Are blu-ray discs recorded at higher audio levels then their DVD counterparts?

[mpompey]

Last night I bought the Director's Cut of Terminator 4 blu-ray. As I was watching the disc I was blown away by the sound. So as a test I loaded the DVD version of the movie and queued both discs to the scene when the Hunter Killer cruises by the building in downtown LA and the building crumbles because of the rumble of the HK.

The DVD version of that scene played at the same volume level on my receiver shakes the room. The BLU-RAY version of that same scene is friggin' back-breaking! This can't be just do to the increased resolution of the audio signal can it?

 

[j_garcia]

IMO, when it gets compressed down to the lossy format, my guess is it does lose something, not the other way around. The tracks you hear on BD on recent movies is more or less the same thing you'd hear in the theater. Not sure if they are re-mastering that just for home, vs what they did previously with the lossy formats.

On a side note...have you picked up Dune on Blu-ray yet? I have only seen it full price and I am waiting a bit to see if it goes on sale, but it got good reviews so far.

 

[avliner]

Talking about the higher audio quality on BD's, I had a real "jaw-dropping" experience couple of weeks ago, when I got Roy Orbison's - A Black & White Night Concert - though. The overall remastering - IMHO - is, by far, the best audio masterpiece I've heard to date; a real stunning experience, to say the least. On DVD's, the chosen one is The Ealges - Live in Melbourne.

 

[lsiberian]

The master has a much larger dynamic range in loss-less formats so the dynamics are more noticeable on some discs. However a good master on a DVD is still better than a mediocre loss-less one.

Of course loudness isn't always better in mastering as CDs have taught us. Dynamics are important in sound. Fortissimo all the time is not good unless you are doing Carmina Burana or Duel of the Fates.

 

[mpompey]

On a side note...have you picked up Dune on Blu-ray yet? I have only seen it full price and I am waiting a bit to see if it goes on sale, but it got good reviews so far.

Yeah, I picked up a copy at Wally-World tonight for $20. I know, I know, Walmart is evil incarnate, and I hate the store too. I'll donate some money to the GreenPeace guys beating the pavement near my office, so they can buy some $5 lattes at Starbucks, for the environment.

But it was the only thing open late tonight, so it was a complete impluse buy. I have so many versions of this film its not even funny.