Is Comcast Squeezing Your HD Picture?

My thanks to bfdtv over at AVSForum for his very interesting post on the compression that Comcast is using on some of their HD channels as compared to Verizon’s FiOS service. The link is here. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1008271.

Apparently, in order to free up more bandwidth to add more HD channels, Comcast is further compressing their HD feeds with the predictable disastrous effects on picture quality. In the past, cable operators like Comcast were putting two HD channels into one 38.8 Mbps QAM slot. This was enough for two full bit rate full resolution HD channels with no degradation in picture quality. Now, they are compressing 3 HD channels into that same QAM slot with a noticeable effect on picture quality as is evidenced in bfdtv’s screen captures.

Furthermore, you do not have to be a Comcast subscriber to note this diminished picture quality. This 3:1 compression is being performed at the Comcast Media Center’s Headend in the Sky(HITS) in Denver which feeds the cable channels to many other cable companies including Cox and Charter. The 3:1 compression does not effect all HD channels, at least not as of yet. Select channels without much in the way of motion are being grouped together in groups of three. The affected channels are as follows: Discovery HD, SciFi, USA, Food, National Geographic, Universal HD, A&E, HGTV, Starz, Cinemax, HBO, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery HD Theater and History.

Despite the theory that compression artifacts won’t be visible or as visible on channels with static images, the screen captures show otherwise. The images from Comcast’s feed as compared to the same shows on FiOS show motion artifacts galore and a very noticeable drop in picture quality to the point of being unwatchable. I for one would be quite upset if the images on my screen were so degraded.

Frankly, this is shocking to see from Comcast who had been running ads crowing about the quality of their HD PQ as compared to DIRECTV's "HDLite." Now it appears that Comcast has jumped into the same boat as DIRECTV. In fact, Comcast’s picture quality may be even worse than DIRECTV's as DIRECTV uses a more efficient compression algorithm MPEG4 compared to Comcast’s MPEG2.

For those subscribers at Comcast and other cable companies who obtain their HD feeds from the HITS facility and who have noticed that their HD channels don’t look as good as they did a few months ago, you now know why. Those once beautiful full bit rate HD signals are being choked to death by Comcast, all for the sake of adding more HD channels. The better approach would be to spend the money necessary to upgrade their cable systems to add more bandwidth to add more HD channels. Saving a few bucks by degrading the channels you already have to add new ones is not the way to go and is a clear step backwards for all fans of high definition television.

I would suggest that those of you that care about the quality of their HD experience complain to Comcast or their own cable company about what they are doing. Otherwise, they will continue to do so and spread the practice to other channels as well. They will take your silence as a sign that you are not noticing what they are doing to the signal which will only encourage them to continue and even worse, expand the practice. Tell them you are as mad as hell and won’t take it anymore! Or, at least, that you will switch to another service if it continues. Loss of subscribers is the only thing that will get their attention! The ball is in your court, HD fans!

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Blu-ray Review: Unbreakable

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Unbreakable is M. Night Shyamalan’s follow-up to his critically acclaimed and widely popular suspense triller The Sixth Sense. As was the case in The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable stars Bruce Willis, this time as David Dunn, the sole survivor of a terrible train crash. Not only is he the sole survivor, he walks away from the crash site without a single scratch. After the crash and resulting publicity, he meets a mysterious stranger played by Samuel L. Jackson who has the opposite condition exhibited by Mr. Dunn, namely, he is very brittle, suffering broken bones at the slightest provocation. This stranger takes a very keen and unnatural interest in Mr. Dunn, the reason for which is not revealed until the very end of the film.

While I enjoyed the film, it is not up to the level of The Sixth Sense which had you mesmerized from the beginning to the end. Unbreakable does not play as well, being a little slow and a tad more predictable and lacks the totally shocking ending of The Sixth Sense, which is by far, Mr. Shyamaian’s best film. Nevertheless, I found Unbreakable to be an enjoyable film and one that I would recommend to all movie lovers.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/3 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, Unbreakable looks good on this Blu-Ray release and much better than its DVD counterpart. However, it falls a good deal short of the better looking transfers I have seen on the Blu-Ray format. On the plus side, color reproduction is very good with nice black levels, even though the color palette is on the drab side. On the down side, I felt the film to look a tad soft and lacking in detail in both light and dark scenes. I found the overall image to be a little on the flat side throughout the film as well, lacking the three dimensionality of the better looking transfers. I was also able to observe some noise in both dark and well lit screens throughout the film which I found to be a bit distracting. All of these deficiencies are present in the DVD so I would assume that it is characteristic of the actual film and not the result of the transfer. For fans of the film, the video presentation on his Blu-Ray release is light years ahead of the DVD release which was totally flat and dull. It is just not up to the levels of the better looking Blu-Ray releases and was a bit of a disappointment.

THE AUDIO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

While I have issues with the video presentation on this release, I have none with the audio. While it is not quite as good as the audio on Hidalgo, it is pretty darn close. The high rez audio here is presented in uncompressed PCM at 48 kHz/24 bit. The sound design here is very impressive with a very open and dynamic sound with excellent bass response. Dialogue is clear and well recorded and well presented in the mix. Surrounds are well used presenting a totally immersive sound experience. Particularly impressive is the opening sequence in the train. You can clearly hear all of the subtle sounds of the train on the tracks and can sense the gradual increase in the speed of the train as it begins to race out of control. If you have ever been in an Amtrak train, the sound on this disc captures that experience perfectly. The sound of the rain storm is so real that it makes you want to reach for a raincoat. I just wish the video presentation here was a good as the audio.

IN CONCLUSION

While not as good as The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable is a worthy film in its own right. With average video quality and excellent audio, this film is well worth a look. Recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Hitman (Unrated)

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

Hitman Unrated, is based on the video game of the same name. The main character is a genetically engineered assassin known only as Agent 47 (played by Tim Olyphant of Live Free or Die Hard) who is raised along with others like him in an insane asylum in Romania. All of the genetically engineered assassins have individual bar codes tattooed on the back of their shaved heads which identify them. Agent 47 is the best of the clan of “brothers” and well regarded in the criminal underworld and has assassinated people all over the world. While others are skeptical of his existence, he is being tracked by one agent at Interpol who is convinced of his existence.

In this film, Agent 47 is hired to assassinate the Russian President in St. Petersburg. After he believes he executes his assignment he is double crossed and is instead targeted for assassination by his own organization. He spends the rest of the film trying to tack down those responsible for this double cross and also trying to avoid capture or worse at the hands of Interpol. Some of the film is shot on location in St. Petersburg, Russia and Istanbul, Turkey. The film is essentially non stop violence with too many killings to keep track of. There is precious little in the way of character development. In fact, other than a few brief glimpses of his life as young man, you would have no clue at all as to who Agent 47 is and why he does what he does if you were not familiar with the video game. This is the film’s greatest weakness. If you want non stop shooting and killing, this is the film for you. Otherwise, I would rate this one as a rental only.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/3 stars of of 5

Hitman Unrated is presented an a BD 25 disc only. It is encoded at AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. On the positive side, the film boasts fairly accurate color and skin tones and captures the feel of both St. Petersburg and Istanbul, two cities I have been fortunate enough to have visited. Black levels are deep as well. On the downside, I found the film to be rather flat, lacking the three dimensionality of the better transfers. I also found detail both in bright and dark scenes to be lacking. The film lacks the clarity of the better encodes as it does not have the “looking through the window” effect seen on the better transfers. Don’t get me wrong, there is really nothing terribly wrong with the look of the film on this Blu-Ray release. It just falls a bit short in the areas that are critical to stellar picture quality seen on the best looking encodes.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

The audio on this release is presented in DTS HD Master Audio and is excellent. The dialogue is clear and well presented in the mix. The surrounds are active throughout the film as well, giving the film a very immersive sound mix. Considering all the violence, one would anticipate that they would get the audio on the numerous gun shots and explosions right and they did. Fidelity here is excellent and very realistic. There are scenes in which your room will feel as though it is being riddled with bullets. It is in these scenes where the audio on this release really shines. Frankly, the audio here is the highlight of this release for me.

IN CONCLUSION

Hitman Unrated is a film without much of a plot and precious little in the way of character development. However, if you like gun violence, this film has it in spades with excellent audio reproduction. If you are a fan of the video game of the same name, I can recommend this release to you. For the rest of us, I would rate it as a rental only.

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Blu-ray Review: Hidalgo

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

Hidalgo is based on the true life story of Frank T. Hopkins who was a stunt rider in the old Wild BIll shows that brought the glamour of the wild west to cities all across America in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. His horse was a tenacious mustang named Hildalgo. Mr. Hopkins who had a white father and Indian mother, was advertised as the greatest rider the West had ever seen. In 1890, he came to the attention of a wealthy sheikh who was the breeder of pure Arabian horses and was invited to participate in the Ocean of Fire, a grueling race of 3000 miles across the desert through Arabia and Iraq ending in Syria. Not only does Mr. Hopkins and Hidalgo have to conquer the elements of the desert but the evil plots of competitors who will stop at nothing, including murder, to win this race.

I did not see this film in the theaters but enjoyed it immensely. The film is well written and fast paced and stars Viggo Mortensen as Francis T. Hopkins and Omar Sharif as the Sheikh. The film is rather topical as it explores the differences between western culture and the Islamic world which is a subplot to the film’s rather extensive action sequences. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, this is another fine encode from the folks at Disney. At the outset, I should note that this film is also running on HDNet Movies at this time. The presentation of this film on Blu-Ray far exceeds the video and audio quality on HDNet Movies. The film boasts very natural color and accurate skin tones. Black levels are good but not on the level of the best transfers I have seen. The film has a nice three dimensional image but appears a tad flatter than the best looking transfers. Detail is excellent as well in most scenes but does fall short in some of the darker scenes. I also noted some noise in the very dark scenes of the films which was a tad distracting. Fortunately it did not occur that often but was enough to drop the overall score of the film a couple of notches. However, fans of this film will be quite pleased with the quality of this transfer.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

While I had some minor reservations about the video quality on this release, I had none at all with the audio, which in my opinion is reference in all respects and among the best I have heard in my home theater. The high rez track here is presented in uncompressed PCM encoded at 48 kHz/24 bit and is simply off the charts in terms of dynamics, clarity, detail and bass response. It should be noted that the audio level for this film from the analog multichannel outputs of my Panasonic BD10AK player is very hot and had to be reduced quite a bit from my standard listening levels. Once adjusted, I was simply floored by the audio on this release. Dialogue was beautifully recorded with excellent clarity. The music tracks were smooth and open with excellent bass, detail and overall fidelity. The music here is on the level of that in Immortal Beloved in terms of audio quality. As noted previously, dynamics here are off the charts with sound effects of stunning reality. The chase scenes have to be heard to be believed with thundering bass and the sensation of horses racing around you. The surrounds are beautifully used and are active throughout the film giving the film a totally immersive sound field, again, among the best I have heard. There is one scene in particular that I use as a reference and that is of a steam locomotive that comes straight at you and over your head. Trust me, it will have you ducking for cover it is so realistic.

IN CONCLUSION

Hidalgo is a fine film with a thrilling story and very good video with tremendous audio. I can recommend this film without reservation.

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Blu-ray Review: Enchanted

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

I have to admit when I saw the trailer for this film, I was not impressed. Looked like another one of those silly sappy kids type films that would appeal to a certain narrow section of the market and would be a bore for adults to sit through. Boy can impressions based on a trailer be wrong! This is a very nice film, funny and rather witty, with Disney rather surprisingly poking fun at some of their classic animated films. The acting is quite good as well with just the right amount of overacting by Susan Sarandon as the evil Queen Narissa.

In a nutshell, this film is a combination of Snow White and Cinderella with a bit of King Kong thrown in. The film stars the very engaging Amy Adams as Giselle who meets her own Prince Charming named Price Edward (James Marsden) in the animated land of Andalasia. However, the Prince’s mother, Queen Narissa will lose her throne to her son should he marry. She therefore hatches a plan to dispatch her to the real world of New York City. However, Guisell’s chipmunk pal Pip sees what happens and reports it to the Prince who travels to New York to rescue her. In response, the Queen puts a plan into action to have her killed. Of course, her plan involves the use of a poison apple.

As noted above, I really enjoyed this film as did the whole family. It is a fast paced, fun and enjoyable film. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC, Enchanted is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 with the exception of the very beginning which is window boxed at 1:85:1. As has become the norm with Disney on their recent releases, this is an excellent looking transfer. This film boasts excellent colors and color fidelity with a bright and bold image and beautiful primary colors. Skin tones are excellent as well as is image clarity. Black levels are deep and rock solid producing a wonderfully three dimensional image. Detail is excellent as well, including shadow detail. This is a top notch transfer and will thrill fans of the film and movie fans in general.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

In somewhat of a departure for Disney Blu-Ray releases, the high rez track on Enchanted does not have an uncompressed PCM track but includes a Dolby True HD track encoded at 48 kHz/24 bit, which, for the most part, sounds excellent. Dialogue is very clear and well placed in the mix. The overall sound of the film is smooth and open with very good bass response. Surrounds are used very well to produce a nice immersive sound mix. A number of the songs on this release were nominated for Oscars for best original songs and sound terrific. The sound effects in this film are very well presented as well, especially the scenes with rains storms and a scene with an elevated train which sounds like it is rumbling past your room on the right. Very convincing. The only downside I could find with this release was a bit of thinness in the dialogue track which lacked the robustness of the best sounding encodes which is why I dropped the total score for the audio just a hair under the video.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a very engaging film and one the whole family will enjoy with excellent audio and video to boot. Recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: I Am Legend

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

We are concluding the Will Smith high def film festival with the 2007 release I am Legend. I am Legend stars Mr. Smith as Robert Neville, Manhattan’s solitary surviver after a claimed miracle cancer curing drug causes the outbreak of a virus that kills most people infected with it and mutates the others into insanely aggressive and violent beings which kill and devour all they see. Robert Neville is immune to the virus and is able to travel throughout Manhattan during the day to collect mutated survivors in an effort to find a cure to the virus, performing tests of various serum formulations in his basement lab. At night, Mr. Neville is forced to turn his home into a fortress to protect him against the ravenous hordes who come out to hunt only at night. While Mr. Smith turns in an excellent performance, I found the film itself to be rather ponderous and slow moving. While there are periodic flashbacks showing how the mutating virus came into existence, they could have been better integrated into the film. Quite frankly, while Mr. Smith gives an excellent performance, he is on the screen alone for two long a length of time at the beginning of the film. The acting and cinematography here are all top notch. It is the screenplay that I have issues with. It should be noted that there are two versions of the film presented here, the theatrical release and an alternate theatrical release with a very different ending. The review of the video and audio noted below are applicable to both versions of the film presented on this release.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented on a BD-50 disc in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, this is an amazing looking film and another addition to the reference category. Colors are beautiful and spot on with deep and rich black levels and a clarity to the image which has to be seen to be believed. Detail is outstanding, from skin textures, to clothing, the the New York skyline and the streets full of debris, overgrowth and wild animals. All are revealed with starting reality. The only fault I could find with this release is video noise that mares one scene where the Neville character enters a dark building looking for his dog. Other than this one scene, which takes place in almost total darkness, the video on this release is flawless and truly reference. The rest of the video is so outstanding that this one scene does not warrant a drop in the score from a perfect 5 star rating.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

The high rez track on this release is presented with Dolby True HD at 48 kHz/16 bit and is every bit as good as the video. I can find no fault at all with the audio which is reference in every way. Dialogue is beautifully rendered capturing every breath of the characters. The sound of the film is smooth, open, rich and utterly dynamic with incredible room rattling bass. Even better is the immersive sound mix which captures the acoustics of each of the room environments faithfully, from Mr. Neville’s basement lab, his kitchen and the empty warehouses and stores. All have their own distinct acoustic which are faithfully captured here. Gunshots are very realistically rendered and starting. The totally realistic audio really adds to the jarring sequences in the film, giving them visceral impact. It does not get any better than this.

IN CONCLUSION

While I would not normally recommend a film such as this for anyone other than a hard core sci-fi fan, the video and audio on this release are so outstanding that you owe it to yourself as a home theater fan to check this release out. Recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: I, Robot

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

I, Robot, is set in Chicago in the year 2035 and stars Will Smith as Detective Spooner. The Chicago skyline is now dominated by the U.S. Robotics building which appears to be several stories taller than the Sears Tower. U.S. Robotics has made a fortune manufacturing robots that take care of a human being’s every whim. However, Detective Spooner is very leery of robots and is concerned that robots may one day develop their own sense of self identity and turn on humans. His fears are confirmed when the founder of U.S. Robotics, Dr. Alfred Lanning (played by James Cromwell), is found dead, from an apparent suicide. However, when Detective Spooner investigates the suicide with the help of Dr. Susan Calvin of US Robotics and a sole Robot named “Sunny”, they find that there is a plot afoot for the Robots to take control of human existence. While this film did not do as well in the theaters as had been expected, I have always found the film to be of high quality with an interesting script and some great special effects. HIghly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

I. Robot was a reference title in the ill fated D-Theater video format of a few years ago and was an eagerly awaited title on Blu-Ray. Many, including yours truly, were curious to see how the Blu-Ray video quality would compare that to the D-VHS release. Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, I, Robot on Blu-Ray does not disappoint as it is a reference title in every way, even surpassing the video quality on D-Theater which was a high bit rate Mpeg 2 encode. The video on this release is essentially flawless. Is it perfect? No, as I noted some very brief softness to the image on two scenes. However, that lasted only a few seconds, so it is safe to say that this encode is about as perfect as we can expect at this time within the limits of current technology. Color rendition is perfect with a simply gorgeous looking picture. Black level is rich and deep. The image is crystal clear and razor sharp with incredible detail and a beautiful three dimensional image. Each pore on the face of the actors is visible as is the fabric of the costumes, the sides of buildings and the interiors. Shadow detail is amazing, among the best I have ever seen. This release looks better and better the bigger your screen size gets. It doesn’t get any better than this folks.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5

Presented with DTS HD Master Audio, the audio on this release is as good as the picture. This is one amazing soundtrack. Dialogue is full, crisp and clear and beautifully recorded. The overall sound of the film is full, smooth and open with incredible detail and outstanding bass. The bass on this release is as good as I have heard on any release and gives your speakers and your subwoofer an intense workout. The chase scene is amazing with the bass literally rocking your room as your room appears to turn with the image on the screen. The surrounds are put to perfect use, giving the film a totally immersive sound field, putting you right in the middle of the action. The sound of each interior space or exterior scene is beautifully rendered, giving you a remarkable sense of space. I really can’t imagine experiencing better audio in the home.

IN CONCLUSION

This is one excellent sci-fi film with reference audio and video. Run out and grab this release! Highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Ice Age

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Set in the last global free, Ice Age is a comedy for the whole family involves an eclectic group consisting of a Mammoth, Sloth and Saber Tooth Tiger who are attempting to return a human baby to his father. A group of Saber Tooth Tigers attack a village of prehistoric humans seeking to capture and kill an infant child for revenge as members of the village have been attacking and killing members of the pack. However, the baby’s mother rescues the baby during the attack and leaps to her eventual death off a waterfall. However, before she perishes, she leaves the baby with a reluctant Mammoth and his Sloth companion who attempt to return the baby to his father. Along the way they are joined by a Saber Tooth Tiger who is attempting to steer them into a trap but who has a change of heart along the way. Ice Age features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Dennis Leary. Ice Age is a very enjoyable film and one the whole family will enjoy and is highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Ice Age is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1 on a BD 25 disc. This encode looks excellent although it falls just short of being a reference title. Color rendition on this disc is excellent and in particular the very subtle shades of gray, white and blue which makes up quite a bit of the color palette here. Detail is very good as well with the hairs on the various CGI creatures well delineated. Where the the image falls short is in the black level which is not quite deep enough to give the film the utter three dimensional look and clarity of the best looking films. Comparing this release to a reference title such as Ratatouille, Ice Age lacks the very fine detail, clarity and depth that make Ratatouille the reference title that it is. Don’t get me wrong, Ice Age looks fantastic. It is just that it falls just short of the best looking CGI titles such as Ratatouille, Cars and Shrek The Third, all of which present a deeper, richer and more detailed image.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

The audio on this release is presented with DTS HD Master Audio and sounds terrific. The sound mix here is not very aggressive and is rather front heavy albeit with effective use of the surrounds. Dialogue is well presented and never gets lost in the mix. The overall sound is clear, smooth and open with excellent bass response. This recording boasts excellent fidelity and where needed, really rocks. Considered in its own right, this is a great sounding film. However, it is in comparison with films like Cars and Ratatouille where the sound mix falls short. Ice Age lacks the spaciousness and fine audio details that mark the aforementioned films. While falling just short of reference audio, the audio quality on this mix is still very strong and will surely satisfy fans of the film.

IN CONCLUSION

Ice Age is one of the better CGI films out there and boasts excellent audio and video, although falling just short of the reference category. Nevertheless, fans of the film will be more than happy with the look and sound of this release on Blu-Ray. Highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Independence Day

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

In what is rapidly becoming a Will Smith movie festival comes the Blu-Ray release of the blockbuster film, Independence Day. I am sure that all movie fans are familiar with this film released in theaters in 1996. Briefly, after watching us for years and probing our weaknesses, a race of ravenous aliens travel to earth to exterminate us and strip the Earth of all its natural resources. They begin to position massive spacecraft over the Earth’s major cities in a countdown to their attack. Earth’s defenses are ineffective against the attackers due to their shielding which neutralizes our weapons. To the rescue comes Will Smith’s character, an Air Force fighter pilot, and Jeff Goldblum’s character who works at New York City cable company who detects a code in embedded in the aliens’ signal and devises a way to plant a virus in the alien mothership’s computer system which will drop their shielding making their ships vulnerable to attack. How does it all turn out? Well, I don’t want to spoil the ending for you but let’s just say there can be a sequel. If you like some hokey sci-fi with plenty of humor, explosions, special effects and even more explosions, this is the film for you. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Independence Day is presented on a BD 50 disc in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 and is encoded with AVC. Independence Day was also released by 20th Century Fox on D-Theater and the print used for this encode looks identical to the one used for the D-Theater release and appears to be in immaculate condition. On the plus side, this film boasts bright and well saturated colors which appear to be very accurate with the exception of the some skin tones which appear a tad on the red side. Black levels are deep and stable resulting in a nice three dimensional image. On the downside, this encode is plagued by the same softness to the image that plagued the otherwise fine release on D-Theater. Given that two different encodes from the same master yield similar results, I can only conclude that the slight softness is how the film was shot and is not the fault of the encode. However, this film simply lacks the uber sharpness of I, Robot or I am Legend. However, this is a fine looking encode in its own right and will please most fans of this film.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

As seems to be the case will all Fox releases, the audio on this release is DTS HD Master Audio, a lossless audio codec. The audio on this release is excellent although not quite up to the level of the best encodes in either of the high def optical formats. The dialogue is crisp and clear and well presented in the mix. The sound is full, open and smooth with very good bass response. Explosions and gun shots are well rendered and convincing although the explosions don’t have the rattle the room effect present on the previously reviewed I, Robot which really excelled in bass response. The overall sound field is immersive but lacking the fine acoustical details present in I, Robot and the very best encodes. The sound just does not change all that much from room to room, that is, the different room acoustics are not captured as well as they could have, although they sound very good. The sound mix here is very good and very pleasing, just not up to the level of a reference encode.

IN CONCLUSION

While not a reference disc in terms of audio or video, this is nonetheless a strong release from the folks at 20th Century Fox and will no doubt please the many fans of this film. Highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: The Rookie

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

The Rookie is based on the story of Jim Morris who had been a minor league pitcher before he blew out his shoulder. As a result of the injury, he had extensive surgery and retired to become a high school baseball coach. After being a coach for a number of years, he discovered that he was able to throw harder that he did before the injury and made a bet with his poorly performing team that if they won the championship, he would try out again for the big leagues. Lo and behold, the team caught fire and won the championship. Jim Morris tried out for local scouts and was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays where he finally made it back to “The Show” for two years.

As based on a true story, The Rookie is predictable but is very well told and weaves a story into the main narrative about the importance of family and the mistakes that we make as parents when we don’t encourage our children to pursue their passions. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it for the entire family.

THE VIDEO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is another excellent transfer from Disney. Colors are very natural looking with excellent flesh tones. Considering all of the artistic color choices made by many filmmakers these days, it was pleasure to see a film with such accurate and natural colors. Black level is solid throughout with excellent clarity giving the film a very good three dimensional image. Detail was excellent as well with wrinkles and skin blemishes clearly visible as well as the fine textures in clothing and buildings. There is really nothing to say negatively about the look of this transfer. Yes have seen a few transfers with even better clarity and detail so I would not rate this a reference transfer but is is a fine looking transfer nonetheless.

THE AUDIO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

The audio on this release is presented with a 5.1 mix at 48 kHz/24 bit and sounds wonderful. Dialogue is distinct and clear and well presented in the mix. The overall sound is smooth, open and dynamic, especially the music which is very well presented with excellent clarity, imaging, soundstaging and depth. Bass is excellent overall as well. The surrounds are put to excellent use generating a very satisfying immersive sound field putting you in the center of the action, especially during the baseball sequences. There is little to quibble about with the audio presentation on this release which fans of the film will no doubt love.

IN CONCLUSION

This is a very enjoyable and uplifting film about a man’s quest to fulfill his dreams and the importance of family and how the two are interrelated. It also boasts very good audio and video to boot. Recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Gattaca

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

Set in the future, Gattaca is a story about a society in which a person’s future is determined not by the color of their skin or the quality of their character but by their DNA. A person who’s future is determined in utero, where their DNA is analyzed for health issues, longevity of life, hair color, intelligence etc. and then genetically engineered to maximize a person’s potential. Normal births, that is those without genetic engineering, are no longer a fact of life. A person’s entire future, including the level of their education and the type of job they are assigned, are decided not by the results of their efforts but by their DNA profile. Into this future comes the main character, Vincent Freeman, who is born without the “benefit” of genetic engineering and is assigned the job of a janitor at an aerospace firm. Vincent has other ideas however and want to travel in space, to Saturn’s moon Titan in particular, and sets out to make his dream happen. Along with hard work and tremendous sacrifice and the help of a mysterious figure, Vincent assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow, a genetically engineered star who is disabled in a freak accident and no longer able to function as his life was planned for him. Filled with twists and turns, Gattaca explores the issues of genetic engineering and the subject of discrimination in general. Gattaca stars Ethan Hawke as Vincent, Jude Law as Jerome Morrow and co-stars Uma Thurman, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

Gattaca is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1 and looks excellent, heads and tails over is prior incarnation on DVD. This transfer has excellent detail and blacks with a clear, sharp and very three dimensional image. Color reproduction is excellent as well although the film has a rather stylized look in regards to color. Flesh tones in particular vary depending on whether the scenes are interior or exterior. The interior scenes have a yellowish-green tint. This however, is the choice of the film maker and not a problem with the transfer. This film looks exactly as the director intended. Particularly impressive is the level of detail visible in each scene, both in bright and darker scenes. The texture of skin and clothing is excellent and really shows off the benefit of high def.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

The audio on this release is presented in Dolby True HD. No PCM track is presented. I am sure that some will be disappointed with this fact as some Blu-Ray players are not able to internally decode True HD. However, the sound on this release is very, very good even if not quite up to the level of the video. Dialogue is crisp and clear and well presented in the mix. The overall sound on this release is smooth and open with excellent bass. The surrounds are rather effectively used to give the viewer a palpable sense of space. The echoes of people walking and talking in Gattaca is very realistic and gives you the felling of what it would be like actually being in the building. Where the sound falls a tad short is in the fullness of the dialogue which is a tad on the thin side. Also, while the film gives a good immersive sound field, it is not as immersive as the very best track, which just surround you with sound. Nevertheless, I doubt that any fans of the film will be disappointed with the sound on this release.

IN CONCLUSION

Gattaca is a thought provoking film about the role and effect of discrimination in society and is presented with an excellent video encode and very good sound. It is well worth a look. Recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Dan In Real Life

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

Dan in Real Life stars Steve Carell as a newspaper advice columnist and widowed father of three daughters who sets out on a vacation with the rest of his extended family at his parents’ summer home in New England. While with the rest of his family, he meets a woman and immediately falls in love with her only to learn that she is the girlfriend of one of his brothers and will also be staying with the family at his parent’s summer home. Needless to say, this is a cause of some friction and trouble and effects his relationship not only with his brother but his daughters as well. While this film has some charming moments to be sure, it has a tendency to drag and is too predictable. Part of the problem is with Steve Carell, who, IMHO, is just not likable enough to be convincing in this type of role. He has joined Ben Stiller and Will Farrell on my list of most annoying actors. While he is not up to the level of the other two aforementioned gentlemen, he is rapidly closing in on them. I would rent this one as a rental only.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Dan in Real Life is encoded with AVC and presented with an aspect ratio of 1:85:1. On the whole, this is a very good looking transfer. Colors are bright and bold although a bit oversaturated for my tastes. The film’s overall color pallet is skewed to the color orange. Skin tones in particular look very orange and not natural at all. As I did not see this film in the theaters, I can only presume that this is the intent of the director and not the fault of the encode. This orange tilt to the color scheme also negatively effects the color green which looks a bit garish here at times also. On the plus side, black levels are excellent as is detail, which is very good throughout the film in both bright and dark scenes. The transfer presents a clear three dimensional image although not up to the level of the best looking transfers I have seen. The clarity of the image here falls a tad short of the looking through the window effect of the best encodes out there As one would expect with such a new film, the print is in excellent shape with no obvious blemishes that I could detect. Other than the skewed color balance, this is a very pleasing looking film.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/3 stars out of 5

Dan in Real Life is supplied with an uncompressed PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit. As one would expect with a romantic comedy, the film is very front heavy in terms of the sound field. In fact, very little use is made of the surround channels at all, with almost all of the sound coming solely from the front three channels. While there is little here in the way of an immersive sound, what is presented is presented with high fidelity. Dialogue is clear and crisp with the right amount of heft and fullness and well localized in the mix. The overall sound of the film is smooth and open with not even a hint of shrillness. On the plus side is the reproduction of the film’s music which, although presented in the front three channels only, sounds wonderful. From the sound of the acoustic guitars to the bass and drums, the music here is presented with excellent fidelity and was a real joy to listen to. While I would have preferred a more active sound mix, the audio presented on this disc is presented well enough to earn a solid 4 1/3 star rating.

IN CONCLUSION

While Dan in Real Life is at times a charming romantic comedy, it suffers from pacing problems and predictability that keeps me from recommending that you purchase this release. However, it is a solid rental and one that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

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Blu-ray Review: August Rush

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

Directed by Kirsten Sheridan and starring Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers,Terrence Howard and Robin Williams, August Rush tells the tale of an orphaned boy who hears music in the sounds of everyday life and is drawn by that music to New York City believing that he will be able to find his parents by communicating through his music. While in New York he comes under the care of a homeless drifter and eventually is accepted by the Juilliard School of Music where he makes a great impression with his composition skills culminating with a free concert in Central Park.

While August Rush is a feel good uplifting film, it is also very formulaic and predictable. There is little in this film that takes you by surprise or even makes your scratch your head in wonder. The ending is totally predictable from the start. There is no doubt that this is an uplifting film but is one that appeals only to the heart and not the head. If you are looking for that type of film, you will enjoy August Rush. For the rest of us, I can recommend this release as a rental only.

THE VIDEO: 4 5/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1, this is an excellent looking encode. The transfer boasts beautiful colors although they were ever so slightly skewed to the blue side of the color spectrum. Flesh tones were excellent as is skin detail, especially on close ups. Detail is excellent throughout as you are clearly able to make out fine details in the textures of clothes, walls, floors and buildings. Overall clarity is wonderful as well. The only drawback that I could find with this transfer involves black level which are not as deep as I would like. There are scenes at night where blacks have a slight white tint that is distracting. The lack of deep blacks also detracts from the three dimensional look of the film. Don’t get me wrong, this transfer has a very nice three dimensional look. It just lacks the depth present in the best looking transfers. With better blacks, this would be a reference transfer as the rest of the qualities you look for in a reference transfer are here in spades.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

The high rez audio track in August Rush is Dolby True HD and sounds excellent as well. The overall sound of the film is smooth and open with good if not great bass without even the hint of brightness. Dialogue is crisp and clear and well presented in the mix. Appropriate use is made of the surrounds in capturing the street sounds of New York City. The real star of the encode however, is the music, which sounds excellent. From the Oscar nominated Best Original Song- Raise it Up, to the sound of the church organ and the concert at Central Park, the film boasts excellent audio fidelity. My only complaint with the audio is what I would describe as constrained dynamics. The audio is missing just a tad at the low and upper ends and that punch which marks the very best audio encodes. However, this is a rather minor complaint given the overall quality of the audio on this release.

IN CONCLUSION

While I found the film to be formulaic and predictable, the audio and video quality on this release is excellent and will not disappoint fans of the film. Recommended as a rental only.

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Blu-ray Review: Sleuth

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Sleuth is a remake of a 1972 film of the same title starring Michael Caine and Sir Lawrence Olivier which involved a game of wits between crime novelist Andrw Wyke (Sir Lawrence Olivier) and Milo Tindal (Michael Caine). In this new incantation, Michael Caine switches roles and takes on the role of Andrew Wyke with Jude law assuming the role of MIlo Tindal.

Briefly, Andrew Wyke discovers that Milo Tindal is having an affair with his wife. He invites him to his English country estate where they engage in a set of ever increasingly dangerous games of “cat and mouse” trying to scare and humiliate each other and trying to outwit each other until the inevitable results. While the film is well acted by both Michael Caine and Jude Law, I found the film to be rather ponderous and predictable. While watching, I found myself wondering when the film would end. Never a good sign. The ending is also totally predictable. While the premise of the film is solid, a more inventive and imaginative script could have made this a true thriller. As it is, it falls a bit short. Recommended as a rental only.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/3 stars out of 5

Sleuth is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. The transfer itself is good but not distinguish itself in any way. The film has a somewhat blue and gray look about it although the skin tones are very accurate. Detail is good but not great. The same can be said for the clarity of the image. In fact, just about every aspect of the video presentation here can be summed up the same way, good but not great. The image presented in this release just does not make you say wow the way the best transfers do nor does it call attention to itself in a negative way ether. I think that a part of the reason for this is the black levels in the film which I found somewhat lacking. While I would not describe the image as flat, I would not use the adjective deep to describe the depth of field. A bit better black level would have increased both the clarity and depth of the image which would have significantly improved the overall score. I am sure that fans of the film will be pleased by the video on this release, I just thought that it could have been better.