Ask questions to Sony Pictures Entertainment insider "paidgeek"

[Eternal_Sunshine]

Originally Posted by phloyd

E_S - There was an awesome presentation at CES by the Surf's Up film makers on how they got that legitimate hand held camera feel using a real camera body with positioning sensors that showed a real time render of the scene in the camera viewfinder. Brilliant!

Yeah, there's a clip showing how they did this on the BD; I also thought it was a brilliant idea.

Originally Posted by JackBauer24

Japan and the US share the same region.

I know, but I'm in Europe...

[hanser]

Dear paidgeek,

now that I have some experience with BD titles from various studios, I have accumulated some suggestions, how Sony titles could be further improved IMO (apart from the already mentionned adding the calibration pictures to the menu), in no particular order:


- I like the scenes menue with the scrolling band of small pictures, but it would be still better, if it would start at the scene you are just watching. E.G if I go the scenes menu in the middle of the movie, because I am looking for a scene further at the end, I nevertheless start with the first scene and have to scroll through all scenes which takes some time and work. Could the player be instructed to start at the current scene?

- I do not know if it is only with my Sharp player, but I can´t chose chapters via the numbers on the remote. If it is a general BD thing, it would be nice to have this function.

- User prohibitions. Is it really necessary to forbid going "next" for exemple while the menu is building up? I would be nice if this restriction would not be used any more, it is really bothersome, if you just want to watch the movie.

- Since most players still take a long time to load Java menues, would it be possible to include at the beginning a choice between the full Java menue loading and a "movie only" option which circumvents the Java with all the extras. It would be extremly helpful if you just want to watch the movie, which is mostly the case in real life. Ideally then the disc would be like a Warner BD: Logo, maybe some FBI thingy if necessary, and the movie starts without further ado.

- BD-Java titles start from the beginning after one has pressed "Stop", while other titles just resume with play. If technically possible it would be nice, that also Java titles could resume after "Stop".


- When I watch extras I can´t access the menu, I have to skip forward until the extra is finished, then it reverts to the movie. It would be nice to access to the menu at all times during watching extras, so you could directly switch to another extra.

I hope this may be helpful.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by Brain Sturgeon

...I was discussing this issue with another forum member here in recent months, and his impression on working with DSD vs 24/96 PCM on identical musical performances was that DSD sounded a shade more like the real thing...

Chuck Anley and crew were convinced of just the opposite last paragraph

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

Many engineers believe that SACD is very similar to 24/192 PCM in terms of real world fidelity.

Make that 24/96 for 'real world' comparisons as oppose to theory.

Now for the question:

Would you need different authoring tools to produce a BD audio? Or can you just program the disc to automatically start and still provide some kind of menu as with DVD audio? If it can be done with existing tools, is something like this considered in the near future?

[patrick99]

Originally Posted by coolmilo

Paidgeek,

I was on the fence with the movie "Across the Universe." However, after reading a few reviews I decided that this is a must own movie. Congrats to the Sony team for appears to be another phenomenal release.

Are you as pleased with this release as the reviewers seem to be?

Paidgeek, is there any chance that SPE might be persuaded to reconsider the seeming conclusion that bitrates in the 20's are sufficient to produce acceptable PQ? I watched Across the Universe last night, and I am afraid my own reaction to the PQ was disappointment. Perhaps this title looks as good as it can, but if this is what we have to look forward to in future SPE BD releases, that does not put a smile on my face.

Thanks again for your valued participation here.

[spicynacho]

Paid,

Are there any on-demand publishing products in the works for BR? It seems like the best solution to meet the demands of consumers for their favorite classics like LoA, Dr. Strangelove, and others while soothing studio fears of having 25,000 discs sitting around unsold. Produce the disc and have a master disc or disc image prepared. Then you can have a small inventory available through certain venues like amazon, an online studio store, or a kiosk at best buy (which will order the film to be shipped to your home). If they could produce small runs of 1000 or less. Personally I buy a disc for the content, I could care less about the packaging and toss the boxes. HD versions of these are already being prepared for HD cable channels and what not, so why not just have it ready for home video as well.

[bluseminole]

Originally Posted by hanser

Dear paidgeek,

now that I have some experience with BD titles from various studios, I have accumulated some suggestions, how Sony titles could be further improved IMO (apart from the already mentionned adding the calibration pictures to the menu), in no particular order:


- I like the scenes menue with the scrolling band of small pictures, but it would be still better, if it would start at the scene you are just watching. E.G if I go the scenes menu in the middle of the movie, because I am looking for a scene further at the end, I nevertheless start with the first scene and have to scroll through all scenes which takes some time and work. Could the player be instructed to start at the current scene?

- I do not know if it is only with my Sharp player, but I can´t chose chapters via the numbers on the remote. If it is a general BD thing, it would be nice to have this function.

- User prohibitions. Is it really necessary to forbid going "next" for exemple while the menu is building up? I would be nice if this restriction would not be used any more, it is really bothersome, if you just want to watch the movie.

- Since most players still take a long time to load Java menues, would it be possible to include at the beginning a choice between the full Java menue loading and a "movie only" option which circumvents the Java with all the extras. It would be extremly helpful if you just want to watch the movie, which is mostly the case in real life. Ideally then the disc would be like a Warner BD: Logo, maybe some FBI thingy if necessary, and the movie starts without further ado.

- BD-Java titles start from the beginning after one has pressed "Stop", while other titles just resume with play. If technically possible it would be nice, that also Java titles could resume after "Stop".


- When I watch extras I can´t access the menu, I have to skip forward until the extra is finished, then it reverts to the movie. It would be nice to access to the menu at all times during watching extras, so you could directly switch to another extra.

I hope this may be helpful.

Seconded on all of those points, especially the resuming Java titles where you left off...it doesn't even have to be automatic for me, just the ability on all discs to insert bookmarks so I can find the spot that I left off at easily.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by hanser

Dear paidgeek,

now that I have some experience with BD titles from various studios, I have accumulated some suggestions, how Sony titles could be further improved IMO (apart from the already mentionned adding the calibration pictures to the menu), in no particular order:


- I like the scenes menue with the scrolling band of small pictures, but it would be still better, if it would start at the scene you are just watching. E.G if I go the scenes menu in the middle of the movie, because I am looking for a scene further at the end, I nevertheless start with the first scene and have to scroll through all scenes which takes some time and work. Could the player be instructed to start at the current scene?

- I do not know if it is only with my Sharp player, but I can´t chose chapters via the numbers on the remote. If it is a general BD thing, it would be nice to have this function.

- User prohibitions. Is it really necessary to forbid going "next" for exemple while the menu is building up? I would be nice if this restriction would not be used any more, it is really bothersome, if you just want to watch the movie.

- Since most players still take a long time to load Java menues, would it be possible to include at the beginning a choice between the full Java menue loading and a "movie only" option which circumvents the Java with all the extras. It would be extremly helpful if you just want to watch the movie, which is mostly the case in real life. Ideally then the disc would be like a Warner BD: Logo, maybe some FBI thingy if necessary, and the movie starts without further ado.

- BD-Java titles start from the beginning after one has pressed "Stop", while other titles just resume with play. If technically possible it would be nice, that also Java titles could resume after "Stop".


- When I watch extras I can´t access the menu, I have to skip forward until the extra is finished, then it reverts to the movie. It would be nice to access to the menu at all times during watching extras, so you could directly switch to another extra.

I hope this may be helpful.

Thanks for taking the time to post these ideas. Some of these are hard to implement, but others are possible. It would be great to have feedback from others on this topic. Would you care to run a poll on these collectively or individually?

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by HDJK

Chuck Anley and crew were convinced of just the opposite last paragraph



Make that 24/96 for 'real world' comparisons as oppose to theory.

Now for the question:

Would you need different authoring tools to produce a BD audio? Or can you just program the disc to automatically start and still provide some kind of menu as with DVD audio? If it can be done with existing tools, is something like this considered in the near future?

If any modifications are required to Blu-print to accommodate BD-Audio, we will make them.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by patrick99

Paidgeek, is there any chance that SPE might be persuaded to reconsider the seeming conclusion that bitrates in the 20's are sufficient to produce acceptable PQ? I watched Across the Universe last night, and I am afraid my own reaction to the PQ was disappointment. Perhaps this title looks as good as it can, but if this is what we have to look forward to in future SPE BD releases, that does not put a smile on my face.

Thanks again for your valued participation here.

Please give me more information on the scenes you were not impressed with and I will have a look...

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by spicynacho

Paid,

Are there any on-demand publishing products in the works for BR? It seems like the best solution to meet the demands of consumers for their favorite classics like LoA, Dr. Strangelove, and others while soothing studio fears of having 25,000 discs sitting around unsold. Produce the disc and have a master disc or disc image prepared. Then you can have a small inventory available through certain venues like amazon, an online studio store, or a kiosk at best buy (which will order the film to be shipped to your home). If they could produce small runs of 1000 or less. Personally I buy a disc for the content, I could care less about the packaging and toss the boxes. HD versions of these are already being prepared for HD cable channels and what not, so why not just have it ready for home video as well.

This is an interesting idea that has been considered for DVD, but has some technical implementation issues with Blu-ray. Most of these stem from securing the content against unauthorized copying.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Dynamic

Hey paidegeek,

Any info on my white lines issue? Thank you.

There is a line above and below and my recollection now is that this has to do with the PS3 implementation of HDMI. Check you component output and I think you will find it is not there.

[andyparhelia]

Hi Paidgeek,

A nice easy question for you - is 30 Days of Night region coded?

Thanks

[patrick99]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

Please give me more information on the scenes you were not impressed with and I will have a look...

Unfortunately, my reaction was not limited to particular scenes, but was pretty uniform throughout the whole movie. . . .

[spicynacho]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

This is an interesting idea that has been considered for DVD, but has some technical implementation issues with Blu-ray. Most of these stem from securing the content against unauthorized copying.

With limited runs like this, it should be possible to put a digital watermark on the video/audio. Disclose in the purchase agreement and prosecute any pirates since you can identify who ordered the film.

[BluDomain]

Originally Posted by patrick99

Unfortunately, my reaction was not limited to particular scenes, but was pretty uniform throughout the whole movie. . . .

Peter Bracke seemed to like the PQ, as did
I.

"A film like 'Across the Universe' demands to be seen in high-def. Regardless of its flaws, it's a singular visual achievement, and this Blu-ray is pure eye candy. Sony offers a 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that met my expectations, which is no small compliment, as I had set them pretty high for this one.
There is virtually nothing to complain about here. "


http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1263...0universe.html

[hanser]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

Thanks for taking the time to post these ideas. Some of these are hard to implement, but others are possible. It would be great to have feedback from others on this topic. Would you care to run a poll on these collectively or individually?

I will try, but I am no expert (have never put up a poll). Where would be the best place? General discussion? Perhaps one of the moderators could help me here?

[Dynamic]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

There is a line above and below and my recollection now is that this has to do with the PS3 implementation of HDMI. Check you component output and I think you will find it is not there.

Thank you so much for your response.

To be honest I actually thought about trying this. I noticed that when viewing my LCD with HDMI point-blank the loss of quality is visible as blocking and pixelation whereas when I view my RPTV with components point-blank the loss of quality comes in the form of blurriness. I hope this is normal?

My next and assumable final set of questions in relation to the PS3 HDMI are:

1. If it turns out to be an HDMI issue, does that mean it is a general PS3 issue or an acute occurrence and I have purchased a faulty PS3?

2. Would the quality or version of my cables play a role? I am using HDMI 1.3a from monoprice if that helps.

Thank you again for all of your help.

[Tok]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

Others will tell you that I bristle a little when pricing comes on up Blu-ray software. The product is such a good value for what you get that I think it is appropriate for the price to be significantly higher than DVD. Taking CE3K as an example, it was loaded with added value, a nice package and all 3 versions of the movie. In my opinion, worth every penny of the advertised price. I think price and value are based on a perception that changes based on what other products sell for. For example you can now buy an HD copy of a movie for the price of about 3 movie tickets that is vastly superior to a film presentation. The fact that you can buy $5 DVD's may skew your perceived value of new HD releases, but is that really a fair comparison?

paidgeek,

I understand being price sensitive. And with the economy going into a recession remember more consumers are going to be price sensitive.

I don't expect a $10 BD bin at Walmart for a long time, but I also think the studios are being unrealistic thinking that most consumers are going to pony up $35 for standard catalog releases. Most of Sony's catalog streets for $25 so again I am not singling out Sony and they have been priced more competively.

Again I think I speak for most here that in order for BD to become a DVD like market price has to come down.

As a consumer I can tell you I probably spent more than anticipated when price per disc dropped in between $15 and $20. I bought titles that I probably would have never added to my collection. With all the BOGOs between October and December my BD collection went from roughly twelve over a ten month period titles to over 50 in the following three months.

The studios will move more software and the market will grow at a larger rate if prices drop $5 to $10. The BD market will not replace the DVD market with the current pricing structure. High prices will equal a niche market.

Question:
Did Sony do the encodes for both the DolbyTrueHD track and dtsHDMA track on CE3K? And was the same master used? dts had a history of using a different master for titles that were owned/controlled by Mr. Spielberg. Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan are couple of examples from the earlier DVD days.

[Member-9711]

Originally Posted by andyparhelia

Hi Paidgeek,

A nice easy question for you - is 30 Days of Night region coded?

Thanks

+1

I would very much like to buy this title, but unfortunaly this title doesn't appear to be distributed by SPE in Sweden....

[richteer]

Originally Posted by blitz6speed

Well, what can we do? I rented it, loved it, and then bought CE3K. Thats about as much as i can do to support the title! You know, i was shopping at best buy, and they had this movie at 44.95. Sorry, but thats ridiculous.

$45 isn't too bad for three movies (or at least, three versions of the same movie), especially when one takes into account the beautiful packaging.