superbit - yeah or nah?

[dms]

well people whats the verdict?

is there a massive difference between the superbit transfers and the plain old ordinary versions?

I'm thinking of cthd and fifth element here ;-)

[chris21]

Originally posted by dms
well people whats the verdict?

is there a massive difference between the superbit transfers and the plain old ordinary versions?

I'm thinking of cthd and fifth element here ;-)

I haven't seen any superbit titles yet but I have to say I find the premise a bit baffling?

Wasn't the idea of dvd in the first place to give superior picture and sound? Now its as though they're saying "Oh your 150+ collection isn't the best way your films can be seen, this is"!

And why didn't/don't they just make all titles up to this standard in the first place?

[Arch Stanton]

Unless you've got a super mega widescreen home set up, you aint gonna notice any diffrence.

Plus there NTSC which kind of makes them a bit pointless for the U.K market.

[Michael Brooke]

Every review I've read agrees with Arch - if you have a giant screen or a projector plus a state-of-the-art DTS setup, the improvement is clear, but if you're only using a standard widescreen TV setup and Dolby Digital, it's probably not worth it.

[Bapapapa]

Well, I've got Superbit- Fifth Element on order. I haven't got any of the other versions though. :D

[CLH]

Hmm. Personally, I believe that my Fifth Element is better than my old R2 copy. I am positive that I can see a difference. The sound is brilliant. I only have a 28" widescreen.

I have Air Force One as well. The picture is quite superb. I think everyone will have differences of opinion on this one so all should see (and hear) for theirselves.

[Michael Brooke]

<B>Personally, I believe that my Fifth Element is better than my old R2 copy. I am positive that I can see a difference. </B>

That's because even the <U>old</U> R1 was better than the R2! For further details see <A HREF="http://www.bulletsnbabesdvds.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=10">here</A>.

[dms]

i have the r1 fifth element - i remember reading on bnb

http://www.bulletsnbabesdvds.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=10

ages ago that the r2 was rubbish compared to the r1 ;-)

I'm increasingly turning into a "sad freak" of trying to get the best version of my fav films (studio's must love me ;-) [t2 -> t2ue, crow (bad r2) -> collections edition, nikita & subway r1 -> r2] so if i suppose its inevitable i'll buy fifth element again ;-) it is luc besson afterall, so "its worth it"

seriously though anyone seen a review of the r1 vs r1 superbit of fifth element?

(oh and re: the amazing set up, i have a shoddy dvd player [scan2000 which is being given away as an xmas present if i can work out what to treat myself to!] and shoody tv [will be replaced by projection system or plasma when i move house] but a modestly decent sound system ;-) [1 out of 3 aint too bad ;-]

oh i also notice:
http://www.bulletsnbabesdvds.com/article.php?sid=515

there may be r2 superbits... suppose they'll be better (ahem - speedup ;-)

[Bolch]

"Watch the language there little boy, theres females present" :D

[dms]

urm, something has changed that i obviously didn't realise

is the word sohoiotoe (remove the o's) really that offensive?

anyway i'll use shoddy from now on ;-( big brother is watching me ;-)

- oh and i prefer "old goioto" to "little boy" - i'm old enough to know better ;-)

[CLH]

Michael,

that would explain it. Sorry I am clearly so misinformed.

[Bapapapa]

oh and i prefer "old goioto" to "little boy"

Is 'Old Goioto' Japanese or summink? :p

[dms]

nah

i'm scared by the censoring machinations ;-) is there a list of offensive words? i guess it would be offensive to post ;-))

[mjb1975]

Originally posted by Michael Brooke
That's because even the <U>old</U> R1 was better than the R2! For further details see <A HREF="http://www.bulletsnbabesdvds.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=10">here</A>.

great article - thanks for the link. I must admit I bought the R2 in my 'early days' when I assumed PAL would be better and before I saw all this talk of the R1 transfer being superior.

I've now got both (the R2 and the 'old' R1) and haven't had time to compare them myself yet, although it would appear wise to lose the Region 2 after reading that article!!

[Ben Martin]

i decided to buy a superbit copy of crouching tiger hidden dragon to go in a double amaray with my existing region 3 NTSC disc of the same title, and i have to admit i was a bit disappointed but not in the least surprised after everything i'd read.

you can pick out the differences in the picture in more complex scenes on my 19" monitor when you are sat nearby but when watching it at a distance of about 8 feet i honestly can't tell the difference. however, my main gripe is that "superbit" is almost a complete misnomer. however much better these are quality-wise they still aren't as good as they should be to warrant a separate release. the picture still displays the odd artefact which is perhaps unavoidable, but the amount of dirt and scratches still present on the film and the presence (however slight) of edge-enhancement are inexcusable. okay, so they used the same transfer but at a higher bitrate .... not good enough, imho.

[giggsy]

I've watched 3 versions R2/R1 and superbit.

R2 is the worst in terms of sound quality and the layer change which completely breaks up the scene in chapter 9 on 2 pioneer players i've tried.

R1 was excellent although it lacked the menu features of R2. The sound mix was far superior to R2.

Now there's superbit. I have to say that i use a 29in 4:3 tv and videologic digitheatre sound. The superbit is superior in both picture quality and sound. It picture is stunning, and the sound has much more punch and clarity.

Well that's my opinion anyway.

[Ron Hill]

I can remember on first watching CTHD R1 how poor I thought the picture quality was for a modern film. The opening scenes in the town show a lot of dirt flecks and the detail isn't that great. I love the film though, so I was considering the superbit version but on reflection, I think i'm just becoming too fussy over technicalities and even if the sound is 5% better and the picture is 10% better I don't think i'd enjoy any more what I already find to be a very enjoyable movie. Superbit sounds like a George Lucas "remastered" marketing scam to me.

[Baz]

Ive got desperado and Ive got to say a big YES to superbit, the picture is amazing and is easily the best DVD picture Ive seen. (and Ive seen a few!) Ive got CTHD and Fifth element to sit through yet and ill definetly be picking up gattaca and Dracula when there released.

The DTS sound is also superb. Ive a normal 32 incher and sony amp etc.

Thanks columbia. :D

[urruri]

nah

[R2-D2]

Originally posted by dms
i'm scared by the censoring machinations ;-) is there a list of offensive words?
Yes, there is:

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But the worst one is: @@@@. Don't use that one, ever.

[Wolverine]

Nah

[Kit_Taylor]

Originally posted by Baz
Ive a normal 32 incher

Wahey!

[Tony Keats]

Superbit has always been a complete non-starter for me because the DTS tracks are only half-rate (754 kbps).

Admittedlty, they still sound great, but the whole point of these discs is supposed to be "maximum" quality isn't it?. As I've said before (as an example of this conceptual flaw):- if they released editions of Galaxy Quest and Twister, the superbit versions would actually be inferior to the existing ones! (which are full-rate of course).

You need an unusually large screen to notice the (negligible) visual improvements, wheras everyone with an amp can appreciate less-compressed audio.