Sanchez, How were you able to watch it? The halo problem was worse on this disc than any one that I've seen so far. It was unwatchable for me. As far as I'm concerned, I wasted $2.50 by renting it.
You would think after all these complain about halo effect, they would fix it by now, but i guess not.I will not buy or rent any platinum X movies until i hear its been fixed. I dont understand how a company like Plat. X does not see this problem when they play the disk, whereas a lot of people here have complained about it.
Bill, I know...but I got it mainly for the double pussy. I was severly pissed too with how bad it is this time around, but lets not start it all over again. Since that thread was closed, it just made me write reviews instead to show my frustration!
What exactely is the halo effect? It means that the picture quality is bad? How bad is bad? I just read the review. I'd love to see the Elizabeth Lawrence scene, but I have to find out what this halo stuff is first. Please help :-)
Bill I think this is a problem of big screen tv only. I have a 27 and 19 inch tvs and the halo is barely noticeable in them and that's just because I knew what I was looking for after reading your complaints ..Still, they should try to fix the problem no matter what.
God hates us all, you know it's true, God hates this place. - Slayer 1726 Posts 10/03
Posted - May 15 2004 : 4:42PM
Well, I can say I have see the "halo effect", not in Loaded, but in other titles, and personally I don't see the big deal. Yes they should fix it, and I know they are aware of it and assume they are working on it. I love the action PXP has in their movies, so the halo thing is a moot point to me... and I have seen almost all the PXP titles.
To Stefano: Brother, right next to Lex Drill you are becoming my favorite director lately. Those ReversCowgirl Dps are amazing, man! The way you dp Lena Julliet and Gia Paloma in rc is really hot, the move that you make with both your legs has a name?? ...I'm asking 'cos I have never seen no US guy doing that (maybe Brandon Iron, but that's it) Thanks God you are not obssesed with the side angle that other directors use so much (I hate that). ..BTW, who is the camera man in your videos when you are part of the action? ..he is good, he knows how to mix the angles and from scene to scene he shows variety. ...I hope you work with more euro-girls in the future and dp them with that dp move you have ...I almost forgot, Full Anal Access #3 blow me away also, great crotch angles; definitely we need more directors like you. .....man, I wish you could dp Simony like that (Just wishfull thinking)
Hello and good day to everyone. This is Michael Stefano and I have read all the posts so far and I totally agree with everyone that there is a major problem with the halo effect and I assure you that I realize what the problem is and steps are being made right now to correct this problem. I have tried different wide angle lenses which I thought was the problem and it is still screwed up. Now I am going to buy a new camera this week with the best wide angle there is and my movies should be up to everyone's standards including mine. I have tried countless things to try and fix the problem without having to buy a new camera, but a new camera is necessary. I have three or so movies already shot with the old camera which still need to come out, but after that the picture quality will be superb and the sex still as nasty as it has been(without the halo effect). Please forgive me for this and don't abandon PXP because of this problem. We really do care about our product and changes are being made to fix it. I have also spoken to Brandon Iron because he shoots with the same camera that I do and I am sure he will be buying a new camera as well. I have seen some of that halo stuff on Brandon's movies I want all PXP product to be top notch. I will contact Steve Holmes as well because he too has the same camera. Come October, I reassure you that this problem will no longer exist. Please keep watching my movies and don't give up on me. To make this up to you, I will give all of you a free DVD of your choice(my movies) once the new movies come out shot with the new camera. Once again thank you for your support in the past and hopefully you will continue to watch my movies in the future.
Stefano, your reply is much appreicated. Keep up the good work, it is good to know your on the case of getting this fixed. However, i'm a little weary of the new camera thing, as GFX text in the movie seems to be effected too (oh gawd i'm stepping on old ground again).
Anyway, keep up with the cool directing and excellent camera work! While i did refrain from buying PXP movies for a while, some movies are just too good to miss!
What's up Sanchez. I will look into the GFX text problem with my editor. Thanks for the input, it means a lot to me. Please stay a fan! If you live in the L.A. area, please stop by the PXP booth at the L.A. Erotica show and say hello.
Hey Mike, Just wanna say welcome to ADT. I really think you guys ( and gals) at PXP are doing your best to find solutions to this problem. I haven't had one, but I don't have a big screen TV. Keep on making the smut others try to.
If you have a DVD player in your PC, watch one of these discs on it. It's very apparent on my PC too. I use PowerDVD to watch DVD's and my monitor is connected using a DVI cable, so there is no Analog conversion being done anywhere in the stream. From what I understand, others are seeing the problem on their PC's as well.
I have watched a couple PXP DVD's on my iMac and iBook and I have yet to see the problem. And I like to think, I'am rather picky about image and sound issues.
Valrie: Take a look at the screenshots in astroknight's review of Space Nuts. It isn't a PXP title but the problem is exactly the same. See the red bleeding to the right in Devinn Lane's scene and the blue in Jessica Drake's? In many of the pictures you'll also see a clearly visible line of discolouration running down the left side of the picture. It's about 6-10 pixels wide. It's also visible on the FX and the Wicked logo. I just don't think it's got anything to do with the cameras.
Anyway this is just for information and not to start up the discussion again. Brandon Iron will no doubt get the Tech Talk thread unlocked when he has any new information.
If I'm in LA at the time, I sure will do! The text problem could simply be the editing software matching the camera problem so the text blends in better. I know some software's have this feature so that subtitles etc don't seem to crisp compared to the video! So when the video quality looks blurry, the software makes the text look bad too! Who knows :)
This simply may be a case of the chip sizes of the 3 CCD cameras. I remember when several months ago when John Strong was touting the PDX-10 with 3 1/4.7" chips (basically 1/5" chips) because everyone at Platinum X were using them. I've seen movies shot with the 1/5" chips and I generally found the colors super dull especially when compressed for DVD. I balked because I do have a TRV900 with larger 1/4" chips and I keep it simply for Internet shoots. They just don't hold light as well as my VX2000 or DVX100A, especially when I hate using C-Lights and never will.
I can tell the difference when I watch it on screen.
In my mind, the best cinematographer for porno today is Johnny Darkko. The way he uses natural lighting and the brilliant richness of his colors. I knew it wasn't the VX2000 or any other Sony. After talking to him, I found out that he was using the Panasonic DVX100A in 24P mode. I also know that Elegant Angel's William H., one of the best directors in the business, also did the switch up from the TRV900 to the DVX100.
I'm not precisely sure if it's the chips that differentiate the final DVD cuts but, my bud who does DVD authoring claims it can have a significant impact in overall final picture quality.
The camera itself isn't necessarily the problem. I'd look at the lens and lights (color) too.
I have a friend who does serious pro-am underwater photography and he uses the VX-2000 as an attachment on the back of the lens; the lens is more important and far more expensive than the camera.
I'm pretty sure that the lights cost more than the camera too (this may be because of the problem of color rendition underwater; I don't know).
I don’t think it is a question of some DV cameras CCD being “incompatible” with DVD’s. The rule in MPEG-2 production, and any other digital video format for that matter, is “Garbage In - Garbage Out”. If the footage looks perfect on the original DV tape and like crap on the DVD, I think the problem is more likely to be with the skill level of the DVD producer, rather than some issue with the camera CCD.
Note to Bill:
I looks like this tread is turning in to a yet another interesting Tech Talk thread, and I think it needs to be put in the right place.
With new postings related to the subject popping up over and over again, I think it's time to open the thread on the subject (Problems with RLD & Platinum X titles ) again.
I agree with Chico, Jonni Darkko has somehow figured out how to film an indoor scene with decent lighting, a clear picture and everything in focus, whether closeups or longshots. Best of all, he has got the most natural skin tones I've found lately in porn films, none of that porn jaundice that seems to be prevalent in gonzo films.
I have to agree with what Bill says, watching a film on a PC-DVD/ROM, when you're sitting 2 feet from the screen, does make it easier to pick up the halo problem. I usually see it when an actress is wearing a black outfit, and she has a pale complexion; it will look like there is a greenish-blue line running along the edge of the fabric. I can pick this up in Fresh Faces 2 with Jamie Brooks; she's wearing a black bra.
I just watched Jake Malone's Fuck Dolls 2, and I can just barely see the halo problem in the scene with the black actress Mya. She's wearing a black bra, and I can see a slight halo along her bra straps.
One reason that some people see the problem, and others can't see it no matter how hard they look, is that there's a wide range in visual perception between individuals. Some people can pick up fine details and differences in colors much better than others.
There are several reasons why larger chips are better than smaller chips. Larger chips are generally of higher quality. Larger chips provide higher reasolution. But even if a smaller chip is of equal quality, and equal resolution to a larger chip, there are two factors that still favor the larger chip:
1) The larger chip will allow greater control of Depth of Field.
2) Physical defects in the lens are spread over a smaller area with a larger chip. The lenses on "prosumer camera aren't that great to begin with. Add a $199 wide attachment makes things worse, now pump it all through a 1/5" chip, and then ask the whole set up to deliver a professional looking result? I don't think so.
Panavision is currently getting a lot of mileage out of the lens defect issue. They've got a line of HD lenses that are more expensive than their 35mm lenses. Their angle is "because the HD chip is so much smaller than the 35mm filmplane, HD lenses have to be that much better."
Now think about what we're trying to do with handicams (I use them too). A 1/3", 1/4", or even a 1/5" inch chip behind a not very good lens with an even worse wide angle attachment. This is not a recipe for delivering high quality source footage.
You may be right. That wasn't my intent in asking sanchez the question. For now, I'm hoping that the thread steers itself back to the the topic of "Fully Loaded" rather than PXP's technical problems.That was more about me being pissed off that Jewel was shooting during the moratorium, while there were other things that needed fixing at PXP. What's the point of shooting, when the product that you are shooting will invariably be defective?
Thank you, Bill, for turning this thread into the exact same discussion that received nearly 150 replies and over 2,000 views in Tech Talk. I invite you and anyone else who is disappointed in our product to refrain from renting or purchasing it until our problems are corrected to your standards.
We are trying our best. We have repeatedly informed everyone of this. Obviously, in order to meet our release schedule, we have to continue to shoot scenes. I know you would probably advise that Jewel and every other Platinum X director should cease production immediately and have a recall of all our DVDs. This cannot and will not happen.
As you express your thoughts ad nauseum, please allow me to express mine: The overwhelming majority of customers are satisfied with our DVDs. The overwhelming majority of reviews are favourable. We continue to receive strong reorders on our product and we are happy to celebrate our increasing success in a highly competitive market.
We appreciate your input. We thank you and everyone else for telling us about our deficiencies. Michael is spending in the area of $3,000 to try to correct things. If Steve Holmes and I do the same, that is a $9,000 effort at improving our quality. I would hope you would agree that it is a step in the right direction.
If you feel you did not get a fair shake with your $2.50 rental fee, mail me the receipt and I will reimburse you. The caveat, of course, is that you refrain from torturing yourself by watching our movies for the next 2 months.
Our address is: Platinum X Pictures Attn: Brandon Iron Productions 21018 Osborne Street, Unit 5 Canoga Park, California, USA 91304
I am not trying to be rude, but there comes a point where you just have to accept the fact that we are doing what we can. Since you know, and knew, that the problems will exist for several weeks worth of releases, you should avoid our stuff until better product becomes available. I assume you will be equally as prolific in your praise once things get up to par.
Nothing says I love you so much as a tongue in the ass. 2884 Posts 1/03
Posted - May 16 2004 : 1:12PM
I hate to add to this discussion after Brandon's last post and I don't even own a video camera so you can take this with a grain of salt. I do have credentials as an imaging professional (photographic and digital). When I read the posts in Tech Talk I viewed my copy of Full Anal Access 2 and looked at it from the standpoint of image quality. To me it looks like a resolution problem. Either the camera doesn't capture at the output resolution or when it's brought into the computer for editing it's being scaled down. When it gets scaled up to the output resolution there are new pixels being created based on the values of neighboring pixels. That's why it's more evident where a black or dark object is against a white or light background. The new pixels are going to be an average of the values (black + white = gray). It also accounts for a decrease in apparent sharpness. If the titles are put in at a lower res state, they too will suffer the same fate. By the way, increasing viewing distance helps. That's why those huge banners that have replaced billboards look so good. You wouldn't want to see them up close.
That wasn't my intentention. I was surprised at sanchez's answer given the fact that he has experienced the problem and I found the problem to be worse on this title than any other PXP title that I have seen.
I haven't experienced the problem on every PXP title that I've seen, so when I see something that I think that I would enjoy, I still take the chance on it. If I knew the problem existed on a given title, I wouldn't. It surprised me that sanchez didn't mention the issue.
If I hadn't locked the other thread, at your request, this wouldn't have turned into another "tech talk" thread. It probably would have stopped after sanchez answered about the problem existing on this title. If it had, they could be pointed to the other thread where they could make comments and suggestions about the general issue. But with no other place for them to go, that technical discussion took place here.
For that reason, I'm reopening the thread in Tech Talk.
Yet after over 2 months, you really have no idea what the problem is. In blaming the camera, it's as if you think that you are the only people in the business who is using that camera. That's not likely. Yet, you are the only company who regularly experiences this problem. Maybe it's time to bring someone who is technically competent into the picture to solve the problem. But why would you do something like that? That might cost money. I guess it's better to guess at what the problem is one thing at a time until by chance it fixes itself.and that's the difference between PXP and a quality company like Evil Angel, who upon finding that they were disappointed in thier own DVD quality, did exactly that. They stopped producing DVD's, fixed the problem, and recalled the originals.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention one thing. The day that I rented "Fully Loaded" was the same day that Jewel decided to act like a maniac in the "Who's shooting during the moratorium" thread in the Porn News & Press Release forum. That was the same day that I decided that I had no intention of putting any money in her pocket anymore.
So, I really no longer care whether you fix the problem or not. To me, PXP has joined Leisure Time, Simon Wolf and a few others as companies from whom I will not purchase product from. Some of these companies I avoid because of quality and some because of the person who runs it. In PXP's case, it's both.
Thanks for putting in so much effort into identifying the quality problems and attempting to rectify them. I'd rather see the glass as half-full. But that's just me. In this case, I think the glass is mostly full, but I guess to some, it's mostly empty.
Knowing that it will be several months before videos shot with the new equipment hit the market, I will continue to rent/buy PXP titles make with less-than-perfect video quality.
My A/V equipment isn't as fancy as others, so I'm not seeing the same magnitude of problems. Today's DVDs are light years ahead of VHS, even when the production values aren't up to, oh, let's say Jim Cameron standards.
While we're all waiting for better video, I'll continue to enjoy the great sex. (Baker's Dozen was sweet and Dillan's a total hottie.)
Tropical Dick Down - review by bono-one
Posted - May 15 2004 : 7:44AM
