LOTR Special Edition 4 Disc Set...

[wbassett]

Okay I am going to pose a question...

Granted SDVD players cannot meet the resolution standards of either BD or HD DVD, do you think the four disc collectors set of Lord of the Rings (all three) is as close to High Def as you can get with SDVD?

Considering HD DVD has a different codec and compression format than what BD currently uses (for most content) and HD DVD can fit High Def on one 15GB single layer disc, the LOTR movies in the special edition come on two dual layer SDVD discs, which comes out to around 16GB for each movie. The movies are long, that's for sure, but they could have put them on one dual layer SDVD. Since they split the movie on two dual layer SDVD discs, is this as good as it gets with Standard Def? Upconverted these movies look stunning. I've seen some HD DVD and Bluray discs that paled in comparison, but like we always say, it's all in how well the disc was mastered.

I have the T2 extreme DVD that comes from a 1080p master and it does look better than my older two disc T2 collector's Edition.

Back to the earlier comment that SDVD cannot match the resolution of HD players, but if it is mastered from a High Def source and played back on a top notched player that upconverts extremely well... how many feel this is comparable to High Def? I am not saying this is 'true' High Def, just posing the question of how good can SDVD be when played back on a High Def upconverting player?

The reason I pose this question is SDVD really is still the format king and if they produce DVDs from flawless masters could they keep a foot hold in the format war? I say yes they can. I watched Walk in the Clouds and there were scenes that truly looked 3D. It looked so good that I actually forgot it was an SDVD in the player.

I also have Troy in SDVD, the original HD DVD release, and then the remastered HD DVD release. Between the SDVD and original HD DVD version, I was disappointed in HD DVD. Between the two I did not see enough difference to warrant the double dip, but at the triple dip mark, the remastered High Def version blew the other two away. Still the question is, can SDVD hang on throughout the 'war' and for how long?

[atledreier]

Well... On my television (40" LCD) the upconverted DVDs look great, and not THAT big a difference to HD. On a bigger screen (80") the difference is huge.

[Wayde]

comparing scenes in LOTR from my SD-DVDs to the HD releases found on HD-PPV and movie channels on cable TV.

The real difference is when there are wide panoramic shots. It's just not even close. I used my splic screen once to show the difference to friends. The exact same frame saved on a PVR'ed HD version and the same from on the SD-DVD. Although SD-DVD looks very good... it's those panoramic shots and there are plenty on LOTR. They just look breathtaking on HD.

[wbassett]

Just got cable again after three years and haven't seen them on HD, but that's a good comparison Wayde.

The big thing I was curious and thinking about was with the movie being on two discs they could pump up the bit rate and quality to as good as it gets for SDVD and then when upconverted...

[MrPorterhouse]

wbassett wrote:

Just got cable again after three years and haven't seen them on HD, but that's a good comparison Wayde.

The big thing I was curious and thinking about was with the movie being on two discs they could pump up the bit rate and quality to as good as it gets for SDVD and then when upconverted...

Well, DVD is capped at 480P and that means that you can't "pump up" the bit rate, except for needless use of data. The only way to increase true quality is to increase the resolution. A true high rez signal will always look better than a lower rez signal of the same master. Upconverts can look absolutely stunning on those smaller sceens of less than 42" or so, but once you go big screen of 65"+, there is no comparison, really. If you have a screen less than 42", then a good upconverted DVD will hold you nicely.

[Wayde]

I wonder how they'll arrive on HD DVD. Will they release the director's cuts or the theatrical first like they did the DVDs?

[wbassett]

My guess is the theatrical version first and then the deluxe super edition director's cut extended extended version later to get the double dip.

I'll only be buying the special edition though when it finally comes out on High Def.