Thought I'd start this thread for people to comment on the various HDDVDs they have been watching.

I made a trip to the Ameoba store in Hollywood last weekend and picked up a few used discs for cheap! $1-3 for each and picked up a few that I didn't own and am going through them. I also picked up a few lasers there, but nothing too spectacular. They were pretty picked over.

Last night's HDDVD feature film was Aeon Flux (2005) [11818]

The movie was so-so but there were things I really liked about it. Charlize Theron does nearly all her stunts. There is an extra on the disc that really shows how incredibly athletic she is.

The locations in Berlin are incredible. Love the architecture. Image, sound and art direction are also top notch.

Tonight's move was a big change of pace Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007) [61102737]

I'm a big Tati fan so I was a little dubious about it but gave it a try and really enjoyed it. Rowan Atkinson is so damn goofy.

Last HD-DVD that I had in my player was Mulholland Dr. (2001) [OPTHD0006]

Corpulence makes a man reasonable, pleasant and phlegmatic. Have you noticed the nastiest of tyrants are invariably thin?

Spartacus?

First I stated up the HD-DVD on the CRT “The Fast and the furious Tokyo drift” (2006) after a few seconds into chapter 1, I paused the player and dropped the bed sheet down and started up LCD video projector. I don’t normally use the projector for myself.

The pictures are a bit rough with digital noise I’ll use a different setting on the camera next time for darker shots and see if that gives a smoother look. Camera is a little shaky on few pictures.

Camera every time I use it to take pictures of the projector it adds in green in the dark areas. Maybe time to save up and get a cheap SLR digital camera.

The film wasn't half all bad it was pretty good. I'll have to see if the others are on HD-DVD up until where HD-DVD ceased pressings, as the newer one is only on Bluray and I was close to buying that a few weeks ago.

The image I was fearing the green crappy around whiles and blue would show up with all the neon and sheet lights around Japan. Wow not a bad picture transfer the film looked a bit better than the camera pictures even on 3 year old ASDA £3.99 bed sheet.

Sound was nicely balanced over LCR unlike the first one where it has softer sounds in the centre channel that ends up getting masked by the left/right front when Dominic walks up to the charger music pumps away on left/right while the Foley footsteps are very hard to hear on centre channel. If you mute or disconnect the wires for left/right and listen to centre its carrying only atmosphere sound Foley and engine roar that is carried all channels.

The stereo surrounds were okay this film LFE.1 I had it it in mute mode as it was late but plenty of lows over LCR and probably the surrounds as well.
















And Vin Diesel didn't, doh! Shhhh!

After the fast and furious I watched a bit of "The Mummy" (1999) got it on DVD region 2 and watched it many times over the years. The HD-DVD had the same colour balance look as the DVD from what I can roughly recall? I didn't get the DVD out for A and B compassion.

Sound wise its the same Dolby mix. I like the scene where Rick calls out Evelyn on the boat, then kicks in the door and starts firing. The voice is front left and sidewall left surround or rear back surround depending how one has it set-up, I use centre back and works fine. If I placed one of the few extra matrix decoders between front L/R and rear surround L/R the decoder will take the phantom sound and place it in new location placed along the sidewall and common rear back surround (not the stereo rear back in 6.1 7.1) the 5.1 I'm talking about. The rear surround could be placed on the sidewall but slightly towards the back of the room, or left on rear wall. I'm still undecided what to do and I'm fresh out of amps I need at least several more.

Anyhow's the film was okay on HD-DVD not sure if its the uncut version I thought it had slight BBFC trim for the UK release? Since its a region 1 HD-DVD I guess its different to R2 DVD.

It was nearing late and I shut down the projector and switched back to the CRT and later shut down and got some shut-eye.








Between the pictures below the camera doesn't like contrast I had to set the setting brightness down very low in (manual mode) and it only made things worse. You can see how the setting on the camera doesn't like picture 1 the trees in the background is washed out! Also its common issue on some transfers where they boast brightness/contrast though the roof! I doubt its the case on the transfer otherwise I'd be seeing other crappy colours showing up.

pic 1 too low on brightness on camera but trees in background are now visible


Pic 2 too bright on the camera

nice, good eye! but that was an easy one

I popped the red pill and escaped The Matrix!

I watched Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong. It took me 3 nights to get through it, basically watching each act - going to the island; on the island; on another island NYC. I actually think I enjoyed it more this way, it is a long movie.

I felt that the image was solid, but the high resolution enhanced some of the less convincing effects.

I'm working my way through Smallville Season 5. I found it yesterday at a flea market brand new and sealed for $10. It's the one season that is only on HD-DVD and not on Blu-ray. Pretty happy to be able to watch it in HD and with 5.1 sound, while the DVD, the only other way to watch it is on DVD with Dolby 2.0 stereo.

hey, laserbite34.
how did you take those picture?
i tried to take some shots of my projector screen running but can't get anything.
i will try my girlfriends camera as it's newer.

but i didn't have any luck with anything, it was either too dark and fuzzy or blank if i had a very small light on.
and i tried all settings on my camera.
thanks in advance.