Ask questions to Sony Pictures Entertainment insider "paidgeek"

[Bullseye]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

Better than Zico or Maradona?

Cruyff was no doubt good, but he was equaled by Bergkamp (another Dutch master) who no one would consider the best ever player. Cruyff was good, but not the best ever, that accolade has to go to Pele.

Pele was very very very good. But he had very very very good players around him. Maradona won the World Cup on his own. Greatest player ever IMO.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

I'll try not to hijack the thread too much. But hijacking is still hijacking.

I understand this. I also understand that a 1080p scan is an optical low scan, which in itself is a filter.

However, for a 4K/6K scan to be downsampled to 2K/1080p would require the use of an algorithm, which in itself is a filter. Not only that, the algorithm can be changed to tweak the picture to suit the needs for the studio, which makes it the use of filters. Direct 2K/1080p scan, 1 filter - optical. 4K/6K scan, multiple filters - algorithms.

The big question is could a significant number of people tell the difference between the two? And since paidgeek already gave this answer, is this going to be a topic conducted among professionals or professional vs amateur?

Like I said, the algorithms become the filters. Would you apply different algorithms for different shots or one for the entire movie?

Since this started because of comparisons between different LOA broadcast versions, I suggest we put this to rest for now since none of us have seen the 1080p master or the BD version.

paidgeek: I watched Coppola's Dracula the other day (with commentary on) and I noticed that halfway through the film in the shot of the castle, there were scratches on the print - same shot at two different spots. Just thought you'd like to know before you do final archiving on it.


fuad

Originally Posted by darkedgex

paid,

Have you ever considered starting a blog? It might make for a more organized way of communicating with Blu-ray supporters/users at large, while still allowing people to provide feedback (via comments).

Same thing for you Penton.

As you can see, I don't keep up with questions here as well as I would like, so having a blog would compound the problem.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Chris Beveridge

Not blu-ray related but Sony related;

why oh why was the Blood+ season 1 box set release dubtitled? After so many good anime releases getting a proper treatment when they're theatrical movies, why not love for the TV series properties as well?

Seriously disappointed in Sony over this.

Can you please explain in more detail? Dubtitled? This is a new technical term for me.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by fparais

Hi paid

Did you see the "Tango Lesson" master. Do you think it it gonna look great in blu-ray ?

Thank you

I have not seen the master so I don't know.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Azumi

hi Paid,

I'm wondering if you could comment on SPE's support of localized lossless tracks (whether it's TrueHD or PCM) for your future European releases.

You have already released a few titles with 2 or 3 lossless tracks. 50 GB is plenty of space, but adding up a lot of lossless tracks could exceed the projected bit-budget.

Can we expect SPE to keep providing lossless tracks (in addition to English) for the main local languages -- and hopefully even more, when BD's replication costs go down?

Thanks for your answer.

As a rule, French, Italian, German, and Spanish should be available in THD. If there is a disc space problem, we may add another version to cover this. We might make an exception if the title won't benefit from THD, for instance older TV product or something like that.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by db01

Will there be any 7.1 lossless audio tracks on any titles in the near future? (Not asking for specific titles).

None that I am aware of from SPE.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Cruyff14

That's depressing. In retrospect I wish I never had bought into HD. I was quite happy with upscaled DVD ...
As it is, I don't buy DVDs anymore and on HD there's nothing to buy so the only good thing to the current release strategy of the studios is that it saves me loads of money (I used to buy 100+ DVDs per year).

Don't plan on putting away your wallet forever. Most of the catalog titles released on DVD will eventually be released on Blu-ray. Our balance of catalog to new releases is currently something like 50%.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Cruyff14

If I'm not mistaken, the Grand Prix transfer was made from a 35mm reduction print and not 70mm.

I don't know what process they used, but if your right, then why do you suppose that is? Difficulty in getting a 65mm IP transferred perhaps? I would consider this title worthy of the best treatment available wouldn't you?

[Bullseye]

Paid you probably did not see my question about "Crouching Tiger...". In DVD Review it said it was due out this month (UK magazine). Do you have any firm details on this title?

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Cruyff14

Paidgeek,

Just out of curiosity, how many copies does Sony actually have to sell of a catalog title on BD to break even or make a small profit (assuming that the HD master and extras that were made for a SD release of the same title can be used)?

It's hard for me to say as this is not my area. I'm not going to research it because this is a bit beyond the limit of information we should be disclosing.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

Time is money. Enough said. But like I said, let's wait until the BD of LoA is released. Then we'll talk.

paidgeek: (puts US$5 in the coffer) Since way back when and until firmware 2.10, the audio level of the PS3 is all over the place. I'm not talking about enabling dialnorm When I play games or listen to SACDs/CDs, the volume set at say 30 is loud enough. But when I play DVDs/BDs, I have to crank it up to get that thunderous feeling.

If there is no detrimental effect to the audio quality of the PS3 line level match the audio output (it happens either using optical or HDMI), could you suggest this feature to the fine folks at SCE?

To reiterate, I'm not talking about enabling dialnorm or reducing the dynamic range of either SACDs or BDs. It just seems odd that what is loud for SACD/CDs and games is not loud enough for DVD/BD playback. Of course, somebody can always educate me on my lack of knowledge.


fuad

Sorry but there is no free lunch here.

The reason that Dolby invented the dialnorm value is that recording levels from title to title are all over the place. The music industry may be a bit more uniform because artists don't generally like their CD's to sound low in level compared to other artists, but without compression or dialnorm, you will have to exercise your remote.

This point was driven home for me recently as I pulled songs from various CD's together (uncompressed WAV) and put them on a portable player that I took on a business trip. There was easily a 6db or more difference in level between the average loudness of some songs.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by JasonR

Paid,

We are trying to setup TrueHD on someone's S300. Do you know the correct settings for this to work? Any insight would be appreciated.

Starting around post 45.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=38909

Thanks,

Jason

I won't be able to read off the menu settings until late in the week. Off hand I can tell you to decode internally, use HDMI, do not downmix.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Bullseye

Paid you probably did not see my question about "Crouching Tiger...". In DVD Review it said it was due out this month (UK magazine). Do you have any firm details on this title?

The only firm detail I can give you is that it is not due out this month.

[Bullseye]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

The only firm detail I can give you is that it is not due out this month.

Lol. Fair enough P. I cannot wait for this on BD.

[Chris Beveridge]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

Can you please explain in more detail? Dubtitled? This is a new technical term for me.

Sure can. Blood+ is a Japanese animated TV series. It's been dubbed for broadcast on Cartoon Network. The DVD release contains the English dub and the original Japanese language track. The subtitle track for it is of the English dub track, i.e. "dubtitle". It doesn't correlate to what's being said in the Japanese language track and loses a lot of the nuances and language aspects. Often dubtitles do not line up when it comes to the dialogue either, as lip flap and timing of the English version can differe from what the Japanese track has.

Basically, we're not getting a proper translation for it, unlike the theatrical releases like Tekkonkinkreet and I believe Paprika.

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Chris Beveridge

Sure can. Blood+ is a Japanese animated TV series. It's been dubbed for broadcast on Cartoon Network. The DVD release contains the English dub and the original Japanese language track. The subtitle track for it is of the English dub track, i.e. "dubtitle". It doesn't correlate to what's being said in the Japanese language track and loses a lot of the nuances and language aspects. Often dubtitles do not line up when it comes to the dialogue either, as lip flap and timing of the English version can differe from what the Japanese track has.

Basically, we're not getting a proper translation for it, unlike the theatrical releases like Tekkonkinkreet and I believe Paprika.

So to make sure I understand, you are saying that a verbose translation of the English dub is not adequate and that a new translation of the Japanese dub is what should have happened?

If someone tried to translate the Japanese directly to English text that seems like a problem, but shouldn't the English dub translation be okay?

Naturally lip sync is a bit nebulous when you viewing animation right?

[Frode]

Originally Posted by paidgeek

If someone tried to translate the Japanese directly to English text that seems like a problem, but shouldn't the English dub translation be okay?

Unfortunately, not necessarily. The problem is that changes may be made to the dub script to accommodate lip flaps, cultural issues (jokes, names etc.), censorship (TV broadcast age ratings), or simply the dub director preferring a different way of saying things. That's not to say that dub scripts are bad, just that they provide a (sometimes very) different experience.

A related problem, is that in addition the timing for the English dub can be different, which may lead to the timing for the subs being off if you watch the Japanese language track with subtitles timed to the English dub. You can solve this by timing the subs to the Japanese track, but changes to the script itself would remain an issue.

So to make sure I understand, you are saying that a verbose translation of the English dub is not adequate and that a new translation of the Japanese dub is what should have happened?

A _new_ translation wouldn't have been necessary as it's already made. As part of production for anime (and other foreign language content) a translation is first made based on the foreign language dub. That translation script is then used as the basis for the dub script. What was done for the Blood+ release is that the final dub script was used for subtitle timing, instead of just going back to the original translated script. It's a slightly different work flow.

/frode
(I work as a translator and subtitle timer)

[paidgeek]

Originally Posted by Frode

Unfortunately, not necessarily. The problem is that changes may be made to the dub script to accommodate lip flaps, cultural issues (jokes, names etc.), censorship (TV broadcast age ratings), or simply the dub director preferring a different way of saying things. That's not to say that dub scripts are bad, just that they provide a (sometimes very) different experience.

A related problem, is that in addition the timing for the English dub can be different, which may lead to the timing for the subs being off if you watch the Japanese language track with subtitles timed to the English dub. You can solve this by timing the subs to the Japanese track, but changes to the script itself would remain an issue.



A _new_ translation wouldn't have been necessary as it's already made. As part of production for anime (and other foreign language content) a translation is first made based on the foreign language dub. That translation script is then used as the basis for the dub script. What was done for the Blood+ release is that the final dub script was used for subtitle timing, instead of just going back to the original translated script. It's a slightly different work flow.

/frode
(I work as a translator and subtitle timer)

Thanks to you and Chris for the clarifications, I will ask about it...

[Chris Beveridge]

Thanks. Essentially, what Frode described is the normal workflow process for the vast majority of anime released outside of Japan. It's usually only when companies who don't specialize in anime releases get involved that things like dubtitles come up. Sony's been good on the theatrical side, partially because some movies are never dubbed, but the couple of TV shows just haven't gotten the right treatment. In a way it's always bothered me because Sony is involved in a fair number of shows in Japan and I'd always hoped that when they brought things over it'd be given more proper "care" for lack of a better term.

[FourToedStatue]

Hey paid,

Is there any guilty pleasure you'd like to see on blu-ray? I don't mean an undisputed classic like Lawrence. I mean something like Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon. I know insider's have to have wantlists too.