Hi-Def Preview

The Pianist

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Released: 1/08/08

Review By: Joshua Noyes

Picture Quality – 3.75/5

Audio Quality - 3.5/5

Special Features - 4/5

Overall – 3.5/5

Comments: For this release Universal went with a VC-1 encode on to an HD30 disc. For the most part this transfer looks good. The film grain is kept in check and the image is sharp. In many of the brighter/outdoors scenes the image "pops" and is very vibrant. Skin-tones were spot-on and I saw no hint of noise or macroblocking. I did see a bit of over saturation in the colors, especially the reds.

As far as AQ goes, I listened using the Dolby Digital Plus option and it sounded good. The Center Channel presented the dialog in a clear and powerful manner and the Left and Right Channels received consistent action. There was however very little use of The Surrounds or the LFE.

There are some nice Special Features included with this release. Here is what you get:

HDi Real-Time Interactivity: Instantly access bonus features, navigate through chapters and modify settings, all without interruption to the movie experience.

My Scenes: Bookmark your favorite scenes and create your own movie clips to enjoy at any time, back-to-back or one-by-one.

Insight Into the Making of the Film and its Authenticity

Roman Polanski's Own Story of Survival During WWII.

Behind-the-Scenes Interviews with Oscar Winners Roman Polanksi, Adrien Brody and Ronald Harwood.

Clips of Wladyslaw Szpilman Playing the Piano

In conclusion this is a nice presentation and the story was STRONG. So if you are a fan of this film I can recommend this purchase.

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