What BluRay Have You Just Watched?

Good topic Mr Underhill! I quite agree that BluRay, when properly encoded, can be a huge improvement over standard DVD in both picture and sound quality but some of the former aren't a lot different from the DVDs & a couple (Ghostbusters is an example) look worse because the extra definition serves to emphasise defects in the original recordings.

SWMBO's a huge Lord of The Rings fan so we recently bought a copy of the director's cut box set on BluRay. The original DVDs were excellent quality anyway but the BluRay versions are just magnificent! Given that you get 15 discs (they've still spread one film across two discs unfortunately!) in an extremely attractive presentation box, the price is a bit of a bargain IMO.

Personally i don't think format type is really what's important.

I'd far rather watch a good film, documentary, serial, or whatever on a old VHS tape than something crap on blue-ray, and lets face it, there is plenty of crap new films around today on blue-ray.

dvd and blue-ray may as well be lumped in together, and rather like the 'what are you listening to' topic that includes anything from vinyl - cd - download - tape - radio - etc

Being inclusive just seems far friendlier imho  

Debs

I'm sure we all agree that, as with music, the content's the thing. But also as with music, the quality of the reproduction adds considerably to the enjoyment.

A bit off topic but i don't know if you guys have an Asda supermarket near to you? If so, i noticed they had a decent range of Bluray films in at £7 each. Long overdue if they want the format to take off.

naim_nymph

The hope, for me, is that as people find BRs that they think offer a substantial advantage over the DVD I can replace my current discs.

I have no intention of doing this wholesale.

M

Started watching 'Invictus' but having problems coping with Morgan Freeman trying to do a South African accent. It's almost as bad as Leonardo DiCaprio's in 'Blood Diamond'.

Why can't the producers just use a good actor who's native to the country & give some fresh talent a break?

Iron Man 2 - very enjoyable. needed some crazy comic action.

will have to grow up some day. 

Memoirs of a Geisha.   I thought it was fascinating and  beautiful.  And at the end you can get your man....

District 9.  almost as funny as the first time I saw it, at the cinema.

Recorded in 2003 and their last gig of a tour. I've owned the standard DVD for a while and it's my very favourite live concert recording. I was debating about whether it was worth lashing out on the BluRay version because the DVD's picture quality and the excellence of the editing is first class. However, the dts soundtrack, whilst also generally exceptional, for some reason suffered from a lip-sync problem during their last song (and you can guess what that was, complete with extra verse).

Well, the BluRay's just superb. Picture quality is fabulous and the HD surround really captures the acoustic of the venue (minus lip-sync problem).

The band go through their classic numbers plus some more recent numbers and like all great bands they make it look so easy. The extras include a very amusing interview with Gary Brooker, who tells us the band do have a set playlist, but never use it; he decides on what they're going to play next on the spur of the moment & the others just follow on.

a classic band at the top of their game. Highly recommended, even if you don't know their music beyond A Whiter Shade of Pale.

Star Wars I - The Phantom Menace

Sharp visuals don't make this movie any better, but it does look and sound spectacular in blu-ray.

EJS

I doubt I'll bother. Bought the original VHS, then the widescreen VHS, the original DVDs, ........

I bought a new set a few years ago, mainly as they also contained the original three films, as originally presented. BUT they were non-anamorphic with the stereo soundtrack.

Now if they were to produce a set of the original three films in HiDef, with a decent soundtrack, and JUST cleaned up SFX that would tempt me.

I HATE the changes to 'A New Hope'. Not the upgraded special effects, but the need Lucas felt to have Hans Solo shoot second in the bar scene, for instance.

The prequels all had interesting moments but didn't float my boat, a real missed opportunity; although I am sure GL can console himself with the enormous amount of money they made!

Don't suppose the digitally removed Jar Jar Binks did they?

M

M,

I completely understand. This round there are yet more edits, but Anakin ('Ani') in both incarnations and Jar-Jar still irritate so as you say, a missed opportunity. The choice is between the superior original in bad shape, or the flawed reissue with great sound and visuals. I too hope that one day there will be a hires version of the original, but that is unlikely to happen.

Cheers, EJ

Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones

Same as above: sharp visuals don't make this movie any better, but it does look and sound spectacular in blu-ray. To which I'd like to add that the movie works slightly better because it can now be seen as the kick-off for the - generally excellent - 'The Clone Wars' cartoon series.

EJ

I am currently working my way through the new LOTR Bluray and Star Wars Bluray - finding both spectacular and well worth a watch, esp if you are a fan. All that money I blew (threw away?!?) on my OPPO 83SE has finally make complete sense, the DTS - MA  sound track is truely outstanding on LOTR.

New Hope has certainly not looked better and I am a fan of the development/changes.

Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, yecch.

There is brand new Citizen Kane out with super-resolution mastering for BluRay, a composite of three different prints (camera negative destroyed in fire).  Also a relatively new Taxi Driver at the same resolution.

In my experience, the BluRays often don't look much better because the underlying resolution hasn't changed.  Not so with these releases.

With you on all Mr Occean. It really shows what BluRay's capable of.

geoff,

If it makes you feel better, I can't stand David Attenborough either.  Actually he shares certain qualities with Lord of the Rings:  he's pretentious and goes on forever and ever...

OOOOOH get you. 

Geoff,

Agreed, we all have different tastes.  Sorry if I was a bit brash in expressing mine.

There is an excellent review of the Citizen Kane disk online at Slate Magazine by Fred Kaplan.  He is my favorite jazz reviewer, so I took the plunge on his recommendation.