I just got done watching Fast Times on HD-DVD and would have to shay this is by far the worst PQ on HD-DVD disk. IMO this verson is in now way better then then SD-DVD version of the film. If you purchased the SD-DVD I would suggest you keep it vs. buying the HD-DVD version. One area I noticed the PQ was extramly poor was at the beginning of the film. During the opening credits (when the Go-Gos are singing We Got the Beat) there are two huge black circles (some may call specks) on the right side of the screen about 1/3 of the way down and lasts for about 2-3 minutes. As I watched the movie I kept thinking to myself this is in no way better then my old SE version of the film. I even turned the disk over (combo disk) and it was the exact same version that was released about 5 or 6 years ago. I know this is a very short review but this is one I would skip and I wish I did

So no better resolution on the Phoebe Cates fantasy scene? Boo-urns!!

Great the one disc Amazon ships to me on time and its a loser. Haven't watched it yet, but I will check it out today.

Damn. That is disappointing. Well, I already sold the SD DVD, so I guess I will wait until there is a deal on Fast Times at Ridgemount High before I purchase the HD DVD version.

High Def Digest didn't seem too impressed either.

"Aside from the wonky colors, I was generally impressed with 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' on HD DVD."

Seems like they were, generally.

Ah well, I'm stuck with it now and I like the movie, but it does suck that the transfer couldn't be better. At least its a bit of an improvement.

I caught this on INHD.
I was dissapointed as well. Same problem in the opening sequence.
For a minute, I was afraid it was my TV.

Actually, i wanted to ask, Are there any other extras on this release?

I wish they would include the deleted scenes from the TV Version.
I hear they dont exist anymore or something, but I wouldn't even care if
they we a crappy quality recorded off the TV show.

What about the audio? With that great soundtrack, I was really hoping it would kick ass!

I didn't think it was bad at all...

Sounds like maybe higher resolution is bringing out more flaws. Plus aren't the titles usually not as good looking on olders films because of the opticals used? I typically never judge a transfer until they're well out of the title sequences.

This isn't old enough to predate modern lens technology. Sounds like an unrestored master to me. They can certainly get beat up in storage for a couple decades.

Without having seen the disc with my own eyes, I'm inclined to agree with Spiky's assessment.

I think some of the high benchmarks that have been established (i.e. Serenity, Aeon Flux, even Blazing Saddles) in video/audio quality with certain HD releases is setting unrealistic expectations with every release. For some releases on HD, it won't take much to exceed the SD version. Just my two cents...

I have to completely disagree with this assessment. While i will agree that this is in no way one of the better HD-DVD releases thus far it is not nearly as bad as your making it out to be. Yes there was some dirt and minor flaws in the print seen from time to time but it is still a very visible upgrade from the standard SD release. The picture was actually very impressive at times with the biggest flaw going to the color rendition. Colors are a bit too overblown and a bit too saturated for my taste, especially for an older film like this.

Bottom line is it could have been better without a doubt but it is still a very big improvement over the SD release. If your unable to tell the difference between the two then you might want to take a look at your system as that would be the only think capable of making the HD version look so bad.

I would give it a 7/10

PS...

Actually the film industry has had very good glass for a long time. They even had good optics dating well back into the black & white era so when you see a bad transfer made, it is 99% positive not because of the lenses used especially when referring to films made 20-30 years ago. There were exceptional lenses available back in the 80's and the major motion picture studios were using them. I dont think I have ever seen a bad quality transfer where the reason was because of the optics used when shooting the film. Its that rare.

PS...