Edge of the World Blu-ray Review

[Film Man]

All well and good but you still haven't told us what you are watching HD on?

Film Man

[JamesM]

An Oppo BD-80 on a Samsung 40" LCD (LE40A686).



You might find this an interesting read:-



http://www.efilm.com/publish/2008/05/19/4K%20plus.pdf

[Steve Crook]

name='Film Man' timestamp='1287696096' post='484973']

All well and good but you still haven't told us what you are watching HD on?

Film Man

It also depends on what you want to watch. If you are watching the latest Hollywood blockbusters recorded in hi-fi surround sound then I agree, things like HD & Blu-ray can make a difference. But my preference is for the British films of the 1940s (not just Powell & Pressburger). They were in mono and are often in B&W



Steve

[penfold]

name='Steve Crook' timestamp='1287701393' post='484999']

It also depends on what you want to watch. If you are watching the latest Hollywood blockbusters recorded in hi-fi surround sound then I agree, things like HD & Blu-ray can make a difference. But my preference is for the British films of the 1940s (not just Powell & Pressburger). They were in mono and are often in B&W



Steve

Even so, a properly mastered BluRay will still look a lot better - not that I've made the jump myself quite yet. The BluRay of Keaton's The General - as seen on a mate's set-up - is stunning, an appreciable improvement on DVD.

[Cheeky Bob]

name='Steve Crook' timestamp='1287701393' post='484999']

It also depends on what you want to watch. If you are watching the latest Hollywood blockbusters recorded in hi-fi surround sound then I agree, things like HD & Blu-ray can make a difference. But my preference is for the British films of the 1940s (not just Powell & Pressburger). They were in mono and are often in B&W

Can I hazard a guess that you've never seen a black-and-white Blu-ray being shown on a properly calibrated system (by which I absolutely do not mean the monstrosities on display in places like HMV with the brightness and contrast whacked up to the max)?



Because there have been some absolutely gobsmacking Blu-ray releases of films from the 1920s, 30s and 40s (off the top of my head, Battleship Potemkin, The General, Sunrise, City Girl, Make Way For Tomorrow and of course Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes), and if they've been mastered properly from well-preserved 35mm sources it really does make a huge difference - much bigger than a mere increase in resolution. As someone said earlier, a well-transferred Blu-ray actually looks like film: you can't see all of the original grain, but you can see enough for it to feel convincing.



For what it's worth, my Blu-ray system consists of a Sony Playstation 3 plugged into a flatscreen telly - I don't have surround sound and haven't had any incentive to get one. And it's still a massive improvement.

[Film Man]

Thanks 'Cheeky Bob'...someone who speaks as it is... all well and good going on what the specifications say...but it's how we watch things and what we think that says it all. I have some early silent B/W Blue Ray material that takes your breath away...the latest Robin Hood (Ridley Scott's)on Blue Ray reminds me of when I first viewed 70mm (Mag men In Flying Machines)...something really special.

Film Man.

[Steve Crook]

name='Cheeky Bob' timestamp='1287753058' post='485099']

Can I hazard a guess that you've never seen a black-and-white Blu-ray being shown on a properly calibrated system (by which I absolutely do not mean the monstrosities on display in places like HMV with the brightness and contrast whacked up to the max)?



Because there have been some absolutely gobsmacking Blu-ray releases of films from the 1920s, 30s and 40s (off the top of my head, Battleship Potemkin, The General, Sunrise, City Girl, Make Way For Tomorrow and of course Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes), and if they've been mastered properly from well-preserved 35mm sources it really does make a huge difference - much bigger than a mere increase in resolution. As someone said earlier, a well-transferred Blu-ray actually looks like film: you can't see all of the original grain, but you can see enough for it to feel convincing.



For what it's worth, my Blu-ray system consists of a Sony Playstation 3 plugged into a flatscreen telly - I don't have surround sound and haven't had any incentive to get one. And it's still a massive improvement.

The guess you hazard would be wrong. I do see an itsy bitsy improvement, but nowhere near a big enough improvement to justify the hype



Steve

[Steve Crook]

Back to an earlier comment, about the changes that were made to the extras of The Edge of the World for the Blu-ray edition. I was at Pinewood today meeting with Thelma Schoonmaker & Martin Scorsese. I asked Thelma about what changes she and Ian Christie had done for the commentary and she said that they were minimal. Just a little bit of tidying up and a few very minor corrections.



Steve

[narabdela]

name='Steve Crook' timestamp='1287794949' post='485224']

The guess you hazard would be wrong. I do see an itsy bitsy improvement, but nowhere near a big enough improvement to justify the hype



Steve

I think, having read that post and your previous input on the thread, that I must agree with Cheeky Bob's guess that you've never watched a B&W Blu-Ray on a properly calibrated system.



The difference is indeed quite stunning. If you are only seeing an "itsy bitsy" improvement, then something is seriously wrong somewhere.

[Cheeky Bob]

name='narabdela' timestamp='1287830332' post='485292']

I think, having read that post and your previous input on the thread, that I must agree with Cheeky Bob's guess that you've never watched a B&W Blu-Ray on a properly calibrated system.



The difference is indeed quite stunning. If you are only seeing an "itsy bitsy" improvement, then something is seriously wrong somewhere.

Believe me, I'd have been the first to complain if I'd only seen an "itsy bitsy" improvement after blowing a grand or so on a 42" plasma screen and a PS3. But in fact the difference was indeed stunning - and in many ways the older the film is, the more I'm impressed.



At the very least, Steve, when you had your Blu-ray disappointment, can you recall how big the screen was? If it was only 28" screen, I agree with you that the visible difference probably was minimal - but if it was 40" or bigger, it should have been glaringly obvious.

[John Hodson]

It should be glaringly obvious on a 28" screen, but yes, pretty much, the bigger the screen the greater the impact. There's an awful lot of ignorance about HD, but for some folk, sadly, they have eyes but they do not - will not - see. I cannot understand for the life of me the twaddle that's repeated about 'how can old films benefit; they weren't even filmed in HD' (seriously, it's the most often repeated canard), when, IMHO, when older films are well transferred, they are the ones that really display the benefits of higher definition.



Sometimes it's a case of genuinely not understanding the technology, which is hardly a crime. Sometimes it's sheer obduracy.



Yes, a beautifully transferred film looks brilliant in standard definition; but, on a decent sized screen, it looks better so much better in HD. And the BFI, thus far, have done a damn fine job with their HD transfers.

[vanmunchen]

name='JamesM' timestamp='1287622369' post='484710']

I can perhaps understand choosing to wait. The next upgrade will be the last significant one so you would not have to worry about the format going out of date. HD is roughly 16mm quality so the next upgrade will probably be 35mm standard. I don't think there would be too much demand for home entertainment equipment that can match 70mm quality to make such equipment affordable.

I doubt that there will ever be another pressed disc format. Ultra HD is many years away and the future will be downloads. One can wait and wait forever for the next improvement to come along but why deny oneself the benefit of the best possible picture and sound available now - which is of course Blu-ray. Blu-ray quality is, in fact, considerably better than many 35mm prints I've seen.

[JamesM]

name='vanmunchen' timestamp='1287918034' post='485622']

I doubt that there will ever be another pressed disc format. Ultra HD is many years away and the future will be downloads. One can wait and wait forever for the next improvement to come along but why deny oneself the benefit of the best possible picture and sound available now - which is of course Blu-ray. Blu-ray quality is, in fact, considerably better than many 35mm prints I've seen.

You're right. I had not researched properly. Ultra HD is 8K not 4K. Seems that the leap is going to be made to 8K but that has been estimated to be 20 years away before it becomes the norm. I suspect a 4K standard will come along before then. On a pressed disc? Well, they still press vinyl don't they?



As for the quality of Blu Ray, I agree with Film an, John Hodson and most people in this thread that the leap in quality justifies the shift to Blu Ray. I could never bring myself to buy a DVD again unless it is unlikely that the material on it would come to Blu Ray in the near future. DVDs are VHS as far as I am concerned.