list your favourite HD release group

This might be a little off topic, but it seems that most of the non-scene groups release with DTS sound, and I've noticed scene starting to do this too. IMO, DTS is a waste of bit rate unless you have a really high end audio system. Most comparisons I've read on-line say that most people can't tell the difference, and notice changing the audio system (i.e. hardware/speakers) more than changing the audio encoding (Dolby/DTS).
So basically, my point was to ask if there are groups which don't sacrifice in video bit rate (which I think is much more noticable than audio bit rate) but prefer AC3 over DTS.
 
For anime HD THORA is certainly the best .. for docs hmmm .. dont think they are a release group but a bunch of people releasing hd docs .. mvgroup
 
I concur with GoldStoNe and I even said something similar in an earlier post to the extent that full HD screens are only worth it from a certain size on or the additional money spent is definitely wasted. Where this limit is depends on a couple of details like the distance between the screen and yourself. If you're farther away than three times the height of your screen (I don't know if this is a golden rule or not but this has done well in my own experience) then it doesn't really matter much which size or resolution your screen is, you're unlikely to see much of a difference between 720p and 1080p anyway.

Also, like the article correctly stated, the full HD resolution invites people to sit closer to the screen - what had been a sin with previous crt technology now lets you experience a felt bigger picture without loss of quality. If this is one more of the advantages you don't or can't use, then it's another point against the use of 1080p.

Oh and ... I'd like a HD section here at FST because for many users it would be a start to make hdtv more than a mere denomination they read in the titles of their xvid-tv-rips. Moderating it on the other hand, don't even start with that please ;) Not only am I too lazy for that but it would be too much of an effort because most people here lack the experience to be remotely objective or helpful and it even shows in this thread (for example: some recommended SEPTiC while everyone who's a regular on hd trackers knows they're far from the best .. but it's easy to get that impression if you've only got your standard 480p xvid dvdrip to compare them with).
I am usually very happy that I can just drop in, ask a question or answer one for that matter and then go my merry way again like I do it on highdefforum.com which is an okay source for this kind of topic as well (though I don't know how well you'll be received if you ask for technical help on the movies from the internet stuff).
 
i have a 50" plasma tv downstairs. i'm not sure if it's full HD or HD ready i only know my dad bought it early last year or late 06 =s what's the difference?
i'm relatively content with collecting the HD movies for now, and downloading/building ratio with them is alot more tedious a process compared to buying the other equipment i need if i want to watch them on the tv in the future.

Daniel said:
88gb? :O The Two Towers Extended Edt aired in HDTV, the other two are only available with upconverted parts cut in. That is obviously less than perfect but I still prefer 3/4 of a movie to be hd than not at all! For anyone who wants the extended editions in a reasonable size, I'd suggest the XTSF release (Lord.Of.The.Rings.Trilogy.Extended.Edition.DVDRip.x264-XTSF) who have done a nice x264 dvdrip in 13gb for all 3 movies - those are also way better than any xvid dvdrip I've ever seen.
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yeah 88gb lol i'm an lotr fiend. it's the full dvd rips of the extended versions. which is basically 2dvd/movie + 2dvd worth of extras/movie. so that's like 12 uncompressed dvd rips. got it off demonoid before it died. i'm okay with waiting for the actual extended hddvds/blurays for this come out before i jump on it.

anyway, a huge thanks to you for explaining all these things, and in such a clear manner at that ;) i'll be sure to hit you up if i got any other hd related questions if you don't mind ^^

otherwise, the thread's still opened to anyone who wishes to contribute regarding the various release groups. just throw in whatever you think. for all you know, it could be a good reference for anyone who's thinking twice about downloading a certain rip.
 
well i would use HDBits if i could actually could get in but i've been unsuccessful for weeks. (subtle hint)

right now i just use hd-bits.ro & scenehd while i continue my quest in vain

anyway, keep it coming guys =)
 
You are wrong sound is important as video. And you don't need a high end audio to understand the difference in movies.
 
The difference lies in the resolution and therefore the possible details to be displayed. It's likely that a 50" plasma bought in '06 is not capable of full HD but has a WXGA resolution of 1366x768 because they are common like that. If cou can, please check that and if I'm wrong about it, let me know. Now what has to be done to display 720p (1280x720) or 1080p (1920x1080) on your plasma? The source has to be either up- or downconverted which - in general terms - means losing quality for a down-convert and losing sharpness for an upconvert. It has to be noted though that there isn't much to upconvert anyway because we're talking about a resize of 6.7% which has noticeably less impact on the visible picture than an upconvert to a full HD resolution (+50%).

I have little to no experience with this particular setup but a colleague of mine has a 37" lcd with that resolution and he's very happy with the 720p rips I supply him with from time to time.

Note: it's important that you know one thing: the results between up- and downconversion can vary because of the hardware used, the techniques used for conversion and the ergonomic setup in your home (viewing distance). A comment not related to the current topic: I've had some terrible results with a HD-receiver and a full HD screen run with a suboptimal configuration which caused the whole setup to reconvert the stream twice and it came out looking like that too!

athenaesword said:
i'm relatively content with collecting the HD movies for now, and downloading/building ratio with them is alot more tedious a process compared to buying the other equipment i need if i want to watch them on the tv in the future.
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Seeing as you have a undoubtedly a very fine screen you won't buy another one this expensive, or will you? Full HD capable plasmas in 50" start at about $2500 (European prizes & Euro>USD conversion) and that's likely a waste of money to update in the near future.
I'd suggest you try to download one 1080p encode in a very good quality (the 100mb sample should suffice) and if it doesn't bring noticeably better results in connection with your plasma (which it likely won't), then you're good to go with 720p releases for the next couple of years. On a completely different matter: you'd be surprised how many movies from the past two decades have such a limited quality that there is no advantage at all in looking for a 1080p encode because even the video source doesn't warrant that ;) Buying the respective BluRay/HDDVD discs is like downloading a R5 xvid rip (those cheap Russian pre-releases which often lack quality) over a true R1/R2 DVDR. If you're ever in HDBits you should read comments (and forum posts) about that too because a part of current highdef releases are pre-2000 and each of them is a candidate for 720p.
 
Daniel said:
Word, especially CtrlHD is releasing at a crazy pace for the moment (5-10 releases per day). But I'd mention Goldstone as well, because if you are the one who did the Smallville hddvd seasons, I love you for it :D

To be honest, there are quite a few single people or smaller and less popular groups over at HDBits who get the idea of quality rips and follow up with amazing results. Names? How about MMI, H2, HDL, NWO and more. Lets not forget ALANiS who are non-scene as far as I know but do the most amazing 720p rips.

While there are only very few non-scene groups known well enough (most of which release exclusively at HDBits), the concept of a highdef community works because a whole group of people is working together to maintain it and offer new stuff.
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so according to you, is CtrlHD releases of good quality? keep all my HD movies so i'm looking for the best quality available really. i'm not signed up at hdbits now, though i'd like to be, and it's a pity that these great release groups you've mentioned release there exclusively.

ps. i'm taking note of all the groups you've mentioned =] when i do eventually get on there i'll be grabbing all of it. thanks for the information!
 
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