kal
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Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 2:44 pm Post subject: Hatfields & McCoys [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
Hatfields & McCoys [Blu-ray] (2012)
(Hover over link for price, click to purchase and support our forum at no extra cost to you)
| Quote: | From director Kevin Reynolds, 'Hatfields & McCoys,' which aired on the History Channel cable network, tells the legendary tale of the Hatfield-McCoy feud, a moment in U.S. history that has etched itself into the American collective consciousness. With excellent performances by the entire cast, led by Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, the three-part miniseries is an enthralling and captivating saga about familial loyalty, vengeance and the type of pride which can eat away at one's soul. The show debuts on Blu-ray with an exceptional, near-reference quality audio and video presentation, but supplements are sadly in short supply. Still, the overall package will have viewers a-hootin' and a-hollerin' with satisfaction. Recommended.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
The 'Hatfields & McCoys' take their feud to Blu-ray with a fantastic and highly-detailed 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode (1.78:1). The grain in the wood architecture is plainly distinct, foliage of the surrounding trees is razor-sharp and the threading on the various costumes shows excellent lifelike texture. Dirt, pores and trivial blemishes on the faces of actors are naturally resolved and visible. You can clearly make out every wrinkle on Costner and Paxton's aging glares, even count every hair atop their heads or each whisker of their beards if you so please.
Filmed entirely on the Red Epic camera systems, the digital-to-digital transfer displays vividly crisp contrast levels with intensely bright but comfortable whites throughout. This allows for gorgeous, jaw-dropping panoramic views of the hills, mountainous valleys and forests in Romania. You can see just as clearly into the far distance as you can foreground objects. The color palette is pushed more towards the softer secondary hues, which appear radiant and rich with warmth and energy, but primaries remain boldly accurate from beginning to end. Only issue keeping the high-def presentation just shy of perfection is the inconsistent blacks, looking their best during daylight exteriors but losing some of the sheen in nighttime sequences. Thankfully, shadow details are not compromised as background information remains easily discernible.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
The wild, hillbilly family feud continues its a-hootin' and a-hollerin' with this equally sensational DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack which makes great use of the entire sound system. Atmospherics fill the rears with surrounding wildlife and the sounds of wind blowing through the treetops. Directionality is flawless and often convincing as bullets are heard in the distance or whizzing nearby from all around. Although there are moments when such discrete effects come off rather forced or exaggerated, they nonetheless generate a satisfyingly immersive soundfield.
In the front soundstage, imaging is fantastically engaging and welcoming, full of random activity even during the many quieter segments. They're mostly minor and fairly subtle, but they provide the lossless mix with a warmth and presence that's highly entertaining. Movement across the channels is fluid and smooth while dialogue remains well-prioritized and precise, although some of the slurred, accented vocals are a bit difficult to make out. Dynamic range is incredibly extensive with sharp, details in the upper frequencies. Aside from the several action sequences, this is most apparent during the original country music of John Debney and Tony Morales, which features many string instruments throughout. The low-end is also accurate and fittingly responsive, providing some heft and power to the gunshots and explosions with Randall McCoy's delusion scene digging the deepest in the bottom frequencies. |
Kal
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