USHE Announcement: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[alistairKerr]

The "Marnie" sections you mention play fine on my Sony BDP S-350 player. Wonder what's causing this anomaly for you? As said previously, it might be that your player firmware needs updating?

 

[WilliamMcK]

Regarding the MARNIE anomalies: while I have the U.S. set and didn't have any issues with the MARNIE disc (other than the transfer), I have noticed that my Samsung player gets glitchy with the Hitchcock discs that are BD Live enhanced (my LG player -- which is not connected to the internet -- plays the discs without a problem). I don't think MARNIE *is* BD Live enhanced, but to be on the safe side try turning off that feature on your blu-ray deck and run MARNIE again.

 

[Matt Hough]

Just wanted to say my UK Hitchcock set arrived this morning, so I'm sorry for those who are still waiting. I wish I could dive right into the contents, but I've got a number of review discs that take priority.

 

[warnerbro]

I'm wondering what happened to FAMILY PLOT. There seems to be a bunch of electronic grain noise throughout. It doesn't look as good as the others. Disappointing. I always enjoy FAMILY PLOT. It is a lot of fun and Barbara Harris is one of the greatest actresses of all time.

 

[SteveMaturin]

Thanks for the comments re the Marnie UK disc. Switching off Blu-Ray live did not work. I do have the latest firmware for the machine but there has been no update for around 18 months now. Have now tried the problem areas at a neighbour's house and disc played fine. Presume my player is at fault. Will invest in a new one. Thanks for being so helpful to a newbie.

 

[David Weicker]

Thanks for the comments re the Marnie UK disc. Switching off Blu-Ray live did not work. I do have the latest firmware for the machine but there has been no update for around 18 months now. Have now tried the problem areas at a neighbour's house and disc played fine. Presume my player is at fault. Will invest in a new one. Thanks for being so helpful to a newbie.

I am not sure how you checked whether your firmware was current. I know that I went into the onscreen menu, and was told I was current. However, when I went to the manufacturer's website, it turned out I was at least one version behind. Because my player didn't detect a difference, I couldn't use the auto-update feature, and had to download the latest version and burn it to a CD.
All I am saying is double-check that you are current (before making a new purchase).
David

 

[Brent Lumkin]

I wanted to pop in and mention that I got in on the Fingerhut deal twice (for myself and one for a gift) - once on the 23rd, and once on the 26th. Both shipped, and I received my first order yesterday and the second should show up today. I had to stalk the page, checking it multiple times a day, to finally be able to order it. It would come in stock every few days for only a few minutes, other than the day before yesterday when it was in stock for at least an hour or so.
Anyway, they have now fixed the price and it's more in line with the normal INSANE prices from this awful company - $299.
This may be the first legit "deal" from the company in history.
I'd love to know who originally found this deal, and how. It doesn't, and as far as I know never has, come up in a search. I could only find by clicking the direct link to the item or searching Fingerhut Hitchcock in Google. Who knows, maybe they have other hidden misprices like this. It would really help to know how this one was first discovered though. Either way, thanks to whoever found it!

 

[warnerbro]

Does anyone know what is happening with ROPE? It looks like mold pretty much throughout. The only way to get rid of it is expensive digital restoration. Apparently THE RED SHOES had the same problem before they corrected it as shown in their documentary on the Criterion bluray.

 

[Scott Calvert]

Does anyone know what is happening with ROPE? It looks like mold pretty much throughout. The only way to get rid of it is expensive digital restoration. Apparently THE RED SHOES had the same problem before they corrected it as shown in their documentary on the Criterion bluray.

Technicolor mis-registration for 3 strip productions is hardly a new issue and it's like all of a sudden nobody knows what to make of it. Mold? What is that supposed to mean?
Rope looks really good on this BD. I hardly think the minor alignment issues are worth getting bent out of shape about.

 

[Dick]

I'm wondering what happened to FAMILY PLOT. There seems to be a bunch of electronic grain noise throughout. It doesn't look as good as the others. Disappointing. I always enjoy FAMILY PLOT. It is a lot of fun and Barbara Harris is one of the greatest actresses of all time.

Just watched FAMILY PLOT last night. The grain you mention does not look like natural grain, but rather grain added after noise reduction. But what do I know? In fact, however, it is only really annoying during indoor sequences such as the jewelry store, and some outdoor night shots. At most times, it is kept to a minimum and I did not find it as bothersome as many others. I dialed the sharpness level down (as the disc seemed over-sharp anyway) and was okay with my viewing of it.
I also did not find MARNIE to be as problematic as many others here. We all knew/know that Hitchcock's process shots were often pretty sloppy-looking, which is a shame. The blue fringing during such shots in TORN CURTAIN (the bus ride, for example) is distracting. But it were visible on theater screens in 1966, too! (Yes, I was there).
The one and only film in this set that I find inexcusable or virtually unfixable using t.v. color/sharpness/conrast controls is THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. That one is barely this side of a coaster.

 

[pitchman]

As promised by AmazonUK, my LE set showed up exactly on November 30th. I even received a text message saying it had been delivered. Despite the flimsy box it was shipped in, the box set arrived in perfect condition. That said, and as much as I am enjoying this thing, I don't see me ordering from them in the future. Their half-assed shipping method is a deal-breaker for me. This is the first time they sent something to me via DHL, and to not be able to choose a shipping preference (when paying a charge for standard shipping) does not seem right to me. After weeks of sitting in Croydon, the final insult was the package being "in transit" from St. Louis to Columbia, MO (a distance of about 100 miles) for THREE days. Crazy!

 

[Bleddyn Williams]

As promised by AmazonUK, my LE set showed up exactly on November 30th. I even received a text message saying it had been delivered. Despite the flimsy box it was shipped in, the box set arrived in perfect condition. That said, and as much as I am enjoying this thing, I don't see me ordering from them in the future. Their half-assed shipping method is a deal-breaker for me. This is the first time they sent something to me via DHL, and to not be able to choose a shipping preference (when paying a charge for standard shipping) does not seem right to me. After weeks of sitting in Croydon, the final insult was the package being "in transit" from St. Louis to Columbia, MO (a distance of about 100 miles) for THREE days. Crazy!

I've ordered from Amazon UK many times and this is the first time they've ever used DHL for me too. It must be due to the weight of the box. Unfortunately they do seem a lot slower than the good ol' Royal Mail.
I had decided to buy the US version as it looked neat and was compact too, and I'm running out of space. But as the weeks went by and pictures of the UK set leaked out, I started to regret my decision. All the comments from people loving their UK sets was the last straw! I sold my US set (for what I paid for it) and have ordered the UK one. Now I do the waiting that so many of you have already done! Can't wait to get this set - hopefully this side of Xmas!
And yes, I do have a place for it!

 

[Bleddyn Williams]

BTW, here's an interesting video on the making of the UK package...

 

[warnerbro]

I was very happy with my amazon UK experience. I love the UK set. It is perfect. I only paid about 120 bucks for it and it arrived in a week and the box was very well packed. I am very happy with the transfers as I think Universal did the best they could with the elements available for a fair price. FAMILY PLOT has some electronic noise, ROPE has some registration or mold issues, but that is the best we're going to get without an expensive restoration. I still love the way THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH looks. I barely see any of the problems others have described. I think it looks beautiful. VERTIGO looks beautiful. THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY looks ridiculously beautiful -- probably one of the most beautiful films ever made.

 

[Sumnernor]

Copied from Post 35 of December 3: Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection on Blu-ray. Which one?


I am not certain if this is the correct thread. I just bought from Amazon-UK the Hitchcock "The Masterpiece Collection" - not the special edition. The cost was circa £90 and is today £79. I bought is last week for circa 61£. I measured the box and it is 5.5 x 6 7/8 x 1.5 inches (or 24.5 x 27.5 x 3.8 cm)-



I see that Amazon-UK will have black Friday lightning deals Mon. Tue. Wed before Xmas with entries from circa 9AM-11AM british time- I hope to get the James Bond set with this.





I just bought a Blu-Ray multi-region portable player by XORO 1000 and I will soon hook it at up to my 31 inch TV. As mentioned on the Amaz-UK site, the Man Who Knew Too Much" seems to be fine-



PS- If you have ´"the Man Who Knew Too Much"" which is poor please state exactly where it is bad (giving time location)-

 

[David Weicker]

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY looks ridiculously beautiful -- probably one of the most beautiful films ever made.

What a fantastic phrase. And I totally agree.
David

 

[Reed Grele]

Big thanks to both Chas in CT and Rich_D for making last nights Hitchcock party a success!
Chas brought his deluxe U.K. Masterpiece box and shared its amazing contents. I was impressed! Wish there was a similar U.S. set available. If this goes on sale before Christmas, I might be tempted to pick one up.
We watched Saboteur and Torn Curtain. Also checked out the first 10 mins. or so of TMWKTM to see what the "pulsing" looked like on the Panny 7000 and 120" screen. It's there. Most noticeable during process shots, but not during other scenes. Does anyone know why this is?
Next time, maybe a 3D party.

 

[Charles Smith]

Thanks to Reed for hosting a fine evening -- and by all means, 3D next time!

(Incidentally, that other flick we were momentarily discussing is still on the IMAX screen in Danbury. Words to the wise...)

 

[rich_d]

Reed,
Thanks for hosting the Connecticut Crew last night. A lot of fun as always and great to chat with you and Chas in CT.

 

[Sumnernor]

I just bought from Amazon-UK the Hitchcock "The Masterpiece Collection" - not the special edition. The cost was circa £90 and is today £79. I bought it last week for circa 61£. I measured the box and it is 5.5 x 6 7/8 x 1.5 inches (or 24.5 x 27.5 x 3.8 cm)- This does not have a book but only the disks

I have also bought a portable Blu-Ray player (XORO HBD 1000) which is code-free for BR and DVDs and have played the Hitchcock disks on it. I have attached the player to my 31" LCD TV by the german company Loewe which is a very good quality TV made in Germany.. I don't have enough room for a bigger TV- I have tried the "Man Who --" and have played the first 30 minutes have have been happy with the picture - Like alot of people who bought the Amaz-UK set, I don't seem to have a problem with this film. I have also looked at other parts of it and found no problems- I will also test the other films especially the "problem" films

I have learned how to remove the disks without touching the playing side. I just push down on the disk and drag it out of the sleeve. The disk is not damaged.