The Unofficial High-Def Movie Thread

[SteelSD]

That's a beauty. I am going to start researching it. They have them at the Tri County Best Buy so I might go check it out this weekend.

If you're going to research that model, you should be aware that it's basically the final iteration of Samsung's LN-T406xF line. The "x" is basically the iteration (for lack of a better word). Previous models like the LN-T4061F and LN-T4065F have different shaping (they lack the bottom "curve") and don't have the distinctive blue light at the bottom. My wife thinks the light is silly, but she has little appreciation for the coolness factor of matching the TV with my PS3 and lighted PS3 stand. Chicks!

Other differences:

The LN-T4066F has a newer main board (1009) and more recent firmware. This helps avoid some intermittent green and pink color "flashing" I've heard of from 4061 and 4065 owners. The 66 is also rumored to have deeper blacks than the other "406X" models, although I haven't seen all of them lined up and properly calibrated for optimal black levels so I can't personally verify that. I can verify that the dynamic contrast ratio on the 4066 is 15,000:1 versus 10,000:1 for the 4061. The 4061 and 4065 models are still strong sets and should be less expensive than the 4066 at full retail, but there are additional considerations with those.

After I have the TV a while longer, I'll probably write up an Epinions.com review on the set as most of the user reviews available online for the 4066 aren't very detailed. Some things I like other than the PQ:

1. All the buttons are heat sensitive (like the PS3).
2. The remote is intuitive, even if the buttons are a little small.
3. Swivel base!
4. 3x HDMI inputs.
5. Dual-source Picture-in-Picture. Yes, you can watch a Blu Ray movie on your PS3 while checking ESPN on the smaller PIP display at the same time. And yes, you can swap audio between the primary and secondary displays.
6. It has a setup feature that will automatically identify A/V sources attached.
7. Single-touch input source swapping.
8. Will display digital pictures and play MP3 music via "Wiselink" USB input from thumb or flash drive. Biggest MP3 player I've ever seen!
9. Appears to support 24 frames-per-second video signals for better HD resolution.

Some "cons":

1. The TV supports audio output via "RCA" cables, but not video output. Won't make a difference to most, but does to me as I have an Archos 504 portable DVR that can't input upstairs from my dish receiver (it's downstairs).
2. Bright backlight helps, but reflective screen can be an issue for rooms with high amounts of ambient light.
3. My universal remote appears unable to learn "Info" button functions from included remote. Might be a "me" issue of course.

The Sony Bravia XBR LCD series, as RFS noted, is another great line with excellent picture quality and detail. If I didn't get such a great deal on the Samsung set I purchased, I'd still be on the fence between that and a 40" XBR LCD. I have to admit that the Sony XBR series is nice looking, but as my setup (PS3, Sony surround sound, TV stand) is all black, the Samsung is damn sexy.

[gonelong]

Optoma HD72 projector firing a 101" display. Watching standard definition TV broadcasts on the thing almost makes you ill. Watching high-def sports almost makes you cry.

If you have cable, get yourself a booster. I had the same opinion of standard TV, now I'll gladly watch most of the channels.

InFocus SP4805, 94" picture. (EDTV - 480P, but stunning nonetheless)

I also have an Olevia 232, 32" (720P)

I have been very happy with both to date.

[SteelSD]

Update for Blu-Ray enthusiasts...

It appears that most major electronics retailers are having huge sales this week on Blu-Ray offerings. The local Best Buy here has all Disney titles at buy-one-get-one-free and a bunch of other titles at $14.99. I've also heard online that Circuit City and Fry's are having similar sales. Went to BB yesterday and picked up:

Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2
The Fifth Element- Remastered (Must have 2007 date on back cover and "Beyond High Definition" in silver foil on front cover)
Layer Cake
Final Fantasy- The Spirits Within

I could have spent another 100 bucks on that sale, but I had already ordered Smallville Season 6 on Blu-Ray and was going to pick up the regular Transformers Special Edition today so I passed on a lot of really good stuff.

But at least I can now confirm that PotC: Dead Man's Chest is certainly the best live-action movie "reference" title. It blows away nearly everything else in picture quality. Truly fantastic transfer.

[KronoRed]

Beware of POTC 1 BLU-Ray, it has framing issues during the first Sparrow/Turner sword fight, missing heads.

[SteelSD]

Beware of POTC 1 BLU-Ray, it has framing issues during the first Sparrow/Turner sword fight, missing heads.

Yeah, I heard about that prior to the purchase. Folks say it's minor, but I haven't unwrapped it yet. I really wanted the POTC 2 because of the PQ reviews I've read, but at $15.00 I figured I'd pick up the 2nd at well. I don't think it's likely that Disney will replace any current copies because, unlike the first iteration of The Fifth Element, the issue appears to be only a few seconds of the film. But there's always hope.

Speaking of The Fifth Element, I'm watching it right now and it just pops off the screen. From all reports, the initial transfer was crap, but this "remastered" version pops off the screen and really does highlights the extreme color palette used.

Also just received Smallville: Season 6 on Blu Ray from an amazon.com seller. They advertised it as "Used- Like New", so I was shocked to receive a new/sealed copy for all of $45 w/shipping. Haven't watched it yet, but I'll report on it for those interested as soon as I have a chance.

[SteelSD]

Well, I've watched the first few episodes of Smallville: Season 6 on Blu-Ray and I'm entirely underwhelmed. And that's being polite. I've purchased Heroes: Season 1 on regular DVD and I'm currently watching Transformers on regular DVD and both offer, IMHO, better upscaled video quality than what I've seen from the Blu-Ray Smallville set.

It's pathetic that Warner Bros. couldn't produce a better transfer. There's a better review here:

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/959/smallvilles6.html

Maybe they're seeing some shots I'm not, but a 4/5 "Video" ranking is, to my eyes, way too aggressive. The Blu-Ray version of the sixth season of Smallville is fathoms away from "reference" material and is, at best, low Tier 3 material from a PQ perspective. That's fine if one wants a picture that's better than broadcast TV, but not at all good for those who were expecting to see a great deal of "pop" or a lot of clarity. The colors are spot-on accurate, which is about the best thing I can say about the PQ.

Color me disappointed.

[Playadlc]

Yep. Brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc., etc. Optimal calibration is different for each TV and should be tweaked to adjust for the amount of ambient light in your viewing area. I'm again going to reference avsforum.com:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=166

Many of the threads there have posters who give feedback on "optimal" calibration settings for their units, including some folks who use professional calibration equipment. I'm fairly tech-savvy, but still consider myself a neophyte for things like calibration. I can "eyeball" it pretty well but after finding optimal calibration settings for my Samsung LN-T4066F I consider my viewing experience to be forever changed. A picture that used to look great now looks absolutely fantastic, with some of the deepest blacks I've ever seen on an LCD TV.

For reference, I'll post the settings I'm using and should note that different settings are necessary depending on the TV's firmware version.

Picture: Movie Mode

Contrast: 93
Brightness: 46
Sharpness: 25
Color: 55
Tint: 50
Backlight: 7
Color Tone: Warm1
Size: Just Scan
Digital NR: Auto

Detailed Settings:

Black Adjust: Low
Dynamic Contrast: High
Gamma: -1
Color Space: Auto

White Balance:

R-Offset: 21
G-Offset: 20
B-Offset: 21
R-Gain: 0
G-Gain: 21
B-Gain: 26

Setup:

HDMI Black Level: Low

My Color Control:

Pink: 20
Green: 15
Blue: 15
White: 15

Edge Enhancement: On
xvYCC: Off

Now, those settings are only viable for my make and model of LCD TV, but it's a good example of how complicated calibration can get. Do a search of the threads at avsforum.com and you might run across the right settings for your TV. It's well worth taking the time.

Steel, I don't mean to be a pain in the ***, but I can't find the calibration settings for my TV anywhere on that site. I know it's there, but I am having a heck of a time finding it.

I have two samsung HDTV's. I have the Samsung HL-S5087W and the Samsung LN-T3242H.

Could you point me to the proper place to find the exact settings for these sets? I would really appreciate it.

[SteelSD]

Steel, I don't mean to be a pain in the ***, but I can't find the calibration settings for my TV anywhere on that site. I know it's there, but I am having a heck of a time finding it.

I have two samsung HDTV's. I have the Samsung HL-S5087W and the Samsung LN-T3242H.

Could you point me to the proper place to find the exact settings for these sets? I would really appreciate it.

I can do more checking when I get off work, but here might be a good place for you to start for the LN-T3242H:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=ln-t3242h

[SteelSD]

Playadlc, here's the HL-S5087W thread. It's 600-odd pages long so good luck! Generally you should be able to find acceptable calibration settings in the first few pages of either link I've posted.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...ight=HL-S5087W

[SteelSD]

For those interested, news broke on 1/04/08 that Warner- previously format neutral- would switch to Blu-Ray exclusive in mid-2008.

http://www.forbes.com/technology/200...idcontent.html

Earlier this year, Paramount migrated to the HD DVD only camp, which resulted in a slight hit to Blu-Ray. But Warner choosing to go Blu Ray-only is akin to dropping an atom bomb. The resulting blast will leave HD DVD with only two exclusive major studios (Paramount, Universal) and Blu Ray will possess about 70% of the Hollywood HDM pie.

Personally, I want the HD "war" to go on for as long as it takes to get me as much free stuff and as many price cuts as I can. The decision by Warner won't much affect my selection when purchasing (I already buy all Warner on Blu-Ray anyway), but I'll sure think twice about buying any HD DVD's going forward.

As for movies, the holiday season has been kind. My recent acquisitions:

Blu-Ray

Blade Runner 5-Disc Collector's Edition (PQ a little soft, but wow! What a value!!)
POTC: At World's End (Superior PQ, but the worst of the three films)
Resident Evil: Extinction (Good PQ, not nearly as much action as the other two. Lots of digital softening for Milla's close ups.)
Shoot 'Em Up (Over-the-top like "Crank", but with Monica Belucci too!)
Superbad (A little soft in the PQ area, but hilarious)
2001 (degradation of the master copy hurts the PQ, but still stunning)
War (PQ a little soft, and not as much action as I anticipated. Maybe "Scuffle" would have been a better title.)

HD DVD

Bourne Utimatum (Update your firmware. Then it's a great PQ and action flick. Did I mention UPDATE YOUR FIRMWARE?)
Hot Fuzz (Fantastic PQ, funny, and unexpected action the first time you see it)
Stardust (Underrated fantasy flick. Sort of "Princess Bride-ish". PQ is really good)

[KronoRed]

Beware of POTC 1 BLU-Ray, it has framing issues during the first Sparrow/Turner sword fight, missing heads.

Disney is now offering replacement disc's, hooray for the mouse

[SteelSD]

Disney is now offering replacement disc's, hooray for the mouse

Yep. Good deal there.

Also, I should have noted that a small amount of incorrect 5th discs shipped with the Blade Runner collection. It's supposed to be the "Workprint" version as stated on the disc, but it's basically a copy (IIRC) of the first disc. Free replacements for those too.

[WMR]

Steel: Why would you hesitate buying a HD-DVD that you saw out there that you liked? You already own a player.

[SteelSD]

Steel: Why would you hesitate buying a HD-DVD that you saw out there that you liked? You already own a player.

If it's a "must buy", I'll probably grab it. However, if this whole thing goes the way I think it likely could, everything's going to be on Blu-Ray eventually. While the Toshiba HD-A2 I own is good, I get better playback results from my PS3, shorter load times, and more frequent firmware updates. Secondly, I've found that some releases have been more expensive on HD DVD (particularly the combo disc offerings).

However, for exclusive catalogue "want" titles, I'll wait as they might either eventually be released on Blu-Ray or end up in the HD DVD bargain bin. For example, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have purchased "Serenity" on HD DVD. Ditto with "Batman Begins" as that one will almost assuredly be released on Blu-Ray either within the next year or as part of a trilogy set. I have to believe that "The Matrix" trilogy will also be around on Blu-Ray within the next year. I often wonder if part of Warner's relationship with Toshiba didn't either include exclusivity for that set or that Warner wasn't offered some kind of incentive to release that trilogy only on HD DVD.

I also wonder if Warner wasn't disappointed in the sales volume of what should have been a "must-have" HD collection (Matrix) if they agreed to produce it exclusively on HD DVD. Just my thoughts, of course, but Warner must have had some valid reasons to make the switch beyond just trying to create format uniformity in order to further the HD movie market. And as they've produced a huge volume of format-neutral titles, including the recent "Harry Potter" collection, I'd muse that they don't like the sales numbers they're seeing despite Toshiba's consistent claims that they have nearly half of the HD "standalone" player market. Of course, Toshiba also includes their X-Box 360 add-on as a "standalone" and obviously excludes the PS3.

But HD DVD player prices have been down to less than $100 (HD-A2 in November + five free mail-in) and to under $200 (HD-A3 is $179 at Sam's club with 7 free movies- 2 in box) over the past three months. They've been giving away "King Kong" in-box along with "Heroes: Season 1" AND the five free mail-in offer. Considering that the HD DVD standalone players have consistently been cheaper than standalone Blu-Ray players (and definitively so), the fact that Toshiba has only half the market there isn't good. Then mix in the reported 7.2 million PS3's sold thusfar, and it's a bloodbath for Blu Ray.

Waiting for things to play out isn't really my nature, but when we get to a 70%/30% studio support ratio in favor of Blu-Ray and an extreme advantage in players in market, it's time for me to get even more bearish on the probability for HD-DVD's long-term survival. Many financial and industry analysts are already toting the Warner move as being the death knell for HD DVD. And it could be as Warner had the biggest total piece of the HDM pie for 2007.

HD DVD has to do something to respond, so look out for more HD player offerings at or around the $100.00 price point in the near future (probably the HD-A3).

Probably a longer response than you (or anyone) was looking for, but that's my reasoning.

[GIK]

Yup, it's over. Blu-Ray has won the "war". It's just a matter of time until Universal (and Paramount) go BR-exclusive.

Whether or not it's the better format, it'll help end consumer confusion and give hi-def media a chance to really take off.