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  1. Yup Full HD is 1920x1080 while PAL DVD is 720x576 exactly 5 times more pixels if you do the math.

    However its not 5 times better looking, especially if the video is anamorphic (wider than wide) widescreen.
  2. I knew about FullHD being that resolution, but I just did the basic sums, if you sort of get what I mean.

    1920 down to 720 = 1
    1080 down to 576 = 5

    I see where you're coming from now, I didn't think of it that way. The anamorphic effect is horrible - it happens on lots of concert DVDs.
  3. However its not 5 times better looking, especially if the video is anamorphic (wider than wide) widescreen.


    It has to be one shitty transfer for the blu ray not to look considerably better than the standard dvd. I thought Rattle and Hum looked good on blu ray but its turned out to be the worst looking blu ray I own. I, Robot and I Am Legend show the real potential. Both stunners.
  4. Originally posted by germcevoy:[..]

    It has to be one shitty transfer for the blu ray not to look considerably better than the standard dvd. I thought Rattle and Hum looked good on blu ray but its turned out to be the worst looking blu ray I own. I, Robot and I Am Legend show the real potential. Both stunners.


    I Robot and I Am Legend were filmed in native HD for Blu-ray, Rattle and Hum wasn't. That could be a good reason. Something like Finding Nemo looks stunning in HD.
  5. Originally posted by germcevoy:[..]

    It has to be one shitty transfer for the blu ray not to look considerably better than the standard dvd. I thought Rattle and Hum looked good on blu ray but its turned out to be the worst looking blu ray I own. I, Robot and I Am Legend show the real potential. Both stunners.


    Its not a day and night difference, about 25% better than DVD going through a good upscaler.

    And Drew anamorphic widescreen is not an effect, its how the film was shot, it means you're getting the whole picture (its not cropped). Its the exact same way the film was shown in cinemas.

    While the black bars are annoying, it helps cover up DVDs resolution disadvantage.

    PS: Incidentally, and as if to say 'yes, we really are shameless marketers', Sony have launched Blu-ray 'awareness' ad campaign down here, which makes it seem like you're being cruel to your HDTV if you use it to watch anything other that their $40 discs.
  6. Audio I've been messing with for ages, but video is a whole new kettle of fish to me.

    I quite like the anamorphic widescreen - it makes some movies look better and looks more classic to me. Because some films are pixelated to no end, they need that sort of thing. On other movies, I'd put it as a full-screen rather than the black-bar effect.

    I've gotta start checking this stuff out.
  7. Originally posted by drewhiggins:[..]

    I Robot and I Am Legend were filmed in native HD for Blu-ray, Rattle and Hum wasn't. That could be a good reason. Something like Finding Nemo looks stunning in HD.


    Oh, Rattle and Hum doesn't have to be filmed in Digital to look good.
    Even though R&H was shot in 1988 on film, outdated though it may seem, it's still significantly higher 'resolution' than Full HD.
    Remember it movies don't look shabby when you watch them on three storey high cinema screens do they?

    While it may be a bit grainy (due to the nature of film), the resolution should be the same as Star Wars Episode 3 and the like which were filmed with digital cameras.
    And some people, prefer the look of film anyway, most movies today are still shot on film, including the Dark Knight (which I will get on Blu-ray, the film deserves it)




  8. I could find pretty much no difference between Rattle and Hum SD and HD. Sounds better I suppose. The Dark Knight is gonna look great if the prologue on the Batman Begins is anything to judge by. Pre-ordered. . . . . . . . .
  9. Anyone with the remastered Boy CD, is there something wrong with The Ocean? It sounds like digital distortion, because when I went to rip it, that song has a lot of distortion and popping. I originally thought it was my DVD drive and Foobar playing up, but I've tried it in numerous burners and original CD players, and still hearing it, at which times it gets worse. Is it the way the CD has been transferred from the tapes to digital?

    It must be a new problem because I listened to the original CD and it is not there. This is only for the single-disc edition. It's not scratched in any way, and I'm playing it from the original CD.
  10. Anyone got any good tips on a personal/portable DVD player?
  11. G'day Jeremy. We recently got a Panasonic portable DVD player, with decent colour callibration, 7'' screen size, not too heavy, good sound and decent battery life of about 4-5 hours, sometimes 6-7 with the brightness dimmed down to around 40% from 80%. Any brand like Panasonic, Samsung, Audiovox, Sony or Toshiba should do a pretty decent job.

    Pretty much it all depends on the screen size, how long you want to use it for, the sound (unless you're using headphones), other format playback like MP3 or JPEG discs etc. Many people who ask me this question a lot, I would tell them that exact same thing.

    Anyway, because you're in the US, I found a page on Amazon.com which might be worth a look, with 38 different players. I've never ordered from them before (others here have, I think), but from reading stories on the web and speaking to others in the US and UK - and family members, they seem to have pretty good service for questions and returns (and abide by the manufacturer's warranty of a year and do offer extended warranties). I couldn't imagine them being as bad as BestBuy, though. They are expensive units for what they are, so make sure you do the research before you buy!


    http://www.amazon.com/tag/portable%20dvd%20players/ref=tag_dpp_cust_itdp_t


    You could also see if a Zune or Archos would work for you - look it up on Amazon.
  12. Originally posted by drewhiggins:G'day Jeremy. We recently got a Panasonic portable DVD player, with decent colour callibration, 7'' screen size, not too heavy, good sound and decent battery life of about 4-5 hours, sometimes 6-7 with the brightness dimmed down to around 40% from 80%. Any brand like Panasonic, Samsung, Audiovox, Sony or Toshiba should do a pretty decent job.

    Pretty much it all depends on the screen size, how long you want to use it for, the sound (unless you're using headphones), other format playback like MP3 or JPEG discs etc. Many people who ask me this question a lot, I would tell them that exact same thing.

    Anyway, because you're in the US, I found a page on Amazon.com which might be worth a look, with 38 different players. I've never ordered from them before (others here have, I think), but from reading stories on the web and speaking to others in the US and UK - and family members, they seem to have pretty good service for questions and returns (and abide by the manufacturer's warranty of a year and do offer extended warranties). I couldn't imagine them being as bad as BestBuy, though. They are expensive units for what they are, so make sure you do the research before you buy!


    http://www.amazon.com/tag/portable%20dvd%20players/ref=tag_dpp_cust_itdp_t


    You could also see if a Zune or Archos would work for you - look it up on Amazon.


    Thanks, Drew! I really appreciate it!
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