2100 replies to this topic

[TheFrog]

http://www.ebay.com....#ht_8249wt_1021

Just received my boxset of The Alien Quadrology for a ridiculous $36aud which includes postage.

I only played Aliens for a hr or so, but both PQ and SQ are excellent.....for whatever reason, Aliens is 1.85, whereas all the others are 2.35.
These are 50g BD, so each of the 4 movie discs contains both the TE and the SE as well, so 8 movies+ 2 additional BD's full of extra's.
Considering the price and the content, this has to be one of the best if not the best value package ever.

[:)]

the frog, this is not the place for posts such as yours. this is a review sub forum, and if you have a look at the posts, we have a set format to post reviews. perhaps you can do a review of the subject matter once watched it. but yeah otherwise a post such as yours above is better posted some place else.

theres this thread here for instance, where discussion as above probably better placed

http://www.dtvforum....ic=89478&st=400

[Wags]

:), on 10 January 2012 - 09:23 PM, said:

theres this thread here for instance, where discussion as above probably better placed

http://www.dtvforum....9478&st=400

Or the Blu Ray Bargains thread?

[mrdenn1s]

Stop bitch slapping the Frog

At least he has letters in his name

[rareairunc]

Fedders, on 06 January 2009 - 09:20 PM, said:

Jewel: The Essential Live Songbook

Concert Itself: I am going to get so much crap over this, but I'm a big fan of Jewel. After watching this mammoth excuse for a concert (240 odd minutes over 2 disks and comprising of 2 full concerts, and highlights of one more), I must say I'm now an even bigger fan. The concerts are very enjoyable and Jewel even talks a little in the concerts about her life and how she came to be who she is today. It's nice to actually see a down to earth singer!! Also, check out the background at the Red Rocks venue in the extra features (what a place to have a concert). A big reccomend and this title puts Celine Dion to shame!! (plus you don't have to be embarrassed to own this title!!) Score: 4.5/5

PQ: The first thing I will say is that Jewel wears too much make up, as we can see it close up in 1080P clarity. I now know what those other non-mentionable titles would look like in 1080P now  style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif . The quality of the picture is high, but I have trouble giving a 5.0 as not much happens and detail could be better. Score: 4/5

AQ: Oh my god, oh my god!! What an audiofiles delight!!! I almost wet myself in excitement from the delight of listening to the first few songs and the quality of the audio, This title is produced by a small company (Koch Entertainment - or I think they are small) and they have created a true reference quality track here. This is the first time I have watched a title and felt as though I was actually there. If this small company can produce such a high quality lossless audio track, why cant they do this for all the new movies coming out (u listening Warner??) This is the best sounding title I have (and I have 200 odd HD's and 90 odd Blu's). Score: 5/5

Is this region free or locked to reg a?

[yorac]

rareairunc, on 13 January 2012 - 01:06 PM, said:

Is this region free or locked to reg a?

Have it at home, will check tonight but reasonably sure RF................

[rareairunc]

yorac, on 13 January 2012 - 01:11 PM, said:

Have it at home, will check tonight but reasonably sure RF................

Thanks heaps mate and do you have the 2 disc edition or the one disc? and if its the one disc what is the difference from the 2 disc?
cheers for you help

[yorac]

rareairunc, on 13 January 2012 - 01:14 PM, said:

Thanks heaps mate and do you have the 2 disc edition or the one disc? and if its the one disc what is the difference from the 2 disc?
cheers for you help

Single disc is marked ABC mate and have no idea what the difference between the 1 and 2 disc sets are...........

Edited by yorac, 14 January 2012 - 11:12 AM.

[rareairunc]

thanks for the help yorac

[709er]

PROOF - US Release - Region Free - 2.35:1 - DTS HDMA 5:1

Excellent, insightful look into the life of a brilliant young woman before and after the death of her genius mathematician  father (who for several years was mentally insane) leading her to question her own sanity.
A total talk-fest, but rivetting and interesting throughout.
The PQ was a bit of a mixed bag. Gorgeous scenery when exterior shots were used, but less detailed for the most part which took place in their Chicago home.
The AQ was clear and well balanced and the soundtrack music (reminiscent of that of Tangerine Dream's Risky Business) - when used , was excellent and ethereal.
Wonderful way to spend a couple of hours.

FILM: 4.2/5
PQ: 3.5/5
AQ: 4/5

[GaryCook]

Captain America (The Original Avenger)


PQ: 4.6/5 - Nice transfer, good (not great) special effects, patchy (but OK) CG, superb colours, lots of action with enough in your face American partriotism to make us cringe.  It's visually and sound wise engaging and the viewing time (just over 2 hours) flies.


AQ: 4.8/5 - Although not as good as Thor, which IMHO is the best AQ mix I have heard, but still very very good. The dIalogue is occasionally quiet, so make sure your centre is up to volume.


The story 4.0/5 is based on the original WW2 vintage Captain America comics with an ending that neatly leads into The Avengers.  It's a keeper for me as I was an avid CA reader, in the Marvel era, not old enough for its Timely Comics predecessor.  Hugo Weaving and Tommy Lee Jones are, as to be expected, spot on choices for their roles.



Cheers
Gary

Edited by GaryCook, 30 January 2012 - 12:22 PM.

[Bosch]

Watchmen - Director's Cut

This is the Australian MA 15+ region B release from Paramount.

Video 4.5/5
I believe this is the improved (more detail) AVC encode from Paramount in the UK. The older US disc had a lower bitrate VC-1 encode (I've never since this release). It looks fantastic, detail is great, although the dark scenes (95% of the movie) and muted colours make it hard to judge sometimes. Fine grain is visible occasionally but it looks natural.

Audio 4.5/5
Generally excellent. Some dialogue is hard to disern at times, e.g. Rorschach's mumble, while at other times it's OK, so this seems to be how the centre channel it's mixed. Overall, the soundtrack is mostly front stage with surrounds engaged at specific moments.

Movie 4/5
I'm a big fan of the comic, and was blown away by this adaptation. It looses its edge with each viewing. Still, this is one of my favourite movies from the last five years, so it was a must buy. The 24 mins of extended scenes pushes the running time out to 183 mins. There is some extra gore (slightly extended shots), more of Nixon as president, and other exposition. It's a marathon, but so is the original graphic novel. Disc two contains the usual extras.

I considered getting the Ultimate Cut, but will get the BLACK FRIEGHTER Blu-ray cheap instead. Note that I have not seen this in a shop yet. Got mine from E-Bay.

Edited by Bosch, 09 February 2012 - 03:18 PM.

[yorac]

Robin Hood (2010) 2.40:1 - DTS-HD MA 5.1

Region A - region free

PQ: 4.5/5 -  A nice and clear transfer on display here and colourful enough at times, pretty much what you expect from a modern movie.........

AQ: 4.5/5 - The audio here is again serviceable and it rumbles when it needs to, large amount of talking in it and that is clear enough.......

The Movie: Surprised me that it hasn't been reviewed but guess that's almost because it got largely panned by the critics, I don't know why however as it is just a different take on the legend, Rusty and Cate do a great job and William Hurt actually gets to act again, well worth a watch but it is a little slow at times as it builds it's story, just be prepared for a difference especially if you have seen the Costner version (which is also good imho)................

[yorac]

Updated with 768 reviews................

[:)]

yorac, on 11 February 2012 - 09:54 AM, said:

Robin Hood (2010) 2.40:1 - DTS-HD MA 5.1

Region A - region free

PQ: 4.5/5 -  A nice and clear transfer on display here and colourful enough at times, pretty much what you expect from a modern movie.........

AQ: 4.5/5 - The audio here is again serviceable and it rumbles when it needs to, large amount of talking in it and that is clear enough.......

The Movie: Surprised me that it hasn't been reviewed but guess that's almost because it got largely panned by the critics, I don't know why however as it is just a different take on the legend, Rusty and Cate do a great job and William Hurt actually gets to act again, well worth a watch but it is a little slow at times as it builds it's story, just be prepared for a difference especially if you have seen the Costner version (which is also good imho)................

yes dotn know why got panned by the critics either. one I definitely have enjoyed watching on blu-ray as well

[GaryCook]

:), on 11 February 2012 - 01:27 PM, said:

yes dotn know why got panned by the critics either. one I definitely have enjoyed watching on blu-ray as well

The English critics don't like Americans taking liberty with their history/mythology, Sherlock Holmes gets the same critical treatment.


Cheers
Gary

[yorac]

BlackFlash, on 13 December 2008 - 09:31 AM, said:

Dances With Wolves: Region B german release, locked, run time approx 234 minutes, MPEG4AVC codec

Picture quality: Other than some white speckle print damage very early on in the movie and three scenes where the picture was somewhat soft, it's hard to fault this excellent transfer. The level of detail is perhaps not always as high as one might wish, particularly in those scenes where the image is notably soft, but it is for the most part well above average. The movie, being mostly outdoors in bright daylight, lends itself to fabulously rich autumnal colours (pale yellow, red and green) and a superb level of contrast giving that 3D effect. I don't own the DVD of this movie, so have nothing to compare against but I've never seen this movie look better. Highly recommended for those who cannot wait for a local or US release. Quality is on a par with the recently released Pale Rider, 9 out of 10.

Audio: There is a 7.1 DTS HD audio track available.

Watched this over the last couple of nights (227 minutes) and got to say this still stands up today, magnificent story telling and an all time classic that seems ageless................

[Bosch]

Miller's Crossing

Australian M 15+ release from Fox.

Video 4/5
A strong AVC transfer that trumps the local DVD. Detail and sharpness is evident in most shots, as are instances where the focus was out. Good natural colours are evident despite the gloomy cinematography, and fine film grain in some shots was not distracting.

Audio 4/5
Dialogue was generally clear except in some instances (due to the Irish accents and slang terms). The score came through wonderfully but the DTS HD 5.1 surround activity was limited due to this being a dialogue-driven movie.

Movie 4/5
It's great to see any of the 'good' Coen Brothers movies received a good A/V transfer on Blu-ray. MILLER'S CROSSING is one of the best period gangster films made in the last 30 years. The story and acting still holds up, as does the humour and sparse but effective violence. Extras are minimal. Overall, this is a solid upgrade for fans of the movie.

[Bosch]

King of New York

Australian R 18+ release from Umbrella.

Video 4/5
Given that this is a 1990 film made with a relatively small budget, the transfer and encode into VC-1 is strong. I didn't see any of the spots mentioned in the US disc review. Grain is sometimes visible....basically this movie on Blu-ray looks like it was made last year. Sharpness and detail is best in daytime scenes, but most night scenes looked excellent, too.

Audio 4/5
The audio is 5.1 DTS-HD. As with MILLER'S CROSSING, there's isn't much here to show off the surrounds. Some dialogue needed subtitles on my system/ears. Gunshots were suitably loud and impressive.

Movie 3.5/5
I haven't seen this Abel Ferrera movie since the early 1990s on VHS rental. It holds up well and seeing this Blu-ray was almost like watching it for the first time. An absoring, though small scale, crime story. The performances may have dated, but that's the only negative. I once suspected it was censored for the US MPAA, but never found evidence to support this hunch. I think it would get a MA 15+ rating if Umbrella re-classified it today (a total waste of money).

No extras.

[Bosch]

Pulp Fiction

UK release from Lionsgate UK.

Video 4/5
I imported this 1080p/24hz UK disc after reading on Michael's DVD Page that the Australian release was in 1080i/50hz. Fans of the film rejoice: we finally get a superb "QT approved" transfer of PULP FICTION on home video. The picture is spotless, with impressive detail, sharpness, and strong colours. Saw no compression artefacts. Shadow detail was OK...given the print elements, I doubt it will ever look better. Edge enhancement was obvious a couple of times. I forgive it because it's subtle, and overall the image pops of the screen. I found myself picking out elements in the set decoration that I never (couldn't) notice before (on a small SD screen).

Audio 4/5
The songs are very important in PULP FICTION, and they should dominate the soundstage when necessary. Past releases have been great in this regard. The DTS 5.1 HD track here adds more dynamics and detail to this familar movie (I may have seen it 10+ times).

Movie 5/5
What else to say? PULP FICTION is a modern classic. The extras include new interviews with the cast and crew and other goodies.

Edited by Bosch, 26 February 2012 - 09:18 AM.

[Ralfi]

Thanks, Bosch. Added Millers Crossing to the 'to watch' list, & look forward to Pulp Fiction (had it in Amazon UK cart for a while - just waiting for other titles to grab it with)..

[709er]

DRIVE - US release - Region A LOCKED - DTS HDMA 5:1 - 2.35:1

I was not prepared for this film. Thought it would be a "thinking mans" F & F, but it was more like Taxi Driver!
Rivetting from start to finish!
The PQ was fantastic, but the AQ was (on my system), a mixed bag.
Music and sound effects were excellent with plenty of dynamics during action sequences.
However, the dialogue was very murky. At times it was like Ryan Gosling's character was just mumbling. Other characters voices were better, but the scarce and important dialogue was annoyingly difficult to follow.
I checked out my speaker system today and all was well.
Has anybody else noticed this?

FILM: 4.2/5
PQ:4.2/5
AQ: 3.5/5

[yorac]

yorac, on 03 October 2009 - 12:47 AM, said:

QUOTE (yorac @ Oct 3 2009, 12:18 AM)
Star Trek - Generations

Region A but region free

PQ: 3.75/5 - Good transfer here without blowing you away, the odd soft scene but in general pretty good

AQ: 4/5 - The audio here is pretty good and has been transferred well to Blu ray

The Movie - I imagine most have seen it previously so won't go into too much detail other than to say it is a well told story IMO and I've always liked how it finalises the James T Kirk role with a touch of class



QUOTE (yorac @ Oct 3 2009, 12:25 AM)
Star Trek - First Contact

Region A but region free

PQ: 3.75/5 - I found the transfer here to be about the same as Generations, to my eye there was a bit more vibrancy in colours

AQ: 4/5 - The audio again here is pretty good and has been transferred well to Blu ray

The Movie - Pretty much everyone's favorite Next Gen movie but isn't my favourite, I still like it a lot however and very enjoyable, great support cast in this helps it along and a good follow up to Generations



QUOTE (yorac @ Oct 3 2009, 12:33 AM)
Star Trek - Insurrection

Region A but region free

PQ: 3.75/5 - Again no great difference in PQ from Generations andFirst Contact, comes up well with the odd soft scene IMO

AQ: 4.25/5 - This fares a little better on audio and tends to be a bit more dynamic all round with a better surround stage

The Movie - Better known as the weak link against the other TNG movies, I don't think it's as bad as some make out but it does flounder in part at trying to be too moralistic IMO, I sometimes wonder if it's a victim of the success of the first two in the series.....



QUOTE (yorac @ Oct 3 2009, 12:42 AM)
Star Trek - Nemesis

Region A but region free

PQ: 4.25/5 - Nemesis has a very good transfer and though some softness appears at times there is some wonderful PQ here as well

AQ: 4.5/5 - A very lively soundtrack here and some of the battle scenes are close to reference for SQ

The Movie - Being a more recent release this is the one that looks and sounds best, I've always liked this and rate it on par with Generations and slightly ahead of First Contact (runs for cover style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif), a solid story from beginning to end, another good support cast in this one as well (Ron Perlman, Dina Meyer)

If you're a fan these are a must get IMO, the improvement over SD is great as expected, are they reference no but well worth the upgrade and in fact at $46USD a bargain IMO, if you're just coming into these for the first time they are definitely worth a rent when they become available here.....

Been watching these again recently and have to say I may have been a little harsh on First Contact and Insurrection and really enjoying the clarity of picture on all.............

[Bosch]

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Australian M 15+ release from Universal.

Video 4.9/5
Wow, this film arrives on Bllu-ray with a reference-quality AVC transfer. Almost. Colours, detail, sharpness, grain are all superb. You can now see the fine costume details that were lost on DVD in all their eye-popping lushness. Occasionally shadow detail vanishes. but I have to assume this is part of the original photography in low-lit scenes, since the rest of the print is OK. For some reason, there's also film specs and grain over the end credits, where as the rest of the transfer was spotless.

Audio 5/5
The key aspects of the mostly front-stage soundtrack are the dialogue, which is good, and the music, which is also good. There's minimal surround activity, but I didn't notice any problems with what was delivered.

Movie 5/5
While perhapes not a masterpiece, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is nonetheless a masterful and an entertaining depiction of ye merry olde England circa 1500s, when William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlow were plying their trade. It's incredible how much is packed into the two-hour running time, and for that reason, it stands up well to repeat viewings.

Pity about Universal's menu design.

[709er]

Bosch, on 06 March 2012 - 09:02 AM, said:

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Australian M 15+ release from Universal.

Video 4.9/5
Wow, this film arrives on Bllu-ray with a reference-quality AVC transfer. Almost. Colours, detail, sharpness, grain are all superb. You can now see the fine costume details that were lost on DVD in all their eye-popping lushness. Occasionally shadow detail vanishes. but I have to assume this is part of the original photography in low-lit scenes, since the rest of the print is OK. For some reason, there's also film specs and grain over the end credits, where as the rest of the transfer was spotless.

Audio 5/5
The key aspects of the mostly front-stage soundtrack are the dialogue, which is good, and the music, which is also good. There's minimal surround activity, but I didn't notice any problems with what was delivered.

Movie 5/5
While perhapes not a masterpiece, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE is nonetheless a masterful and an entertaining depiction of ye merry olde England circa 1500s, when William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlow were plying their trade. It's incredible how much is packed into the two-hour running time, and for that reason, it stands up well to repeat viewings.

Pity about Universal's menu design.

That's great news!
I have had my copy sitting in the shelves since it was first released here. Now I'm inspired to "spin it up".
What display did you view on?