DVD Review HTF REVIEW: The Big Lebowski (2 Viewers)

[Ravi K]

I would have picked it up had the transfer been better. It's a title I have wanted, but can do without.

 

[Dave H]

I knew I should have waited before selling off my original disc. You just can't trust this studio for anything.

Sean and Doug,

So you think I'm better off re-buying the original?

 

[Kain_C]

Mix this release in with the new Office Space disc and you have a nice bit of disappointment going on. Guess I'm skipping both and sticking with my older versions.

 

[David_N]

Thanks for letting me know the other just released version also isn't worth getting.

 

[dpippel]

That's a tough call Dave. The new transfer is very clean but soft as hell. The old transfer is full of MPEG compression artifacts and has EE issues. Pick the ring of hell you think would be easiest to live in and go for it. I'm still not sure myself which disc I'll be posting on eBay.

"Over the line!!"

 

[Joe D]

I have no experience with the previous release but,

I thought the new transfer looked fine, it certainly isn't reference quality but it was entirely watchable on my 48" RPTV. The quality issues were most noticable in the first few minutes but after that I forgot about any issues.

Donnie Darko: Director's Cut transfer was hideous compared to this release but I seem to remember that getting a lot less ridicule that what this transfer has been getting.

 

[jim.vaccaro]

Heh.

Doug, I see what the problem is now: I'm a realist and you're an idealist. No sense arguing.

 

[Dave H]

The current Office Space disc is non-anamorphic which makes it completely unacceptable in my book. I will definitely be purchasing the new version.

 

[Scott Temple]

Agreed. The new Office Space disc will be an easy purchase for me.

 

[Sean Patrick]

i can't believe they left the teaser trailer off the new disc - that's a BIG reason to keep the original dvd!!!

i watched the new dvd all the way through this weekend and i must say that once my eyes adjusted to the softness it wasn't a horrible viewing experience...i almost think the transfer improves slightly as the film goes along.

still can't figure out why they zoomed the opening shot in so drastically.

 

[jim.vaccaro]

Yeah, but how many times can you watch a teaser trailer? It's a nice extra, but hardly a deal breaker.

 

[Patrick H.]

I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I gotta say that all the above hatred is justified. This "upgrade" is a flaming P.O.S.! To my eyes, the transfer looks more-or-less the same as the old one, except that the opening shot is cropped so much that when you first see L.A., it's barely in the bottom of the frame. Jeff Bridges takes neat photos, but, seriously, these new "extras" are a joke. And the typical Universal forced trailers really pissed on my carpet, man!

Overall, the Dude would not abide. Keep your old disc and save your money from the nihilists.

 

[Sean Patrick]

patrick -

you're the only other person who has mentioned the zoom-in of the first shot. i think it's incredibly obvious but no review has mentioned it yet. what could have been the reason for zooming it in? i can't think of any....

 

[Clint]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I too was dissapointed with the transfer. I was expecting to see an improvement on my 51" but alas nothing. I am not an expert but I do know a supposed improvement when I see one. I guess I was too overly optimistic by the video reviews on this title prior to purchasing.

As much as I hate to double-dip, I hate it more that you have to double-dip-on-sh!t.

 

[Patrick H.]

Sean, I'll admit that I was looking at it a little closer because of your comments in this thread, but it's pretty obvious if you're familiar with the film. It almost looks like it was altered for pan-and-scan, then they just matted it for widescreen. It's doubly weird since it dissolves into the next shot, and the framing there seems okay.

 

[Travis Brashear]

If you can look at the screenshots here (especially the one with the gun in the face)-- http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/Reviews/bigl.htm -- and tell me the new version is not an obviously superior transfer (if not without its own issues, granted), then you may need to visit LensCrafters...

 

[Ricky Hustle]

I have both the old and the new dvd. While the new transfer is soft, it is so much better than the first. The movie now looks perfectly acceptable, while the old transfer showed terrible compression artifacts.

I watch on a 65 inch Mits. Diamond. Worthy of a double-dip in my mind.

 

[Sean Patrick]

NO ONE denies that the screenshots look better than the old dvd.


For some reason the actual DVD in motion, though, reveals problems that were never in the original DVD (excessive filtering and some aliasing).


So it's the "pick your poison" route - excessive filtering or artifacts. on a 103" screen both are unacceptable. I watched the new Office Space last night on the same setup and was very impressed with its filmlike transfer . I popped in Lebowski again to see if i "need to go to Lenscrafters", and was still floored that anyone would think this is an acceptable transfer.

i know i am blowing the image up much larger than most setups are, but rarely does a dvd look as soft and filtered as this Lebowski disc.

 

[Travis Brashear]

In deference to you, Sean, I'm watching my DVDs on a far smaller display. Having said that, I still imagine I'd go with the rerelease over the original any day.

 

[Sean Patrick]

regardless of the transfer debate, there is no excuse for that opening shot being so badly cropped. that is just plain weird, serves no purpose, and even DISSOLVES into a properly framed shot....odd.

in fairness to those defending the transfer - it seems to me that the transfer gets easier to watch during the second half of the dvd. not sure if it's just my eyes adjusting to it or if it's actually a better-looking dvd on its second layer, who knows. i just remember thinking "this doesn't look nearly as bad as the first 20 minutes" quite often during the second half of the movie.

i would not normally be this critical if it wasn't my favorite movie of all time....