Road Warrior Blu-ray disc

[MFP 2020]

Gentlemen:

Although I don't yet have a Blu-ray player or HDTV to enjoy it with, I recently purchased the US Road Warrior Blu-ray disc from Amazon.com. (Actually, I purchased two copies: one for me and one for my parents, who inexplicably purchased an HDTV and Blu-ray player package.) This weekend we visited them and I took their copy--knowing full well that although they would probably never watch it, I could enjoy it while I was there.

It was glorious.

Their TV needs to be calibrated, as the colors were either too saturated or just "off," but seeing the movie in high-def was amazing. And although I've lost count of the number of times I've seen the movie, I still saw new things this time (like, oh, the individual pebbles in the road surface).

I didn't look at the special features (check the Amazon listing if you're interested: http://www.amazon.com/Road-Warrior-Blu- ... 466&sr=8-1), but I can verify that the Miller/Semler commentary track was included, plus Spanish and French audio tracks (I listened to Humungus's speech in both languages just for fun). Also, the footage includes the extra arrow and boomerang shots. And despite the resolution, I still can't tell what's in the photo on Gyro's instrument panel.

So there you go. Enjoy!


P.S. Thanks for the cool cinema shot on the front page, Peter. But can someone explain what a "drive-up cinema" is? Is it the same as a drive-in?

[roadwarriormfp]

P.S. Thanks for the cool cinema shot on the front page, Peter. But can someone explain what a "drive-up cinema" is? Is it the same as a drive-in?

If you look at the picture you can see the entrance to the carpark, where the white XA is.
Its just a bit of a gimmick as you can actually drive into the building itself to park, as opposed to parking outdoors.

[mack tanker]

The blue-ray version is like MM2?

[Dave_H]

Has anyone watched the DVD "upscaled" to 1080p?

is it anywhere near as good as native blu ray?

[Bozz]

no way.

Standard Definition NTSC Video is 720x480 pixels per frame, which is then separated into 2 interlaced fields at 720x240 on a typical TV (CRT not LCD or Plasma)

a frame of 1080pHD Video is 1920x1080 pixels every frame.

You can do the math, but the Standard Def DVD just doesn't have nearly as much information, no matter what you blow it up to.

That's why the BluRays for older films have to go back to an actual film master print and be scanned at the higher resolution.

Newer films are shot digitally from the get go, so no actual film master is required to generate BluRay's.

a DVD blown up on a big plasma or some such should look better than the same DVD on an old tube type tv, but it not even in the same ballpark as HD.

[DarkEye]

I've watched the DVD version upscaled to 1080p and it's hit and miss, the opening chase looks good but other parts of the film don't.

The Blu-Ray as I said in my review is quite good, but I really wish that Warners would do a proper 2-disc DVD for the film.

[Max Replica]

Just to clarify a couple of things here (without hijacking the thread hopefully) -

1. Newer films are not all shot digitally these days. Some are (an increasing percentage), but the majority of major hollywood releases are still shot on good old fashioned 35mm film. However, it is true that many movies shot on film have all of their footage scanned digitally so that the entire post production process takes place in the digital realm (including things like advanced color correction such as 'digital grading'). This is especially true on films with a lot of effects work such as the Lord Of The Rings series.

2. Upscaled DVD will never look as good as bluray, but it can look much better than standard DVD to some people. It really all depends on how you're watching it. If your hidef TV is only about 40 inches, you might be hard pressed to see the benefits of upscaled DVD over standard DVD, or even Bluray over upscaled DVD. (especially if your viewing distance is far, I've seen a lot of people that sit way too far away based on the sized of their set).

Some purists say that since DVDs are essentially a 480i format, they should always be watched that way. I disagree. I hate seeing distracting scanlines. Especially given that I have a 65" hd set and I sit fairly close. In my setup, I would say that upscaled DVDs look far better than standard DVD. Standard DVD at 480p makes the lines of resolution visible. Upscaling to 1080 smoothes them out. I realizes it is not adding new information, and it can sometimes result in a picture that is just slightly softer, but the smoothness really creates a more life-like, film-like image for me and suspends the disbelief better. I would say that on my set, upscaled DVDs look almost as good as the hidef movies I get from directv. (partly because directv and most other carriers downrez their HD a bit).

Of course, on a set like mine, bluray looks amazing and it's not contest. But since I have a big collection of standard DVDs that I'll be enjoying for many years to come, an upscaling DVD player is an important part of my setup.

Also, the type of upscaling player you have makes a BIG difference. They are NOT all equal. Some of the best are made by a company called OPPO. Look them up if you're interested. They're not that expensive either. They are about to release a bluray player that will also be the best on the market at upscaling standard DVDs.

Now, they just need to release MM1 and MM3 on bluray and I'll be happy. And yeah, some real special edition treatment for all three films is long overdue.