Warner Archive Discussion Thread (FEEDBACK)

#2941

Rating: 0

11/14/09 at 4:54am

RUrahrah
Jim Almoney
offline

Joined: July 2009
Post Count: 20

I have a suggestion which I hope has some value re Archive quality problems: if you have one, report not only the fact of having one, but also who supplied the disc and what kind of customer service you got in getting a satisfactory replacement disc.

My experience over the years has been good in such situations with problem pressed discs and twice with Warner Archive titles; there have been instances where the pressed product of a major release have been discontinued and withdrawn from the market. I've yet to hear of an Archive title being discontinued for production quality reasons or discontinued at all.

As I've commented before, all I expect from Archive titles is they're equal in quality to the broadcast standards of TCM or prior laser disc releases. Beyond that I rely on the customer service reputation of the various sites where I purchase and the fact that titles are nor really restored unless they say so.

So now that I've had some 'heads up' on certain Archive titles, I can either wait for better news or know if I get a lemon the suppliers I use will provide a satisfactory replacement or a full refund.

I look forward to future postings on whether reported problem isuues are resolved.

#2942

Rating: 0

11/14/09 at 9:48am

borisfw
Frank
offline

Joined: March 2009
Post Count: 196

I've now watched tarzan's Fight for Life,Lost Safari and Hidden Jungle. very happy with all. They look very good and i enjoyed all of them. As for Tarzan's Greatest Adventure. I have tried it in all 6 of my homes dvd players with no success. When i talked to the Archive customer service the other day they told me that there has been many calls on that title and that they were checking the warehouse to correct any problem there might be. After that they would send me out a replacement disc. So i'm not too concerned.

They did not correct the problem with Mark Twain. My replacement disc still had the same issue as my first disc. Above and Beyond also had some type of glitch.that wasn't corrected on the replacement. Neither title has that problem on vhs or record off of TCM. So who knows where the issue comes from.

#2943

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 6:00am

Thomas T
offline

Joined: September 2001
Post Count: 1,267

It had to happen eventually I suppose. Over 70 titles from the Warners archive in my collection and now my first unplayable disc. Received HOT MILLIONS yesterday and my Toshiba DVD player won't play it and neither will my Toshiba laptop. The DVD player simply reads "Bad Disc" after the disc is inserted. Anyone else had this problem with HOT MILLIONS? It does have some purple ring like discoloration around the inner edge just like those have had problems with some of the Gordon Scott Tarzan titles.

#2944

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 7:42am

RUrahrah
Jim Almoney
offline

Joined: July 2009
Post Count: 20

'Hot Millions' played great in my SONY changer and JVC player. The reputable suppliers should stand behind the sale and readily provide a replacement. All my Archive purchase have been from wbshops.com and they promptly resolved the two quality problems I had.

#2945

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 8:29am

Thomas T
offline

Joined: September 2001
Post Count: 1,267

I called customer service this morning and they say they'll report the problem to the disc manufacturer and a replacement should arrive within 10 days. I just hope the replacement doesn't have the same problem.

#2946

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 9:51am

Rob_Ray
offline

Joined: April 2004
Location: SoCal
Post Count: 253

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas T

It had to happen eventually I suppose. Over 70 titles from the Warners archive in my collection and now my first unplayable disc. Received HOT MILLIONS yesterday and my Toshiba DVD player won't play it and neither will my Toshiba laptop. The DVD player simply reads "Bad Disc" after the disc is inserted. Anyone else had this problem with HOT MILLIONS? It does have some purple ring like discoloration around the inner edge just like those have had problems with some of the Gordon Scott Tarzan titles.

I had this exact same problem (purple ring, etc.) with "The Singing Fool" and received a replacement disc. I received a replacement disc after calling customer service. Initially they wanted me to ship the defective disc back to them for inspection but after asking for a supervisor's intervention, the customer service rep waived this request and shipped the replacement, which plays fine.

I now visually inspect every Warner Archive purchase immediately upon receipt. This is one defect that is visible to the naked eye.

#2947

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 12:25pm

Bob Gu
Bob Gudera
offline

Joined: June 2006
Post Count: 323

Thomas T, I think some of the WB Archive burners are incompatible with Toshiba players. I mentioned a few pages back, that except for the Joe McDoakes set, every archive title I have purchased since July '09 will not play in my Toshiba player (2004 model year). The piracy label loads, counter stops at 11, and then nothing until "no disc" comes up. The discs play fine in my Philips player.

My earlier Archive purchases still play fine in the Toshiba.

#2948

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 12:41pm

Rob_Ray
offline

Joined: April 2004
Location: SoCal
Post Count: 253

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Gu

Thomas T, I think some of the WB Archive burners are incompatible with Toshiba players. I mentioned a few pages back, that except for the Joe McDoakes set, every archive title I have purchased since July '09 will not play in my Toshiba player (2004 model year). The piracy label loads, counter stops at 11, and then nothing until "no disc" comes up. The discs play fine in my Philips player.

My earlier Archive purchases still play fine in the Toshiba.

The visible defect on the disc (the purple spiraling ring) that Thomas mentioned made my copy of "The Singing Fool" unreadable in every player in my house: Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba and my PC.

#2949

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 2:28pm

tomwil
Tom
offline

Joined: October 2008
Post Count: 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by RUrahrah

I've yet to hear of an Archive title being discontinued for production quality reasons or discontinued at all.

It seems Amazon has discontinued selling the "One On One" DVD because of problems. It is marked "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer."

So now, there are other sellers on Amazon selling it for $40.

#2950

Rating: 0

11/17/09 at 5:28pm

RUrahrah
Jim Almoney
offline

Joined: July 2009
Post Count: 20

If 'One On One' has problems, wbshops.com doesn't seem to know about it, it's still offered there, and they are supposed to be the primary outlet for the Warner Archive Collection. I still think my post is correct.

#2951

Rating: 0

11/18/09 at 8:38am

VelvetVampire
David
offline

Joined: September 2009
Post Count: 3

It looks like the Archive Collection is doing well. The Value Paks have been trimmed back, no more Joan Crawford., Marie Dressler or Robert Taylor bundles. I can't see much in the way of discounts being offered so could the person who's posted here saying he can get the discs for $10 each post the coupon codes again? I don't know of any that drive the price lower than $15.

My experience with WB Shop customer service has been all good except for one little episode which I consider unbelievable. I filled out their survey, but at the end did not get the promised coupon code. I wrote to Wanrer and got this reply:

"Thank you for your recent email. Unfortunately, we do not have the discount codes available to send out. I apologize for this inconvenience. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us again."

Gotta love corporate America. Can never admit to the slightest error or make the tiniest amends.

To overseas readers: not only Movies Unlimited offers these titles by airmail, two stores which also have websites Kims and Cinema Classics both do. They both have multiple archive titles in their stores. I don't know about you but the times I've called Movies Unlimited I've talked to people who seem to know as much about movies as my cat does about credit default swaps.

On another subject I've seen on this thread some people don't like Lionsgate. I don't know much about them but they have released several cheap box sets of obscure art films which is pretty cool for a big studio.

#2952

Rating: 0

11/18/09 at 9:13am

Bob Cashill
offline

Joined: August 2001
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Post Count: 420

Those foreign film collections are (or were) good...but they're the exception rather than the rule for the studio.

#2953

Rating: 0

11/18/09 at 8:39pm

Richard M S
offline

Joined: March 2005
Post Count: 454

I did not see this posted, so here is some fascinating news:

NYPost Article 11/18/09

"DVD Extra: Warner Archive gets some remastering"

"Some of the early Warner Archive releases should not have been put out because of the quality,'' admits Warner Home Video's George Feltenstein, who says the studio has set a "higher bar for quality'' because of fan complaints. "We've rejected a lot of things we planned to release, like 'Lucky Night' with Robert Taylor and Mryna Loy, which has a very shaky image,'' he says. The original concept of the Warner Archive was to use existing digital masters used for TV and VHS to make a large number of films -- more than 350 so far -- available on demand that wouldn't have supported a regular commercial DVD release. "Now we're going to do some re-mastering on a small group of films, and hopefully more if we can get the budget,'' Feltenstein says. (There are a number of widescreen Warner Bros. films from the '50s and '60s, like "The Chapman Report,'' that presently exist only in old pan-and-scan transfers and would have to be redone in letterbox).

He is particularly keen on the "beautiful'' new high-def master for Roy Rowland's "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes'' (1945) with Margaret O'Brien, one of a group of Edward G. Robinson movies that became available yesterday at warnerachive.com. (The others are Raoul Walsh's rousing "Manpower'' with Marlene Dietrich and George Raft; Howard Hawks' "Tiger Shark,'' Mervyn LeRoy's fascinating "Two Seconds'' with Mary Astor; "The Man With Two Faces,'' from a play by Alexander Wollcott and George S. Kaufman; and "The Last Gangster'' with a moustachioed James Stewart). Coming up from the Archive is a remastered version of Michael Curtiz' "Mammy'' with Al Jolson, complete with restored Technicolor sequences. "That one looks good enough for Blu-ray,'' he says. For those "myopic individuals'' griping that WHV is focusing its resources away from regular DVD releases to Archive releases and Blu-gray upgrades, Feltenstein says "we have a very robust schedule planned for both regular DVD and the Archive. I think people are going to be pleased.'' The studio has already announced a 10-title fifth volume for its film noir series for 2010, as as well as another Errol Flynn set (the latter will not include "Santa Fe Trail,'' which is being photochemically restored after long-missing original elements were discovered). Over at the Archive, Feltenstein promises more titles featuring stars who haven't been well represented so far -- James Cagney, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart and Wallace Beery. Sales for the relative handful of TV movies and mini-series released so far "blew everyone away. We had our best month yet in October. I have found some stuff nobody even knows about. There was a series called 'Conflict' that Warners made for ABC in the '50s, with a lot of stars in remakes of old movies, like Natalie Wood in a version of 'Pretty Baby.' '' One of the big vintage titles bowing on Blu-ray -- within the next six months, Felteinstein says -- is George Cukor's 1954 version of "A Star is Born'' with Judy Garland. "It's an extraordinary presentation, with a lot of exciting extras,'' he says. Felsteinstein confirmed our earlier report that the extras include a remastered version of William Wellman's classic 1937 version. But not Cukor's "What Price Hollywood,'' which is considered a precursor. "We considered it, but there wasn't space and it truly isn't a version of the same story.''

#2954

Rating: 0

11/18/09 at 11:30pm

jdee28
John
offline

Joined: October 2006
Post Count: 496

It's nice to hear Warner finally addressing the quality issue. It sounds like there is hope for the program; but they have a long, long way to go.

One thing I wish they'd address is why the price of these discs have not been adjusted for quality. Why does a remastered film cost exactly the same as an unremastered one? Why not lower the price for the unremastered ones, as a concession to their low quality?

George Feltenstein's quote that "Some of the early Warner Archive releases should not have been put out because of the quality'' is big. But what are they going to do about those low quality films? Do a recall, issue refunds, lower prices? Remaster some of them? It's nice that they're going to try and not do this in the future and have a "higher bar for quality," but what about the past? Those older discs are still there, being sold.

And as far as the future goes, remastering a handful of titles is nice, but it's akin to battling a forest fire with a tablespoon of water, as it sounds like most of the titles they release will continue to be "the best quality available," which for most of the films of the 30s, 40s and 50s is a far, far cry from meeting today's HD standards.

And as far as the remastering goes, if I hadn't read this article, I would have had no idea that "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes" has been remastered. Why not advertise it more? Why not make it crystal clear on the website which titles have been digitally remastered and which have not? Why the big secret?

The Warner Archive is just too ahead of its time. They should not have launched it without having in place some standard of quality that could be applied to each and every film. They should have waited until the technology was there, technology that assured that each and every film was given at least a new digital telecine. Perhaps they could have profited too from waiting for better web technology, technology that allows for a smoother operating, easily updated website. They jumped the gun, and now they're suffering the growing pains that go with it.

#2955

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 3:38am

MarcoBiscotti
offline

Joined: September 2003
Post Count: 4,685

I agree with you. This is a program that I would love to get behind in theory, but it should not have been launched so prematurely.

While it does seem very promising that Warners are now addressing the quality issues (and it appears as though rival studios like Universal have forced them to do so with their own vault program) they still have not addressed what's to become of those earlier titles. I've asked this question before and I'm not sure if anyone truly knows the answer, but what about those early releases that were not even progressively scanned? Have those been corrected with more recent pressings? What about int'l shipping and at the very least, Canadian consumers? Price points are still iffy, and what Warners ought to do is offer some sort of Columbia House like program, where members could order "x" amount of titles per month/year at significant discount or member's price, and with an obligation to fulfill a purchase of at least 10 titles within a 12 month period. Or similarly adjusted. I would also like to see a section on their website that clearly indicates the titles that have undergone restorartion, and would hope that those which haven't, were offered at discounted rates as the pricing still does not reflect the cost and resources going into these releases. Continual flat offers like buy 2 and get any 3rd DVD at fifty-percent off when selecting genre titles, or those by the same actors or directors would encourage me to spend some more time on their website as well. Offering the option to customize bundle packs by star and director names would also be added incentive. My biggest gripe is the way in which Warners have set the bar with this series, which could have been something great. While it's nice to know that they're rethinking certain aspects of the way in which they are running the program, until these earlier issues are addressed more clearly I cannot get behind it. And I will still not ever pay $20 + s/h for a DVD-R. The pricing structure needs to be fixed to reflect the product being sold. It's a step in the right direction for sure, but until then...

#2956

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 3:50am

Jeff Willis
offline

Joined: January 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Post Count: 2,264

What surprises me is that he said the Archive is "blowing people away". Maybe that's just studio PR but if true, at least the burn-on-demand concept isn't tanking out of the gate.

While I agree that the program needs to be adjusted, to me, there's no doubt that, given the age of the (SD) DVD format and the # of titles that haven't been released, most of the Archive titles wouldn't have seen a widespread pressed release anyway so it's the only way without waiting for a TCM or other network release, to get these titles to the private collector.

"Checkmate King Two Out" Jeff Willis "Combat! A Selmur Production"

I'm a 50's - mid-90's TV/DVD Collector. One DVD show since '96: Firefly

The Fugitive/See Hollywood & Die: [Miles] "What, you think I'm crazy?!" [Kimble] "Next question."

#2957

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 3:50am

RUrahrah
Jim Almoney
offline

Joined: July 2009
Post Count: 20

The article posted in RICHARD M S's Forum item #2953 is MUST READING for all Forum members.

Next, who knows? With this news I'm confident that MY future Warner Archive purchases will continue to enhance my collection, always remembering from 30 years experience of home video purchases that 'remastered' and 'restored' are rarely synonymous. But something better is always better. After crawling comes walking. Next, who knows.

#2958

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 4:00am

Corey
offline

Joined: March 2006
Post Count: 1,389

If they're not gonna do value packs, then I can't afford purchasing Warner Archives. I'm very disenchanted with them if that's the case.

Corey's most wanted R1 dvds:

Little Darlings (1980), My Cousin Rachel (1952), The Deep Blue Sea (1955), The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), Born to Be Bad (1950), Ivy (1947), Reckless (1935), Springtime in the Rockies (1942), The Barretts of Wimpole Street

#2959

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 8:26am

smithb
Brad Smith
offline

Joined: September 2008
Post Count: 451

I liked hearing about a new Errol Flynn set (even if not part of the archives). I have an old PD version of "Santa Fe Trail" and would like to see that get a decent treatment.

#2960

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 11:56am

shoeshineboy
dan olson
offline

Joined: September 2009
Location: Vancouver BC
Post Count: 14

Sorry, but actors like Flynn, Grant, Davis, Cagney and Robinson would have been able sustain standard pressed DVD releases and not this knock-off version - in fact, their catalogue has helped Warners and their rivals make a lot of money over the years. Another Gangsters boxset would have been a big moneymaker, as were the previous editions. Right now because their investment into the final release product is lessened, they can say their profits are greater. But don't try and sell their lame quick-buck program by telling me either that these movies would never see the light of day otherwise, or that there is no market for it.
The archive market place is actually smaller -- lower standard, no real and consistent price break (so just as expensive as standard dvd) and virtually no foreign market.

#2961

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 3:17pm

MarcoBiscotti
offline

Joined: September 2003
Post Count: 4,685

This is true, and unlike a few years back when the market was flooded with classic releases from Warners, Fox, Criterion, the smaller independants and boutique labels and even studios like MGM and Universal were dumping out more product -- there's virtually no competition for retail shelf space these days as all the product has dried up and the studios are cutting back. More pressed discs of Cagney, Robinson, Davis and the other major stars in cost-value collector sets as had once been the set standard for the studio would indeed be sufficient capital for WHV and help pull us all out of this rut for classic film on DVD.

#2962

Rating: 0

11/19/09 at 7:01pm

Brandon Conway
offline

Joined: September 2002
Post Count: 3,745

I suspect that one of the reasons for an increase in the WA budget to raise that quality bar has something to do with the better than expected sales.

My DVD/BD Collection
Criterion DVD/BDs Owned: 55, Total DVDs Owned: 525, Blu-ray Discs Owned: 227

#2963

Rating: 0

11/20/09 at 5:24am

Eric Peterson
Eric Peterson
offline

Joined: August 2001
Location: Chicago Suburbs
Post Count: 2,544

Where is the announcement for the Film Noir volume 5 that the article says has already been made? What titles are included?

As for the archive, I'm please that they're admitting to the quality problems, and while I think it's foolish to expect every title to be restored and remastered, I would be much more likely to dip my toes in the water if they simply added a field to each title explaining the age of the transfer and implementing a pricing scale to justify the continued sale of older transfers.

On the other hand, I'm disturbed by comments that the Value-Packs have disappeared. There are very few titles that I'm willing to pay $20 for at this point in the game and if they ever want me as a regular customer, they're going to have to do better. In the meantime, I've been scrambling to pick up as many of their past releases that I previously passed on. For those interested, many of them are on sale at Amazon for less than $6 (with extras!!)

"Shoot a few scenes out of focus. I want to win the foreign film award."
Billy Wilder

"This business has come a long way in the last 30 years, but why should I depress you"
I.A.L. Diamond on the Movie Business (1986)

#2964

Rating: 0

Yesterday at 4:56 pm

VelvetVampire
David
offline

Joined: September 2009
Post Count: 3

Hello Noirists

The titles for Volume 5 are

Cornered/ Desperate

Phenix City Story/ Dial 1119

Armored Car Robbery/ Crime in the Streets

Deadline at Dawn/ Backfire (1950)

Cool, huh?

#2965

Rating: 0

Yesterday at 5:03 pm

Paul Penna
offline

Joined: August 2002
Post Count: 166

Quote:

Originally Posted by VelvetVampire

Hello Noirists

The titles for Volume 5 are

Cornered/ Desperate

Phenix City Story/ Dial 1119

Armored Car Robbery/ Crime in the Streets

Deadline at Dawn/ Backfire (1950)

Cool, huh?

In the immortal words of James Ellroy, "Ahhhggglllgggghhh..."

This will be a regular pressed-disc, retail set, not Archive.

#2966

Rating: 0

Yesterday at 9:00 pm

Mike_Richardson
offline

Joined: September 2002
Post Count: 575

The transfer on UNDER THE RAINBOW is unquestionably horrible -- the worst of all the WB Archive titles I've seen to date (even worse than ONE ON ONE). Granted I've been buying mostly movies from the '60s onwards, but buyer beware -- it's really poor, and I've liked the great deal of Archive titles I've purchased.

Tags

Related Forum Threads

Other Threads

Recent Reviews

What Users Want

Got Facebook?

Already a User?

Create a New Account

Recent Discussions

Recent Reviews

Recent Wikis