Sahara... Blu-ray or Hd dvd?

[drb124]

I just rented sahara from netflix and enjoyed it enough to want to buy it, but after reading the reviews at hidefdigest.com, it seems that the hd dvd version has better pq. I have both a blu-ray nad hd dvd player. I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience with both versions of the movie and would care to comment? Thanks

[ManWithNoName]

When in doubt go blu-ray!

[FilmmakingFiasco]

from hddvd.org review:

Comparing the Blu-ray release to the HD-DVD release shows that the Paramount VC-1 transfers on HD-DVD are still slightly superior to the Paramount MPEG-2 transfers on Blu-ray. The releases are visually similar, but the HD-DVD does contain a slightly better level of detail and the Blu-ray contains a few moments of edge shimmering that was not present on the HD-DVD release. The difference is not tremendous, but with direct A-B comparisons through both component and HDMI connections, the HD-DVD nosed out this Blu-ray release.

It's a personal preference. If you want the best PQ, I'd go with the HD-DVD; I mean, if you have both HD and Blu-ray, go for the best bang for your buck.

[Deciazulado]

mmm other people have different opinions about Paramount's VC-1/mpeg-2, you know... You have to know who to trust

Originally Posted by Ben Williams, HTF reviewer

However, some of the Paramount titles look better on Blu-Ray in mpeg-2 than on HD-DVD in VC-1.

Mission: Impossible 3 was ever so slightly better, in my opinion, than its HD-DVD counterpart. Sleepy Hollow was also an improvement on Blu-Ray. I feel like the thing that is making the blu-ray releases look slightly better (in some cases) is how grain is handled. In many cases, HD-DVD titles all but wipe out any film grain and leave a perfectly smooth image. This hasn't been the case with BLu-Ray. I like how grain is finely and accurately presented. It's very natural and film-like. Sleepy Hollow is an interesting example. It's a very grainy film that was a mess on HD-DVD. The grain often just seemed to devolve into a swarming noise-like image. The blu-ray edition was much more stable and I didn't get any of that "swarming" or movement from the film grain. I found this same improvement with Tomb Raider and Aeon Flux as well.

[Chad Varnadore]

I think some reviewers report what they think they're supposed to see, more than what they actually can. They've been told that the newer codecs are superior to MPEG-2, which they are, but all too often that's taken out of context and their superiority is exaggerated or not understood. Either that or there's some kind of bias in their setup that curiously compromises BD more than HD.

When I compared the BD and HD versions of Sahara I couldn't discern a significant difference in PQ. I don't know what kind of setup hddvdorg uses, but I know ours is more demanding than what highdefdigest uses. I don't even know what edge shimmering is, unless the reviewer at org is referring to aliasing or combing, in which case, it's an equipment issue not a disc one. It's possible the HD version edges out the BD, but if so, it's so slight, it was virtually imperceptible at 1080p using a 92" screen. Now if the reviewer is using 720p, scaling could be exaggerating something or even adding something.

That said, the HD version might edge out the BD in sound. If I remember correctly, the DD+ track on HD sounded better than the BDs DD track and I might have preferred it slightly to the DTS track. But, the BD's DTS track was much more comparable. As close as the two discs were, I'd go with the BD, simply because the format has a much better chance of hanging around.

[BLu-Balls]

Buy Sahara in which ever format you think is going to win

[BTBuck1]

Sahara is one of the rare discs I got on HDDVD over Blu-ray.

why?

Because it was on the list of "Free with purchase" movies when I got My HD-A1 from Value Electronics

It's a great transfer, and a fun movie. I would reccomend just getting whichever one is cheaper, if price is no differen't just get the Blu-ray to let Paramount know we are behind them!

[drb124]

Thank you for your replies. After hearing what chad had to say about the bias of some reviewers and the fact that he was unable to tell a difference, I have decided to go blu-ray. Thanks Again!

[DrinkMore]

Bought this and watched it. Also put a review up in the Movies section.

PQ is very nice. It is worthy of the BD seal. So I am not sure what all the fuss is about. I think people can't keep their emotions OUT of the reviews as of late.

The movie was eh, ok. It had its laughs but not what I was hoping for.