Jurassic Park [Special Edition, Dolby Digital]

I just revisited this disc yesterday and I feel like I have to comment about the video quality of this DVD.

JP was one of the first DVDs I bought, and I was endlessly marvelled by it. After buying a lot more of them and being spoiled by perfect video transfers like the Extended Editions of the LOTR movies, I was compelled to bring out the ol boy.

And I was very surprised at the result. What I thought was a perfect transfer now I view as a mediocre transfer. I still think the colors are fine, but the video is a little too soft (maybe it was originally, but I forget) and worse of all is I can see blocky artifacts from the get-go. It might not be apparent for people watching this movie on regular TVs, but for kids like me who watch DVDs on their computer screens these things tend to get amplified.

Very true, YCH. Video transfers have gotten better in last few years, and, of course, they will get better in the future as high definition becomes the format of choice. I, too, see the softness in "Jurassic Park" by today's standards.

John

Well, if you watch DVDs on your computer, then yes, you're going to see more "problems" than you would on TVs. You see, computer monitors have higher resolutions than the old TV standard, and looking at things that have less resolution than your monitor with the image maximized to the limits of your display means that you'll see the pixel-composition. Duh. ;)

Eddie, I'm well aware of the fact that computer monitors expose every little problem of a DVD transfer. But I still think JP has an above average amount of compression artifacts, even for a year 2000 disc.

Here check out this picture I've taken:
- EXTERNAL LINK -

some of those "problems" can be attributed to edge enhancement, which is something that is used to make things look "sharper".

the thing about "jurassic park" is that the movie was intentionally shot a little "soft" in order to disguise the special effects (which were not as good as today's).