Casablanca was a marvel. The only problem with the disc is the Looney Tunes included with it is terrible, and not even HD.

So Josh_Z any initial thoughts on Dune?? Mine is out for delivery as we speak...cant wait to see the quality!

Will let you know after I get it.

Ah ok...thought maybe you guys got an early copy.

The way it works is that the studios send review copies to Geoff, and he distributes them to reviewers from there. Dune came in today (we typically don't get Universal HD DVDs until street date), and it's in the mail to Josh now. He should have it in hand late this week or early next. The upside to that approach is that titles are matched more closely to the reviewers who want 'em, but the downside is that the reviews aren't as timely.

My fiancee said mine just showed up....i have the french sd version too....looking forward to a comparison.

Just got this one in today but it probably won't be popped into the player for until at least Sat-Sun, which is my first day where I have some time to myself

I watched a few minutes of Dune last night....I wasnt blown away personally (of what I saw).

Unfortunately, I had lent my PAL french disc to a friend so I didnt have it last night to compare. But, from memory, I remember being blown away by the detail and color of the french release and the DTS soundtrack. This one still seemed a bit dull in regards to color and the sound didnt have that punch of the DTS release. Dialog was clear though.

Also, I have not seen the newest US release of it, so I dont know how it compares. Im sure its the same master so its probably just a bit better in detail due to the resolution. Im sure Josh will do a wonderful review.

I too look forward to Josh's take on it, but your summary above pretty much confirms my suspicions since this was announced.

As it now stands, I don't see any reason for me to pick this up. Looks like I'm going to have to wait for an HD version to hit France.

Yeah, I need to get my French copy back....I wanna compare it!!

I was sick when I couldnt find it last night, then remembered I had let my friend borrow it. Oh well.

Wow I actually recieved my copy of Chronos today on HD-DVD. I forgot Ieven had that on pre-order its been so long since I actually placed the order. Good news is it looks absolutly stunning. This is a title that just screamed for HD and it doesnt disappoint. Everything about this title is impressive with HD really bringing out the best this title has to offer. Now if only they would bring Baraka to HD!

Also on a side note I just got done watching the Extended cut of Miami Vice and I am happy to say that it is a nice improvment over the theatrical cut of the film. I was not sure how this cut would turn out as we get alot of extended versions these days that should have never been extended. Its a gimmick that hollywood uses to sell more DVD's. I am happy to say that this is one of the times when the movie really benefitted from the extension. I really liked this movie and the new cut really helps flesh out a lot of things untouced by the first cut. I especially like th new opening of the film which starts with a go fast boat race instead of just throwing you in the bar scene like the theatrical cut did. It really helped to give it more of a Miami feel to it right off the bat. I cant wait to get my hands on the HD-DVD next week!!

PS...

Hey PS, is the extended cut mostly background or did they add any action? I thought there was an exciting picture somewhere in the theatrical cut, but I was mainly bored to tears for almost two hours.

Good to hear about the new cut....sucks that the hd-dvd side is the regular version.

EDIT: I checked and im wrong, the hd-dvd is the unrated cut....thank god!

What format did you watch Miami Vice on? If it was HD, is the TRUE HD track on there????

Unfortunatly if its more action your looking for the new cut wont satisfy you. Its basically the same movie with mostly background added and subtracted as well. Some scenes like the one where after initally meeting Jose in Tahiti they are told to meet at that location by the ocean but nobody shows and they end up going back to thier hotel room where they find everyone waiting for them in thier room already. That entire scene is cut and instead goes from Tubbs getting the initial phone call saying they will try them to them being in the car on the way to the meeting Haysus. Its a great cut as that scene did absolutly nothing to forward the film. Its really little changes like that one that have been made. If you were unhappy with the original cut of the film it is unliky that this new cut will do anything to change that for you.

As I said I really liked this film and for people that did like it I think they will find this cut a better cut of the film. It doesnt add anything substantial but it does get rid of some of the fluff and added some scenes that helped flesh out the characters and the relationships they had with each other in the film. The beginning of the movie was always the weakest part of the movie for me and that is resolved with the new cut. The boat race just gave it more of a Miami Vice feel right off the bat and it introduced you to the bad guy they were after in the bar scene. Again its just a stronger cut of the film IMO but besides the beginning the changes are really very subtle and its basically the same movie it was.

The only real complaint that I have with the film is the terrible cover of "in The Air Tonite" that was played during the final shootout. Its a terriible cover song and it would have been so much better and so much more Miami Vice if they had just payed the cash and used Phil Collins original song. The scene in the Miami Vice TV pilot where Tubbs and Crocket are going to catch the guy that killed Tubbs brother where they played that original version by Phil Collins while they were driving down the road is still the defing moment in the original TV series for me. Using a cheap cover by some crappy no name band just didnt have the same effect that the original song did and was a big mistake IMO.

PS..

No it was not the HD version and have no details on what the HD version will contain or not contain. I was under the impression from some old post on this forum that the TrueHD track had been dropped. Dont quote me on that but I swear I remember reading that on this site a while back. I am hoping for a TrueHD track as well as this movie has some really powerful scenes where that extra oomph that TrueHd gives would be really nice. The go fast boats and the shootouts would be really improved with that track. I am not holding my breath tho.

PS..

According to Universal's site where they sell movies, it only has Dolby Digital +. Dont know if that confirms, but well see.

I think I will cross this one off of my wishlist.

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

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (HD DVD)

The Video: Sizing Up the Picture

"As much as I would love to spread some holiday Warner's way, I have to be a Scrooge and admit this is probably the weakest HD DVD release I've seen yet from the studio. Certainly, it is not terrible, and compared to standard-def DVD, it's an improvement. But the source material is dated and in great need of a genuine clean-up. This feels like a tossed-off transfer at best."

Hey Suprmallet (or anyone else who has the disc), could you tell us if the HD version of Superman: The Movie is affected by this:

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=134

There's a link to another site that mentions the new DVD may have some color issues compared to the 2001 release. Since the HD version is the extended cut, I guess it could be affected as well if it came from the same master.

I don't really understand the OP's question or concern...but that seems to be par for the course with him.

The transfer used for the HD DVD is most likely the one done for the original release. Who knows when the transfer was done for the theatrical version but if it was done this year, I guess it's quite possible that it looks better than the extended edition.

It's not really possible to compare an HD version of the theatrical and extended editions so there's really no answer to your question.

That sucks. I was looking forward to seeing this in HD. Thanks for the link.

The issue is that the new transfer for the extended edition supposedly looks worse than the 2001 transfer of the extended edition.

Other than the fact that the three shots come from different frames with the hand in a different state of motion, I'm having a hard time seeing any difference between them. What is it that we're supposed to be seeing?

Well, the background looks "muddier" on the 2006 Extended than it does on the 2001 Extended...although as you noted, we may be talking about two different frames of film.

I have to agree... I'm not seeing a huge difference and (if anything) I think the 2006 extended looks better. Although the lack of an exact frame really makes the comparison moot: