you.  I apologize.

If I remember correctly, the source was in TERRIBLE shape.  I think that's about as good as it gets (besides color depth and resolution beyond Blu-ray's capability).  I have Robocop.  I thought it was decent for the condition it was reportedly in.


Yeah but if you take other movies from that period. There are a lot that are cleaned up way better. I really hated the Robocop Transfer. I have seen my share of bad Blu's and HD-DVD's but Robocop.. Man... About the Ocean Trilogy: I actually can't send the Trilogy back because I live in Austria and sending it back to amazon would be really expensive. They are way newer though, shouldn't the quality be much better? Well maybe not. Here is a quote from High-Def Digest: "'Ocean's 13' hits both HD DVD and Blu-ray with identical encodes. Unfortunately, while I'm quite sure the look of this 1080p/VC-1 transfer reflects Soderbergh's directorial intentions, a series of glaring color discrepancies, heavy noise, and rough detail conspire to make this something less than a high-def demo disc."
Let's see.. Looks like a perfect trilogy to put down in our little list we are compiling here.

Maybe I just reacted so strongly to Robocop because I just saw "The Thing" on HD-DVD and the quality was so damn excellent. (Looked better than the other movie I mentioned.. "Hostel 2".

Also: I wasn't trying to find something bad about Blu Ray. Since I abandonned the fight for HD-DVD I love the format. I sell a lot of players where I work. Actually the most there because I am the only one who really knows something about it. (Although I always get them to buy Samsung or Panasonic. Never Sony.. because of the Sound Issues).. So I am actually doing something for the format in promoting it. Also I sell a lot of Onkyo 606's which will be a good thing to have once those people go blu.. I really came around on the Blu issue. I loved HD-DVD. Mostly because it was a finished product from the beginning and because there were no region codes. I am still pi**ed about every Fox title that is US exclusive..
Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantBattling Butler
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 811
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House of Flying Daggers - Blu-ray
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorErik
It's a strange world.
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
Norway Posts: 422
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Quoting Battling Butler:
Quote:
House of Flying Daggers - Blu-ray

Indeed, "DIed" to death...

Pan's Labyrinth US is pretty scary too.

http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/clarke/38/dvdp/pans.htm

"The jacket looks like foam instead of a fabric."

"Enough of WAX. Looks like his face is going to melt. The U.K Blu-ray looks awesome and happy to have ordered the same."

"Studios catering to the demographic that don't understand natural grain on film, expecting and wanting every release to look like every CGI enhanced blockbuster."
Erik

"Has it ever occurred to you, man, that given the nature of all this new stuff, that, uh, instead of running around blaming me, that this whole thing might just be, not, you know, not just such a simple, but uh - you know?" -- The Dude, The Big Lebowski

DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantstephan.klose
2k+ Blu Rays
Registered: June 27, 2007
Austria Posts: 2,049
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I heard a couple of people meantioning "Pan's Labyrinth" by now. I gotta check on High-def Digest what he has to say about it.

Right now I am watching "3:10 to yuma".. perfect transfer which seems to be coming from a pretty perfect print
Check out my Youtube channel under https://www.youtube.com/user/alittleolder
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantnuoyaxin
prev. known as ya_shin
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
Taiwan, Province of China Posts: 3,436
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Haven't watched it yet, but I also got burned by Pan's Labyrinth. Bought it in the beginning when I thought they wouldn't really use different masters for releases in different regions
Achim [諾亞信; Ya-Shin//Nuo], a German in Taiwan.
Registered: May 29, 2000 (at InterVocative)
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantMark Harrison
I like IMDB
Registered: March 13, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
United States Posts: 3,321
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I got Pan's Labyrinth on HD DVD for $9.99 at Fry's.  I knew of the problems, but just couldn't pass it up at that price.  It sucks that they ruined the US version of it, but it was still better than DVD and I lived with DVD for years.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorninehours
Registered: April 3, 2007
Reputation: High Rating
United Kingdom Posts: 1,998
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Spartacus HD DVD is the worst I've seen
Review
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