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Steve Yun posted:Have there ever been bluray releases that were just upconverts of SD materials? Highlander: The Series was. They took the SD version they had and scaled it up to 720p. That's right, 720p. No 1080 of any kind on those blu-rays. And they decided they didn't like the pillarbox effect that results when SD material is shown on widescreen TVs. So they decided to rectify that by placing weird, distracting images where the black bars should be. I really wish I could find a screenshot of it, but I can't. Here's their explanation for why it's so awful (it basically boils down to "making blu-rays is hard!"): quote:Dear Highlander Fans: The people who were suckered into buying them say they can't see any noticeable difference between the blu-rays and DVDs. They put out three seasons like this and then when people still complained about it, they got mad and took their ball and went home. They are now refusing to do anything more with Highlander.
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Apr 27, 2013 12:05
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http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Highlander-Season-One-Blu-ray/3155/ Here you go. Reading that process is horrible. Basically, instead of doing it right, it seems like they just wanted to fake it until they made it. I even get the sense that when it came to the audio, instead of doing a full remix, they were simply going to just make a fake surround track. They could have just said "Hey, you know what, this show will never be in HD since it just isn't feasible for us to do it," and just left it well enough alone. It reminds me of a lot of records from the 60s and 70s. Basically, stereo was new, and they had a lot of mono tapes that couldn't be remixed or hadn't been remixed, so they just hosed around with the tapes until it was nominally stereo so they could release a "STEREO!" product instead of dreaded mono. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hHCdDnxLTc The results were not good.
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Apr 27, 2013 15:48
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Cemetry Gator posted:http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Highlander-Season-One-Blu-ray/3155/ I don't know that I've ever been happier to have the 2009 remaster set  Those vocals sound like they're coming from inside a cave. And not even just the vocals.
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Apr 27, 2013 21:22
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Cemetry Gator posted:They could have just said "Hey, you know what, this show will never be in HD since it just isn't feasible for us to do it," and just left it well enough alone. That seems to be the option they should have taken. After they released the third season and people were still complaining, they asked something along the lines of, "would you whiners rather we just not put out Highlander blu-rays at all?" The vast majority of people said, "yes, we'd rather you not put out blu-rays at all instead of trying to rip us off with this poo poo." They got pissed at that response, said "well fine then" and that's where we're at today. The blu-rays don't look much better than the DVDs and the DVDs are VHS quality in the first place so I guess he's right about that step up. It's just so lazy as hell. I know that before the blu-rays came out they were toying with the idea of making them only available through some Highlander fan club that had an annual fee or something. I hope they went through with that since if they did the damage was minimized.
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Apr 27, 2013 22:39
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I can't believe that they would piss on their fanbase like that. "What, you feel like you've been ripped off, WELL gently caress YOU DAD! No more blu-rays." I guess these people were just expecting people to eat it up because it is nominally HD, but like all best laid plans. Plus, I can't believe how protective they are of Highlander. It's not like Highlander is some cultural classic or landmark that we will use to judge all other forms of science-fiction entertainment. It was one decent movie (with an amazing soundtrack) followed by a bunch of crappy movies and a forgettable TV show.Rageaholic Monkey posted:I don't know that I've ever been happier to have the 2009 remaster set A lot of fake stereo adds on the reverb quite thickly. Part of it was because record company execs in certain countries thought that reverb made the music sound livelier and punchier. And it was the Beatles. Even a bad mix would sell gangbusters.
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Apr 28, 2013 14:27
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In motion it could look terrible, but the screenshots on Blu-Ray.com look unusually decent for 480i upscaled to 720p. Technically, it should allow for better image quality than DVD between AVC being a vastly better codec than MPEG2 and pillarboxed 4x3 in 720p is probably better for 16x9 monitors than straight 4x3 encoded 480p.
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Apr 28, 2013 14:46
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From what I've heard, about a year and a half ago one of the Highlander guys popped up and asked if people would buy a 1080p version and implied that it would be either horizontally stretched or cut down to 16:9 because black bars are the work of the devil, I guess. He didn't mention creating a new master so I guess he wanted to still use the bad one. After all that criticism, he somehow managed to completely miss the point. Everyone said no; the guy hosed off and hasn't said much since.
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Apr 29, 2013 00:31
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Shout! Factory has a box set of Vincent Price/AIP films coming before Halloween with House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Haunted Palace, The Masque of the Red Death, Witchfinder General, and The Abominable Dr. Phibes.
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Apr 30, 2013 01:18
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Full details: http://trekcore.com/blog/2013/04/first-look-at-redemption-cover-art-coming-in-july/
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Apr 30, 2013 01:39
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Egbert Souse posted:Shout! Factory has a box set of Vincent Price/AIP films coming before Halloween with House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Haunted Palace, The Masque of the Red Death, Witchfinder General, and The Abominable Dr. Phibes. drat! I have all of those but one on DVD, problem is the one I don't have (Haunted Palace) I want pretty bad. Not enough to double dip on blus... I think.
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Apr 30, 2013 02:15
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Woohoo my Best of Both Worlds preorder arrived a day early. Can't wait to see a remastered episode of TNG--I haven't seen anything that's been released yet.
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Apr 30, 2013 02:50
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Does anyone have any info on this Canadian release of Belle de Jour? I'm almost scared by the low pricepoint. I know Alliance Films has had poor releases in the past and I'm hoping this isn't one of them. A Criterion edition is out there but at this price it's got me thinking. There's also a similar release for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.
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Apr 30, 2013 15:53
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mod sassinator posted:Woohoo my Best of Both Worlds preorder arrived a day early. Can't wait to see a remastered episode of TNG--I haven't seen anything that's been released yet. Success at Best Buy! All the Target stores in my area literally got one copy of each set per store, which is bullshit. Limited quanities, my rear end. I've heard that many stores won't match the additional $10 Target bundle deal, but I watched my cashier manually type in the match price for each item, so I know it can be done.  
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Apr 30, 2013 16:10
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Egbert Souse posted:The Abominable Dr. Phibes. But NOT Dr. Phibes Rises Again? 
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May 1, 2013 01:09
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Aatrek posted:Success at Best Buy! All the Target stores in my area literally got one copy of each set per store, which is bullshit. Limited quanities, my rear end. Nice! Yeah I watched the episode last night and really enjoyed it. I was worried the remastered special effects would be jarring but they really blended well with the show. I can't believe how much better the show looks in this HD remaster. Now I want to buy some of the full seasons.
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May 1, 2013 03:36
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Aatrek posted:Success at Best Buy! All the Target stores in my area literally got one copy of each set per store, which is bullshit. Limited quanities, my rear end. Yeah I dunno what's up with the stock. I had to hit up 3 Targets on my way home to find one that had both; the first two had one copy of either one but not the other, the third had two of the season but just one of the episode remained. I guess the crazy part is that I have 4 Targets overall between home and work.
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May 1, 2013 04:29
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Whoa, blu-ray.com shows that Amazon is selling a bunch of titles for $1 and $1.75. Edit: And now they are back to their original prices. That was quick. The MSJ fucked around with this message at 09:14 on May 1, 2013 |
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May 1, 2013 09:08
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If they were, it's fixed now.
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May 1, 2013 09:13
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Kino Lorber is releasing Erich von Stroheim's Foolish Wives on July 30th. No details yet, but the DVD had the AFI restoration, a documentary on Von Stroheim, commentary, and some stills galleries.
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May 2, 2013 03:11
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$4.75 Terminator 2 - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RIY4WE...9M1638ADR5HWR7S When Harry Met Sally - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062VL500...43H6Q3AFJH3ZYW9 $4.99 Anastasia - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004K00NMG...G7NC90S22GRTGFC American History X - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O7JHSE...W3TP8J1HW9JM57F Donnie Darko - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JNNDBA...DAWVT3NYNZRVPW4 Michael Clayton - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00123C7SW...428P5JZ8WK8Q44G Milk - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FB55KI...W0BT5NJZTJ2B2ZF Mystic Pizza - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P29LD6...53SWQDTP29KXPNN The Wedding Singer - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001O7JHW0...MG5FD4V2Z5RNSXP Walking Tall - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GGQMUQ...Z0BV9R657RPCAN0 Under Siege 2 - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CT877G...DSYSTJ69PMT58PV
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May 5, 2013 22:43
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Did they release the re-remastered Terminator blu-ray yet?
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May 5, 2013 22:53
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CPL593H posted:Did they release the re-remastered Terminator blu-ray yet? Yeah that was awhile back. My best buy didn't get any in so I went with amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Terminator-Re...minator+blu+ray
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May 5, 2013 22:54
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ApexAftermath posted:Yeah that was awhile back. My best buy didn't get any in so I went with amazon. The remasterd version is well worth picking up too. It felt like I was watching it for the first time.
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May 5, 2013 23:11
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friendo55 posted:The remasterd version is well worth picking up too. It felt like I was watching it for the first time. Agreed. Just a side note but I think it's strange when people get hung up on the new color timing. I think it looks really good and it seems more like the people who are complaining are just doing so because something is different and not that there is an actual problem with it that they could articulate.
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May 5, 2013 23:16
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More $4.99 movies American Pie: The Book Of Love http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UJIY02...EK7PEEPD5DPFDZP Bad Santa http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SEUJ0A...PC5YMGS1ZNWTPWE Benny & Joon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004P29LEU...ZC6QB5EKFWAXGXP ApexAftermath posted:Agreed. Eh, it's not that big of a deal but changing the color timing on Terminator/Total Recall does change the experience if you've watched them enough to notice a change. The new remaster of The Fifth Element (from overseas) is pretty garbage compared to the old (second) Sony release due to the color timing change.  
Call Me Charlie fucked around with this message at 03:25 on May 6, 2013 |
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May 5, 2013 23:39
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Call Me Charlie posted:Eh, it's not that big of a deal but changing the color timing on Terminator/Total Recall does change the experience if you've watched them enough to notice a change. Good grief it looks like whoever did the twilight time Night of the Living Dead 1990 also did that Fifth Element transfer. Must remember to avoid this. They changed the color timing on Total Recall?
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May 6, 2013 03:27
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ApexAftermath posted:They changed the color timing on Total Recall? I'm not sure where this whole deal is coming from considering that the most recent Total Recall BD was transferred from the original camera negatives and officially approved by Paul Verhoven. edit: It could be because people got use to inferior transfers.
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May 6, 2013 03:38
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The Gaumont transfer of The Fifth Element is way better than that awful Sony transfer
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May 6, 2013 03:57
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ApexAftermath posted:Good grief it looks like whoever did the twilight time Night of the Living Dead 1990 also did that Fifth Element transfer. Must remember to avoid this. Actually, you have it backwards.  The top screen is the new one and the bottom one is the old one. The new one is way too bright.  And they slightly tweaked the color timing on Total Recall but it isn't nearly as drastic (and definitively not enough to negate the benefits) 
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May 6, 2013 03:59
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Call Me Charlie posted:Actually, you have it backwards. Eh I can't say I can agree with you at all. The Sony transfer looks way too dark.
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May 6, 2013 04:30
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ApexAftermath posted:Eh I can't say I can agree with you at all. The Sony transfer looks way too dark. The updated one is contrasted too high and as a result the picture loses a lot of detail. The easiest way to see this is to look at the skin textures but it's just all over the place. I hate that this is a trend because it's clearly happening due to consumers complaining that older movies don't look high def enough. edit: Look a those aliens the background. In the top screen shot there's a bunch of little details on them that are completely invisible if you compare it to the one that's "too dark". The bottom one is what the movie is supposed to look like.
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May 6, 2013 04:39
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CPL593H posted:The updated one is contrasted too high and as a result the picture loses a lot of detail. The easiest way to see this is to look at the skin textures but it's just all over the place. I hate that this is a trend because it's clearly happening due to consumers complaining that older movies don't look high def enough. I see what you mean. I really can see what you are talking about when you look at the alien dudes. I'm assuming on an actual tv the "dark" one wouldn't actually look that dark then? It just brings to mind the poo poo job on night of the living dead 90 blu ray when I look at the screenshot. I don't remember Fifth Element being that dark.
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May 6, 2013 04:49
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I'm pretty sure the transfer used for the Gaumont release is the correct color timing for "The Fifth Element". The old transfer on the Sony release is from an old HD master used for the DVDs, which were color timed to deal with the compression for standard definition; all they did to make it look better for the remaster BD was some sharpening. This reminds me of the color timing for "Aliens". A bunch of people complained about how James Cameron "ruined" the color timing by putting the more "modern" cyan tint but having seen an original print of the film, I can say that the film looks exactly as it's supposed to be. The issue is just that people have weird attachments to old color timings that were done to mitigate the effects of compressing high quality images to standard definition, especially since standard definition has an extremely limited color space.
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May 6, 2013 05:52
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VoodooXT posted:I'm pretty sure the transfer used for the Gaumont release is the correct color timing for "The Fifth Element". The old transfer on the Sony release is from an old HD master used for the DVDs, which were color timed to deal with the compression for standard definition; all they did to make it look better for the remaster BD was some sharpening. Well if that's true, the color timing might be right but it still looks like poo poo.
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May 6, 2013 05:59
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Call Me Charlie posted:And they slightly tweaked the color timing on Total Recall but it isn't nearly as drastic (and definitively not enough to negate the benefits) Whoa, that looks phenomenal.
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May 6, 2013 06:09
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CPL593H posted:Well if that's true, the color timing might be right but it still looks like poo poo. To each their own, I guess. I prefer the Gaumont transfer because it isn't artificially sharpened to the point of haloing, the color timing matches the theatrical print, there's more information in the shadows, and the highlights aren't clipped.
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May 6, 2013 06:39
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penismightier posted:Whoa, that looks phenomenal. The new release is absolutely fantastic and you should get it.
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May 6, 2013 10:20
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Any way to tell which copy of the Fifth Element I have? I have the one that doesn't have that lovely blue border.
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May 6, 2013 13:48
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Ineffiable posted:Any way to tell which copy of the Fifth Element I have? I have the one that doesn't have that lovely blue border. quote:A note on how to identify this edition on store shelves: While the box art for this remastered edition is nearly identical to the earlier Blu-ray release, the words "Experience High Definition" appear in silver foil, (not gray), and Dolby TrueHD is listed among the audio tracks on the back of the box on this new edition.
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May 6, 2013 14:04
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Work does that work for non-US releases? Which transfer is my copy of this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004KKX9AY/ref=pe_217191_31005151_dp_3
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May 6, 2013 21:25
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