superbit/superbitdeluxe

[tezmo]

dudes......i was just planning to score myself a superbit 5th element and desperado - doing my research like a good boy beforehand, i note imminent superbit deluxe reissues of the patriot and hollow man......so before i blow my whole wad, does anyone know if T5thE or Desperado will be getting replaced in the near future? personally i think the superbit deluxe thang is a bit of a sham, but only time will tell i suppose.......cheers :)

[8-]]

I'm also waiting on Superbit deluxe titles - esp 5th Element and CTHD.

One thing you might want to check out is thet there is a 3 pack of CTHD, Desperado and 5th Element available.

This is cheaper than buying all three separately and you can get it from HMV Canada using one of their coupons for even more savings.

I'm also waiting to see when R2 Superbits are released. Quite a few have already been released in France so hopefully we should get some at some point.

[mysteriousjimmy]

Originally posted by 8-]

I'm also waiting to see when R2 Superbits are released. Quite a few have already been released in France so hopefully we should get some at some point.

first batch of Superbits in the U.K will be released in April.

[8-]]

Originally posted by mysteriousjimmy
first batch of Superbits in the U.K will be released in April.

Thanks for the info.

Do you have a link with more details?

[mysteriousjimmy]

Originally posted by 8-]


Thanks for the info.

Do you have a link with more details?

here you go , have a look here (http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?sectionId=2&articleId=3534)

[8-]]

Originally posted by mysteriousjimmy


here you go , have a look here (http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?sectionId=2&articleId=3534)

Thanks m8.

I wonder if the Superbit Deluxe will ever make it over here.

I'm particularly waiting for 5th Element.

[Boink!]

??? What is this "superbit delux" I hear you talk of???

Boink!:confused:

[tezmo]

Originally posted by Boink!
??? What is this "superbit delux" I hear you talk of???

Boink!:confused:

its like a normal superbit, except with a second disc full of extras......what i hear you ask is the difference between that and most other normal 2-disc releases? nothing is the answer my friend, and therein lies the sham......but will there bit a superbit deluxe replacing the current superbit 5th element and desperado???

edit.....see here (http://www.dvdfile.com/news/views/editors_desk/2002/02_28.html)

[8-]]

Originally posted by tezmo
.....see here (http://www.dvdfile.com/news/views/editors_desk/2002/02_28.html)

That's a good article. Nice post. :)

[The Boogerman]

Originally posted by tezmo
its like a normal superbit, except with a second disc full of extras......what i hear you ask is the difference between that and most other normal 2-disc releases? nothing is the answer my friend, and therein lies the sham......

I thought the point of all the superbit releases was they used higher bitrate encoding than the standard releases. Probably of less use if you have a small TV set, but if you are picky about the video bitrate, or have a RPTV, plasma or projector worthwhile considering.

[tezmo]

Originally posted by The Boogerman


I thought the point of all the superbit releases was they used higher bitrate encoding than the standard releases. Probably of less use if you have a small TV set, but if you are picky about the video bitrate, or have a RPTV, plasma or projector worthwhile considering.

thats very true - the point is that most 2 disc sets these days make a point out of using the first disc for the feature and the second for the extras - thereby having the maximum possible bit rate - they just dont market them as "super" - see article above....

[8-]]

With other 2disc sets, do they use a higher bitrate on the film only disc? Or do they make it a 2-discer so as to charge more for it?

[tezmo]

Originally posted by 8-]
That's a good article. Nice post. :)

cheer dude :)

Originally posted by 8-]
With other 2disc sets, do they use a higher bitrate on the film only disc? Or do they make it a 2-discer so as to charge more for it?

not sure what you mean there.....normal two disc sets make no claims about bitrates, but the side effect of having 2 discs is that a higher bitrate results because the film has a whole disc to itself - we wonder if a superbit deluxe will actually offer anything new because it would appear to be the same as any other 2discer aside from "claims" on the packaging.....one would expect that superbit deluxe titles would not push hugh bit rates on the extras disc because the source material for these things dosent tend to justify it.....im so confused :confused:....superbit has made the decision about what is the best version of a particular film so much more complicated......

[8-]]

I assume that the Superbit Deluxe will be the normal Superbit disc plus an extra disc with normal (non-bit-enhanced) extras. This way they can say that there is no reason not to get a Superbit as it will have high bitrate, plus the extras. Currently, some people are put off Superbit because they want the extras (not me - I prefer the quality of the film over extras anyday)

My question was with normal 2 discers, do they actually encode the film at a higher bitrate (like a Superbit) or do they put a normal lower-bitrate film on disc 1, place a bunch of extras on disc 2, and hence charge more for the 2-disc set?

[tezmo]

Originally posted by 8-]
I assume that the Superbit Deluxe will be the normal Superbit disc plus an extra disc with normal (non-bit-enhanced) extras. This way they can say that there is no reason not to get a Superbit as it will have high bitrate, plus the extras.

as i understand it, thats the general idea, yes.

Originally posted by 8-]
My question was with normal 2 discers, do they actually encode the film at a higher bitrate (like a Superbit) or do they put a normal lower-bitrate film on disc 1, place a bunch of extras on disc 2, and hence charge more for the 2-disc set?

I suppose it would have to be down to the individual titles....if a 2 disc set has no extras on the 1st disc it might be reasonable to assume that the maximum possible bit rate has been used for the feature - making it the equivalent of a superbit. however i dont think in practice that we'd be able to assume that, or in fact that a superbit title has a superior picture to any other version - its all going to come down to a comparison between discs of any given film - theres no way we'd be able to determine whether either version is superior in advance :( i think to be honest most 2 disc sets are done for the sake of moneyspinning rather than making sure the viewer gets the best possible picture.

[8-]]

Originally posted by tezmo
i think to be honest most 2 disc sets are done for the sake of moneyspinning rather than making sure the viewer gets the best possible picture.

Unfortunately, you're probably right.

I guess we'll just have to keep comparing different disks as and when they come out.... to work out which to buy.

[Koeberl]

Somewhere Luc Besson said he didn' t support extras for his films, so most DVDs with his movies are movie-only editions. Though there is a pretty loaded edition from BMG in Germany, containing lots of extras over two discs, BMG could not get the US High Definition Master but an inferior master. It's a pretty good transfer though but in no way as good as the US Superbit Version. Unless Besson doesn't change his mind there won't be a DVD with high def master AND extras around, it seems.

[Jimmyboy]

The superbit release's are a scam & I cant believe the amount of suckers there are lining up to be skanked !.:rolleyes:

[Boink!]

I understand they will be released over here as Superbit Royale.... ;) :D


I'll get me coat.

Boink!:p

[Andrew]

Is that because of the Metric system?

[kerbcrawler]

JIMMYBOY - you're the second personin less than a week I've heard that from and on the face of it I would have to agree. There's probably a whole host of titles out there which would, by definition, be Superbit titles (even if they still had a cruddy picture!) simply becuase the bit-rate is above whatever point it is.

[Michael Brooke]

<B>The superbit release's are a scam & I cant believe the amount of suckers there are lining up to be skanked !.</B>

If you have a large-screen system (mine is 43”), the Superbit releases are very clearly superior – the R1 <I>Bram Stoker’s Dracula</I> reveals significantly more fine detail than the already pretty good R2 version, and the DTS soundtrack is appreciably fuller and richer.

So they’re certainly not “a scam” from my point of view – I take it your comments are based on a rigorous critical appraisal rather than blind prejudice?
:D

[john316]

Originally posted by Michael Brooke
<B>The superbit release's are a scam & I cant believe the amount of suckers there are lining up to be skanked !.</B>

If you have a large-screen system (mine is 43”), the Superbit releases are very clearly superior – the R1 <I>Bram Stoker’s Dracula</I> reveals significantly more fine detail than the already pretty good R2 version, and the DTS soundtrack is appreciably fuller and richer

I have heard a few people say that now Michael - the bigger your screen size, the better they look but obviously the vast majority have much smaller TVs and so regard these discs as frauds which they clearly aren't

[8-]]

Currently I've only got a 28" TV but as eventually I will be getting a bigger TV/projector, I would rather pay the extra and get the Superbit edition of a film that I'm after.

[Jimmyboy]

Originally posted by Michael Brooke
<B>The superbit release's are a scam & I cant believe the amount of suckers there are lining up to be skanked !.</B>

If you have a large-screen system (mine is 43”), the Superbit releases are very clearly superior – the R1 <I>Bram Stoker’s Dracula</I> reveals significantly more fine detail than the already pretty good R2 version, and the DTS soundtrack is appreciably fuller and richer.


But why does that make the release a "superbit" or a "superdelux" ?.
What they really should be called is "We screwed up the first release so here's the re-issue...........again".

I simply do not believe that these release's are some kind of DVD perfection which can only be achieved under the superbit label.
Thats complete tosh.
The word superbit is no more or less important than collecter, ultimate, 2-disc, 3-disc, special edition, etc etc.

Gladiator is a 2 disc special edition with a picture to rival the so-called superbit range, the only difference is Gladitor doesnt have the words superbit stuck on the sleeve to make people think there getting something extra for their quids.
My point is that every stunning release has the right to call itself supersomething, but most release's just settle for Special Edition.
:rolleyes:

[tomos]

i only got my superbit 5th element yesterday. have to say i was a little dissapointed. it didnt look any better than any other dvd i have. although to be fair, i was only watching it on a 19" monitor. :p

[The Boogerman]

Originally posted by Jimmyboy
I simply do not believe that these release's are some kind of DVD perfection which can only be achieved under the superbit label.
Thats complete tosh.
The word superbit is no more or less important than collector, ultimate, 2-disc, 3-disc, special edition, etc, etc.


Agreed that the term superbit is merely another marketing brand. However, all the other terms relate to a DVD collection of the film and extras, where the emphasis is on the breadth of extras. The suberbit series concentrate on the video and audio bitrate of the film. From reviews, the success rate is varied. One of my favourite DVD's (not necessarily film) is the R1 2 disk DTS set of Dances With Wolves - the DTS is full bitrate and the video sampling rate is high - the result is stunning. As you pointed out there are very good DVD's that don't carry the superbit tag, this is one of them. I'm personally just pleased to see that studios recognise (especially now when they are trying to appeal to a broader audience (Pan and Scan only releases spring to mind)) that there is a demand for high quality transfers. If needing a dedicated brand helps to spell that out and ensure that the other releases reap the benefit then all the better.

[Michael Brooke]

<B>But why does that make the release a "superbit" or a "superdelux" ?.
What they really should be called is "We screwed up the first release so here's the re-issue...........again". </B>

No, not at all. There’s actually very little wrong with the original version of <I>Bram Stoker’s Dracula</I>, which was one of the outstanding early DVD releases, and I imagine most people would be more than satisfied with it. The Superbit version is certainly better, but, as I said, you need a high-end DTS-based system and a large screen to really appreciate the difference, which rules out the vast majority of DVD purchasers.

<B>I simply do not believe that these release's are some kind of DVD perfection which can only be achieved under the superbit label.
Thats complete tosh.
The word superbit is no more or less important than collecter, ultimate, 2-disc, 3-disc, special edition, etc etc. </B>

Of course it’s a marketing term – but it’s a marketing term that denotes a minimum standard of technical quality, which “special edition” certainly doesn’t (I’ve seen “special editions” on the Madacy label that make VHS look like 70mm!). So unless Columbia releases a terrible-looking Superbit disc (which I doubt they will under the circumstances), it’s a very useful guide for people who want the best possible image and sound, just as “Criterion” usually means that a minimum amount of effort has been put in.

<B>Gladiator is a 2 disc special edition with a picture to rival the so-called superbit range, the only difference is Gladitor doesnt have the words superbit stuck on the sleeve to make people think there getting something extra for their quids.
My point is that every stunning release has the right to call itself supersomething, but most release's just settle for Special Edition.</B>

Agreed, but that doesn’t justify your abuse. The fact is that the Superbit version of <I>Bram Stoker’s Dracula</I> is demonstrably better than the original release (even though the original release was very good), and therefore it lives up to Columbia’s description. The term “scam” implies dishonesty – where’s the dishonesty here?

[Bapapapa]

If people (Jimmyboy) are going to take issue with the label 'Superbit' then I think Sony ought to be sued for having the gall to release crappy old PSX & PS2 titles under the 'Platinum' label...

[Alanok]

Surely the Superbit releases should be seen as giving people a choice. If your happy with the initial release then so be it, if you have the equipment to make the most from the Superbit title then you buy it and reap the benefit. It's not as if Columbia are saying the first release are crap, they are just providing a choice for the person who whats the best pic and sound quality available and who are not bothered by the extras.

[Michael Brooke]

The interesting thing about the Superbit releases thus far is that the original releases <U>weren’t</U> crap – the transfers of <I>The Fifth Element, Bram Stoker’s Dracula</I> and <I>Crouching Tiger</I> all got richly deserved raves. In fact, I only bought a Superbit title in the first place because I was genuinely curious to see if what I thought was a superb original could really have been improved upon.

All of which underlines Columbia’s marketing strategy here – it would have been far easier to have released “Superbit” versions of genuinely poor first releases, but the point wouldn’t have been made as effectively - the point being that these discs are specifically intended for high-end systems, not for casual DVD buyers.

(Incidentally, has anyone checked out the bitrate of a Superbit title? I might do so myself when I get home!)

[stigdu]

I have both the R1 original release of Air Force One as well as the Superbit release.

The pic bitrate on the original release is fairly consistent at 6 or 7, and the soundtrack is sampled at 448KHz.

The superbit release's pic bitrate is pretty consistent at around the 7-8 mark, and the DTS soundtrack is sampled at the 750KHz mark.

I am running the disc through a midrange Sony player via component - component to my Toshiba 32" TV. I noticed a slight improvement in the picture quality, although I have to say the sound is excellent on the new release. The sound was also very good on the original release, mind. And don't forget it contains a trailer and an audio commentary too.

Horses for courses, really. I have the Superbit for the kick-ass sound, and the original for the commentary and trailer. (I love watching the trailers)