Blu-ray Screenshot Thread (Large Files)

[ricwhite]

SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU GO TO THE VERY FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD IT WILL HAVE LINKS TO MOST OF THE MOVIES POSTED HERE. IT IS A QUICK WAY TO FIND YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE SCREENSHOTS.
________________________________________

Equipment: Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB Projector / 106" DaLite High Power Screen / Toshiba HD-A35 HD DVD Player / Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray Player / Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver / Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 Digital Camera

Library: 48 HD DVD Movies / 48 Blu-ray Movies

Blu-ray Movie Title: Deja Vu

[swifty7]

Ric I gasp everytime I see your screen shots, they are too good. Those Commando shots looks way...way better than the theater I remember going to.....no comparison.

that Epson Home Cinema is something.

I wonder if the ps3 can produce as good as picture quality as your panasonic.

[lgans316]

Thanks Brain Sturgeon for exposing the ho hum transfer of M&C.

[swifty7]

Ric

I have a request. Can you please post some Stanley Kubrick 2001 shots?

thanks!!!

[KuZia495]

The Bone Collector (UK blu)
computer image capture
1080p ver.snapshots here: 1,2,3,4,5.

[KuZia495]

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (UK blu)
computer image capture
1080p ver.snapshots here: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 .

[swifty7]

I don't want to sound mean but all other screen shots looks pale compared to that of RicWhite's.

[Spankey]

Ric is going to force me to pick up the Epson. If real life looks anything like those shots, it is an awesome projector.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by swifty7

I don't want to sound mean but all other screen shots looks pale compared to that of RicWhite's.

To use an analogy that I've heard used before, that's like saying one person's sound system sounds better on the phone than another person's.

As Ric has mentioned, and I wholeheartedly agree, these images pale in comparison to the real experience. It's not only the image quality of an FP system that makes them special, its the size/immersiveness of the screen that really wows you. If you get the chance to see a well set up FP system in action, particularly with high quality source material like BD, you will never go back to a direct view system again; or at least until direct view systems become affordable/feasible in the 100" wide or greater range.

To wit, here are comparisons of a couple of Ric and my shots of similar material (the BD of Blade Runner)

Ric's



Mine



Ric's



Mine




Which ones are better? everybody will differ on this.

I would say that they are different, but both excellent.

These screenshots are fun, and somewhat useful for judging the source, but don't use them to evaluate the systems they are coming from. You've got to personally see the system(s) in action to truly know.

[ricwhite]

Originally Posted by swifty7

Ric

I have a request. Can you please post some Stanley Kubrick 2001 shots?

thanks!!!

I could . . . except that the copy I have is HD DVD. So, we're out of luck on that in this forum.

[ricwhite]

Originally Posted by Spankey

Ric is going to force me to pick up the Epson. If real life looks anything like those shots, it is an awesome projector.

I believe the Epson Home Cinema (or Pro Cinema) 1080UB is an excellent 1080P LCD projector at its price point. I paid about $2700 for mine. When I researched projectors back in January, I couldn't find a better 1080P projector for under 3K. I'm not sure if things have changed since then. All I know is that the Epson is a very good projector that I highly recommend.

Once you have a good 1080P projector, you won't want to go back to smaller displays. It really provides a great theater experience that screenshots can't really do justice with. The one caution with is projector is that you REALLY need to have a total light controlled room if you want a good image.

[KuZia495]

Originally Posted by ricwhite

I could . . . except that the copy I have is HD DVD. So, we're out of luck on that in this forum.

is not it?
2001: A Space Odyssey - 6 screenshots / computer image capture


ricwhite.... Ehhh..... You are lucky.
In Russia the price/cost of projector (panels..tv...blu..etc) at 50-100% higher.
For example, Epson 1080UB we worth ~101.000 rur, i.e. 101.000rur/25rur = 4040 usd (25rur for 1usd).

Have a nice day!!

[ricwhite]

Originally Posted by Brain Sturgeon

To use an analogy that I've heard used before, that's like saying one person's sound system sounds better on the phone than another person's.

As Ric has mentioned, and I wholeheartedly agree, these images pale in comparison to the real experience. It's not only the image quality of an FP system that makes them special, its the size/immersiveness of the screen that really wows you. If you get the chance to see a well set up FP system in action, particularly with high quality source material like BD, you will never go back to a direct view system again; or at least until direct view systems become affordable/feasible in the 100" wide or greater range.

. . . screenshots are fun, and somewhat useful for judging the source, but don't use them to evaluate the systems they are coming from. You've got to personally see the system(s) in action to truly know.

I agree with what Brain Sturgeon said.

Personally, I don't think that any untouched screenshot is "better" than the actual image on the display from which it came. Screenshots will always be a little inferior. I estimate that my posted screenshots are around 90% or so what the "actual" image looks like. I tweaked my system and camera as much as I can, but I really can't get any more accurate than that.

It's really not fair to judge a display solely on the screenshots. There are so many variables. For example, if someone posts some screenshots using a better camera and techniques, they will look better . . . but that doesn't necessarily mean that the DISPLAY is better. So, I wouldn't use screenshots as the sole basis for a display purchase. It is very important to view displays personally and read reviews. A screenshot can never give you the "experience" of an 8 foot screen, for example.

Screenshots can be used to judge movie picture quality to some degee. I try to keep constant room conditions, lighting, equipment, camera settings, etc. The only variable is the movie itself. Therefore, the differences you see between screenshots of movies I post is the picture quality of the movie itself. In that way, you can see which movies have better picture quality than others according to your perception.

I think its very ineffective to judge screenshots of different displays using different cameras under different lighting conditions. Yes, the movie may be the constant but the other variables make it very ineffective to evaluate.

For example: Here are three images from "No Country for Old Men" using completely different equipment. You can see differences in picture quality.





Usually, the smaller the display, the better the image -- but not always. Usually, a computer image capture is the purest image possible and should look the best -- but not always. Usually the absence of ambient light will produce a better image -- but not always. There's just too many variables involved-- not to mention how your monitor is calibrated that your viewing these on.

And that brings me to the next point that Brain Sturgeon brought up: subjectivity. We are dealing here with "art". And judging a screenshot is similar to judging a painting or a composition of music. Some might find one screenshot "stunning" while others think it's rather poor. Some prefer the look of DLP displays while other like LCD or SXRD better. Some like very saturated colors while others do not.

I post my screenshots on several forums and the exact same screenshots that many here praise and are impressed with are highly criticized in other forums and being "washed out" "low in contrast" "white and black crushed" "dull and lifeless" (my Narnia screenshots come to mind). So, subjectivity plays a huge role.

Screenshots can give a good idea on how a movie "might" look on various displays and under various conditions. They also give some impressions of the artistic style of the director. Personally, I just like to view great still images from movies, if nothing more.

[ricwhite]

Originally Posted by KuZia495

i

ricwhite.... Ehhh..... You are lucky.
In Russia the price/cost of projector (panels..tv...blu..etc) at 50-100% higher.
For example, Epson 1080UB we worth ~101.000 rur, i.e. 101.000rur/25rur = 4040 usd (25rur for 1usd).

That sucks.

As weak as the U.S. dollar is getting, though, you might be able to purchase one from the U.S. and mport it for much less.

[ricwhite]

Originally Posted by swifty7

Ric I gasp everytime I see your screen shots, they are too good. Those Commando shots looks way...way better than the theater I remember going to.....no comparison.

that Epson Home Cinema is something.

I wonder if the ps3 can produce as good as picture quality as your panasonic.

Thanks for the compliment. But just a word of caution about the the Commando shots. I actually had a hard time finding good shots in that movie. It is very inconsistent. Some scenes were very soft and low on clarity and detail. There was grain and even dirt specks here and there. Other scenes (not as many) were clearer and sharper. Obviously I chose to photograph the sharp images and post those. So, you're kind-of getting a skewed perspective.

I think the PS3 will certainly produce a picture as good as the Panasonic. I was debating between a PS3 and Panasonic when I first bought a BD player. I found both to be excellent. The reason I chose the Panasonic was because I liked the quality and the PS3 used more power and produced more heat. I also had an HDMI receiver that I wanted to bitstream the audio to and the Panny does that well.

[ricwhite]

Is it just me, or do these detailed HD screenshots of Master & Commander make the ships look much more fake than I remember them? I think in this case, high definition makes it harder to blend the CGI.

Originally Posted by Brain Sturgeon

Screens from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

[KuZia495]

Originally Posted by ricwhite

That sucks.

As weak as the U.S. dollar is getting, though, you might be able to purchase one from the U.S. and mport it for much less.

Unfortunately, but so... our (Russia) tax system. The minimum bid +30% of th price value + import clearance (5-7 days...).

We have so... in all.
For examp, Explorer '08 (EB, 4.6L) we worth for 60600usd. In the USA ~33000 usd. That we have a country.

I am glad that this thread still alive. It is a pleasure.

[DocNovak]

I picked up Point Break on Friday from the local Best Buy (they seem to be putting everything out a couple days ahead of time.) I was impressed with the PQ, not demo material, but pretty good for an older film. Some scenes seemed a bit grainy while others were crystal clear, and colors seemed to be dead on. I figured I would post a few pics for anyone thinking about picking it up on Tuesday. I can't seem to get the color setting right on my camera and I am by no means a photographer, so the colors are off and the pictures not as clear as the image appears on my tv, but here they are anyway.

Equipment: PS3, Onkyo 605, Sony KDS-60a2000, Sony Mavica CD-400







And a try with my Sony HDR-SR11 High-def camcorder on 7.2MP still mode, I played around with the color on the computer with a couple of them to see if I could fix them, but I am not the greatest when it comes to digital photography.







I will play around some more and see if I can't get some better quality images to update this with, you have to believe me when I say these photos do not do the image on the screen justice. On the screen the color of the water makes it feel as if you could jump right in for swim.

[swifty7]

hey Ric, please don't let this thread die. We need more pics from your glorious home theater.

[ricwhite]

Originally Posted by swifty7

hey Ric, please don't let this thread die. We need more pics from your glorious home theater.

This thread alive and well, although I would prefer it stickied as the screenshot threads are in other forums I frequent. Don't be alarmed if the thread falls off the first page of the forum. There are not that many who post screenshots so there's often a lag between posts. No worries.