What does one need in order to see a difference with Superbit DVDs?

Eyeballs and Ears


*OK ok...I won't be a smartass. I guess a WIDEscreen TV and a 5.1 Surround System is a good start to see improvement. Also, a progressive scan DVD player....

Honestly, unless the original release had a crappy transfer or sound, the average person (myself included) won't likely notice much difference.

The difference is more noticeable on larger TVs, so if you have a 50" TV, you'll probably tell a difference. If you have a 27", probably not so much.

A lot of it is a matter of being really into AV quality, and knowing what to look/listen for.

Personally, for me this is a case of "ignornace is bliss." I'm really not into all the A/V technology. I buy/watch DVDs to enjoy the movie, not marvel at the picture and sound quality. Movies in OAR and not having to rewind (as well as jumping to scenes) where the two things that drew me to the format.

Good picture and 5.1 sound are just icing on the cake for me. I don't want to become an expert on these things to where I can't enjoy a great movie because there's some grain in the transfer, or the bass is too low or whatever.

Depends on the DVD. You will most certainly see a difference in the new "Lawrence of Arabia" Superbit DVD, in which a new transfer has been accomplished, but on most, the differences are subtle.

I definitely consider myself an expert, and I cannot for the life of me tell the difference. I don't know, maybe I'm a sucker for these things.

The most noticeable improvement for me, was the superbit transfer for both "Desperado" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula". The latter in particular is a lot more smoother and 'film' looking.

Das Boot. The superbit is clearly superior to the older version on any set. I've got a 50" HDTV and DTS and I also hear and see a huge difference with the previously mentioned "Dracula". That movie has some of the best uses of the surrounds I've heard anywhere.

Superbit is tech talk for "How the DVD should have been originally".

Anyone that says different is a fool, a liar or they work for Columbia Tri Star.

It's a marketing manager's wet dream.

In most of the cases where there has been a noticable improvement, the Superbit release also had a completely different transfer ("Lawrence of Arabia" and "Das Boot" are good examples). In cases where the same transfer was simply reencoded at a higher bitrate, the difference is much more subtle.

As most people would say it depends on your TV and your surround setup if you have one.

Along with decent equipment it helps if you're familiar with the original release. I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I have average equipment at best. 27" Wega, Toshiba player and JVC receiver. On the 2 Superbits I own, 5th Element & Resident Evil, I can definitely tell the difference in audio and video.

This is a really good question...

I have a 64" Pioneer Elite HDTV and a very nice sound system and I always thought to myself after watching a Superbit DVD whether or not there really was a noticeable difference between it and a DVD that had 5.1 THX and an anamorphic transfer.

In all seriousness I can't tell the difference at all.

It depends on whether you're comparing a Superbit title to an older release of the same title (as most answers here assume), or comparing a Superbit title to "other" random DVDs.

I'll put it this way: you're probably buying 'super bit' titles all the time and don't know it. For example: do you own Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? It has a higher bitrate than most Superbits. So does the new release of The Breakfast Club. I could go on...

Actually, my highest bitrate title was for a long time the 2-disc Big Trouble in Little China, with a 9.13 avg bitrate. But you'll never guess what title has that beat...

Brenda Starr comes in with a 10.37 average bitrate! I dunno, I guess it could be a mistake or something, but the picture quality is stunning. (Too bad the movie isn't.)

I thought bitrates maxed at 10.1 ? That's the highest my Sony would show anyway.

One thing to remember is that some of these movies don't have other special editions that the Superbit loses the extras from. If you don't own The Fifth Element or Bram Stoker's Dracula yet, why not get the Superbit so you'll have the best possible release?
My BS Dracula (that's so wrong...) goes nicely with my Criterion LD set of said movie. Once I get a DVD Burner, I'll be able to make my own Superbit Deluxe



I don't why but this thread title made me think of this quote:
"The goggles! They do nothing!"

Superbits are basically for videophiles (like myself).

For anyone else, don't bother.