The Tier System For Blu-ray & Hd Dvd Pq

[bizzibee]

A thread started today about the picture quality of a particular Blu-Ray title got me to thinking that perhaps some here haven't see these threads on AVS. williamtassone did make ref to it and posted a link to the Blu-Ray thread. One thing that does need to be noted is the following which is taken from both the Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Tier System threads:

The titles within a tier are also in order of PQ. A title listed above another in the same tier has a slightly higher PQ rating.

A debate we often have here is in regard to "director's intent". Please note that this list does not reflect it. Traffic for example, is highly filtered, with various film stocks. This is an example of something the director clearly intended. However, there is little detail and no depth to the image after all this processing. That is why it is a Tier 4 title. While the director's intent was clear with that title, with others it is more difficult to discern. Since trying to divine it would be purely subjective, it doesn't have a place on this list. If blacks are crushed, like they are in Mission: Impossible III, the blacks are crushed. Some may find this pleasing, and it may well be director J.J. Abrams intention, but it decreases depth in dark areas and nearly eliminates shadow detail, so it gets knocked down a few pegs despite it's stunning sharpness.

The titles within a tier are also in order of PQ. A title listed above another in the same tier has a slightly higher PQ rating.

A debate we often have here is in regard to "director's intent". Please note that this list does not reflect it. Sky Captain, for example, is purposefully blurry to mirror film stock of the time period it is honoring. However this reduces its placement on the list. While the director's intent is clear with this title, with others it is more difficult to discern. Since trying to divine it would be purely subjective, it doesn't have a place on this list. If blacks are crushed, like they are in Mission: Impossible III, the blacks are crushed. Some may find this pleasing, and it may well be director J.J. Abrams intention, but it decreases depth in dark areas and nearly eliminates shadow detail, so it gets knocked down a few pegs despite it's stunning sharpness.

It's important to consider what the director was trying to do with his choice of film stock etc. It's not just a matter of providing the best picture quality for the audience, but rather setting a tone for the movie itself.

There should be no difference in picture quality for a Movie released on both Blu-Ray or HD-DVD if using the same codecs etc. It's just a different media. The real issue is the quality of the film to video transfer and encoding quality.

The Tier System for HD DVD PQ:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705387

The Tier System For Blu-ray PQ:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=753726

[Hydrology]

While your act is a noble one, I dont really see how something like this can help unless its kept as a general example of quality. Unless we have the directors and DOP's involved telling us of decision to choose a certain film stock, and the compressionists telling us sacrifices that had to be made here and there for space constraints. I know some read the AVS thread religiously on the subject. Not me however.

Am I being anti-social today?

[AndrewW]

I use these two threads as a guide, but only as a guide.

I also like to read a review or 2 that has some context to the rating before deciding on a purchase.

I find that www.dvdtalk.com does quite un-biased reviews, and I haven't bought a dud yet after following their recommendations.

Andrew.

[bizzibee]

While your act is a noble one, I dont really see how something like this can help unless its kept as a general example of quality. Unless we have the directors and DOP's involved telling us of decision to choose a certain film stock, and the compressionists telling us sacrifices that had to be made here and there for space constraints. I know some read the AVS thread religiously on the subject. Not me however.

Am I being anti-social today?

Mark,

I posted the links so people here would have a source that they could refer to, to see what the general feeling was regarding the picture quality of a particular Blu-Ray or HD-DVD release. It is important for consumers to know, and be aware of the fact that even with a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD movie release, that it doesn't mean a pristine picture. I think as a general rule, the movie would be encoded at the highest possible bitrate (However I could be wrong here). So really the only two things that could effect the picture quality of the final product is either the quality of the Master used for the transfer. Or the fact that the Director used a particular film stock, or shot the film a particular way (soft focus) etc. to give the movie a particular feeling/mood etc.

I am aware that Sony Pictures have gone on record as saying that they weren't going to clean up "fix" a transfer if the original negative showed particular effects such as film grain, soft focus etc. as that is the way the movie was shoot by the director. It is important to remember that a director may shoot a movie a certain way because that is/was his/her vision for the movie. The same reason she/he may decide on a 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio instead of 2.35:1 or 1.85:1. We should respect his/her choice like we do when it comes to the Aspect Ratio used. I am aware that budget constraints may force a director into doing certain things that he/she may not have intended to do in the first place. However it is the original director who should be the only one who decides on changes to the original if required for whatever reason.

I hope you can see where I'm coming from with this. I know you guys have all spent big money to buy either of both of the new HD players, and want to see the difference that HD can make to a movie. But sometimes the picture quality may not be much better than DVD because of a number of reasons. For me when I watch a movie I'm not looking some much at the screen for eye candy, (well yes I am for some Movies) but rather trying to understand the story and the characters etc. However I did watch Apollo 13 at HN the other day on a 1080p display and was very impressed with certain scenes, especially those inside the space capsule. They were razor sharp and crystal clear. The fine detail on each of the astronauts' faces was amazing. However some of the other shoots were grainy. However it didn't worry me.

Anyway you don't have to read those threads on AVS. However it might save you from buying a movie on either HD format that you regret. You can also check out other reviews like Andrew does at www.dvdtalk.com

I saw a trailer for Casino Royale on DVD (part of a trailer for Blu-Ray at the start of a movie) and it's picture quality was one of the best I've seen on DVD, and that was on a 150" screen from a CRT Projector 576i upscaled to 1080i.

Mark

[mattis]

I saw a trailer for Casino Royale on DVD (part of a trailer for Blu-Ray) and it's picture quality was one of the best I've seen on DVD, and that was on a 150" screen from a CRT Projector.

Mark

I watched my Blu Ray copy of Casino Royale last night. Pretty damn good viewing experience though I wouldn't rate it as the best HD I've seen. I've actually yet to watch a Blu Ray that gives me quite the same wow as some HD DVD titles have, but I have a few more unwatched ones yet so maybe that will change. Hope so!

Matt

[Gino]

Regardless of Tier, I have still yet to find a HD-DVD whose PQ did not exceed that of SD DVD.

[Curious]

Regardless of Tier, I have still yet to find a HD-DVD whose PQ did not exceed that of SD DVD.

Good point Gino,

I don't have any extensive HD-DVD viewing experience to speak of (apart from some sample scenes of The Riddick Cronicles at the Norpus household ) but it is important that the guys that do have that experience keep the rest of us from losing ourselves in utter confusion where SD and HD viewing is concerned. Clearly (no pun intended) HD viewing is a noticeable improvement over SD viewing (this is my experience with TV programming) and we should not be concerned that viewing HD-DVD will in any way be poorer in comparison to the same titled SD-DVD.

Er...right?

Curious