HD DVD Review: Heroes, Season 1

Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennett in Heroes.

THE SHOW: 4 1/2 out of 5

While I received this set a few weeks ago, it is composed of 7 discs and took awhile to get through. Given that it was being given away last week with the XBox 360 (HD DVD add-on), I thought that this was a logical time to post my review. Briefly, Heroes was a huge hit for NBC last season. It involves a group of individuals who are all developing special powers and who are somehow interconnected. The powers range from the ability to fly to the ability to bend and shape time and space. It is a very original show with a great premise and some great plot twists. I must say that I enjoyed watching this box set very much and can recommend it highly for fans and non fans of the show. As I did not catch much of the show on its original broadcast run on NBC, this set was a godsend. It is amazing how fast each episode seems to fly by. Well done!

THE VIDEO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

The box set is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:78:1 and encoded via VC-1. While I did not really catch much of the show on NBC, I did check it out briefly when it first aired and was not impressed with the picture quality. This is a common problem with NBC as I find most of their HD programming to lack the sharpness and clarity of the best broadcast HD, such as what one sees with CBS programming. I also find their HD programming to be plagued by macroblocking due, in part, by the fact that NBC refuses to broadcast using the maximum available bandwidth, due to their insistence on broadcasting their Weather Plus subchannel.

However, this self-imposed limitation is not an issue on HD-DVD and boy does it show. This presentation on HD-DVD is miles ahead of what I was able to see, albeit briefly, on broadcast HDTV. The colors are bright and very natural looking with deep blacks. The overall picture is very sharp with excellent detail and clarity. I could find no evidence of macroblocking, pixelation or video noise of any kind. Shadow detail was excellent as well. Video performance is uniform over all 7 discs. I just wish that the broadcast edition of this series looked this good!

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby Digital Plus, the audio encode is excellent as well. Dialogue is clear and distinct and well presented in the mix. The overall sound was smooth and open with all sound effects well placed in the mix. The surrounds were actively employed as well to great effect. For a television series, the audio on this series is very well done.

INTERACTIVE FEATURES

This set was the first from Universal to feature web-connectivity, featuring a web-enabled download center, Heroes Ability Test, The Helix Revealed, Character Connections and Picture-in-Picture Commentary. The Heroes Ability Test prompts you to create your own Heroes profile and upload it to an exclusive web page on the NBC.com/Heroes website. This set is just chock full of interactive features which will keep fans of the show busy for hours.

IN CONCLUSION

This is one excellent presentation from Universal and well worth a look. Fans of this show will love this set and the interactive features. Highly recommended.

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Why I Don't Like HD VOD

The Departed has been a HD VOD offering.

Ther has been a lot of talk in the last few months about the availability -- or lack thereof -- of HD-VOD on the systems of various cable companies and telcos and the two DBS providers. In fact, Comcast recently touted themselves as the HD leader despite the fact that they have less than half the available HD channels that DIRECTV does -- all on the basis of their HD Video On Demand offerings.

In light of that announcement, I thought now was as good as time as any to blather on about why I don?t care about HD VOD, or VOD for that matter.

Quite simply, I have no interest in HD VOD for the simple reason that I have a DVR. I use that to record the programming I want to watch, creating my own HD VOD so to speak.

I record programming on the DVR for several reasons. The first is to time shift a program I can't be home to watch. The second is when two shows I want to watch are on at the same time. I record the second to watch at a later time. The third, and the reason I am increasingly using the DVR, is to be able to zap the commercials. I just hate commercials and find that it is much more enjoyable to watch a show from the DVR as I am able to use the 30 second skip function on the remote to zap away the commercials.

Not only does this get rid of the annoying commercials, it reduces the length of the program. Rather than spending a half an hour or an hour to watch a show, zapping the commercials reduces the viewing time to 22 and 44 minutes, depending on the length of the show as 8 minutes of each half hour of TV programming is taken up by commercials. This frees up more time to watch other content, or even better, spend more quality time with my lovely wife or go out with family and friends. In fact, as far as scripted television shows are concerned, I rarely watch them live anymore. My live viewing of TV is now mostly limited to news broadcasts and sports. Live viewing of scripted TV is mostly limited to channels and shows with very limited commercials, such as HDNet for Torchwood (which is getting better and better BTW) and also Enterprise.

What really irks me about HD VOD is that it is used to cover up for a provider's inability to provide more HD channels. The cable industry, due to their lack of bandwidth, have used HD VOD as a smoke screen, hiding their lack of real HD content. No, we don't carry CNN-HD or TBS-HD or all of the other many HD channels now available but we do offer old movies that you really have no interest in in HD but without multichannel audio.

What is worse is that some of the HD VOD offerings of new programming don't permit the zapping of commercials, forcing you to sit through the commercials. How lame is that? I know it is to reduce the cost of the VOD offering but it is soooooo 20th Century. I can record it for free on the DVR and zap the commercials anyway. Why bother with VOD?

Personally, I want less HD VOD and more and more live HD channels. I will use the DVR to record the programming I want to watch. I just wish that the cable companies and telcos (yes, that is you, Verizon), would stop touting their VOD and HD VOD offering and get more and more HD channels on their systems. The future is more HD channels, not VOD. Get ahead of the curve, just like DIRECTV or you will be buried by an avalanche of HD offerings.

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Blu-ray Review: Hostel, Part II

THE MOVIE: 1 star out of 5

Presented by Quentin Tarantino and written and directed by Eli Roth, Hostel Part II is the sequel to Hostel and centers on an underground torture ring in Eastern Europe where rich businessmen pay to torture and murder their victims. Quite frankly, this is not my type of movie (hence the grade) and was quite difficult to watch. If you are a fan of this type of film, I have no doubts that you will be more than satisfied with this presentation. It is not for the faint of heart.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/4 stars out of 5

The content of the film aside, this is an excellent transfer and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. This is a very dark film (in more ways than one) where most of the action takes place in the shadows. It also has an overall golden tone, much like what was seen in the film Invincible. This is especially noticeable in the daylight shots were the fleshtones have a golden color. This is a purely artistic decision on the part of the director and is reproduced on this disc beautifully. This is a very sharp looking transfer despite the fact that much of the film takes place in the shadows. Shadow detail is excellent. There isn’t a hint of softness in this transfer with textures of the skin, clothing and backgrounds well deliniated and easy to make out. I was also not able to detect much noise in the darker scenes of the type that have plagued some transfers I have seen with similar looking films. Fans of this film will love this transfer.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

The audio presentation on this disc is a good as the video. The only high rez track is an uncompressed 5.1 PCM track which is presented with excellent fidelity. The dialogue track is clear, full sounding and well integrated into the mix. The soundfield is truely immersive, with one clearly feeling as if one was in the dungeons with the characters. The sense of air arounfd you is palpable. The overall audio presentation can be characterized as smooth, open and airy with full and deep bass. The audio track really helps to heighten the overall mood and tension of the film and is very well done.

IN CONCLUSION

While I am not a fan of this film or the film’s particular genre, those who are will be more than happy with this presentation on Blu-Ray.

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HD DVD Review: Seed of Chucky

THE MOVIE: 2 1/2 stars out of 5

As the PR release that accompanied this release states, Seed of Chucky on HD-DVD is presented in an unrated and fully extended version. Chucky, everyone’s favorite killer doll returns-and he is bringing the whole family. This time around, Chucky and his homicidal honey, Tiffany, are brought back to life by their orphan offspring, Glen. They all go Hollywood, as Chucky unleashes his own brand of murderous mayhem. The film features Jennifer Tilly playing herself as well as the voice of Tiffany and hip-hop star Redman. What can I say about this film? The violence is over the top in a cartoonish sort of way and presented with more than a dash of humor(or attempts to). The level of violence therefore does not approach the level or gore or disgust seen in a film like Hostel Part II reviewed previously. I guess the thought of a murderous doll is harmless, but I can’t help but think that the first Chucky film was quite enough.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

This is another very good transfer from Universal. Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, this transfer boasts bright bold colors and excellent fleshtones and deep blacks. Overall detail and shadow detail in particular is very good, rendering a nice three dimensional image. While it is a very good looking transfer, it lacks the clarity and pop of the best looking transfers but I must say, looks a lot better than I thought it would when I popped the disc in to view the film. It looks to me like the days of hit and miss transfers from Universal are over, knock on wood!

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby Digital True HD and Dolby Digital Plus, this encode boasts very good sound and is much better sounding than Carlito’s Way-Rise to Power. Dialogue was clear and distinct and well placed in the mix with the heft that one expects. The sound was smooth and open sounding with deep bass. The surrounds were also quite active during most of the film. The immersive effect of the sound field was quite good although nowhere near up to the level of a mix like Transformers or of the better audio encodes I have heard on either of the two high def formats. The best encodes place you in the center of the film’s soundfield with sound completely enveloping you at all times. This track fails to meet that standard but is very good nonetheless. This mix will not over power you but was quite appropriate for the type of film that it is, adding to one’s “enjoyment” of the visuals. Of the two, the Dolby True HD mix was the preferable mix. In fact, the True HD track was the default track as it should have been.

IN CONCLUSION

If you are a fan of the Chucky movies, you will be more than happy with this presentation. For those of you with that mindset, it is recommended as a buy. For the rest of us, I would only recommend it as a rental. If you can find it at your local video store or on line service, give it a look and let me know what you think.

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HD DVD Review: Carlito's Way -- Rise to Power

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

Carlito’s Way-Rise to Power is a prequel of sorts to Carlito’s Way reviewed previously. I say prequel of sorts as it does not star Al Pacino in the lead role. As noted in the press release which accompanied this release, the film stars Jay Hernandez, Mario Van Peebles, Luis Guzman and Sean Combs and tells the story of the early years of gangster Carlito Brigante. Assisted by two brothers in crime, Carlito is on the fast track to becoming Spanish Harlem’s ultimate gangster. However, he quickly learns that the only way to survive at the top is through loyalty to his friends and respect for the rules of the street. On the whole, this is a rather average gangster film with some good performances by the lead actors. However, I did not find it to be up to the level of Carlito’s Way. However, if is well worth a rental.

THE VIDEO: 4 stars out of 5

This is another in a string of very good transfers from Universal. The film was encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1. The film boasts excellent color accuracy and deep blacks. Skin tones are very natural looking. For those who are concerned that VC-1 smooths out film grain, that is not the case here as there is plenty of film grain visible in this transfer. However, the grain is not distracting in any way. The transfer presents a nice three dimensional look but does not boast the image detail or clarity of the best looking high def transfers. Nonetheless, it is pleasing to the eye and enjoyable to watch.

THE AUDIO: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Presented in Dolby True HD and Dolby DIgital Plus, the audio encode is not up to the standard of the video. While dialogue is clear and distinct and well placed in the mix, I found the overall sound of the dialogue to be on the thin side and sounding a little to bright. The soundfield overall was rather flat and lifeless which was disturbing to me considering that there was some nice period music in the disc which could have sounded way better than it did here. The mix mainly used the front three channels and I thought should have taken better advantage of the surround channels. Not that this was a bad audio presentation, just not up to the standards that I have come to expect from high rez audio on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

IN CONCLUSION

Carlito’s Way-Rise to Power is another in a string of fine efforts from the folks at Universal. It is well worth a look but as a rental only.

NFL: Stop Crying About Comcast & NFL Network

I read an interesting piece in today’s Philadelphia Daily News by Paul Domowitch about how ticked off the NFL is at Comcast for Comcast’s movement of the NFL Network (both HD and SD feeds) from their digital tier to their sports tier.

The short of it is that Comcast moved the channel to their sports tier, which requires an additional subscription charge, greatly reducing the number of viewers that have access to the NFL Network programming. The NFL wants to have their network available to as many eyeballs as they can to maximize their advertising revenue and increase their exposure, as if the NFL isn’t already overexposed as it it.

The NFL Network is also available in HD on Comcast, but again, only to those who also subscribe to the sports tier. It is totally understandable for the NFL to be upset with this move. Comcast, on the otherhand, claims that the NFL Network is a niche network and one that all of their subscribers should not have to pay for unless they watch it; hence they moved it to the sports tier where you have to pay for it to get it.

There is an obvious flaw to Comcast’s position, namely the fact that Comcast did not reduce the amount of their monthly digital cable charge when they moved the NFL Network. If in fact, Comcast was adding a charge to your bill due to the inclusion of this channel, shouldn’t it have been removed once the channel was moved? Aren’t the digital cable subscribers still paying for a channel they don’t want, even though they are not getting it? What about Comcast Sportsnet and Versus? Aren’t Comcast digital cable subscribers paying for sports programming they may not want there as well? Why should the NFL Network be treated any differently than the channels that Comcast has an ownership interest in? Shouldn’t they all be available on the basic digital cable package or all be moved to the sports tier? Maybe there is something else going on here! I have my opinion, as always!

It is my opinion, based on pure supposition and impeccable logic, that Comcast moved the NFL Network to their sports tier due to the fact that Comcast lost out on the rights to the extra Thanksgiving and Saturday night games that the NFL put up to bid before last season. Comcast wanted the rights to those games as the lynchpin to a national sports channel, based on the success they have been enjoying with their regional sports nets which are very successful and profitable.

Comcast wanted to create their own national sports network to compete with ESPN. Comcast sees sports programming as so important that they even tried to buy Disney, in large part, to get control of ESPN. Being rebuffed on that effort, they sought to create competition for ESPN, transforming The Outdoor Life Network, first to OLN and then to VERSUS. However, the NFL moved these games to their own network effectively ending Comcast’s chances of building a national sports network to compete with ESPN.

So Comcast is left essentially with the NHL, having also lost out on the MLB rights that went to TBS. (Gee, remember the fuss over the Extra Innings package going exclusively to Directv due to cable, including Comcast, not committing to carry the MLB Network? Sound familar?)

In response, Comcast did what they had the full right to do under their contract with the NFL and moved the NFL Network to their sports tier. Tit for tat as far as I am concerned. Amazing that the NFL didn’t see this one coming. Instead of complaining about it, get over it and move on. Mount a campaign if you want to try to get Comcast subscribers to bitch to have this channel added. Not likely to work as it is available to any digital subscriber who wants to pay for it and IMHO, they aren’t missing much not having it. I have it in HD and rarely watch it and will likely only watch it when the games are on, in HD of course!

Encourage cable customers all you want to move to Directv or Dish Network so they can have this channel included in their basic plan. Not that it will have much luck either as there is no need to switch as you do actually have access to the channel, unlike with The Big Ten Network. But, by all means, please stop crying about how bad Comcast and TIme Warner are for not affording us all the privilege of getting their network on their basic digital tier. Last time I checked, there was no crying in football. Or was that baseball? Move on, please!

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HD DVD Review: Carlito's Way

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Directed by Brian DePalma, Carlito’s Way stars Al Pacino as a former drug dealer who is released from prison due to the efforts of his lawyer (played by Sean Penn) on the grounds that some of the evidence was obtained via illegal wiretaps. Spending 5 years in prison while awaiting the result of his appeal, Carilto Brigante decides to change his ways and get out of the drug and crime business. He become involved in a nightclub with the hope of making enough money to buy into a rental car business in the Bahamas and moving away from New York. Needless to say, things don’t go quite the way he plans.

THE VIDEO: 4 stars out of 5

This is another good transfer from Universal but not quite up to their effort in Inside Man. The transfer, encoded with VC-1, looks good with accurate colors and fleshtones. However, I found the black levels to be somewhat lacking. While the outdoor scenes shot in daylight look sharp and detailed, the rest of the film looks rather flat and soft. Had the night time and interior shots had the sharpness and detail of the daylight exterior shots, this transfer would have had a much higher grade. However, given the overall softness of the rest of the film, I felt it deserved the grade that it was given.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/4 stars out of 5

The audio, presented in both True HD and DD+, is very good but with one main flaw which detracted from my overall enjoyment of the film. My main complaint was with the dialogue track which I felt to be somewhat on the thin side lacking the heft of the better audio encodes I have heard. I also thought that the dialogue track got somewhat lost in the mix during action sequences. Otherwise, the audio presentation was excellent with a smooth, open sound with good bass. I found the nightclub scenes to be particularly appealing with active surrounds giving you the feeling that you were in the club.

CONCLUSION

This another solid effort from Universal and is recommended for fans of the films of Mr. Pacino and Mr. DePalma.

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Blu-ray Review: Scary Movie

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

Scary movie is a satire of the horror film genre filled with sophomoric humor and sight gags. Not exactly high brow humor and not in the class of Shawn of the Dead but I am sure that many will find this film enjoyable. Light Friday or Saturday night fare but not recommended for kids 13 and under as there is a lot of sexual references and innuendo.

THE VIDEO: 3 3/4 stars out of 5

The transfer of this film, encoded with AVC, while good, is not among the top tier of releases on either format. On the good side, the color accuracy is excellent with vibrant colors and good black levels. The downside? There is not much here in the way of detail and the film on the whole, looks rather soft. As an example, while skin tones are very good, there is a complete lack of detail in the faces of the actors, as if all the detail was air brushed away, even on closeups. This lack of detail results in a rather flat image. I have no way of knowing whether this is how the film was intended to look or not without seeing the master. Nonetheless, the video quality of this release will not make you leap off your seat and is really middle of the road in terms of picture quality.

THE AUDIO: 3 3/4 stars out of 5

For me, the audio presentation pretty much mirrored that of the video, rather middle of the road. The high rez audio track is presented in uncompressed PCM 48hKz/16 bit and standard Dolby Digital 5.1. The overall sound is rather pleasing, sounding smooth and open. Bass is solid if not spectacular. However, the audio does not grab you they way one would expect with a movie such as this. The overall sound of the track can best be described as laidback. I thought that a more appropriate use of the soundfield could have been utilized for this film. I am sure that the audio encode is true to the intent of the director and hence the overall score. I just think that it could have been better produced.

IN CONCLUSION

Neither the film nor the video and audio quality on the disc wouId make me have to run out and buy this disc. I would rate this one as a rental.

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Verizon Doesn't Get HDTV

Verizon entered the TV business in a big way in 2006 claiming that they built a totally 21st century system bringing unlimited bandwidth and services to your home. They were the first system of any kind to bring fiber right into the home. I couldn’t wait until they arrived in our area as they would be competition to Comcast and help keep the yearly rate increases down. As I have noted previously, they appeared to deliver on their promises and provided a great TV viewing experience with excellent picture quality on both standard def and high def content and excellent broadband speeds. They also were the leader in HD offering more HD channels than Comcast or DIRECTV in our area. With all that virtually “unlimited” bandwidth, one would have thought that that would continue and with it an ever growing customer base. Well, guess what, it hasn’t materialized. What’s even worse, Verizon’s recent actions or should I say inaction, will only work to slow their rate of growth to a trickle or kill them off completely as a TV provider.

Yes, Verizon has totally blown it. The folks over at DIRECTV and Dish Network have finally come to understand what us HD fans have known for years and that is that HD is the future and have been working hard to increase their capacity to add as much HD as possible to distinguish them for cable. Just in time too with the spate of new HD channels coming on line such as CNN-HD, TBS-HD, USA-HD, etc. The list of available channels is very impressive.

Cable, although late to the game, has finally gotten the message and realizes that it must have more and more HD to be able to compete with DBS. By more and more HD, I don’t mean HD-VOD but actual channels. HD-VOD was used as an argument that they had more HD offerings when they didn’t have the space to add actual channels. It was essentially a stop gap measure to put in place until they increased their capacity. They are now doing so. Obviously, that will vary from market to market, but we are seeing it happen now in response to the movement on the part of DIRECTV and Dish.

What is Verizon doing? NOTHING!

It turns out they they didn’t have the capacity they claimed. Far from it. While they do have the ability to add that capacity in a manner that is much easier and less costly than cable can, they didn’t see the need to add it at the outset and are now moving slowly to do so. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps they just don’t want to spend the money. Maybe their whole operation is costing them more money than they thought and they have to cut back? Maybe it was just pure stupidity and short sightedness.

In this case, it will be a fatal decision regardless of the reason or reasons. Verizon’s refusal to add TBS-HD in time for the baseball playoffs was a terrible decision and cost them many subscribers in the Philadelphia and Boston markets that went back to either Comcast or DIRECTV. Guess who was ready to take back their former subscribers? Guess who had the foresight to have the channels that people wanted? It wasn’t Verizon! Even worse, it just doesn’t seem that Verizon cares about sports. While they have Comcast Sportsnet in HD in the Philadelphia area, they do not have Comcast Sportsnet Mid Atlantic in HD in the Washington DC/Northern Virginai market. Gee, guess who just added it? Yep, DIRECTV. The same is true in the North Jersey/ New York market with no MSG-HD or SNY-HD. It also took them forever to add NESN-HD in New England.

What do we hear from Verizon in response to the challenges laid down by the DBS provider and cable? Essentially silence until this week when Shawn Strickland is quoted in the trade journal Multichannel News that they will not be adding more HD channels until the Spring of 2008 and are focusing on HD-VOD and gaming. Note that there was no commitment to add numerous HD channels; just more HD content. That could mean only a handful of HD channels and a lot of HD-VOD. There was no effort to state exactly what their intentions are. No statement that we will match the number of HD channels of their competition and with better quality. NO, just more lip service and a commitment to add gaming. Gaming! Who really cares? It is HD we want, first and foremost and at high quality. HD is the future of TV and what the Verizon system seemed designed to deliver. I guess not.

Frankly, the people at Verizon responsble for this fiasco should be called on the carpet for their stupidity as it will really hurt the fortunes of the company as a whole. The upcoming holiday season will be big for HD. From millions of sets to HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. When all those millions of households bring their sets home and have to decide which provider to choose, where do you think they will go, to the provider that has 100 HD channels in additon to their locals in HD or one that has maybe 30? Considering that the early reports are that the MPEG-4 channels on Directv look very good, Verizon has just lost out on millions of potential customers that they will likely never get back.

What will be Verizon’s response? Please come back to us! While we only have 30 channels, they do look a smidge better? That will really be an effective sales pitch, no? Verizon may say gee, wait till spring and we will have some more channels in HD. We don’t know how many or even which ones but we will add some. Maybe. Even if we don’t, we will have some cool new gaming features for you to enjoy. Wow, that will really be effective! By Spring? I really doubt that. What does that really mean? March or June? Is it really Spring of the fall or winter. What is being done to “make it so”, what kind of a commitment is there? From Verizon we have heard NOTHING!

Until they put their cards on the table, I can only assume that they don’t really care about HD and don’t have a clue as to how the business works. Verizon could have been a real threat to cable and DBS but have really fumbled it away with inept management and planning. If they don’t care about HD or don’t care enough to add the HD we want, why should we care about them? Unless I hear more from Verizon with actual definitve plans and soon, real soon, I am going back to Comcast. The ball is in your court, Verizon.

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Blu-ray Review; Meet the Robinsons

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5
This is an excellent movie for the whole family and for kids of all ages, even older “kids” like me. The film resolves around Lewis, a 12-year-old boy in an orphanage who has an amazing imagination and ability to invent some unusual items. Lewis is met after a science fair by another boy who it turns out is from the future. He transports Lewis to the future where he meets his family, The Robinsons, and works to foil a plot to change the past and hence the future by a character who bears an amazing resemblance to Snidely Whiplash from the old Dudley Do Right cartoons. Highly recommended for the entire family.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5
The film is encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:78:1. Quite simply, this is a gorgeous looking transfer and of reference quality for animation. The film is bright and bold with incredible detail and excellent blacks. The film has a totally three dimensional look and is a feast for the eyes. This is a total winner from the folks at Disney. It is really hard to imagine how this film could look any better. Well done Disney.

THE AUDIO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

The audio on this disc is a good as the video. One high rez audio format is included, namely an uncompressed PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit/ 6.9 mpbs along with Dolby Digital tracks in English, French and Spanish and it is wonderful, with a smooth, open and engaging sound. This is not a bombastic sounding track but when required, there is bass in spades with active surrounds and a totally enveloping sound field. Dialogue is beautifully recorded sounding very natural and well placed in the mix. As with the best sounding PCM tracks I have heard, you can really crank up the volume without a hint of shrillness or hardness to the sound. This is one great audio track.

CONCLUSION

This is a wonderful family film from the folks at Disney and provides reference audio and video. Highly recommended in all respects.

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HD DVD Review: Face/Off

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Face/Off stars Nicolas Cage and John Travolta as FBI anti-terrorism agent Sean Archer and terrorist Castor Troy in an action thriller. This is a great action flick. Briefly, while Castor Troy is in a coma, his face is removed and transplanted onto the face of agent Sean Archer who tries to penetrate Castor Troy’s network to find the location of a massive bomb before it explodes. However, after the surgery is completed, Castor Troy comes out of his coma, finds out what has happened to him and forces the surgeon to give him the face of agent Archer. It is at that point that Castor Troy turns the tables on agent Archer, who has to find his way out of a maximum security prison and return to save the day. Despite a couple holes in the plot, this is great stuff. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 out of 5

Coming on the heels of Transformers, this is another stellar transfer from Paramount. Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this film looks fantastic with rich bold colors, accurate skin tones and deep blacks. The image on the screen is highly detailed with no noticeable artifacts. If I hadn’t already seen Transformersm or for that matter, Hot Fuzz, I would have scored this a 5 for video. As good as it is, it is not quite up to the level of both of those films but damn close. This is a huge upgrade over the DVD and is highly recommended.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

As good as the video is, the audio on this disc is better. Presented in Dolby Digital Plus and 6.1 DTS, this disc rocks. I did my listening in DD+ and this mix is as good as it gets in an action flick. The dialogue is clear and distinct and never gets lost in the mix, even during the action scenes. The overall sound is smooth, clear, open and never fatiguing. As expected with this score, the bass is tremendous and really rocks the room. The opening action sequence with the aborted airplane take off shakes the room. This is what action flick audio is all about, or what it should be all about. The audio on the last two Paramount titles using DD+ really has to make one wonder about the whole lossless vs. lossy debate. Is lossless really necessary? I will leave that up for you to decide. However, this is one stellar audio presentation.

CONCLUSION

This is one great presentation of this film. If you are a fan of the film or of action films in general, this disc is a must buy. Well done!

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Blu-ray Review: Spider-man 1 & 2

THE MOVIES:
Spider-Man 1 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Spider-Man 2 & 2.1 5 stars out of 5

I will freely admit right from the start that I am biased when it comes to Spider-Man. It was one of my favorite comics as I kid. In my mind, the first two Spider-man films are two of the best movie adaptations of a comic book super hero ever made. I would also rank Batman Begins up there as well. All of these films capture the look and feel of the comic and the character and provide great stories as well and in the case of Spider-Man, excellent CGI. I think we all know the story line for each of these films.

THE VIDEO:
Spider-Man 1 4 1/2 stars out out of 5
Spider-Man 2 and 2.1 4 7/8 stars out of 5

From the outset, I must state that both of these films on Blu-Ray blow away all their previous releases on DVD by a wide margin. If you are fans of these films, by all means double dip as the improvement in both the video and the audio are worth it. Both are encoded with AVC (MPEG 4) and look great. To these eyes, Spider-Man 2 has the edge with an encode that is just as good as Spider-Man 3 reviewed previously. All of the comments made in my review of 3 in regards to picture quality are applicable to Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 2.1. As for Spider-Man 1, while it looks great, it does fall short of the presentation on 2 and 2.1 While it has excellent color rendition and blacks it does not have the pristine detail seen in 2 and 3 and looks a little soft in comparison. Not by much but nonetheless noticeable. This may very well not be the fault of the encode and may be a faithful reproduction of the master. It simply just does not look as good for whatever reason. However, both are excellent encodes and well worth adding to your collection.

THE AUDIO:
Spider-Man 1 4 1/4 stars out of 5
Spider-Man 2 and 2.1 5 stars out of 5

Both films are presented in Dolby True HD and sound much better than their DVD counterparts. Unlike Spider-Man 3, there is no uncompressed PCM track for either of these discs. Of the two, Spider-Man 2 is the clear winner. For me, the difference in the audio presentation for these films is greater than the difference in the video. Spider-Man 2 sounds as good as Spider-Man 3 and the description of the superb audio presentation noted in my review of 3 applies for 2 and 2.1 as well. Both are smooth and dynamic with a totally immersive sound field. Dialogue is clear and well placed in the mix as are the various sound effects. Bass is deep and powerful and the surrounds are used often and very effectively. As for Spider-Man 1, while it is a very good sounding disc, the overall sound of the film is a little tinny and shrill compared to 2 and 3, again, not by a lot, but noticeable, especially at high levels, where the sound can get fatiguing. This is not the case with 2 and 3 which you can really crank up to reference levels. Nevertheless, it is a huge upgrade over the standard DVD release audio.

IN CONCLUSION

These are two great looking and sounding discs and are highly recommended for fans of Spider-Man and movie lovers everywhere.

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HD DVD Review: Inside Man

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

(Will be released on HD DVD on Oct. 23, 2007)

An attempted bank robbery, or is it? This action thriller directed by Spike Lee stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer in an intriguing film about a bank robbery that is more than just a robbery that spirals into a possible game of cat and mouse between a criminal mastermind and a determined police detective and a power broker with a hidden agenda. I enjoyed this film in the theater and on its prior DVD release. Recommended for lovers of thoughtful action films.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/4 stars out of 5

Let me start off by stating that I wrestled with what grade to give the transfer of this film. The film is encoded by VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. This is another excellent transfer by Universal. The print looks pristine without evidence of dirt or other imperfections. The film has a very natural color palette albeit somewhat subdued with excellent blacks and shadow detail. The shadow detail is important as large segments of the film take place in a bank where most of the lights are turned off. I had no difficulty making out details and action taking place in the shadows. Skin tones are very natural looking.

The only exception to this are interview sequences with the people taken hostage by the bank robbers which have a very stylized overblown and grainy look. These sequences have a very different look from the rest of the film which is obviously totally deliberate on the part of the director and which in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the transfer. I would have given this transfer a 4 1/2 star score if not for what I perceived as an overall soft look to the transfer which was most visible on close-ups which did not have the fine detail visible that I see on the best transfers. Having not seen the actual master, I have no way of knowing whether this slight softness was deliberate on the part of Mr. Lee. Despite of this, I still consider this to be an excellent transfer and a huge leap over the prior DVD release.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
I have no reservations at all about the audio encode on this disc. It is excellent. Two high rez versions are presented, Dolby True HD and Dolby Digital Plus. The default audio is the True HD track which I used to view the film. The dialogue is clear and distinct and well presented in the mix. This is important as this is a dialogue driven film. In addition to the clear dialogue, all of the little audible details in each scene were clearly able to be heard, things such as footsteps, the sound of barrier tape being deployed, rustling of papers, even the biting into a slice of pizza were clearly audible. The music presented during the film was clear and smooth with a very open sound and deep bass and very well recorded. The limited gun fighting scenes sounded totally involving and really grabbed your attention especially in juxtaposition with the rest of the film. Whether low sounding dialogue or explosions and gun shots, this track handles them all with great fidelity and aplomb. This is an excellent audio presentation of this film. Well done Universal.

CONCLUSION

I really enjoyed this movie as well as the visual and audio presentation on HD-DVD. It is definitely worth a look.

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Blu-ray's Sad Fanboys

This past week in the format war has been rather humorous with all kinds of silly and downright stupid comments being made from fanboys from both sides. Most of it seems to revolve around (the HD DVD release of) Transformers which seems to have partisans on both sides up in arms. You have to love comments like HD-DVD sucks, or I’d rather buy the DVD, to personal attacks about someone’s weight, being made by an employee of Sony no less ( or someone using his handle) and the complaints that it would have sounded better if it had a lossless track (like they would have any clue on this subject).

However, today takes the cake over at the Blu-Ray forums where some seem to be in orgasmic ecstasy over the 'buy one get one free' or BOGO sale being run this week by the Blu-Ray camp. The clear intent of this sale is to try to cut into what has been perceived to be an anticipated large number of sales of Transformers on HD-DVD. Clearly, the BD camp wants to run up the sales numbers this week to counter the anticipated large impact of Transformers on the weekly sales figures and ratios. I have no, I repeat, no problem with this strategy. Frankly, the sale of two discs for about $30 is about what the regular prices should be for two discs, not one.

What I do have a problem with are the people who insist on proclaiming that with the BOGO sale, “we” will win the weekly sales numbers. “We?” Just who is we?

To those who have this mindset, please wake up and smell the coffee. Unless you work for Sony or one of the BDA companies, the correct pronoun you should be using is they not we. It is pretty doubtful that they are paying you to buy their discs or their players. What they are doing is leading you around by the nose, doing their bidding for them, and what is worse, paying your hard earned money (or that of your parents?) for the privilege of doing so, running out all giddy to buy discs that you would not have purchased otherwise.

Somehow, you think that by buying more discs you will actually be “winning” something. If by winning you mean burning a hole in your pocket, by all means do so. It is your loss. Just realize that you are being manipulated and paying to be led around by your nose. I never thought I would say it but you guys are worse than out of state Dallas Cowboys fans who seem to generate their self worth by rooting for a football team that you would otherwise have no interest in, other than the fact that they have won in the past. For some truly bizarre reason, you think that you or your life will somehow be better than someone else’s because you picked the eventual format winner. Sad truly sad.

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HD DVD Review: A Mighty Heart

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

Starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Michael Winterbottom, A Mighty Heart tells the story of the kidnapping and execution of journalist Danny Pearl in Pakistan by Al-Queda and his wife's efforts to try to locate and save him. This film is based on the book by Mariane Pearl of the same name and is a story that we should all know by now so well. Perhaps that was my problem as I was not able to get fully involved in the story, perhaps because I already knew the tragic and heartbreaking ending. The acting in this film is all first rate with a strong performance by Ms. Jolie in the title role. Despite that, I would recommend this film as a rental only.

THE VIDEO: 3 stars out of 5

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 and encoded with VC-1, this is simply not a very good looking movie. I am sure that it is not the encode that is the problem but the source material itself. Not being an expert and not being involved in the film's production, it appeared to me that the director tried to make the film look more like the standard def video that was incorporated into the film in an effort to make the movie look more like a documentary. As a result, the film is very grainy with washed out colors and poor black levels. The overall image is very soft as well. While it may have made the movie look more like a documentary, it certainly does not make for a good looking film. This is certainly not reference looking material but is more than likely a very accurate reproduction of the master.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

The audio is much better than the video with 2 high rez options presented, Dolby True HD and Dolby Digital Plus at 768 Kbps. I watched the film using the True HD track and it is a winner. Obviously, this is mostly a dialogue driven film and the dialogue is presented very well with excellent fidelity. The dialogue is always clear and easily understood and never gets lost in the mix. While the mix is rather front heavy, when called upon during more action oriented sequences and during musical passages, an immersive sound mix is present with deep bass and active surrounds and a smooth and open sound. I must say that I was surprised that such a fine sounding audio track was presented with this film considering the video style. Well done.

IN CONCLUSION

Unless you are a fan of Ms. Jolie and have to have all of her films, I would rate this one as a rental. Take a look and let me know what you think. Happy viewing!

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HD DVD Review: Transformers

THE MOVIE 4 stars out of 5

(Transformers will be released on HD DVD on October 16)

Transformers is directed by Michael Bay and stars Shia LeBeouf, Josh Dunamel, Tyrese Gibson, Megan Fox, Jon Voight and John Turturro and was executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Transformers was one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer of 2007 grossing over $650 million worldwide. and is the most eagerly anticipated release of the year on HD-DVD. This was the film that so set off the Blu-Ray crowd when Paramount announced it was dropping Blu-Ray as they would not be getting Transformers on Blu-Ray.

The film is based on the Hasbro action figures of the same name. The plot is very simple. A group of living machines, the Decepticons, led by Megatron, come to earth looking for a lost Allspark cube with the intention to use it to bring the earth's machines to life and exterminate the human race. To prevent that and to destroy the cube, the Autobots, lead by Optimus Prime, come to earth to do battle with the Decepticons. They join forces with humans to save the world. Is the movie dumb and filled with plot holes? Does it rely too much on special effects? Yes and yes. Is it action packed and fun? Oh yeah. Is it entertaining? Damn right it is! It is the type of mindless fun that is perfect for a summer blockbuster. This film is well worth a look. In fact, for the reasons noted below, this is a must buy for any fans of action films with an HD-DVD player. In fact, if you don't have an HD-DVD, go out and get one for this film. Don't waste your time with the DVD.

THE VIDEO- 5 stars out of 5

Encoded using AVC (MPEG 4), the video on this disc is outstanding, almost perfect in fact. It is almost the equal to my favorite looking disc to date, Hot Fuzz. If you don't have that one, get it. The film is presented with incredible clarity and a bold color palette. Very deep blacks give this film a totally three dimensional look with excellent detail. The image literally leaps off the screen. The close up shots looking amazingly detailed as do to far shots which remain razor sharp. There is not even a hint of softness to this presentation on HD-DVD. Is it better than Spider-Man 3? To my eyes, yes, by just a smidge due to some softness of the image in just a couple of scenes in Spidey 3. They are both excellent. However, I must say that the CGI on this film is better than as seen in Spidey 3. The integration of the robots into this film is simply amazing. One never gets the impression that you are watching CGI unlike in Spider-Man 3. Clearly, this is a great time to be format neutral with these great new releases. This is reference video, folks.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

Simply put, this is one of the best sounding discs I have ever heard. There were a lot of complaints when the specs for this disc were announced in August and did not included a Dolby True HD track. How could this title be released with only a Dolby Digital Plus track was the cry. It shows the lack of capacity of HD-DVD discs was the complaint. Not to worry. It turns out that all those complaints were unfounded. The Dolby Digital Plus track is outstanding. The sound on this disc is smooth and totally dynamic. The dialogue is full, rich and clear. The voice of Optimus Prime in the narration is totally lifelike. The sound field is totally immersive. Despite all the explosions and action, one never has any problem hearing the dialogue. The bass is incredible, among the best I have heard on disc. It is deep, taut and powerful. The surrounds are constantly in action. The battle scenes are fantastic with objects whizzing all around you constantly. I can't imagine how this disc could have sounded any better with True HD. I guess we may never know but after hearing this disc, I was certainly not longing to find out. The audio is that good. This is reference audio folks.

EXTRAS

This 2 disc set is chock full of extras with audio commentary by Michael Bay, Transformers H.U.D., Intelligence Mode web-enabled features, Tech inspector and behind the scenes footage of how the film was made including the incredible CGI. Well worth a look.

IN CONCLUSION

This disc is a fun ride and one the entire family can enjoy. It a reference disc for audio and video and will really show off your system. Crank it up and enjoy.

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Blu-ray Review: Spider-man 3

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

(Spider-man 3 will be released on Blu-ray on October 30.)

Spider-man 3 is the third installment (Duh, what else would it be!) in the Spider-man movie catalogue. The film stars Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco reprising their roles in the first two films. Co-starring are Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard and James Cromwell. In this film, which I must say is the weakest of the three, Spiderman battles 3 new villains, Sandman, Venom and a new Goblin as well as some internal demons caused when he is infected by an alien life form brought to Central Park on a meteor. While there are some great action scenes, there is too much time devoted to the rather sappy love story involving Peter Parker and Mary Jane which slows the film down and contributes to the 3 star rating.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

This is one beautiful transfer and the best I have yet seen on Blu-Ray. Encoded in AVC (MPEG 4) and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, Spider-man 3 looks fantastic. There are rich and vibrant colors, natural looking flesh tones and deep blacks. The images presented on the screen are crystal clear so much so that the CGI effects are very obvious to the point where you can really see how they were superimposed on the actual camera footage. To me, that is a good thing as the depth of field on this transfer is excellent. I can't imagine anyone complaining about the quality of this transfer on Blu-Ray. It is outstanding. Well done.

THE AUDIO- 5 stars out of 5

As good as the video is on this disc, the audio is better. Included are Dolby Digital soundtracks in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Thai. The real stars however are the two English tracks presented in PCM uncompresssed (48kHz/16 bit/4.6 mps) and Dolby True HD at 48 kHz/24 bit. Both boast a smooth natural sound, clear dialogue and thunderous bass. Both tracks present a totally immersive sound field with active surrounds throughout. I cranked this baby as loud as I could and it still sounded great without even the hint of shrillness. Listening fatigue at high levels will not be a problem. Comparing the two after matching the levels the best I could, I slightly preferred the PCM mix as I thought that is was a little more airy and open than the True HD track. However, that is really nit-picking. They are both outstanding.

EXTRAS

This 2 disc set is chock full of extras with more than 6 hours of bonus footage including a trio of featurettes spotlighting the creation of the villains, the work gone into creating all the new characters, the stunts, bloopers, a Snow Patrol music video and two audio commentary tracks. All are presented in high definition.

I was also provided with a review sample of the box set of all three movies. I hope to get the first two discs reviewed this weekend but only have so much time! I will post those reviews as soon as I am finished. Happy viewing!