When Bad DVD's Happen to Great Films

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/09/m...nted=1&ei=1&en=24d7f6c3d82708d9&ex=1069509477

Very interesting article. Looking forward to your comments

Chris

 

Thanks for the link...(IMO)...They should've got it right the first time...I own 575+ DVD's and I get extremely aggravated every-time they announce another reissue/remaster! I'd rather invest in new releases than reissues of movies Iv'e already PURCHASED!...How many DVD's do you have that have been reissued?...I have many Too many

 

This is the first I've heard of a new transfer for the Godfather films. If the transfer is decent I'll probably end up breaking down and buying them again.

 

It's been news at the Home theater Forum...

I spent a hunk a coin on the GF Box Set! Pox on 'em...

 

Thanks for posting this terrific article. Don't you wish someone would write such clear and straightforward information on music reissues and restoration!!!

Interesting that Lowry admits his mistakes with "Citizen Kane". Maybe in a couple of years we'll have to buy another "improved" version.

Dan C

 

Yea, with the grain added back in

 

Great article. I have to admit, I could complain about buying reissues sometimes, but it's the DVD collectors that are really getting hurt with hit-and-run improvement reissue after reissue.

 

Pretty amazing that they're paying attention to this kind of stuff at all these days...and credit is due the HTF and other forums, columnists (DVD Savant!) who tirelessly advocated improvements in quality. When I was an HTF participant four+ years ago, we were still dreaming of the Godfather and Citizen Kane on DVD at all!

--MK

 

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this story. I've spent hundereds (thousands?) of dollars on laserdiscs and now DVD's chasing after the "best" presentation of films that I love. I too was beginning to feel like the studios were starting to "scr** the pooch" with all of the reissues. I think it really pissed me off the first time when I bought "Almost Famous" and then found it "reissued" a few months later with a few additional features....just put it out once and do it right the first time. I don't have a problem with an upgraded transfer when the state of the art advances the way it has in video. Heck, most of us wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Steve's clear vision of what music SHOULD sound like. If I found somebody like Steve in the telecine world, I'd probably buy anything they were responsible for transferring.

dave
(one of many)

200th posting????

 

Are any of you really surprised that this was going to happen to DVD's. It's the same story as when CD's came out. It's not any different. Companies using bad or high generation masters. Some mastering engineers, not paying enough attention to detail. It's the same thing all over again. At least DVD reissues are getting better, not worse.

I wish more record companies would pay this much attention to remastering and reissuing CD's. Maybe that's why the music biz is so bad.

 

If they did it -RIGHT- the first time for DVD and Cee Dee...Maybe they would have the time to put out all the unavailable Artists Catalogs and Wonderful Movies...I could name hundreds of Movies yet to see the light of day
Although, lately TV Shows are making a great debut on DVD! Most exciting...That's good news

 

Sure. Just ask Neil Young fans!!

 

I have to disagree with ya on this one

I have DVD's from the early days that look Supreme! Technology has nothing to do with it...It's laziness on the studio's part...FIND the proper MASTER! first before announcing a release...Look what we have to look forward to with the upcoming "Lost In Space" Season 1 Box Set...fair quality masters...instead of the pristine Kevin Burns masters they are neglecting to use...Do we smell a reissue down the road?...

I don't know about you...but, I don't have disposable cash to invest in something I already own over and over... With the amount of DVD's I have it'll take me years to view them all...

Regards,
Michael

 

What I find with some DVDs:

1. The picture improvements are barely noticeable, or there is sometimes no picture improvement at all, because sometimes...

2. After the initial release, a special edition with more extras comes out.

A good one being Bug's Life. I bought the initial CD, and IIRC the two-disc special edition came out after. If this isn't a spit in the face to DVD fans I don't know what is. It's not that I always want all the extras, but still, it seems like a way to get hardcore DVD fans to buy something twice.

 

Hey Ken,
I own 575+ DVD's...How many do you own?
I'm not going to make a list. Your a "Movie Buff"...therefore you already know

Regards

 

Yup! They tap the collector...They know the weakness and prey upon it.
and...most collectors will DEFEND such!

I say...Do-it-right-the-first-time

Actually..."Army Of Darkness" is one of the biggest offenders followed by T2...Prime examples. There are quite a few others

 

Michael, does that 575+ number include the 2 disc Criterion of Devil and Daniel Webster set you own?

But seriously...

Ken, I can name at least 40 early discs that Michael owns that DON'T look supreme, and that's the Twilight Zone set. While the source material is very watchable, it could still stand a state-of-the-art telecine transfer as well as further restoration. The entire set of discs have *major* artifacts because a very low bit rate was used, not to mention there have been major improvements in the transcoding math. Panasonic first issued these discs and then Image put them out using the same old transfers.

Michael also owns the Criterion Brazil, which screams for an Anamorphic release and (again) some restoration to the transfer. The OOP John Woo Criterions and the Criterion Robocop have prints which have been bested by newer remasters with anamorphic transfers, though not all have had the same extra material-- but that's irrelevant because we're just talking about the image quality.

 

Hi Robert,

Devil And Daniel Webster-Typo

I'll take the "Twilight Zone" anyway I can I'm thrilled to own the whole set Would not rebuy if they were remastered.

Criterion Robocop has extra footage, be it a few seconds of extra violence which has yet to surface on any other DVD release It's a keeper...

Sometimes the extra's are worth the price alone!
Can't beat the "Brazil" Box Set and the rest of the Criterions I own and love...

All of the DVD's I own are watchable in my book

 

Does that include the remasters?
Considering if you do repurchase the remasters, that would be 6 less than 1,000 minus the double count duplicates...in that 6 less than 1,000, do you count the individual DVD's included in the box sets or count the box sets as one unit?
I count my DVD box sets as one unit not DVD's contained...

 

...lest not forget that "extra footage" available only on the Criterion