Fulvue Drive-In.com: The Ratings System
When this website was founded, we knew High Definition was
on the way and formatted our ratings system accordingly. Though we received some questions along the
way, the old and brief descriptions got us this far, but the future of Home
Video and HD has changed a good bit since our debut and continues to do so. In an effort to make certain we have
clear-cut ratings that help our readers, especially when we have seen many
other review outlets botch their systems, restart them or discard years of good
work, we may have seemed initially harsher about picture and sound
performance. Now, with the Blu-Ray
digital High Definition formats, plus HD all over cable, satellite, broadcast
and the now-failed HD-DVD format (still with its share of excellent software
releases,) our ratings make more sense to everyone as we intended. This has an added value to those who have
already bought HDTVs and have been reading our site worldwide. We now present an update to our system…
A+ Reference
Quality – For video, this only applies to 1080p high-definition video that has
a film-like appearance in the Blu-Ray format, so that is why A & A- have
been rarely assigned to any DVD reviews and A+ has yet to surface. We have skipped the D-VHS format, which is
now dead and has more dated sound than anyone may have considered at the time. For sound, this top rating only applies to
the very best in the new high-definition audio formats (DVD-Audio, Super Audio
CD) and best audio tacks for HD video formats (Dolby TrueHD, both DTS HD types)
for music extraordinary sound design for films or music video multi-channel
presentation, that is state-of-the-art.
In the beginning of this site, it was the opinion of the management that
only DTS is capable of such performance in the video realm, but the MLP
(Meridian Lossless Packing) format for DVD-Audio is be available on both
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. DTS is now offering
a competing, uncompressed format: DTS-HD (originally dubbed DTS++) and it
debuted on the HD-DVD of Sky Captain
& The World Of Tomorrow reviewed elsewhere on this site and the Master
Audio version that just debuted with the first wave of 20th Century
Fox Blu-rays that can go as high as 192kHz/24bits of multi-channel sound. This is another step after this is the
impressive DTS 96/24. Other forms of DTS
include 48kHz DTS in its 20bit 1,509 kilobits-per-second mode, or 48/24 at 754
kbps. Dolby has new Dolby Digital Plus
name, better for its flexibility than anything, while their best 5.1 and 6.1 matrixed
sound comes in at an old 384 kbps, newer 448 kbps in later DVDs, and 576 kbps
for D-VHS. D(ata)-VHS in its D-Theater
configuration is the first consumer playback high definition format, but even
at that rate Dolby Digital 5.1 and 6.1 AC-3 has had its limits. DTS was offered in mandatory 96/24 for that
format later, but is no longer the top DTS.
Dolby TrueHD debuted on several Warner HD-DVDs and is
particularly strong on the HD-DVDs of Training
Day, Batman Begins and V For Vendetta also reviewed elsewhere
on this site. DTS HD 5.1 (including MA
Lossless tracks) have been particularly strong on the Blu-ray releases of I, Robot, Hairspray, Sunshine, Flight Of The Phoenix and Ghost Rider. PCM 5.1 mixes that have impressed include Casino Royale, Chicken Little, Cars, Kung-Fu Hustle, Meet The Robinsons and Ratatouille.
A Outstanding
– This is for great performers that just miss the mark and the highest rating
the content of a film, the culmination of extras, or other types of programs
can receive. This is not even to say
that picture or sound just miss the mark with this rating. This is our highest rating in very rare cases
for DVD, often because the print and transfer was so right and only widescreen
and anamorphically enhanced DVDs qualify.
To date, only two films in the HD formats have landed this rating, both
from Warner Bros.: John Frankenheimer’s Grand
Prix and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A
Space Odyssey. Go to their
respective reviews for more information.
A- Excellent -
This is the highest rating many of the classic sound designed films will get,
as well as most of the highly rated Dolby TrueHD soundtracks. Near-classics also get this rating for the
near-flawless work in either field. We
have seen a disturbing trend of people and especially lame critics throwing
away the past in a “know-it-all” mode and acting like multi-channel sound
arrived last year. In fact, it has been
around since the 1950s and their lack of reference point is painfully clear. For picture, we are particularly partial from
this rating up to prints with exceptional color and definition like large-frame
formats (70mm, IMAX, VistaVision), with more complex color systems
(three-strip, dye-transfer Technicolor among the best) and real black and white
(rich in darkness and deep Black) a huge plus.
This is the highest most new Films in the Blu-ray (and now defunct
HD-DVD) format(s) have achieved to date.
B+ Near
Excellent – This covers performance that is still in the state-of-the-art
range, even if it is not covering all the bases. Including if the program and extras content
gets this rating, it is an indication that this is a quality that will yield
many repeat viewings and playbacks. We
believe that this is the minimum of picture performance both formats should
offer to attain that “WOW” factor, though some B performers are impressive.
B Very Good –
Our least-high overall recommendation, this still applies to items and
qualities readers should definitely check into.
Sometimes, a picture will rate higher than usual because the color or
monochrome is exceptional, even if the performance has other problems, like
limited scratches or debris on a print or fuzziness from an older transfer that
got more right than expected. In the sound
realm, this is much harder to achieve, since Dolby Digital rarely is this good
and most PCM CD-type sound is not as full as on many CDs. This should also be the low limit for any HD
format, audio or video, because they are supposed to automatically be better
than DVDs and/or CDs. For (now defunct HD-DVD
and) Blu-ray, it can mean it is terrific to watch but has some flaws, or is
just better than a standard DVD version at the least.
B- Good – This
is the rating we use when we feel something is really worthwhile, but might not
be for all tastes, or has some obvious flaws or problems that are
undeniable. Many programs have received
this rating just for being too short or mixed, but this is for a title that is
always worth a look. This is a barely
passable rating for an HD format, sound or picture.
C+ Above Average
– This is not good, but far from the worse that is out there. It also indicates something that will get
boring and played-out quickly, even in its limited quality. It is obviously more tolerable if it is
something one really likes and is the rating for most full screen 1.33 X 1
analog videotaped TV and Music Video materials that originated in the NTSC, PAL
or even SECAM formats. Again, we think
even DVDs should look decent on HD sets, but DVD has not anamorphic equivalent
for 1.33, though it does for 1.66 framing.
For great sitcoms, talk shows and Music Videos of the past, there is a
little more room for improvement when they are issued on HD formats. For filmed programs in either HD format, this
is no better than standard DVD and that’s bad.
C Average -
This is dullsville, like so much that is out there or has already been played
out. Lacking is another term that
applies well. This is something we are
saying about a given title that is not good and except in historic exceptions
(old kinescopes and barely surviving archival footage and sound), will get
replaced by something technically superior eventually. If the content gets this rating, expect
little from it.
C- Below Average
– This applies to product that is not so bad that it should be trashed, but
does apply to things that are very lacking, show there age, or are very limited
in content and/or quality. Brittle in
picture or sound; something that needs fixed immediately is what this rating
indicates for performance. It also
indicates sources are too many generations down and recycled to death. As for content, skip it.
D DISASTER -
This means that the picture might as well be old VHS, Beta, Selectavision (the
videodisc that played with a video needle), Kinescope or have the sound a
cylinder record made of aluminum foil, the extras are non-existent or so little
that they could be on a tape, and/or that the program is so bad that it should
have never been released. Skip this
product or expect this aspect to be a waste of time.
Theatrical Film Review Ratings
10 = A+ or The Best
9 = A or Excellent
8 = A- to B+ or Very Good
7 = B to B- or Good
6 = C+ or Decent
5 = C or Average
4 = C- or Fair
3 = D or Bad
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2 = D- or Poor
1 = F or The Worst
Our film critic Chuck O’Leary wanted lower ratings because
so many bad films are getting made, so there you have it.
