'Room with a View' -- pre-release buzz

[PeterB]

BBC Video has officially announced 'A Room with a View' for HD DVD (and Blu-ray) release on October 2:

http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/roomwithaview.html

It's their first release following 'Planet Earth,' and comes as a loaded special edition with commentary, featurettes and more. if 'Planet Earth' is any indictaion, it should be a strong release.

[Blurry]

I will definitely be getting this one.

[Brad1963]

Fantastic. I love this movie. Now if Howard's End and Maurice would get released it would complete the Merchant Ivory/E.M. Forster trilogy in Hi Def.

[Arkadin]

is HDD ever going to review this title?
I know it has been criticised, and that's why I have been waiting for the HDD review. must have slipped their minds somehow.

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

is HDD ever going to review this title?
I know it has been criticised, and that's why I have been waiting for the HDD review. must have slipped their minds somehow.

I can loan them a copy if they need one.

This was going to be a rental for me, but I managed to get it new off eBay for around $12, and couldn't pass it up.

IMHO, yeah, the video is a little "soft". It's VC-1, but doesn't really have any "pop" to it, comparable to my satellite HD movie channels. I was disappointed you couldn't see the finer details in the Italian architecture that I was expecting. I'd give it a 3.5

The audio is very nice. The package and disc menu identify it as DTS-HD High Resolution, but my Onkyo receiver identifies the bitstream from my A35 as DTS Master Audio. Very clear, good separation of channels, the musical scores are excellent. I'd give it a 4.25 out of 5.
And the DTS is the only English audio track.

[Josh Z]

Originally Posted by CochiseGuy

The audio is very nice. The package and disc menu identify it as DTS-HD High Resolution, but my Onkyo receiver identifies the bitstream from my A35 as DTS Master Audio.

There is an ongoing question about whether the A35 is really sending the original bitstream. Apparently any and all forms of DTS report on receiver displays as DTS-HD MA.

[Blurry]

Originally Posted by Josh Z

There is an ongoing question about whether the A35 is really sending the original bitstream. Apparently any and all forms of DTS report on receiver displays as DTS-HD MA.

It would seem much more likely that the receiver would mis-tag DTS-HD as MA than that the A25 would re-encode as DTS-HD, right?

[Josh Z]

Originally Posted by Blurry

It would seem much more likely that the receiver would mis-tag DTS-HD as MA than that the A25 would re-encode as DTS-HD, right?

I don't know at this point. HD DVD players have transcoded Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD to standard DTS for output over the SPDIF connection. Something like that (but transcoding to DTS-HD MA) could be happening here. If so, the output signal would not be true Master Audio quality, just normal DTS or DTS-HD HR with some extra metadata tagged on as filler that makes the receiver think it's getting a full Master Audio track.

[Arkadin]

any word on if this title will ever be reviewed? I guess I'm the only one that finds it odd that there has not been a review of this one. To me this is certainly a significant movie compared to many others in terms of overall quality. Also, I see "Evening" all the time at retail, but somehow this one didn't get reviewed when it came out either. The reviewers here do a TREMENDOUS job!!!! That's why I was looking forward to these reviews. Serious dramas are one of may main title interests. I guess for some others on here, not so much.
(members, NOT staff)

[posters5]

arkadin: neither "a room with a view" (bbc via warner) nor "evening" (universal) was sent out to reviewers. this is probably due to the fact that people who read sites like this one aren't in the movies' demographic, so their distributors didn't bother wasting money on screeners that weren't going to convince males 16-40 to buy "chick flicks".

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by Josh Z

I don't know at this point. HD DVD players have transcoded Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD to standard DTS for output over the SPDIF connection. Something like that (but transcoding to DTS-HD MA) could be happening here. If so, the output signal would not be true Master Audio quality, just normal DTS or DTS-HD HR with some extra metadata tagged on as filler that makes the receiver think it's getting a full Master Audio track.

Josh, you were right. I've since got an XA2 player and re-watched A Room With a View last night and with the XA2, my Onkyo 605 now identifies the audio as DTS-HD High Resolution. The PQ was better than I remembered, but the XA2 gives a little better PQ on my display with the Reon processor settings for contrast, etc.

This is a great, easily overlooked movie for those looking for some additional HD DVD titles to add to your collection, if you can find it for a "happy price".

[Arkadin]

the "still" unreviewed "A Room With A View"

[Cochise]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

the "still" unreviewed "A Room With A View"

Yeah, and I'm still willing to loan them my copy for a review.

Just checked Amazon, and this title is cheaper in High-def than it is in low def, er, I mean standard def.

2 Disc Special Edition DVD - $24.99
1 Disc DVD - $23.99
Blu-ray - $18.95
HD DVD - $16.99