GavSalkeld

I didnt think we could share stuff here?

captainsolo said:

And don't forget the UEs nasty habit of window-boxing the scope title sequences!!

Weren't those titles shot on 65mm or 70mm, with gave an aspect ratio of about 2.20:1? Hence windowboxing preserves their OAR without cropping the sides slightly.

Asaki said:

But back to your question, I think the general opinion is that Live and Let Die looks a lot worse on the UE. The other DVDs tend to be a matter of weighing the pros and cons.

Yeah thats true, I know LALD has a lot of red in the titles. How would you do it?

But compression and EE is bad, isnt it?

If one had to make a set of DVDs using the SEs and UEs, which would you choose from each set to make a "best" set?

Man, I must get a LD player... but my TV only has component or HDMI inputs! :(

Hmm my Panasonic only has component or HDMI. Bummer for me.

Would LDs still look decent on a plasma HDTV? I'm tempted to pick them up over time, if I can find them.

I am torn between the Bond 50 set and getting some of the old Lasers. Never had any but I am a sucker for original audio mixes and older prints without "remastering". Are all the Bond LDs good? There are sometimes so many I wouldn't know where to begin lol.

I wonder if the forthcoming BD box set will contain new versions of the films? Hopefully Casino Royale will be uncut - they did it with GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies so fingers crossed.

captainsolo said:

Yep. Exactly the same cropping even in the titles. I wish I could remember the theatrical presentation, but I was a wee lad of 5.

I noticed the UEs that lack original audio are because of disk space. When a third commentary was added they jettisoned the theatrical track. (LALD, TSWLM, FYEO)

Are these issued fixed on the BDs (LALD and FYEO)?

I second this.

I work in audio remastering, if anyone needs help with project to improve sound in any way (phase correction, declicking, all that) lemme know.

I'd kill to see the train fight in all its glory, personally. The BBFC cut that too.

Also, its funny how one of the original cuts no longer persists. Tania walking nude towards the bed was originally cut from the theatrical release, yet its present on the SE and UE DVDs. Weird...

Precisely. One of a few bad cuts in the early Bonds!

Id only pay $800 for a Bond film reel if it was an uncut print before the BBFC got their hands on it! But sadly they no longer exist. As is common with 60s films, cuts were often made to the negatives and thus persist in all versions worldwide.

Lol, whats with the missing "On" from the title and the 'H' from "HD"?! :D

Isolated scores, huh. I know LALD had a music-only track, but I think some early Connery ones only had Music and FX tracks.

Thanka again man. Now I know what to look for :)

Besides the banned commentaries, are there any exclusive extras on the LDs at all? Also, is the Japanese 25th anniversary celebration LD in English?

Thanks for that very helpful post. How do I check if something is a 1989 series on eBay?

Also, what is this talk I keep hearing about "original theatrical sound mixes"? What is the proof for this?

Ages ago, I once heard someone say the DTS on GE and TND is better than the DVD but that does not imply a different sound mix altogether. That could just be down to bitrates, for example. Thats all I know of this supposed phenomenon.

Im glad they gave us the original mono on the UEs and BDs.

Which LDs do you recommend?

How do the LDs compare to the DVDs in terms of colours, aspect ratios, etc?

I still find it hard to believe compressing from HD to SD would change actual colours. Otherwise, how to Criterion make director-approved transfers?

captainsolo said:

The UEs suffered when compressed to DVD. The Blus typically reflect this and offer a better and more detailed color scheme.

Since when does DVD compression alter the color scheme of a movie?

How do you know its not the theatrical mix? Did they change the sound levels or something?