"Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29 - Page 9

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

i'm with you ron, that's why i ought it so i can decide for myself on a film that i
think is great.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Re-releases are part of the studio's home video business model.

I only re-buy if the video is improved and I suspect that won't happen quite as much as it did with DVD. A lot of the Blu-ray re-releases are going to be more extras, BD-live, etc. IMO.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Really? The Patton shot posted in here looked about 100X worse to me. Waxy and halo'd. This looks like a properly colour timed film shot to me... based on never seeing it in the theaters, and having no idea what it actually looks like in context to other scenes in the movie. But as a still from a film? Looks ok.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

I for one don't think that screenshots are "totally useless" at all. The screengrabs from "The Longest Day" very clearly showed the issues that RAH and many others had with the transfer.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0#post14395870

We rented the Tremors Hddvd and it looked just as smeary and full of EE as this screengrab illustrates.
Kevin bacon looks like he has a forcefield around his hat. And guess what? looks EXACTLY the same in motion on the HDdvd unfortunately.



and with these shots you can actually see how much more detail and better looking the trailer for "The golden compass" on the BD disc is than the film itself. Full size versions here at AVS.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1#post14330861

I'm not saying that Dark City has anywhere near this kind of DNR and EE, (it might very well look very good) but you can clearly gauge certain things from screengrabs when taken directly off of a disc in context.

Images converted to links by moderator.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Dave, I've converted your screen caps to links. Those who are interested can click on them. Otherwise there's no point in burdening a thread about Dark City with screen caps from other films.

M.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

I just spun parts of this disc to check it out, it looks outstanding on my 87" screen via a Z3. If you're in doubt about the purchase because of comments in this thread, don't be, go get it.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Thanks, Michael.

Should've thought of that myself.

Hey, we're back in NYC!

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Not to side-step from the image quality discussion that I really can't take part in since I am viewing Blu on a PS3 in standard-def, but, I watched the director's cut last night and IMO it is FAR superior to the theatrical cut! It is much more cohesive, involving and just plain satisfying. As Proyas stated, he didn't try to reinvent the wheel here, rather, what we get is his original cut, and as far as I'm concerned, it is a much, MUCH better film than what was released. Kudos to New Line for giving us the opportunity to see it. Fans of the original (and even non-fans) should definitely check it out!

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

I watched the DC last night and it gets passing grades on my meager "70 display. Keep in mind I did no still frame analysis, looking for flaws but I watched it as a normal person would, engrossed in the film and I concur with Ron P.

I did take a mental note of looking for EE based on the infamous 400% zoomed and cropped jpg of the cops head that was posted somewhere in this thread and that particular scene went by so fast I had a hard time finding that force field even when I was purposely looking for it. I have to say if anyone's display looks anything near as bad as that jpg shot then their equipment is in serious need of calibration.

As for the DC vs Theatrical it's been a couple years since I watched the original cut but I'll say that I do prefer the DC as it fleshes out the story a bit better and doesn't feel as rushed as the theatrical seemed.

All in all a worthy purchase for me.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

How would it look different on a proper 1080p setup ? It is a direct cap from the Blu-Ray, it is not like somebody made this up. There are clearly different perceptions and setups but the artefact is on the disc and it is always there to be seen provided the setup and the viewer are both up to the task

When I see the tendency to belittle those that discuss problems with certain transfers I wonder why you cannot just enjoy the movie if you don't see any problems ? If you bother to chime in you could at least pause the scene where the cop appears and you could see the halo for yourself provided your equipment is not so bad that it is not visible which in this case would be difficult.

I hopefully will be able to go forcefield hunting errrhh enjoying the movie this weekend - this will be the first time I watch the director's cut

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Cropped and zoomed 400% on a compressed jpg? Nope not the same as 1080P in full motion on a calibrated display.

Why didn't I pause the movie? Not my thing, I'll leave that to others. When I watch a movie, I'm watching a movie.......pausing the picture to analyze it for flaws doesn't exactly replicate the theatrical experience (which is what this hobby is all about isn't it?) If the only way one can notice a flaw is to pause the screen to study the picture then it's a very minor flaw to me.

YMMV of course and to each their own.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

I think it is not a good idea not to enjoy a movie due to this or pause it when watching it for the first time. But as the discussion centers around artefacts like this why not revisit the scene later to verify how it looks ? As you choose not to it seems you are not really annoyed by this flaw - you will be much happier with the Blu-Ray format and its releases than others.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Thanks for that link, Dave! Since it compares the same film on Blu Ray, it demolishes the "what are you complaining about, it's better than the DVD" argument that many like to make (as well as the "oh, you demand too much from the studios, no one is perfect" argument). You can CLEARLY see how much better Blu Ray CAN be than what is often offered.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Something tells me, he will be a part of the majority and not the very vocal minority regarding these issues.





Crawdaddy

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Probably, but I doubt that the majority will complain when transfers get better in the long run due to the vocal minority making their voices heard

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Viewed the director's cut version of Dark City on a 102" screen (with a 720P LCD FP) yesterday evening and was pleased with the overall experience. While it did look a little processed (and to be frank I'm not certain how much the entire DNR discusion influenced my perception) there was still good detail in the image and I did not see objectionable EE.

I am fully cognizant of my signature and how it relates to discussions such as this one, but on the whole I can recommend the disc. If your choices for viewing Dark City are this Bd disc, or the original DVD, then that is no choice at all.

- Walter.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

What is this even supposed to mean, zoomed 400%? You make it sound like zooming adds waxyness or haloes that are not there or makes them suddenly look much worse than they really are. I see the issues clear as day looking at 'unzoomed' 1080p 1:1 stills on my > 1080p computer monitor. I can see them as easily when projected on my screen in 1080p. When you watch your stuff cinema style and not TV style you have a built in zoom factor compared to people that watch on monitors sitting more screen widths or heights away than you are. Fact is when you sit close enough to resolve 1080p detail with your eyes you see the issues clearly if you know what EE and DNR artifacts are. With 1:1 pixel mapping and no extra zooming in at all.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

I don´t know about you, but after (almost) 10 pages of debate, this seems to be the message:

"Dark City: Director's Cut" has some minor "issues" and these issues might have effect on the A/V purists. Generally, it´s still a pretty good transfer and most people are pleased. It´s not "perfect", but it´s not as "bad" as titles like "Patton", when it comes to DNR.

Can we now go to sleep.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

I would think that the adjective used could elicit debates, but the issues are probably minor to most viewers.


There are quite a few would argue that


True to all of that although I would hate to have to accept every Blu-Ray that looks better than Patton as good enough.


It's only 6 o clock in the early evening over here and the guys form the US just got up so I guess not

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

What everyone needs to remember is that this transfer is probably over a year old. I remember discussions of this cut being finished and prepped for release from about that long ago, if not longer. I believe Ebert recorded his commentary before his latest surgery, and he's been gone a while due to that.

While this is in no way an excuse, I'm just trying to relay the possibility that this may have been "in the can" (or is it "in the hard drive" now?) for over a year. They probably didn't want to go back and do the work over for a title that, quite frankly, isn't going to sell a whole lot of copies.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

It is going to sell a whole lot less copies than it would have sold had they gone back and fixed the issue.

Speedracer is in exactly the same boat with its lack of a lossless track. How many more copies would have been sold if the respective studios had done the job right the first time?

Right now, a good portion of Blu-ray owners are audio/visual nuts. That is why they own Blu-ray in the first place. They want the best picture and sound options available. What part of that equation do the studios not get?

They don't seem to get that they are not dealing with satisfying the casual movie watcher. They don't seem to get that they are dealing with a group of people whose biggest hobby is watching films, and that this group still makes up a large percentage of blu-ray ownership.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Just saw it last night. 92in FP setup.

I agree with the assessment above, as well as with RAH's observations, if memory serves. The DNR bugs me, but it's not a deal breaker, and it's certainly not anywhere in the same universe as Patton and TLD.

About the new Director's Cut, which I don't think I've heard enough discussion about: I think it's fantastic. I found the theatrical cut awkward and oddly paced and edited. Things flow much better now, and there's some breathing room from scene-to-scene it seems.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

What is this even supposed to mean? Have you seen this disc on your display? and are you saying your diplay looks exactly like that cropped, zoomed in and compressed jpg image?


Let me put it this way, if something takes me out of the HT movie experience then it's an issue for me.

Some other people appear intent on looking for flaws, which seems to me another hobby in and of itself.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

thank You - I popped into this string to hear about the added material, not the quality of the rip. I care about both to a point, but the story is first.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

d p

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Jim, since you keep mentioning the "infamous" shot that I posted, actually that shot was not zoomed 400%, not zoomed at all, simply cropped. Are you aware of this? You've mentioned it Several times. You don't need to purposefully exaggerate to try and make a point.

"Dark City"-The Directors Cut & Review Thread - Page 14 - AVS Forum

and the original shot was a png actually, not a jpeg. The EE is just as bad in the uncompressed png image.
The best equipment in the world, calbrated or not, will not magically make the EE go away.

ImageBam - Fast, Free Image Hosting and Photo Sharing

I'm not disputing what you say at all about the disc, and maybe the whole issue is a bit blown out of proportion but you should keep your facts straight if you're going to comment on what other member's post. To some EE and DNR really is no big deal and huzzah. But to others it is.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

I just finished watching this, and, overall, I thought the presentation was above average. I have a 50" plasma, which is admittedly small, but I try to compensate by sitting six and a half feet or so away from it. I noticed some inconsistency in detail in actor's faces (pores, etc.), but I'm honestly not sure I would've noticed had I not seen the screen shots posted.

Ideally, this release could be better, but, ultimately, I agree with RAH that this release is 'affected' by DNR but not 'infected'. One thing I do know is that the director's cut was fantastic, and I'd highly recommend anyone on the fence at least rent this disc because, realistically, you aren't likely to get another one anytime soon.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

Based on the HD Digest review I picked it up as well, figuring I could sell it if I wasnt happy with it.

I have a 36 inch Sony CRT at home and have to say I was pretty happy with what I saw.

Its a substantial improvement over the DVD. It is a bit uneven but overall but the picture is really nice with extremely vibrant colors. To be completely honest I didnt notice a loss in detail on my television that some other with larger screens may notice.

Id like to try it on my G/Fs 50 inch Sony though for comparison.

And yes the DC is the better film.

Re: "Dark City: Director's Cut" coming to Blu-ray on July 29

The jpeg compression as used in the stills does not add haloes or waxyness. And I have see uncompressed stills showing exactly what's on the disc with the same waxyness.
For example here: John Murdoch-Wax
And yes, with stills like that I see the waxyness and DNR problems clearly on my screen. In addition I see the temporal DNR artifacts one can not see on stills.
For me too. Stuff like this takes me out very quickly of any film.
When the flaws are obvious to you they are obvious to you. No hobby or intent required. For some Patton and Longest Day are flawless. So what? The reference to measure the transfer against is the look of the original film and not some person's subjective tolerance level or preferences for deviations from that look. That is no basis for a neutral evaluation of the transfer, only a basis for personal buying/renting/not watching decisions.