johnzap used our news submit to tell us: "It"s been almost accepted as truth, even mentioned
by the HD-DVD camp proponents, that HD-DVD image quality is superior to
Blu-Ray"s. Well, that"s plainly incorrect, according to a more recent test. This
test compared "apples to apples" (same title, same master, same codec, etc). In
the end, "(...) I found it almost impossible to detect any differences between
the Blu-ray and HD DVD discs."."
The developing controversy over VC-1 and MPEG-2 has now turned into
full-on battle of the dueling codecs, one few saw coming just a few months
ago. Firmware upgrades for the first-gen HD DVD players have redefined how
we think about consumer electronics hardware, and introduced a slew of new
hardware features in a mere matter of weeks. And there are also a bevy of
new audio options coming to Blu-ray and HD DVD, including the
much-anticipated Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio lossless formats.
All these new developments have inflamed the passions of the early
adopters, while intensifying the worries of the backers behind both
next-gen formats -- not to mention racketing up the pressure on folks like
us to deliver critical assessments of each format's plusses and minuses,
without taking sides. So when I sat down to compare Warner's latest
Blu-ray titles to their HD DVD counterparts, I knew I had to tweak our
review methodology in light of so many recent developments.
Of course, the big news with Warner's second Blu-ray batch is that,
with the exception of 'Full Metal Jacket,' the studio has jumped codec
camps from MPEG-2 to VC-1. Which means that, at last, we can do a true
apples to apples comparison -- right down to the exact same compression
codecs. We were also able to finally solve the cropping problems we
suffered with Blu-ray in our last comparison (chalk it up to problems with
the hardware, not the software). We even set up a "blind" face-off this
time around, using the help of a video switcher and a partial observer to
compare images without knowing the source until after we recorded
my observations. The results challenged my expectations and perceptions
once again about what each format is currently capable of delivering.
<Snip>
That said, with all things being equal and
this second round of comparisons being apples to apples -- same title,
same master, same codec, same supplemental material -- it is telling that
I found it almost impossible to detect any differences between the Blu-ray
and HD DVD discs. |
The article from High Def Digest is called round two and
it takes a second look at the movie offerings from both camps. In the first
releases, most agreed that the HD-DVD offerings were of superior picture
quality. Now, with different codecs, they take another look and give us their
thoughts. The article goes into quite some detail in the comparison and offers
us quite a bit of information to digest! For those interested in learning more
about what they thought, please follow this link to the High Def Digest!
Then feel free to give us your comments below or even in our Satellite,
HD-TV, Blu-ray and HD-DVD Forum.
Source: High Def Digest
