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 The High Definition DVD Studio Support Petition Campaign |
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Reviews of HD DVD movies Grand Prix - (Warner) "One of the joys of being a film reviewer (er, HD DVD reviewer) is rediscovering lost gems, or seeing films for the first time that you've never heard of but everyone else has... 'Grand Prix' is, for me, a real find... quite arguably the best film ever made about the sport of auto racing... an engaging drama and an Oscar-winning technical achievement to boot, so I give a very enthusiastic thumbs up. As for this HD DVD, it is also excellent, with a stellar remastered transfer and soundtrack and a nice batch of retrospective featurettes... definitely give this one a spin... Minted from the film's original 65mm Super Panavision 70 negative and painstakingly restored, this 2.20:1 and 1080p/VC-1 transfer is one of the best I've seen on the format, regardless of age... the smoothness of this image is astounding. Even colors, which often waver with old effects films like these, are rock solid. Hues are also vibrant and pure, with no chroma noise or bleeding. Even film grain, which you would rightly expect on a film forty years-old, is almost non-existent. The depth and dimensionality here is pretty gorgeous... The audio stems have been nicely cleaned up, with no noticeable anomalies present such as dropouts or distortion present. Dynamic range has been fattened up fairly well, with the mix boasting healthy enough mid-range and high-end...."- Peter M. Bracke, HighDefDigest.com Letters from Iwo Jima - (Warner) "The HD DVD release of 'Letters from Iwo Jima' is an experience and everyone should give this "other story" of the Battle of Iwo Jima a shot... 'Letters from Iwo Jima' earned almost consistent praise from critics... Not only is the acting superb, the script is both heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. Watanabe is at his best, turning in a quiet and reflective performance that exudes honor and respectability... The cinematography is gorgeous as well... Presented in 1080p using the VC-1 codec, 'Letters from Iwo Jima' is simply stunning... this transfer is overflowing with crisp edges, deep black levels, and great shadow delineation... But perhaps best of all, 'Letters from Iwo Jima' boasts reference level fine object detail. Dust settles on war-weary arms, bullets splinter on stone, and explosions send tiny flecks of debris through the air -- it's truly a feast for the eyes... Dialogue is clear and stable, well prioritized in the soundscape, and easy to understand -- even in the heat of battle. The smallest details in the sound design are present and there is a nice realism to it, especially in moments of pure chaos." Planet Earth - BBC Edition - (BBC Video) "'Planet Earth' is a staggering documentary, one ambitious in scope and filled with lovely, often breathtaking imagery. Likewise, this HD DVD release is sure to be instant demo material, as the video is just about perfection... simply put, this disc delivers the kind of breathless demo material that early adopters have been craving. Far superior to the broadcast version... Colors are vivid and pure, from brilliant blue skies to lush green foliage to the variety of animal tones and shadings. Hues remain rock solid and stable, with no noise. Detail can be tremendous... 'Planet Earth' is the 'Citizen Kane' of shot-on-HD nature documentaries." Lucky Number Slevin - (Weinstein) "One of the best films of 2006 is Lucky Number Slevin...This little picture from the Weinstein Company was jam packed with bankable names. Bruce Willis. Morgan Freeman. Sir Ben Kingsley. Josh Hartnett. Lucy Liu... with the acting talent attached and a very good story, "Lucky Number Slevin" was one of the best films of its genre that I have seen since "The Unusual Suspects." ...When one plot twist was revealed, there was another waiting in the wings. The story kept you guessing as to what would happen next and it kept you interested in what was happening as the story unfolded... Technically, "Lucky Number Slevin" is a fine transfer... Colors are vivid and cover the full spectrum of the rainbow. Contrast is spot on... when the screen does darken, shadow detail and black levels are solid... Much of the film is dialogue based, but when gunfire erupts or an explosion or two, the sound is deep and explosive. The rear surrounds come alive and the .1 LFE rumbles strongly... all six channels sound superb. The sound, as was the case with the picture quality, is very clean and does more than justice for this little film." "an amusing, witty, and complex noir homage with superb performances that captured both my attention and my imagination... Each part is written so perfectly for its performer that to remove that one piece feels like it would collapse the entire structure of the film... Twist and turns abound, with most bringing a smile to my face as my brain worked back through all of the earlier clues I missed... On this HD DVD transfer, layers upon layers of textures retain their depth and dimension as far as the eye can follow into the background of each shot... Most impressive of all, the contrast pops primary colors away from extreme whites and blacks, molding a beautiful world that I felt I could reach out and touch... Dolby Digital-Plus surround mix that clocks in with an audio bitrate of 1.5 mpbs which provides 'Lucky Number Slevin' with deep, natural voice tones in a largely dialogue driven experience... Even when the channels are nearly silent, they consistently work together to create an immersive ambience that's ignored in a lot of modern sound design... " '300' - (Warner) "'300' turned into the sleeper blockbuster of 2007. The original graphic novel, sprung from the mind of wunderkind Frank Miller ('Sin City,' 'The Dark Knight'), was like 'Gladiator' on steroids and seemingly tailor-made to get blown up to mega-screen proportions... It also doesn't get much better than this HD DVD. The video is solid, the audio is simply kick ass, and there are so many extras (both standard and exclusive) that this one truly earns the label "cutting edge." If only to see what the HD DVD format is capable of, '300' is a must-buy... there is also an undeniable beauty to the rough grandeur of '300's visuals. Sort of like a Pixar flick on steroids (without the talking animals), the crushed look Snyder intended gives many of the shots great power... I have absolutely no reservations about the audio on this disc. '300' is a real high-resolution scorcher. This is the kind of film that has such barn-stormin' sound design that any caveats I might have are washed away by the sheer bombastic thrill of it all... Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround... Dynamics are incredibly aggressive, with heart-stopping low bass that gave my subwoofer as good a workout as any next-gen disc I've ever heard... the cleanliness and clarity of the entire frequency range is startlingly lifelike and real. The "wall of sound" effect is in full force, with discrete effects in the rears wonderfully immersive and sustained. Imaging between channels is seamless, so crank up the volume..." "A sales record breaker, "300" is an amazing special effects film that is wowing high definition owners around the country. Chris Thompson took a close look at what it's all about... They manipulate so much in this film, you simply have to see it in high definition, it is the window into all of the gritty imperfections these filmmakers created to bring this graphic novel to the screen. This is an outstanding disc visually; one of the best in that it truly represents the filmmakers intention so well, it blurs the line between reality and fantasy... you will be so taken aback by the imagery... This film looks great on HD DVD... In fact we have a Dolby True HD track that will simply astound you. All six of your speakers will remain constantly active and the subwoofer response is very pronounced. The directional effects are also dead on, and the voices come through very clearly. This sonic experience is so utterly detailed and complete that you have got to hear it... because this is easily one of, if not the best, sounding films I have ever screened in my living room." Elizabeth - (Universal) "A cinematic tour de force, 'Elizabeth' is an exquisitely dense and convincing exploration of the early rule of one of history's most influential women... Widely praised by critics and audiences alike, 'Elizabeth' is probably best known for its performances -- and not without good reason. Blanchett, Rush, and Fiennes all craft engrossingly complex renditions of their characters worthy of their numerous nominations and awards... A cinematic tour de force that combines sublime acting with flawless art direction and a great script, 'Elizabeth' deserves every ounce of critical acclaim it has amassed over the years... Featuring an often striking 1080p/VC-1 transfer, this HD DVD edition of 'Elizabeth' certainly delivers... Among the transfer's many positives is a lush palette that's home to a full spectrum of gorgeous colors... Deep blacks help imbue the image with an impressive level of depth and exterior scenes have a discrete pop, and detail also doesn't disappoint, with intricate textures and backgrounds that remain crisp regardless of the camera's focus. Finally, a clean source that doesn't exhibit artifacting or crushing of any kind... the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track (48kHz/16-Bit/18 Mbps) on this HD DVD handles what it's given with great ease... Just listen to the echoes and surround effects in the variety of cathedrals and castle halls that populate the film -- the notably accurate positioning and wonderfully natural pans are just terrific, helping this track do a great job of replicating the immersive soundfield of the original theatrical experience." TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) - (Warner) "As far as testing the limits of HD-DVD, this one certainly does, and it passes with flying colors. The detail is exquisite and very sharp, all of the background of their messy New York City abode jumps out with a staggering clarity, every tiny detail of the skylines and battle scenes shines quite clearly, this release is a winner in the picture department... all of the black levels take on an integrity all their own and many times it is quite three dimensional.... We are actually treated to a Dolby True HD track and let's just say I was utterly impressed. This is one of the better tracks on the market, because all of the battle scenes sound simply amazing. When Michelangelo skates through the sewers to the Turtles secret pad, we can easily differentiate the different textures of metal and stone the wheels of his skateboard glide upon, this track brings out clarity like you simply wouldn't believe..." "...this HD DVD release is a technical wonder with an excellent video transfer and an impressive Dolby TrueHD audio mix... From the very beginning, a lush color palette and an exquisite level of detail are on full display. I wasn't expecting the animators to pack so many textures onto the screen, but this transfer renders them perfectly. The turtles' skin, Splinter's fur, and even the cracks in their shells are crisp and sharp... Want your jaw to drop? Skip to the scene where Leo fights Raph atop a neon-lit building in the rain -- note the droplets of water as they splash on the turtles and cascade to the ground. Even better, black levels and contrast are dead on (as they are throughout the film) and the flicker of the lights make this one of the most impressive high-def scenes I've had the pleasure of watching... a rich Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio mix that pushes most scenes to their limit. The track's dynamics are the first thing I noticed and it's clear that the sound designers have produced a mix with unwavering highs and rumbling lows... The mystical elements in the film are accompanied by an immersive hum in the soundfield that gives the villains a hefty presence... demonstrates the power of a TrueHD track that's backed up by proper sound design..." March Of the Penguins - (Warner) ""March of the Penguins" is the kind of film that I'd guess almost anyone would enjoy. Whether it's for the spectacular scenery, the amazing dedication and perseverance of the animals themselves, the biological information to be found, or just the beauty of the HD-DVD reproduction, there is a little something in the movie for everybody. Personally, I just like listening to Morgan Freeman talk... The film is filled with one extraordinary sight after another... it's here that the HD-DVD contrasts are most evident, the black levels being quite intense and showing off the whites and the few other hues brilliantly... the gorgeous cinematography never goes to waste... The DD+ does its job improving upon regular Dolby Digital in terms of cleanness and clarity, with a sharp, quick transient response and a taut bass. Although the audio is nothing like a sonic spectacular in any way, we do hear the sounds of storms realistically swirling in the rear speakers." "'March of the Penguins' is really a lovely little adventure, and one that far outclasses its dreaded "natural documentary" label. It can be as thrilling as any big-budget Hollywood spectacle, and twice as moving. Warner has produced another fine HD DVD release, with strong video and audio, and a slim but compelling set of supplements... Even for a top-notch nature documentary, 'March of the Penguins' is extraordinarily photographed. Shot on film (not HD video), grain is quite visible (particularly in the opening passages) but the source is pristine... Close-ups in particular shine, with a very clean, defined picture that reveals the finest textures of our penguin friends... Overall, a very excellent picture... The score by Alex Wurman nicely fills up the front soundstage, with a bit of rear reinforcement to add impact. Morgan Freeman's classy narration is rock solid in the center channel, and always clearly recorded and reproduced. The location sound is above-average for a documentary..." Constantine - (Warner) "Presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and encoded at 1080p, 'Constantine' ranks up there with the best-looking HD DVD releases I've seen so far on the format. This is an excellent presentation, with the kind of striking picture that easily makes it top demo material for any home theater... I can only hurl superlatives at 'Constantine.' The print appears as perfect as is possible, with not a defect or blemish to be found. Blacks are also rock solid, contrast excellent and detail superb even in the darkest scenes... I was also impressed with the level of three-dimensionality to the image -- it really feels like you can reach out and touch the screen at times... This transfer also expertly reproduces the most difficult hues, especially deep reds, which are free of noise and smearing... As there is never more than a few minutes of downtime between the film's action sequences, the rear channels are almost constantly engaged with both pronounced and subtle effects bouncing around all over the place. I thought imaging was almost totally transparent on the Dolby Digital-Plus track, but it is even better on the TrueHD mix... Dynamic range also excels on both the TrueHD and Dolby Digital-Plus tracks, but again the former is little bit better... Chalk up another winner for TrueHD." A Scanner Darkly - (Warner) "'A Scanner Darkly' is a fascinating, often wondrous visual achievement... this HD DVD looks fantastic -- this one is an absolute five-star presentation. There are also some thought-provoking supplements, making this is an easy recommend for fans... the late author Philip K. Dick, The sci-fi legend, who penned such seminal epics as 'Blade Runner,' 'Total Recall,' 'Minority Report,' 'Paycheck' and 'Screamers,' was obsessed with the merging of the existential, the technological and the human throughout his career... he almost single-handedly created a new subgenre of science fiction, "tech noir." Hard-boiled, drenched in futuristic detail and filled with cynical, world-weary characters, it's a style that remains hugely influential today... this HD DVD looks absolutely stunning. It's bold, colorful, solid as a rock and always eye-popping. I rarely give out five star video ratings, but this is one of those times... 1080p/VC-1 encode... Blacks and contrast are also perfect -- the image is never too dark nor too light, and whites are spot-on without any blooming. Colors are magnificent, with clean hues... The film also has great detail and depth... makes the three-dimensionality of the image more impressive. This one really pops off the screen, and I loved the sheer act of looking at this movie." Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - (Warner) "''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is a big-budget, effects-laden retelling of Roald Dahl's beloved classic... This HD DVD release offers a very nice upgrade over the previous standard DVD release, with an improved transfer and soundtrack... this 1.85:1 widescreen, 1080p/VC-1 transfer doesn't even break a sweat trying, with a very attractive presentation... hues are both more vibrant yet smoother... detail is superior... the kind of three-dimensional image expected for such a recent film... All aspects of the mix are strong. Surrounds kick in often, with a full range of discrete effects popping around all four main channels, from various moving machinery to the gurgling chocolate to the pitter-patter of little Oompa Loompa feet. Dialogue is also firmly rooted..." Training Day - (Warner) "'Training Day' is probably the most successful example of the Big Bad Dirty Cop movie from the past couple of decades.... riveting cop drama, directed with a healthy dose of style and very well acted... the transfer is one of the best I've yet seen on the format, and Warner has also graciously included a TrueHD Dolby soundtrack that is a real stunner... 'Training Day' boasts one of the best-looking presentations I've yet seen on an HD DVD release. It is sometimes hard to articulate exactly what it is that gives a video transfer that little something extra-special... All the elements that make for a great demo disc are well in evidence here: a great print free of any defects or artifacts, rock-solid blacks, excellent contrast, pitch-perfect sharpness, great colors, and no film grain or noisiness even in the darkest-lit scenes... Dolby TrueHD delivered such a significant upgrade that I can't imagine choosing any other option if a Dolby TrueHD track was included on a disc... However, effects like the sound of ricocheting bullets bouncing across all five speakers benefited from better imaging in TrueHD, with pans of sounds between channels more seamless than I've ever heard before on a home video soundtrack... In all honesty, there are moments that really are jaw-drop worthy, and approach some of the better theatrical presentations I've heard." The Departed - (Warner) "After a career of mob movies, Martin Scorsese has delivered a career-best triple-whammy, with 'The Departed' a huge critical favorite, an Oscar shoo-in, and his biggest box office hit ever. It's a highly-entertaining genre picture... and it's got a fantastic cast... This HD DVD release delivers in spades, too... 'The Departed' easily ranks among best transfers I've seen on either format, hands down... Detail is impressive, with excellent depth throughout and shadow delineation superior. Even the darkest scenes reveal fine texture in the backgrounds, and close-ups can be tremendous... Particularly noteworthy is color reproduction... 'The Departed' on HD DVD includes a Dolby TrueHD lossless 5.1 surround track... The film is often punctuated by low tones, which have a powerful tightness rare even in the best modern surround tracks. Dialogue reproduction is also first-rate, with every word crystal clear..." Syriana - (Warner) "'Syriana' is a tough, challenging film, the kind of political thriller they just don't make anymore... perhaps the first mainstream-geared, major studio-distributed political thriller since the genre's heyday in the '70s that demands your constant attention and intellectual engagement. Every character, every line of dialogue, even moment of every scene is the purposeful building block of a larger foundation... I'm glad these kinds of films are starting to be made again... for a film this jumpy and cutty, I remain impressed at the lack of any apparent pixelization or macroblocking artifacts. This transfer is rock solid, so kudos to Warner's production team for making 'Syriana' look about as good as it ever could.... wide dynamic range, with a spacious sense of depth across the complete frequency spectrum -- low-end to high." Casablanca - (Warner) " 'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.' ...its cast superb, its atmosphere and ambiance extraordinary, its romance mesmerizing. The combination is irresistible, and the film is perfect... The American Film Institute voted "Casablanca" the second-best American film ever made. "Entertainment Weekly" gave it their number-three spot among "100 Greatest Movies." User ratings at the Internet Movie Database rank it number six in their "Top 250 Movies of All-Time." What more can a person say about a movie that defines the word "classic"? Certainly, "Casablanca" is worthy of this new Warner Brothers HD-DVD edition... Black-and-white contrasts are more vividly pointed up, delineation is sharper, and there are zero age marks or grain. Indeed, the only visible lines occur during some WWII newsreel footage. In short, the HD picture quality is exemplary... Dynamics are marginally improved in DD+, too, and there is practically no background noise unless one turns the volume up to the threshold of pain." Happy Feet - (Warner) ""Happy Feet" was one of the more deserving films of the year, and it has a wide set of moral values going for it... The picture is not just detailed, it's almost photorealistic... The video quality on this HD-DVD is, in a word, perfect... It is brilliant, minutely detailed, glistening, sparkling, radiant, and superclean. You'll find every color vividly contrasted, every line sharply etched. You can walk forward and view the screen from one or two feet away, and the image is still as clear and distinct as it is from six or eight feet away... Furthermore, the TrueHD and DD+ tracks produce slightly stronger dynamics, slightly greater depth of field, and the appearance of a slightly wider stereo spread. (These effects are especially noticeable on the TrueHD track...)" The Road Warrior - (Warner) "Few action flicks move as fast or as relentlessly as "The Road Warrior." It's fairly compact at ninety-five minutes, and there is never a dull moment. In high definition picture and sound, it's better than ever for home viewing... The print shows no signs of age despite its quarter-century vintage, free of fade, lines, scratches, or flecks. It's also free of grain except that which is inherent to the original film stock.
As we might expect, definition is sharp, and colors are natural and realistic, especially facial tones... I love high-definition audio almost as much as high-def video... There's a terrific front-channel stereo spread, the sounds of thundering cars and booming winds echoing palpably across the front sound stage.. Dynamics are clean, with plenty of impact, and bass is deep and taut." "'The Road Warrior' remains such incredible fun because it is so crazy... 'The Road Warrior' holds up smashingly well as a great car crash action movie, but it also maintains surprising relevance as a look at a post-apocalyptic future... This first-ever high-def release of the film is a godsend -- the transfer has finally been remastered, and we even get an HD exclusive audio commentary... and this is one of the best upgrades I've ever seen of a catalog title. Quite simply, it blows away the old DVD, and even improves upon a couple of theatrical screenings I've seen over the past few years... I was amazed at how clean and smooth the image now looks, while still remaining natural and film-like... the blue Australian skies are vivid and free of noise, while splashes of bright yellow and red make for nice accents." The Italian Job - (Paramount) "This is a very good film that pulls off the rare task in outperforming its original... This is an entertaining picture that awes its audience with great stunts and a good ensemble cast... The red, white and blue Mini Cooper S coupes look incredible in the 2.35:1 1080p HD-DVD transfer... The image is sharp and very colorful, whereas the colors are perfectly saturated and nicely contrasted. Never does the picture quality not appear sharp and highly detailed... The big chase seen with the trio of Mini Coopers is the best audible moments in the film and has the most aggressive usage of the surround mix in the film... " Mission Impossible III - (Paramount) "'Mission Impossible III' features a 1080p / VC-1 encoded 2.35:1 transfer that looks spectacular. Featuring a very high level of detail, clean transfer and bright and vivid colors, "Mission Impossible III" rivals most titles released on the format thus far and also marks the first time that much of the film's supplements have also been provided in High Definition... highly detailed picture. The bricks around the Vatican walls are so detailed, it looks as if you could feel the texture... Contrast is perfect. Black levels are very deep and nicely done. The opening sequence takes place under night skies and even in the darkest moments, picture quality and colors hold up nicely... the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 multi-channel soundtrack is very impressive... a very enveloping and aggressive soundtrack that engages the audience throughout the film's 125 minute running time. Gunfire, explosions, theme songs and the musical score all sound brilliant and powerful. The level of detail in the soundtrack is so deep, that each keystroke by Luther Stickell is easily noticeable." Dreamgirls - (Dreamworks) "This is one of the finest HD-DVD releases currently available and if you love music, as I do, then there is absolutely no reason to not rush out and buy a copy of "Dreamgirls." ...With incredible visuals and sound to bring the film´s concert performances to life, "Dreamgirls" is showcase material for HD-DVD. This two disc set features hours of bonus materials and one of the best making-of documentaries you will ever find... a stunning looking film. The 2.35:1 picture is mastered on HD-DVD with VC-1 compression technology and features an amazing array of color and three dimensional depth... "Dreamgirls" is about as near as you can get to perfection of color reproduction. Detail is also incredibly strong as every detail of the actors faces stands out, as well as the fabrics worn during the film... among the better sounding HD-DVD releases to date and perhaps the best sounding Paramount title yet released... Sound is incredibly detailed. The gentle and persistent tapping of percussion instruments such as cymbals comes across very precisely. Horns sound as if they are coming from within the room... The front speakers are effectively used to recreate the soundstage of a concert performance and rear surrounds are used throughout the film to bring to life the ambient sounds of crowds or crowded night clubs. Bass is effectively used and the .1 LFE channel booms when necessary to drive home the Jazzy and funky beats that accompany the film´s vocals." "This debut high-def release from DreamWorks certainly does the film justice -- it looks smashing, and the extras are superior... a superlative release, and an excellent first effort from DreamWorks... 'Dreamgirls' is presented in 1080p/VC-1 on HD DVD... This is a glorious, colorful image, and despite the lack of a single explosion or car chase, still makes for great demo material. The source is flawless, blacks are rock solid, and contrast is excellent. The image has sensational depth and clarity, with the photo-real, three-dimensional quality that we all hope for when we pop in a new HD DVD release. The transfer is also as sharp as a tack, with even the darkest sections of the image boasting excellent shadow detail... dynamics are excellent, from perfectly tight bass to expansive midrange. Vocal timbre is fantastic, too, with a richness and natural quality that simply cranks at high volume -- one listen to Jennifer Hudson belting out "And I'm Telling You I Am Not Going" will give you goosebumps. And, of course, the mix is perfectly balanced -- not a single word is lost to the music, or effects. Surround use, meanwhile, is surprisingly active, with punchy discrete effects that underscore the endless music montages like piercing flashbulbs..." "Bill Condon's "Dreamgirls" was certainly a remarkable film that made quite a splash during the awards season earlier this year and not surprisingly, it not only garnered accolades but also some trophies to show for... Now that it's available on home video I am sure even more people will revisit, discover and enjoy this film and its incredible music... Hands down, this film has the best music I have heard in a movie in a long time... Offering up a pristine 1080p high definition transfer that is VC-1 encoded, the image on display here is simply gorgeous. Free of any defects or blemishes, the picture is rich in detail and manages to capture even the most subtle nuances in the film's great photography. Colors are rich and striking adding to the overall appeal of the film... Every little texture, every little gradient in the picture is flawlessly reproduced with incredible detail and sharp edges... incredible depth that catapults this transfer into the echelon of the best there are. The same goes for its audio presentation... With remarkable clarity and a wide frequency response the track perfectly complements the images on the screen." Sahara - (Paramount) "The film was a pleasure sight for the eyes and truly showcased the new HD-DVD format... The greatest strength of "Sahara" is its cast... Another strength of "Sahara" is its wonderful visuals... "Sahara" is a visually stunning film that has plenty of good action scenes to populate its scenery and deliver an entertaining film... a treat to watch... In fact, it is one of the best transfers I have yet to see... Colors jump out of the screen with this incredible transfer and combined with the fine level of detail, "Sahara" feels almost like you could touch it. This is a beautifully shot film and it is brought to life wonderfully by a beautiful VC-1 encoded HD-DVD transfer... a film that perfectly balances scenes where environmental sounds bring out the beauty of the African landscape and scenes where a very aggressive soundtrack takes hold of the audience´s ear canals with a full-on assault of the senses. During the noisy action sequences, "Sahara" fully utilizes all six channels... The audio portion of this film perfectly matches the strong visuals to deliver a home theater tour-de-force." "'Sahara' is a silly film but a great deal of fun. Light in tone and filled with 'Indiana Jones'-esque derring do... Nicely blending humor, adventure, romance and derring-do and fueled by the charisma of its stars, 'Sahara' is the kind of movie-movie people say they don't make anymore.... 'Sahara' is like stepping out into a bright desert oasis -- lush, vibrant and as shiny as a new penny... just about every aspect of this presentation is quite excellent. The source material is pristine, with not a speckle of dirt or other blemishes noticeable, and the kind of smooth, grain-free look that looks more like a digital photo than film. Color reproduction is also impressive -- hues are rich, vivid and free of chroma noise and smearing... the kind of three-dimensional appearance that really shows off the high-resolution capabilities of the format... As befitting an action film with a big budget, 'Sahara' boasts terrific sound design. All channels are active, with noticeable uses of discrete pans across the entire soundfield. Imaging is very good, with near-seamless transitions and excellent fidelity. Dynamic range also earns a solid "A," with a very full presence from lows to highs." Blades of Glory - (Paramount) "This fantastically silly, utterly preposterous comedy was the sleeper hit of early 2007, grossing over $100 million and for once delivering all the laughs its trailers promised... this 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 is encode certainly a good-looking, attractive presentation... the print is pristine with nary a speckle or blemish to be found... this disc's Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 Surround track (1.5mbps) ended up being a nice surprise, as the the film's sound design is actually quite lively, with lots of highs and lows that really light up the soundstage... The surrounds come alive with directed discrete effects and strong atmosphere." "Dreamworks Home Entertainment is delivering "Blades Of Glory" in high definition in a sparkling transfer on this HD-DVD version... beautiful to look at with a transfer that is absolutely clean and clear. With an incredible level of detail the most striking thing about the presentation are the film's colors. This transfer revels in even the most subtle hues and shades... Black levels are also stunning and give the image formidable visual depth with shadows the never break up and add impressive sharpness and detail to the picture at all times. Clearly, this is a wonderful high definition transfer to behold... The 5.1 channel Dolby Digital Plus audio track is also doing the best to make the film a lively and exciting experience... Good dynamic range and a wide frequency response put the audio presentation in the same league as the video presentation" Black Rain - (Paramount) "This has been one of the more overlooked Ridley Scott films and it is nice to see the film is finally starting to get some love... "Black Rain" is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen with VC-1/1080p mastering. Simply put, "Black Rain" looks incredible and considering much of the film´s draw is its change of scenery of Japan, this is greatly appreciated...very high levels of detail and brightly rendered colors.... At this point, "Black Rain" is one of the better catalog titles released by the studio; or any other studio for that matter... " "I was truly blown away -- this new print of 'Black Rain' is just about spotless. The 2.40:1 widescreen, 1080p/VC-1 image is clean, smooth and shockingly free of grain and dirt. Colors, though not as over-the-top as those on most modern movies, are excellent. Stability and consistency are first-rate, with nice bold reds and blues particularly impressive; fleshtones, too, are pitch perfect... and dimensionality are also clearly superior to just about any remaster I've seen for a film of this vintage... And in a rarity for a next-gen release (at least so far), a DTS-ES Matrixed 6.1 Surround option is also included." Dawn of the Dead - (Universal) "Dawn of the Dead may be one of the finest remakes ever... This was a highly entertaining picture that was far better than I had expected and a load of fun. The HD-DVD was surprising in having a very strong set of visuals and one of the best sounding soundtracks yet to appear on HD-DVD. Hopefully, more films reach the level of quality in TrueHD sound as this film did... The HD-DVD release is a fine addition to mine, or anybody else´s high definition library... a wonderfully solid looking 2.35:1 widescreen transfer. Mastered with the VC-1 codec... a strongly detailed affair with good coloring... Detail is incredibly strong and every single detail can easily be picked out. From the pock marks on Ving Rhames skull to the blood drops splashed throughout the film, the level of detail is exceptional... Joy to the world! English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is one of the supported soundtracks for "Day of the Dead." Every little detail can be heard in this soundtrack... "Dawn of the Dead" is an action packed film and the soundtrack thrives under the sound design provided by the film. Each gunshot was deep in presence and magnified by the .1 LFE channel... This soundtrack simply sounds amazing... The film´s imaging is strong across all channels and every speaker gets a workout during TrueHD playback. Dialogue is equally strong and never drowned out by the wondrous sound effects." Blood Diamond - (Warner) "'Blood Diamond' first hit theaters last Christmas... as much an intense (and unremittingly violent) thriller as it is a political polemic... 'Blood Diamond's 2.40:1 transfer is presented in 1080p/VC-1 video... wonderfully vivid and lush in the film's many bright exteriors. Detail and sharpness are also clearly superior in outdoor scenes... this HD DVD boasts a ... Dolby TrueHD track (48kHz/16-bit)... the film's loud, bustling sound design delivering an impeccable display of sonic fireworks... Low bass is terrific, with a deep and powerful but at the same time tight quality that excels at high volumes. Dynamic range is also very expansive, with a realism that's truly palpable. Dialogue is expertly recorded and perfectly balanced -- I was able to crank 'Blood Diamond' throughout without ever having to reach for the volume knob... Surrounds, too, are very active. The wall of sound effect from the rears during action scenes is up there with the best soundtracks currently on high-def disc." What Dreams May Come - (Universal) "What Dreams May Come' on HD DVD is the rare high-def presentation that wows with its richness rather than its technical bells and whistles. This 1080p/VC-1 transfer has a lovely filmic quality that keeps the image from feeling over-produced or reliant on its CG effects.. The color palette of the film's Heaven is such a revelation that were times where I actually caught myself slightly squinting... The image constantly pops off the screen and appears three dimensional. Detail is also impressive... " Seabiscuit - (Universal) "'Seabiscuit' is an absolutely gorgeous film and a true gem of an HD-DVD... With a great cast and great performances, Universal has picked a winner from its catalog and delivered one of the better overall titles yet to be released on HD-DVD... The film is stunning in its visual splendor. With many great outdoor vistas and lovely period sets, the film about Depression Era America is, in a word, beautiful... I can guarantee that a horse has never looked as good on home video. The old Buick race cars and their brightly painted bodies exhibit each rivet and seam of their classic build... The 2.35:1 image is presented in a VC-1 encoded, 1080p transfer... The film contains vibrant colors that cross the entire color spectrum. They are perfectly recreated here and are nicely saturated. Detail is incredibly strong and among the best detailed titles yet released... If you´ve ever wandered what it sounds like to be on a horse and to be directly between two other horses as you round the corner before the home stretch, "Seabiscuit" on HD-DVD will give you that sonic experience. During these scenes, the rear surrounds and subwoofer are heavily used and all six channels nicely spring to life... " "'Seabiscuit' is a real surprise for me. It is a film that I thought I would hate about a subject I could care less about, yet still I was won over. Equally as hypnotic is this HD DVD, which is another standout from Universal. A terrific HD transfer, excellent soundtrack and supplement package worthy of the Kentucky Derby make this one a no-brainer, even if you already own the standard-def release... Presented in 1080p/VC-1 video, 'Seabiscuit' looks exquisite. The source material is pristine, with perfect blacks and excellent contrast that is consistent across the entire grayscale. Color reproduction is also wonderful, and even more vibrant... 'Seabiscuit' is just about damn flawless... Surround use is aggressive during these sequences, with expertly-crafted sound effects that never feel less than authentic. Crowd noise and stampeding hooves in the rears merge to create a very effective 360-degree soundfield, and imaging is just about transparent..." The Hurricane - (Universal) "primaries are vibrant and the picture features a pleasing level of contrast. Detail is impressive as well (especially in interior scenes) -- living room trinkets, background objects, and on-screen textual elements are suitably sharp. Textures and skin details give the image a convincing earthiness that isn't hindered by the film's miniscule grain field... the Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 surround mix (1.5 Mbps) on this one handles what it's given with ease and power. Dialogue is full and well prioritized, jazz music swells in all of the channels, and ambiance is present throughout the film, regardless of the complexity of a scene..." "The images do appear to pop off the screen... As for the audio, the Dolby Digital Plus track truly shines and the surrounds are very active. The wonderful soundtrack, filled with gems from Ray Charles to Bob Dylan to the wonderful score by Christopher Young, comes through very well. I simply love this soundtrack. "Denzel Washington is an awesome actor and his performance in "The Hurricane" makes for a film that can be pretty awesome itself.Denzel Washington is an awesome actor and his performance in "The Hurricane" makes for a film that can be pretty awesome itself... The film´s black and white sequences nicely contrast the more colorful moments to create a visually stunning movie that is done justice on HD-DVD. Colors are nicely saturated and bring a natural film look to "The Hurricane." " Hot Fuzz - (Universal) "Our site has never reviewed a release that's scored 5 stars overall -- in fact, this entire disc seems too good to be true. Not only is the movie entertaining and satisfying, but the video transfer is gorgeous, the audio packs significant punch, and there are approximately eighteen hours of entertaining supplemental materials... This 1080p/VC-1 transfer made me sit up from the moment Nicholas Angel flashes across the screen. This is easily one of the finest high-def presentations I've seen on high-def disc... vibrant colors and inky blacks that bring a convincing level of depth to the picture... Detail is astounding and there isn't a hint of grain -- every background and foreground edge is sharp and clear... The audio package is nearly as impressive as the video... impressively proficient in everything it does. Rich dynamics immediately make their presence known with boomy bass and crisp treble ranges... Channel movement occurs frequently and startlingly fast -- but the Digital-Plus mix offers subtle pans and smooth transitions that add a level of authenticity to the soundfield." "'Hot Fuzz' is truly hot stuff. It is one of the funniest films of recent memory and it truly conjures up memories of the glorious Monty Python films like 'Life Of Brian.'... image is meticulously clean and without a hint of grain or other blemishes. But more importantly, the image has a razor sharp definition with incredible detail... the movie is remarkable with its ability to reproduce the movie with incredible richness and detail. Textures are finely reproduced and colors are rich in their hues, bringing out the best of the lush English countryside... "Hot Fuzz" goes all out and delivers some real action and with its Dolby Digital EX Plus audio track you couldn't ask for more. The dynamic range of the track is impressively reproducing quiet moments every bit as well as the most action packed roaring scenes. With a deep bass extension and clear high ends the frequency response is also without flaws..." ""Hot Fuzz" is intelligent, witty and captivating. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have a gift in their writing and their love of cinema is apparent as they are able to masterfully craft a comedy of this caliber that has been almost universally well received by critics... the high definition transfer of the film is spot-on and masterfully delivers this comedic picture to next generation home theater systems... a pristine and highly detailed 2.35:1 transfer that is mastered in typical fashion by Universal with the VC-1 codec... The level of detail of "Hot Fuzz" is rich and deep... scenes throughout "Hot Fuzz" are quite bombastic and mix deep and potent bass with an enveloping array of sounds providing ambient noise, sound effects and solid and clear dialogue... Gunshots echo from every direction and show off the transfers solid imaging and movement across channels... it is a technically sound and very strong mix... It would take nearly twenty hours to enjoy all of the supplements contained as commentaries, pop-up trivia tracks or stand alone supplements in their entirety. They packed an entire forty minute film on the disc as an extra and over four hours of other bonus materials. Stunning." Shaun of the Dead - (Universal) "'Shaun of the Dead' is both hilarious and tense -- sometimes both within a single scene -- and it holds a special place in my top ten comedies. This HD DVD release boasts an impressive transfer, a booming Digital-Plus track, and all of the supplements from its US-released DVD counterpart... Presented in 1080p using the VC-1 codec, 'Shaun of the Dead' looks very impressive considering its limited budget. Detail is one of the most notable assets of the transfer and remains strong throughout the film... 'Shaun of the Dead' features a Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 surround track (1.5 Mbps) that's technically proficient and has a startling heft to its presence. Dialogue and effects are crisp, stable, and well prioritized within the soundscape and make it easy to immerse yourself in Shaun's quest..." "I love "Shaun of the Dead" and it was easily my favorite film a couple years ago. I´ve preached to many people that this is a must-see film and a number of people have listened... This is a very funny film and has a little of something for everybody. It has comedy. It has romance. It has action. And it has the filmmaking trio of Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost. Brilliant. ...the 2.35:1 framed picture features very strong levels of detail and wonderfully vivid colours... The level of detail is what surprised me the most... Audio was another surprisingly good element of the HD-DVD transfer of "Shaun of the Dead." The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack is clean, powerful and nicely accentuates the action on-screen. Throughout the entire film, sound effects filled the speakers... the Queen song played during a fight sequence at the Winchester sounds stunning." Meet Joe Black - (Universal) "I've always had a sweet spot for the film, and I think fans of films like 'The Good Shepherd' or 'A New World' might feel the same way... In the case of 'Meet Joe Black' in particular, the performances are so rich and convincing that I was happy to follow the characters through the ups and downs of their lives... Now this is what I expect from a high definition catalogue title... It's a night and day difference. Presented in 1080p using the VC-1 codec, 'Meet Joe Black' looks great and if I didn't know better, I would think it was a newer film.. the move to high-def has upped the impact of this print to new heights. Colors are lush and gorgeous, blacks are deep and stable, and fine object detail is extremely well rendered for a film that's nearly ten years old. Textures, skin, and hair pop off the screen and shadow delineation is excellent. Even better, sharp edges and a vivid contrast give the picture a welcome depth and dimension... where the mix needs to spring to life, it does -- listen to the moments when Pitt is hit by a car, scenes with the helicopter, and the argument between the Parrishes at dinner. Even better, jump to the end of the film and listen to the fireworks and the mingling crowd. In each of these cases, the soundscape is well prioritized, each of the channels receive a solid workout, and the ambiance is both authentic and immersive." "At a decade in age, "Meet Joe Black" is a superb looking catalog title. The 1.85:1 transfer is nicely encoded with the VC-1 codec and features deep details, perfectly realized colors and pristine source materials... The complete film has a three dimensional appeal from the high level of detail. This is a sharply detailed picture and matched by the vivid colors of the film... Black levels are also exquisite and the film´s emotional climax under the fireworks looks stunning... I had forgotten about the sonic capability of the gorgeous fireworks scene and the sound quality of the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack easily matches the visuals when the fireworks light the night sky. The .1 LFE channel booms heavily and mightily and matches the best action film soundtracks in bass response. It truly is as deep and clean as bass can get." The Fast and the Furious; Tokyo Drift - (Universal) "This may be the most technically impressive HD-DVD to date... I enjoyed "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" far more than I had expected... The first two films in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise looked great in their high definition skins. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is no exception and looks very good with its VC-1/1080p 2.35:1 image. This is another very bright and colorful film that ranks with the best of them in color reproduction... Japanese street racing takes place entirely at night and the majority of time spent in Japan happens at night. Detail is again superb and for the third time – you guessed it; I was wondering if I could see my reflection in the cars´ paintjobs... about as good as it gets in high definition... This is another very aggressive soundtrack that completely envelopes you with its usage of all six channels. The .1 LFE track rumbles deeply when the cars are tearing through the garages and streets of Tokyo. The higher pitched sounds are very impressive and tire squeals and high-revving engines sound wonderful. I´m a huge fan of high performance machines and these films are music to my ears." Aeon Flux on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “I took longer than most to buy into HDTV, but I've watched well over 150 movies in high def along with countless hours of TV shows, concerts, sports, and video games over the past couple of years. I mention all of this not to brag, as if that's really something to cheer about in the first place, but to try to put it in perspective when I say that Æon Flux boasts the most jaw-droppingly impressive video I've seen from any source to date. …I haven't viewed anything that even approaches being in this same league -- its diverse, cranked-up palette looks amazing, black levels remain robust throughout, and the image is impossibly sharp and detailed, looking spectacular even standing an inch or two away from the screen. No compression hiccups or even the slightest imperfection in the source could be spotted. …The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio for Æon Flux is as hypercaffeinated as its visuals, and sounds are constantly pinging from channel to channel, bolstered by oodles of discrete effects and smooth pans. The stilted dialogue might have been better off if it had been drowned out by other elements of this exceptionally active mix, but it emerges with crystal clarity, and bass response packs the expected wallop. About as showcase-quality as the video.” Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on HD DVD - John J. Puccio, DVD Town - "OK, I give up. I've been holding out giving any high-resolution disc a 10/10 for video quality until now, but I can't imagine an image showing up any better than this on my TV. So, here it is: a 10/10, the best-looking HD-DVD I've seen yet... the definition and detail of the HD-DVD are so good that the film is joy to look at. Burton fills every frame with a multitude of tiny particulars, and they show up in pinpoint focus. More important, faces display a multitude of nuances; just look closely at Grandpa Joe's facial features, his lines and wrinkles, so well delineated and realistic you'd think you could reach out, touch him, and feel his whiskers. Extras:The extras include a few things not contained in the standard-resolution Two-Disc Deluxe Edition. The most important of these are an "In-Movie Experience" where Tim Burton, the actors, and the filmmakers share a wealth of information with us via picture inserts on-screen as the movie plays." Unleashed for HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “The scope image is crisply defined and boasts a remarkable level of fine detail; the extreme close-ups in particular look fantastic, and the increased resolution high-definition video offers highlights the grit and grime throughout Bart's lair and Danny's tattered clothing. Airings on cable were marred by pixelation in the more hyperkinetic action sequences, but there are no such concerns here, nor could any real flaws of any sort be spotted. A strong effort from Universal.” Batman Begins on HD DVD – John J. Puccio, DVD Town – “It seems like with each new HD-DVD, the picture quality gets better and better. "Batman Begins" looks as good as anything I've seen on my television. Yes, it's a dark film, but inner detail is good even in darker areas of the screen, and black levels are intensely dark on my CRT television. Facial features that appear a tad soft in standard definition snap into sharp focus in the HD version. It's really quite beautiful, and if you don't see a 10/10 video rating at the bottom of the page, it's only because I'm not sure what HD-DVD has up its sleeve next… The disc makes the audio available in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. Either way, it is as spectacular as the video… In TrueHD there are tremendous dynamic surges and impact; pinpoint surround activity; taut bass; a wide, open feeling; an extended frequency response; and a realistic clarity… The bonus features on the HD-DVD include everything found on the standard CD two-disc set and more…” Sleepy Hollow on HD DVD – Joshua Zyber, DVD Talk – “If your display can handle it, the HD DVD looks a lot nicer, with particularly rich colors that extend into a deeper palette than available in Standard Def, a trait especially noticeable in the costuming. Flesh tones have been intentionally drained of color, and look a more precise shade of pale on the HD disc. …Details are much clearer in medium and wide shots, and the HD disc is free of edge enhancement artifacts.” Batman Begins on HD DVD - Dan Ramer, DVD File - "This is one of the best-looking HD DVDs I’ve seen from Warner Home Video. The images are razor sharp and the print seems immaculate; this should not be surprising considering how recently this film was released to motion picture theaters. There is a wonderful sense of finely grained detail. The camera (or computer) follows mass transit rail through Gotham in daylight, buildings reflected in the windows of adjacent skyscrapers; it’s remarkably dense with detail and very convincing. Based on skin tones, I’d judge the color accuracy to be excellent... Blacks are deep and rich... Sound effects sport a terrific dynamic range and great attack times. Very deep bass pounds away at the solar plexus. The surrounds can be very active, with both discrete sound effects and pans that reach around the viewer... Dialog remains crystal clear throughout, and has a consistently satisfying sense of presence... Like on many HD DVDs, the spoken word is lower in amplitude than its DVD counterpart. This provides the headroom to enhance the dynamic range. And once again, I was impressed by the softer sounds: drops of water, rustling of paper and fabric, quiet footfalls. Each seems more transparent that I recall the DVD’s Dolby Digital 5.1 track to be. Very well done. Extras: You’ll find a port of the 2-disc DVD edition’s extras plus content exclusive to the HD DVD. Warner has included another In-Movie Experience, the HD DVD enhanced realization of the commentary." Chronicles of Riddick on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "If you really want somebody to look at you in pure adulation over your pushing edge technology HD-DVD, ...get your car keys and move as fast as you can to a video store (I’m not sure if I can recommend one here on this site, but the disc is easy enough to find) and buy this disk... For the purpose of showing off HD-DVD, this IS the movie you want to watch... I cannot praise the visual splendor of this film enough. It really is a sight to see. The bright and perfectly contrasted colors feel almost three dimensional with the high level of detail present in the transfer. Textures look so real, you want to reach out and touch them. Flesh tones are perfectly rendered. The ice planet seen early in the film looks frigid. The prison planet looks so warm, you almost feel the need to turn up the air conditioner. The black scenes are perfectly rendered and show no visual flaws. Source materials are also of top notch quality. As I said in the main part of this review, “The Chronicles of Riddick” is a true visual tour de force. HD-DVD helps make “The Chronicles of Riddick” an better film just by looking so damn good... The soundtrack is aggressive and it delivers. Ambient effects are prevalent through the entire time. Sound comes from every direction at every moment of the film... Extras: One thing I have enjoyed greatly in the early days of HD-DVD is the wonderful amount of supplements that are typically present on the releases. Out of my fifteen releases, almost every disc has something to offer and only “Happy Gilmore” and “Full Metal Jacket” feel lacking. “The Chronicles of Riddick” continues the trend of supplying the best supplements previously available and is a nice package." Serenity on HD DVD - Michael Mackenzie, DVD Times - "Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 at 1080p, Serenity on HD DVD is literally the home video title I've been waiting for since the inception of the DVD format. Those who have read any of my reviews will know how picky I am when it comes to image quality, so you can rest assured that, when I say Serenity looks amazing, it looks really amazing... "Flawless" is not a term I like to use when discussing transfer quality, since, no matter what format you are using to encode it, it is always going to end up being compressed. The degree to which the compression is visible is down to the constraints of the format and the skill of the technicians responsible for creating the disc, and so, to say that this title is perceptually flawless is not something I undertake lightly. And yet, despite pressing my nose against the screen and staring hard at it for an extended period of time, I would be hard pressed to point out any flaws whatsoever. The image is beautifully rich and detailed, with smooth, natural colours and excellent shadow detail... Seriously, there is no edge enhancement whatsoever. This has got to be something of a minor miracle given the extent to which this infuriating and pointless piece of digital meddling ruined most DVDs. Add to that some wonderfully untampered film grain, and it really does feel as if Universal have struck gold... Like the image quality, the sound is stellar. Indeed, the extent to which it sounds better than the average DVD soundtrack caught me off guard. I certainly wasn't expecting the depth, bass and clarity on offer here, and once again I am hard pressed to find any faults whatsoever... I am very, very impressed by what I'm hearing... All of the bonus features included with this release are replicated from the standard definition version..." The Searchers on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “Filmed in 1955 and released theatrically the following year, The Searchers is by a considerable margin the oldest film to be released on HD DVD as of this writing. The Searchers was shot using Paramount's VistaVision process, providing a higher resolution image than could be obtained through traditional 35mm photography at the time, and the resulting 1.78:1 high-definition presentation is nothing short of extraordinary. The time and effort that went into the film's restoration is immediately apparent; the image is free of any speckling or visible wear, black levels are deep and substantial, and the presence of film grain is tight and unintrusive. The most dazzling aspect of this HD DVD is the level of detail. Ford's compositions favored wider shots, and the director was especially fond of placing tiny figures in front of the enormous ruddy plateaus and mesas of Monument Valley. A figure on horseback that would be an indiscernable inch and a half smear on DVD is now clearly defined. Rock formations in the distant background are impossibly sharp and exhibit a clear texture that would be lost in a lower resolution format. The fine patterns in the wardrobe of several characters would be problematic on lesser formats but present no such concerns here. The high definition image looks so good that it can be a distraction; there were several times where I was paying less attention to the story and ogling the immaculately detailed vistas of Monument Valley instead. …This HD DVD has been so lavished with praise that my expectations were hovering somewhere in the stratosphere, and still this high definition presentation of The Searchers looks better than I ever would have thought possible. It may have been filmed five full decades ago, but a movie of this age looking so spectacular leaves The Searchers easily ranking among the most impressive HD DVDs to date, and I'm now even more eagerly awaiting Warner's impending releases of other classic films. Terminator 3 on HD DVD – John J. Puccio, DVD Town – “the HD-DVD picture is clearly the winner… But the very slightly gritty look and minor blur in the SD version is absent altogether in the HD-DVD. Grain and moire moiré effects, which are quite minimal in the standard-definition transfer are completely absent in the HD edition. My guess is that this new HD version is about as close to what people saw in a motion-picture theater as we're going to get for a long, long time… The sonics in "T3" are the kind guaranteed to impress the neighbors, even if you've got a really big yard… If there's anything in the house the DD+ soundtrack won't rattle, I don't know what it is. This isn't very subtle audio, but neither is the movie very subtle…” The Corpse Bride on HD DVD - Dan Ramer, DVD File - "The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in a remarkable high definition transfer. In my reviews of HD on disc, I’ve steadfastly avoided an inappropriate term used too often to describe high definition: 3D... and yet . . . I experienced an illusion of depth I’ve not enjoyed on any (of) the other high definition discs I’ve seen.. The transfer is wonderfully sharp and highly detailed. The textures of the puppets’ skins are quite clear. Small object detail is exceptional. I can’t speak to color accuracy, since I have no live people for reference, but the chroma is noise-free and the more lively scenes in the land of the dead are vividly painted to the screen. Shadow detail in the dark land of the living is first-rate. Subtle differences in luminance are clear in the most dimly lit scenes." Corpse Bride on HD DVD - Mark Zimmer, Digitally Obsessed - "Corpse Bride is in a word, gorgeous in HD DVD. In the land of the dead, the colors are preternaturally vivid, while in the bleak land of the living the limited palette of greys and browns are beautifully differentiated. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect is the ultracrisp level of texture and detail, particularly the amazing detail in Emily's dress. Colors are subtly graded, and there's no hint of posterization, even when pausing the picture and zooming it for close inspection... The DD+ 5.1 audio has plenty of directionality and presence; the strings have an excellent warmth, as do the choir of oohs. Vocals are crisp and clean throughout. Noise and hiss, appropriately, are practically nonexistent. The songs have plenty of surround effects and are irresistible on both the main track and the isolated score. Bass levels have plenty of authority without being overpowering of getting in the way of the melody." Four Brothers on HD DVD – Joshua Zyber, DVD Talk – “This transfer is, in a word, beautiful. The picture is sharp and clean, with no noise, grain, or artifacts of any kind. Black levels are deep and contrasts excellent. The image has terrific detail and textures, with fantastically bold and striking colors. The disc has a very rich, film-like appearance and I was hard pressed to find a single flaw in it. This is one of the best High-Def discs released to date.” Aeon Flux on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "“Æon Flux” can never be called a great film and many will not even use the adjective of good. However, the HD-DVD is going to find itself being called ‘great’ or ‘magnificent’ because of its incredible picture quality. The 2.4:1 widescreen presentation of this 1080p mastered disc is absolutely stunning. “Sahara” and “The Chronicles of Riddick” are both top tier titles on the fledgling HD-DVD format, but “Æon Flux” raises the bar higher and is easily the best looking title anywhere for High Definition viewing. I remember flipping through various scenes of Paramount’s first ten titles and watching half of “Æon Flux” just based upon its incredibly strong visuals... The transfer and the film features colors that are as vivid and lovely as anything released. They are perfectly saturated and set with the hyper realistic level of detail, “Æon Flux” presents a very three dimensional transfer and exhibits great depth. Black levels are true and deep and shadow details are quite solid. Fleshtones are warm and show Charlize Theron’s lovely face in perfect detail. Contrast is solid. The source materials are perfect. I could find no flaws, whatsoever. It really only takes a couple of minutes to look at the stunning colors and ultra-detailed picture to be amazed. This is bar-none, the best looking HD-DVD released yet and a great example of the future of home entertainment. This aggressive soundtrack finds elements of the film’s mix populating every speaker. Gunfire encapsulates the viewer during the action sequences, explosions can be deafening and booming when the volume level is cranked up. The .1 LFE channel can easily rattle China in the kitchen from several rooms away. Dialogue is crisp and clear and holds its own during the loudest and busiest action sequences. I don’t know how many times I have mentioned Grame Revell’s name in the past couple of months, but he has been a busy composer. His score is decent and fits the film. It is nicely rendered here." Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Michael Mackenzie, DVD Times - "Taken from a film element (presumably the 35mm interpositive also used for the Criterion and Universal standard definition releases, judging by the identical print damage), the first thing that leaps out is the monumental increase in clarity. The opening drive through the desert looks fresh and new, lacking the hazy, foggy appearance of the DVDs and literally coming alive in terms of film grain. The close-ups are eye-popping - for example, I never noticed Johnny Depp's character's clumsy shaving job before. Naturally, the increase in clarity continues to be evident throughout the film, although this is more evident in some scenes than others... However, they still show a considerable improvement in colour saturation, with the rich pinks, reds and blues really giving you the impression that you're in the middle of a drug-induced hallucination rather than watching the events through a layer of grime..." Grand Prix on HD DVD – John J. Puccio, DVD Town – “The HD-DVD picture is exceptionally clean and vividly detailed, obviously more so than the SD picture. Furthermore, the colors remain entirely natural, never too bright, never too dull; only now in high def they are deeper and richer than ever. Grain, moiré effects, artifacts of any kind were nonissues in standard def, and in high def, they're not even nonissues, they're nonentities. Grain is zero; moiré effects are zero; motion effects, halos, pixilation are zero. I have maybe never seen a cleaner picture from any disc… For the 40th Anniversary Special Edition SD set, Warner Bros. spread the movie over two discs; but here on HD-DVD they include both the movie and four newly made documentaries plus a vintage featurette all on the same side of a single disc…” Ray on HD DVD - Dan Ramer and Mark Keizer, DVD File - "This is a surprisingly good high definition transfer of the film in its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. I write surprising because I didn’t expect a biographical film about a music icon to have enjoyed the care that seems to have been invested in this presentation... Finely grained detail reveals skin pores and imperfections and fabric weaves. Excellent color rendition, outstanding black levels and dynamic range, the utter lack of crush on either end of the video dynamic range, superb detail . . . all are reproduced to perfection... This is simply a wonderful example of a film-like presentation... You’ll admire the extended dynamic range and the satisfying fidelity. This is an audible step up from the Dolby Digital track found on the DVD... Extras: Extras have been ported over from the two-disc DVD edition, but you’ll also find some new material." Good Night, And Good Luck, on HD DVD – Joshua Zyber, DVD Talk – “The movie's sterling black & white photography is represented amazingly well. The image is sharp and detailed, with excellent rendering of facial skin pores and the fabric textures of clothing. Close-ups are often simply amazing. The picture has terrific gray scale and contrast range. As a non-smoker I feel guilty saying this, but on celluloid there are few images as beautiful as cigarette smoke drifting through a shaft of hard light on black & white film, and this movie is loaded with scenes like that. Mild film grain is present but well digitized and compressed so that it doesn't look noisy.” Unleashed on HD DVD - Micahel Mackenzie, DVD Times - "Unleashed is one of Universal's first combo releases, featuring the HD DVD version on one side and the standard definition variant on the reverse (Warner has already produced several of these)... Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded at 1080p in VC1, the film, like all of the HD DVD releases I've seen from Universal so far, looks excellent... Detail is also superb, especially in the close-ups, where the individual pores of the actors' faces can be seen. Wider shots tend to look slightly more diffuse, but this seems to be a result of the cinematography rather than any tampering at the encoding stage. I spotted no edge enhancement at all... Another "perfect" HD transfer from Universal..." Sahara, on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “The 2.40:1 high definition video looks amazing, and a lot of that comes courtesy of McGarvey's photography. The palette is beautifully saturated, often cast in a stylized golden glow that's a perfect fit for the movie's tone and setting, and the final scene on a beach with the most stunningly rendered water I've seen in high definition is demo material. There are times when the bright, exaggerated colors seem to drain away just a bit of the fine detail, but the image remains razor sharp and crisply defined throughout. I couldn't spot a single flaw -- no ringing around edges, no digital artifacts, and not a speck in the source. Home theater nuts who can't stomach the presence of film grain should take note than there's none to be found here. A very strong first showing from Paramount. …The film's dialogue emerges without any concerns, and both the original score and the K-Tel '70s arena rock soundtrack maintain a strong presence throughout. …The only high definition extra is a 1080p theatrical trailer, presented at 1.78:1 rather than at the movie's original aspect ratio. The other extras have been lifted from last summer's DVD and the Best Buy bonus disc, and there are a bunch of 'em.” Sahara on HD DVD - Dan Ramer, DVD File - "Sahara is presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 in a stunning high definition transfer... The desert cries out for shots of broad vistas and Eisner doesn’t disappoint. Such scenes and those with large, ancient-looking structures and ruins are dense with small details... Color accuracy is excellent. Flesh tones range from Rojas’ pale complexion to Pitt’s deep tan to the rich hues of the indigenous peoples. All seem very natural. Black level is satisfyingly dark and the video dynamic range is excellent, without a hint of crush on either end. The subtle black-on-black folds of dark suits is well conveyed. Finely grained textures and small object detail are outstanding. This is a very nice film-like transfer... The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track is very active and very bombastic. The aggressiveness of the mix becomes immediately apparent as the film starts rolling. The battle is full of discrete effects and pans from every direction. EX decoding will enhance the experience considerably. Thanks to considerable bass extension, explosions are felt as well as heard... Dialog remained crystal clear throughout. I was particularly impressed with quieter sounds, like whispers and the rustling of paper or clothing; they seem more transparent... Extras: Paramount included the collection of generous extras found on the standard definition DVD and threw in a few bits more." Constantine on HD DVD - Mel Odom, Audio Video Revolution - "“Constantine” is one of those special-effects driven movies that will make a HD DVD player owner glad he’s made the step up to the cutting edge in home entertainment. The crisp, clear picture looks theater-perfect, so real and pure that a viewer will think he’s peering through a window at another world that truly exists. The colors are vibrant. Even though a lot of the movie is shot in the dark and shadows are a big part of the action, the video presentation through the HD DVD and a monitor bring out all the gradations of even the darkest images... With a layered and split sound track, “Constantine” was made for the home entertainment audiophile. Explosions explode through the surround sound system and make the subwoofer jump. When movement sweeps across the screen, it’s mirrored by sound through the speakers, tracking just as quickly from side to side or back and forth between the speakers. A single drop of water falling into a pool is clear and sweet, and the sudden crash of a glass roof shattering into a thousand pieces will strike the viewer with a physical force." Doom on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "“Doom” looked incredible in HD. That is one thing you cannot take away from the film – it is strong visually. The opening moments of the film where the Martian settlement is viewed from a distance was incredibly detailed and the film stayed strong beyond that. Much of “Doom” takes place in the shadows. The HD-DVD does a fine job of exhibiting shadow detail and possesses strong black levels. Highlighted by wonderfully moody lighting and a preference for the color blue, “Doom” is perhaps the best looking ‘dark’ film that I can think of. When the film does get a little brighter, the film still holds up strong visually... You almost want to reach out and touch... At this point, “Doom” is arguably the best sounding DVD on the market. The English 5.1 channel Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack is a sonic assault on the senses from the opening sequence and continues through the credits (thanks to a fun credit sequence that mirrors the FPS sequence). All sound channels are pushed strong through the film and the sound of gunfire is enough to make almost anybody giddy. The subwoofer rumbles hard. For a science-fiction/horror film, “Doom” demands a strong ability to bump and effectively keep its audience uneasy. The soundtrack keeps up to the task. On the other end of the sound spectrum, there are wonderful little touches that offset the booming bass. The metallic sounds of gunfire, the high-pitched squawks of the computer displays and the sound of hard boots against metal grid flooring sound incredible. Dialogue is spot on, even though they mostly spew garbage from their mouths. It is amazing how really good technical presentation can make you enjoy the most painful of films." ATL, on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “ATL is a combo release, meaning that there's a standard definition version on one side of the disc that'll work in any regular DVD player, and the flipside sports the 2.40:1 high definition presentation reviewed here. ATL stands out as one of the strongest looking HD DVDs to date, regardless of the fact that combo discs currently only have half the capacity of a traditional HD DVD. The image is bright and colorful, with the vivid costume design contributing to most of the palette's vibrancy. That vocal group of gearheads who can't stomach film grain may also want to take note that there's little-to-none to be found in ATL. I've watched several bloated, big-budget action flicks in high definition over the past few days, and this HD DVD of a small, under-the-radar film about a group of teenagers roller skating in Atlanta had more moments that wowed me than any of those; the clarity and the level of fine detail are almost startling. Thoroughly impressive. …The hip-hop scattered around the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 soundtrack packs an unbelievable low-frequency wallop, constantly dishing out a resounding boom that rattles everything in sight. It's not the most immersive mix, reserving the surrounds primarily to reinforce the music, but the audio's dynamic range is impressive, and ATL's dialogue doesn't get buried in all the crunk.” Enter The Dragon on HD DVD - John J. Puccio, DVD Town - "The new HD-DVD video can hardly be faulted on any count. The HD screen size measures a ratio about 2.15:1 across my television, close to the same size as WB's edition before last; and the HD picture is excellent in almost every way. Colors are nigh-well perfect; definition and detailing are outstanding; and artifacts are zero, excepting the same small amount of film grain as before. In side-by-side comparisons of specific shots, the HD image comes up cleaner, sharper, and better focused in every case, despite the SD image looking about as good it could look in standard definition... Extras: This single-disc HD-DVD contains the same bonus items that appeared on Warner Bros.' most-recent Two-Disc Special Edition." Apollo 13 on HD DVD - Bill Hunt, The Digital Bits - "Overall image clarity is wonderful here. Light to moderate print grain is visible, and you'll see the occasional scratch or bit of dirt, but I have to say that this is as good as I've ever seen Apollo 13 looking before. Color is vibrant but not oversaturated, and the shadows are deep without looking crushed. Detail is good at all times... I found myself riveted by all the little pieces of ice falling from the side of the Saturn V rocket. It was also a thrill to be able to read all of the labels on the switches and controls in the Command Module. The detail is so good here that I realized for the first time watching this film (and I've seen it many times) that the crew patches hanging on the walls of Mission Control are all wrong - they're based on the souvenir patches and not the actual patches the crews wore! All in all, the HD-DVD offers an exceptionally pleasing image that is a great improvement over the most recent standard DVD release, which was itself quite good in its way... I'll never be able to watch the standard definition version again... The 5.1 Plus audio is equally exceptional. Once of the things that always drove me crazy about the regular Dolby Digital mix was the way that some of the dialogue tended to get a little buried in the sound effects - the astronaut com audio during the launch sequence for example. Not so here, despite the fact that the launch effects are thunderous, with deep, gut-rumbling bass enough to rattle your windows. Even in the midst of all this, you can clearly hear the call out: "We have cleared the tower at 13:13!" The whole sequence is just thrilling and the added clarity and expansiveness of the Plus mix really puts you right in the thick of things... Extras: Nearly all of the extras that were available on the previous DVD releases are included here, save for the IMAX version of the film (full frame and shorter, so who wants that anyway?) and the theatrical trailer." Seabiscuit on HD DVD - Dan Ramer and Peter M. Bracke, DVD File - "This is a wonderful high definition transfer. Color reproduction really stands out. The jockey’s bright uniforms are painted vividly to the screen without a hint of chroma noise, smearing, or coring. Flesh tones are highly believable... There are inky blacks, bright whites, and an outstanding expression of the entire video dynamic range. Small object detail, like recognizable faces with suitable expressions intact, is outstanding. Finely grained textures, most notable in the hides of the horses, are remarkably clear. I have yet to notice (or recognize) the failure mechanism of the VC-1 video CODEC; I noticed no digital artifacts... The disc feature a very fine Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track. The surrounds can be somewhat subtle during quieter scenes, with a bird chirp here and there. The audio track really comes alive during the races. The cheering crowds and the galloping hooves on the track envelop the viewer. The pounding of those hooves produce satisfyingly deep bass that can be felt as well as heard. Enable EX decoding for the best possible aural experience. Dialog remains crystal clear throughout... And once again, I was impressed with quieter sounds, shoes crunching on gravel, the rustling of paper or clothing . . . they simply seem more transparent than I recall from DVD... There is an impressive array of supplements on this HD DVD. As is the usual practice, they have been ported over from the DVD edition. I continue to marvel at the quality of a film that runs two and a third hours while sharing the storage space on a single 30-gigabyte disc with such an extensive collection of extras." Pitch Black, on HD DVD – Joshua Zyber, DVD Talk – “Wow, this disc looks great! In fact, I'd say it's one of the best releases so far on the HD DVD format. The picture is razor sharp with astounding clarity of fine object detail. You can frequently make out every pore in the actors' skins and every bit of stubble on Diesel's shaved head, even in medium and wide shots. The movie has a stylized appearance with intentionally blown out contrasts during the desert daylight scenes and deep blacks during the nighttime scenes, and the entire contrast range is flawlessly rendered. Dark sequences have rich, inky blacks with very good shadow detail (when they're supposed to). Colors look vibrant and terrific. The DVD edition looked pretty good itself, but the HD DVD just blows it out of the water.” Ray on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "“Ray” is presented in glorious HD-DVD with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio VC-1 transfer. Universal has delivered a couple of the better looking transfers on the young format. “The Chronicles of Riddick” and “Serenity” both looked very good. “Ray” is one of the finer efforts from the studio and if it weren’t for some of the artistic choices made in the film, this would be a good title to show off how great HD-DVD can be... When the film did focus on the then current times of Ray Charles, the picture quality was superb. Detail was sharp and solid and you can see every imperfection of Jamie Foxx’s face... I did not see any compression artifacts at all. Stubble is one of those things I have learned to pay attention to in a digital image. Stubble tends to dance around and move. Every hair of the stubble on Jamie Foxx’s face stayed in its proper location. It looked quite lifelike and didn’t suffer from posterization. Colors were nicely done, though toned down a bit to match the colors of the era... The level of detail is immediately noticeable and where the standard definition release exhibited a bit of edge enhancement, the HD-DVD showed none. Colors were brighter and more vivid in the HD-DVD release as well... “Ray” is a fine soundtrack that brings to life the voice and instruments of Ray Charles’ music. Most of the film’s soundtrack only populates the front three channels, but the sound is very natural and very ‘live’ sounding, as if the performers are playing directly in front of you... Each instruments’ voice and presence can be felt on “Ray” and the sound does rival all but the best advanced resolution (SACD, DVD-Audio) releases in musical quality... Extras: All of the supplements from the expensive limited edition release of the standard definition DVD have made their way over to the HD-DVD release." The Machurian Candidate on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "Colors are quite vivid and detail is incredibly sharp. The picture takes on a definite 3D quality during many scenes. You can see every whisker and pock mark on Denzel’s face. The salt and pepper look of his stubble is very easy to spot on HD-DVD, where it was not so apparent on the SD-DVD release. Black levels are deep and dark. The scene where Marco and Shaw are ambushed looks very good visually and the dark blues and blacks from this night sequence are very cold and appealing in hue. There is some film grain throughout the picture, but it is never distracting and hardly noticeable. Contrast and skin tones are quite good, though skin looked slightly pink here and there. Maybe it was just Meryl Streep’s makeup... Extras: All of the great supplements from the original standard definition DVD have been carried over for the HD-DVD release." The Rundown, on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “The 2.40:1 high definition image is among the top few HD DVDs I'd whip out as demo material. This may not be obvious as the movie opens; in some early scenes, the colors are so hyperexaggerated that detail seems to take a slight hit, but such qualms faded away as the movie progresses. The palette remains pumped up throughout, but the level of fine detail is practically unparalleled. Director Peter Berg has a tendency to start shots fairly tight and then fling the camera back a quarter-mile, and even tiny details such as a miner in the far, far distance are still razor-sharp and clearly discernable. The amount of foliage, the craggy Hawaiian terrain, and even the texture of Christopher Walken's aged face offer a sort of definition I would never expect to see from a traditional DVD. …The Rundown offers both Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 tracks and optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. It too hovers right around perfection, serving up aggressive surround usage, a strong sense of directionality, and inhumanly low bass.” Four Brothers on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "The visual splendor of “Four Brothers” is quite good on HD-DVD. The 2.35:1 widescreen image is highly detailed, full of color and among the better offerings so far on the young format. Singleton got to film the snow he craved to shoot and there is a lot of real snow in the picture. Each flake is clearly defined and the fresh-laden snow on the ground shows texture that can only be realized through a good high definition picture. There are a few scenes shot at night and these dark moments are nicely rendered... the film is visually stunning... " Serenity on HD DVD - Bill Hunt, The Digital Bits - "The improvement in clarity and resolution offered by the new HD image is impressive... The DVD looks terribly soft by comparison - still film-like, certainly, but lacking the sheer level of detail and fidelity of the HD image... Colors are tighter and a hair more accurate, and they're significantly more vibrant. Contrast is a bit better as well, with the darkest and lightest areas of the image retaining more detail in high-definition than on the standard DVD... The two biggest improvements in the HD video (aside from just sheer resolution), are the complete absence of ghosting or edge-enhancement of the kind that so plagues a standard DVD image, and also the almost total lack of visible digital compression artifacting. It's hard to know just how good this high-def video is, and how much better it might get in the future, but Serenity on HD-DVD is a near, if not quite completely, breathtaking experience... Clarity and spatial imaging are notably improved, and the overall soundfield has a smoother, more natural character that's very pleasing. You hear a lot more of the subtle nuances in the rear channels, the dynamic range is greater and the bass is extremely subtle until needed for action, at which point it kicks in with a vengeance almost effortlessly... " Enter the Dragon, on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “The 2.40:1 high definition presentation isn't quite the revelation that Blazing Saddles was, but it is further proof for the naysayers that a thirty year old-plus film still benefits greatly from the increased resolution HD DVD offers. Enter the Dragon exceeded my expectations in nearly every way. The image is predominately smooth and clean, with only a handful of tiny white flecks creeping onto the screen. The level of film grain present appears natural and unintrusive, and neither it nor any other element of the image resulted in any hiccups in the compression. …The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 remix sounds about as good as I imagine it ever will, given the age of the movie, the questionable looping of dialogue, and the stock sound effects. …Extras: The most recent DVD release of Enter the Dragon was a special edition of extraordinary magnitude, containing around six hours of extras that have all been ported over to this HD DVD.” The Chronicles of Riddick on HD DVD - Dan Ramer, DVD File - "The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 is presented in an impressive high definition transfer. The images are very sharp and highly detailed. The complex CGI constructs, from the Necromonger ships to the advanced alien architecture are conveyed with great depth and clarity. The textures and detail in the elaborate costumes and the normal imperfections in skin are just as easily perceived. The Necromonger palette is all grays and silvers, and the ice planet is all grays and blues, but the molten heat of Crematoria is vivid onscreen... Contrast is excellent, with the deep rich blacks of night and the scorchingly bright, glaring day on Crematoria, all without a hint of crush on either end of the video dynamic range... This is an extremely aggressive Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mix. The surrounds are almost constantly active, fully immersing the viewer in the action. Discrete effects and pans abound... And as a result, the added headroom is used to great effect to extend the dynamic range of the sound effects. But even with all the sonic fireworks, the surrounds occasionally provide some simple, subtle ambient sounds that place you more persuasively in the imaginative environments. This is a demo quality audio track... Extras: You’ll find most of the significant extras ported over from previous DVD releases of the film." Happy Gilmore, on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “Hey, 1.85:1. Don't see that on HD DVD too often. Anyway, this high-definition presentation of Happy Gilmore is kinda average, but "average" on HD DVD still passes for "pretty damn nice". The image is sharp 'n smooth, and with so much of the movie set on golf courses on bright, sunny days, the cinematography's cheery and colorful. The golf scenes also show off how much fine detail HD DVD can dish out; instead of the course looking like a giant green smear, it seems as if you can make out each and every individual blade of grass. I don't really have any gripes -- there's no artifacting, no nicks or speckles creep in, and only a couple of scattered shots don't match the quality of the rest of the film...” Sahara on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "“Sahara” was the second of Paramount’s initial slate that I had the pleasure to view... In fact, it is one of the best transfers I have yet to see. I enjoyed the beautiful picture so much that I pushed “Tomb Raider” down in the order in which I am reviewing these films so I can sing the praise of this vivid and eye-catching transfer... Colors jump out of the screen with this incredible transfer and combined with the fine level of detail, “Sahara” feels almost like you could touch it. This is a beautifully shot film and it is brought to life wonderfully by a beautiful VC-1 encoded HD-DVD transfer... “Sahara” is a film that perfectly balances scenes where environmental sounds bring out the beauty of the African landscape and scenes where a very aggressive soundtrack takes hold of the audience’s ear canals with a full-on assault of the senses. During the noisy action sequences, “Sahara” fully utilizes all six channels. The front three channels pound with great fervor to bring the gunfire and other sound effects to full life. The center does an admirable job of delivering dialogue, even in the noisiest moments. The rear channels are full of sound as well and rival even the front channels in some scenes. The .1 LFE subwoofer loves to pound home the explosions and powder explosions of the guns. The audio portion of this film perfectly matches the strong visuals to deliver a home theater tour-de-force... Extras: One of the reasons I have found an early favorite in HD-DVD in this format war is the cornucopia of value-added content that arrives with almost every release. “Sahara” is no exception to the rule and comes packed with a nice arsenal of bonus features, including two commentary tracks that brings the total number of soundtracks to a whopping six." Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a stylized, stylish flick, and it looks spectacular on HD DVD. The film's most immediately striking aspect is its use of color, with some scenes shot through heavily-tinted filters and others desaturated within an inch of its celluloid life. The 2.40:1 image is awfully pretty on HD DVD, and aside from the eye-catching colors, it's also razor-sharp and richly detailed. The movie's kind of a neo-neo-noir, and it follows that shadow detail is strong and black levels remain dark and inky throughout. Members of the Film Grain Defamation League should also be thrilled to hear that grain is tight and unintrusive throughout. I'm supposed to rate things with stars, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang deserves lots of 'em. …The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio is more traditional but still warrants heaps of praise. …It's an especially well-balanced mix that impresses without resorting to gimmickry or overwhelming other elements of the audio in the process. Very nicely done. …Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the fourth combo disc from Warner, …The good news...? Kiss Kiss Bang Bang has the same set of extras on both sides of the disc, so you can watch 'em while keeping your ass firmly planted on your couch.” Seabiscuit on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "Universal Home Video has done an excellent job thus far with their HD-DVD releases. Their films have been of consistent high quality and “Seabiscuit” is no exception. The film is stunning in its visual splendor. With many great outdoor vistas and lovely period sets, the film about Depression Era America is, in a word, beautiful... I can guarantee that a horse has never looked as good on home video. The old Buick race cars and their brightly painted bodies exhibit each rivet and seam of their classic build. A number of black and white scenes are contained in the film to help define the mood and environment of the times. These moments, too, are stunning in appearance... This is, without a doubt, one of the better looking transfers I have yet to see on HD-DVD. There have been a number of very good ones so far, and “Seabiscuit” joins the upper echelon... The film contains vibrant colors that cross the entire color spectrum. They are perfectly recreated here and are nicely saturated. Red is a color that is typically problematic for digital transfers, but the bright red’s of Red Pollard’s outfit, one of Charles Howard’s cars and other items in the film are perfect... Detail is incredibly strong and among the best detailed titles yet released. “Seabiscuit” is an absolutely gorgeous film and a true gem of an HD-DVD... The English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 multi-channel surround mix is very nicely done and especially remarkable during the horse racing sequences when you are placed in the middle of the hard galloping animals. The sequences are loud. Each heavy hitting hoof can be felt. If you’ve ever wandered what it sounds like to be on a horse and to be directly between two other horses as you round the corner before the home stretch, “Seabiscuit” on HD-DVD will give you that sonic experience. During these scenes, the rear surrounds and subwoofer are heavily used and all six channels nicely spring to life... The horse racing scenes of the film sound strong enough to show off your home theater setup. Dialogue is strong and clear and both Spanish and French soundtracks are provided in 5.1 sound... In typical Universal fashion, all of the supplements from the limited 2-disc set have been carried over to the HD-DVD release... One of the reasons I have given HD-DVD the nod over Blu-Ray in the early going is because of the efforts of both Warner Bros. and Universal to port over all of the materials from their best standard definition releases." Syriana, on HD DVD – Joshua Zyber, DVD Talk – “The HD transfer is clean, sharp, and detailed. You can make out the individual strands of hair in George Clooney's beard. Colors are accurately rendered though mostly subdued (the movie's style isn't meant to be eye-popping). The photography is a little bit grainy here and there, but the grain is well-compressed and never looks noisy. …This is a fine-looking disc. …Extras: All of the supplements from the DVD appear to have carried over.” The Searchers on HD DVD - John J. Puccio, DVD Town - "While the standard-definition results were generally superb, the high-definition is even better, the fifty-year-old film looking as good as almost anything made today... The colors shows up brilliantly, of course, deeper and more vibrant than ever... This is gorgeous cinematography, excellently reproduced... However, you will find an extraordinary clarity in the dialogue and music that makes listening a pleasure. The audio is the proverbial "clear as a bell." Not for a minute did I notice it was in monaural... Extras: This single HD-DVD contains all the special features found on the standard-definition, Ultimate Collector's Edition, two-disc set." The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) on HD DVD - Dan Ramer, DVD File - "I cannot properly express the experience of watching this restored film on a large screen illuminated by a fine front projector. I was dazzled by the colors. I wish I had a better understanding of the chemistry and the optics so I might attempt to express how the Technicolor process conveys such dramatic images. There's a chromatic richness in the presentation that I've rarely experienced. Flesh tones are quite natural, yet vivid colors are painted to the screen with exceptional depth and subtle gradations. Shadow detail in the day for night scenes is excellent. Small object detail and fine textures are outstanding. So revealing is the presentation that despite my having seen this film many times before on commercial television, I noticed subtle details that I'd never seen before... The high definition transfer excels in scenes that reveal the exceptionally large sets or intricate glass mattes. The textures of the simulated stone walls of the interior of the grand hall of Gisbourne’s castle are crystal clear... This is a splendid transfer of a great-looking film, and the HD DVD is a considerable step up from the DVD.... The 1938 monaural audio was originally recorded optically... As with many such restorations, equalization has helped tonal balance and, to a limited extent, timbre, but the inherent limitations... all remain. Extras: Warner Home Video put together an extremely generous collection of extras spread over two discs for the DVD release. They’ve been ported over for this HD DVD, but certain notable improvements have been made." 16 Blocks, on HD DVD – Joshua Zyber, DVD Talk – “The HD transfer looks great. The picture is extremely sharp and detailed, to the point where you can see the seams in Bruce Willis' hairpiece. The photography has a very naturalistic color style that doesn't necessarily pop off the screen like some movies but nonetheless looks vivid and pleasing. Black level is always solid with excellent shadow detail, lending the film a great sense of depth. Although the 118-minute movie has been compressed onto a single-layer disc side (as all the combo discs to date have been), there are absolutely no visible digital artifacts. It's a slick and glossy image that may not be as showy as some other discs out there, but almost feels like you could walk up to it and step into the movie.” Syriana on HD DVD - John J. Puccio, DVD Town - "Warner Bros. may be releasing all of their most-recent motion pictures in high definition, but understand that the people who made "Syriana" did not set out to film the most gloriously clean, well-delineated image possible. They purposely color-drained some shots and included grain in others in order to effect a gritty, realistic, sometimes documentary look to their movie. That said, the HD-DVD picture looks about twice as clean and clear as I remember it from the motion-picture theater... The video is absolutely crisp in most scenes despite the modified colors in some shots. Except when needed, there is practically no grain to speak of at all, and a few outdoor settings look spectacularly well focused. Facial close-ups are pinpoint accurate, as are their realistic facial hues. I am looking forward more and more to each new HD-DVD release, they are such a pleasure on the eye." The Bourne Supremacy, on HD DVD – Joshua Zyber, DVD Talk – “Now this is what High Definition is all about! The video transfer on this disc is, in a word, fantastic. The picture is razor sharp with an outstanding sense of three-dimensional depth. Colors are incredibly vivid and the contrast range is flawless from the inky blacks of Berlin at night to the blinding whites of Moscow snow. This is a slick, glossy, and enormously impressive image that far and away exceeds anything possible on DVD. …This is a great-looking disc, and of the titles released so far is my choice of demo material for showing off the HD DVD format. …This soundtrack showcases all the best that Hollywood's audio wizards have to offer, and it's delivered exceptionally well on the HD DVD. …Extras: All of the supplements from the Bourne Supremacy DVD appear to have carried over. …A couple of featurettes originally found on the Bourne Identity – Explosive Extended Edition DVD have also been ported over. …Exclusive to the HD DVD, however, is a brand new feature: Bourne Instant Access. …in my opinion this was a much more interesting way to view the material than cycling through a string of tedious 5-minute featurettes. Extras: The HD-DVD includes several extras that are not available on the regular SD edition, including the documentary "Weaving Reality into Drama" and "A Conversation with Matt Damon." ” Training Day on HD DVD - John J. Puccio, DVD Town - "But viewed in HD-DVD's full 1080x1920 lines, there is a remarkable improvement in clarity over the SD disc. The widescreen image (measuring a ratio about 2.15:1 across my TV) displays good, natural colors (although the director uses occasional odd hue variations to indicate mood changes), and the overall definition is sharp and well delineated. Moreover, I found the numerous moiré effects--wavering, shimmering lines in things like high-rise windows and auto grilles--that intruded on the SD's sense of realism were almost completely absent from the HD-DVD. Grain, too, is absent, the screen yielding a clean, clear picture, with black levels consistently strong... If I found any problem at all watching this film, it's the kind of problem we should all have. After a few minutes, I became used to the high definition; I began taking it for granted... The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks... are nothing short of terrific, with a wide dynamic range, a strong transient impact, and all-encompassing ambiant music and noises approaching from all directions. The audio is as clean and clear as the video, and unlike my experience listening to the SD version's DD 5.1, I was not bothered by the soundtrack's overreliance on gunshots and screeching tires. With its well-detailed midrange and tightly controlled bass, the new audio tracks are a pleasure on the ears... Extras: For extras, we get the same items found on WB's SD edition..." Constantine, on HD DVD – Adam Tyner, DVD Talk – “The phrase "demo material" gets tossed around quite a bit in these early HD DVD reviews, but as tired as you may or may not be of hearing that spouted off again and again, it's unavoidable with a disc as deeply impressive as the 2.40:1 Constantine. The film's visuals are arguably its strongest selling point, and the movie looks terrific on HD DVD in every possible way: colors are beautifully saturated, the image remains crisp and richly detailed throughout, and black levels are deep and inky. There's quite a bit of fast motion in the backgrounds of Hell, and although that would cause Constantine to devolve into a blocky mess on at least some cable and satellite systems, I couldn't spot any artifacting or compression hiccups on this disc. As is the case with virtually every recent theatrical release, the source material is free of any visible wear or speckling. Nitpickers may harp about a tiny bit of film grain that's intermittently visible, but I don't consider that a flaw, nor could I really find much to complain about this presentation of Constantine at all. At least for the moment, this is the disc I'd pull off the shelf to show my friends and family what HD DVD has to offer. …The Dolby Digital Plus track is phenomenal: aggressive, dynamic, and almost unrelentingly active, with sound roaring from and bouncing around every channel. The lower frequencies are also tight and substantial. …Extras: As far as existing extras are concerned, there's no shortage of them on this disc. Between the movie itself, the In-Movie Experience, a couple of commentary tracks, the deleted scenes, and a small army of featurettes, it'll take somewhere in the neighborhood of ten hours to watch everything this disc has to offer.” U-571 on HD DVD - Dean Winkelspecht, DVD Town - "It is incredibly detailed and its hi-definition transfer on the HD-DVD format is simply breathtaking. From the cramped and darkly lit scenes under the surface of the water to the sunny moments bobbing in the waves in view of the German destroyer, “U-571” never disappoints in being visually impressive. The vintage destroyers shown in the film and the individual rooms of the old submarine look as good as any war film ever made. The 2.35:1 transfer is as clear as anything yet shown on the new format. Given its dark nature, “U-571” exhibits superior black levels and shadow detail. Skin tones are warm and properly contrasted. Colors are a bit drab given the subject matter, but absolutely no complaints from this reviewer. There is a |