'The Whip'

Networks: Leave My HDTV Screen Alone!

2008-09-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have been reading my postings here and elsewhere over the years are aware of one of my pet peeves when it comes to HD video, namely, screen clutter or visual pollution. It now seems that things will be getting worse, at least from the folks at CBS as evidenced in a new article at sportsvideo.org.

It seems that the score ticker on the bottom of the screen during NFL and college football games just wasn't enough for these folks. Now we will be having more useless information tacked onto the left and right sides of the screen during the game, all stuff we know from watching the game. Do we really need a graphic to tell us where a drive started? Can't we tell that simply watching the game? Do we really need a constant stream of scores along with stats from each game running all the time? What ever happened to the CBS scores every 10 minutes. That seemed to work fine and dandy.

It seems clear now that the TV coverage of live sporting events is being skewed to please gamblers and fantasy football geeks (yes geeks, please get a life). If you really need to have all the scores and stats all the time, use the web. Leave the screen uncluttered and let us enjoy the game. As it is now, it is damn near impossible to see the actual game. Take a look at ESPN's recent college football coverage. We have the score ticker taking up a good chunk of the bottom of the screen and a score bar near the top as well that extends all the way across the screen. To make matters even worse, the area above the top score bar is now shaded. We now have to look between these two obnoxious graphics to see the game. Nearly half the screen is taken up with graphics! Why even bother with a 16 x 9 screen guys? Why make it so difficult to watch the game on a TV, and a wide screen HD set to boot. You are simply ruining the picture
and the viewing experience. To quote Rickey Watters, "For who, for what?"

Well, the who is the gamblers and fantasy geeks. The what is so that they can get their jollies gambling and keeping track of every precious action of their fantasy players? (BTW, didn't fantasy use to mean something else, a lot more enjoyable?) It seems that we have been able to watch sporting events live and in person for centuries without all of the instant graphics and information overload so graciously bestowed upon us by the TV gods. Gee, how could we ever have enjoyed an NFL at the stadium without a constant stream of information projected onto the field from on high? I guess we didn't know what we were missing! Look, give us a break! Let us watch the game without all the visual pollution we must now put up with. When it comes to graphics, repeat this simple mantra, Less is more, less is more. We will all be far better off.

For more high-def news and views, please click: TVPredictions.com.

Blu-ray Review: Kill Bill, Vol 1 & 2

2008-09-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIES:
Vol. 1 2 1/2 stars out of 5; Vol. 2 3 1/2 stars out of 5
I guess you would say that I am not much of a Quentin Tarantino fan and I am not. I can’t say that I enjoy films filled with repeated acts of fairly gruesome violence, despite the presence of some witty dialogue about life in general and the meaning of life and death. While both of these films were shot together and and are sequels, they each have a very different feel. Volume 1 is a bloodfest, with heads and various limbs being cut off one after the other, with blood squirting everywhere. Of course, the violence and effects are rather cartoonish and kind of played for laughs but geez....

The film is also filled with a ton of martial arts scenes, which go hand in hand with the bloodletting. The second film, although it has its violent moments, is more of a dialogue driven film and much more cerebral, delving into the past of the characters and fleshing them out, giving the motivation for much of the violence that takes place in Volume 1.

Volume 2 is filled with much better dialogue and is a much easier film to get into and is one that I actually found myself enjoying. I can’t say the same for Volume 1. The films together tell the tale of Beatrix Kiddo (played by the beautiful Uma Thurman), a paid assassin with a group founded and controlled by Bill, played by David Carradine, who turns on her and tries to have her killed (rather brutally) by himself and the rest of the group. After she awakens after a 4 year coma, she immediately leaves the hospital on her own without the knowledge of the staff and sets out on a path to kill all involved with her attempted murder, with the final intended victim Bill himself. Quite frankly, both of these films need to be viewed together. While I enjoyed the second, I didn’t the first and there is the quandary. Recommended for fans of Quentin Tarantino films and recommended as rentals only for those of you like me, who really aren’t.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5
Encoded with AVC and presented in their original aspect ratios of 2:40:1, both of these films look amazing on Blu-Ray. The films are a blending of many different styles with bright and bold colored live action mixed in with white black and white photography and some very colorful anime as well. Each and every scene in both films looks simply fantastic with bright and bold primary and secondary colors and spot on fleshtones. Color accuracy and saturation are excellent as well as are detail and image clarity. Black level is deep and solid rendering a stunningly three dimensional image. Shadow detail is also excellent without a hint of black crush that I could detect. Simply put, there is nothing at all to quibble with about the picture quality on these releases. It is among the best that I have seen on Blu-Ray and of reference quality. Fans of these films will be thrilled with the video quality on these releases. Of that I have no doubt.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
The high res audio tracks on both of these releases is presented in uncompressed PCM at 48 kHz/24 bit and are almost as good as the stunning video quality. Dialogue is very well recorded and well placed in the mix and always easy to follow. The overall sound of the film is smooth, open and transparent with excellent bass response and directionality. Excellent use is made of the surround speakers which are quite active giving the sound mix a nice immersive feel. What particularly stood out for me other than the high fidelity of the sound was the spot on use of the sound effects, which were very well placed in the sound mix. Listen to the opening sequence of the first film for example where a man (Bill) is walking on a wooden floor wearing boots. The footsteps clearly follow the direction of the action on screen. Also effective in the first film is the arrival of the Gang of 88 on their motor vehicles. Listen how the cascade of vehicles slowly fills your room. Very effective and very realistic stuff. These are but two of many examples of high quality audio reproduction found in both films. Each of these films has a very effective sound mix with excellent fidelity and is a real treat to listen to.

IN CONCLUSION
While not exactly my kind of films, Kill BIll Volumes 1 and 2 on Blu-Ray contain reference quality audio and video that will no doubt thrill fans of both films. Yes, they look and sound that good. These releases are highly recommended for fans of the films as I can’t imagine them ever looking or sounding better, at least within the limits of today’s technology. Rated as rentals for the rest of us. Both films are of such high technical quality that they are both worth a look.

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.

HDTV Channels: How Much Is Enough?

2008-08-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

I am sure that most of you are aware of the fact that I am a big fan of Verizon’s FiOS service. What really got me excited about the service was its picture quality which is the best I have seen of any of the various cable and DBS providers.

I am also thrilled at the HD wars where the providers are rushing to get as many HD channels on their systems as they can. Nothing like some competition. I look at all the competition as a boon for us HT enthusiasts. I am thrilled to see ads from Directv claiming that they have over 100 HD channels even if they really don’t. It is great see that FiOS has over 100 HD channels now in the New York City area and that the Mass/RI market now has about 87. I am kind of jealous there as the Philadelphia market has yet to share in the HD expansion. We are scheduled to have at least 22 new HD channels added on September 11th, bringing our total to over 54. It is my guess that we will be having a few more added at that time if the experience of the expansions in the other markets is the same here. Here’s hoping for at least 60! I am even thrilled that Comcast has seen the light and is adding new HD channels although I am disappointed that they are still heralding their HD “choices” which I view as very misleading. I hate their ads. But I digress.

With the rapid expansion of HD channels across many providers, it got me wondering how much HD is enough? How many channels do we really need and at what cost? How about the effect on picture quality in adding so many channels in bandwidth constrained systems? The 3:1 compression used by Comcast certainly hasn’t gone as well as they had planned resulting in a noticeably inferior picture, numerous complaints and some bad press. How about HD channels that really aren’t HD channels at all in that they show very little in the way of true HD content? Channels like Food Network HD come to mind which basically show stretched 4x3 standard definition content 90 plus percent of the time.

Personally, I want as many HD channels as are available and would even love to see some of the standard definition channels that have HD counterparts eliminated. Why have two channels with the same content? Those without HD sets can still watch the HD channels on their sets as the output of the cable box can be set to standard definition resolution. I would also like to see the elimination of all but the most basic analog service across all cable providers as it will free up tons of bandwidth for not only more HD channels, but better broadband speeds which will be necessary for the delivery of even more HD content, either via IPTV or HD downloads.

The elimination of analog cable service and duplicate SD channels, along with infrastructure upgrades, will certainly go a long way to making more and more HD channels as well as “choices” available to us all. Of course, I would hate to see hundreds of new HD channels offered with a trade off of lesser picture quality, which is why the bandwidth really needs to be freed up. That is the beauty of Verizon’s FiOS service, which has the infrastructure to offer almost unlimited bandwidth for all the HD channels you could possibly want, with 1000’s of VOD offerings in HD as well as faster and faster internet speeds. I would like to see this type of quality offered by all cable and DBS providers at reasonable costs and with the option for people to pick and choose the channels they want so that they can keep their costs down given today’s shaky economic outlook. Am I asking for too much? Probably. But why not shoot for the stars?

By all means, let me know what you think. How much HD do you want and at what costs? What compromises in terms of quality, options and services are you willing to accept? It should prove to be a lively debate.

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.

ESPN's Baseball HD Game Makes Me Blue

2008-08-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Watching the Phillies-Dodgers game last night on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball really got under my skin -- again.

While it is great that ESPN is showing most of their live sports programming in HD, it would be nice if they took the time to accurately calibrate their cameras to present an acceptable image. I am sure that many of you out there find the look of their programming to be just fine, as they do present a fairly detailed and clear image. However, their color palette is so skewed to the blue as to be unwatchable. I see this all the time on ESPN.

For example, take a look at the Phillies’ uniforms last night. They are white not blue. Yet, on last night’s telecast, they looked to be a shade of very light blue. Even the gray of the Dodger’s road uniforms had a tinge of blue. In fact, the entire color palette was blue. It is one thing for a TV show to play with their color scheme for artistic purpose, i.e. CSI Miami, but quite another to screw up deliberately the color scheme of a live sports broadcast. I say deliberately as I have noticed the same issue on many if not all of ESPN’s broadcasts of MLB and NBA games.

For the life of me, I can’t see why they would do such a thing. I hope they don’t think that it somehow looks better because it does not. I guess no one other than me complains. The difference was rather stark during the game last night when ESPN showed highlights of Friday night’s game in a box superimposed over the live action. The game was produced by Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia and showed perfect color reproduction. I don’t know how anyone could miss the fact that the white of the Phillies uniforms and the red of their caps showed not even a hint of blue as compared to the garish blue tint on ESPN. The CSN broadcast clips looked much more natural and pleasing than ESPN’s efforts.

I therefore have a suggestion to ESPN. Please take the time to color calibrate your cameras and get rid of the blue tint. Give us the best possible picture picture that you can with accurate color. Make it feel as if we are watching the game live rather than on TV. After all, that is what HDTV is supposed to be all about.

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.

Blu-ray Review: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

2008-08-25T11:09:00.001-07:00

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas was one of those titles that was eagerly awaited on Blu-ray. The film combines stop-motion animation with three dimensional sets and graphics which all make for a very original looking film. Those of you that are familiar with The Corpse Bride and haven’t yet had the chance to see Nightmare will already be familiar with the look of this film. In The Nightmare Before Christmas, Halloween Town’s Pumpkin King, who plans the yearly Halloween festivities, has become somewhat depressed and has lost his passion for Halloween and is looking for something new. He walks out of town and stumbles upon a number of trees with doors marked on them for various holidays, one of them being Christmas. As he enters the tree marked with the Christmas tree, he enters Christmas Town, which is the total opposite in terms of both look and attitude of Halloween Town. He becomes enthralled with the concept of Christmas and wants to replace Santa Claus and give Christmas a little Halloween Town flavor. Needless to say, when he does, he fails miserably and quickly moves to restore the real Santa Claus and finally come to understand the real meaning of Christmas. This is a quirky and highly engaging film with an excellent musical score by Danny Elfman which has quickly become a Christmas classic in its own right. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5
The Nightmare Before Christmas is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:66:1, meaning that the film will have black bars on the sides rather than on the top and bottom. Simply put, this is a stunning transfer with rich and vivid colors, deep blacks and excellent detail. All of the fine textures on the various character’s faces are clearly visible as is the detail in the backgrounds of each set. As a good part of this film takes place in Halloween Town which is dark and dreary, it is important that the film have deep blacks to give the film the clarity and depth that we have come to expect from high def. No issue here as the film has deep and stable blacks, creating a clear and three dimensional image. Shadow detail is outstanding as well. I could not detect any issue with black crush. Color accuracy is spot on rendering both bright primary colors and varying shades of black, gray and brown with excellent fidelity. This is an outstanding transfer and one that will thrill fans of the film. It is really hard to believe that this film could look any better in the home environment than it does on this release.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
The Nightmare Before Christmas comes equipped with a Dolby True HD 7.1 mix at 48 kHz/24 bit which is a feast for the ears. This is one great sounding audio mix with a smooth open sound, excellent transparency, deep bass and amazing dynamics. The dialogue track is wonderfully recorded and integrated beautifully in the sound field. Excellent use is made of the surround speakers, placing you in a continuous enveloping sound field that has you head turning from side to side throughout the film as objects appear all around you. The Danny Elfman score also sounds wonderful with excellent bass and overall fidelity without even a hint of stridency. This is one excellent audio mix and is one that will also thrill fans of the film.

IN CONCLUSION
Clearly, the Blu-ray edition of The Nightmare Before Christmas was well worth the wait as is boasts awesome video and audio quality. Clearly, great care was taken to transfer this film to high definition. Highly recommended.

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.

Blu-ray Review: Transformers

2008-08-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5
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
Transformers was released on HD DVD in October 2007. My review of the video on that title is quoted below. As far as I was able to tell, the picture on the HD DVD and this Blu-Ray release are identical. Encoded using AVC (MPEG 4), the video on this disc is outstanding, almost perfect in fact. 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 Blu-Ray. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that this is one of the finest looking encodes I have seen to day. The integration of the robots into this film is simply amazing. One never gets the impression that you are watching CGI unlike in some of the more recent action films. Clearly, this is a reference video presentation and fully worthy of a 5 star rating. Those of you that missed this film on HD DVD will love this encode. This is reference video folks. Enjoy.

THE AUDIO: 5 stars out of 5
Back when I reviewed the HD DVD title of this release, my findings we as follows: 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.

Guess what folks, I was WRONG. The lossless Dolby True HD track here smashes the Dolby Digital Plus track in every way imaginable. If the HD-DVD track rates a 5, the Dolby True HD track rates a 7. To start off, lets look at the bass response. The bass here is much richer and fuller than that on the HD DVD release. The Blu-Ray release rocks the house. I also found the dynamics on the BD release to best the HD DVD release by a wide margin as well. This is a reference audio mix if I ever heard one. I also found the imaging and channel separation to be better giving the audio a much deeper image, allowing you to hear into the sound field much further than the HD DVD release which sounds a tad flatter in comparison. FInally, the audio on the BD disc is much smoother and open without even the trace of hardness, even much more so than the HD DVD. You can really crank this baby up without any issue of listener fatigue. Hearing loss? Well, that is another story.

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. If you have this release on HD DVD, I can assure you that a double dip here is warranted as the audio is that much better on Blu-Ray. Crank it up and enjoy.

Editor's note: Transformers will be released on Blu-ray on September 2.

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.

Commentary: Multicasting Is HDTV's Worst Enemy

2008-08-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

As we approach the analog cut off, I was awaiting the reappearance of the over the air broadcasters’ fascination with multicasting. I didn’t have to wait long as it reared its ugly head last week in an article in USA Today as appears here: http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2008-08-13-digital-tv-extra-local-channels_N.htm.

I find it distressing that broadcasters seem to be so enamored with the possibility of adding subchannels, further fracturing their dwindling audience. However, I find even more distressing the comments following the article applauding the possibilities of a Green Acres subchannel or god forbid, The Munsters. A couple of commentators are so thrilled with the new subchannels and the variety they afford him, that he has dropped cable. Wow, why do I need ESPN or The History Channel or Discovery when I can get multiple radar maps, weather channels, infomercial channels and old classic (?) TV channels in beautiful low bit rate standard definition on my high def TV! My lord!

The reason I hate -- yes Hate subchannels -- is what their presence does to the broadcaster’s main HD channel. Despite advances over the past few years in the quality of Mpeg-2 encoders employed by some broadcasters, the addition of subchannels wrecks havoc with the picture quality of the main HD channel, robbing it of the bandwidth necessary to provide us with the pristine quality image that we have come to expect and enjoy. ( I must say that I am not surprised that the author of the article totally missed this point as this is what today’s mainstream press seem to do all the time these days, namely publish incomplete or erroneous or worse articles like this USA Today puff piece, regardless of the topic. However that is an issue for another place and time)

Take a look at your typical NBC fare during the Olympics which is nothing but a pixelated mess every time something on the screen moves. While I am sure that some of this mess originates at NBC in New York due to their failure to properly upgrade their infrastructure, a good bit is caused by the presence of NBC’s Weather Plus channel, which IMHO, is a complete waste of time. Check out CBS’ NFL broadcasts on one of their owned and operated stations such as KYW in Philadelphia. What a beautiful sharp and colorful image. Take a look at that same broadcast on a non O & O station and it is often a complete mess to the point of being unwatchable solely due to multicasting. All to add a weather radar map or something just as bad. Some of these bozos are even offering two HD channels on one signal, cramming the CW as a subchannel. You might as well not even watch. In reality, the spectrum allocated to one full HD channel is barely even enough to give one quality HD image. Two? Forget about it.

If a broadcaster wants to remain locked in the 20th Century and offer their viewers multiple channels of low bit rate standard definition garbage, be my guest. Just drop HD entirely. I would rather you do that that ruin your viewers’ HD experience. As the masses continue to move to HD sets, why would a broadcaster want to appeal to a smaller and smaller market of viewers? Seem like a death wish to me. And for what? Weather channels? They are best relegated to a station’s web page. There is also that little ole’ thing known as the radio! Even better, how about getting off the couch and looking out the window!

This appeal to old TV series that are all available on DVD anyway is insanity. Why pay a thousand dollars or so on an HDTV to watch awful looking bit starved 4X3 content most of which is in black and white anyway? Just because you can get it with an antenna for free? Back in the day, broadcasters used to take great care in assuring that their product looked the best it could possibly look. They took pride in the quality of the images they transmitted. Some still do, but an increasing number obviously don’t. They would rather ruin their HD images for weather channels. Maybe they think we won’t notice. While some us us don’t care, I as well as many others sure do. Rather than increasing the number of eyeballs watching their content at any given time, all these subchannels do, assuming anyone is really watching them now anyway, is further fracture their audience. I just don;t see any viable business model for subchannels. They will never make any money off them and should just stop now.

Frankly, over the air broadcasting will die a natural death anyway, probably within 15 years as more and TV will be delivered over the internet and other platforms now involving OTA broadcasts. All multicasting will do is hasten the death of these channels. In that regard, it may be a positive development. In the meantime I would rather these broadcasters sell their license to someone who will take the time to give their viewers to quality images they deserve and get out of the business.

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.

Commentary: Why Comcast Is Playing Catch Up On HDTV

2008-08-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

In reading this morning’s Philadelphia Inquirer, I came across an interesting article penned by Noel Weyrich regarding Comcast and their poor public image, in Philadelphia and across the country. You can check out the full article here http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20080810_Comcast_losing_its_chance_to_be_terrific.html

While the article sums up rather nicely the issues surrounding Comcast’s corporate culture, it fails to address how their corporate culture affects the issue that is near and dear to us Home Theater enthusiasts -- namely high definition TV. This same arrogance described by Mr. Weyrich is also the reason why Comcast has fallen behind their main competition of Directv, Dish and Verizon in regards to high definition, which tis the area that will be driving the cable TV industry for the next several years.

In being the biggest player in the market, Comcast senior management let their position go to their head. They were of the opinion that they knew more than everyone else and failed to listen to others in their own company as well as outsiders as to where the market was headed. In the early part of the 21st Century Comcast failed to anticipate how fast the HD revolution would take hold, how the demand for more and more HD content would escalate.

The biggest mistake Comcast made was not insuring that they had enough bandwidth by upgrading all their systems to 860 mHz or even 1 Gig. At the very least, they should have dropped as many analog channels as possible to clear up space for HD. Why didn’t they? They felt that their customers with analog sets would complain that they need a set top box rather than rely on their cable ready sets. The only problem with this way of thinking is that no matter where their customers could turn for an alternative, all would have required them to get a set top box, be it Directv or Dish and later Verizon, so why not go this route earlier?

Instead, Comcast was left flatfooted when Directv added much more HD and improved their subscription base and churn rate. Now Comcast is biting the bullet and dropping analog service in most markets in the next year and adding more HD by adopting switched digital video. This after trying to pull the wool over our eyes by claiming that they have more HD than anyone, yeah, HD choices ( i.e HD VOD) vs. linear HD channels and even worse, degrading the quality of their HD service by squeezing 3 channels into a space fit for two.

Remember those ads where Comcast claimed that they had better picture quality than their competition? Oops! It turns out that it is HD channels that Comcast’s customers want, not “choices,” and further, want the best HD picture quality possible. Gee who would have thunk! I could say I told you so. Ok I will. I TOLD YOU SO. Glad to see that Comcast is finally getting into the HD game full time.

For more high-def news and reviews, please click: TVPredictions.com.

Blu-ray Review: Face/Off

2008-08-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

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
Unlike its HD DVD counterpart, Face/Off is encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. As was the case with the HD DVD release, this film looks fantastic in high definition with rich bold colors, accurate skin tones and deep blacks. The image on the screen is highly detailed with no noticeable artifacts. Clarity is excellent as well. The combination of the deep blacks and clarity give the film a very three dimensional image. The only draw back is a bit of edge enhancement as well as some digital noise reduction that robs some scenes of detail, especially skin textures. Despite these two quibbles, which some would find to be substantial (I do not in this instance), this is a fine looking presentation on Blu-Ray and a huge upgrade over the DVD and is highly recommended.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
As good as the video is, the audio on this disc is better. Presented in Dolby Digital EX 5.1 and 6.1 DTS, this disc rocks. The DTS 6.1 mix is about 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. This is one stellar audio presentation. On the other hand, the Dolby DIgital EX 5.1 mix is not quite up to the level of the DTS 6.1 mix, lacking the dynamics and three dimensionality of the DTS mix. Do yourself a favor and use the DTS mix when watching this disc. YOu will not be disappointed.

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!

For more high-def news, please click: TVPredictions.com.

Blu-ray Review: Top Gun

2008-08-10T12:04:00.001-07:00

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5
Top Gun, directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer debuted n theaters in 1986. The films stars Tom Cruise as a Navy fighter pilot sent to the Navy's prestigious "Top Gun" school to complete against other pilots to see who can become "The Best of the Best". Co-starriing Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards and the steamy Kelliy McGillis, Top Gun is an action packed film full of some great mid air battle screens with the obligatory love affair between Mr. Cruise and Ms. McGillis. At this point, do I need to go into any further detail on the plot? I didn't think so as I believe we all know about this film. This is one of those films that became home Theater demo material and is one that I still have on VHS(somewhere), laserdisc and DVD. How does it look and sound in high definition?

THE VIDEO: 4 1/3 stars out of 5.
Back in September, I reviewed the HD DVD release of Top Gun. The Blu-Ray release appears to have used the same master used for that release and looks identical to the HD DVD release. As I noted in my review of the HD DVD release, this is an excellent looking transfer even though it does not appear that a major restoration was done in preparation for its release in high definition. The transfer boasts excellent color reproduction, accurate skin tones and rich deep blacks that makes for a very pleasing visual experience. The clarity of the image is for the most part outstanding giving the film an excellent three dimensional look. In fact, this is the best that I have seen the film look in the home environment and even betters the presentation in HD shown on HDNet Movies awhile back by a good margin. Fans of this film will be very happy with how the film looks on Blu-Ray.

My only quibble with the picture is some soft looking interior shots which are few and far between thankfully. While the interior shots look excellent, they at times lack the razor sharp clarity of the exterior shots which look outstanding.The exterior shots in full sunlight look very detailed and sharp and the air action images really shine. Close-up shots are finely detailed as well, showing off every skin pore. It is the occasional softness in the interior shots and less than perfect condition of the print that keeps the film from getting an even higher grade. There are just too many instances where the poor condition of the print calls attention to itself in ways that detract from your enjoyment of the image. In addition to some dirt and scratches, there is what I would call bending of the image and lines in the far left hand side of the screen. It almost looks as though the film is creased. I don’t know exactly what the condition is, but it need to be eliminated. These mostly all involve high altitude shots outside the planes and really make you wonder if something has gone wrong with your display. With a clearer print, this release would rate a solid 4 1/2 star rating it looks that good. Even as it. Top Gun on Blu-Ray looks great and would be a welcome addition to any home theater film collection.

AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
This version of this film is chock full of various audio options with the two most significant being the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track and the DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 track. This mix of the film boasts powerful bass, clear and natural sounding dialogue and and overall rich sound that sounds great even at high levels. In fact, one of the chief benefits of these new high resolution audio codecs like TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio on Blu-Ray is the smoothness and openness of the sound. These tracks retain this smoothness even at high listening levels and they lack the shrillness of the standard Dolby Digital tracks heard on standard DVD's. Believe me, this is one of those discs that you will want to crank up. The sound effects with the jet fighters flying overhead and whizzing forward and backwards on either side of you are fantastic and is what got us into the HT experience in the first place. The dialogue was also well placed in the mix and is clear and easily followed even in scenes filled with jet noise and music all around you. Even though Top Gun was released in 1986, it sounds fantastic on its debut in high definition.

Now for the interesting question, how do the two advanced audio codecs compare to each other? First off, they both sound excellent and share all the attributes noted previously. However, to this listener, I felt that the DTS HD Master Audio track sounded a bit better. The DTS track was mastered somewhat louder that the True HD track. I tried as best I could to compare the two matching volume levels. My conclusion is that the DTS tack, which I was only able to listen to at 5.1, had a tad better bass response, dynamics and soundstaging and just sounded warmer and clearer than the True HD track. I would definitely recommend that you review this film using the DTS track for maximum fidelity.

IN CONCLUSION
Top Gun boasts very good video performance and top notch audio. This release is highly recommended for all HT enthusiasts.

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Blu-ray Review: The Counterfeiters

2008-08-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
The Counterfeiters, simply put, is a wonderful thought provoking and moving film. It received the Oscar in 2007 for Best Foreign Language Film and that award was well deserved. The film is based on the book The Devil’s Workshop by Adolf Burger which tells the tale of the world’s largest counterfeiting operation run by the SS out of a concentration camp during World War II. The film centers around a real life person, Salomon Sorowitsch, a swindler and counterfeiter in Berlin, who is arrested in 1936 and eventually sent to a concentration camp. While there, his talent for art is discovered by the guards who use him to paint portraits of the guards and their families, providing him with special treatment in return. He is discovered in this camp by a Nazi officer by the name of Herzog who was the police officer who arrested him in Berlin. Herzog arranges for Sorowitsch and a few others to be transfered to another concentration camp where they agreed to counterfeit the British Pound and later the dollar to help fund the Nazi war effort which was on the verge of bankruptcy. One of the men enlisted was the author Adolf Burger, who is also one of the central characters in the film. While the film opens in Monte Carlo right after the end of the war, most of the film takes place in Nazi concentration camps and shows the barbarism of those camps as well as the anguish that the men involved in the counterfeiting effort feel as they aid the Nazi war effort in an effort to save their lives while many around them are beaten, starved and executed all while living in squalid conditions. The acting and story telling in this film is excellent. The film is presented in the original German along with a French track, both with English subtitles. Very highly recommended for fans of film everywhere.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
The Counterfeiters is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1. I am sure that others will disagree with me here but I was very impressed with the look of this film on Blu-Ray. Don’t get me wrong, this film does not consist of demo material. Far from it as the image does not leap off the screen. It is a very grainy film and clearly intended to look the way by the director who no doubt picked the various types of film stock he did to get the grainy look that he wanted as well as to capture light a certain way. I will not dock an encode points due to the artistic intent of the director. The real question is whether the encode captures the look of the original film. In this case I think it does. In fact, it would not surprise me at all if a film like The Counterfeiters were not more difficult to encode given the heavy amount of film grain and the dark lighting throughout most of the film. As for the look of the film, the colors for the most part are rather subdued and very much in keeping with the tone of the film. Skin tones are very accurate however. Image detail is very good as well with textures of skin as well as that of the camp uniforms well preserved. Shadow detail is very good as well without any compression artifacts visible. On the downside is the black level which is not very deep, having more of a milky look so that the shadows are never really black but more of a lighter grey. The resulting film image is therefore on the flat, lacking the depth and three dimensionality that we see with many films. Again, this is no doubt the intent of the director and not the fault of the compressionist. Given the artistic choices of the director, I can’t imagine the encode coming out any better.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
The Counterfeiters is presented with two audio tracks, German and French Dolby True HD with English subtitles. I viewed the film in German as that is the original language of the film. All in all, this is a fine sounding track. What really impressed me was the quality of the fidelity of the music which was off the charts. The harmonica and acoustic guitars which form the basis of the musical score felt like they were in the room floating in the air before you. Imaging and transparency was excellent. The special quality of the musical presentation is apparent from the very beginning of the film. Also top notch is the reproduction of the dialogue which was always clear and distinct, even though I could understand very little of it. I also found that the sound design was excellent as well, capturing the sense of acoustical space of each locale, pulling you into the film. For a dialogue driven film, the actual sense of being in a real acoustical space was well preserved. I found bass response to be excellent as well, which was best noted during the sequences at the beach at Monte Carlo at the beginning and end of the film. The rolling surf of the Mediterranean as it lands upon the rocky beach was captured with stunning realism as was the sound of the train on the tracks as Sorowitsch is transfered to the second concentration camp. Is the audio on this film of reference quality? No, as it is not filled with explosions and whizzing spacecraft. However, the audio that is there is presented with excellent fidelity.

IN CONCLUSION
The Counterfeiters is an excellent and thought provoking film and well worth a look on Blu-Ray. Very highly recommended.

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Blu-ray Review: Clear and Present Danger

2008-08-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Clear and Present Danger stars Harrison Ford reprising his role of Jack Ryan, a CIA agent in a series of books penned by Tom Clancy. Other than The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger is my favorite of the four Jack Ryan based films based. Clear and Present Danger finds Jack Ryan promoted to acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence due to the illness of his longtime friend, Admiral James Greer. Jack is immediately appointed to look into the death of an American businessman who was a friend of the President of the United States. In doing so, he finds that the President’s friend was actually doing business with a Columbian drug cartel and further stumbles into an illegal covert war against the drug cartel orchestrated by the Present’s National Security Advisor when he arrives in Bogota trying to track down the cartel’s money trail. I found Clear and Present Danger to be quite suspenseful with some excellent action sequences that really pull you into the movie. It is a riveting, well paced , well written and well acted film and is highly recommended for film fans of all persuasions.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/8 stars out of 5
Clear and Present Danger is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. For the most part, the film is well presented on blu-ray although it does have several flaws. On the plus side, the film has a natural color palette with very good flesh tones. Primary colors, specially those on location in Columbia, are bold, bright and well saturated and very pleasing to the eye. Black levels are deep and solid as well. Where the film falls a tad short is in detail and clarity. While I found the close-up shots to have excellent detail and clarity, the mid to long range shots had a lack of detail and softness that, while not distracting, warranted a downgrade to the overall video score. I also found several of the nighttime shots to suffer from a general softness as did the opening scene in the film. Much to my relief, the rest of the film looks much better than the opening sequence. While this is far from a perfect encode, I am sure that fans of the film will be pleased with the look of the film on this Blu-Ray release.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
Clear and Present Danger is presented with a Dolby True HD track which sounds sensational. The overall sound of the film is smooth, open and transparent with excellent rock solid bass and dynamics. The dialogue track is well recorded and well placed in the mix, never getting lost during the many action sequences in the film. Excellent use is made of the surrounds giving a realistic sense of space and immersion, placing you right in the middle of the action. Particularly impressive are the sound effects. From the sound of the RPG launches, gunshots, jets, helicopters and explosions, everything has a solid, full and dynamic sound which will really rock your room. The gunshots in particular sounded very real and were very convincing. I also found the panning of the sound effects to have been very well done and seamless. This is one excellent sounding encode and one that will no doubt excite fans of the film.

IN CONCLUSION
Clear and Present Danger is an excellent action/adventure film which features good video and excellent audio. It was a real treat to experience on Blu-Ray and is highly recommended. Give it a look, you will be glad you did.

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Blu-ray Review: Shine a Light

2008-08-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
Shine A Light is a Rolling Stones concert film directed by Martin Scorsese. It was shot in 2006 at the Beacon Theater in New York City at a concert given on behalf of The Clinton Foundation. The film had a very limited release in April 2008 earning a box office take of a little over $5.3 million. Shine A Light for the most part consists of concert footage interspersed with historic footage of the Stones early days and interviews. A particularly interesting interview was with Dick Cavett where Mick Jagger says he will be still touring and performing when he was 60. Well he now is! As for the concert footage itself, I found it to be very well photographed and paced and captures fairly accurately (visually only) the experience of being in a smallish venue with such rock legends. Although the Stones, while great for their age, especially Mick Jagger whose boundless energy is amazing, are clearly not quite as good live as they used to be and it shows in this film. Nonetheless, this film captures the experience of being at a Rolling Stones concert better than ay prior Stones concert video I have seen and is well worth a look for fans of the band. The film also features performances by Christina Aguilera, Jack White and Buddy Guy. Recommended for fans of The Stones.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Shine A Light is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:78:1. Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of the video presentation this release. The actual concert footage is excellent with excellent color rendition, deep and stable black levels and great detail. The overall clarity of the image is superb with a very three dimensional looking image with excellent shadow detail. Film grain appear to be well preserved also. This encode captures the lighting on stage and in the Beacon Theater beautifully and is one of the best looking film based concert I have seen to date. The historic footage is another matter entirely but given the sources and age of this snippets, one can’t complain. Parts of the film (mostly featuring Martin Scorsese himself) were shot in black and white and are very grainy and lack the clarity of the concert footage. Overall, the quality of the concert footage is so good that I can overlook some stylistic choices involving the rest of the film made by Mr. Scorsese.

THE AUDIO: 3 3/4 stars out of 5
As happy as I was with the video presentation here, I was just as disappointed with the audio. The high rez audio here is presented in Dolby True HD (48 kHz/24 bit), DTS HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24 bit) and 2 channel PCM stereo. I really expected a much better audio presentation here. Of the three high rez audio track options, the clear winner for me was the DTS MA track which, after volume matching, had better bass, clarity and imaging than the other two tracks. The audio on this release was recorded by Bob Clearmountain. While he is a well respected audio engineer and recordist, I have never been a fan of his recordings on a sonic level. The best word I can use to describe his sound is congested and subdued. The same is the case here. While the vocals are out in front of the mix, the rest of the band sounds rather distant. This is especially true for the bass and drums were are so quiet that I had to wonder whether they were in the same hall as the rest of the band. This recording fails to capture the thump of the bass and drums and the overall energy and edginess that one hears in a live concert. The guitar solos by Keith Richards are brought out front and center during the performances but still only hang above a haze of congested audio. I would have preferred to hear much more air and separation between the various instruments and a much clearer sound rather than the flat and congested sound mix captured here. On the plus side, the actual hall ambiance seems to be captured fairly well but is not enough to pull you into the action, given the lackluster sound of the rest of the sound mix.

IN CONCLUSION
Shine A Light is one of the better looking concert films involving the Rolling Stones produced to day. While the video presentation of the band is excellent, the concert film is marred by a rather lackluster audio presentation. Despite the lackluster audio, I can still recommend this release for fans of The Rolling Stones and rock fans in general.

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Review: Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray Player

2008-07-30T04:07:00.001-07:00

I have been watching Blu-Ray titles for well over a year now using, among other players, a Panasonic DMP-10AK player. All in all I have been very pleased with the performance of the 10AK. Overall, the 10AK has been a solid performer with very good video and excellent audio performance. The 10AK was the predecessor to the DMP-BD30 which was released in October 2007. However, I did not see the need to upgrade to the DMP-BD30 as it was not a profile 2.0 player and did not internally decode DTS HD Master Audio. At CES in January, the DMP-BD50, the successor to the DMP-BD30 was announced, for delivery later in the year.

What peaked my interest when I inquired about the DMP-BD50 at CES was the announcement that it would be Profile 2.0 compliant and internally decode DTS HD Master Audio and even better, send the signal out through the player’s analog audio outputs. This is significant to me as my pre/pro does not have HDMI inputs and I am not really in the mood to go out and upgrade my pre/pro which delivers outstanding sonic performance for the sake of adding HDMI audio capabilities. Needless to say, I was anxious to get may hands on one to put it through its paces and compare it to my trusty old 10AK. While it took awhile as the player’s release was delayed past the original release date, the kind folks at Panasonic provided me with a review sample which I had for two weeks, most of which was spent spinning as many Blu-Ray discs as I could muster, given my other responsibilities. So, how did it perform? Glad you asked!

SPECIFICATIONS
First off, I will detail the most significant features in this player as compared to the 10AK. I am sure that the most significant feature for some is that it is a profile 2.0 player, meaning that it is compatible with Blu-Ray profile 2.0. also known as BD-Live. The player has a built in ethernet port which you will need to hook up to the player to be able to access many of the new BD-Live interactive features. However, to access some of that content, you will need to use a SD card as the payer has no built in memory. This seems to me to be quite a shortcoming, considering the cost of this player. Being profile 2.0 compliant, the player is also compatible with profile 1.1 meaning that you will be able to access the picture in picture audio and video commentaries that are featured on many of the newer Blu-Ray discs.

Most significant to me is that the DMP-BD50 is able to internally decode all of the advanced audio codecs, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. All codecs can be outputed via bitstream using HDMI to a receiver capable of decoding same or outputted via the player’s multichannel audio outputs to be connected to a receiver or pre/pro with multichannel audio inputs. In a step down from the 10AK however, the analog audio outputs are limited to 5.1 only rather than the 7.1 that were included with the 10AK. The player will however, output a 7.1 signal via the bitstream option via HDMI. Therefore, if you have a 7.1 setup, you will need to use the HDMI audio option. As was the case with the lack of built in memory noted previously, dropping the 7.1 analog output support of the 10AK was a shortsighted move, limiting the market for this player. Given the cost of this unit vs. the competition, the 7.1 analog audio outputs should not have been dropped in the opinion of this reviewer.

In addition, and just as significant for some, the DMP-BD50 also offers full support for 1080p video at 24 f/s. If your display supports this video format, you will be pleased with the performance of this option which improves the quality of an already outstanding image.

CONNECTIVITY
The DMP-BD50 offers a wide range of options for connection to your video and audio system. As for video, the unit offers HDMI, component, S and composite video connections. Needless to say, someone who will purchase this player will not connect it to a display using either the S video or composite outputs. Accordingly, my review was limited to the HDMI and component outputs only. Output resolution for Blu-Ray discs is limited to 1080i through component. The player will also not upconvert standard DVD to either 720p or 1080i through the component outputs. If you want to use the player to upconvert standard DVDs, you will need to use the HDMI output. In this respect, the BD50 is identical to all upconverting players as well as all Blu-Ray players (and HD DVD players for that matter). As for audio, in addition to HDMI and 5.1 analog audio options, the player also has stereo analog audio outputs in addition to coaxial and toslink audio connections. You should be aware that access to the advanced audio codecs is not possible through the coaxial and toslink audio connections. Your options there are limited to the standard DVD audio options of Dolby Digital and DTS.

PERFORMANCE
Video performance through both the HDMI and component video outputs on this unit is excellent in all respects. In fact, it is safe for me to say that the video performance of this unit is a good as I have seen from any other Blu-Ray player. Color reproduction is excellent as it black level and detail performance. In comparison to the 10AK, the BD50 offers an image that is a hair sharper and more detailed. Is it a huge difference? No. But in comparing them side by side, the BD50 offers a consistently better picture, if even by just a hair. The HDMI video output is the best option for displays supporting full 1080p resolution as it provides a clearer and more detailed image than 1080i through the component outputs, even without utilizing the 24 f/s option. If your display is a 768p or 720p display, the video performance through HDMI and component is a wash.

One area on the video side where the DMP-BD50 disappoints is as an upconverting DVD player. In this respect, it is no different than the 10AK which I found to be a less than stellar upconverting player. The upconverted image lacks the smoothness and detail of the better upconverting players available and my two Toshiba HD DVD players, which I continue to use to play all my standard DVDs as well as my HD DVDs. Considering the cost of the DMP-BD50, I expected an upgrade in this regard. This is the only area where the video performance of the DMP-BD50 fails to deliver.

As far as audio, my evaluation of the BD50 was limited to the multichannel analog audio outputs. While the audio performance of this until is outstanding, it is not quite up to the level of the 10AK which is a just a hair better. The improvement of the video offered by the BD50 is offset by a corresponding decrease in audio performance as compared to the 10AK. The difference is in the ability of the player to convey fine audio detail. The overall sound of the analog audio outputs is slightly flatter that those on the 10AK. This can best be heard on the opening track on the Legends of Jazz Showcase Blu-Ray release which is among the best, if not the best sounding musical disc on either of the high def audio formats or DVD. Listening to the first track featuring Al Jarreau and Kurt Elling, the 10AK had better separation of the two voices and a better sense of the acoustical space of the studio where the performance was recorded. In audiophile parlance, the 10AK has a more airy sound with better imaging and soundstaging. This difference was noticeable on all the tracks on this release and was also noticeable on all movie tracks as well. Would you notice the difference if you didn’t have the two units side by side? Probably not as the rest of the audio reproduction is on par with the 10AK, with excellent bass response and timbre accuracy. Nevertheless, the difference is there, at least through the analog audio outputs. If you are using the bitstream option through HDMI, I doubt that there is any perceptible difference better they audio performance of the BD50 and the 10AK as the internal DACS are taken out of the equation.

There is of course one way where the BD50 is a real upgrade over the 10AK and that is with the internal decoding of DTS HD Master Audio. The performance increase with DTS HD Master Audio over DTS HD is very impressive. In fact, on the last two discs that I reviewed, namely Top Gun and Shine A Light, the DTS HD Master Audio track was a better performer than even the Dolby True HD track. The increase that I heard with DTS HD Master Audio over the core DTS track was a greater sense of space, more fine detail, better bass reproduction and a more dynamic sound. The inclusion of internal decoding of the full DTS HD Master Audio is a significant addition to the DMP-BD50 and a welcome one at that.

There is one other aspect of the performance of this unit that requires a comment, Namely the speed of the until. One of the real issues with standalone Blu-Ray players as compared to DVD players is the speed of the Blu-Ray player in both turning on and opening the tray to load the disc. Even more onerous is the time it takes for the player to access the information on the disc and begin playback. The 10AK is really, really slow in this regard so much so that it sometimes seems to take an hour for the actual movie to begin to play on your display. While this is a bit of an overstatement, it really isn’t that far from the truth. The good news is that the BD50 is much faster than the 10AK, cutting load times nearly in half. On average, it took 15 seconds or so for the player to turn on and open the try. Once the disc was placed in the player, the load times were noticeably faster than on the 10AK, ranging from 10 seconds to a minute depending on the disc and the level of interactivity on the disc. The slowest disc the load was Pirates of the Caribbean 3 At World’s End, which took over a minute to load. However, even at a little over minute, the load times were much faster than on the 10AK which seemed to take all day in comparison. While still nowhere near as fast as a standard DVD player, the increase in speed between the BD50 and the 10AK is a welcomed upgrade.

CONCLUSION
Needless to say, the DMP-BD50 is an excellent standalone Blu-Ray player. It offers outstanding video and audio performance. Given that it is profile 2.0 compliant, you can rest assured that you will be able to access and play all the content on any Blu-Ray disc that you buy, at least until a new Blu-Ray profile is developed, which shouldn’t be for a long time. Other than for the issue I noted with the performance of the analog audio outputs, the only issue I have with the player is its price. The MSRP of $699.00 is way too high especially given the performance of the PS3 which offers equal Blu-Ray performance at $399.00 with the added value of being able to play games. The player also has stiff competition from the Pioneer BDP-51FD which retails for $599.00 and offers performance that is at least equal to the DMP-BD50. Is this the player for you? If you rely on HDMI for both your audio and video, I can’t imagine you will find a better performer. Of course, if you are using HDMI for both audio and video, the PS3 will be a better deal in terms of price as well as upgradability. If you don’t want to rely on a gaming machine for your Blu-Ray playback and want a standalone Blu-Ray player, the DMP-BD50 may be just the player for you. At $399.99, the DMP-BD50 would be a no brainer and they player of choice. Whether the performance level of the unit is worth another $300.00 is up to you. I will state that I enjoyed the player for the two weeks that it was part of my system. I am sure that you will as well.

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Blu-ray Review: The Scorpion King

2008-07-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
The Scorpion King is a bit of a prequel taking place several thousand years before the action that forms the basis of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. In fact, the character the Scorpion King was introduced in The Mummy Returns and marked the film debut of then professional wrestler, Duane Johnson, a/k/a The Rock. The Rock ‘s performance was so well received that a full length motion picture was created for him. As is frequently the case in professional wrestling, the Rock’s character undergoes a change in The Scorpion King, where he represents the triumph of good over evil whereas he was evil in The Mummy Returns. In this film, The Scorpion King is hired by the remnants of several tribes to kill a sorceress who was assisting the warlord Memmon of the city of Gomorrah who was killing off their tribes and occupying their land. However, The Rock discovers that this sorceress is in fact a beautiful woman who is being forced by Memmon to do his bidding. As you would expect, The Rock falls for her and turns his attention on killing Memmon to save her and the people Memmon has been ruling with an iron fist. While this film is not quite up ,to the level of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, it is filled with some excellent action scenes and a bunch of laughs. It is well worth a rental.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
The video on this release is every bit as good as that on The Mummy Returns which I have previously reviewed. If you want to get a handle on how this film looks, I direct you to that review. In fact, all three of The Mummy related films reviewed here look very similar in design, with The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King having the clearer more detailed image. Both of these films have excellent color reproduction, black level, depth and detail and are a joy to watch.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
As is the case with the video on The Scorpion King, the audio reproduction on this release is excellent and on par with that of The Mummy Returns. The audio here has excellent dynamics with deep bass and a totally immersive sound field. The dialogue track is well recorded and well rendered here, never getting lost in the mix. The overall sound is smooth and open, creating a nice three dimensional sound stage. As was the case with The Mummy Returns, the audio presentation here will thrill fans of The Scorpion King.

IN CONCLUSION
While not up to the level of either The Mummy or The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King is a fun film in its own right and one that is well worth a rental.

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Blu-ray Review: The Mummy Returns

2008-07-23T11:54:00.001-07:00

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5
Released in 2001, The Mummy Returns is the sequel to The Mummy and finds our heroes married and back in England with a son. However, the sinister forces that tried to resurrect the Mummy in the first film are back again. The basic plot is the same as The Mummy is brought back to live and again tries to retrieve the soul of his love from the underworld and again, take over the world. Again, it is up to our two heroes to thwart the Mummy and his legions. The Mummy Returns has a very different feel than its predecessor as it is much more campy and humorous than the first and lacks the edginess that was the highlight of the first film, at least for me. If you enjoyed The Mummy, you will no doubt enjoy The Mummy Returns. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
The Mummy Returns is also encoded with VC-1 as was its predecessor and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1. How does it look compared to The Mummy? Much better. While the overall look of the two films are very similar, this encode has none of the issues I had with the original. While this encode has a few moments of softness, the film is sharper than The Mummy with a noticeable improvement in detail and clarity. Black level was deeper and more stable, giving the film a nice three dimensional image with more depth than the original. Color reproduction is just as good as in the first film. All in all, this is an excellent encode and is a significant improvement over The Mummy’s visuals and well worth a buy.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
As was the case with The Mummy, the high rez audio here is DTS HD Master Audio. As was the case with the video, the audio on this release is a step above that which appeared on the Blu-Ray release of The Mummy, and totally destroys the audio on the HD DVD release of this title. The audio here improves that found on The Mummy in every respect. However, there are two areas where the improvement is most pronounced, dynamics and fidelity. This audio encode has excellent dynamics with rock solid bass which will really shake your room. The dialogue track is well recorded as well and is well placed in the mix. Excellent use is made of the surrounds throughout the film, giving you an excellent sense of space, placing you right in the action. Most importantly, the overall sound here is open and smooth with no trace of harshness that I found to be a bit troublesome in The Mummy. I had no issues at all with listener fatigue with this encode at reference levels. This is one of those films that you can really crank up and enjoy. Well done.

IN CONCLUSION
While not quite as good a film as The Mummy, The Mummy Returns is an enjoyable film in its own right and boast excellent video and audio. Recommended for fans of The Mummy and of action films in general.

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Blu-ray Review: The Mummy

2008-07-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 4 1/3 stars out of 5
When The Mummy premiered in theaters back in 1999, I was a bit skeptical, wondering how they would breathe new live into the concept and further, given the selection of Brendan Fraser as the star. However, The Mummy is an excellent addition to the genre and proved an excellent vehicle for the elevation of Fraser as an action hero.

Back in 1290 B.C. the wife of the Pharaoh and his high priest conspired to kill Pharaoh so they could continue their illicit love affair. Even touching Pharaoh’s wife was punishable by death. While Pharaoh was killed by his wife who then committed suicide, his bodyguards captured the high priest and sentenced him to endure all eternity in a sarcophagus buried in Hamunaptra, The City of the Dead, where he was cursed, wrapped as a mummy and thrown into a sarcophagus with flesh eating scarabs. The Mummy lies there for 3000 years when he is dug up during an archeological expedition. The Mummy is able to recoup his immense powers and tried to use the Book of the Dead, to resurrect the soul of his love from the underworld and take over the world. Can the dashing Legionnaire played by Brendan Fraser and a beautiful Egyptologist save the world? What do you think? The Mummy is filled with plenty of action and some really gory scenes and is a real fun and scary romp. Recommended for fans of action films everywhere.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/8 stars out of 5
The Mummy is encoded with VC-1 and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 and is the first Blu-Ray title released by Universal who had been an exclusive backer of the HD DVD format which eventually lost the format war to Blu-Ray. The video encode of The Mummy looks to be the same one used on the HD DVD release and is a fine looking title although not quite up to the level of the best looking encodes on either high def format. On the positive side, color reproduction is very good with very natural looking colors. Black level is good as well but not as deep as the best looking titles, robbing the film of the depth that is characteristic of the best looking encodes. Detail is good but not spectacular. The main issue I had with this encode is the general softness of the image. Don’t get me wrong, this encode provides a nice detailed image. It just has a general softness, lacking the clarity of the best looking encodes. However, it is clearly a major upgrade from the DVD release and will generally thrill fans of the film.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
When Universal announced their move to Blu-Ray, they surprised a lot of people with their announcement that they would exclusively support the DTS HD Master Audio format. JUdging from the audio on this release and the other two Mummy based films being released on Blu-Ray, this was a wise choice as The audio on The Mummy is a significant upgrade over the Dolby Digital Plus audio track on the HD DVD release. The dialogue rack is well recorded and well presented in the sound mix and never gets lost in the midst of all the action. Bass is deep and tight, providing a solid foundation for the action sequences. Good use of the surrounds is used as well, providing a nice sense of space, especially during the interior scenes. My only real quibble with the sound here is that I found it to be a tad on the bright side, which was rather fatiguing at reference listening levels. Other than the brightness, this is an excellent sounding disc and one that fans of the fil will enjoy.

IN CONCLUSION
The Mummy is certainly a very entertaining film and an appropriate title for Universal’s first Blu-Ray release given the upcoming release of the third Mummy film. While the video and audio on this release are both rather good, they fall short of the best looking Blu-Ray titles available, although not far enough for me not to recommend this release. It is definitely worth a buy for fans of action films.

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Blu-ray Review: College Road Trip

2008-07-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5
A few years ago, who would have ever pictured Martin Lawrence as an icon of family entertainment. But yet, here we are with Martin Lawrence in just that very role. Even more surprising, he handles this type of material very well. Even though I did not see College Road Trip in theaters, I had a pretty good idea what to expect here and I pretty much got just what I expected. College Road Trip stars the aforementioned Martin Lawrence as an over protective father who wants his daughter to go to a college close to home. However, when she receives a special invitation to apply to pre-law at Georgetown, Mr. Lawrence decides to drive his daughter half way across the country from Chicago to Georgetown as part of an effort to dissuade her from attending school so far away from home. In this film, you get the typical over the top comedy that you expect from Martin Lawrence as well as the over the top performance that you also expect. While the film is fairly formulaic, it is not without its high points, which for me are the scenes with the family’s pet pig and the scenes with Donny Osmond. Mr. Osmond clearly has a grand old time poking fun at his goody two shoes reputation in this film and it is good for a few laughs. Extra bonus points for those of you who can spot the Sopranos actors who make appearances in the film. One is more obvious than the other. If you blink, you may miss the first one. College Road Trip is good family oriented entertainment from the folks at Disney and is worth a look, as a rental only however.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
College Road Trip is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1. This is simply an excellent looking encode. In fact, it is so good, I can find no fault with it at all. The color palette is bright and bold with excellent skin tones. Reproduction of detail is off the charts, with fine details such as skin pores and fabric textures clearly visible. Black level is outstanding giving the image real punch and clarity and great depth. All in all, this is a fine encode and a joy to watch. I wish all releases looked this good. Well done.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
The high rez audio option on College Road Trip is provided by an excellent lossless PCM track at 48 kHz/24 bit and is every bit as good as the video. The audio on this release is silky smooth with excellent bass response and dynamics. The overall sound can best be described as smooth and open without even a hint of stridency. The audio here sounds great at any volume level. While the sound design here is mostly front loaded, good use is made of the surrounds where appropriate and the imaging in the front three channels is excellent. Dialogue is beautifully recorded sounding rich and clear, never getting lost in the mix. Some will quibble with the lack of immersion in the sound mix and the fact that the audio is front loaded and will accordingly not give the audio presentation here the score it deserves. While these are valid criticisms of the sound mix, that it not the fault of the encode which presents the audio mix on the master as well is possible. The audio here sounds excellent, enough to please any audiophile out there. Well done.

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Blu-ray Review: Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

2008-07-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

THE MOVIE: 1 1/2 stars out of 5
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is a follow up to Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. If you enjoy crass and vulgar humor, this is the film for you. The plot is rather basic. Harold and Kumar are arrested as Kumar tries to light a smokeless bong on a flight to Amsterdam. They are branded by Homeland Security as terrorists and are sent to Guantanamo Bay. However, they are able to quickly escape from Guantanamo Bay and return to the US to interfere with the wedding of Kumar’s girlfriend who just happens to be marrying the son of the secretary of Homeland Security. Along to way, they smoke some dope -- make that a lot of dope -- and get involved in one stupid scenario after another, most of which involved a bevy of naked ladies. While I love some crass humor, this film is so devoid of anything funny that it was painful to watch. All the naked women in the world aren’t enough to save this film. I would take pass on this one if I were you.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1. Quite frankly, this encode looks way better than the content of the film deserves. This is a bright and colorful film with very good detail and black level. On the downside, the color is a bit oversaturated and a bit skewed to orange and red. For the most part, the film is very sharp and detailed with very good clarity. Grain is well preserved as well. I can’t say that I noticed any digital noise reduction or edge enhancement. Occasionally, some softness creeps into the image but such instances are few and far between. I doubt that anyone would object to these rather minor quibbles that I had with the video encode overall. I am sure that fans of the film will be more than pleased with the image quality of this release on Blu-Ray.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 out of 5
Encoded with DTS HD Master Audio with 7.1 channels rather than the more typical 5.1, the audio on this release is as good as the video. Dialogue is clear and well recorded and well placed in the mix. The overall sound of the film is full, smooth and open with excellent dynamics. Bass is particularly impressive, especially noticeable with the music which accompanies the film. Good use is made of the surround channels adding a nice degree of ambiance, although for the most part, the film’s sound mix is centered in the front three channels. Sound effects are well placed in the sound field. Technically, this is a very pleasing sound mix. If only the dialogue and script were as good.

IN CONCLUSION
Although the film boasts a very well done video and audio encodes, I found this film rather difficult to watch due to is rather crude humor. I am sure that there are many other there that will love the humor in this film. I didn’t. If you enjoyed Harold and Kumar at White Castle, you may want to check this one out as a rental only. As you the rest of you, you may want to take a pass on this one.

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