The Fifth Element Superbit
December 2001 Reviewed by: Doug Blackburn Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

As if the first release, special edition, collector’s edition, and ultimate edition weren’t enough different versions of the same movie, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (part of Sony Pictures) has thought of a new way. On a single dual-layer disc, they delete all the special features, use only the original language of the film and add a number of foreign language subtitles. They also delete all the fancy menus. All the empty space on the disc is then filled by video with less compression and another soundtrack. Never mind that there are plenty of two-disc sets released at the same price point so there would be no reason the original disc with all the special features intact could be included in the Superbit release. But I suspect that most people who buy The Fifth Element Superbit disc probably already own the original version as I do.

The original release of The Fifth Element was recognized as having a reference-quality Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Dolby Digital 5.1 (or EX) for DVDs is allowed to be a variable bit rate that maxes out at 448Kbps. The Superbit DVD adds a DTS soundtrack for the first time. DTS can be either (approximately) 750Kpbs or 1500Kbps. The Superbit packaging and Website do not specify which bit rate is used. The processor and DVD player used for this comparison did not have bit-rate indicators, so I can’t tell you which DTS bit rate was used for this disc.

I did direct comparisons between the Superbit release and the original. Here is what I found:

Video

The Superbit version does have better image quality, even when viewed on something as ordinary as a properly calibrated 27" 4:3 NTSC monitor. It isn’t so much better that you could likely tell you were looking at the Superbit disc unless you have the original as a reference. I have viewed portions of the original disc hundreds of times. The improvements in the Superbit version are subtle, but visible. I see them as a slightly more natural overall appearance. Edges are less troublesome or obvious. The organic whole of the image is just a bit more natural feeling. Effects integrate more seamlessly. Subtle tonal changes like a colored wall that is more brightly lit at one end than at the other are rendered more smoothly. Colors seem ever so slightly more pure -- as if there is just a little less cross-contamination.

The scene where Leeloo is on the ledge looking down into the three-dimensional vehicular traffic is more convincing with a greater sense of depth. Detail in the shadows is ever so slightly better than the original disc. A good example here is the Mondoshawan ship coming to Earth in the opening sequence. The Superbit image produced a sense of satisfaction and relaxation that I don’t experience with the original release. Can that be some sort of physical reaction to an image that is slightly less "digital" looking than the original? Who knows. There is no easy way for us to compare notes on how well we agree on what we are seeing on a video display. I’ve seen video cable changes make a lot more difference than what existed between the two versions of this disc.

Audio

I found more difference in the audio than in the video, believe it or not. The Superbit Dolby Digital transfer has more powerful bass and more "air" than the original. The bass improvements manifest themselves as more weight and solidity and what seems to be a higher playback level too. The improvement in "air" is quite obvious in any scene where there is a defined space: in the lab where Leeloo is restored, on the ledge, in the spaceport, at the Diva’s performance, in the command center where the President oversees the attempts at destroying evil. The Superbit version is considerably more spacious in those scenes compared to the original. Careful level matching was used between the two discs to make sure that simple differences in levels were not responsible for audible differences. The Superbit Dolby Digital soundtrack is a noticeable step up from the original version.

The DTS track was a bit of a puzzlement at first. It seemed bass-shy compared to the Dolby Digital track. Matching the DTS playback level to the Dolby Digital playback erased most of the difference. The DTS track took on comparable bass power and impact. The DTS track was another step up the sound-quality ladder. The sense of "air" in various spaces is even better, and you can hear subtle details that are masked or absent from the Dolby Digital soundtrack. If I were forced to rate the three soundtracks on a 1-10 scale, I’d give the original an 8.5, the Superbit Dolby Digital a 9.25, and the Superbit DTS about a 9.6.

Both Superbit soundtracks produced a more dramatic silence and sound of a theater-in-anticipation just before the Diva begins to sing. Her voice is cleaner and purer sounding on the Superbit disc. Musical instruments have more texture and body while losing a tiny bit of grain compared to the original DVD.

Conclusion

Would I spend my money on this version if I already had the original? Well, yes I would and I did. It will be a useful tool for product evaluations. Should you spend your money on this disc based on image quality improvements alone? That depends. If you love the movie and want the best version you can get, the Superbit is the best version. But it isn’t that much better than the original -- we’re talking subtle but visible and audible differences. If that’s enough to convince you to spend $20-$25 on this disc, the marketing department did their job.

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