Kung Fu - Season 1 (March 16th) is not OAR (1 Viewer)

[Louis C]

Randy, How about posting a full review?

 

[Randy A Salas]

Louis, I appreciate the request, but HTF has a reviewer for Warner product, Herb Kane. You might want to email him to see if he plans a review.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

There's a big difference in the amount of picture cropped-off going from 2.35:1 to 1.33:1 than there is going from 1.33:1 to 1.77:1. I know that's it's still an objectionable procedure, but some are more objectionable than others.

That's like saying "Well, I stabbed the guy fifteen times and he died. But this other guy stabbed their victim thirty times and he died. So my crime is less objectionable!"

Obviously, this issue isn't anywhere near murder in objectionability, but how objectionable a MAR job is has little to nothing to do with how much is cropped off. Either you get a proper approximation of the original aspect ratio or you do not.

 

[Chas_Michael]

Ken, I'm calm, maybe you should'nt be If you live in fear of not receiving a second season of KF by not buying it, that's a copout. Thoughts like those keep us from getting the proper releases. LARGE SALES=ACCEPTANCE reguardless of product quality. They just see Dollars. Isn't that's what it's all about? Support your cause. I am. Are You?

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

LARGE SALES=ACCEPTANCE reguardless of product quality. They just see Dollars.

Yes, they do, and if they don't see some dollars for what they have released, they aren't going to assume it is because of a MARed transfer, but a general disinterest in the show.

Buying the set, then contacting Warner to express your disapproval would send the message that you support the show, but not the way it was released.

I doubt anything will be done about season one though, as the costs of another transfer and pressing will not be justifiable.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Or you could not buy it. Then contact Warner and tell them that you would have bought it if it were OAR, but since they screwed up you won't be buying.

 

[Mark Lx]

Well, it's a shame. It's such a good price too. I loved the show.

 

[Randy A Salas]

Kung Fu will have absolutely no problem being a big seller. It's currently No. 13 on Amazon's sales chart. Couple that with the fact that many buyers don't care about the widescreen cropping or don't know about it, and it's assured of success.

Regarding the latter idea that people don't know about the cropping: I see dozens of DVD write-ups from other newspapers and wire services as part of my job. Every one I've seen so far for publication this week (including those by the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Daily News and many others) has noted Kung Fu's release, but only my write-up and that of Newsday's Diane Wert have even mentioned that the episodes have been modified for a widescreen presentation.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Having viewed several episodes now, I have mixed feelings about the results here. For the most part, the reframing works, but there are many cases where it doesn't. You can't static matte something like this and make it work. If you must reframe it, you need to have a travelling matte in order to avoid chopping off heads. Preferably you'd just leave it alone.

Welcome to the world of HD. :frowning:

 

[Herb Kane]

I've just spent a couple of hours with this set and hope to have the review posted later tonight or early tomorrow. Thanks.

Herb.

 

[Gary Seven]

Randy,

Thanks for posting the comparisons. While some look good, some are absolutely horrible, including the very first one you showed. Having seen this series in its original run, I am dismayed at the cropping. I would have considered picking this up at Costco but no longer.

Ken, the producers didn't pick Lee due to the fact that they did not want an Asian as the star of the show... it wouldn't have washed in their eyes. While Carradine may have been a better actor, his martial art skills ( I use that term liberally) were piss poor. Pity he wasn't part of the show as I think his philosophy would have fit well with the theme of the show. Oh well.

OTOH, I did like Carradine as Frankenstein.

 

[Patrick McCart]

It looks like the TV show really was composed for possible matting.

Even theatrical films meant for matting will have awkward cropping from time to time...

Although, it would be nice to get a bit of confirmation.

 

[Mattias_ka]

It looks like the TV show really was composed for possible matting.

Not a chance in hell it was.

This is a no-buy for me. Was the entire serie released on VHS??

 

[David Stone]

Slicing off the top & bottom to fit a 16:9 TV is vertical pan & scanning. Period! I haven't met a home theater enthusiast yet who embraces pan & scan only 1.33:1 releases so why are so many being tolerant of matted 16:9 releases?

 

[Lou Sytsma]

How many of you whom are aghast at those of us who picked up this set are planning to pick up the Star Wars trilogy when it comes out on DVD?

 

[george kaplan]

Are you telling me that Star Wars is going to be pan & scanned or crop & dropped?

If you're talking about Lucas' changes, that's a different topic, although since I have the original lds, not one that concerns me overly much.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

If you're talking about Lucas' changes, that's a different topic,

Disagree totally. The DVDs are not the original films. They are different than the originals.

The fact that they are presented in the same format is irrelevant.

They are different than the originals.

A difference which is a difference IS a difference.

Anyone calling us out here and yet is going to buy the SW DVDs is going to have to do some fancy tap dancing to justify their purchase while condemning those of us that bought this set.

Could it be because they really want it and will take the DVDs regardless of the changes....

Sounds awfully familar.

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Are you telling me that Star Wars is going to be pan & scanned or crop & dropped?

Well, there is going to be a Pan & Scan version as well as a Widescreen version.

 

[george kaplan]

Lou,

YOU are the one saying

Now, if there are those who have said (and there might be, hell I might be one of them, though I need to carefully look at exactly what I said), that it's always equally bad to buy a dvd modified in ANY way whatsoever, because a difference is a difference, then you have a point.

BUT, people can legitimately think that pan & scan or crop & drop is WORSE than other differences.

Hell, not even all MAR is the same. One can certainly point out that Open Matte is bad, and that often (though not always) such prints have effects shots that are still pan & scanned. But there may be Open Matte dvds which can be hard matted by the end user, yielding the same picture as a non-anamorphic OAR release. If someone argued that wasn't as bad as pan & scan, I think they'd have a point.

As I said, your Star Wars example is a bad one for me, because I have the original LDs.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Sorry if one says they want a tv show or movie presented on DVD exactly the way it was originally shown then ANY change is unacceptable. Therefore changed aspect ratio or scene additions/alterations should not be tolerated.