Smallville "grainy" - Blu-ray Forum

DealsR4theDevil · 10-08-2007, 02:45 PM

I tried askin this when i first got Smallville on Blu, but with them being in shortage i dont think to many people here had one. Now that people have had time to get it im gonna try once more to get an answer. Did anyone elese notice that the Smallville Blu-ray has an impossible amount of film grain on it. At first I thought they didnt work to hard on this release, but the fact that this is a new show filmed with HD cameras seems to suggest the image should be cleaner. Detail and Color is fine. But the grain in pretty much every scene is very rampant. Im now thinkin I may have a bad copy because everywhere I look the Blu-ray is gettin good reviews. Now im not an expert on Blu but I do know none of the movies I own (nor Planet Earth) have anywhere near this much film grain. The HD and analog broadcasts of the show do not have this much grain if they have any visible grain at all. What do others who have bought Smallville on Blu think?

Go Blu · 10-08-2007, 02:57 PM

There is def grain present in some of the episodes.
Then again it was made for TV.

I too had high expectations for it but we get spoiled by having such pristine movies that we almost expect to have a perfect transfer each and every time.
Although to be honest it's not that bad either. Still better than watching the broadcast quality. If you are a fan of the show you'll love this set.

GregBlu5 · 10-08-2007, 03:14 PM

I'm finally starting to watch my regular DVDs of Smallville, starting with season one, so I've got a ways to go to get to my season six on Blu. But I have to say that the new Sony Blu-ray player I have upconverts so nicely, that I've been really impressed with the picture quality of just these regular DVDs of Smallville. In fact, I use this as an additional persuasive means to convert non-Blu owners into considering a Blu-ray player when they have a hi-def TV--their regular DVDs look so much better being upconverted.

I also watched Battle of the Bulge on Blu this weekend and was mightily impressed with the picture quality with that disk.

WickyWoo · 10-08-2007, 03:50 PM

It's not grain, it's CCD noise. Stray electrons bouncing off the light sensor

TV production does not allow you the time necessary to light all shots perfectly, and especially with those early, lower res cameras like they use and in dark areas that's going to happen.

DealsR4theDevil · 10-08-2007, 07:40 PM

So are all TV shows going to be full of CCD noise? Kinda defeats the point of gettin a TV show in Hi-def, none of my TV shows on DVD have grain everywhere. And the grain isnt just in few scenese or most scenes. Its in all the scenes.

WickyWoo · 10-08-2007, 08:03 PM

Well, I haven't seen Smallville on Blu

But my guess is that on the DVD they DVNR'd it all away in the compression stage.

However in HD if you want it to look HD, you've got to keep some or a lot of it. You're tossing out over 80% of the original information for DVD so it's a lot easier to do.

Some series will look better than others, but those are going to be shows that are shot on a lot of stages, under controlled conditions. To use 24 as an example, CTU was very easy to do. WHy? Because they have the light board all programmed. "OK shooting Jack's office" *click*, Chloe's desk *click*. The lighting tech spent hours getting those settings just right, and they can use them for year's afterwards.

Smallville is using a lot of practical locations and exteriors. They use their sets a lot less than many shows.

dialog_gvf · 10-08-2007, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

It's not grain, it's CCD noise. Stray electrons bouncing off the light sensor

TV production does not allow you the time necessary to light all shots perfectly, and especially with those early, lower res cameras like they use and in dark areas that's going to happen.

Everyone with a digital camera probably knows about this.

Weren't the original TV HD cameras developped for HiVision (Japan) only 1440x1080i?

Gary

dialog_gvf · 10-08-2007, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Some series will look better than others, but those are going to be shows that are shot on a lot of stages, under controlled conditions. To use 24 as an example, CTU was very easy to do. WHy? Because they have the light board all programmed. "OK shooting Jack's office" *click*, Chloe's desk *click*. The lighting tech spent hours getting those settings just right, and they can use them for year's afterwards.

Smallville is using a lot of practical locations and exteriors. They use their sets a lot less than many shows.

And whenever 24 is outside, on location, you will notice the quality drop. Shots of helicopters flying, for example, are full of noise.

Gary

phloyd · 10-08-2007, 09:59 PM

A lot of TV shows are still shot on film.

BluCrusader · 10-08-2007, 11:50 PM

i am not happy with this. i think i will write a letter to the CW about this.

WickyWoo · 10-08-2007, 11:53 PM

I seriously don't think it'll matter. The ratings are way down this year, and with Michael Rosenbaum leaving, it's more likely to be the last than not. It's also not going to make a difference. The reality is that a TV show shot in 10 days for 2 million dollars is not going to have the perfection a theatrical film gets that's shot over 4-8 months for 10 or even 100 times that.

DealsR4theDevil · 10-09-2007, 02:01 AM

It's really not worth buying. The detail/color is good, better than the DVD or HD broadcast, but there is so much picture noise its completely distracting.

BluCrusader · 10-09-2007, 02:05 AM

i've heard this bad information too....save your blu dollars for something better

buckshot · 10-09-2007, 02:28 AM

you all shut your filthy mouths. its smallville for gods sake. it could be on cheese and i would still buy it. you heathons. i'm watching it right now btw

DealsR4theDevil · 10-09-2007, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckshot

you all shut your filthy mouths. its smallville for gods sake. it could be on cheese and i would still buy it. you heathons. i'm watching it right now btw

You agree though that there is picture noise all over the season? The first 5 seasons on DVD have almost no picture noise.

buckshot · 10-09-2007, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAND-AID

You agree though that there is picture noise all over the season? The first 5 seasons on DVD have almost no picture noise.

I know not of what you speak. so what if its an inferior hd dvd transfer, with softness in a lot of exterior scenes and a little digital noise here and there. its smallville.

kaliraver · 10-09-2007, 03:03 AM

If you really like the series believe me its way better than the DVD. It is worth the upgrade in my book for the extra $20 it cost to get on BD.

DealsR4theDevil · 10-09-2007, 04:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckshot

I know not of what you speak. so what if its an inferior hd dvd transfer, with softness in a lot of exterior scenes and a little digital noise here and there. its smallville.

Maybe I got a bad copy or somethin but there is not a single scene on my Smallville Blu-ray w/o little dots that look like film grain everywhere.

sardaukar1977 · 10-09-2007, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAND-AID

Maybe I got a bad copy or somethin but there is not a single scene on my Smallville Blu-ray w/o little dots that look like film grain everywhere.

maybe that is the way it is supposed to look, I don't know, it never really bothered me, when I watched it.

Kryptron · 10-09-2007, 04:30 AM

I got it the day it came out. The picture quality is what WB intended it to look like. The colors look good and the brightness is much improved from the over the air crappy hd broadcast. I own seasons 1-5 on dvd and season 6 on bluray is definitely worth the $53.

10-08-2007, 02:45 PM	#1
DealsR4theDevil Power Member Member since:Sep 2007 Trading Score:76	Smallville "grainy" I tried askin this when i first got Smallville on Blu, but with them being in shortage i dont think to many people here had one. Now that people have had time to get it im gonna try once more to get an answer. Did anyone elese notice that the Smallville Blu-ray has an impossible amount of film grain on it. At first I thought they didnt work to hard on this release, but the fact that this is a new show filmed with HD cameras seems to suggest the image should be cleaner. Detail and Color is fine. But the grain in pretty much every scene is very rampant. Im now thinkin I may have a bad copy because everywhere I look the Blu-ray is gettin good reviews. Now im not an expert on Blu but I do know none of the movies I own (nor Planet Earth) have anywhere near this much film grain. The HD and analog broadcasts of the show do not have this much grain if they have any visible grain at all. What do others who have bought Smallville on Blu think?

10-08-2007, 02:57 PM	#2
Go Blu Special Member Member since:Feb 2007	There is def grain present in some of the episodes. Then again it was made for TV. I too had high expectations for it but we get spoiled by having such pristine movies that we almost expect to have a perfect transfer each and every time. Although to be honest it's not that bad either. Still better than watching the broadcast quality. If you are a fan of the show you'll love this set. Last edited by Go Blu; 10-08-2007 at 03:00 PM.

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10-08-2007, 03:14 PM	#3
GregBlu5 Power Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Indio, CA 4K collection:794 Blu-ray collection:3954 iTunes collection:2 Blu-ray reviews:1	I'm finally starting to watch my regular DVDs of Smallville, starting with season one, so I've got a ways to go to get to my season six on Blu. But I have to say that the new Sony Blu-ray player I have upconverts so nicely, that I've been really impressed with the picture quality of just these regular DVDs of Smallville. In fact, I use this as an additional persuasive means to convert non-Blu owners into considering a Blu-ray player when they have a hi-def TV--their regular DVDs look so much better being upconverted. I also watched Battle of the Bulge on Blu this weekend and was mightily impressed with the picture quality with that disk.

10-08-2007, 03:50 PM	#4
WickyWoo Blu-ray Champion Member since:May 2007 Trading Score:2	It's not grain, it's CCD noise. Stray electrons bouncing off the light sensor TV production does not allow you the time necessary to light all shots perfectly, and especially with those early, lower res cameras like they use and in dark areas that's going to happen.

10-08-2007, 07:40 PM	#5
DealsR4theDevil Power Member Member since:Sep 2007 Trading Score:76	So are all TV shows going to be full of CCD noise? Kinda defeats the point of gettin a TV show in Hi-def, none of my TV shows on DVD have grain everywhere. And the grain isnt just in few scenese or most scenes. Its in all the scenes.

10-08-2007, 08:03 PM	#6
WickyWoo Blu-ray Champion Member since:May 2007 Trading Score:2	Well, I haven't seen Smallville on Blu But my guess is that on the DVD they DVNR'd it all away in the compression stage. However in HD if you want it to look HD, you've got to keep some or a lot of it. You're tossing out over 80% of the original information for DVD so it's a lot easier to do. Some series will look better than others, but those are going to be shows that are shot on a lot of stages, under controlled conditions. To use 24 as an example, CTU was very easy to do. WHy? Because they have the light board all programmed. "OK shooting Jack's office" click, Chloe's desk click. The lighting tech spent hours getting those settings just right, and they can use them for year's afterwards. Smallville is using a lot of practical locations and exteriors. They use their sets a lot less than many shows.

10-08-2007, 09:59 PM	#9
phloyd Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2003 Location:California Trading Score:5	A lot of TV shows are still shot on film.

10-08-2007, 11:50 PM	#10
BluCrusader Banned Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Sonny Valley, CA	i am not happy with this. i think i will write a letter to the CW about this.

10-08-2007, 11:53 PM	#11
WickyWoo Blu-ray Champion Member since:May 2007 Trading Score:2	I seriously don't think it'll matter. The ratings are way down this year, and with Michael Rosenbaum leaving, it's more likely to be the last than not. It's also not going to make a difference. The reality is that a TV show shot in 10 days for 2 million dollars is not going to have the perfection a theatrical film gets that's shot over 4-8 months for 10 or even 100 times that.

10-09-2007, 02:01 AM	#12
DealsR4theDevil Power Member Member since:Sep 2007 Trading Score:76	It's really not worth buying. The detail/color is good, better than the DVD or HD broadcast, but there is so much picture noise its completely distracting.

10-09-2007, 02:05 AM	#13
BluCrusader Banned Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Sonny Valley, CA	i've heard this bad information too....save your blu dollars for something better

10-09-2007, 02:28 AM	#14
buckshot Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2007 Location:san die ego Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:9	you all shut your filthy mouths. its smallville for gods sake. it could be on cheese and i would still buy it. you heathons. i'm watching it right now btw

10-09-2007, 03:03 AM	#17
kaliraver Blu-ray Samurai Member since:May 2007 Location:San Francisco Bay Blu-Ray SteelBooks™: (150+) Blu-ray collection:373 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:285	If you really like the series believe me its way better than the DVD. It is worth the upgrade in my book for the extra $20 it cost to get on BD.

10-09-2007, 04:30 AM	#20
Kryptron Expert Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Tampa Bay, FL Home Theater Gallery:21 4K collection:83 Blu-ray collection:450 Trading Score:4	I got it the day it came out. The picture quality is what WB intended it to look like. The colors look good and the brightness is much improved from the over the air crappy hd broadcast. I own seasons 1-5 on dvd and season 6 on bluray is definitely worth the $53.

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