'Dreamgirls' - High-Def Digest Review

[jed]

Peter's review of 'Dreamgirls' is up. He says the movie itself may be imperfect, but this debut high-def release from DreamWorks looks smashing, and the extras are superior. His only complaint is that DreamWorks parent Paramount continues to eschew high-resolution audio on their high-def releases, and quite frankly 'Dreamgirls' screams out for such treatment.

Full review here:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/dreamgirls.html

[Blu-News.com]

Definitely getting this!

[chad5871]

I'm so glad to hear that this title is recommended - I know that my Mom is going to enjoy it a lot (and it will look awesome!) I really enjoyed the film in theatres, so I'm hoping that the same experience translates well to the home.

[joeymac]

So what's the deal with the audio? Blu-Ray and HD DVD versions got the same score. Is the DD Plus track identical and is the regular DD track 4 star audio?

[MidnightWatcher]

Who on God's green earth, and why, would someone give both the HD DVD (1.5mbps DD+) and Blu-ray (640kbps DD) soundtrack 4 stars each when the HD DVD is obviously better? Does the reviewer think that everybody is stupid or something? Did he listen to the movies on tinny computer speakers? Either the HD DVD should get 4.5 stars, or the Blu-ray should get 3.5.

A rating like that harms the credibility of the reviewer.

[Mobius]

I know my wife really wanted to see this in the theaters, I'll probably pick this one up.

[Blurry]

Originally Posted by MidnightWatcher

Who on God's green earth, and why, would someone give both the HD DVD (1.5mbps DD+) and Blu-ray (640kbps DD) soundtrack 4 stars each when the HD DVD is obviously better? Does the reviewer think that everybody is stupid or something? Did he listen to the movies on tinny computer speakers? Either the HD DVD should get 4.5 stars, or the Blu-ray should get 3.5.

A rating like that harms the credibility of the reviewer.

I agree, the 1.5Mbps DD+ has more than twice the bitrate as the 640Kbps DD track (Plus DD+ is more is able to attain more quality out of equivalent bitrates as well). The DD+ track should be pretty damn close to TrueHD in quality (though still lossy of course, just less so).

[joeymac]

Originally Posted by Blurry

I agree, the 1.5Mbps DD+ has more than twice the bitrate as the 640Kbps DD track (Plus DD+ is more is able to attain more quality out of equivalent bitrates as well). The DD+ track should be pretty damn close to TrueHD in quality (though still lossy of course, just less so).

So that begs the question.. why are the two scores the same?

[VC-1]

Originally Posted by joeymac

So that begs the question.. why are the two scores the same?

Reviewer lazyness.

Or his speakers suck and everything sounds the same.

[Glenmulder]

Saw this at the Movies and it is a great movie i hope the sound is good.

[Glenmulder]

Just watched it and the picture is great. sounds pretty good too

[MidnightWatcher]

When is someone going to edit the review?

... this HD DVD edition getting a 1.5mbps Dolby Digital-Plus track, while the gets a 640kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track.

Having said that, on its own merits the Dolby track certainly sounds good...

Still, I have trouble getting around the lack of a high-resolution mix. As good as the Dolby sounds, it only makes me wonder how much better it could have been.

This is an HD DVD review. What about the Dolby Digital-Plus 1.5bmps track? Why talk about the DD track during the HD DVD review? Are you really talking about DD+ or DD here? Is someone lazy?

[PeterB]

Hey all --

Sorry for any confusion with the review.

I went in and updated both the Blu-ray and HD DVD reviews. The reason the star rating for the audio was the same was because I didn't think that even with the HD DVD enjoying a higher bitrate, there was an appreciable, noticeable difference.

I'm more disappointed that Paramount still won't support TrueHD, DTS-HD or PCM. A movie like "Dreamgirls' really demands the best. I can only imagine that that both discs would have sounded truly amazing had Paramount gone with high-res audio.

[MidnightWatcher]

Originally Posted by PeterB

The reason the star rating for the audio was the same was because I didn't think that even with the HD DVD enjoying a higher bitrate, there was an appreciable, noticeable difference.

Unless one of the tracks is recorded a few decibels higher *cough* The Departed *cough*.

I think you either need better audio equipment, or need a new pair of ears. Regardless of whether or not the DD+ 1.5mbps and the DD 640kbps tracks shows no 'appreciable' difference, the fact still remains that they ARE different and the HD DVD track IS the better of the two.

[Cider X]

Just ordered this one. Seems like a solid release. Looking forward to it. Not too down on the whole audio issue as i only have a DTS amplifier and the 360 add-on.