T3, pirates, 5th element, potter. We seem to be hearing more and more poor quality BD discs being released. Makes it tough to embrace the "superior format" when buying movies is a crapshoot.

Nice pulling out a launch title as an example. 5th element was definitely poorly done. It has been fixed for quite some time (with a free replacement).

It's a pain in the ass for sure, but they are quality control issues much like the Jack Ryan HD DVD packaging blunder. Rushing to get out multiple formats are bound to create some issues. More reason for those dual format studios to go single.

People have screwed up on both sides. For example there is about a minute on the 2nd disc of Battlestar Galactica where the video is out of sync with the audio.

True enough. Some combo/hybrid discs also had quality control issues.

Sony & Disney at least are reluctantly replacing defective BDs. Warner & Universal won't do anything about their HD DVD screw-ups (Perfect Storm, Traffic, f.e.)...

What's wrong with Perfect Storm and Traffic? I have the former but haven't watched it yet.

I think Warner should replace my copy of The Matrix, and Universal should replace disk 2 of Battlestar Galactica.

I have and watched Perfect Storm. It's been a long time but i don't remember thinking anything was wrong with it.

I think the problem was with the movie master used for HD DVD of Perfect Storm. I read somewhere that Warner improperly used 1080i HDTV master for HD DVD production (similar to Full Metal Jacket, The Fugitive, etc.).

As per DVDReview:


Warner Home Video brings "The Perfect Storm" to high definition in the movie's original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio on this HD-DVD. While at first it seemed like a decent transfer after viewing it for a few minutes I noticed something very disturbing. The transfer shows exaggerated ghosting artifacts, which are most likely a result of over-compression. It is most pronounced in scenes where we see close-ups of people. As they talk and move their head slightly, the facial features actually trail behind the head. The head would move to the left, for example, while the eyes, mouth and nose would stay in place for a few frames and then follow the head later. This sort of artifact could be seen previously in heavily restored movies where the negative was damaged and people tried to fill in the missing image information with detail from previous frames. "The Perfect Storm" is a fairly new movie however and I am not entirely sure how this sort of artifact could have been introduced into the transfer and moreover, how the quality control people at Warner Home Video could have overlook this. It is evident in virtually every single close-up shot as well as many wide shots and the even bigger problem is that once you have noticed it, you start looking for it, which in turn will make it all the more exaggerated, ultimately destroying the illusion of the movie and its presentation.
As sad as it may sound, this is unfortunately the worst HD-DVD transfer I've seen so far, due to this problem, making it impossible - at least for me - to fully enjoy the film. The artifact is so distracting that it keeps pulling me out of the movie experience.

What's wrong with Perfect Storm and Traffic? I have the former but haven't watched it yet.

I think Warner should replace my copy of The Matrix, and Universal should replace disk 2 of Battlestar Galactica.
What is wrong with your copy of The Matrix?

What is wrong with your copy of The Matrix?
The is a mild audio sync issue. Most people don't seem to notice it, but it bugs me to no end. (And no, I'm not the only person to notice it.)

I might add that Warner Bros has had a number of problems with DVD releases in Canada that don't affect the US sets; usually missing booklets, mislabeled discs, duplicate discs...but just in Canada.

Gord