The sights and sounds of Gladiator
11-22-00, 04:34 AM
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I am not a pro-reviewer. I have a decent system, but not Meridian/Vidikron-hi-end. But I have had DVD since it came out, and I have watched hundreds of DVDs. So, I hope my opinions have some credibilty....
Audio:
I am one of those who are really tired of soundtracks that pins you to your seat with sheer bass and volume. IMHO, those mixes are amateurish and tiresome. I am so sick of missiles and planes that pan from front to back with no 3-D quality to it. Thankfully, Gladiator is not one of those. I watched it in DTS-ES (my system is not ES equipped though) and this is one of the few mixes that TRULY immerses you. Pretty much anytime when the surrounds were engaged, I was hard-pressed to find gaps along the sides. I think seamless blending from front to rear is hard to do, and Gladiator does it in spades. Dialouge is also very, very clear. The bass on this disc is very well done. Not overcooked and exaggerated (like the DTS flying disc trailer), but it is full, well integrated, and used when necessary. How many times have we heard ridiculous bass coming from a punch? The sound engineers certainly exercised prudence and wanted realism when they mixed the bass, and I hope it catches on.
Video:
I don't think I'm in the position to offer an "official" opinion, for I don't have 16x9 or progressive. However, I do know what I like. Gladiator's transfer is gorgeous. I don't recall any softness or excessive detail. It's probably as sharp as 540 lines can provide. Colors were well balanced when Scott is not deliberately altering it. I can't wait to go WS and prog-scan.
All this, plus disc two, for $24.79cdn. Dreamworks deserves all the recognition in the world.
Audio:
I am one of those who are really tired of soundtracks that pins you to your seat with sheer bass and volume. IMHO, those mixes are amateurish and tiresome. I am so sick of missiles and planes that pan from front to back with no 3-D quality to it. Thankfully, Gladiator is not one of those. I watched it in DTS-ES (my system is not ES equipped though) and this is one of the few mixes that TRULY immerses you. Pretty much anytime when the surrounds were engaged, I was hard-pressed to find gaps along the sides. I think seamless blending from front to rear is hard to do, and Gladiator does it in spades. Dialouge is also very, very clear. The bass on this disc is very well done. Not overcooked and exaggerated (like the DTS flying disc trailer), but it is full, well integrated, and used when necessary. How many times have we heard ridiculous bass coming from a punch? The sound engineers certainly exercised prudence and wanted realism when they mixed the bass, and I hope it catches on.
Video:
I don't think I'm in the position to offer an "official" opinion, for I don't have 16x9 or progressive. However, I do know what I like. Gladiator's transfer is gorgeous. I don't recall any softness or excessive detail. It's probably as sharp as 540 lines can provide. Colors were well balanced when Scott is not deliberately altering it. I can't wait to go WS and prog-scan.
All this, plus disc two, for $24.79cdn. Dreamworks deserves all the recognition in the world.
11-22-00, 12:32 PM
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I also could not help but notice the amazing 3D sound effects of Gladiator. Its definitely will be the DVD of choice when you're showing off you surround sound system.
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11-22-00, 05:44 PM
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Yep I definately agree. I have a low-end system, I guess.. a sony home theatre package system that had reciever and speakers (that can do dts luckily, didn't even know it had or what it was it till I got my dvd player) .. my dvd player is sony's cheapest, and I have a 25" sanyo TV that's starting to show it's age nowadays
We just watched the movie a few hours ago and I can definately say it's probably the best looking and sounding DVD I have in my collection. They did one heluva job on this one. I also like how it's a 2 disc set, with JUST the movie on one, and the extras on another.
the only thing about the movie I didn't care for was the layer change that happened RIGHT in the middle of a scene. But then I guess I've come to expect that .. I just wish the developers could come up with a way to make the layers change more often when it's between 2 sceenes, 'specially if it's a fade in/out kind of scene. Layer changes are just a general pet peeve of mine
I still say this is prolly the ultimate DVD and should be in every serious movie fan's collection
We just watched the movie a few hours ago and I can definately say it's probably the best looking and sounding DVD I have in my collection. They did one heluva job on this one. I also like how it's a 2 disc set, with JUST the movie on one, and the extras on another.
the only thing about the movie I didn't care for was the layer change that happened RIGHT in the middle of a scene. But then I guess I've come to expect that .. I just wish the developers could come up with a way to make the layers change more often when it's between 2 sceenes, 'specially if it's a fade in/out kind of scene. Layer changes are just a general pet peeve of mine
I still say this is prolly the ultimate DVD and should be in every serious movie fan's collection
11-25-00, 06:16 PM
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Did anybody else have a problem understanding some of the dialog? And I don't mean the accents. It just seemed sort of garbled or soft, but I found certain areas unintelligible.
