Digital Enhancement Terms

[Kull]

Hi there,

I'm an avid follower of this site and quite a fan of Bluray since I saw the first comparison shots for Blade Runner back then.

I always read the reviews here for movies I'm interested in and while doing so you pick up many terms concerning digital enhancement and alteration that is done to those movies.

While, following for quite some time now, I have a basic understanding of what is being talked of I never found any site that went deeper into explaining those and showing comparisons.

Those terms include:
DNR - noise reduction
edge enhancement and halos

and so on.

I know it's difficult to come up with comparison shots because you'd ever have to compare BDs with DVDs or maybe different transfers of movies.

I'd really like to see a section here explaining and maybe showcasing those terms in depth with some kind of comparison if possible.

Or maybe someone knows some sites that explain and show those difference.

[Prim]

If you're after screenshot comparisons, this is the place to go to.
For some extreme examples of DNR and/or Edge enhancement, see screenshots of Predator and Gladiator.

This shot is a clear example of EE. The Dutch (NL Blu-ray) one doesn't have it, but the other one has. Look around the outline of the people making up the circle.
This shot is an example of the use of heavy DNR.

These are extreme examples, so you can clearly see the difference.

[Kull]

Yes, I know those movies, especially Predator. But I'd not only like to see those screenshots in comparison but have them explained in some details, what changes exactly with which alteration.

[Prim]

Originally Posted by Kull

Yes, I know those movies, especially Predator. But I'd not only like to see those screenshots in comparison but have them explained in some details, what changes exactly with which alteration.

Not sure if I fully understand the question (hope I do), but I'll try...

Symptoms of heavy DNR, as an example, is loss of picture texture, detail, and in the case of Predator UHE, I would say artistic intent (this is very much debated, and I'd like to point out that this is my opinion). The detail is in the grain due to the process of how the images are captured onto the film reel, and if you remove it, you remove the detail in the process. Normally, DNR is applied to very many (if not all) Blu-Rays, but if it is slight and done correctly/tastefully, you won't get the loss of detail and "waxyness" seen in Predator, Patton, etc.

EE (Edge enhancement) is a sharpening technique applied to make things in the image stand out more and make them sharper, but often misused and abused by the studios. Symptoms of heavy use are noisy outlines around people or objects, such as seen in Gladiator.

I may not be 100% in the technical lingo here, for the record
And I hope I understood your question correctly.