http://www.dvguru.com DV Guru http://www.dvguru.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.dvguru.com en-us Copyright 2012 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/frame-counting/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/frame-counting/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/29/frame-counting/#commentsFiled under: Movies, DVD

Here's a fascinating find via Scott Simmons: David Bordwell admits to being a frame counter, and his calculative observations of edited sequences reveals the differences between film and video formats. Bordwell counts exact frames in tightly edited sequences from 35mm/16mm film prints and reveals the arithmetical precision used by directors and editors to create a specific rhythm. Watching the same film on different video formats (VHS, DVD, and Laserdisc) Bordwell then observes the differences in precise sequence lengths in frames due to differing video frame rates and 3:2 pulldown. It's an excellent read highlighting the differences between film and video frame rates, NTSC vs. PAL, and interlaced versus progressive formats, and how all of these different factors affect the actual rhythm of film editing.

(via editblog)

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]]>david bordwellDavidBordwelleditingfilmframe rateFrameRatemoviespulldownBrian Liloia2007-01-29T15:59:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/25/interview-with-backuphddvd-developer/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/25/interview-with-backuphddvd-developer/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/25/interview-with-backuphddvd-developer/#commentsFiled under: Business, DVD

You might remember reading about Doom9 member Muslix64's successful attempt at bypassing the AACS encryption system of HD DVD, resulting in his BackupHDDVD software that enables users to extract files from the discs. Slyck News has interviewed Muslix64 to gather his thoughts on fair use, and clearing the misconceptions about "hacking". Muslix64 also explains the differences between content and copy protection, and decryption differences between HD DVD and Blu-Ray. All in all, it's a fascinating and enlightening read.

(via FresHDV)

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]]>backuphddvdcopyrightdrmfair useFairUsehackingmuslix64Brian Liloia2007-01-25T11:45:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/23/rocketindie-independent-dvd-distribution/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/23/rocketindie-independent-dvd-distribution/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/23/rocketindie-independent-dvd-distribution/#commentsFiled under: DVD, DIY

Just discovered this on HDforIndies: Jarred Land of DVXUser.com will be launching a new website devoted to enabling independents to self-distribute their films on DVD. RocketIndie does the dirty work of producing the actual DVDs, processing orders, and shipping them out to customers, and this comes at no startup or monthly cost to the original creator. The service handles all the labor of organizing orders and getting the goods out to customers. They do not market the product, but instead act as an invisible store. Although you can send them your own mastered DVDs, they also offer the option of designing your disc from the ground up, but it is unclear at what cost. Nevertheless, if you want to get your film on DVD out there without having to worry about processing orders, and running to the post office, this could be a very convenient solution. Read the FAQ for the full scoop. RocketIndie launches on February 1st.

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]]>distributiondvddvxuser.comindependentindiejarred landJarredLandrocketindieBrian Liloia2007-01-23T12:05:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/17/first-pirated-hd-dvd-movie-hits-bittorrent/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/17/first-pirated-hd-dvd-movie-hits-bittorrent/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/17/first-pirated-hd-dvd-movie-hits-bittorrent/#commentsFiled under: DVD

A mere month after the release of programmer Muslix64's BackupHDDVD, which allows users to bypass the copy protection of both HD DVD and Blu-Ray discs, the first pirated movie has hit BitTorrent. Serenity is now floating around on BitTorrent channels as a .EVO file, playable on most DVD playback software, weighing in at 19.6GB with MPEG-4 VC-1 encoding. BackupHDDVD is not a complete package as far as ripping discs, because users must obtain and insert a volume or title key to extract the files. However, is this first HD DVD torrent the beginning of a new influx of illegal movie downloads via hackers and pirates? Do big studios already have to worry about an ensuing copy protection battle, with the format wars not even settled?

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]]>backuphddvdbittorentblu-rayhd dvdHdDvdmuslix64piracyBrian Liloia2007-01-17T09:59:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/13/aacs-drm-hacked/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/13/aacs-drm-hacked/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/13/aacs-drm-hacked/#commentsFiled under: DVD

Ok, so we're a little late on this news, but nevertheless: AACS (Advanced Access Content System), HD DVD and Blu-Ray's copy protection scheme has been cracked by Doom9 forum member muslix64. His BackupHDDVD tool decrypts AACS on a PC after you insert a crypto key into the utility. After that, you can freely copy the video content straight off the disc. It's no surprise, though: seems like there is just no such thing as guaranteed un-crackability. (No, I don't think that's a word either.) Check out Engadget's post for confirmation of the cracking process. And if you want to learn more about the intricacies of AACS check out this post.

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]]>aacsblu-raydrmhackhd dvdHdDvdBrian Liloia2007-01-13T14:37:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/warner-announces-total-hi-def-hybrid-disc/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/warner-announces-total-hi-def-hybrid-disc/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/10/warner-announces-total-hi-def-hybrid-disc/#commentsFiled under: Business, DVD

Hoping to bridge the barely-shrinking HD DVD and Blu-Ray gap, Warner has announced yet another new format merging the two competing formats, dubbed the Total Hi Def disc. Warner claims that the discs can contain dual layers of both HD DVD and Blu-ray content on a single disc, at no increased cost. The first releases are expected to hit shelves during the second half of this year, but no specifics were released. Will this format actually stick, and should we expect companies to support it? Who knows... but this whole format battle seems to just be dragging on and on... blergh.

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]]>blu-raybusinessdvdformat warsFormatWarshd-dvdtotal hi defTotalHiDefwarnerBrian Liloia2007-01-10T14:40:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/08/big-day-for-blu-ray/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/08/big-day-for-blu-ray/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/08/big-day-for-blu-ray/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Business, DVD

Blu-ray was out in full force today at CES with numerous announcements.
First up, HP announced it's first Blu-ray burner, the BD135. All we know about it is it will ship sometime in the first half of the year.
Second,all of the top Blu-rayers gathered together for their press event held today with representatives from Warner and Disney among others. Their big announcement, victory over HD DVD. How can they make this bold claim?

1. Only 4 of the top 20 next gen DVDs were HD DVD.
2. Blu-ray holds 96% of Japan market.
3. The PS3 seems to be the pillar of confidence for Blu-ray with numerous surveys indicating many plan to use the PS3 as their primary DVD player.

These "facts" sound a bit dubious to me, but it is good to see the association is kicking with confidence. Too bad no one else seems to be enjoying the format war as much as these guys. Check out the full transcript from the event.

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]]>Blu-rayCESDVDeventHPnext genNextGenpressRussell Heimlich2007-01-08T23:35:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/08/hd-movies-and-gaming-revisited/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/08/hd-movies-and-gaming-revisited/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/08/hd-movies-and-gaming-revisited/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Business, DVD

As most of you are aware, both the PS3, and the Xbox 360 have a means of providing consumers with HD movie playback. I harped on this issue for a while, ultimately deciding neither was ready for the big leagues. Now the holidays have come and gone, and our friends over at Joystiq have me rethinking things.

They link to a Wall Street Journal article talks about the current state of affairs in the HD format war. Their main focus is on the potential future of universal players(both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD) from LG and HP. I do think these catch-all devices could be the solution consumers are looking for, but there was some additional info in the article I found even more interesting.

According to the article, there is a combined total of about 695,000 Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players in the wild. Of those, a mere 25,000 are stand-alone players. The rest are comprised of either the PS3, or the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player.

I have to admit, this number surprised me. As I think more about it though, it really makes sense. The video game system/movie players represent both the low price end of the spectrum, and a value-added product. (I minored in sales.) In short, you pay less and get more. Consumers are savvy enough these days to know a good deal when they see one, and PS3 and Xbox 360 provide a descent stopgap until these dual format players reach the market.

READ via Joystiq

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]]>Blu-RayHD-DVDPS3Xbox 360Xbox360Adam Nielson2007-01-08T21:57:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/07/lg-unleashes-first-hybrid-blu-ray-and-hd-dvd-player/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/07/lg-unleashes-first-hybrid-blu-ray-and-hd-dvd-player/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/07/lg-unleashes-first-hybrid-blu-ray-and-hd-dvd-player/#commentsFiled under: Hardware, Gear, DVD

LG's first hybrid Blu-Ray and HD DVD player, the BH100 is closer to reality with a recent introduction of the hardware. Consumers should no longer have to settle exclusively on either format when the player launches for $1,199 sometime during the first quarter of this year. The player features 1080p HDMI and component video output, 5.1 analog audio outputs, coaxial and digital optical outputs and an Ethernet connection. Expect more details soon.

(via EngadgetHD)

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]]>bh100blu-rayCESdvdformat warsFormatWarshd-dvdlgBrian Liloia2007-01-07T18:44:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/05/distribution-made-easy-customflix-and-amazon-how-to/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/05/distribution-made-easy-customflix-and-amazon-how-to/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/05/distribution-made-easy-customflix-and-amazon-how-to/#commentsFiled under: The Little Guy, DVD, Marketing

If you need a way to make your movie available for purchase, CustomFlix is doing what they can to make it easy for you. Darren Giles, Co-Founder of CustomFlix Labs, Inc., has written an article on the process of creating a CustomFlix account, getting your movie package created and getting it listed on CustomFlix and Amazon.com. Once your movie is listed, you may have people find your work accidentally with searches, but if you hope to make any money you'll have to get the word out and drive some traffic to the sites. You can never get away from marketing.

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]]>amazoncustomflixdistributionindependentSheila Ward2007-01-05T05:31:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/sony-encounters-news-blu-ray-glitches/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/sony-encounters-news-blu-ray-glitches/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/sony-encounters-news-blu-ray-glitches/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Business, DVD

It looks like more problems for Blu-Ray, and Sony this week, as several people are complaining about horror film 'The Descent' not working in their machines. The disk is one of Sony's new 50GB mega discs, and features a boatload of extras, including one of the first ever picture-in-picture directors commentaries, and a bunch of BD-Java encoded content.

It seems both the Sony BDP-S1 and Pioneer Elite Blu-ray players are choking on the disk. Problems range from not being able to use the interactive special features, to just getting a black screen. Each of the player's respective manufacturers says an update will fix the problem, and is on the way soon. Hopefully they'll have everything ironed out before LG's combo player hits the shelves.

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]]>Blu-RayJavaSonyThe DescentTheDescentAdam Nielson2007-01-04T10:46:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/new-tech-adds-css-to-burned-movies/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/new-tech-adds-css-to-burned-movies/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/new-tech-adds-css-to-burned-movies/#commentsFiled under: Trends, DVD, Online

In a move the studios are apparently really excited about, the Associated Press is reporting the MPAA has signed off on a technology from Sonic Solutions that allows legally downloaded movies to be burned to DVD. These average, everyday burned DVDs allow consumers to play them in their average, everyday players. The twist? The burned DVDs have CSS, the copy protection scheme behind "real" DVDs, embedded on them. As most people know, however, CSS is easily overcome, but as long as it makes the movie industry happy, I'm happy.

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]]>bittorrentdownloaddownloading moviesDownloadingMoviesdvdmpaaRandall Bennett2007-01-04T10:15:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/lg-to-show-off-hd-dvd-blu-ray-player-at-ces/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/lg-to-show-off-hd-dvd-blu-ray-player-at-ces/http://www.dvguru.com/2007/01/04/lg-to-show-off-hd-dvd-blu-ray-player-at-ces/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Business, Hardware, Media, DVD, At Home

I originally titled this post "Oh, snap!" because LG's on again off again combo HD-DVD + Blu-Ray player, if released, could save next-gen optical from an untimely demise. Many consumers (including me) have been sitting on the sidelines of the format war waiting for a clear winner, but obviously a combo player would not only be a winner for LG, but retailers might start moving some Blu-Ray and HD-DVD titles off the shelves.

Finally we could see some sort of unification. Please, oh please, LG, don't dash our hopes! And Samsung, we know you're all cozy with Blu-Ray and e'rythang, but throw us a bone and release a dual format player too.

[Via Engadget]

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]]>Randall Bennett2007-01-04T08:00:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/25/animating-the-very-first-noel/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/25/animating-the-very-first-noel/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/25/animating-the-very-first-noel/#commentsFiled under: DVD

I don't think I have the patience to be an animator. In this little blurb about the animation of The Very First Noel, it talks a little about the project that required 17 minutes of animation be completed in 10 weeks. Reel FX did the production with each animator creating about 8-10 seconds per week. The part I found humorous was after they realized creating new background characters was going to take up too much time, the adopted a Mr. Potato Head approach: grab body parts from other characters to quickly create a new character. The story is narrated by Andy Griffith and is available now on DVD.

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]]>animationfxSheila Ward2006-12-25T14:13:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/21/dvd-players-reign-supreme/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/21/dvd-players-reign-supreme/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/21/dvd-players-reign-supreme/#commentsFiled under: Trends, DVD, At Home

In a report released by Nielson Media Research, more households now own more DVD players than VCRs. DVD ownership rose 6.1% from a year ago translating to 81.2% of American households that own at least one DVD player. Consequently, VCR ownership dropped 4.5% since last year to 79.2%. It's official, you can now stop dubbing VHS tapes to give to people.

DVD ownership has been tracked since 1999 when only 6.7% of households owned a DVD player. That means it should be 2013 before we have a clear HD optical format winner and by then it won't even matter.

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]]>DVDhouseholdmediaopticalownershipVCRVHSRussell Heimlich2006-12-21T19:45:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/21/best-and-worst-of-2006/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/21/best-and-worst-of-2006/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/21/best-and-worst-of-2006/#commentsFiled under: Trends, Cameras, Software, Movies, Web, DVD, Online

In the Best and Worst of 2005, I defiantly declared that Blip.TV was the Best Free Video Hosting site. I still believe Blip.TV and Revver are among the best video hosting sites for filmmakers. They offer video in various codecs (including a very good Flash Codec) that can be easily downloaded. Currently with Revver (and very soon with Blip.TV) you can even make a buck or two. However, as 2006 progressed, I realized that video hosting sites don't become popular because they serve filmmakers but because they serve their audience. After the break, our first award!
Best Online video site: YouTube. Not only did they make it easy to upload, but they also made it easy to find and interact with other content. Best move by YouTube: Encouraging online video to become a social experience.

As YouTube emerged, so did the YouTube celebrity. People like LonelyGirl15, who was neither lonely nor 15, and Geriatric1927, who cries regularly because he can't believe so many people watch or listen to his stories from yester-year.

YouTube also had an effect on Hollywood, as a lot Hollywood content started to find its way onto the site. A war seemed ready to erupt between the content holders and LonelyYoubeDevelopers15.

Worst foot in mouth: The wonderful Mark Cuban decides to single-handedly burst the YouTube bubble. With rumors floating around that YouTube was going to be bought, Cuban arrogantly calls any potential buyers "morons". He believed within months of the purchase, Hollywood would sue YouTube into oblivion. As of this writing, that has yet to happen and such a thing seems hardly a possibility.

Best Move by Morons: Google buys YouTube for a cool 1.6 Billion dollars. Many wondered whether Google could prevent YouTube from dying a slow and painful death at the hands of Hollywood but Google moved quickly cutting deals left and right. I am quite sure, as I write this, peace talks are in place with the remaining rebels, eh, overlords.

Things looked brighter in YouTube land. Like an excited schoolgirl clamoring for attention, Time magazine called YouTube "The Best Invention of the Year." Inventors all over the world were heard scratching their heads.

Time magazine took it a step further by adding that "You" were the person of the year. Yes, you. No, not just you but everyone. Everyone unconsciously added to the Biggest marketing buzzword of the year: "user-generated." How long before this becomes the biggest annoyance? If every company starts cranking out these "User Generated" videos, how effective will it be?

Outside of YouTube, the web community was abuzz about video. Podcasting and even blogging felt like old news. People argued over which word would best describe the new medium. Was it videoblogging? videopodcasting? vidcasts? vodcasts? Youtubing? Videostraubating?

Some of these videostraubaters videobloggers quickly found themselves being accepted by their richer and more handsome Hollywood cousins. Amanda gets picked up by a network, Rocketboom got rich, The New York Times seemed to write a feature on videoblogging every week, and people were turning off their televisions in favor of the internet.

There were also a couple of videoblogging fights. Ze & Rocketboom fought over traffic numbers. But the award for the Worst Videoblog smackdown was undoubtedly between Rocketboom and its former host Amanda Congdon. The battle still rages on. Who left whom? Who gets the house? Who gets the kids? Oh wait.

Videoblogging also became a weapon of sorts for the filmmaker. Best comeback story of the year: Four Eyed Monsters fails as a movie but like the phoenix rises again in the form of video podcasts. From the success of the podcasts, the movie finally reaches the big screens. With video podcasts, filmmakers could finally translate the idea of grassroots to something more tangible and more easily implemented. It was now becoming more and more about the small screen.

On the tech side, just like last year, everything seemed to get bigger. Bigger resolution, bigger cameras, bigger megapixels, more powerful computers, and more memory. Despite the bigger is better attitude, everything was also becoming more affordable for independent filmmakers. I would like to say that 2006 is the year of HD, but people have been saying that for a while now. However, this year is when the promise of HD actually reached the hands of Independent content producers. Which leads us to next award...

Best excitement generated by an unreleased product and the darling of DVguru bloggers: The one and only Red Camera. The buzz started sometime before NAB and has been gathering speed since then. Apple couldn't hold a candle to the amount of buzz created by this camera (at least within the DV community). After all, the Red camera is being created by a bunch of newbies, as in they have never created a camera before. Now before you Reds jump down my throat, let me say this: If Red was released this year, 2006 would be the Year of the Red camera. Damn YouTube, and all of its Time magazines & LisaNova's.

Red promises the world for the filmmaker for a cool 20k +/- while at the same time shaking up the world of camera manufacturers by providing a great deal. It is like getting a Panavision for the price of a Bolex. Or a Canon EOS for a Powershot. If, by next year, Red camera has failed to materialize, I will proudly award myself with the Biggest Sucka of 2007 or 2006 or whatever.

While we wait for the Red, a relatively new format rose to prominence. Best format of 2006: HDV, which bypasses the old DV and the relatively new DVCProHD with the sheer number of products and companies supporting it. One of the most exciting products of last year was the Panasonic HVX200 but because it has been saddled with the expensive P2 cards, it has failed to live up to the success of its DVX roots.

Best New unproven format: AVCHD. None of the major of the NLE's support it but I like the fact that it can record on flash drives while having better sound specs than HDV. We will wait and see. I am sure Redcine will also generate a lot of talk.

Best move of the year & Best Surprise of the year: Apple switches to Intel processors. Now some might argue that Google buying YouTube is the best move, but as of the end of 2006, the jury is still out on that one. Moving to Intel has obviously been a great move for Apple. Everything seems zippier on the Apple side again. Faster computers because of faster processors, more product cycles because of faster processor cycles. The Mac has also become platform-agnostic as you can run Windows or Linux on its hardware. Apple laptops are selling like hot cakes again. Definitely one of the best moves Apple has ever made.

2nd Best Apple shocker: Shake price drops from $2k to $500. One of the best deals anywhere. I am still confused on why Apple chose to do this. 2007 should be an interesting year for the Final Cut Studio suite.

Best Software Upgrade: Adobe After Effects 7. The best software from Adobe. Besides all the cool features, my favorite upgrade was the interface.

Worst Software release: Adobe's Soundbooth. Adobe defied logic when they released the beta version of the software that was only compatible with Intel Macs with no plans to undo their stupidity.

Best Free Software: There are a lot of great candidates in this category but my pick is Celtx. The cross-platform, feature rich, screenwriting software.

2006 also saw a dash to the living room. From game consoles to the expected Apple ITV, the living room media center is the next big battleground, just like the operating system was in the early 90's. We all know who won that battle, it seems like there might be a repeat.

Best move to the Living room: Microsoft's Xbox 360. It wins here, in a sense, by default. It is only decent option. With this headstart and Microsoft's domination in the OS market, the door may be closing quickly for the competition

Best trend in Hollywood: To embrace the web as a potential marketing device and also as a possible distribution model. Everybody and your mother is working on an online movie download service. Everybody and your mother and the cellphone companies are also working on a mobile media platform.

Worst trend for Hollywood: Blu-ray vs HD-DVD battle. The continuing battle of the next generation high definition DVDs is cutting into a potential goldmine for the studios. People are not going to be buying DVDs if they think hi-def DVDs are around the corner. And they are not going to buy hi-def DVDs unless they can see a clear winner. I am also tired of writing about the details of this battle. It is like a Bollywood film with too many twists and turns.

Most useful website outside of DVguru: Withoutabox.com. The biggest reason why filmmakers can still submit to festivals without tearing their hair out.

Favorite blog of the DVgurus: HD For Indies. It is the most cited source on DVguru. We actually have a chip inside of Mike's brain so we can track him at all times.

Top DVguru posts for 2006*:
1) Ten Video sharing services compared
2) The DVD rewinder
3) 10 Reason you shouldn't go to film school

Stay with us in 2007 as DVguru continues to expand. You will see more features and reviews next year, keep an eye out for those. Our weekly podcast is one of the our popular segments, we will continue to upgrade it with interviews and guests in the coming year.


Thanks to Russ and Scott for their support. If you have any Best and Worst suggestions, please feel free to leave it under comments.

* Based on Traffic

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]]>2006applebestDVgoogleHDVpanasonicyoutubeAjit Anthony2006-12-21T11:00:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/17/choosing-archival-cd-dvd-media/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/17/choosing-archival-cd-dvd-media/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/17/choosing-archival-cd-dvd-media/#commentsFiled under: Media, DVD, Post-production

Backing up your media is important, especially to an off-site location. It is a good thing optical media is as cheap as it is so creating a duplicate copy isn't a cost prohibitive operation. But if you are going to devote the time and energy to backing up, you want to be sure your media will be readable in the future. Ad Terras Per Aspera has a thorough technical explanation of optical media and what makes a good disc. To summarize his findings:

1. DVD+R has superior error correction and burning control.
2. Taiyo Yuden makes the best discs.
3. Gold plated discs don't offer any added protection.
   

I suggest you read the full article to understand how he came to his conclusions and become a DVD whiz kid in the process.

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]]>archiveCDdiscDVDDVD Rguidemediastoragetaiyo yudenTaiyoYudenRussell Heimlich2006-12-17T14:19:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/17/comparison-of-xvid-dvd-720p-and-1080p-footage/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/17/comparison-of-xvid-dvd-720p-and-1080p-footage/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/17/comparison-of-xvid-dvd-720p-and-1080p-footage/#commentsFiled under: Movies, DVD, Post-production

To go along with the other video comparisons we have posted about, here is a side by side by side by side look at a frame from I Robot. The formats in question are Xvid, DVD (480p), 720p, and 1080p and as expected the 1080p looks superb. However, the 720p doesn't look that much different and would be cheaper/easier to produce for a film. Of course if you are aiming for a large screen distribution, then the extra cost of 1080p would make sense, but for anything else, 720p will do just fine. Get a good look at the full size image and see for yourself.

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]]>1080p720pcomparisonHDmediavideoxvidRussell Heimlich2006-12-17T08:02:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/16/dvd-quality-hi-def-vs-standard/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/16/dvd-quality-hi-def-vs-standard/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/16/dvd-quality-hi-def-vs-standard/#commentsFiled under: Media, DVD

I am certainly not a big Hi-def DVD supporter. I am perfectly happy with my standard definition DVD's. Until now. Someone took stills from the HD DVD and regular ol' DVD versions of Lord of the Rings and put them side by side to compare. To no one's surprise, the HD quality was better but the amount of difference shocked me and I am guessing will shock you. The HD had better colors, better resolution, was brighter and less contrast. The picture was generally prettier. Long shots were especially better with HD. Take a look for yourselves, roll your mouse over to see the difference.

(via Gizmodo)

Update: The HD footage is from HDTV and not Hi-def DVD. Thanks Richard.

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]]>hdAjit Anthony2006-12-16T18:48:00+00:00http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/bringing-short-films-to-a-mailbox-near-you/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/bringing-short-films-to-a-mailbox-near-you/http://www.dvguru.com/2006/12/13/bringing-short-films-to-a-mailbox-near-you/#commentsFiled under: DVD, At Home

I've made a couple of mentions of The Journal of Short Film here on DVGuru in the past, but this PopMatters interview with founder Karl Mechem makes for a great read if the concept behind the quarterly DVD publication was never quite convincing. To refresh, JSF is a compilation of short films that get submitted from around the globe, and published on DVD to be purchased online or subscribed to. Anyway, Mechem discusses the viability of short film itself, inspiration for starting up a DVD publication, issues of copyright and distribution, and some other good stuff. I'm a big fan of The Journal of Short Film, whose grassroots, no budget approach to getting films distributed is really admirable. Give the interview a look for some nice background information on the group.

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]]>distributionfilmmakingjsfmechemshort filmShortFilmthe journal of short filmTheJournalOfShortFilmBrian Liloia2006-12-13T13:12:00+00:00