Info: James Bond - Laserdisc Preservations: 1962-1971 — Page 19

Good for you! These two sets were my first foray into the classic era on LD, and feature great print sources...except DAF which is a bit beat up around the edges. I doubt mono audio will be any different on later issues. My 1989 discs and Vol. 2 versions of Thunderball and YOLT sound identical. Both Dr. No and Goldfinger have a slight amount of ticks and pops. FRWL has hiss.

Also, as FF stated there is an isolated music and effects track for FRWL on the Connery Collection on analog right IIRC. It's not on the box anywhere, but I suppose it was done to compliment the isolated tracks on the Criterion DN and GF. (Their FRWL doesn't have one oddly.)

No, they've always been that way for the Crab Key insertion, so that it's pretty obvious this wasn't done at night. The BD/UE re-timed these to be "properly dark" but it isn't quite correct either. This really stuck out on the 35mm print of the Lowry work. Not proper color, with a bit too much blue/purple somewhat akin to the re-timed OHMSS opening.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

SilverWook said:

I guess we would need a good print of Dr. No to compare.

IIRC, Terence Young mentioned something about the day-for-night sequences in Crab Key during his infamous Criterion commentary and how prints would rarely get it right. Presuming, he actually approved the Criterion master or even was watching the master while recording the commentary, the Criterion LD might be your best bet of what's right.

I'm of the opinion, though I honestly don't have much to back it up, that the Criterions are the most faithful in terms of how the movies looked theatrically. Judging by the high contrast and grain, they seem to be from prints rather than IPs, so may have an additional generation of grain/color variation.

Do you think there's any way to tweak the Lowry transfers?

One would need extreme time and patience.

You could probably color correct it relatively accurately with time and patience, doing it scene by scene at least if not shot by shot. But, you're still left with the issue of the DVNR. I suppose, with care, you could use artificial grain sparingly.

Harmy's Despecialized turned out really nice video-wise and those were similarly-treated transfers by Lowry.

Just checked-The SE DVD looks the same. Perhaps the Criterion LD might have different coloring in this particular instance. I'm almost 100% sure they used prints rather than IPs.

The issue with using any of the Lowry transfers is that they already removed detail and then added in layers of fake grain to cover it up. We can re-time them as best as we can, but still it isn't ever going to be exactly like what was originally there.

Krycek87 said:

Received the Criterion Goldfinger yesterday.  Is it just me or did this have the mono theme song? Anyway, I'll begin experimenting in a few days on ripping that commentary track. 

Yes, it's the only release that still does. Everything since has the theme song in stereo. The new mono tracks may have a mono theme but I can't be sure.

I've only rented some of the BDs but the audio are still the same mixes. The added effects don't work, the surround is odd, but all in all it is unnecessary to upmix mono stems for a 1960's film designed and mixed for mono to full 5.1. IT JUST DOESN'T WORK.

The mono tracks are at least maintained despite the standard pitifully low bitrate, and despite this compression all the distractions are immediately gone. Norman Wanstall, winner of the Oscar for Goldfinger for sound design, was shocked at how bad and inconsistent the 5.1 remixes were.

The fullscreen THX TSWLM has a very tiny bit of extra on top and bottom, but the pan and scan job loses a great deal of picture. Reminds me of my childhood VHS days. (I still have these to be honest.)

Did you guys notice any loud pops on the OHMSS audio? I had a few towards the end of the film that sounded more like pops on the track itself and not the source audio. But the sound is stellar and surprisingly so. Very dynamic.

The truth is that the original audio is only provided to purists because it is a common thought that original audio is antiquated and inferior. Home video is done for the biggest consumer group: Mr. Joe Video who wants a great bright and shiny picture to fill his TV screen and 5.1 surround to play on his home theater in a box or multichannel crummy soundbar.

Thus everything will have a 5.1 mix done, when to be perfectly honest it never sounds as good as the original. These mixes were done with the original materials at the time of production, with everyone's intent being to make the material sound as good as possible. They weren't intending for discrete modern setups because THEY DID NOT EXIST. On top of this, modern remixers have no connection to the film and usually are given a tight work schedule and no background material.

And DD 192 kbp/s is equivalent to a low bitrate mp3, I don't care how many tell me I'm wrong on this but it's important the original audio be given necessary space on a disc to at least have breathing room.

Krycek87 said:

Lossy or not, the original mixes still trump the new high age "remixes."

I get so used to switching to mono audio before watching films, that I'll go straight to the "setup" page all the time now, even though we usually watch newer films that were originally released with surround sound =|

Asaki said:

Krycek87 said:

Lossy or not, the original mixes still trump the new high age "remixes."

I get so used to switching to mono audio before watching films, that I'll go straight to the "setup" page all the time now, even though we usually watch newer films that were originally released with surround sound =|

I do the same thing!

It pisses my wife off to no end.

Request: FF or Anybody else who has the Criterion CAV or CLV issues, if there are cue marks present anywhere in the transfer, what do they look like?

If they are regular white circles or something similar than these are probably Eastmancolor show prints. However, if they have any type of "sunburst" design to them, they are Technicolor IB.

Like this: http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s22changecue.html

SilverWook: I think I remember you mentioning that you have a gas-laser LD player. Do you? If so, which model is it?

SilverWook said:

Here's something you don't see every day.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GOLDFINGER-Super-8-color-feature-/190792751325?pt=US_Film&hash=item2c6c2258dd

Not sure if it's a legit release or not. The packaging is similar to some of the Derann Super 8 features I've seen.

Odd indeed. I've never actually seen 007 on 8mm.

Was going through TSWLM on Blu Ray and downright shocked the original stereo is at 448kps. (There's a tiny bit of hiss as well.) Anybody know if the other stereo films are encoded this way? I know it's not PCM, but after seeing everything but the original mixes get a bump in bitrate on the Blu Rays, it's a surprise. Seems like Lowry had nothing to do with this HD video master, either.

Most have the tracks bumped from 192 to 224 kbp/s. Had no idea they actually transferred the original audio...thought they had thrown that out for good in the 90's. Probably just used the source on file, as the '91 WS LD has audio that is a bit hissy. The master wasn't done by Lowry, this one is seemingly a straight job from MGM in-house offices-far better but not perfect.

I finally watched the rest of my recent Bond LD acquisitions. The Dolby Stereo mixes worked with my soundbar a lot better than most 5.1 tracks I've listened to with it. And thankfully, not a defective disc in sight. :)

Always a good feeling!

These stereo surround mixes sound good decoded, in stereo or on headphones.

Another in my continuing disc mini reviews:

Moonraker on LD has the same kind of noisy ugly looking video as TSWLM. I don't know why these do, as it's not either of my players, the CRT, or even other discs in the same series. Some look good, some do not. Odd since Moonraker is the most lavishly produced of all.

Side 3 is CAV and improves slightly for the last 16 minutes.

But the color balance is so spot on with browns, yellows, and 70's era beige that even the bluescreen sequences like the cable car fight and the waterfall don't stick out quite so badly. And it does appear filmic on a properly calibrated monitor.

The biggest draw and a very welcome surprise is the audio. I have watched this film since I was a child, and never in any incarnation from hi-fi VHS to DD stereo to the 5.1 remixes have I heard Moonraker sound this good. Sure it's still early matrixed surround, but this time it was officially in Dolby Stereo. Barry's largely forgotten score is incredible in its fidelity. Sounds like listening to the soundtrack CD at points if not better because it doesn't have the same EQ or edits. Effects sound nice and punchy with some decent use of the mono surround channel, odd for a 1979 film that wasn't fully VFX driven. (Check out the centrifuge sequence. Whoosh!!) Dialogue is very clear and mainly centered with a little bit of occasional panning across the front channels. Slight natural hiss is present during quiet moments. This would have been interesting in 70mm.

The print source utilized is largely clear with the occasional speckle every once and a while. There's the rare damage mark scattered throughout.

I just wish the video was better. Looks like I do indeed need the rare expensive THX version. Grrr. But the audio sounds like a direct transfer off master material. I demoed sequences with mixing headphones and it has a fullness that is brilliant.

Video-5 maybe 6  out of 10 for the format

Audio-10 out of 10 for format and sound system of the era.

Why is it I only see the good in Moonraker? Maybe I watched the film too many times and mentally ignored the Bondola complete with double taking pigeon.

I will return with Octopussy, which when initially demoing had a far better picture than MR and possibly a slightly cropped ratio.

I'm now down to needing only LALD, LTK reissue, GE DTS, TND DTS, NSNA and the Criterions.

And the Goldfinger CAV box.

And the 6 THX editions.

And the supposedly uncut Japanese LTK.

And the recalled LALD.

And the Japanese TWINE.

;)