The BEST Audio Quality Blu-ray Megathread

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by bluearth

1. Speed Racer - Still the king of PQ despite being a HD-DVD/25GB disc movie. Flawless 100% digital filming and transfer.

2. Avatar - You almost get the 3-D effect without 3D.

3. Land of the lost / King Kong tie - both have a superb movie "feel" to them

I didn't list any cartoon movies because they all look pretty much the same high quality IMO because they are all digital from a computer.

And I'm surprised so many people mentioned the Dark Knight. I thought it looked kind of ugly, too much obvious grain.

You mean a BD-25GB disc and I honestly felt Speed Racer was borderline horrible. The kid that starred in it did a much better job in Into the Wild IMHo.

[bluearth]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

You mean a BD-25GB disc and I honestly felt Speed Racer was borderline horrible. The kid that starred in it did a much better job in Into the Wild IMHo.

Well the movie is a direct transfer from the dual layer 30GB HD-DVD disc. They didn't use the extra space of a 50GB-BD to add better sound, they just kept the weak Dolby Digital track.

I feel that Speed Racer is extremely underrated. I think it will be a cult classic

Review of the picture quality from blu-ray.com:

Speed Racerwas "filmed" using high definition cameras and as such, has been ported to Blu-ray without ever being transferred to film. This direct digital approach has given Speed Racera stunning visual sheen and a truly flawless picture. Colors practically leap off of the screen and the movie's many small details are rendered with a crystal clear clarity that I've never seen equaled on home video. Black levels are deep and contrast is excellent. I can't even begin to accurately convey how amazing Speed Racerlooks on Blu-ray. This is THE definitive reference disc of the year and will be utilized the world over as a demo disc for Blu-ray for years to come. Speed Raceris a visual masterpiece and this Blu-ray edition is the perfect way to experience it. Speed Racerearns my absolute highest recommendation.

Full Review:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Speed...-Blu-ray/1052/

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by bluearth

Well the movie is a direct transfer from the dual layer 30GB HD-DVD disc. They didn't use the extra space of a 50GB-BD to add better sound, they just kept the weak Dolby Digital track.

I feel that Speed Racer is extremely underrated. I think it will be a cult classic

Review of the picture quality from blu-ray.com:



Full Review:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Speed...-Blu-ray/1052/

I agree. I enjoyed that movie a lot! I would say it is way underrated.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by bluearth

Well the movie is a direct transfer from the dual layer 30GB HD-DVD disc. They didn't use the extra space of a 50GB-BD to add better sound, they just kept the weak Dolby Digital track.

I feel that Speed Racer is extremely underrated. I think it will be a cult classic

Review of the picture quality from blu-ray.com:



Full Review:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Speed...-Blu-ray/1052/

When was Speed Racer released on HD DVD? Was it cancelled at the last minute like Bee Movie and Charlie Wilson's War?

[bluearth]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

When was Speed Racer released on HD DVD? Was it cancelled at the last minute like Bee Movie and Charlie Wilson's War?

I'm probably wrong, I thought for sure it was released on HD-DVD and thats why it got the BD-25 treatment. That's the case with far too many movies, for example the Phantom of the Opera among others. Decent PQ but a weak Dolby Digital track because they are direct ports from the HD-DVD. In fact, the blu-ray Phantom of the opera Dolby Digital track is worst then the HD-DVD one....

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

When was Speed Racer released on HD DVD? Was it cancelled at the last minute like Bee Movie and Charlie Wilson's War?

I do not remember it ever actually being released onto HD DVD.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by bluearth

I'm probably wrong, I thought for sure it was released on HD-DVD and thats why it got the BD-25 treatment. That's the case with far too many movies, for example the Phantom of the Opera among others. Decent PQ but a weak Dolby Digital track because they are direct ports from the HD-DVD. In fact, the blu-ray Phantom of the opera Dolby Digital track is worst then the HD-DVD one....

This is the case with several other Warner, Paramount, and Universal titles because they used DD+ instead of DD. Universal's DD+ were always encoded at 1.5 Mbps on HD DVD, which is a step up when compared to DD at 640 Kbps.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by bluearth

And I'm surprised so many people mentioned the Dark Knight. I thought it looked kind of ugly, too much obvious grain.

Originally Posted by rocinante

What about that hong kong scene when he's flying away from the building? You can see all kinds of ugly flicker on the building. I remember tons of people talking about it, so even the arent perfect.

There's also a lot of DNR, even on shirts. I bought it and I would have kept it, but the terrible transfer was too much. I traded it in.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

There's also a lot of DNR, even on shirts. I bought it and I would have kept it, but the terrible transfer was too much. I traded it in.

I have the same problem with The Thing on BD, but I do own the HD DVD as well to remind myself how good it's supposed to look.

[42041]

I couldn't possibly answer this question at this point in the format's life. Too many choices, and too many criteria by which to judge. There are animated films, films with very good technical quality and average visuals, older films where an excellent restoration is still limited by degraded, faded materials, or films with stunning cinematography with average technical quality...


(regarding The Dark Knight... other than the 20 minutes of IMAX scenes, I thought it was decidedly below average and very disappointing for a new movie)

[bluearth]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

There's also a lot of DNR, even on shirts. I bought it and I would have kept it, but the terrible transfer was too much. I traded it in.

You can't always trust the bluray.com reviews. I have a feeling the big releases get their picture quality scored high all the time just to sale more discs. For example Iron Man 2's PQ is not 4 1/2 stars IMO but because its a big bluray release it gets high marks

[El Negro]

Avatar
Blade Runner
Kill Bill

[Tony208]

Avatar
Tron Legacy (fireworks scene omg)
Star Trek

[DRS]

Avatar
Blade Runner
Tangled

[schweezie]

Baraka
Avatar
CGI films, anything Pixar also Legends of Guardians and Kung Fu Panda

[vpn75]

Avatar
The Thin Red Line
Sin City

Honorable mention:

Gladiator
Man on Fire
I, Robot

I decided to leave out the CGI films because they all look great more or less.

[unvmago]

Aliens vs. Predator Requiem
Blade Runner
Avatar

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by bluearth

You can't always trust the bluray.com reviews. I have a feeling the big releases get their picture quality scored high all the time just to sale more discs. For example Iron Man 2's PQ is not 4 1/2 stars IMO but because its a big bluray release it gets high marks

I no longer buy based on what the staff here write. The last time I did that, I bought The Mummy and I was disgusting by how it looked. One of my favorite movies has a DNR-laced transfer and the person who reviewed it was blind.

[El_Jay]

Hmm.

I want to keep Pixar out of this since I think they have an unfair advantage. Otherwise my top 3 would all be Pixar.

1. The Thin Red Line.
2. I, Robot.
3. Man on Fire.


I have many I consider better to show off for different reasons, but those three are the most demo-worthy in terms of "this is what Blu-ray can do", to me.

[El_Jay]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

I no longer buy based on what the staff here write. The last time I did that, I bought The Mummy and I was disgusting by how it looked. One of my favorite movies has a DNR-laced transfer and the person who reviewed it was blind.

Different people see things differently, have different tolerances or views on things like DNR and EE, different setups, different viewing conditions...

I wouldn't say it's some scandalous conspiracy to sell more Blu-rays, but I would encourage you to check out an aggregate review source like Cinemasquid (am I allowed to link to other sites? I don't know the policy about that here) to get a better idea of what many different people think about a movie.