THX Blu-rays

[pagemaster]

Are THX blu rays even made anymore?

I grew up on THX laserdiscs and early THX dvds....It just seems like there are very few THX blu-rays these days.

[42041]

Avatar has some kind of THX logo. Not sure why it matters though.

According to their website, so is Terminator 2: Skynet edition. So much for credibility

[MykeHavoc]

Alien and Aliens.

[Geoff D]

It doesn't really matter any more. And as cool as it seemed way back when, I'm not sure it mattered all that much to the end product then either.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

It doesn't really matter any more. And as cool as it seemed way back when, I'm not sure it mattered all that much to the end product then either.

Having THX on a disc was the equivalent of having your monitor calibrated. It simply meant that the disc was mastered to certain calibration standards. It was an attempt at providing a level of consistency so that if one THX disc looked proper on your system, they all should have. The DVDs frequently used to have a quick alignment tool which was nice to have.

It had nothing to do with the quality of a restoration, the amount of film grain, how much DNR was used, etc.

I actually wish that BDs did have it (as long as it didn't increase the price.)

[chip75]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

I actually wish that BDs did have it (as long as it didn't increase the price.)

I think the OP was talking about the THX certified films on LD, VHS and DVD, not the calibration tool.

Disney often as calibration tools on their discs, they used to have THX ones but now it's called something else.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Having THX on a disc was the equivalent of having your monitor calibrated. It simply meant that the disc was mastered to certain calibration standards. It was an attempt at providing a level of consistency so that if one THX disc looked proper on your system, they all should have. The DVDs frequently used to have a quick alignment tool which was nice to have.

It had nothing to do with the quality of a restoration, the amount of film grain, how much DNR was used, etc.

I actually wish that BDs did have it (as long as it didn't increase the price.)

I've been using Video Essentials since the Laserdisc days, I'd never touch one of those THX Optimisers.

Anyhoo, as the others have said, the OP was likely talking about the THX 'stamp of approval' in general, which was never a 100% guarantee of the highest quality home video presentations. Highlander on R1 DVD is testament to that.

[HarcourtMudd]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Having THX on a disc was the equivalent of having your monitor calibrated. It simply meant that the disc was mastered to certain calibration standards. It was an attempt at providing a level of consistency so that if one THX disc looked proper on your system, they all should have. The DVDs frequently used to have a quick alignment tool which was nice to have.

THX certification has not meant anything since the first LaserDiscs that carried the stamp. Their "standards" are a complete joke, as is evidenced many times over (too many titles to list that are utter garbage). And it goes beyond video titles. My Panasonic plasma is a 2009 model, meaning that the black level is not constant. However, THX certification seems to be time limited, as the contrast ratio decreased to about a third of it's initial value in just a couple of thousand hours of use. Either their standards are really lax, or they simply looked the other way because Panasonic is a major account.

Bottom line, please do not buy anything (BDs, displays, AVRs, etc) based on the joke that is THX certification (don't even get me started on the "Media Director" boondoggle)...

[pagemaster]

Avatar is the last movie other than Star Wars that I know of.

It just seems that very few movies get the THX treatment compared to the early days of DVD

[42041]

Originally Posted by pagemaster

Avatar is the last movie other than Star Wars that I know of.

It just seems that very few movies get the THX treatment compared to the early days of DVD

I'm sure they have to pay some fee to the THX people for what amounts to a rubber stamp. These days, when every movie exists as pristine digital data to begin with, there's a lot less that can go wrong with the home video version. With older films I could see the benefit of having some sort of external quality certification, but if dung like T2:Skynet can get their endorsement, clearly it means next to nothing. The major studios are perfectly capable of putting out high-quality discs when they choose to do so anyway.