HDDigest and Blu-ray - Blu-ray Forum

JAGUAR1977 · 10-12-2007, 10:45 PM

Is there some kind of agenda against Blu-ray on HDD?

A stunning Spiderman 3 transfer recieves 4 and a half stars, now you may say thats a good score, but it's a definate 5 star PQ release.

In the last couple of months semingly every Blu-ray release has been a mark or two down on expectations from fans and other reviewers, it doesn't add up.

Is there any doubt this would have recieved 5 stars if an HD-DVD exclusive.

Zyclone · 10-12-2007, 11:20 PM

HDDigest does seem to favor the red but meh if you want to buy based on their reviews just add a star or two and you be about right.

davidPS3 · 10-12-2007, 11:43 PM

They have always leaned towards red. Take their reviews for what they are "their reviews". Look up other sites and this site for additional info and feed-back.

KingDeezie · 10-12-2007, 11:44 PM

Once again my hatred for highdefdigest.com grows at an enormous rate...

I have not yet seen the bluray yet, so there is no way I could be able to dispute this really, but many other people have said that Spiderman 3 is reference material...

Somehow Brake manages to find something wrong with it. Its amazing.

Bet me if Brake reviews Transformers it gets five stars for PQ.

lokus · 10-12-2007, 11:55 PM

I seem to always find something negative in their reviews. While I understand that nothing is perfect, I have a strong feeling that site favors HD-DVD and it definitely shows.

BadAss · 10-12-2007, 11:55 PM

What's the bets Transformers gets 5/5???

It's best to rate a title on your own setup the way your own eyes like it to look.

HDD is half review, half personal opinion and should be treated as such.

Clark Kent · 10-13-2007, 12:19 AM

As I said in a earlier post here, the reviewers at High Def Digest are biased against Blu-ray. It wouldn't surprise me if 2/3rds or more of their traffic comes from HD-DVD supporters. They play to their audience well. They've dented major Blu-ray exclusive titles before unfairly also. Everyone knows at this point to not trust their BD reviews.

Spiderman 3 is a reference transfer and Bracke would have given it a 5 for video if it happened to be released on HD-DVD(of course with its high bitrates Spiderman 3 would be impossible to release the title as is on HD-DVD). I'm sure Transformers will get a 5 video score regardless of its actual merit.

lokus · 10-13-2007, 12:24 AM

I honestly don't think the average consumers go on sites like HDD or even Blu-ray.com for movie (PQ and SQ) reviews so come to think of it I doubt it matters. Normal consumers probably just pick up a movie because they like it and don't get into all of the tech specs. Just my $.02

BTBuck1 · 10-12-2007, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zyclone

HDDigest does seem to favor the red but meh if you want to buy based on their reviews just add a star or two and you be about right.

Several of his reviews are just way off, PERIOD.

He gave Disturbia a 3 1/2 for PQ

This movie is like a 4 1/2! , but then gave The Punisher a 4 1/2

When it's like a 2.

He also gave halloween a 1 1/2 star? and Blood Diamond a 3, When I think they are 3 1/2 and 4 respectively!

I'd say most times he's pretty close, then other times I have to question his equipment/calibrations/vision....../bias?

Merlins · 10-13-2007, 10:39 AM

I was about to post that Peter M. Bracke would never give a perfect score to a Blu-ray release and that Spiderman 3 therefore would not get 5 in both PQ and AQ. Transformers will however get 5 in both PQ and AQ by him....

MOONPHASE · 10-13-2007, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merlins

I was about to post that Peter M. Bracke would never give a perfect score to a Blu-ray release and that Spiderman 3 therefore would not get 5 in both PQ and AQ. Transformers will however get 5 in both PQ and AQ by him....

well its quite obvious that Bracke is one of the Hd-Dvd fanboys but he is actually mature about his reviews unlike the hd-dvd fanboys on amazon.com that give ridiculous reviews but Bracke still doesnt know his facts and brings a whole bunch of lies

gianniss · 10-13-2007, 11:57 AM

I feel the same way. I 100 per cent sure that he'll give a 5 star review to Transformers.
Also, is it true that he reviews the movies on a 50' screen?". That's unnaceptable.

buckshot · 10-13-2007, 12:15 PM

everybody shhhhhhhh. don't you know that the hdd guys come lurk here to quote us and make us look like we're obsessed with them.

I read hdd everyday at least 1 or 2 times and I post there when I see hd dvd people going waaay out in left field. I got and infraction for saying that I wasn't surprised that another member there would not only use the term 'gay' but defend its use as a slang term meaning 'lame' or 'undesireable'. not sure if they got a warning as well. but I just said I wasn't surprised they'd do it based on their other posts. but they've never seemed slanted to much towards hd to me. that is the official website. the forum ya, that's www.forum.hd-dvd.com version 2.0. they have some real idiots there. but there are also a lot of knowledgeable people there who just came to a different conclusion than us for different reasons.

most people on other forums are just *******s who like hearing themselves talk. there are some here too. if I looked in the mirror i'd be seeing one of them. i'm pretty critical of the pq and aq of my blu rays. doesn't mean I don't love them, it just means i've seen the potential and everything that doesn't live up to it makes me slightly bitter.

MOONPHASE · 10-13-2007, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckshot

everybody shhhhhhhh. don't you know that the hdd guys come lurk here to quote us and make us look like we're obsessed with them.

I read hdd everyday at least 1 or 2 times and I post there when I see hd dvd people going waaay out in left field. I got and infraction for saying that I wasn't surprised that another member there would not only use the term 'gay' but defend its use as a slang term meaning 'lame' or 'undesireable'. not sure if they got a warning as well. but I just said I wasn't surprised they'd do it based on their other posts. but they've never seemed slanted to much towards hd to me. that is the official website. the forum ya, that's www.forum.hd-dvd.com version 2.0. they have some real idiots there. but there are also a lot of knowledgeable people there who just came to a different conclusion than us for different reasons.

most people on other forums are just *******s who like hearing themselves talk. there are some here too. if I looked in the mirror i'd be seeing one of them. i'm pretty critical of the pq and aq of my blu rays. doesn't mean I don't love them, it just means i've seen the potential and everything that doesn't live up to it makes me slightly bitter.

but its also vice versa

buckshot · 10-13-2007, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MOONPHASE

but its also vice versa

which part?

I was kinda pointing out the hypocrisy of the 'look at what they're doing'. but at the same time they are a neutral website and this one is definetly not.

ryoohki · 10-13-2007, 01:12 PM

Transformers won't get 5/5. Brake HATES oversaturated colors to the dead and he will remove .5 or a entire star for that. TF is full of Oversaturated colors since it's a Micheal Bay movie and all his movies are like that..

Seretur · 10-13-2007, 01:39 PM

High-def Digest is run by people who are hobbyists, not proper critics -- and this shows, both in the quality of their reviewing, and in their judgement of a film's visual side. I don't think they've ever read an issue of American Cinematographer or Cinefex, let alone those that specifically deal with the titles they review. SM3 is a case in point -- who's to say that Bill Pope didn't want exactly this level of saturation? -- but an even more egregious example is RoboCop.

The reviewer there took issue with the amount of grain in the stop-motion effects shots. Well, duh: Phil Tippett used a (slightly) updated Dynamation setup for those, as the production was very short on money -- and this is the same process that Ray Harryhausen used for the vast majority of his 50's and 60's work. And as it involves rephotographing the background plate off the process screen, of course it's going to lead to increased film grain, even if you use VistaVision and low-contrast stock. This is the way the effects work in RoboCop will always look like. It was just shot that way. So why knock down the transfer rating? Because you'd like it to look like perfect demo material, regardless of whether it represents the original properly or not? Again, only a hobbyist would do that.

The bias might or might not be there, but the lack of actual knowledge certainly is.

Polyh3dron · 10-14-2007, 06:21 AM

What is worse, someone openly stating in the EDITORIAL section of their website that they favor one format over the other, or a website claiming to be neutral that shows hints of their bias in the way they report news articles which leads to misinformation?

mh466 · 10-13-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAGUAR1977

Is there some kind of agenda against Blu-ray on HDD?

A stunning Spiderman 3 transfer recieves 4 and a half stars, now you may say thats a good score, but it's a definate 5 star PQ release.

In the last couple of months semingly every Blu-ray release has been a mark or two down on expectations from fans and other reviewers, it doesn't add up.

Is there any doubt this would have recieved 5 stars if an HD-DVD exclusive.

I just can't get too excited about this. I check out HDD all the time and yes there does seem to be somewhat of a bias in favour of HD DVD. Their forums have the usual mix of rabid fanboys (from both camps frankly) which isn't particularly helpful. However, as far as Peter Bracke goes, he's just another reviewer out there and you either agree with his opinions or you don't.

Just for fun, I had a quick look at HDD's blu-ray and hd dvd reviews sorted by PQ. There are 21 five-star blu-rays vs 20 five-star hd dvds. While recognizing that this is just one measurement and is therefore of limited value, it doesn't seem to indicate an overall bias in their reviews.

The reviews are just opinions and ultimately if any reviewer is consistently 'way off' people will recognize this and tune out. If HDD's reviews are biased against blu-ray eventually this will come back to bite them...they will simply be ignored.

Polyh3dron · 10-14-2007, 06:17 AM

Their covert swipes at Blu-ray are becoming more overt by the week. First the whole thing about Toshiba "refuting" Sony's claims of more standalone sales in a 3 month period and then they made a huge story about the Fox BDs having problems. They even said that they weren't working right on the PS3(flatout lie) when I have first hand experience that points to the contrary.

10-12-2007, 10:45 PM	#1
JAGUAR1977 Special Member Member since:Aug 2007 Blu-ray reviews:1	HDDigest and Blu-ray Is there some kind of agenda against Blu-ray on HDD? A stunning Spiderman 3 transfer recieves 4 and a half stars, now you may say thats a good score, but it's a definate 5 star PQ release. In the last couple of months semingly every Blu-ray release has been a mark or two down on expectations from fans and other reviewers, it doesn't add up. Is there any doubt this would have recieved 5 stars if an HD-DVD exclusive.

Similar Threads
thread	Forum	Thread Starter	Replies	Last Post
WAHAHA Best from hddigest yet...	Blu-ray Technology and Future Technology	OokieSpookie	45	01-24-2008 02:54 AM
Blade Runner Review on HDDigest - mistake?	Blu-ray Technology and Future Technology	JayAuritt	7	12-18-2007 09:18 PM
From Hell review at HDDigest	Blu-ray Movies - North America	AlaskaDon	3	10-19-2007 10:40 PM
Everyone loves Halloween 'cept HDDigest?	Blu-ray Movies - North America	Razzy	87	09-27-2007 07:19 PM

10-12-2007, 11:20 PM	#2
Zyclone Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Somewhere over the rainbow Home Theater Gallery:3 Blu-ray collection:304	HDDigest does seem to favor the red but meh if you want to buy based on their reviews just add a star or two and you be about right.

10-12-2007, 11:43 PM	#3
davidPS3 Special Member Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Seattle	They have always leaned towards red. Take their reviews for what they are "their reviews". Look up other sites and this site for additional info and feed-back.

10-12-2007, 11:44 PM	#4
KingDeezie Active Member Member since:Mar 2007	Once again my hatred for highdefdigest.com grows at an enormous rate... I have not yet seen the bluray yet, so there is no way I could be able to dispute this really, but many other people have said that Spiderman 3 is reference material... Somehow Brake manages to find something wrong with it. Its amazing. Bet me if Brake reviews Transformers it gets five stars for PQ.

10-12-2007, 11:55 PM	#5
lokus Senior Member Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Marlton, NJ Blu-ray collection:72	I seem to always find something negative in their reviews. While I understand that nothing is perfect, I have a strong feeling that site favors HD-DVD and it definitely shows.

10-12-2007, 11:55 PM	#6
BadAss Senior Member Member since:Feb 2007 Location:England 4K collection:63 Blu-ray collection:63	What's the bets Transformers gets 5/5??? It's best to rate a title on your own setup the way your own eyes like it to look. HDD is half review, half personal opinion and should be treated as such.

10-13-2007, 12:19 AM	#7
Clark Kent Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Metropolis Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:184	As I said in a earlier post here, the reviewers at High Def Digest are biased against Blu-ray. It wouldn't surprise me if 2/3rds or more of their traffic comes from HD-DVD supporters. They play to their audience well. They've dented major Blu-ray exclusive titles before unfairly also. Everyone knows at this point to not trust their BD reviews. Spiderman 3 is a reference transfer and Bracke would have given it a 5 for video if it happened to be released on HD-DVD(of course with its high bitrates Spiderman 3 would be impossible to release the title as is on HD-DVD). I'm sure Transformers will get a 5 video score regardless of its actual merit.

10-13-2007, 12:24 AM	#8
lokus Senior Member Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Marlton, NJ Blu-ray collection:72	I honestly don't think the average consumers go on sites like HDD or even Blu-ray.com for movie (PQ and SQ) reviews so come to think of it I doubt it matters. Normal consumers probably just pick up a movie because they like it and don't get into all of the tech specs. Just my $.02

10-13-2007, 10:39 AM	#10
Merlins Senior Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Göteborg, Sweden	I was about to post that Peter M. Bracke would never give a perfect score to a Blu-ray release and that Spiderman 3 therefore would not get 5 in both PQ and AQ. Transformers will however get 5 in both PQ and AQ by him....

10-13-2007, 11:57 AM	#12
gianniss Junior Member Member since:Feb 2007	I feel the same way. I 100 per cent sure that he'll give a 5 star review to Transformers. Also, is it true that he reviews the movies on a 50' screen?". That's unnaceptable.

10-13-2007, 12:15 PM	#13
buckshot Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2007 Location:san die ego Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:9	everybody shhhhhhhh. don't you know that the hdd guys come lurk here to quote us and make us look like we're obsessed with them. I read hdd everyday at least 1 or 2 times and I post there when I see hd dvd people going waaay out in left field. I got and infraction for saying that I wasn't surprised that another member there would not only use the term 'gay' but defend its use as a slang term meaning 'lame' or 'undesireable'. not sure if they got a warning as well. but I just said I wasn't surprised they'd do it based on their other posts. but they've never seemed slanted to much towards hd to me. that is the official website. the forum ya, that's www.forum.hd-dvd.com version 2.0. they have some real idiots there. but there are also a lot of knowledgeable people there who just came to a different conclusion than us for different reasons. most people on other forums are just *******s who like hearing themselves talk. there are some here too. if I looked in the mirror i'd be seeing one of them. i'm pretty critical of the pq and aq of my blu rays. doesn't mean I don't love them, it just means i've seen the potential and everything that doesn't live up to it makes me slightly bitter.

10-13-2007, 01:12 PM	#16
ryoohki Blu-ray Samurai Member since:May 2007 Home Theater Gallery:6 Blu-ray collection:6 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:5	Transformers won't get 5/5. Brake HATES oversaturated colors to the dead and he will remove .5 or a entire star for that. TF is full of Oversaturated colors since it's a Micheal Bay movie and all his movies are like that..

10-13-2007, 01:39 PM	#17
Seretur Special Member Member since:Jul 2007 Location:An Island in the Adriatic Blu-ray collection:521 Blu-ray reviews:5 Trading Score:2	High-def Digest is run by people who are hobbyists, not proper critics -- and this shows, both in the quality of their reviewing, and in their judgement of a film's visual side. I don't think they've ever read an issue of American Cinematographer or Cinefex, let alone those that specifically deal with the titles they review. SM3 is a case in point -- who's to say that Bill Pope didn't want exactly this level of saturation? -- but an even more egregious example is RoboCop. The reviewer there took issue with the amount of grain in the stop-motion effects shots. Well, duh: Phil Tippett used a (slightly) updated Dynamation setup for those, as the production was very short on money -- and this is the same process that Ray Harryhausen used for the vast majority of his 50's and 60's work. And as it involves rephotographing the background plate off the process screen, of course it's going to lead to increased film grain, even if you use VistaVision and low-contrast stock. This is the way the effects work in RoboCop will always look like. It was just shot that way. So why knock down the transfer rating? Because you'd like it to look like perfect demo material, regardless of whether it represents the original properly or not? Again, only a hobbyist would do that. The bias might or might not be there, but the lack of actual knowledge certainly is.

10-14-2007, 06:21 AM	#18
Polyh3dron Senior Member Member since:Dec 2006	What is worse, someone openly stating in the EDITORIAL section of their website that they favor one format over the other, or a website claiming to be neutral that shows hints of their bias in the way they report news articles which leads to misinformation?

10-14-2007, 06:17 AM	#20
Polyh3dron Senior Member Member since:Dec 2006	Their covert swipes at Blu-ray are becoming more overt by the week. First the whole thing about Toshiba "refuting" Sony's claims of more standalone sales in a 3 month period and then they made a huge story about the Fox BDs having problems. They even said that they weren't working right on the PS3(flatout lie) when I have first hand experience that points to the contrary.

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals