[lfletcher]

Paramount have thrown a little bit of a curve ball with this one,

HD-DVD30, AVC, DD+ @640kbps
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/babel.html

or

BD50, Mpeg2, DD @640kbps
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/babel.html

Reviews say there is no real difference in picture or audio quality. If they had used VC-1 I would have gone for the HD-DVD version, but as it's AVC and the Blu Ray version is a BD50, which one do you get?

Originally Posted by lfletcher

Paramount have thrown a little bit of a curve ball with this one,

HD-DVD30, AVC, DD+ @640kbps
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/babel.html

or

BD50, Mpeg2, DD @640kbps
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/babel.html

Reviews say there is no real difference in picture or audio quality. If they had used VC-1 I would have gone for the HD-DVD version, but as it's AVC and the Blu Ray version is a BD50, which one do you get?

I'd go with whicevers cheaper, probably still go HDDVD simply based on the fact that avc is newer.

[Nic Rhodes]

Do we have any idea why the change to AVC? Is this a one off or the start of more?

I bought HD DVD but before I knew this stuff based on 'previous' Paramount experiences.

[lfletcher]

Originally Posted by Nic Rhodes

Do we have any idea why the change to AVC? Is this a one off or the start of more?

I bought HD DVD but before I knew this stuff based on 'previous' Paramount experiences.

Similar questions have been asked over on AVS and Amir said that it was the post houses decision to use AVC for this title, rather than a Paramount directive. I'm sure the amount of grain in the title was put down as a reason for using AVC.

[featherhall]

I've ordered the HDDVD of Babel, but the way the film is filmed and on reviews the picture will be the same on both

[BadAss]

Originally Posted by Nic Rhodes

Do we have any idea why the change to AVC? Is this a one off or the start of more?

I bought HD DVD but before I knew this stuff based on 'previous' Paramount experiences.

It makes you wonder why they didn't use AVC for both BD and HD. Why go through all the bother of two encodes if the outcome is the same and there's no politics involved?

[Nic Rhodes]

Why the MPEG2 is used on BD is known, why the change on HD DVD is less 'characterise'd but seems to have been explained by LFs posts.