TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEBUTS Manufacture-On-Demand DVD SERIES (3 Viewers)

[Paul Penna]

Please explain to me this PAL speedup you speak of.

For faster service, Google < pal speedup >.

 

[Doug Bull]

As an Aussie I didn't become aware of PAL Speed-up until I purchased my first bunch of US Laserdiscs back in the 80s.

I had grown so accustomed to the sound of the MGM Movie "The Band Wagon" after countless viewings on Pal TV Broadcasts and local VHS Tape, so I became shocked when I first heard the movie's opening music being played so noticeably slower on the US Laserdisc. "What's going on here?"
Fred Astaire sounded so high pitched on PAL when compared to the NTSC laserdisc.

About that time I started to notice that the voices of local TV Stars, natural on Videotaped or live TV sounded high pitched and terrible in any added-on 16mm or 35mm filmed segments.

Anyhow after much investigation I finally came to discover the dreaded PAL Speed-up.

I decided from that day to avoid all local and European pal Laserdiscs and DVDs.
Over 90% of my Video collection is NTSC, even though I live in a PAL country.

There are those who say they can't notice the difference.
I say listen to John Wayne first on PAL and then on NTSC. Character difference= It's a glass of milk versus a swig of whisky.

Luckily Blu-ray seems to have put the speed-up problem to rest. It now appears to be 24fps universally.


Doug.

 

[Rick Thompson]

One of my longtime wants, No Highway in the Sky, is now available from Fox Cinema Archive. I can finally retire the dub I did from my VHS tape.

Now if someone would only issue City in Fear, a great TV film with quite a cast: David Janssen, Robert Vaughn, Mickey Rourke (as the psychotic bad guy -- surprise!), Susan Sullivan, William Daniels, Lew Ayres, Perry King, and Allan Miller. Then I could retire my last dub from VHS!

 

[ahollis]

One of my longtime wants, No Highway in the Sky, is now available from Fox Cinema Archive. I can finally retire the dub I did from my VHS tape.

You are going to love the transfer for this film. I think it is one if the better that Fox MOD has released. Enjoy.

 

[JoHud]

After viewing Me and My Gal, I can safely say that I recommend checking out the MOD. It appears to be a recent transfer of very good video quality. Audio isn't without fault, but is as good as one can expect from an early talkie. It also is one of the few pre-Zanuck Fox Film transfers that does not have a 30s era 20th Century Fox fanfare title card tacked onto the beginning of the film.

 

[bujaki]

Did you mean Me and My Gal? The TCM showing was very good. Same source, one hopes.

 

[JoHud]

Did you mean Me and My Gal? The TCM showing was very good. Same source, one hopes.

D'oh.. yes, that's what I meant. Fixed.

 

[lionel59]

I have read a review at amazon.com which states that the transfer of MOSS ROSE is an excellent one- above average for this series . 'DVD savant' ,ie. Glenn Erickson, states that the transfer of CRY OF THE CITY is "excellent...almost perfect". Encouraging. I could almost begin to believe the Fox Archives personnel are starting to listen to us....

 

[davidHartzog]

Cry of the City does look good, much better than the copy I used to have. I wonder what happened with Criterion, which supposedly had the rights to it for several years but never produced a DVD?

 

[Lromero1396]

I have read a review at amazon.com which states that the transfer of MOSS ROSE is an excellent one- above average for this series . 'DVD savant' ,ie. Glenn Erickson, states that the transfer of CRY OF THE CITY is "excellent...almost perfect". Encouraging. I could almost begin to believe the Fox Archives personnel are starting to listen to us....

I'd say "almost" as well, since we're dealing with black and white Academy ratio films here. Not badly misregistered Technicolor films or CinemaScope pictures.

 

[Robin9]

Cry of the City does look good, much better than the copy I used to have. I wonder what happened with Criterion, which supposedly had the rights to it for several years but never produced a DVD?

Which was the copy you used to have?

 

[borisfw]

Fox Cinema Archive seems to be slowing down the last few months . I hope they pick up the pace again after the holidays .

 

[davidHartzog]

The copy of Cry of the City I used to have, like Rogue Cop, I traded for. I believe it was taped off TCM. I have obtained many films noir, not available on DVD by trading for them, then generally replace them if they come out on DVD or BD. Some look pretty good, others, like Shakedown and and Guilty Bystander, pretty bad, but what you gonna do?

 

[Lromero1396]

Fox Cinema Archive seems to be slowing down the last few months . I hope they pick up the pace again after the holidays .

Only if the quality is up to the standard of Cry of the City and Moss Rose. If we go back to VHS-era masters and P&S travesties, then the increase in output will not have been worth it.

 

[borisfw]

For me I would prefer nice prints of every film put out by Fox . But if it's a movie I really want than I would rather have the film than not have the film . I would hope that it would be at the least a decent print . The worst Fox archive films I have so far would be Goodbye Charlie ,which is close to unwatchable with the way it was pan and scaned , and Madison Avenue . All of the pre 50s stuff they released ,that I bought, have looked fine for me .

 

[Robin9]

The copy of Cry of the City I used to have, like Rogue Cop, I traded for. I believe it was taped off TCM. I have obtained many films noir, not available on DVD by trading for them, then generally replace them if they come out on DVD or BD. Some look pretty good, others, like Shakedown and and Guilty Bystander, pretty bad, but what you gonna do?

Thanks for your reply. The reason I asked was I'm wondering if it's worth double-dipping for this film. The Region 2 DVD I already have is good.

 

[borisfw]

What's going on with the Fox cinema archives ? Nothing new in almost a month . Last month only a couple new titles . And no new announcements . I hope it's not ditching . Still many more titles for them to put out .

 

[Robert Crawford]

What's going on with the Fox cinema archives ? Nothing new in almost a month . Last month only a couple new titles . And no new announcements . I hope it's not ditching . Still many more titles for them to put out .

They're not the only ones that have taken it slow this quarter. So has Warner Archives and Olive.

 

[borisfw]

They're not the only ones that have taken it slow this quarter. So has Warner Archives and Olive.

That's true . Hopefully it picks up after the holidays .

 

[John Hermes]

What's going on with the Fox cinema archives ? Nothing new in almost a month . Last month only a couple new titles . And no new announcements . I hope it's not ditching . Still many more titles for them to put out .

Maybe Fox is getting their pan & scan fiasco corrected.