Harry Potter Years 1-5 Blu-ray

Harry Potter Years 1-5

 (2007)

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Mystery

This box set includes Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

For more details about Harry Potter Years 1-5 on Blu-ray, see the Harry Potter Years 1-5 Blu-ray Review

Harry Potter Years 1-5 Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The first film in the series has a diffuse appearance. The film noise takes on an almost digital sheen--a quality I found lackluster in that it detracted from the dynamics we enjoy in reference-quality 1080p. Granted, these observations are by degrees, and overall The Sorcerer's Stone is significantly more detailed than the DVD. Part of the problem lies in the development of visual graphics and special effects, and the integration of CGI elements into the picture. Simply put, it was not done with the utmost care or quality compared to other films in the series, let alone films placing similar emphasis on CGI in children's fantasy.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: While the first film appears soft and diffuse, Chamber of Secrets has very good definition and contrast. With rich colors and convincing skin tones, it also shows none of the slight digital sheen within the grain noise observed in Sorcerer's Stone. Detail in textured clothes, facial expressions and hair are good. But the predominant beneficiary of the definition is the barrage of special effects, which are handled better this time around compared to the first film, where they appeared more canned.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The video quality is nearly reference quality. Unfortunately, while the graphics are gorgeous, the CGI effectively flattens the picture. While the depth of many scenes is admirable, several of the night scenes appear two dimensional. Contrast, black level, resolution and color richness are excellent. The detail is pure eye- candy--especially in daytime landscape shots, such as when Harry and his friends are hiding in the pumpkin patch on the outskirts of Hogwarts. CGI effects, such as the Dementors and the breakneck ride of the Knight Bus, are also very impressive. No motion artifacts or excessive noise was observed.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Digital manipulation appears to have dynamically squashed the picture a bit, and depth suffers. This is especially true where significant CGI imagery is used. The effects are impressive, and rendered with great care. But the cost is the absence of gorgeously palpable definition that 1080p is capable of delivering. Another factor is the slight aqua green tint in many of the computer-generated scenes. It almost looks as if a translucent film of toothpaste was applied to the screen. For example, watch Harry fend off the dragon during the first challenge in the wizards' competition. When Harry and the dragon take to the skies, the picture seems ever-so-slightly obscured by a green tint. The aqua green is gone during the brighter scenes which, not surprisingly, show superior depth and presence.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Presented in 2.40:1 with a VC-1 codec, the video quality of Order of the Phoenix is crisp and detailed. The overall dark, shadow-heavy picture, featuring excellent black level and contrast, still delivers warm skin tones and light effects--fireworks and magical flashing lights. In CGI-laden productions, the processing required for merging the artificially generated graphics with the film reduces the element of depth. But the effects in Order of the Phoenix are rendered very convincingly and some sacrifice in depth is worth it.

Harry Potter Years 1-5 Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: While not laden with reverb or smearing, voices and music do not have the precise, crisp definition associated with most audio content on BD. Like the video, it has a soft, foggy quality. The use of surround effects is good, and some content is fairly innovative, such as the quidditch game played on broomsticks where students from different Hogwart dormitories face off in not-so-friendly competition. Listen to the sound of the golden, winged ball that Harry must chase down. It hums, buzzes and blips with fairly engaging audio resolution. However, the broomsticks sound more like jet engines, often with heavy LFE content. Again, the production was held back by some amateur decisions and cannot quite achieve the magic it so desperately tries to depict. Insofar as the Blu-ray production is concerned, it feels like Warner's choices also held it back, as there is no high bitrate PCM track.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The sound definition adds greatly to the impact of the special effects. Taking the example of the scene with the basilisk in the chamber, each element of the serpent's movements is characterized by a tonally distinct sound. When the basilisk strikes, there is plenty of deep bass and mid-bass rumble, as the rocks of the sculpture break apart from the impact. Although the sounds are palpable and convincing, they occasionally have a canned quality that does not perfectly match the visuals. For exampls, in the quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, the broomsticks sound more like flying jets than brooms moving through the air. Yet the overall impact is very impressive, and the audio quality has as much to do with this as the video. Surrounds are aggressive and so is use of the LFE channel. I would have liked to hear this mix in 24-bit resolution, but clearly Warner is unprepared to deliver the best that Blu-ray can offer.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The audio is near reference quality, which only makes one wonder how impressive it could have been with higher bit-rate PCM. Voices and musical arrangements are full and clear, the soundstage is immersive and apt sonic cues are delegated to the appropriate speaker(s) for a powerful home theater experience. The audio production values are admirable. Sound effects really hit their mark with more impact than previous Potter films. The rumble and squeal of the bus ride is a good example. So, too, is the quidditch match, in which a whole array of sonic cues barrage the ears, from the flying balls that tweak the tweeters to Harry's Nimbus 2000 broomstick that rumbles the subwoofer.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The surround sound is crisp, with pinpoint imaging of some effects. Voices are clear, with good detail, but many of the other effects and the massed strings prevalent in the score had a homogeneous quality to them and did not sound as dynamic or vibrant as in The Prisoner of Azkaban. The audio assigned to various characters, creatures and props at times didn't seem mastered at the correct level. Returning again to the dragon scene--which, done right, could have been a reference-quality, standout in the series--the sound of the dragon flying and Harry's broom made noises that were surprisingly similar. Now granted, I've never heard the flight of a dragon, or a broom either, for that matter, but one would think the dragon would create more voluminous audio effects and that a broom would be relatively quiet. But that is not the way the sound was produced. Part of the problem is that the 16-bit 5.1 PCM track, at 48 kHz, is not of significantly higher resolution than your average CD or DD track. That is not sufficient resolution for a complex audio mix with music and a variety of sound effects.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The audio is presented in 16-bit PCM 5.1 at a sampling rate of 48 kHz. With excellent use of surrounds and prodigious LFE content, the mix is produced with great attention to detail. It will give any system's tweeters and woofers a serious workout. One of the technical triumphs of the BD's audio content is the good definition of massed strings. Orchestral compositions by Nicholas Hooper figure prominently in the score. Making good use of the 5.1 soundstaging, "Order of the Phoenix" carries these symphonic passages through the scenes dense with audio effects and dialogue. Rather than constrict each element of the mix, the music, voices and effects maintain good clarity and resolution, even during the loudest moments of the battle scenes.

Harry Potter Years 1-5 Blu-ray, News and Updates

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