I'm coming back zulm after quite awhile but I've seen not much has changed.
Still getting crappy dvds after all this years. People still requesting for Sholay to be made into double or triple discs with DTS. Sadly it will be a pipe dream!
I think the best days of Hindi dvds are over with DEi.

I was wondering if you can update me on top 10 dvds in recent in years that I can invest in. Preferably new movies. I've seen some new movies that seem to be directly taken fron the inter positive of a print. I think Lakshya was directly transferred from a complete DI. Although it did't look great in cinema when I watched, it was too grainy and resolution was bad. I need your expertise on the top ten dvds of the last few years!

Thanks Miyan, now i totally understand why Lakshys's transfer did not please me much.

There have been some good non-DEI/ BEI releases, as good or better, since DEI/ BEI became mostly in-active.

Heere is some of the DVDs, all Progressive, anamorphic (if widescreen) and true 5.1:

Diaphana DEVDAS (PAL)
UTV Deewane Huey Paagal (NTSC)
UTV Parineeta (NTSC)
YRF KAAL (NTSC)
Metrodome ASOKA (PAL)
YRF Neal & Nikki (NTSC) (it's reported to be Progressive)
UTV Main Meri Patni Aur Woh

There are another 8 - 10 DVDs (and more in pipeline) released or being released in PAL in France that are said to be Progressive, Anamorohic and true 5.1.

There are many Ayyangran released Tamiul DVDs and i-Dream Telugu DVDs. (i-Dream DVDs are reported to be better than DEI because of "no excessive DVNR")

Then there is "The Myth" if it qualifies as Indian DVD. If it does, it beats them all by a country mile.

Unfortunately, most of them are not entirely progressive - they all have their share of interlaced and, in some cases, missing frames. The only French ones I know of that are 100% progressive are Devdas and Sholay.

Well, with progressive I mean the DVDs where TV fields can be weaved back to give original film frames.

PAL DVDs made from 4% speed shifted PAL masters or 25/ 50 fps video don't need Progressive flags. And hence, I expect upcoming French DVDs of Dhoom, Veer Zara, Kal Ho Na Ho (NTSC DVDs wee made from PAL masters) etc to be force weave de-intercable (Progressive). PAL DVDs converted from NTSC may or may not be like this, though.

Yep, I know what you're saying. I should've added that some frames are not de-interlacable in force weave. Here's a shot from the French Swades DVD...



There's no ghosting shown through the TV, the frames are just repeated which makes motion look very jerky when this happens.

Is it just one such frame in hundreds (like chapter changes or scene changes) or is it all the frames??

If all frames are like this, then it must be a PAL DVD transferred from NTSC source where as NTSC DVD itself was transferred from PAL??

No, it's not all the frames, just one at nearly every edit point and sometimes a bunch together at odd times (like the one above).

Then it's not bad. Any de-interlacing routine will succeed in displaying Progressive picture. Odd combing frames won't matter much.

rana, thanks for the update. I will probably get these films but I'm not sure which version should I get of Swades and Parineeta. I am very tempted to buy both the DTS versions. Even Meenakshi has a DTS dvd in India even though the dvd by YRF seems fabulous. See if I can get my hands on these dvds

And no I don't think The Myth qualifies as an Indian dvd