Ted Spencer
Veteran
I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but...here goes:
I recently acquired a couple of new hi-def home entertainment devices, and have been receiving a surprising re-education in what appears to be "voluntary image softness" in *many* feature films, putting the discussion about sharpness loss in 35mm adapters like the M2 in...um...another light.
The new gear:
Panasonic PT-AX100U 1280x720 progressive scan HD LCD Projector (2000 lumens)
Sony Playstation 3 (Blu-ray player)
The projector can be set to display approximately an 11 foot diagonal image when movies are 2.35:1, and about 8-9' diagonal with 1.85:1 content due to screen height limitations. Viewing distance is about 14'.
Older gear:
Panasonic 42" plasma EDTV
Pioneer Elite a47i DVD player
Scientific Atlanta HD8000 Hi Def cable box (w/HBO, etc.)
Viewing distance for the plasma is about 12'.
Here's what I'm finding:
I established early on that when the projector is focused carefully, some hi-def content from either cable or Blu-ray, irrespective of aspect ratio, is absolutey *razor-sharp*. So sharp it's actually distracting, which may be the key word in this post.
The TV show "24" is probably the best example of this on the cable box (I'm sure there are other good examples but I watch very little network TV), and from the PS3, certain Blu-ray titles, such as "The Tailor Of Panama" and "Identity". All of these produced images on the projector that were at times almost painfully sharp. Close-ups often showed more detail in facial blemishes, scars and visible makeup than I'd prefer. However, this served as a sort of sharpness baseline if you will - it illustrated the point below which other images would, to a varying degree, fall. That's where it started to get interesting.
Many, many big-budget and not-so-big-budget features have *greatly* reduced shaprness, apparently intentionally, to the point where the difference between viewing them on the Blu-ray discs versus SD DVDs (there were a number of cases where I had both to compare) was rendered almost irrelevant. I should mention that the Pioneer Elite a47i is a superb SD DVD player, and I've carefully tweaked its many settings, sharpness key among them, to come as close to HD quality as possible, which it does remarkably well. It's easily better for example than the PS3's SD DVD output.
To be sure, there is always an advantage in Blu-ray disc quality vs SD DVDs, but often not in terms of sharpness. The majority of feature films I've viewed in the two months I've had the projector/PS3 fall into this category. For example, "The Departed", The Queen", "MI3", "Rocky Balboa", "The Pursuit Of Happyness" and numerous others. Only the occasional feature will reveal the system's full sharpness capability, and so far those haven't been the bigger box office ones. Cable Hi-Def movies show very similar ranges of variation.
So, in spite of an admittedly small sample thus far, this conclusion is hard to deny:
Feature filmmakers. especially the top dogs, are by one means or another deliberately de-sharpening their films. Whether it's an in-camera focusing choice or a post-production process, the effect is the same: a softened image.
The point of my posting this is to put soft-image objections about adapters such as the M2, Brevis etc. (none of which I own yet, but do plan to) into another perspective. If most big-time feature film makers are intentionally lowering sharpness for a more pleasing and/or less distracting effect when viewed optimally (not to say my system is "optimal", but it *is* pretty freakin' sharp), then isn't the sharpness loss in our little 35mm kits (at least for narrative/feature projects) a lot less important?
One more point to add: the plasma screen, which I've owned and hugely enjoyed for five years, reveals these differences much less noticeably. It looks great on almost everything. It's the projector that shows "the difference between the men and boys" sharpness-wise most undeniably. It's been quite a revelation to me.
I'll conclude by adding that when my HVX's footage (stock lens) is viewed on the projector via its component outs, it's pretty competitive with the sharpest of the aforementioned sources. It's not every bit as sharp as "24", but it's amazingly close, and a good deal sharper than, let's say, "MI3" on either HD cable or Blu-ray.
Comments? :beer:
I recently acquired a couple of new hi-def home entertainment devices, and have been receiving a surprising re-education in what appears to be "voluntary image softness" in *many* feature films, putting the discussion about sharpness loss in 35mm adapters like the M2 in...um...another light.
The new gear:
Panasonic PT-AX100U 1280x720 progressive scan HD LCD Projector (2000 lumens)
Sony Playstation 3 (Blu-ray player)
The projector can be set to display approximately an 11 foot diagonal image when movies are 2.35:1, and about 8-9' diagonal with 1.85:1 content due to screen height limitations. Viewing distance is about 14'.
Older gear:
Panasonic 42" plasma EDTV
Pioneer Elite a47i DVD player
Scientific Atlanta HD8000 Hi Def cable box (w/HBO, etc.)
Viewing distance for the plasma is about 12'.
Here's what I'm finding:
I established early on that when the projector is focused carefully, some hi-def content from either cable or Blu-ray, irrespective of aspect ratio, is absolutey *razor-sharp*. So sharp it's actually distracting, which may be the key word in this post.
The TV show "24" is probably the best example of this on the cable box (I'm sure there are other good examples but I watch very little network TV), and from the PS3, certain Blu-ray titles, such as "The Tailor Of Panama" and "Identity". All of these produced images on the projector that were at times almost painfully sharp. Close-ups often showed more detail in facial blemishes, scars and visible makeup than I'd prefer. However, this served as a sort of sharpness baseline if you will - it illustrated the point below which other images would, to a varying degree, fall. That's where it started to get interesting.
Many, many big-budget and not-so-big-budget features have *greatly* reduced shaprness, apparently intentionally, to the point where the difference between viewing them on the Blu-ray discs versus SD DVDs (there were a number of cases where I had both to compare) was rendered almost irrelevant. I should mention that the Pioneer Elite a47i is a superb SD DVD player, and I've carefully tweaked its many settings, sharpness key among them, to come as close to HD quality as possible, which it does remarkably well. It's easily better for example than the PS3's SD DVD output.
To be sure, there is always an advantage in Blu-ray disc quality vs SD DVDs, but often not in terms of sharpness. The majority of feature films I've viewed in the two months I've had the projector/PS3 fall into this category. For example, "The Departed", The Queen", "MI3", "Rocky Balboa", "The Pursuit Of Happyness" and numerous others. Only the occasional feature will reveal the system's full sharpness capability, and so far those haven't been the bigger box office ones. Cable Hi-Def movies show very similar ranges of variation.
So, in spite of an admittedly small sample thus far, this conclusion is hard to deny:
Feature filmmakers. especially the top dogs, are by one means or another deliberately de-sharpening their films. Whether it's an in-camera focusing choice or a post-production process, the effect is the same: a softened image.
The point of my posting this is to put soft-image objections about adapters such as the M2, Brevis etc. (none of which I own yet, but do plan to) into another perspective. If most big-time feature film makers are intentionally lowering sharpness for a more pleasing and/or less distracting effect when viewed optimally (not to say my system is "optimal", but it *is* pretty freakin' sharp), then isn't the sharpness loss in our little 35mm kits (at least for narrative/feature projects) a lot less important?
One more point to add: the plasma screen, which I've owned and hugely enjoyed for five years, reveals these differences much less noticeably. It looks great on almost everything. It's the projector that shows "the difference between the men and boys" sharpness-wise most undeniably. It's been quite a revelation to me.
I'll conclude by adding that when my HVX's footage (stock lens) is viewed on the projector via its component outs, it's pretty competitive with the sharpest of the aforementioned sources. It's not every bit as sharp as "24", but it's amazingly close, and a good deal sharper than, let's say, "MI3" on either HD cable or Blu-ray.
Comments? :beer:
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