[REL] Sara (1997)

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pillowbaker
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Re: [REL] Sara (1997)

Post by pillowbaker »   0 likes

Ok, after mulling over the options, I have a post of final thoughts. I wish I could tell you I have discovered the best version, but I have found that some scenes are handled better in one file, and other areas are handled better in another. I did try my best to scrutinize the visual quality of the files, but I am fairly sure someone else could legitimately arrive at a different conclusion. Aside from the 9gb and the 12gb upscales, I did not find much variation of quality between the files. This leads to my first conclusion:

Aside from the 1080i HD file from m3th, there is no wrong way to watch and enjoy this movie.

Here's a list of considered sources. Remaining conclusion further down:

- 1080p upscale on ok.ru - somewhat more fuzzy than the rest, I don't personally recommend.

- Sara_1997_1080p_AI_3Rus_Pol_Sub_en_ru.mkv - 9.32gb - featuring 3 Russian voice-overs for your convenience, and yes, original audio too. In this upscale, you can notice the upscale software's "detail magnifying features" were definitely attempted, but at the expense of some of said details. In some areas, you will have some high def smudges and smears. However, as mentioned before, the file looks mostly decent in motion, and some details, like the seems and cuffs of Sara's denim jacket, are clearly enhanced, but you will notice some of the characters that are a bit cleanly modeled and smoothed over. I know I said this looks good while the video is playing, but if you look closely, you'll see things like facial features that look clear and become blurred as faces turn and mouths move. Honestly did not notice this until I more closely examined the video quality. Still, this is a pretty good option.

- Sara (1997) [1080P] [WEB.DL] [H264] [AC3-E1973] [LEKTOR.PL] [NAPISY ENG] - 6.43gb - decent upscale with two Polish audio tracks, one is 5.1 and the other 2.0, both sound nice. But for 6gb, the quality could be better, I feel. I honestly cannot say it is any better than the 2.95gb upscales.

- Sara.1997.1080p.AIDenoise.x265.AC3.PL.Sub.EN.mkv - 2.09gb - Doesn't seem any better than the 6gb or 2.95 files, and possibly has more "HD smudging", possibly due to its focus on denoising. Did the original DVD source seem noisy to anyone? Still, it is not a bad option.

- Sara 1997 [1080p.WEB-DL.H264.AC3.5.1-NoNaNo-NitroTeam] [Film Polski].mkv
- Sara 1997 (1080p) PL.mkv (originally in a rar arhcive - from uloz link)
- Sara PL (akční,romant.drama,1997) HD 78%.mkv (also a uloz link)
--- All the same 2.95gb file. These guys are pretty darn good for their size. They offer little extra smoothing, and the fine details like beard hairs are kept, but at the same time, they only appear slightly better than a straight DVD9. But the smoothing over of facial features is not apparent, however, other areas, like the fine details of Sara's denim jacket, are not well enhanced. That said, this is a certified good option, to me.

- Sara.1997.AI.DVD.UP.1080p-CVPPStudio.mkv - 12gb (variations of this filename exist) - quite a nice upscale that, like the 9gb version, features more of the abilities of upscaling software. This is certainly better than the 9gb version, but will also certainly feature some of the smoothing and modeled look of the details of human bodies. For the most part, fairly well done, and pleasant enough to watch, but some have noticed an overly sharp image quality. If you are used to having a bit of grit or film grain, this may not be your favorite, but at least it is an easily obtainable and nicely done upscale.

------

Conclusion.

Obviously, the 12gb upgrade may be the best done upscale of any option. Available from solidtorrents and likely other places, like btdig. Image quality does show quite a bit of processing. Some may be sensitive to this. Most will likely enjoy this version of the film. For me, it is too large, and I SOMETIMES find myself more immersed in a less "cleaned up" looking image. If you're like me, you may be interested in the...

Runner up: any of the three 2.95gb option, available at uloz here and here. A plain upscale that keeps a lot of the fuzzyness and un-smoothed details of the DVD, and may only be slightly better than its source. Quality audio and subtitles included already, the file is all ready for you, no need to change out of Russian audio or find English subs. A nicer upscale could be done, I am betting, but the original DVD seems a very fuzzy source.

For anyone reading, I hope you enjoy. Let's watch this thing already. [Image]
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Night457
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Re: [REL] Sara (1997)

Post by Night457 »   0 likes

Wow, pillowbaker, thank you for the detailed review! I thought for sure that the 12Gb version would turn out to be one of those private tracker files, so I did not look for it. I am getting it now so that I have it in addition to the 2.95Gb version, along with some others I picked up. I am definitely interested in goku's final word on the subject, which will likely come out before I finish downloading that version anyway.
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goku33
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Re: [REL] Sara (1997)

Post by goku33 »   0 likes

I’d say pillowbaker‘s assessment is quite accurate regarding how some of the upscaled keep some grain/fuzziness and others like the 12gb looking artificially sharply :)

Since a lot of people are always only looking for Medium file sizes, the 2gb versions are indeed a good choice. For me file size doesn’t matter if it’s something I want to keep.
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Night457
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Re: [REL] Sara (1997)

Post by Night457 »   0 likes

Yay, I can watch the movie now! Woohoo! Thank you, goku. I appreciate you & pillowbaker wading through and comparing the different versions. I downloaded some of them, but 3 is about my limit for comparisons while still keeping them straight in my head. I can't even reachthe bunny rabbit counting limit! It's just too many!
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Re: [REL] Sara (1997)

Post by goku33 »   0 likes

Night457 wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 4:39 pm Yay, I can watch the movie now! Woohoo! Thank you, goku. I appreciate you & pillowbaker wading through and comparing the different versions. I downloaded some of them, but 3 is about my limit for comparisons while still keeping them straight in my head. I can't even reachthe bunny rabbit counting limit! It's just too many!
Pillowbaker did the heavy lifting here for sure. A great gentleman and a scholar he is.
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Triela
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Re: [REL] Sara (1997)

Post by Triela »   0 likes

goku33 wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:35 pm I found a 6GB WEB-DL on a polish torrent tracker. Maybe that’s a Real 1080p.
Care to share that tracker?
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pillowbaker
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Re: [REL] Sara (1997)

Post by pillowbaker »   1 likes

Triela wrote: Thu Nov 30, 2023 10:10 pm Care to share that tracker?
It might of been this one that goku was referring to:
https://www.btdig.com/c9b2a1d9fa2c12602 ... 97)-napisy

I didn't find it to be any better than the 2.95gb option.
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