The Bottom Line
Pros
- A Rollercoaster ride of a film.
- Excellent Video quality.
- Excellent Audio quality.
- Good bonus feature material.
- HD-DVD / DVD Combo Disc.
Cons
- HD-DVD exclusive - not available on Blu-ray Disc.
- HD-DVD/DVD Combo Disc package makes for a higher purchase price.
- The plastic lock on the HD-DVD case doesn't alway keep the case closed.
Description
- HD-DVD/DVD Combo disc: HD-30 (30GB) Dual-Layer Disc and DVD-9 Dual-Layer Disc.
- Video Resolution/Codec HD-DVD: 1080p/VC-1 Bonus Features: 1080i/480p/i/MPEG-2, DVD MPEG-2.
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (HD-DVD and DVD) Main Feature - Bonus Features vary.
- (HD-DVD) English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English, French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, (DVD) English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1.
- Subtitles/Captions: English SDH, French, Spanish Subtitles
- Bonus Feature: Audio Commentary
- Bonus Feature: Deleted Scenes.
- Bonus Features: Man on the move - Jason Bourne, Rooftop Pursuit, Planning The Punches, Driving School, New York Chase.
- HD Bonus Features: Picture-in-Picture Commentary, Blackbriar Files.
- Web-enabled Features: Be Bourne Spy Training Aptitude Test, Explore the Volkswagen Touareg.
Guide Review - The Bourne Ultimatum - HD-DVD Disc Review
Viewing Bourne Ultimatum I found the video transfer to be excellent with exceptional detail and contrast. In addition, the exotic locations, such as Tangiers, look just like something out of National Geographic HD. Also, the transfer does not suffer from over-enhancement or excessive processing.
As far as sound quality goes, the music score and surround sound imagery was excellent throughout the film. I found the dialog, music, and sound effects tracks to be realistic and well-balanced. There is also also liberal use of LFE subwoofer effects.
Excellent video and audio aren't the only things that stand out. The bonus features are also well worth checking out, including both the audio-only and picture-in-picture video commentaries. In addition, there are several "making of" type features, that illustrate how the chase scenes were staged, the fights choreographed, and a look at the on-location shooting process. Also included are some interesting web-enabled features that allow you to download film trailers and other video content.
With this latest chapter of the Bourne saga, all three installments are now available on HD-DVD. All are definitely worth viewing, but I felt that this entry was the most suspenseful and exciting of the three. In addition, this disc makes the most of what the HD-DVD format has to offer the consumer.
I give the The Bourne Ultimatum on HD-DVD a rating of 4.5 Stars out of 5. This is a first rate release that I will definitely use as reference material in future product reviews.
Video Display used: Westinghouse LVM-37w3
Components Used: Toshiba HD-XA1 HD-DVD Player, Onkyo TX-SR705 Receiver, Klipsch 2-F2's, 2-B3's, 1-C2 speakers and Sub10 subwoofer.
