Nien Nunb

SilverWook said:

Can anyone explain why VHS copies of BTAB (and other Disney animated classics) are being listed on Ebay at insanely high prices these days? They can’t possibly be that rare!

You have Facebook to thank for that. There is a viral article that has been posted all over Facebook claiming these tapes are worth thousands, so every joe schmoe and their mother has been digging out their old worn out crappy beat ass tapes from their garage and dumping them on ebay hoping to make a fortune.

http://www.snopes.com/black-diamond-collection-disney/

Knightmessenger said:
But I haven’t seen a complete listing of all the store exclusives you could get. Best Buy had a tin, Wal-Mart had the comic book. Circuit city had something I think.

Circuit City had really nice looking lithographs that each came in a cool folder like thing. I still have mine and I am glad I got them.

I have a WDW Annual Pass and have seen the Captain EO Tribute show numerous times. There is usually an announcer who does a spiel before the film starts and from what I recall, I believe it is stated that an "Original 1986 70mm Print" is used to project the show. From the many times I've seen it in the last 3 years, the film maintains a fairly clean appearance with a few speckles here and there but nothing overly distracting.

Also, if I remember correctly didn't the main ride film for Back To The Future: The Ride surface on a Laserdisc as well? I'm pretty sure that earlier YouTube videos of the ride were sourced from one of those discs, prior to the ride footage being included as a feature on later DVD and Blu-Ray releases. I can't imagine what these laserdiscs were for but there is no way they would have held up to being projected on giant screens for the ride proper. Wasn't there also one for Star Tours as well, or did video rips of that film come from another source?

jordan200 said:

Apologies for the double post but another Jaws 3 preservation issue is the multiple variations of the opening titles. Nearly every version has different graphics, with the Australian HDTV version the least faithful to the theatrical. The ugly static red movie title on the HDTV doesn't have the gnashing teeth animation like every other version.

See screenshots: http://imgur.com/a/qjVeU

Also, this video shows the VHS had that era's standard Universal logo, not the specially drawn 3D universal logo that I presume was on the theatrical (it was restored in 2D on the R4 DVD but is again replaced with the standard 80s logo in the Australian HDTV, if the network shows it at all).

 The 1980's MCA VHS had the standard Universal logo, but the VHS I have (from the late 90's I think) has the custom Universal logo combined with the static red opening credits like that Australian HDTV version has. I also used to have a TV edit recorded off of TBS in 2001 that had alternate or added music cues in a few sequences (and some interesting edits to remove objectional material) but unfortunately that tape is long gone.

Jaws III was one of my favorite movies as a kid for some reason so I've seen many different variations of it over the years from various video releases and TV airings. For the longest time I only had a VCR dub of the 80's VHS until I finally found a copy in Suncoast before they closed down in our mall. I think it's from 1998 (it has the post 1997 Universal logo on the sleeve) but I got it with some of my Birthday money in 2002.

The thing about the Blu-Ray's though is that not all of them are the Lowry transfers, and I'm pretty sure Goldeneye is definitely not which would explain why it looks significantly worse than the rest. The Lowry master had major framing issues, and I believe the Blu-Ray was derived from a much earlier video master that was originally created for the DVD, and then DNR'ed to death for it's latest release.

The Blu-Ray releases are a mix of Lowry restorations, older video masters, and newly done studio transfers. Some of the Lowry restorations had quite a few problems, some of which have been corrected for the Blu-Rays and others that have been made even worse. The most problematic of the Lowry restored films were substituted on Blu-Ray with either new transfers or older Pre-Lowry transfers smeared with DNR. I know TSWLM always looked like shit on DVD and the Blu-Ray is a brand new in house transfer that looks light years better than it ever previously had on video.

I cannot comment too much on the Brosnan films specifically though as I only own a handful of the Blu-Rays with Goldeneye being the only Brosnan one I have.

One thing I have noticed after watching the archival versions on the Blu-Ray is that it seems like some shots are far too bright in comparison to older transfers and don't really seem right.

In most older video transfers, you can see the flashing yellow text on the Off-World blimp advertisement which is very hard to see on any of the remastered transfers, and the shot of Deckard in the spinner upon arrival at the Tyrell building right before the shot of the flying owl looks too bright.

PDB said:

BDgeek was nice enough to provided me with a couple of different soundtrack versions. Creating an isolated score is hard enough but after reading this I'm having even more doubts about being able to get something together. I won't know more till I listen and see what I have to work with.

For some strange reason Blade Runner is much, much easier to grade then Alien. So, in sitting around I have test graded a fare amount. Some shots I like better, some worse:

BD/BD regraded to LD

 I really like these, especially the last one at the bottom. This looks exactly like the timing on the 80's VHS I have, which is most likely from the same transfer as the LD you are using. The VHS has those reel change markers too. That last shot at the bottom though is one of the things I've always noticed that looked radically different in any other transfer I've seen other than the VHS.

I've never seen anything other than the Final Cut in theaters, but to me the VHS look seems the most natural looking. The Director's Cut DVD also has radically different colors than the BD, but I think it's been established that the colors in that transfer were over-exaggerated.

crissrudd4554 said:

Most likely we'll get the exclusive box set that everyone wants but can't afford which will have the BluRays only. Then individual BluRay/DVD combos then individual DVD releases with little to no features. The latter I'll probably go with unfortuantely because A) it'll be cheaper and B) I don't own a BluRay player. Is it me or do BluRay/DVD combos sound pointless?? If we own BluRay players why would we want the DVDs???

I'd say it depends on how they choose to release and market them. If the Original Trilogy is marketed as an alternative cut along side the SE in a premium box set, then the odds that there will even be a DVD release of the OT are pretty slim. A lot of premium extra content including alternative cuts of films are Blu-Ray exclusive these days, so I could imagine there not even being a DVD release of the OT at all, just the SE. If you look at Disney's current releases now, assuming they would be the ones distributing this release or even Fox, most often they will include all of the substantial extras on the Blu-Ray only, with a few measly features tacked onto the DVD. Even with Fox titles and alternate cuts (which the OT might be marketed as alongside the SE) the DVD usually only includes whatever the main version of the film is considered to be on a single disc with little extras.

Now assuming this could be a different scenario where the SE gets phased out completely or at least aren't focused on or included in this release, than yes, there would be a better chance they will be released on DVD if they are considered the main presentation, but it still definitely wouldn't be a guarantee that the OT would be released on DVD at all. Afterall, There still is no stand alone DVD of the 2011 cuts of the SE on DVD.

Honestly in my opinion, The whole Blade Runner scenario with all of those multiple releases at once on multiple formats wouldn't happen today the way it did in '07 as far as a concurrent release of the same content on DVD goes. The market has totally changed and studios no longer care about DVD. Blade Runner came out at a time when Blu-Ray's potential was just really starting to take off, but DVD was still a big player in the game and was what a lot of people were still buying at that time. Now, DVDs are mostly an afterthought with little to no effort put into them, so I would be hesitant to assume that there would even be an OT DVD release at all if this whole thing does actually happen.

Also, I'm don't exactly know what your reason is for not owning a Blu-Ray player, lots of people still don't and I have nothing against people who chose not to embrace the format for whatever reason and there is nothing wrong with that, but honestly you can get one now for about what you would probably pay for a theoretical OT box set when it's released, or probably even for less if you really want to enjoy all of the bonus content and what not that will most likely be exclusive to Blu.

darklordoftech said:

Darth Id said:

I expect the mono mix will get shafted.

I actually think that there's a good chance of the mono mix being included and it would make me happy beyond words, but I won't complain as long as one of the 19777 mixes is included.

 Wasn't it said in some interview with Matthew Wood or somebody that when they were doing the sound mix for the 2011 Blu-Ray, they also digitized all previous sound mixes for the film?

If this does actually happen, I just hope the original films themselves are made available as their own set or sold individually and not in another megaset where I'm forced to purchase the prequels again.

Also, If Disney is doing this, This is the company who released The Lion King on Blu-Ray with missing VFX and The Little Mermaid with swapped shots in the wrong order and straight cuts when there should have been dissolves. It seems like even if this is really happening, there's lots of room for them to screw something up.

I picked up the Oz 75th Blu-Ray that was $3.96 on Black Friday, and there is indeed a mono track.

I just popped it in to verify and it's definitely there but it is oddly located in the Special Features section and is not accessible in the audio options portion of the menu. Just select it in the Special Features or switch to it on your remote but it's definitely there.

Also, it is not listed on the packaging either, so maybe this is what's causing confusion? My friend also has the 3-D box set that just came out at the same time and my disc is the same as disc 2 in that set.

drngr said:

I could've sworn I saw a non-CE version of the VHS in a thrift store but I can't find such a thing anywhere online so apparently this was the only release in NA...?

 

I'm quite sure there was a VHS release before the Collector's Edition, but it was for rental only. I remember because when The Matrix was first released to home video you could only purchase the DVD initially, and there was a controversy as to why it was only available on VHS to rent, with some believing it had something to do with the Columbine shootings.

I remember it being a big deal when it finally came out on VHS to purchase at major retail many months later because we did not yet have a DVD player and it was my dad's favorite movie at the time. I was with my mom when she bought him the Widescreen VHS at Suncoast for Christmas. This was when the Collector's Edition first appeared.

This appears to be the rental edition, without the featurettes at the end of the tape and no Collector's Edition banner at the bottom of the cover: http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Matrix-VHS-1999-/320885329329?pt=VHS&hash=item4ab6418db1

captainsolo said:

BB and TDK are both older masters with different color timing and in places excessive DNR to remove the natural grain of 35mm--with neither resembling the original theatrical presentations in either digital or film--especially the film prints.

BB is in dire need of a remaster and despite my loathing of it, so does TDK. The IMAX scenes ideally would be at their original 1.44:1 ratio and then seamlessly switch back to 2.35:1 for the Panavision 35mm majority. But the 1.78 was a compromise to the usual "Joe Schmoe" video average who supposedly favor pan n' scan releases to lose letterboxing bars. (also the reason why nearly 100% of films are cropped to fit a 1.78 hdtv frame nowadays--but this practice goes ignored.) You still get the sense of a larger scope due to the increased resolution in both originating camera negative and pixels on your screen, but this is somewhat negated by cropping and then the DNR on top of that.

TDKR looks better being a modern transfer, but it has the same problem when coming down to aspect. That said the 35mm sequences look better on the BD than the IMAX 65mm print, because those were so nasty looking that they more closely resembled projecting a video onto your childhood bedroom wall. The flashback scenes taken from BB and TDK were especially bad and were filled with digital noise.

BB reminded me of the original Terminator BD in it's softness the the last time I watched it. It looked marginally better than the DVD but not anywhere close to the detail that the BD format is capable of.

Is the Vudu version slathered in DNR and EE?

I would imagine the experience of seeing it in an actual IMAX theater screen would be amazing, I just don't feel that this format translates well to home viewing unless you have a gigantic television or projector screen.

I wouldn't have minded a separate IMAX release BD or a version that included both, but I don't really like that this became the default home video version for HD formats. Transformers 2 had two separate Blu-Ray releases.

Plus, this really isn't even the real IMAX version as the IMAX shot scenes were presented at 1.44:1 theatrically so those are still getting cropped on the BD.

IcePrick said:

Isn't the BD for TDK slathered in DNR and edge enhancement? Is there any alternate HD source without those problems?

It is, and being as it was the first BD I ever owned I did not realize how unnatural it looked until I got a few other discs to compare to.

I know occasionally it's on HBO and other premium channels but the whole movie is usually presented at 1.78:1.

Yes, Both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are presented on Blu-Ray in a variable ratio format where all of the IMAX shots are displayed at 1.78:1 while the rest of the film is at 2.40:1. The DVD releases of both films are at 2.40:1 for there entirety.

I found this to be quite annoying as I am not really a fan of variable aspect ratio shifting and I never saw either film in IMAX so this does not replicate the way I and a large number of other people saw this theatrically. I wish there had been 2 different Blu-Ray releases or at least a retail chain exclusive version like the way Walmart did with the IMAX version of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

I was really hoping Warner would resolve this with the recent Ultimate Collector's Edition Box Set, but it pretty much looks to be the same old crap thrown into an overpriced box with a new bonus disc and some cheap trinkets.

rockin said:

Nien Nunb said:

I am quite sure this has been discussed on other threads before but is there any kind of reliable reference as to what Ghostbusters looked like during it's original theatrical run? None of the DVD or Blu-Ray releases have ever looked right to me.

I have spoken to a few Ghostbusters fans over the years who saw the old film print quite a few times, and they said it was closest to the 1999 DVD and the new 4K Remaster. The laserdiscs can be a good point of reference (but not always), but honestly these days the 4K blu-ray remaster is the best its ever going to look.

I will definitely check that release out, I didn't realize it was a new transfer.

I've seen those "Mastered in 4K" Blu-Rays advertised on various sites but I didn't really know exactly what they were until I looked them up just now. So from the sound of it they are basically just the Blu-Ray equivalent of Sony's Superbit line of DVDs from years ago and not actually true 4K? I guess that explains why they fit onto a BD 50, lol.

What I don't understand is why are films like the Total Recall remake being released in this line? Why wouldn't a film that recent be sourced from a 4K master to begin with?

I am quite sure this has been discussed on other threads before but is there any kind of reliable reference as to what Ghostbusters looked like during it's original theatrical run? None of the DVD or Blu-Ray releases have ever looked right to me.

Actually the sound does seem to be slightly different as well so as to be in sync with the alternate take. Unfortunately I have no way of playing them both side by side to compare but I would imagine that the kissing sounds would be out of sync if you were to line the track up with the lint version of the scene, I could be wrong tho but they definitely do sound different to my ears.

I just popped in the flipper disc to 100% verify it myself and it is indeed true, Vicki does not pull lint out of her mouth with a disgusted reaction in the widescreen version on that disc.

Full Screen side of '97 flipper disc at 01:54:06:

Widescreen side of '97 flipper disc at 01:54:06:

This is the box set I have: http://www.amazon.com/The-Batman-Legacy-Feature-Length-Films/dp/B00004XMS0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1375552777&sr=8-4&keywords=batman+legacy

It's the original individual flipper releases of all 4 films bundled together into a cardboard slip box.

Yeah, I always thought the alternate take of Vicki kissing The Joker was weird too, considering the full screen side contains the theatrical version of the scene. If I recall correctly she doesn't react with disgust after kissing the Joker's jacket and continues on as if she were actually enjoying it.

Yeah, this being a Fox release I wouldn't at all be surprised if it's just a repackaging of currently pressed versions of the Blu-Ray bundled with the 2004 DVDs. Fox loves to repackage shit in all kinds of different configurations.

This is looking really great! I saw this in theaters twice with my dad when it came out and the Blu-Ray colors really annoy me. My dad even complained about Neo's green beard the last time I lent him the BD.

I love this kind of music! For anyone who is looking for similar artists, her are a lot of the ones I listen too: Power Glove, Flashworx, Noir Deco, Miami Nights 1984, Com Truise, Futurecop!, Electric Youth, College, Kavinsky, Grum, Anoraak, and Tesla Boy.

Jetrell Fo said:

You_Too said:

About Suspiria: All the blu-rays look horrible thanks to oversaturation in some parts as well as very crushed whites and blacks in other parts. There is no way to bring back something that's not there.

The only version that seems to look very good is the Swedish Atlantic Film DVD. Check this comparison: http://caps-a-holic.com/vergleich.php?vergleichID=123

Unless a new version in HD is found, the only thing that could be done is to upscale that DVD.

http://drsapirstein.blogspot.com/2012/12/suspiria-restored-preserved-hd-edition.html

Is this a worthy go at a restoration?

Whoa! I've only ever seen this film once, but how could anyone have approved a transfer like that? Changing color timing is one thing but there is nothing there in those images, everything is blown out to the extreme.