DaViD Boulet
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 1999
- Messages
- 8,826
The importance of preserving the orignial audio mix/sound quality on home-video.
This little principle is all-too-often forgotten even by the loyal film lovers at HTF. We're all quick to pull out banners and march the OAR cause. But when Warner remixes the audio for Ben Hur (and destroys directional dialogue panning) or FOX releases a musical with stunning stereo tracks and only uses a later-generation mono mix-down master for the DVD...somehow it never seems to get quite the same attention.
I think I can safely say that most HT enthusiasts aren't too upset about the chance to buy their beloved classics in HD, but they WOULD BE APPAULED to have to buy them OVER AND OVER AGAIN on the HD format if the studio can't present them right the first time and keeps re-releasing in HD over and over with nominal improvments...and getting the audio "wrong" for a classic presented in HD should be as unforgivable and panning and scanning a scope film.
For instance, if FOX dared to use the horribly noise-gated auido mix on an HD version of Hello Dolly, it would be a complete and utter waste...and HT enthusiasts who knew how good the original audio really sounded would be forced to wait yet again or decide to upgrade for the improved picture and then hope for a future re-release with properly presented sound.
While many studios are struggling in this department (including some very well-regarded studios like Warner Brothers and FOX who "win some" and "lose some" all the time with DVD), I have to say that Disney has impressed me with a steadily-growing track-record of properly presented auido mixes in DVD.
In particular, the last few years of releases seem to have been produced under a clear philosophy at the Mouse of "preserving the historic original audio mix presentation" as a clearly defined goal. All "new" 5.1 mixes are offered only as an alternative to the orignal mix presentation. This is the way ALL studios should handle sound. With the disc real estate and bandwidth available on HD media, nothing less should be tolerated by the HT enthusiast crowd.
I just reviewed Lady and the Tramp and did a detailed analysis of the sound:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...=&pagenumber=1
Lady and the Tramp does an oustanding job presenting the original 3.0 mix in superb fidelity. It is a joy to watch this film and listen to it as the original audio-mixing artists intended...to hear their pans, their choices, their effects just as they planned. The new mix is excellent as well, but purists should demand that original sound presentation be preserved on home-video media EVEN if they prefer to listen to a newer, updated mix (Rocky Horror).
Disney has done an admirable job, and IMO as a studio they've set the standard for how to go about presenting sound (Mary Poppins is the exception to the rule). I'd like to see other studios step up to the plate and adopt this same philosophy, and I'd like to see the HT enthusiast crowd at HFM make it mandatory that they do.
Don't just sit around until Fox screws up the audio on the next Affair to Remember HD disc or Warner yet-again denies you the chance to hear the glorious orignal mutli-channel mix on Ben-Hur. Don't let them do it. You *and* the films deserve the option to experience that original audio mix. Accept nothing less!!!
This little principle is all-too-often forgotten even by the loyal film lovers at HTF. We're all quick to pull out banners and march the OAR cause. But when Warner remixes the audio for Ben Hur (and destroys directional dialogue panning) or FOX releases a musical with stunning stereo tracks and only uses a later-generation mono mix-down master for the DVD...somehow it never seems to get quite the same attention.
I think I can safely say that most HT enthusiasts aren't too upset about the chance to buy their beloved classics in HD, but they WOULD BE APPAULED to have to buy them OVER AND OVER AGAIN on the HD format if the studio can't present them right the first time and keeps re-releasing in HD over and over with nominal improvments...and getting the audio "wrong" for a classic presented in HD should be as unforgivable and panning and scanning a scope film.
For instance, if FOX dared to use the horribly noise-gated auido mix on an HD version of Hello Dolly, it would be a complete and utter waste...and HT enthusiasts who knew how good the original audio really sounded would be forced to wait yet again or decide to upgrade for the improved picture and then hope for a future re-release with properly presented sound.
While many studios are struggling in this department (including some very well-regarded studios like Warner Brothers and FOX who "win some" and "lose some" all the time with DVD), I have to say that Disney has impressed me with a steadily-growing track-record of properly presented auido mixes in DVD.
In particular, the last few years of releases seem to have been produced under a clear philosophy at the Mouse of "preserving the historic original audio mix presentation" as a clearly defined goal. All "new" 5.1 mixes are offered only as an alternative to the orignal mix presentation. This is the way ALL studios should handle sound. With the disc real estate and bandwidth available on HD media, nothing less should be tolerated by the HT enthusiast crowd.
I just reviewed Lady and the Tramp and did a detailed analysis of the sound:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...=&pagenumber=1
Lady and the Tramp does an oustanding job presenting the original 3.0 mix in superb fidelity. It is a joy to watch this film and listen to it as the original audio-mixing artists intended...to hear their pans, their choices, their effects just as they planned. The new mix is excellent as well, but purists should demand that original sound presentation be preserved on home-video media EVEN if they prefer to listen to a newer, updated mix (Rocky Horror).
Disney has done an admirable job, and IMO as a studio they've set the standard for how to go about presenting sound (Mary Poppins is the exception to the rule). I'd like to see other studios step up to the plate and adopt this same philosophy, and I'd like to see the HT enthusiast crowd at HFM make it mandatory that they do.
Don't just sit around until Fox screws up the audio on the next Affair to Remember HD disc or Warner yet-again denies you the chance to hear the glorious orignal mutli-channel mix on Ben-Hur. Don't let them do it. You *and* the films deserve the option to experience that original audio mix. Accept nothing less!!!