I didn't
think digital noise reduction was a substantial concern, but the movie could seem a bit «processed» and not as film - like as I'd prefer.
The main problem with the track is a somewhat muffled quality — almost like you're listening with your hands cupped over your ears — along with a fairly high noise floor, and on close listening I thought I detected isolated flanging — characteristics I associate with
aggressive digital noise reduction.
Still, this isn't a perfect presentation: a few instances
of digital noise reduction and edge enhancement can be spotted along the way, but all of the other imperfections seem to be related to the film's source material.
Do not expect to see banding, compression artifacts or
digital noise reduction.
The new 2K scan was made from the original film negative and retains the grain and softness you would have seen during its original release in 1974, as Scream Factory has not applied
any digital noise reduction and restored the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio used in U.S. theaters.
Digital noise reduction has «airbrushed» away some detail, resulting in a lackluster transfer that's still a step up from DVD, but not high enough to demand an upgrade for those who already own this title.
With a fine layer of grain, I detected no signs of
digital noise reduction, and this clean presentation lacked specks, marks or other print flaws.
Thankfully, Paramount keeps the heavy layer of film grain inherent in this print, opting out of any DNR (
digital noise reduction) applications.
I sensed
some digital noise reduction as well, and that gave the movie a slightly flat feel.
It would almost seem as if, in the process of finishing the 2K DI,
a digital noise reduction pass was done to give the final film a uniformly clean appearance.
Samson offers a small suite of sound software to complement this mic (including
a digital noise reduction software), but it does not come bundled with the mic, and will run you an shameful $ 4.
Other picture enhancements that can often be disabled for improved quality may include edge correction,
digital noise reduction (DNR), MPEG error correction, flesh tone, dynamic contrast, black enhancement, and HDMI black level, among others.