A Room With A View: Special Edition // HD DVD Review

Home • Reviews • Forums • News 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004
RSS Feeds • FOV Factor Table • Sensor Sizes | Definitions: A-D • E-H • I-L • M-P • Q-U • V-Z | Sitemap
Articles • Archived Websites (Pre-DigitalDingus): D100 Lounge • E-10 Club | Contact

A Room With A View
Special Edition

Conclusion
December 20, 2008

A Room With A View: Introduction / The Movie • A Room With A View: Screencaps
A Room With A View: Features & Specifications • A Room With A View: Conclusion

A Room With A View
Special Edition
Features: DTS HD High Resolution 5.1 soundtrack and several additional extras which inlclude archive promotional appearances by Daniel Day Lewis and Simon Callow, BBC report on the film's success in the US, E.M. Forster remembered, Merchant-Ivory tribute, photo gallery and more.
Distributor: Warner Brothers (USA / Canada)
Movie Release: March 7, 1986
This Release: October 2, 2007
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 1 hr 57 mins
MSRP: $28.99
Current Price: Check Price / Purchase

Pros

Surprisingly good transfer
Filmed to convey the time period
DTS HD High Resolution 5.1 audio sounds good
Picture is a little soft but much better than the SD DVD version
The BBC Television documentary E.M. Forster Remembered is a good addition to the extras
Extras are modest

Cons / Disadvantages

None observed, but to many, this transfer will certainly not satiate the HD craving.

AUDIO
VIDEO
CONTENT
EXTRAS

RECOMMENDED

Audio

The audio on A Room With A View: Special Edition isn't as bad as one would think. The DTS HD High Resolution 5.1 soundtrack does sound more fuller than the DD Plus 5.1 soundtrack, which respectively has about 1/5th the bandwidth. Most of the events take place with dialogue as expected, but the music in the film sounds really nice with the higher bandwidth audio.

Video

The picture quality of A Room With A View: Special Edition is darn good, but still is not up to par for an HD transfer. This is one of those titles where it is better than the SD DVD version — in this case by far since I remember a rather battered image — but is not capable of delivering some typical HD markers we've gradually been accustomed to.

Not having a dedicated bitrate viewer, it's a little more time consuming to obtain the bitrate, but after some calculations, an average of 17.85 Mbps was figured. This is pretty good for only an HD-30 disc, but I would have hoped a few more gigs would have been allowed for an even higher bitrate. I think the film could have benefited from it.

Content

Of course, A Room With A View isn't known for its action. It is a paced romantic comedy, but builds up nicely to an enjoyable ending. For those unfamiliar with E.M. Forster, he had his reasons for writing particular novels. He is certainly an interesting fellow, and quite talented.

As to the director, well, James Ivory does a spectacular job at conveying the book to the screen. From the softness of the film which highlight the characteristics of scenes to the attire worn by the actors, to the cinematography of Italy and Great Britain.

The Extras

The extras on A Room With A View: Special Edition are modest, but I do appreciate the 26-minute documentary by the BBC Television. It's too bad we don't have more information on E.M. Forster, as I would think there are other documentaries on him and the novel.

Conclusion

A Room With A View: Special Edition may not be for every HD collector's movie shelf, but if you're at all familiar with this movie, you will certainly appreciate the upgrade.

For those with HDTVs larger than 50", I caution you more as this transfer could have been injected with a higher bitrate, allowing for more information to be displayed on the screen. For those with HDTVs smaller than 50", you might be impressed more than I was on my 50" Panasonic plasma.

A Room With A View as presented in this Special Edition on HD DVD, is a must-purchase for those looking for an upgrade from the DVD. True, it's not the best possible transfer, but a value still. A worthy Recommended.