Re: Batman Begins comes to Blu-ray

The HD DVD transfer is astonishing and will not be beat by Blu-ray - you should be happy if it equals the HD DVD release. It's one of my favorite HD DVDs!

$50? They can kiss my hind end! I got my free Blu-rays in the mail yesterday. I still have yet to buy but two BRDs on sale. One day these Blu-ray discs may be worth their price...the day they start costing $20 instead of $30!

"The HD DVD transfer is astonishing and will not be beat by Blu-ray." --JPSofCA

Yes, the HD DVD transfer is excellent, among the best available in either format. However, Warner Bros. use the same video encodes for both their HD DVD and Blu-ray releases, so the picture quality on the Blu-ray disc should be identical to the HD DVD. That's assuming they continue their practice of using the same bit rates in transferring both encodes to disc. With BD, they have more capacity, and they could, theoretically, use a higher bit rate. But the odds are against it.

John

I disagree.
While Batman Begins was an excellent transfer at the time of its release - these days, it's looking pretty damn soft up against more recent transfers from other studios. Compare it to, say, Black Snake Moan (Paramount), Spiderman 3 and Black Book (Sony), Pirates of the Carribean and Bridge to Terribithia (Disney), or King Kong and Hot Fuzz (Universal) and tell me you disagree.

On a 100 inch projection screen - even at 720p - the softness of the transfer is even more obvious.

Warner Bros... are you listening? Your transfers are good - but they're a definite step below what the other studios are putting out these days. Please re-transfer and re-encode this film!!!

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[Post edited by Electric_Haggis on Mar 15, 2008 - CDT 8:38 PM]

FYI... Update
-Limited Edition Gift Set ($49.95 MSRP)
-save on Amazon.com ~ $33.95 (+ free shipping)

(regular Blu-ray edition also available)

Release Date July 8, 2008

> Large "Inside the Box" image of the Batman Begins DELUXE Blu-ray Limited Edition Gift Set (<view here)

~ also "Outside the Box" large image...



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-JIMI McLovin (the Voodoo Child)

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[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on May 31, 2008 - CDT 10:26 PM]

"Compare it to, say, Black Snake Moan (Paramount), Spiderman 3 and Black Book (Sony), Pirates of the Carribean and Bridge to Terribithia (Disney), or King Kong and Hot Fuzz (Universal) and tell me you disagree." --Electric_Haggis

OK, I'll bite. I disagree.

"Black Snake Moan" didn't look like anything I've ever seen in reality. It is glossy, shiny, and oversaturated. "Pirates" looks messy and overly dark. "King Kong" is OK, and "Hot Fuzz" is the best of the lot. But, really, put "Black Snake" on the screen and then follow it with "Hot Fuzz." The picture quality is night-and-day different. Yet they both can't be "right." Which one looks like real life? How do you know what real life looks like? Just look out the window and then look back at the screen. "Hot Fuzz" wins hands down.

Anyway, "Batman Begins" holds up as one of the best HD DVD transfers yet. No serious "softness" that I notice and deep, intense, yet natural colors.

John

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[Post edited by John J. Puccio on Jun 1, 2008 - CDT 12:03 AM]

Quote:
Anyway, "Batman Begins" holds up as one of the best HD DVD transfers yet. No serious "softness" that I notice and deep, intense, yet natural colors.

"Batman Begins" is really, really good in PQ, but I'd have to say my favorite in HD DVD is "Stardust". There are literally some jaw dropping, OMG moments in the PQ in that movie. I'd have to say of all the hi-defs I have so far, "Stardust" is probably my favorite for PQ.

Quote:
FYI... Update
-Limited Edition Gift Set ($49.95 MSRP)
-save on Amazon.com ~ $33.95 (+ free shipping)

*cough cough* $29.96 from the Warner Store, preordered roughly a month ago. I'll prolly have it in hand July 7.

Jason, I am Bat-Lantern

Quote:
Tim Said,

Batman Begins" is really, really good in PQ, but I'd have to say my favorite in HD DVD is "Stardust". There are literally some jaw dropping, OMG moments in the PQ in that movie. I'd have to say of all the hi-defs I have so far, "Stardust" is probably my favorite for PQ.

Stardust is one of the best that I have seen as well. Great movie! Have you had a chance to check the Bourne Ultimatum or Evan Almighty on HD DVD. They are excellent as well. I picked up Eastern Promises to other day for $7.99! The guy who gets the finger chopped off is almost unwatchable....

Hi John.

What you're referring to is the various looks of these films, which reflect "reality" to varying degrees. Black Snake Moan and Pirates, for example, aim for a more "hyper-real" look with crushed blacks (some might say overly crushed). Other films, like Hot Fuzz, are more "straight" and natural in their look. King Kong has many looks, mostly depending on the location of the scene (but on the whole it's still as sharp as a tack).

These are simply artistic choices the filmmakers have made.

All that remains is for those doing the video transfer to adhere to that original source material as faithfully as possible. And that's what I'm looking for.
I've since had the chance to view Batman Begins, and some of the other titles I mentioned, on a 1080p projector with a 100" screen. Once again, Batman Begins doesn't quite cut it in the sharpness stakes. I read somewhere that Christopher Nolan and his DOP stayed away from using digital intermediate, as they weren't happy with the results at the time. Bearing this in mind, it all makes sense - Have a look at the end credit cards. You'll see film-weave. The film was telecined off a film print, which would explain why it doesn't quite have the sharpness of films ported straight from a DI master.

(By the way, just read your review of There Will Be Blood. I'm gessing the grain-free picture is due to large portions of the film being shot anamorphically on 50 ASA filmstock - an amazing rarity these days! Having said that, I was very disappointed with the theatrical print I saw.)

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[Post edited by Electric_Haggis on Jun 1, 2008 - CDT 4:39 PM]