Six new titles released this week

[Ilya]

A record-breaking week! Six new HD DVD titles released on Tuesday: two from Warner Brothers and four from Universal Studios:

The Fugitive
Blazing Saddles
The Bourne Supremacy
The Chronicles of Riddick
U-571
Van Helsing​

Warner has announced three new HD DVD titles for June 6: Constantine, Firewall and The Perfect Storm. Firewall will be released day-and-date with the standard definition version. It will also be the second combo-disc, with HD DVD on one side and standard DVD on the other. Constantine will be the first title to employ IME, the new In-Movie Experience feature: Director Francis Lawrence will lead an exploration of the film's plot, stunts, etc.

Paramount Pictures is expected to join the game next month (Tomb Raider, U2: Rattle and Hum and Four brothers) and Magnolia Home Entertainment is planning to release movies and programs from HDNet (Bubble, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The War Within, Bikini Destinations and HDNet World Report Special: Shuttle Discovery’s Historic Mission).

In addition, two music HD DVD titles are scheduled for June 6 according to Amazon.com: HD/Muriel Anderson: Guitarscape Planet and View From Space With Heavenly Music.

Exciting time! Sounds like my 3 DVD at-a-time NetFlix membership may not be enough: I am already behind the release schedule!

 

[cooper]

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question, but what is the benefit to putting a movie like Blazing Saddles, which was not shot with HDTV cameras, on HD-DVD? Other than looking really good because it's been cleaned up and put on a digital format, it's not really HD, right?

 

[Ilya]

Perhaps a 30-year old movie is not the best showcase for HD DVD format, but keep in mind that movies are usually shot on a 35-mm film, which, at least in theory, has higher resolution than HD. When the movies are prepared for DVD release they are often mastered in HD (1080p or 1080i) and only then converted to 480i ('Blazing Saddles' is no exception). That HD master can now be used for HD DVD production. I haven't watched this movie yet, but according to some Internet reviews it looks good. Better than SD DVD version for sure.

See this: http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/blazingsaddles.html
or this: http://www.dvdtown.com/review/blazingsaddleshd-dvd/19038/3687/

 

[cooper]

AHHH...... Thank you. I didn't realize that 35mm was or could be HD.

 

[Paradox-SJ]

If they really want HD-DVD to take off and be accepted by the masses they need to release HD-DVD of the new movies that come out each week on regular DVD.

IMO

 

[Ilya]

AHHH...... Thank you. I didn't realize that 35mm was or could be HD.

1080i is just a bit more than 1000 lines of resolution. 35-mm film is capable of delivering 2000, up to 6000 lines of resolution. Of course it all depends on the quality of lenses, the grain of film, the quality of print and transfer, etc. I watched Full Metal Jacket HD DVD the other day, and honestly I can't say it looked any better than DVD - too grainy.

 

[Ilya]

If they really want HD-DVD to take off and be accepted by the masses they need to release HD-DVD of the new movies that come out each week on regular DVD.

As I mentioned above, Firewall will be released day-and-date with DVD.

 

[colofan]

Ilya you mentioned grainy picture to me the resolution is less important than the signal to noise ratio that digital can offer and that the frame rate is usually higher than 24 to me both really big differences.

 

[Ilya]

Ilya you mentioned grainy picture to me the resolution is less important than the signal to noise ratio that digital can offer and that the frame rate is usually higher than 24 to me both really big differences.

Full Metal Jacket looked very bad to me, frankly. Not just grainy, but also flat and dull. Compared to all other HD DVDs I watched so far this one was no good. I think it's just a bad transfer. I don't have a standard DVD to compare with, but to me this was not a good PQ, definitly not worth the premium cost of HD DVD (even though I am a big Stanley Kubrick fan).

 

[CochiseGuy]

Full Metal Jacket looked very bad to me, frankly. Not just grainy, but also flat and dull. Compared to all other HD DVDs I watched so far this one was no good. I think it's just a bad transfer. I don't have a standard DVD to compare with, but to me this was not a good PQ, definitly not worth the premium cost of HD DVD (even though I am a big Stanley Kubrick fan).

I agree on FMJ - a real disappointment for me. Fortunately it was only a Netflix rental. I've read elsewhere that the "grainy effect" was Kubrick's intention, that even the original cinema screening had that grainy look to it. I never saw it at the cinema, and sure as heck wouldn't remember the film quality that far back if I had. Apollo 13 also wasn't the best picture quality I've seen on HD DVD.

But, two other "old fims" are spectacular in HD DVD. Unforgiven was crystal clear, like watching the original film in a cinema. I had also rented Unforgiven, but bought a copy when Amazon dropped the price to $18.99 beforemy 10% discount. Blazzing Saddles is also very good. For better or worse, the PQ and DD+ audio makes you feel like you're right in the middle of that eating beans around the campfire scene. . . .

 

[vurbano]

Full Metal Jacket looked very bad to me, frankly. Not just grainy, but also flat and dull.

I agree. I thought it was crap. And there is a scene in the movie after boot camp where they finally get into battle that looks great. It shows you what the whole thing should have looked like.