Ask questions to The Digital Bits team (Bill Hunt, Jeff Kleist et.al.)

[DaViD Boulet]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

The Wiimote is not suited to a real game. Motion controls can supplement and add flavor

aiming the bow and arrow, boomerang, and slingshot in Zelda wasn't a "gimmick" an it wasn't a supplement... rather it was a real and meaningful use of the motion-sensitive controler that made conventional button-controls seem crude and primitive by comparison.

The Wii isn't perfect, and not every game or every action in every game is suited for motion-control. But for things that are appropriate, motion control can really improve the game experience.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by merrick97

Where the heck are the Red Dead Redemption reviews?

I get annoyed with these last minute review embargos. Alan Wake and Uncharted 2 had their reviews posted weeks before the game came out. Why not with RDR.

I am completely lost to the actual topic being discussed right now, so I figured I would let out my frustration on this for a change of pace.

Geez Merrick, keep up will ya!

It started like this…
https://forum.blu-ray.com/insider-di...ml#post3256452

Then you got RAH on one side of the globe and Torsten on the other side….both beating on it with archival and mastering clubs or sticks…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YMimeBcVRk

Then there were tangential observations regarding scanning of films with real world examples of a couple of Blu-rays demonstrating differences in policies and procedures.

Merrick, we were essentially discussing the freakin DNA of Blu-ray!
The discussion was very significant to home theater Blu-ray enthusiasts because what you guys end up seeing at home on Blu-ray is ultimately a by-product of the freakiin primary photography and post production of any motion picture film.

Honestly, you should be glad I didn’t get them started in the other direction, namely, upconverting HD acquired imagery to match 4k scanned 35mm photography in order to make the mixed principal photography flow as visually seamless as possible in your local movie theater and ultimately in your home vis-à-vis the Blu-ray editions.…because that would get into a discussion of algorithms and gamma curves.

Not to mention the ancillary fact that I’m trying to promote Jeff into the 1 million view club as soon as possible because he’s been lagging.

C’mon little brother.

[Penton-Man]

lol,
I just clicked on the HTF link which was a review of Spartacus by RAH.

It now says..."There Seems to be a Problem".

Is some after the fact editing going on over yonder?

[Jeff Kleist]

Funny how in Twilight they used the motion sensitivity of the remote to great effect for the fishing rod, but not so much for the sword. I think they didn't want to reprogram all of the sword plays which were all based on simple button-cues from the previous Zelda incarnations prior to the Wii. The next Wii Zelda should revolutionize sword play in video games IMO with actual motoin control.

It's both. The game was a fast Gamecube port, and the Wiimote couldn't track proper sword moves without motion plus.

The Wii isn't perfect, and not every game or every action in every game is suited for motion-control. But for things that are appropriate, motion control can really improve the game experience.

Not untrue, but it's not suited to a big production game, and it's certainly not designed around any traditional mechanics for gameplay.

That's where Natal's biggest strength IMO lies. Youcan use the control pad AND it can track your head. Moving your feet can change weapons or com channels if you want. There can even be tandem games where

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

It's both. The game was a fast Gamecube port, and the Wiimote couldn't track proper sword moves without motion plus.

Thats why Im somewhat skeptical of the next zelda game taking motion plus to a whole new level.

I dunno maybe I'm just frustrated with how many different ways I would die playing Super Mario Galaxy that came as a result of not being comfortable using the motion controller. I'm especially the parts that require slight tilts of the wiimote.

Like I said previously is that there weren't any moments that were made better or worse in Zelda due to the Wiimote.

[aygie]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

That's where Natal's biggest strength IMO lies. Youcan use the control pad AND it can track your head. Moving your feet can change weapons or com channels if you want. There can even be tandem games where

That just sounds atrocious.

Sorry I just think Natal will be nothing more than a gimmick. An impressive gimmick, an accomplishment in full motion tracking (once we see it on a game other than Ricochet) but a gimmick none the less. I can not imagine one hardcore gamer using Natal.

Its a glorified eyetoy, and don't even get me started on the friggin Cirque du Soleil thing

[Jeff Kleist]

Frankly, I think Cirque de Soleil is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. I got in trouble putting it in the children's section (I'd never even heard of it at the time). I admire the whole no animals thing, but I think it's too much fartsy and too little artsy

It obviously sells well to middle america though

I threw out the weapon change thing as a top of the head example of something you could do with it.

[aygie]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Frankly, I think Cirque de Soleil is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. I got in trouble putting it in the children's section (I'd never even heard of it at the time). I admire the whole no animals thing, but I think it's too much fartsy and too little artsy

It obviously sells well to middle america though

I threw out the weapon change thing as a top of the head example of something you could do with it.

Ah ok.

So whats your thoughts on Natal, revolution or gimmick? Will you be giving up controls? Can't imagine you (or Merrick ) playing Mass Effect 3 without a controller....

[Jeff Kleist]

I think Natal is going to be awesome for OPTIONS.

I like the idea of it recognizing me when I log in. I like the idea of gesture control for the dashboard. I like the idea of scanning in my own items. I like the idea of being able to play an RTS on my console, potentially with more control than a mouse offers (albeit with tired arms ) I know that Peter Molyneux will make us dance like a monkey in Fable 3. I think

I think pure motion control is isolated to gimmicks and party games. Unless Force Unleashed 2 lets me wave around my toy lightsaber blocking blasters,slicing stormtroppers and use my hands to throw force blasts and stuff. In which case it'll be the greatest thing EVER

[kpkelley]

If they could get the Natal interface to work like Minority Report, I might consider getting an XBox

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Is some after the fact editing going on over yonder?

Wouldn't be the first time.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

I think Natal is going to be awesome for OPTIONS.

I think it would've been, if they hadn't killed the independent processor for it. I think they'll come to regret that move, as they did the HDD fiasco.

[Jeff Kleist]

Everything I described can be accomplished with very little overhead

I think the indy processor killing was a bad idea as well, but apparently it killed the ability to bring it in at a reasonable price (sub $100).

[JimSD]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

lol,
I just clicked on the HTF link which was a review of Spartacus by RAH.

It now says..."There Seems to be a Problem".

Is some after the fact editing going on over yonder?

It's still there. Link is working OK for me.

[garyrc]

RE: 65 mm originals, and Picture Quality in general, BDs should be produced with sufficient detail to look good from 1 picture width away (e.g., 10 feet away from a 10 foot wide screen), IMO, especially with epic films. This would be about equivalent to the width on one's retinas of 70 mm projected -- with mind blowing detail -- in my favorite 70 mm theater of the past, from the 20th row. Many film buffs sat even closer when they realized the image would hold up (that would be pushing it with Blu).

Originally Posted by Torsten Kaiser TLE

The difference would be VERY noticeable even to "Joe6Pack" viewers. And that is very likely why Robert feels (so vocally) the way he does. I know I would.

... and even if Joe6pack denies (as Joe is prone to do) that he notices a difference, he may enjoy the film more if it is more detailed and bigger, and he might not have a clue as to why. Greater immersion, suspension of disbelief, and cortical arousal are positively correlated with image size from a given seat. The influence of manipulated cortical arousal on enjoyment in film goes back at least to Schachter and Wheeler (1962). Everything else being equal, cortical arousal increases with size, complexity (detail?!!), brightness, and loudness (& dynamics).

[Bobby Henderson]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

If you remember, I caught on the theatrical what was 65mm sourced I don't have the Blu-ray though. In my experience, even at home, 65mm sources exhibit more consistancy of excellence,that's the primary benefit.

I got in late on the discussion about The International.

I knew parts of The International were filmed in 65mm before seeing the movie, but didn't know the specific scenes. I was able to pick out most or all of them watching on a 52" HDTV screen. Had I not known about the 65mm sourcing I'm not so sure I would have picked up on it. The 65mm sourced scenes, even on Blu-ray, had noticeably superior detail, better contrast and a better balance of color.

Regarding scanning, the pros seem pretty obvious on why a higher resolution scan would be better than just scanning in 2K and doing DI in 2K. The square Bayer pattern pixel grid becomes an issue in resolving fine details like certain fabric patterns and "frequency sweeps." The over-sampling and later reduction to 2K can resolve more detail as well as reduce the effects of aliasing and moire. But the process has to be done right.

For instance, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera reduces its native 5.6K image down to 1080p for video footage. The down-sampling process in the camera has some issues with aliasing. I don't understand why the problem exists, but you'll definitely see it in deep depth of field video footage of stuff with intricate patterns, such as roof shingles in bright daylight. It's as if the camera is hitting some odd mathematical value with that 34.1880341880% reduction. Perhaps if that reduction value was an even 25% or 50% value the problems might not be such an issue.

Some of this stuff reminds me of tricks used to scan printed materials on old scanners. Rotating the image on the scanning bed 15° or 30° would get rid of a lot of the moire in a scan of a halftoned picture. That's not as much of an issue know that most flatbed scanners have very high optical resolutions. Moire can still pop up especially if you have to reduce the image to a smaller size.

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Seems Arri professional cameras are getting a lot of face time from us in this discussion. So, to balance things out , here’s a sneak peak of a new consumer camcorder under development with removable lenses (E-Mount).
http://blog.discover.sonystyle.com/s...in-development


Bobby H…..start saving your money now.

Right now I'm just trying to put money aside for new Canon EF lenses, such as the new 100mm L-series macro with hybrid image stabilization. Lots of people have said it works very well as a portrait lens. And then there's that $2500 version II 70-200mm f/2.8L IS work horse. Once a good 70-200mm lens in attached to a DSLR body it is rarely ever removed. I just have to keep a tripod handy with my current 70-200 since it doesn't have image stabilization.

Any other video-related gear might be purchased for my 5D Mark II, although the prices for some of those accessories are painful. A large, outboard LCD screen that can be flipped would be handy. My needs for video are pretty minor. My greater priority is the still image stuff.

[SquidPuppet]

Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced Alfred Hitchcock's horror classic Psycho for release on Blu-ray on October 19, in a "meticulously restored" 50th Anniversary Edition, with a new 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack

Jeff, do you know who is handling the restoration? Is it in-house or farmed out?

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by JimSD

It's still there. Link is working OK for me.

You perked my interest.
Yes, it now appears to be working fine; however, unless I speed-read Robert’s post too quickly and missed something, I now don’t notice that infamous statement…”best move for Universal is to halt all distribution of catalog titles. Stop transferring, mastering…If not for the sake of the films, do it for our planet.”

As well as other more candid and colorful comments in the original piece.
Not to worry Robert, I'm told that sort of *editing* without a notice of public retraction is also going on at other forums (other than HTF), like for instance AVS.

Apparently, someone somewhere on this page originally blamed and publically called out Ned Price (of WB) for the perceived DNR degradation of Dr. Zhivago here….
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...8&postcount=57

and now, apparently that comment has also disappeared with no evidence of an “edited by…” public notification.

I love some of these outside forums for journalistic transparency.

The problem is that probably something like 95% of the viewers that ever read these threads only read the original posts and never really go back and read the ‘edited version’.

Reminds me of a certain motion picture…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK2CB...eature=related

My only personal beef with Robert’s edited version is that he goes out of his way to give accolades to two other majors “Where Fox and Disney have been releasing gorgeous Blu-rays of their catalog titles…”, when as far as I’m concerned, (Sony) SPHE has been kicking butt in terms of Blu-ray quality consistently and without reservation for a long time now, leading the pack!

P.S.
This is for you and Bobby H. (a good educational set of video clips from Abel Cine Tech)…
http://www.youtube.com/abelcinetech#p/u/11/5ls6TNtyFoQ

Part II is somewhere further on up the menu on the page.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

...And then there's that $2500 version II 70-200mm f/2.8L IS work horse. Once a good 70-200mm lens in attached to a DSLR body it is rarely ever removed. I just have to keep a tripod handy with my current 70-200 since it doesn't have image stabilization.

I may have to break down and buy me that camera and that lens as you and my neighbor are giving me a case of jealous envy, day by day.

All I have to do, is think of an innovative way to sell the idea to my wife as a case of need rather than ‘discretionary spending’.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

If they could get the Natal interface to work like Minority Report, I might consider getting an XBox

All this talk about the Wiimote and Natal with no mention of the PlayStation Move, which had a demo similar to the Minority Report interface.




...and the PS3 is the only console that plays Blu-rays. Just a reminder.