How can you tell if it's a true HD DVD?

[photoeye]

Hi,

I heard from the local electronics store rep that some HD or Blue Ray DVD titles are not 720 or 1080 format but just transfered from the original, so it's no different then having a standard dvd. I asked how can you tell and his answer was he did not know.

Any tips on how to avoid high def dvd's are are just duplicates of the standard 480 dvd's?

I also read somewhere blue ray dvd's have not transferred well as compared to HD(?)

thanks!

 

[MAX661]

That is the biggest lie I think I have ever heard from a salesman... lol, It seems everyday just when I think best buy/ future shop/ curcuit city employees are about as uninformed as it gets something like this pops up and the hit a new low in my books...

oh well, atleast it was good for a laugh.

 

[MAX661]

Hi,

I also read somewhere blue ray dvd's have not transferred well as compared to HD(?)

thanks!

HD DVD has the leg up in the race so far because of the codecs they chose to use {VC-1} which is superior to that of Sony {MPEG2}. A few recent titles from bluray {warner titles} that have used VC1 seem to be close to par with what HD DVD is putting out.

Some movies will look better than other due to the master, but as of right now most HD DVDs are considered to be transparent to the master {ie: as good as it gets}

So just enjoy the new formats and dont listen to big box employees. You have no clue how many times I have called a store to reserve the latest HD DVD that came out, then when I get there they have the standard DVD version set aside for me... It is priceless how far behind these employees are when it comes to the new formats. You would figure it would be required for them to know atleast the basics. And if you work in the movie department you should know what movies you have, and what format they are.

 

[photoeye]

Good to know the HD's are really HD's. Looks like the price of the toshiba hd is droppping rapidly so it maybe a great deal pretty soon. now only if Lord of the Rings triology was on HD, that would settle it

thanks!

 

[Audioholics]

I'm hoping that new BD titles will be transferred by an adult rather than a 9-year old - at least that's my assumption based on what I've seen to-date. It's not the compression method so much as the quality of the transfer - dirt, noise... Some made it OK, but examples like The Fifth Element are a joke and the DVD is actually more pleasing to watch.

VC-1 may be superior, but BD has a mastering issue first and foremost.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

This topic will become a lot more important in the future. Especially when China & the like start setting-up their own HD mastering/manufacturing facilities.

[The region 0 Ebay DVDs of most chinese movies tend to be mastered better/ more bonus features than their region 1 releases].

When some heartless Chinese pirate make a regionless HD-DVD (1080p VC-1, DolbyTrueHD) of a THX remastered print of the 1977 cut of Star wars and releases it on Ebay for $15, none of us highly-moralled people will stoop to buying it, will we?