The Wizard Of Oz...Best Picture Quality Blu-ray?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Michael, Mar 25, 2020.

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  1. lv70smusic

    lv70smusic Senior Member

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    I was reading another thread on this film recently where there was a lot of banter about picture quality and it made me pull out my 4K blu-ray to watch it again. I'm not usually one to dismiss debate of sound or picture quality and I don't really intend to do that here, but this film draws me in so thoroughly that my analytical brain gets turned off. Sure, here and there I had a thought like, "Look at those ruby slippers glimmer!", but generally speaking I was simply taken on a delightful journey I had been on many times before. If Dorothy, the lion, the tin man, the scarecrow, et al don't make you lose yourself while watching them then maybe you suffer at least some of the same affliction as the tin man. :)

    I'll repeat it to try to head off blow back -- I know that some people's jobs are to analyze differences in sound and/or picture quality. I also appreciate that someone might choose to watch or listen to something with that analytical lens in order to critique it. I'm just trying to say that with The Wizard Of Oz, watching any blu-ray should just be able to charm you such that you aren't thinking critically unless it's your intent to remain in that headspace.
     
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  2. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    " I could really do some thinkin' , I could be another Lincoln if I only had a brain "
     
  3. Michael

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

    LOL...you weren't! from what I' ve seen pretty bad!
     
  4. Michael

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

    my sentiments EXACTLY! can't upgrade my TV, BD Player....and buy the 4K discs!
     
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  5. ries

    ries Forum Resident

    [​IMG]
    can recommend the 3d bluray (wich also have the normal bluray), the 3d treatment really is amazing.
     
  6. Michael

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

    thanks...not set up for 3D but it's good to know...
     
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  7. longdist01

    longdist01 Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    I had to see this in person on an IMAX screen and it was pretty amazing the look in 3D, of course a few instances where the hollywood soundstage backgrounds of Kansas or the Yellow Brick Road skyline show limitations from the 2D conversion.

    It was still very enjoyable getting immersed in the characters and forgetting the 1930 era production.

     
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  8. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    Are we all in agreement that the online screengrabs (several of them) aren't what one sees on their own HDtv? I mean does anyone watch it as dark and a bit saturated as these screengrabs show? I see a lot of magenta/pinkish color noise that is part of the film grain in these screengrabs which are also not very sharp.
    As seen here... The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Movie Screencaps.com

    I showed what I get on my display in this thread...

    Does anyone still buy and collect DVDs?
     
  9. captainsolo

    captainsolo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Murfreesboro, TN
    If you're going for every extra you'll need to get some of the big BD swag boxes as well. Warner has a bad habit of tucking some in a myriad of releases.
    Transfer wise the 3D disc has a newer improved 1080p transfer on it but you have to be able to disengage 3D to view it. Otherwise everything is the 2009 master and the 4K package includes disc 1 of the 2009 release.

    If you want to way back the Criterion CAV Laserdisc release has an exclusive extra or two plus a transfer made from a dye transfer print source. MGM reused this transfer for their first cleaned up CLV release so you can get it on disc for far less than the Criterion's price. Then they did a new master + extras for the big Ultimate OZ box set. I think these LD releases are the best sounding version of the original mono mix due to featuring PCM audio and less tinkering about. they certainly outdo the lossy DVD quality audio on the BD releases.
    It was shameful the 4K disc didn't feature the mono in any form. I get so sick of original audio being given the boot or poor treatment when it is as important as the picture.

    In short for movie only in good 1080p the best reccomendation is one of the 2009 sets, the 3D releases if you can disengage 3D-or just get the 4K release for the 2009 BD and you're future proofed with the best technical release yet.
     
  10. chaz

    chaz Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    I’m a big fan of 3D blu-rays. The picture quality and 3D rendering of this movie is stunning IMO.
     
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  11. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    How does one tell if it is the 2009 mastering when there are so many different copyright years on quite a few of the various reissue packaging? Not sure since I've been researching quite a few online reviews of this movie and they mention the feature video that shows the restoration goes as far back as 2005. My © 2018 BD of just the movie has a more recent feature video interview of the restoration folks that scanned from the movie's original 3 strip Technicolor negatives compared to a YouTube video mentioning the same restoration with different people interviewed.

    What did they do in 2005 vs 2009 over just rescanning at higher resolution and artifact clean ups?
     
  12. captainsolo

    captainsolo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Murfreesboro, TN
    WB started doing big new digital cleanups for DVD that showed up in the 2006 three disc Oz DVD boxset and the four disc Gone with the Wind set. However the jump to HD allowed them to fix problems that arose in downscaling to standard def and better realize the color to get much closer to a proper Technicolor look.
    The Wizard of Oz 4K UHD - Judy Garland
    Looking at the caps on DVD beaver here will give you an idea of the jump in quality.

    Warner will constantly reissue discs over and over and sometimes change the label or date. Every Blu-ray should still be the same 2009 disc outside of the 3D release. The single disc releases are the 2009 Disc 1 so you lose the other discs of bonus content. Does your list of extras match with this single disc?
    The Wizard of Oz Blu-ray Release Date December 1, 2009
     
  13. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    So my $5 Walmart DVD is the downscaled version since "70th Anniversary" is marked on the frame interface playing it on my MacMini on a 27in. LG display which is VERY soft looking. I have to scale it down to the size of the Blu-ray.com screengrabs to make it look sharp. Forget full screen.

    And I don't have all of what's listed of bonus content on both the DVD and Blu-ray shown on your Blu-ray.com link, no Sydney Pollock interview. I just have trailers, stills galleries and the "Prettier Than Ever" restoration video and some other minor stuff like "Commentary".

    I'm going to adjust my HDtv to make it look like the Blu-ray.com screengrabs. I have six gamma settings that'll get me there, but the noticeable magenta white balance bias is a no go because it'll throw off the look of my Spectrum cable channels that look very realistic. I've got B&W neutrality looking perfect using Offset/Gain adjusts. The final adjust will be saturation which I've reduced 40 out of 100.

    Thanks for the feedback and the links.
     
  14. Uncle Meat

    Uncle Meat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, Tx, US
    I bought a 4K Samsung...82 or 83 inch.... very happy with it...
     
  15. Zep Fan

    Zep Fan Sounds Better with Headphones on

    Location:
    N. Texas
  16. Michael

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

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