A popular movie/tech Web site that deals with nothing but HD/Blu-ray movies and reviews throughout the year has announced its picks for best Blu-ray movie titles of 2008.
The choices are based not on sales and popularity (although some picks were theater blockbusters), but on technical achievement such as video (1080p) transfers, 5.1 channel and 7.1 audio reproduction, relevant and worthwhile bonus features, and other accoutrements that take fullest advantage of the Blu-ray standard.
High-Def Digest’s top 2008 picks include:
“Band of Brothers”—The Tom Hanks HBO miniseries of a few years ago.
“Baraka”—A narration-free documentary about the human condition.
“The Dark Knight”—For a “striking video transfer, pounding audio mix, solid extras, and some intriguing [Blu-ray] exclusives” (such as generating personal commentaries).
“The Godfather Collection”—Lauded for excelling in all categories.
“Iron Man”—Surprise blockbuster in theaters becomes a quality act in Blu-ray.
“The Nightmare Before Christmas”—For Tim Burton’s impressive artwork and HD transfer, also boasting TrueHD 7.1 audio.
“No Country for Old Men”—Not for all tastes, but technically, its “reference level audio and video helped it overcome an underwhelming supplemental package.”
“The Sand Pebbles”—Nearly overlooked when it was released alongside “Patton” on Blu-ray, the Steve McQueen classic (including a quality DTS HD Master Audio remix), ranks among one of the best Blu-ray releases of 2008.
“Sleeping Beauty”—A successful Blu-ray marriage by Disney of one of its oldest hand-drawn animated classics to cutting-edge technology, including DTS HD 7.1 lossless audio.
“Wall•E—For a variety of reasons, “easily the best BD release of 2008,” says High-Def Digest.
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