Are there any movies better on DVD than Blu-Ray?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Eric B., Aug 10, 2015.

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  1. Eric B.

    Eric B. Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    San Diego
    I have been upgrading my DVD collection to Blu-Ray, and they are are USUALLY an improvement in picture quality and lossless audio. However, I was wondering from you members with big movie collections, are there any movies that are NOT an improvement on Blu-Ray, because of 'mastering errors', problems with color, cropping, aspect ratio, poor transfer, lossy audio, deleted scenes,incorrect subtitles, etc.?
    Also in the case of a movie that is in poor condition, like old B-movies, or movies shot on video , maybe the improvement in picture quality is negligible. Or if the DVD is considered an excellent transfer , and the Blu-Ray is basically the same transfer. Not as interested in which has better extras, mostly just the definitive versions of the Films.
    :tiphat:
     
  2. malcolm reynolds

    malcolm reynolds Handsome, Humble, Genius

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    Some will disagree but I can't stand the green filter that Jackson added to the extended Fellowship Of The Ring. I have to watch the DVD because instead of the Shire being nice and sunny it now looks like it is about to rain.
     
  3. Eric B.

    Eric B. Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    San Diego
    Some people think 'The Searchers' Blu-ray is has too much yellow, and the older DVD is the correct color. I just got the Blu-Ray at Costco yesterday to compare for myself.
     
  4. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Not a DVD, but many people consider the Laserdisc of The Matrix to be superior to the DVD and Blu-ray versions because the green tint that was added to the scenes in the matrix for other home video releases is absent.
     
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  5. Bryan

    Bryan Starman Jr.

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    Wow, that had to of been one of the last mass market laserdiscs to be released.
     
  6. Al Kuenster

    Al Kuenster Senior Member

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV - US
    The Sailor Who Fell From Grace From the Sea on DVD is better than the BR according to Robert Harris over at HTF
     
    Eric B. likes this.
  7. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I agree! I'm glad I didn't waste my money on that green machine BS!
     
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  8. Dave Garrett

    Dave Garrett Senior Member

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    The MGM DVD of 52 PICK-UP is usually considered superior to the Blu-ray. I haven't seen the Blu personally as I wasn't inclined to "upgrade" after reading several reviews, but the transfer is supposedly pretty atrocious.
     
  9. Clark V Kauffman

    Clark V Kauffman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Des Moines, Iowa
    The old 2-disc special edition DVD of "My Fair Lady" looks better than the much reviled BluRay that was issued a few years ago. The BluRay was a new transfer, but was sourced from deteriorating film elements. The BluRay offers better detail, but with annoying color shifting and fading.

    Fortunately, a brand new 4K transfer to BluRay is set to be released in October as part of a special multi-disc package. The word from Robert Harris (who handled the spectacular 1994 30th anniversary restoration) is that fans of this film won't be disappointed in this upcoming BluRay.
     
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  10. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I find it amazing how they are still pulling the same crap with a better remaster...
     
  11. SoundAdvice

    SoundAdvice Senior Member

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Some extended editions are still DVD only. I think Almost Famous is one. maybe Dune

    Did Rutles delete some scenes?

    Was Last Emperor ever released in AOR before the intentionally cropped Criterion blu-ray?

    Some of the edits and widescreen cropping on Hendrix Woodstock are a bit weird. u2 and Peter Gabriel have alternate edits.
     
    Eric B. likes this.
  12. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Note that LA colorist Mark Nowicki of IVC did all the color-correction on the 1994 My Fair Lady, and he deserves much of the credit for the look of the film back then.

    It's very simple for mastering engineers to compare the old version of a transfer to the new HD or 4K version during the mastering process. I have no idea why people don't do that more often, and also why directors or studio execs opt to make drastic changes. To me, the thing to do is to look at the old transfers and if you make any changes, go in a positive direction. Don't make it uglier. It also irks me when they screw up the framing of new transfers, and there's no excuse for that.
     
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  13. peteham

    peteham Senior Member

    Location:
    Simcoe County
    I much prefer my DVD of French Connection to Friedkin's Blu Ray.
     
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  14. JPagan

    JPagan Generation 13

    Location:
    South Florida
    I'm hanging on to my old "flipper" DVD of Amadeus, because it's the proper cut of the film. The Bluray looks sharper, but it doesn't give the audience the choice of original theatrical version vs. extended edition; and that's a big failure in my opinion.
     
    Simon A, Wes H, lbangs and 2 others like this.
  15. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    The original Matrix DVD (in the "snapper" case), was also free of the green tint that the later remasters have.
     
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  16. testikoff

    testikoff Seasoned n00b

    Ditto... ;) Theatrical version of the film is superior, IMO.
     
  17. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Almost Famous "Untitled - Bootleg cut" is available on Blu-ray, but I don't think the theatrical cut is (at least in North America).
     
  18. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    The Rhino VHS was the UK version which had some cuts for pacing (cutting off the punchline of at least one joke; "In March 1969, things had gotten so bad that Dirk and Sting got married. Not to each other, obviously.")
     
  19. Eric B.

    Eric B. Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    San Diego
    You guys are making some great contributions to thread. I should have included Laser Disc and VHS to cover all the bases. Sometimes the prefered dvd is much cheaper than the re-issue, which is a nice bonus. I agree about the Hendrix at Woodstock, the cropping especially, I usually watch Woodstock 40th instead. Great tip on Amadeus, the French Connection, and the Matrix, I will be on the lookout to buy those first, then wait for the new My Fair Lady Blu-Ray in October.
    Anybody have The Maltese Falcon or Treasure of Sierra Madre? I assumed Black and white movies might benefit less from Blu-Ray, but Casablanca 70th (thanx to Vidiot) changed my mind, I watched the older non-se single disc dvd VS the Blu-Ray twice, and the dvd looked like 'b&w television' and Blu-Ray ray was verty filmlike. The way people moved in and out of shadows,the way exterior light sources spilled into the dark interiors, was far more impressive than just 'added clarity'. It really changed to TONE of the film, and seemed like Blu-Ray might suit 'film-noir' especially well. The dark scenes are grey on dvd, but DARK on Blu-Ray.
    :tiphat:
     
    driverdrummer likes this.
  20. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Region A/One:

    'Monster' looks just fine on DVD; the BluRay is wretched.
    'eXistenZ' looks like a bad upscale of the DVD - the audio is actually worse than the DVD.
    season five (and the Xmas special) of 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia' looks so bad on BluRay there's actually an onscreen apology - avoid (later seasons look great on BD, though)
    'Spartacus' is terrible on BD compared to the Criterion DVD - BUT Universal are issuing a new remastered edition soon, so that (hopefully) may change.

    'The Wire' - complete series: only available in its correct aspect ratio on DVD; the BD is re-framed (or whatever the current term for pan-and-scan is now)
     
    Eric B. likes this.
  21. driverdrummer

    driverdrummer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Irmo, SC
    IMO, Dawn of the Dead(1978).. Looks like noise reduction on the blu-ray...
     
  22. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Oh here's another couple

    Dead Man - just awful looking; they might have transferred it direct from the laserdisc.
    From Dusk Till Dawn - BUT only the US disc looks worse than the DVD. The Canadian Alliance copy looks great. Which is a rare exception because usually the Canadian copy either looks/sounds identical or much worse.
     
  23. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Excuse me: you're seeing 25% more on the 16x9 HD version. The sides are cut off on the original 4x3 version.
     
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  24. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Fair enough.

    But the sides were cut off on the original 1.33:1 broadcast. If you don't want to see the 25% more on the sides, the DVDs are the only option.
     
  25. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Seeing less from 3-perf negative isn't going to make the show better. I have seen some of the new HD Wire episodes, and the images are fine. It's a bad example for your list.
     
    Myke likes this.
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