"V for Vendetta" heads to Blu-ray.
On May 20, Warner Bros. will release "V for Vendetta" on Blu-ray. Previously, the title was only available in high definition on HD DVD.
Synopsis:
Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey (Natalie Portman) who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante (Hugo Weaving) known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, V ignites a revolution when he detonates two London landmarks and takes over the government-controlled airwaves, urging his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression. As Evey uncovers the truth about V's mysterious background, she also discovers the truth about herself and emerges as his unlikely ally in the culmination of his plot to bring freedom and justice back to a society fraught with cruelty and corruption.
Please Note - More details:
Be sure to check out the full details under related releases.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Member since:
June 2006
June 2006
Interesting movie, but just doesn't hold up on repeat viewings, especially the over the top last reel and ending. The HD-DVD quality was excellent all-the-way-around, so I would expect nothing less from the Blu-ray. That brief Natalie Portman 'gangsta rap' SNLive bonus segment is hilarious!
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
-JIMI (the Voodoo Child)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Member since:
April 2006
April 2006
Along with Batman Begins, let's hope Warner gives this film a new telecine transfer and encoding. It's a beautifully shot film, thick with atmosphere, and it deserves the best picture it can get.
The current HDDVD version is good, but lacks the pin-sharp clarity of better transfers from other studios.
The current HDDVD version is good, but lacks the pin-sharp clarity of better transfers from other studios.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
Electric,
Are you suggesting that along with "V for Vendetta," "Batman Begins" doesn't have a pin-sharp HD DVD presentation? I found "Batman Begins" among the best live-action HD pictures around. Or were you only referring to "V" needing a new mastering?
In any case, it would surprise me if Warner Bros. remastered "V." They have always used exactly the same masters for their HD DVD and BD releases.
John
Are you suggesting that along with "V for Vendetta," "Batman Begins" doesn't have a pin-sharp HD DVD presentation? I found "Batman Begins" among the best live-action HD pictures around. Or were you only referring to "V" needing a new mastering?
In any case, it would surprise me if Warner Bros. remastered "V." They have always used exactly the same masters for their HD DVD and BD releases.
John
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Member since:
April 2006
April 2006
Yep.
Compare it to razor-sharp transfers like, say, Black Snake Moan (Paramount), Kingdom of Heaven (Fox), Spiderman 3 and Black Book (Sony), Pirates of the Carribean and Bridge to Terribithia (Disney), or King Kong and Hot Fuzz (Universal), and the difference is literally clear. All these films have different looks, but they're sharp and finely detailed.
In comparison, Batman Begins, V for Vendetta, and pretty much every Warner HD transfer I've seen, comes up relatively soft.
On a 100 inch projection screen, this softness is even more obvious - even at 720p.
Also, like the standard DVD, Batman is also slightly vertically over-squashed! It's only slight - 5% maybe - but it's there. (Perhaps the anamorphic squeeze wasn't correctly adjusted in telecine.)
Compare it to razor-sharp transfers like, say, Black Snake Moan (Paramount), Kingdom of Heaven (Fox), Spiderman 3 and Black Book (Sony), Pirates of the Carribean and Bridge to Terribithia (Disney), or King Kong and Hot Fuzz (Universal), and the difference is literally clear. All these films have different looks, but they're sharp and finely detailed.
In comparison, Batman Begins, V for Vendetta, and pretty much every Warner HD transfer I've seen, comes up relatively soft.
On a 100 inch projection screen, this softness is even more obvious - even at 720p.
Also, like the standard DVD, Batman is also slightly vertically over-squashed! It's only slight - 5% maybe - but it's there. (Perhaps the anamorphic squeeze wasn't correctly adjusted in telecine.)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Member since:
August 2007
August 2007
@Electric_Haggis
Are you sure it's not your projector? I have a Toshiba 65" 1080i that I watched V For Vendetta with and I was thoroughly disappointed. The white mask of V had terrible halos around it like vaseline was smeared over the image. As soon as I upgraded to a Sony 60-A2000, the 1080p image was pristine.
Are you sure it's not your projector? I have a Toshiba 65" 1080i that I watched V For Vendetta with and I was thoroughly disappointed. The white mask of V had terrible halos around it like vaseline was smeared over the image. As soon as I upgraded to a Sony 60-A2000, the 1080p image was pristine.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Member since:
April 2006
April 2006
It could be. It's just that other HD transfers like the ones I mentioned look SO damn good.
For the record, projector is a Mitsubishi HC3000.
For the record, projector is a Mitsubishi HC3000.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Member since:
October 2007
October 2007
Batman Begins was soft? Although I haven't seen "V" on HD yet, Batman Begins looked mighty fine to me on my Optoma HD80 @ 130". My only complaint with Warner in general is their occasional use of excessive EE, but at least not quite as bad as Universal has been in this regard in my opinion (although chance would have it that I've watched some great Universal transfers lately for some reason - luck?).
Edit: What did you use to calibrate your projector? If your Mits HC3000 has the "BrilliantColor" thing like my Optoma HD80 (I know the Mits HC1500 has it), you may want to dial this down for HD sources.
[Post edited by Skyhawk on Mar 30, 2008]
Edit: What did you use to calibrate your projector? If your Mits HC3000 has the "BrilliantColor" thing like my Optoma HD80 (I know the Mits HC1500 has it), you may want to dial this down for HD sources.
[Post edited by Skyhawk on Mar 30, 2008]
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Member since:
February 2008
February 2008
I have the Mitsu HC3000 as well, and I always have the brilliant color feature turned on. It makes the image looks more vibrant. BTW, I love watching Blu-rays on it in 1080i/60 mode.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Member since:
October 2007
October 2007
gvortex7, I think the BrilliantColor cranked up may improve the look for standard DVD and TV sources when the colors would otherwise be washed out, but I wouldn't go above a "3" setting for Blu-ray or HD DVD sources. It seems to make the picture look "cartoony" or something, it's hard to describe - almost like it's doing something with the edges that can give it an "artificial" look.
I'd certainly suggest when calibrating color temperature, color saturation, gamma, etc. to ensure that all image processing options (including sharpness) are off first. Then when things look good, experiment with the various processing options including BrilliantColor on a variety of sources. HD media should have enough color saturation and vibrant colors in the source compared to standard DVDs. This is what presets are good for.
I'd certainly suggest when calibrating color temperature, color saturation, gamma, etc. to ensure that all image processing options (including sharpness) are off first. Then when things look good, experiment with the various processing options including BrilliantColor on a variety of sources. HD media should have enough color saturation and vibrant colors in the source compared to standard DVDs. This is what presets are good for.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Member since:
April 2006
April 2006
Batman Begins is a good transfer, for sure. But compare its sharpness and detail to that found on newer, better transfers (Black Snake Moan, Spiderman 3, Kingdom of Heaven, Black Book, Pirates of the Carribean, Casino Royale, King Kong, Hot Fuzz), and it really starts to show its age.
I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's compared it to the above titles, especially on the Mitsubishi HC3000.
As for BrilliantColor, it varies wildly from one projector to the next, depending on the implementation (The new BenQ W5000, for example, does it badly). The Mitsubishi HC3000 has only ON or OFF, and it works brilliantly so long as the projector is callibrated. However, I've found that for the cleanest, most accurate picture, BrilliantColor is still best left off. It makes less difference after proper callibration anyway...
[Post edited by Electric_Haggis on Mar 30, 2008]
I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's compared it to the above titles, especially on the Mitsubishi HC3000.
As for BrilliantColor, it varies wildly from one projector to the next, depending on the implementation (The new BenQ W5000, for example, does it badly). The Mitsubishi HC3000 has only ON or OFF, and it works brilliantly so long as the projector is callibrated. However, I've found that for the cleanest, most accurate picture, BrilliantColor is still best left off. It makes less difference after proper callibration anyway...
[Post edited by Electric_Haggis on Mar 30, 2008]
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