Films that actually look better on Blu-ray over DVD

mikeymike · **Joined:** Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:05 pm **Posts:** 2028

Since getting a new, modern television, I can see an appreciable difference between a Blu-ray disc and a DVD. I'm not going to go out and buy BR discs to replace my DVDs, but it would be good to know if anyone knows of a website that catalogues films that look better on Blu-ray over DVD.

http://www.which.co.uk/technology/tv-an ... rsus-dvd-/

Scorpiuscat · **Posted:** Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:26 pm

I dont know how interested I am in in replacing all my DVD's with Blu-ray versions, however, there are a few select films that I think I will want on Blu-ray.

Mostly good, Sci-Fi films with lots of eye candy, ST: The Wrath of Khan for example and its going to be hard for me to resist Star Wars when it hits Blu-Ray.

Lord of the Rings trilogy will be a good one.

Cybermonk · **Joined:** Tue May 09, 2006 9:02 pm **Posts:** 1851

I don't know a whole lot about this. (I have an HD TV but haven't been sold on Blu-ray yet)
But I think most _movies_ would see some noticeable improvement in HD if for nothing else than going from 480 lines to 720 or better. They were meant to be seem on a big big screen and they have the detail there if mastered correctly.

TV on the other hand is iffy. If it was shot on video and not in HD you're not likely to see any difference. And if it was shot on film that can sometimes be even worse since the director was shooting with an eye toward the small low res screens of the day.
As good as the remastered Star Trek:TOS looks, you have to engage a little more suspension of disbelief when you can see the glue line around Spock's ears and the pancake makeup on the green dancing girl....

Scorpiuscat · **Posted:** Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:36 pm

However, Football in HD is awesome =D>

mikeymike · **Joined:** Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:05 pm **Posts:** 2028

See the article I linked. Sometimes they just use the digital source that they used for the DVD then up-scale it. The article also backs up something a friend said about analog films having the potential to look better than many digital films because if you scan the negatives, you've got a source with a lot more detail. That's why films like "From Russia With Love" are in the 'best' list.

Silverhaze · **Joined:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:22 am **Posts:** 3383

Im not sold on blu-ray yet. I have a PS3 and I think it does a piss poor job on blu-ray. I find it grainy and not very nice to look at. Some films such as 300 are awful and others arent so bad. I need to compare it to a proper player before I go and buy any more films.

Dexter Douglas · **Posted:** Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:50 am

The first movie that always comes to mind is District 9. On Bluray, the film looks flatout amazing. The crispness and detail make you actually fell like you're there in the film. The Abrams Star Trek flick looks pretty freaking great, too.

One thing that needs to be brought into consideration is what your expectations are. A truly good Bluray transfer will still have film grain on it. It's what makes it a film. The images on screen should be more detailed and sharp. If you have too much DNR (Digital Noise Reduction, which takes out film grain, scratches, etc.), you end up with the new Predator transfer where Arnold looks like he has wax skin. Colors will be more vibrant, also. My copy of The African Queen looks gorgeous beyond words.

Don't just limit yourself to new movies, either. Older movies like The African Queen, Wizard of Oz, Casablanca and pretty much anything Criterion has put out on Bluray will blow your mind with just how clear and beautiful they look.

I tend to check reviews over at dvdbeaver.com or dvdtalk.com for solid looks at home video releases. They go into great detail on the extras as well as how the transfer looks and how the sound mix performs. Some studios are notorious for only wanting to make a buck, so they don't do a new transfer for the Bluray and either use an old HD transfer or just upconvert the existing DVD. Others are known for how much care they put into a transfer to make it look and sound as good as possible.

Silverhaze · **Joined:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:22 am **Posts:** 3383

There were many complaints about the bluray of 300 being terrible for grain. Its not just film grain but looks like noise pasted over the entire film but I have since read that this was originally intended so maybe the HD version just really shows it. The Watchmen has it to an extent but the film still looks great especially if you have a nice high contrast ratio on your TV.

So now we are at today and I have just received Toy Story 3 from Play.com

Wow. I stand totally corrected by this. Its vibrant, crisp, clear and not even a hint of grain or noise. Watching this later on is going to be a real feast of eye candy lol

Dexter Douglas · **Posted:** Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:25 pm

You'll freaking love the transfer on District 9, then. Since it was shot digitally, I don't recall seeing any grain at all whatsoever.

Silverhaze · **Joined:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:22 am **Posts:** 3383

I do love that film. I have it on DVD but if I see a cheap bluray I'll grab it.

Dexter Douglas · **Posted:** Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:50 am

Silverhaze wrote:

I do love that film. I have it on DVD but if I see a cheap bluray I'll grab it.

Keep an eye out for deals. I think Ultimate Electronics had it for $8-$9 within the last week or so and Amazon has had it about that low recently as well. It's worth every penny.

mikeymike · **Joined:** Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:05 pm **Posts:** 2028

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... runner.htm

It's really strange how the tint of the Bladerunner shots has changed between editions, there's only a couple where the more recent editions look faithful to the original.

Scorpiuscat · **Posted:** Sun Dec 12, 2010 10:46 am

mikeymike wrote:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews24/bladerunner.htm

It's really strange how the tint of the Bladerunner shots has changed between editions, there's only a couple where the more recent editions look faithful to the original.

Interesting screen shots, I wonder why the "tint" as you say is different for almost every cut?

The Doctor · **Posted:** Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:36 pm

Scorpiuscat wrote:

Mostly good, Sci-Fi films with lots of eye candy, ST: The Wrath of Khan for example and its going to be hard for me to resist Star Wars when it hits Blu-Ray.

I got ST 2: The Wrath of Kahn on Blu-Ray and I was disappointed. I think the quality wasn't much over DVD and it's not the Director's Cut so it doesn't have all the fun stuff and added scenes.

mikeymike · **Joined:** Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:05 pm **Posts:** 2028

ST2 - was it the one with the new cover?:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Trek-Wrath ... 543&sr=1-1

Amazon labels ST5 with that cover as being 'remastered', which would have been more promising (unless the movie label simply lied about that).

Films that actually look better on Blu-ray over DVD

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