Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Theatrical Versions) - April 6, 2010

[BluElite]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Peter Jackson had nothing to do with the production of the blu-ray.

Niether did Steven Spielberg but he personally oversaw the transfer of Minority Report which got a flawless review in sound and visual depts.

According to the packaging, this Blu-ray release of Minority Report comes from a "Spielberg-approved HD Master," and the results are indeed spectacular.

Paramount brings Minority Report to Blu-ray with a top-quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Every aspect of the track is reference worthy

Like the video presentation, Minority Report's lossless soundtrack defines what the Blu-ray experience is all about.

[BluElite]

Originally Posted by Lord_Stewie

And what's your problem with the transfer exactly?

When you make such a statement, at least be specific with what you have a problem with.

I am referring to and confirming the written review of the blu-ray transfer; part of which I will display below to clarify your puzzlement to my plight.


Alright, bad news first. The Fellowship of the Ring hobbles out of the Black Gate of Mordor with a pudgy 1080p/VC-1 transfer that will please casual viewers but leave the most ardent videophiles shaking their heads. The image is inconsistent from the outset, a persistent (albeit slight) instability affects the credits and other early elements in the film, colors are a tad overcooked at times, and fine detail is occasionally undermined by some rather obvious digital noise reduction. That's not to say all is lost -- entire sequences, primarily those in the Mines of Moria and the landing (and subsequent battle) at Parth Galen, still manage to make a reasonably strong impact, and the whole of the presentation handily bests its DVD counterparts -- but faces are sometimes scrubbed, Ngila Dickson's elaborate costumes don't always pop, and nighttime shots can be particularly murky (poor Bilbo's birthday party and chat with Gandalf are nearly spoiled). Yes, Fellowship has always been a softer film than its sequels, but many key sequences are also afflicted with waxy textures (more so than Jackson intended). Gandalf's visit to the Shire is a rough one, the Council of Elrond is overshadowed by medicore definition and dulled facial features, and Weathertop offers a stormier encounter than it should. Granted, Jackson employs a variety of shooting and post-production techniques throughout Fellowship that are meant to lend scenes a soft, somewhat hazy temperament, but it's easy to spot where Jackson's intentions end and the studio's extra helping of noise reduction begins (especially on larger screens). It doesn't help that the film's faint veneer of grain is occasionally little more than a soupy mess (look to the skies when the fellowship journeys into the snowy mountains), a smidgen of edge enhancement has been applied throughout, and crush, flickering, and wavering are regular (but minor) offenders. Has the studio simply taken an old master, tweaked it for high definition, and tossed it to the wargs, warts and all? Perhaps. Regardless, I imagine those who aren't sensitive to DNR will be satisfied with the results, while those who can't help but obsess over its side effects will be underwhelmed.

Fellowship's individual video score? Sad to say, it nets a 2.5 from me... although those who aren't typically bothered by DNR will probably push their scores as high as a 3.5.

[BluElite]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Jackson doesn't owe us anything.

Well, I think he might. Movie making is a consumer-driven industry. Additionally, LOTR is arguably one of the greatest movie accomplishments of all time with 15 Academy Awards, over $1 billion in US box-office receipts, and nearly $3 billion worldwide. No shortage on cash to ensure a reference-quality transfer to BLU. The esteem and principle associated with those films should mandate that alone. That's just my personal take though.

[ambientcafe]

Originally Posted by neo78956

As someone who has never seen the HD TV broadcasts, the only frame of reference I had for the blu-ray editions of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy were the DVDs. That in mind, I thought these discs all looked fantastic, especially when taken into account the post-production of each film.

The Fellowship of the Ring would rank as a 4/5 in terms of PQ for me. There were segments that looked good, and others that looked fantastic. I was never unhappy with the PQ, but I wasn't always blown away. That being said, this is the best this film has ever looked to my eyes. It tended to look a little soft at times, but the scenes that looked soft in the blu-ray never looked good on the dvd either, so I imagine it has more to do with original negative and age of the film rather than the BD transfer itself. The colors all looked amazing. Overall, not a reference quality disc (except for a few select scenes) but a huge upgrade from the DVDs and a great transfer.

The Two Towers was another huge improvement over the DVDs, ranking a 4.5/5 PQ for me. Inching closer and closer towards reference quality, there are still a few soft scenes but nothing detrimental to the overall quality of the release. Again, the colors and depth looked amazing.

The Return of the King is where it's really at. This disc ranks a strong 5/5 PQ. It is spotless, and none of the few nagging things that affected the first two films affect this one. This is reference quality PQ, from start to finish. It looks incredible.

The AQ on all three discs ranks a very strong 5/5. For audiophiles, these discs are going to be reference discs for your sound setup. In fact, the sound was so fantastic that I thought my walls were going to crack.

The special features are the same as the theatrical editions, on SD DVDs. While all engaging and informative, there are nowhere near as extensive as the features on the 4 disc Extended Editions. If you want special features, this set won't be your bag. But If you're like a lot of us and already own the extensive Extended Editions, you'll want to keep those and buy this set. There is a digital copy of each film in the box.

Overall, I'd say this is a must-own set, even if The Fellowship of the Ring isn't perfect in terms of PQ. The overall PQ of the set was fantastic and the good far outweighs any potential bad. As I said earlier, most softness can be traced back to the film itself, not the BD disc. I full believe that Warner has doen a great job in restoring these films and giving them a whole new life on Blu-ray. The AQ is reference quality, and The Two Towers and The Return of the King are nearly spotless, especially ROTK. This is the must-own Blu-ray of 2010

Great review I've previewed only sections of FOTR & TTT on my 140" scope setup, but it's enough to convince me that I was more than justified in pulling the budgetary trigger

[aiman04]

I'm holding the blu-ray now, there are 2 normal sized cases in it. Can anyone confirm it has 9 discs in it?

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by aiman04

I'm holding the blu-ray now, there are 2 normal sized cases in it. Can anyone confirm it has 9 discs in it?

nine??? it's only 6. 3 for the movies and the second case has 3 dvd's with the special features.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by wormraper

nine??? it's only 6. 3 for the movies and the second case has 3 dvd's with the special features.

Huh? Dude it's 9. 3 blu-rays with the movies, 3 DVDs with the special features and then 3 digital copies in the second case.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Huh? Dude it's 9. 3 blu-rays with the movies, 3 DVDs with the special features and then 3 digital copies in the second case.

I hope that was sarcasm because I saw pics on another site that showed 3 discs in each case (not only that I've seen the cases in the store and they are only standard viva elite size and I'd be shocked to see how they fit 6 discs in one case) , if it's what warners been doing with the "combo" packs the Digital copies and special features will be on the same discs.

[Batman1980]

Subtitles
English SDH, Spanish

Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Nine-disc set (3 BDs, 6 DVDs)
Digital copy (on disc)
BD-Live
That information is from this very site, not to mention I own the movies myself and have touched/held the first 6 discs.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Stormcrow

Subtitles
English SDH, Spanish

Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Nine-disc set (3 BDs, 6 DVDs)
Digital copy (on disc)
BD-Live
That information is from this very site, not to mention I own the movies myself and have touched/held the first 6 discs.

I stand corrected. I still wanna know how they fit 6 discs in a standard size case though

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by wormraper

I stand corrected. I still wanna know how they fit 6 discs in a standard size case though

Amaray thick, I think. There is one disc each on the front and back and then there are four discs on 2 two-disc flaps.

[stace5000]

Originally Posted by sharkcohen

52" 1080p LCD, pro calibrated, 6 foot viewing distance, very happy with how FOTR looks.

6 foot r u kidding me?.... maybe you just have low standards :P.. try watching some reference quality video.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by stace5000

6 foot r u kidding me?.... lol no wonder you reckon it looks good, as would a dvd from that far.

uhhhh, dude, that's only 1.5 x viewing distance, actually what's recommended for that size tv

[aiman04]

That's why I'm confused, Blu-ray.com says 9 discs but the 2 cases are normal size, just a bit wondering can they really fit 9 discs.

Gandalf Stormcrow, do you have the set? Is it confirmed 9 discs?

Thanks.

[aiman04]

Read your post Gandalf Stormcrow, thanks for the confirmation.

[Jmills]

The transfer for the fellowship looks very good... in certain scenes. The opening in the shire looks like an upconverted dvd, but once you get out of the shire its a fairly good transfer.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by BluElite

Niether did Steven Spielberg but he personally oversaw the transfer of Minority Report which got a flawless review in sound and visual depts.

According to the packaging, this Blu-ray release of Minority Report comes from a "Spielberg-approved HD Master," and the results are indeed spectacular.

Paramount brings Minority Report to Blu-ray with a top-quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Every aspect of the track is reference worthy

Like the video presentation, Minority Report's lossless soundtrack defines what the Blu-ray experience is all about.

So? What's your point? Jackson wasn't involved in the production of the blu-ray, not even a little bit. I don't know how he can be blamed for something he was not involved in. Who cares if Steven Spielberg was involved in supervising the transfer of 'Minority Report'? That doesn't have bugger-all to do with 'Lord of the Rings'. The movies are the property of Warner Brothers, not Peter Jackson. They chose to make the blu-ray without Jackson, and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing. What's he supposed to do? Break into WB with an armed team and force them, at gunpoint, to hand over control of the blu-ray production?

[jonmoz]

As i have said from my very first post "Fellowship" looks the softer on Blu-ray,mostly because of the way it was filmed and it's post production,and the slight touch of Dnr applied in on it's Blu-ray transfer will be only slightly noticeable at best.

As for BluElite's take on the quality of this set it's his opinion,but to compare this release to Minority report misses the point as both movies were filmed very differently,and you can't directly compare one Blu-ray to another this way,for example it i were to compare "Zodiac" and "The curious case of benjamin button" to a lot of other very good Blu-ray releases i will find faults,as these transfers are pretty much reference quality on every scene.

We have to judge each individual Blu-ray on it's own merits,and have to not only take into account the quality of the transfer,but that of the source as well.

And why do people keep saying this release is no better than an upscaled Dvd?,this is completely untrue as i have compared all three discs and even Fellowship is a big improvement in quality.Even the negative reviews have said that Blu-ray is much better then the Dvd's.

[Irrob]

Originally Posted by wormraper

uhhhh, dude, that's only 1.5 x viewing distance, actually what's recommended for that size tv

I agree. 6ft viewing distance from a 52' is fine.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

Wouldn't they want all major players in the production to at least view the final product before it was released?

They could, but it's in no way mandatory (or even customary). I don't think that happens with most Blu-rays. You'd have to have a lot of power to get final approval even as a director, let alone someone from the special effects department.