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Gazjam
02-01-2014, 13:17
New to Bluray, Have a multiregion BD player (well, will have..) and wondering whats the best the best place to be picking up films from.

Got a few from HMV, realised though they might not be the best copies to get.
Piked up Blade Runner for instance, just learned there's a 4K remaster version out!

thanks.
G.

lovejoy
03-01-2014, 12:01
It's always been a bit of a minefield with knowing which versions of different editions and from which regions are the best. I think it's less of a problem with BluRay than it was with DVD though. You could usually tell a bad DVD when the film and its extras got squeezed onto the same disc, that's why the 'SuperBit' DVDs started appearing. BluRay doesn't have the capacity restrictions that DVD had and benefits from a much better compression CODEC than DVD had, but as with pretty much everything else whether it's films or music, it's all in the mastering. There's a lot of so called 4K remasters appearing now where the original analogue film is scanned at 4K then mastered down to 1080p for BluRay. Some of the new Sony titles are even making use of a new colour gamut extension algorithm that they've added to their latest players which will make standard 1080p look more realistic through one of their 4K TVs as the titles have been mastered with this extra metadata to tell the TV where to shift the colour gamut for a given scene.

I have yet to be disappointed by a BluRay release and have been slowly replacing my old DVDs with BluRay. One of my favourite films is Withnail and I which I bought on the day of release on DVD and have watched it many times. When it was released on BluRay I bought it again and it was like watching it for the first time. The difference in quality between the DVD and BluRay release was nothing short of breathtaking.

Gazjam
04-01-2014, 10:01
Thanks Rich. :)

Yeah, I had wondered about the state of play with Bluray, I remember UK DVD releases being somewhat behind American versions of the same films.
Just watched a snippet of Oblivion on bluray...wow. :stalks:



Anyone know any good forums that deal with this stuff?

wee tee cee
04-01-2014, 10:56
Fopp in Byres road and Union street is pretty good. Union street up the stairs has a great range of older films.

Gazjam
04-01-2014, 13:34
Cheers Tony, hadnt thought of places like Fopp.

roob
10-01-2014, 23:51
Loads on Amazon new and used, there was a 3 for £15(I think) offer on earlier this week and there were some good titles in there.
If you are thinking of getting Gladiator(and you should) make sure you get the correct version http://www.hifi-writer.com/he/bdreviews/gladiator.htm
Anyway you may not see the best of blu-ray if you telly is not up to the job or set up correctly, there are loads of so so led panels out there, Panasonic plasmas still rule the roost for picture quality;)
Google "best tv setting" for your particular model and you may get lucky and find some calibrated settings
Mine was pretty poor out of the box but I found the best settings from a couple of review sites.
Edit: just spotted your other thread and see you have a Samsung I found these settings for you(i'm bored at work tonight:D) make sure you watch you films in a dark room according to most reviews the Sammy is pretty poor in brighter rooms.
Calibration notes:

-Settings Menu

Pic Mode Movie
Cell Light 20
Contrast 95
Brightness 45
Sharpness 0
Color 49
Tint G48

--Advanced Settings menu
Dynamic Contrast Off
Black Tone Off
Flesh Tone 0
RGB ONly Mode Off
Color Space Auto
Gamma 0
Motion Lighting Off [greyed out]

-Picture options menu
Color Tone Warm2
Digital Clean View Off
MPEG Noise Filter Off
Black Optimizer Auto

-Picture Size menu
Picture Size Screen Fit

--White Balance submenu
R-Offset 25
G-Offset 25
B-Offset 25
R-Gain 25
G-Gain 25
B-Gain 23

Gazjam
11-01-2014, 14:26
Andy, thanks! :)
above and beyond mate, appreciate that.

Tellys still new so keeping brightness, contrast settings etc low for now, but will try those in a couple of weeks.
Thanks.
Will probably get the set calibrated couple of months down the line, but a better upgrade might be a set of blackout blinds! No more reflective than my last plasma, but because of MUCH better blacks the picture is a lot better even during the day.

Will take a few weeks for it all to settle in.

MartinT
11-01-2014, 14:52
Gary - if you have THX mode, start with that (and turn off all vivid settings etc). Then you can tweak the settings more when you're used to it.

All Blu-rays I've bought have been pretty good with the exception of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy (Swedish version, of course). The picture is very ordinary, but then it may have not been filmed with the highest of definition equipment.

4K reductions to 1080p remind me of 24/96 CD remasters and I guess the outcome will vary depending on how much care was taken and the level of compression.

lovejoy
15-01-2014, 13:28
Google "best tv setting" for your particular model and you may get lucky and find some calibrated settings
Mine was pretty poor out of the box but I found the best settings from a couple of review sites.



Sorry roob, I have to disagree here - This is a BAD idea! Having experience of TV manufacture I can tell you that no two TVs are the same, even if they're the same model and size. All panels vary considerably and the electronics for a particular model will have routines buried within the software of the set that are there for calibration purposes and each TV is calibrated before it leaves the factory. Proper calibration and setting the correct viewing modes and brightness/contrast settings etc. are two very different things and picking up a set of someone elses calibrated values for your model is not going to give your set the correct calibration values.

I'm lucky in that I have access to a colour spectrometer from work and I spent an hour with my Panny LED at home getting the colour balance setup to reflect correct Rec.709 broadcast standard and I haven't had to touch it since - it looks excellent, plus I have the peace of mind that it is set up to the correct specs. Out of interest I did look up some calibration values for my set on line and they were nowhere near what I had. Paying somoene with the correct equipment (and make sure it's a spectrometer and not just a set up disc) £60 to come out and set up your TV is a no brainer if you watch a lot of HD or BluRay.

lovejoy
15-01-2014, 13:33
Gary,
If you're going to get blackout blinds, then I can *HIGHLY* recommend some 65K backlights for your TV (assuming it doesn't already have them built in). I bought a set of LED strips from IKEA which stick to the back of the TV and I switch them on when the rest of the room is dark. Makes a massive difference to contrast perception and stops your eyes from tiring due to the different light levels around the room.

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/rooms_ideas/how_to_tv_guide/light.html

roob
15-01-2014, 17:44
Sorry roob, I have to disagree here - This is a BAD idea! Having experience of TV manufacture I can tell you that no two TVs are the same, even if they're the same model and size. All panels vary considerably and the electronics for a particular model will have routines buried within the software of the set that are there for calibration purposes and each TV is calibrated before it leaves the factory. Proper calibration and setting the correct viewing modes and brightness/contrast settings etc. are two very different things and picking up a set of someone elses calibrated values for your model is not going to give your set the correct calibration values.

I'm lucky in that I have access to a colour spectrometer from work and I spent an hour with my Panny LED at home getting the colour balance setup to reflect correct Rec.709 broadcast standard and I haven't had to touch it since - it looks excellent, plus I have the peace of mind that it is set up to the correct specs. Out of interest I did look up some calibration values for my set on line and they were nowhere near what I had. Paying somoene with the correct equipment (and make sure it's a spectrometer and not just a set up disc) £60 to come out and set up your TV is a no brainer if you watch a lot of HD or BluRay.

I agree but it will get you in the right area compared to factory settings, the last time I checked getting someone out to do a proper calibration was more like £300:eek:
Are these the led lights you refer to? http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90192071/

Gazjam
15-01-2014, 18:53
Gary,
If you're going to get blackout blinds, then I can *HIGHLY* recommend some 65K backlights for your TV (assuming it doesn't already have them built in). I bought a set of LED strips from IKEA which stick to the back of the TV and I switch them on when the rest of the room is dark. Makes a massive difference to contrast perception and stops your eyes from tiring due to the different light levels around the room.

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/rooms_ideas/how_to_tv_guide/light.html

Hey Rich, thanks for that.

Yeah had that setup with my last TV, ned to get it sorted with the new one.
Looked at Ikea...are those 6500K white?


Saw "Dioder" in store..looked a very warm white?

Gazjam
15-01-2014, 18:53
I agree but it will get you in the right area compared to factory settings, the last time I checked getting someone out to do a proper calibration was more like £300:eek:
Are these the led lights you refer to? http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90192071/

2700K Kelvion...oooh no, no. :)

lovejoy
16-01-2014, 09:47
Hmmm, yes, it should be 6500K white, 2700 is far too warm. I could have sworn Ikea did 6500K versions of the 'Dioder' lamps, but I'm not seeing them anywhere on their website now, which is slightly worrying because either they've changed them, or I'm using 2700K at home behind my TV, but they certainly don't look like warm light when switched on... Need to do some digging...

£300 for a TV setup? REALLY? Think I've just found my next career move ;-).

roob
16-01-2014, 11:41
Saw these recommended on a AV forum http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-SMD-3528-5050-1M-3M-5M-Waterproof-Cool-White-6000-6500K-LED-STRIP-LIGHT-/271078701124?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Night_Lights_Fairy_ Lights&var=570118746339&hash=item3f1d8cb844&clk_rvr_id=413658461695&afsrc=1
Another cheap solution suggested if your telly is on a cabinet was a small table lamp with a low voltage 6.5k bulb placed behind the set.

MartinT
16-01-2014, 13:22
Thanks, Andy. I'm going to try a strip and turn off the upright lamp I usually use when watching TV.

lovejoy
17-01-2014, 09:05
Saw these recommended on a AV forum http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-SMD-3528-5050-1M-3M-5M-Waterproof-Cool-White-6000-6500K-LED-STRIP-LIGHT-/271078701124?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Night_Lights_Fairy_ Lights&var=570118746339&hash=item3f1d8cb844&clk_rvr_id=413658461695&afsrc=1
Another cheap solution suggested if your telly is on a cabinet was a small table lamp with a low voltage 6.5k bulb placed behind the set.

Good find!! It might take a bit of experimentation to get it just right, but I found that the main problem with backlights in general is getting it to be just the right amount of light. The ones I have came as a pack of 4 separate light clusters and I ended up only using two of them as all four was way too bright and took your focus away from the screen. As these can be cut to size, it should mean you can get the level spot on. Think I'll order a set of these myself!

Thanks for the link.

Mark Grant
17-01-2014, 11:08
This site has lots of LED stuff, the controllers allow the level and colour to be changed which is better then cutting strips etc.

http://www.visualchillout.co.uk/
-

Gazjam
17-01-2014, 12:03
Cracking link Mark,
looking at this one.
http://www.visualchillout.co.uk/videophile-kit.htm

can even control it from your phone!

MartinT
22-01-2014, 20:39
I've been experimenting with two LED strips behind the TV on the rear left and right hand edges. I may have it set a touch too bright but it's easy to knock a few out with blobs of Blutack until you get it right. Hard to take a photo but I think this shows the effect in my darkened room. I haven't done much viewing yet but it's certainly easier on the eye than either watching in darkness or using an upright lamp behind and to the side of me.

This (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271078701124&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:GB:3160) was the LED strip kit with power supply that I bought. 3m was more than enough and I ended up using two 50cm strips from it. A 1m kit would do most TVs up to 42". They are a bit fiddly to prepare: you have to cut them at the right point and remove the insulation before you can solder wires. Great value, though, and they work a treat with no dud LEDs.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/12091348144_44777d533e_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/12091348144/)
LED Ambient Lighting (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/12091348144/) by martinwtaylor (http://www.flickr.com/people/martinwtaylor/), on Flickr

roob
22-01-2014, 21:10
Installed my LED strips today so tonight is the first go, must say I am really impressed at what they do.
Sitting with no other lights apart from the LED's glowing around the back of the set, the picture seems to stand out much more than before and with better definition, HD broadcasts are superb.
Best £10 I have spent in a while I am well chuffed.

MartinT
22-01-2014, 23:21
Could you show us a photo please, Andrew? It'll be helpful to try to judge the light level you're using and where you placed the strips.

roob
23-01-2014, 00:17
Will do may take a day or two though.

Mark Grant
23-01-2014, 19:22
I've been experimenting with two LED strips behind the TV on the rear left and right hand edges. I may have it set a touch too bright but it's easy to knock a few out with blobs of Blutack until you get it right. Hard to take a photo but I think this shows the effect in my darkened room. I haven't done much viewing yet but it's certainly easier on the eye than either watching in darkness or using an upright lamp behind and to the side of me.

This (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271078701124&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:GB:3160) was the LED strip kit with power supply that I bought. 3m was more than enough and I ended up using two 50cm strips from it. A 1m kit would do most TVs up to 42". They are a bit fiddly to prepare: you have to cut them at the right point and remove the insulation before you can solder wires. Great value, though, and they work a treat with no dud LEDs.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/12091348144_44777d533e_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/12091348144/)
LED Ambient Lighting (http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinwtaylor/12091348144/) by martinwtaylor (http://www.flickr.com/people/martinwtaylor/), on Flickr

That does look good and the white looks nice and white.

A strip across the top should look good.
If too bright try a dimmer / controller.

This simple dimmer might be OK and does not cost much to try. The site says its 300Hz so I doubt there will be any flicker.

http://www.visualchillout.co.uk/in-line-dimmer.htm
-

MartinT
23-01-2014, 20:12
Nice - thanks, Mark.

I've been thinking about a strip across the top. I'll continue watching it as-is for the moment as I'm enjoying the effect. I have another 2m of the strip to play with!

roob
23-01-2014, 20:41
I have mine across the top and down both sides certainly look good to me.

roob
24-01-2014, 16:41
Not a brilliant picture I'm afraid it looks a lot brighter in the picture than it actually is.
http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz125/muzzer_2010/Mobile%20Uploads/P1000235.jpg (http://s820.photobucket.com/user/muzzer_2010/media/Mobile%20Uploads/P1000235.jpg.html)

MartinT
24-01-2014, 17:06
Interesting - that's quite a different effect from mine as yours is free-standing and reflecting off angled walls. How do you find it comfort-wise?

roob
25-01-2014, 01:35
I am finding it ok Martin no issues at all the led's have a positive effect imho, for a tenner it's a no brainer.

Mark Grant
11-02-2014, 18:38
Anyone tried the USB powered like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190978834254?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Saves having another mains adapter and suitable for behind PC monitor or a TV with a USB socket that provides some power.

(Although 2 metres is not very long for a big TV.)

MartinT
11-02-2014, 19:51
I was thinking that a USB strip would save the mess of wires and yet another SMPS charger but wasn't sure that the USB socket on my TV could provide the current. I shall check.

The benefit would be that the lights would switch on and off with the TV.