During a fierce sword battle in the 1500s, Connor MacLeod, a simple Scotsman known as a poor
fighter, is mortally wounded -- but he does not die. MacLeod learns from the mysterious
Ramírez that he is of a race of immortals....
Comment to SonOfTorah : TV masters are DNR in real time to easy with the crappy CBR they are getting and Film blowed up to cinema level don't resolve grain very much. Most of the time cinema are extra blurry compared to Blu-ray because 1080p, even at 107 is more than Stock film on a giant cinema screen.
Video :
Well this is the best home video presentation of Highlander that can be had right now. For a 2nd rate low budget movie it quite remarkable. It's better than Ghostbuster for example. Contrast is excellent and most of the black sequence are excellent. They are some darker scene with some more grain and some a lot (just like Ghostbuster). Colors are great too, sometime a bit too much on the red side but appart from that it's excellent. Way better than the first terminator. I can compare this transfert to Princess Bride. There's no EE whatsoever, no DNR. There's a little compression here and there but nothing distracting. You can see it in the grain sometime. Something is more fuzzy or the quality drop because of a fade in and fade out (witch is commun for those movies..)
Audio : Optimun provide us with several DTS HD track. They provide DTS HD 2.0 and DTS HD 5.1 in english. I did a comparison and i selected DTS HD 2.0. The film was made in Stereo and the 5.1 remix is really gimmicky with reverb in the music for the REAR and SFX. I actually prefered it remixed with the ProLogic IIx in my Amp. The voice is better in 5.1 because it's louder and more distinct more appart from that stay with the stereo track. The music is crytal clear in the mode. I wish more studio would offert original audio in loseless.
In conclusion, if you're a fan, Grab it! It's Steelbook, costed me 36$CAD delivered to my door from UK. If you can watch Ghostbuster, you'll be able to watch this one as it look better overall
Warner Bros. | 2008 | 286 min | Not rated | Region A (B, C untested) | Mar 24, 2009
Dig deeper into the world of Venture with Season 3, a rich tapestry of past and present, cause and effect, unitards and bodystockings. Witness the genesis of villainous personae, the clash of sporadically opposing forces, and the...
A very nice package, a very good PQ most of the time but with some pro
When this blu-ray was release i was curious. I watched a couple of clips on Youtube and bought the blu-ray. Well this animated show is like no other. You actually have to have seen the two first season to understand even the first Episode.
So i bought S1 and S2 on DVD (on the cheap used). Started watching it (OMG the PQ on the DVD is completly ulgy beyond description). The first 2 seasons were animated in 480i at 4x3 ratio with DD 5.1 sound. The DD5.1 sound from the DVD sound very 'Fake' and 'Enhanced' with way too much bass for nothing.
Starting watching the S3 on Blu-ray and coming from the first two on DVD is like have grease splatered in your glasses and then you wipe them and voila it's perfectly clear.
The only real problem lies with the digital noise in the encode. WB fit all 13 EP (20 minutes) on 1 BD50), compared to the 3 disk set of Southpark this is underwhelming. Most of the time it's computer drawing perfect ben when it's darker there's banding and noise. With all that it's still 1000000x better than the best of the dvd version can offer.
The TrueHD5.1 track is excellent. I've compared the DD and TrueHD and the THD track sound more alive and less compressed in the soundfield. It's a pretty good soundtrack for a Tv show!
Extra are more scares. Commentary Tracks and deleted scenes.
The menu is a nice Retro ATARI graphic style to fit with the 'fake' atary box that the season is. A nice addition is a CD Sountrack from the TV serie in bonus.
This is one of the first Tv animated show that have a real story like a normal US show that i've seen in a long time (Southpark have one but, this one move a lot faster). You can't miss an episode and it's really addictive. Also, always wait until the credit to see more of the episode, something key stories element are delivered after the credits.
Warner Bros. | 2005 | 136 min | Rated BBFC: 12 | Region free
| Jul 30, 2007
Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island" —...
If you're a fan of this movie, wait for the inivitable Paramount/Dreamwork release with TrueHD and superhigh bitrate in the US/CANADA.
This movie suffers from macrobloking and banding at a couple of place. Also it include a DD 640k track witch imho would have been better with a TrueHD track. Overall it's a 4.0 but with the potential the be a 5.0.
They also digitally corrected the face of Scarlett Joanhson in a couple of close up. I think she have that in her contract because most film where she appear, her face is plastiqued out randomly to make her look like a doll. Milla Jovovich have also that happen in most of her recents films, but to a lesser degree.
This is typical M.Bay movie, colors are pump hot, contrast is very high and black level are good. It look a lot like other Michael Bay movies.
If you see it with a Rebate (like 10-13$) and do want to wait, go for it, other than that, wait ...
DreamWorks | 2008 | 92 min | Rated PG | Region free
| Nov 08, 2008
Kung Fu Panda features Po the Panda, a lowly waiter in a noodle restaurant, who is a kung fu fanatic but whose shape doesn't exactly lend itself to kung fu fighting. That's a problem because powerful enemies are at the gates, and...
This movie is fun and even funnier if you are a fan of 1970-1990 era of Kung Fu movie witch IMHO where at it's best in China.
The PQ is nearly perfect. I would have give it 4.8 if i could. I spotted a couple of compression artefact in a couple of scene (can be seen litely when Panda eat a lot of Peach under the tree at night). But it so subtle i'am only seeing it because i'am 9 feet from a 96 inch 1080p picture.
The sound is awesome. The Bass is a sight to behold. Really powerful. There's a lot of great effect and even if it's not 7.1, people with equipement that can matrix 5.1 to 7.1 will love that one. It's really agressive in the back surrounds.
Sony Music | 2008 | 127 min | Rated FSK-0 | Region free
| Sep 26, 2008
Within Temptation & Metropole Orchestra: Black Symphony. Recorded live with 14 high
definition cameras at Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena, The Netherlands on February 7th, 2008.
Note: The extra bonus DVD recorded live at The...
If i could have put 6 for Audio i would have done it. Here the production company didn't forget Anyone! We have a 2.0 PCM 96/24, 5.1 PCM 96/24, Dolby Digtal 5.1 (640kbps) and a 1.5 mbits DTS 5.1 96/24. So even people without HDMI audio can enjoy 96/24 in a compressed format!
Mixing choir and orchestra was a very good idea, much more interesting than Metallica (but it was interesting too, off course the sheer power of metal guitra from Metallica muffled the sound of the orchestra on the Live DVD show). Here everything mix itself perfectly one without overshawdowing the other. Some song have the whole orchestra, other only a small part of it. The music is mixed as you are in the first row of the live show. The Crowd is predominant in the rear speakers and the group in the front. Altought they are mixed together. The sub is also perfect. They haven't exagerated, it's perfect. I just saw a shows at Montreal Bell Center friday and it reminded me alot of what i've experimented live.
The intro in very impressive. If you have the capability, use the PCM 96/24bits track, it's the best. Even during my test i rate each track 1- 5.1 PCM, 2- 2ch PCM, 3 - DTS 96, 4 - DD. The Dolby Track is good too, but the dynamic and subtilities aren't there. It's very rare that i get shiver from a recorded home video. But the intro and All i Need i got that.
The Video is good, altought not the best for shows right now. IMHO Shakira still the 'king' of video for a live show right now and The Police Certifiable not long after. The video is only limited by the compression aftifact. They are not many, but they are there. The bitrate varie between 12-24mbits. There's also banding in a couple of shot. I had the chance to test the DVD version (PAL) in my PAL dvd player and this is about 5 times better. the DVD is very macroblock heavy. Teh camera moves a lot and something they are special effect with a wombling back/forth effect that makes the images move fast. The video have been converted from a 1080i 50hz source to 1080i 60hz.
They are also 3 segment of HD extra for about 50minutes. Those are nice to watch. All the other extra are on a PAL DVD (witch is the same disc as the dvd boxset).
Include are English Sub. As the group main language is NL. But there's no menu for the sub. Just hit SUBTITLES on you're remote and you'll have sub with the group speak any other language than english. They are no sub for the lyrics.
So if you know and like the group (like me) it's a MUST, if you have a better than average sound systems and speakers (like me) it's another MUST. This is truly an audio orgasm and the best i've ear yet from a live show on Blu-ray. Yes the price of the show may be a lot to some, but hey i just bought the latest metallica in Vinyl in Limited Edition for 103$ so.. LOL
Tested on a US PS3 and US Sony S350 Blu-ray Player
Blu-ray + Anaglyph 3D
Warner Bros. | 2004 | 100 min | Rated G | Region free
| Oct 28, 2008
When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on
a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who
believe.
While the 3D is not for everyone and you get the normal 'lack of color' and sometime de-doubling of the picture. The encode of the 3D version is way better than the 2D. If the 2D version is full of problems. This one have severe banding at a lot of scene, actual blocking etc. Want to see banding just check the 'TRAIN ON THE ICE SCENE' and check the background. the 3D version , without glasses have no problem with that scene, the 2D, ulgy as hell. Bitrate from the 2D varie from 5mbits to 16mbits. This was encoded for 15gig HD DVD disc and it shows (most 15gig HD DVD look bad in the Banding departement). When you watch a disney CGI or Sleeping Beauty and then watch that.. ouch... major step down.
The TrueHD 5.1 track is very good tought, there's a lot of Bass with the train so you'll like it!
Great release! Great movie, some scene have blocking and banding but no DNR in Sight. 1fr and 3rd have better PQ than the 2nd. I'am giving 4.0 because of the artifact visible ... other than that it's good
Blu-ray + Digital Copy
20th Century Fox | 2007 | 100 min | Unrated | Region A (locked) | Apr 15, 2008
In the sequel to the hit 2004 film AVP, the Alien-Predator war continues. A Predator scout ship crash lands in a small Colorado town. The Aliens on board escape and kill all the Predators except one. Now this lone warrior must...
This transfert is somewhat very good with awesome detail particuliary during the ending raining sequence. The only flaw i found and it's a director choice, not because of the compression because the job is perfect.It's the use of what i call 'Digital Darkness', this is a filter applied at the end of production witch give a 'See Trought SunGlasses' effect to the picture. 28 Weeks later use it on one scene that have been filmed at Day but was at night in the movie (Scene were the crazy sniper shoot the good guy down in the street). You can easily see that by watching the Trailers witch haven't been process with that filter yet. I don't know why they used it so much in AVP: Requiem because it's already dark but sometime it distract from seeing the action going it. the Predator Suit is very well done and it's a real person underneath most of the time.
Apart from that it's a Class 1 transfert and the DTS HD MA 5.1 track is just awesome with superb imaging from Front to Back, L&R, and Rear Surrounds. The bass is really tight at the appropriated places.
I was suprised to see that the extra were in 480i (Featurettes)
The movie itself is ok, it's better than the First AVP, but don't hold a candle to Aliens, Predator or Alien. It miss something. They focus on too many people and try to induce a cute backstory to each one but the film is only 1h41 that you don't have time to relate or care, like ALIENS...
