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PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:46 am 
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 1:14 pm
Posts: 2256
Location: National Capital Region (India)
Title: Dabangg
Year: 2010
BD Release: 2010
IMDB Rating: 6.8
Category: Action | Comedy | Musical | Romance
Distributor: BIG Home Video
Authoring House: Digital Entertainment
Region Coding: A/B/C
MRP: Rs. 699/-
Media: Main Feature - 50GB BD
Running Time: 02:06:02 hrs
Chapters: 20
Video:
2.35:1, HD 1080p 16:9, AVC 24Hz
Peak Bitrate 38.7 Mbps | Average Bitrate ?Mbps
Audio:
1/2 Hindi - DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48khz 5.6 Mbps - peak) <-- Default Track
2/2 Hindi - Dolby Digital 5.1 (48khz 448 kbps)
Subtitles: <-- 2.35:1 Screen Friendly (Positioned at the bottom of the picture area)
1/1 English
Special Features: SD | 4:3 | MPEG2 | DD 2.0 (224 kbps)
1. The Making of Dabangg (40:56)
2. Making of The Songs (27:41)
3. Photo Album

Special Mention:
1. Pop-up menu during extras, for selection of extras' titles.

Authoring issues:
1. Pop-up menus do not close on their own and stay up forever or until manually closed by the menu button or a selection is made.
2. No option to 'Play All' in the 'Song Menu' <-- This should be a no brainer for all Bollywood films.
3. There is no chapter/title information displayed when played on a PS3. Even on the Oppo BDP-83 player, the title number of the title playing does not display. This seems to be a problem with all BDs authored by Digital Entertainment.
4. The left/right/enter keys on the PS3 'remote' do not function as rewind/forward/pause buttons, like they do with all other BDs/DVDs. This too is a problem with all BDs authored by Digital Entertainment.
5. Intermission/Interval missing. <-- This is totally unacceptable as this amounts to meddling with the actual film.

Review:
Movie: Very well scripted with very witty dialogues. Well acted and tightly edited. Outstanding music, both songs & background score. All in all, a very entertaining film. This is the kind of movie where although the action is quite exagerated and stylized, it still falls in the realm of 'suspension of disbelief' and one can still enjoy it. The characters too, are well etched out and totally believable, unlike the characters and their actions in the average so called 'entertainers' from bollywood. Ofcourse what helps, is the able performances of the entire cast, both in major and supporting roles. The film has no pretentions of being anything but what it is, ie. an out to out entertainer and it totally succeeds in keeping the audience involved with not a tiresome moment. I had already seen the movie in the theaters, but still actually enjoyed the film even more the second time around on blu-ray.

Video: Sadly the blu-ray suffers from framing issues. This is a problem that is there with the 'Kites' blu-ray too and had also been there with the 'Rock On' blu-ray. Out of the total 'Ten' BIG Home Video blu-rays released so far, three of them have had framing issues. It is obviously an issue with whoever is doing the mastering for BIG Home Video and something that they need to look into. Also, I think that they may be viewing their transfers on a monitor using overscan and thus may be oblivious to the problem. It is only when viewing on a projector that this problem becomes apparent. Although in the case of 'Rock On ', the framing was bad enough to be noticed on most TVs too. Once again the DNR does rear it's ugly head and robs the video of sharpness and fine detail. Although I must point out that the problem is not anywhere as bad as it is with the blu-ray of 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai' or for that matter even 'Kites'. Inconsistent color tones and saturation levels along with a yellow tint throughout most of the movie, are other factors that keep the video from really shining. But then again, I must mention that I don't recall being very impressed with the picture quality even when I saw the film in the theater.

Audio: The movie has an excellent sound mix and the rear channels are very active throughout the movie. The songs too have been well mixed and all in all, the audio does full justice to the action in the movie and adds a lot to the overall experience of the movie. Pleasantly for a change, specially considering the genre of the film, the audio level is quite good and not too high as it is with most Indian blu-rays. The Dolby Digital 5.1 alternate audio track on the other hand, keeps up the tradition and is not only much louder than the DTS-HD MA track, but is just way too loud. Thank heavens, that the redundant DD 5.1 track actually has no use for atleast the vast majority of consumers, if any at all. Overall, this is one of the best blu-rays so far, as far as audio is concerned and the only thing that keeps the audio rating from being even higher, is that the volume level in the rear channels is a bit too loud and can do with atleast a 3db reduction, if not more.

Extras: It is really good to finally see extras being included on recent BIG/Digital Entertainment blu-rays. The last three 'BIG/Digital Entertainment' blu-rays have all included extras. Considering that all three were relatively short movies, there was ample disc space leftover for the extras. Therefore 'not' including the extras would have been silly, since the 'extras' do not in any way compromise audio/video quality. Fortunately good sense has prevailed at 'BIG/Digital Entertainment' and they have started including extras atleast when space permits. The extras on this blu-ray are presented in SD 4:3 with DD 2.0 audio. There are two featurettes, both providing substantial insight into the making of the music and film.

Conclusion: This is an above average blu-ray of an above average bollywood film and thus I have no reservations in recommending it.
Highly RECOMMENDED

My ratings: (out of 5.0)
Movie: 4.0
Video: 3.75
Audio: 4.6
Extras: 3.5
Misc.: 4.0
Overall: 4.0

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Screen shots Courtesy: DDR

Equipment used for testing:
Projector: Panasonic PT-AE2000U
Screen: Da-Lite 4:3 120" 'Model B' - White Matte
Viewing Distance: 11' 6"
A/V Receiver: Denon AVR5800
Speakers: 5.1
Front/Main: Paradigm Reference 100 v2
Center: Paradigm Reference Studio CC v2
Rear: Tannoy - Mercury M5
Subwoofer: Paradigm Reference Servo 15
BD Player:
Oppo BDP-83 (Hardware Modified 'Region Free' with 'BDP83-50-0424' firmware)
PS3 (80GB US 'Region A' with firmware v3.50)


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 6:43 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 1:14 pm
Posts: 2256
Location: National Capital Region (India)
This thread is now updated to a review thread. Some might be wondering why I chose to review this blu-ray before '3 Idiots', the fact is I had actually planned on watching and reviewing '3 Idiots' first. But I thought before I get down to watching '3 Idiots', let me just quickly take a peek at the quality of this blu-ray. As a testament to the movie, inspite of the fact that I had already seen it, I got so involved in enjoying the movie that I ended up watching the whole film and then the extras too. :) I suppose '3 Idiots' will now have to wait until tomorrow.


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:12 pm 
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Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2001 3:16 am
Posts: 4259
What do you mean by "framing issues?"


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PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:50 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 1:14 pm
Posts: 2256
Location: National Capital Region (India)
DragunR2 wrote:
What do you mean by "framing issues?"

Please refer to the 'Rock On' review for an explanation. The screenshots there will make it easier to understand the issue. Do keep in mind, that the framing issues with this blu-ray, are not as bad as the 'Rock On!!' blu-ray.
--> Blu-ray Review: Rock On!! (BIG Home Video) <--


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 3:51 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:35 pm
Posts: 97
amazing review.......i was thinking of buying only 3idiots but the fact you have rated audio 4.6/5 :shock: :shock: and so its forcing me to buy this blu ray also.......!! and yes like all leslie fernandes mixes this one is also outstanding.....!!

the interval point frame was present in the dvd....donno why it got deleted here.......the music was on high notes during interval....sanjay did this also got cut ???

comming to the framing issues i think it has to do with the source itself or maybe when different types of cameras are used this causes in-consistancy in frames.......it was also present in ANGELS AND DEAMONS AND ALSO IN RACE.......!!!


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 6:20 pm 
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Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:35 am
Posts: 33
Quick question is the BIG release (Blu Ray) available in the UK? Or will it be an EROS Blu Ray release? If so what is the difference between the two (or do they use the same transfer)?


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 6:45 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 1:14 pm
Posts: 2256
Location: National Capital Region (India)
guccisingh wrote:
Quick question is the BIG release (Blu Ray) available in the UK? Or will it be an EROS Blu Ray release? If so what is the difference between the two (or do they use the same transfer)?

In all probability, Eros will release this title overseas. Based on past releases it is very very unlikely that the Eros blu-ray will be any better than this one. In all likelihood the Eros BD will be worse than this release. Thus, I strongly recommend that you buy this blu-ray from 'BIG Home Video'.


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 7:16 pm 
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Posts: 33
Sanjay wrote:
guccisingh wrote:
Quick question is the BIG release (Blu Ray) available in the UK? Or will it be an EROS Blu Ray release? If so what is the difference between the two (or do they use the same transfer)?

In all probability, Eros will release this title overseas. Based on past releases it is very very unlikely that the Eros blu-ray will be any better than this one. In all likelihood the Eros BD will be worse than this release. Thus, I strongly recommend that you buy this blu-ray from 'BIG Home Video'.


cool thanks I just wanted to make sure before I hunt it! I had a feeling you would say this...most annoying thing is I came from India last week and Kites, OUTIM, Dabangg, 3i NONE were out :(


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 7:32 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:56 am
Posts: 164
Location: Bangalore
Wow!! Great review Sanjay . Good to see no brainers but thoroughly entertaining ones like Dabangg gettig good HD treatment.

Sanjay wrote:
as far as audio is concerned and the only thing that keeps the audio rating from being even higher, is that the volume level in the rear channels is a bit too loud and can do with atleast a 3db reduction, if not more.

I just have one question which I think already know. Hope u Dont get mad at me for asking u this :lol: as this may remind u of one of our discussions in past.
- How would u compare the rear channels' loudness issue with the Ghajini Blu Ray?


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PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:22 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2001 1:14 pm
Posts: 2256
Location: National Capital Region (India)
Anurag1700 wrote:
- How would u compare the rear channels' loudness issue with the Ghajini Blu Ray?
Based totally on memory, age can play nasty tricks, I don't think the problem is anywhere as bad as it was with the 'Ghajini' blu-ray.


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:13 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 9:38 am
Posts: 65
Location: London, UK
Sanjay,

Thanks for the great review. However I am quite intrigued by the fact that you enjoyed the movie. I watched the movie in a multiplex while I was in India and I had a headache after watching the movie. It was 'Mindless utter nonsense' to me. I don't recall a single scene.

But I guess the more fascinating thing is people’s preferences and the variance of liking and disliking something. We are sometimes so close to each other in terms of likes/dislikes but same can be said for many other choices where they could be quite diverse.

Nevertheless, great review and keep posting more reviews I like reading your reviews.

I agree with you on the point of the picture quality in the theater - it didn't impress me as such but it could be because of the tone and grittiness used in the film. Even in theater some scenes had inconsistent contrast.

Cheers

Ani


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PostPosted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:45 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 12:49 pm
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Dabangg (2010)

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Screen shots Courtesy: DDR
Video:- HD 1080p
Audio:- DTS-MA | DD 5.1 @ 448 kbps
BD Size:- 41.8 GB
Subtitles:-English
Video Label:- BHV


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 6:08 am 
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Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:56 am
Posts: 164
Location: Bangalore
Wow ! those screenshots are really looking good. Th emoment i had first glance at the color scheme of SS, th entire movie on the theatrical screen flashed before my eyes. very few BDs were able to do that for me. This really means something...atleast I am assured by the SS that the Blu Ray has got the DOP's intended look spot on.

Thanks aatmaraam.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 6:19 am 
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Posts: 2256
Location: National Capital Region (India)
anibap wrote:
Thanks for the great review. However I am quite intrigued by the fact that you enjoyed the movie. I watched the movie in a multiplex while I was in India and I had a headache after watching the movie. It was 'Mindless utter nonsense' to me. I don't recall a single scene.

In all honesty, a Salman Khan movie is not usually my cup of tea and I can't remember the last time before this, that I actually watched a Salman movie in the theater. But a few of the promos and the director's name, Abhinav Kashyap who is Anurag Kashyap's brother, had already evoked my curiosity. Thus, when a visiting friend from the US expressed his desire to see the movie upon release, I went along. Having gone in with an open mind, expecting the movie to be as mindless as most other Salman movies, I was quite surprised to find the movie rather well written, acted and directed. I personally found the exagerated action well within the realm of 'suspension of disbelief' while the characters themselves seemed quite believable. Having had experience with the parts of India such as the one portrayed in the movie, I can assure you that the characters portrayed in the movie are quite real. All in all, I had found the movie to be a reasonable time pass on my first viewing. To my surprise though, when I viewed the movie on blu-ray, I actually enjoyed the movie far more and I was able to see a lot of nuances in the characters this time.


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PostPosted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 8:56 am 
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Anurag1700 wrote:
Wow ! those screenshots are really looking good. Th emoment i had first glance at the color scheme of SS, th entire movie on the theatrical screen flashed before my eyes. very few BDs were able to do that for me. This really means something...atleast I am assured by the SS that the Blu Ray has got the DOP's intended look spot on.

Thanks aatmaraam.


ARE YOU SURE ANURAG.....?? maybe its my monitor's fault here which makes me think that these screenshots arn't doing justice ....... and these are looking very bad and dull to me though details are fine......i dont have the actual blu ray with me but sanjay can explain......sanjay are these screenshots correct??? are they really doing justice to the disk...??


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