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Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008 - Page 6

post #151 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I hate discs in cardboard sleeves!
post #152 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I will probably put this on my Christmas list for this year. I'm not to thrilled about the sleeves, but I'm sure I can find some kind of alternative.
post #153 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Tucker
Yes, people were complaining about scratched discs in the Simpsons set, so I was concerned if this was the same. Seems like there is a high likelihood for damaged discs.

I'm not concerned with my own ability to treat this set carefully enough to avoid scratches (I'll probably use those soft disc-envelope pouch things inside each sleeve).... but I am a bit concerned about the likelihood of getting scratched discs upon purchase. Looks like I'll be opening this baby up before I leave Costco with it....

Having said that, I think it's a gorgeous looking set. I really like the design.
post #154 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Just picked up my set from Costco. I really hate the cardboard sleeves inside a binder design. I was hoping for individual slimcases as I like to break up my box sets for cataloging purposes. No problem, I'll just order a few more slimcases and scan the artwork in the binder for a DIY project.
post #155 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I picked up this set this evening. The Lodger, Young and Innocent, Rebecca, Spellbound and The Paradine Case will not play in my Sony SN715P player, but so far they play fine in my Panasonic and Toshiba. There appears to be no problem with Lifeboat, Sabotage and Notorious. I've never had any problems with the Sony player before but I find it very strange that five discs in one set will not load. The discs don't appear to be scratched although one disc has minor marks on it, probably due to the packaging.

Anyone else have any problems in this area?
post #156 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Okay, got my set (it was $79.99 at my local Costco). It's really cool. The design is unlike DVD set I've ever seen. Quite beautiful.

HOWEVER...

The cardboard sleeves are an absolute menace. The discs are crammed tightly inside. While none of my discs are actually scratched, a few have little nicks and scuffs on them. And Notorious, my favorite film in the whole set, is a bit scuffed and has a scary milky appearance, like ghostly swirls across the underside. It seems to play fine, but I made a backup copy just in case. I suppose if worse comes to worse I can simply pick up the stand-alone edition of Notorious to replace this disc... but damn it, I shouldn't have to.

I had an idea (mentioned in an earlier post) that I could simply slip soft disc envelopes inside the cardboard sleeves.... nope, can't do it. The sleeves aren't wide enough to fit them inside.

Bottom line: Gorgeous set, but fatally flawed. Since the best four films in the set are available individually (Notorious, Spellbound and Rebecca, plus Lifeboat), I'd only recommend this set to hardcore Hitch collectors (like me). I've taken all eight discs out of the binder, and they will NEVER go back in.

Holy shit. The outer slipcase, which is actually hard plastic, just broke. I picked it up, applying almost zero force, and a chunk of it just snapped off. Guess I'm exchanging it.... maybe my next set will have pristine discs....
post #157 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Beam
And Notorious, my favorite film in the whole set, is a bit scuffed and has a scary milky appearance, like ghostly swirls across the underside.

All of my discs, playable or not, have a swirly, liquidy appearance on the underside although it's clear rather than milky. I'd call it watery. I'm afraid mine's going back and I'd be hesitant on getting a replacement.
post #158 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I can't count the number of discs that I own that have that milky appearance on them and I've never had a single problem.
post #159 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR
I can't count the number of discs that I own that have that milky appearance on them and I've never had a single problem.
me neither, and I'll add swirly scratches from packaging to that as well. only discs I've had issues with are pre-viusly viewed from rentals with insane scratches and Universal duel layered flipper discs.
post #160 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Okay, so I ran over to Costco and exchanged my set. My new NOTORIOUS looks identical to the last one! Milky swirl, plus a few little nicks. I got lucky with the others.... except Lifeboat, which has a pretty huge scratch on it. At least I have the previously-released edition, which has identical content...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Russell G
...I'll add swirly scratches from packaging to that as well. only discs I've had issues with are pre-viusly viewed from rentals with insane scratches and Universal duel layered flipper discs.

After dropping eighty bucks on this set, I expect the discs to be pristine. I also expect to be able to take the discs in and out over the years and not damage them every time I do so. As I previously said, it's a beautiful package, but these cardboard sleeves are awful. Even if the discs still play fine, I don't think it's asking too much for a brand new product to arrive undamaged.
post #161 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I have to know -- how does The Lodger look???? This will weigh heavily in my decision to get this set or not, since a number of the titles will be double-dips.
post #162 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Silent Era says:

After years of waiting, silent film enthusiasts will finally be able to add a high-quality home video edition of The Lodger to their collections. This edition includes commentary by historian Patrick McGilligan, a featurette “The Sound of Silence: The Making of The Lodger,” an audio presentation of the 1940 radio adaptation as directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Herbert Marshall and Edmund Gwenn, Peter Bogdanovich and Francois Truffaut individually interviewing Hitchcock, a restoration comparison, and a stills gallery.

With the first high-quality releases of Sabotage and Young and Innocent, along with the inclusion of other Hitchcock sound features that have been out-of-print for some time, this collection seems to be a tremendous bargain despite its cost.


Really don't know what to do about this right now, with the dupes I'd be getting (okay, one dupe, the rest semi-dupes...), plus the £/$ price not being too hot, money too tight to mention, I shouldn't even be thinking about it. But B&N have it at 30% off, and I have a 20% off coupon, and it would be a nice birthday present (to myself)...damn...
post #163 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

With this and other recent packaging disasters it made me think of how back in the day when sets were released in digipaks (think The X-Files sets or the Alien Quadrilogy), people were vehemently poopooing them, and I thought they were brilliant and beautiful packages, and safe. Now we have this crap.
post #164 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig Beam
The outer slipcase, which is actually hard plastic, just broke. I picked it up, applying almost zero force, and a chunk of it just snapped off. Guess I'm exchanging it.... maybe my next set will have pristine discs....

It literally took less than 30 seconds for my case to fall apart. It is a fundamental design flaw to think that somehow those joints would be strong enough for a case to hold a book of that size and weight. I think it would be a waste of time to even try to glue it back together again due to the bad design in the first place.
post #165 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob_Ray
I picked up this set this evening. The Lodger, Young and Innocent, Rebecca, Spellbound and The Paradine Case will not play in my Sony SN715P player, but so far they play fine in my Panasonic and Toshiba. There appears to be no problem with Lifeboat, Sabotage and Notorious. I've never had any problems with the Sony player before but I find it very strange that five discs in one set will not load. The discs don't appear to be scratched although one disc has minor marks on it, probably due to the packaging.

Anyone else have any problems in this area?

The Lodger wouldn't play in my Panasonic Blu-ray player until I cleaned the disc. Then, it played flawlessly.

Despite my complaints about the packaging falling apart, and using cardboard sleeves for the discs, I do appreciate the artwork that went into the packaging, as it is a beautiful package and book in person.

Anyway, I guess what really counts are the films. So far, I've watched the 3 movies that I bought the set for (since I already had the other ones):The Lodger, Sabotage, and Young and Innocent. All three look very good, and I'm ecstatic to finally have these movies in quality releases in R1. Despite the packaging stating that the Lodger is black and white, it is actually tinted. As far as I'm concerned, these movies have been unjustly shoved aside over the years.

As I've stated before, now we just need The Man Who Knew Too Much '34, Blackmail (silent & sound versions) and The Secret Agent in R1. They're all somewhat major omissions in R1.
post #166 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Oh, and by the way, you can go to this link for comparison shots from all the movies to other DVDs. Just scroll down and click on the movie you want to compare. Then what's really nice, is that you can click and drag the screenshots around so that you can put it side-by-side next to the one you're interested in:

Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - MGM Home Entertainment (USA, 2008) - Alfred Hitchcock Wiki
post #167 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Now Rebecca is added for comparison. Will be interesting to see the rest, soon.
post #168 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Not sure about the complaints on the packaging. My just arrived from AMAZON, the plastic case is sturdy, the binder/book as well. I totally fumbled the book and grabbed it by the cover with all the pages hanging and it held just fine. Maybe your supplier is extra rough or stored them wrong to affect the adhesive and what not?

Now I just need to find time to watch these, the only one I seen previously was LIFEBOAT.
post #169 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I received my copy today and only had time to see the screen tests of Rebecca and I was dissapointed beyond words. Not only are there only two, Margaret Sullavan and Vivien Leigh's but the video quality was very poor.
The criterion edition has many more (Loreta Young, Anne Baxter, Joan Fontaine etc) and with crisp image and sound.
Shame on you MGM!
post #170 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alejandro
I received my copy today and only had time to see the screen tests of Rebecca and I was dissapointed beyond words. Not only are there only two, Margaret Sullavan and Vivien Leigh's but the video quality was very poor.
The criterion edition has many more (Loreta Young, Anne Baxter, Joan Fontaine etc) and with crisp image and sound.
Shame on you MGM!

This was one of my biggest concerns. I'm very happy that I didn't unload my CC Rebecca now. It's value on Ebay may even go up now.
post #171 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I got my copy from Costco late last week. I've gone through the pages and it's solid so far. I pulled 3 discs out and they had no scratches fortunately. But I can see why you guys hate this kind of method for disc packaging. I haven't watched any of the discs yet, but hopefully will have time soon.

I think I have an idea for protecting the discs. If it works, I'll post images.
post #172 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I picked mine up from Costco. The bottom of the large clear plastic case had a big crack that was not visible until the carboard covering it was removed. Additionally, my "Lodger" disc vibrated loudly when I played it in either of two different DVD players. I returned the set and picked up a replacement with neither of those problems.

Regards,
post #173 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Given the several problems being posted with regard to this set, I am at this point quite pleased that I did not purchase it. I wanted to do so, but held off until I had read reviews of it both here and elsewhere. Packaging of a product may not be a concern for some, but it is very important to me, at least as important as the overall quality of the film transfer itself.
post #174 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Not sure what copy I got. The packaging on mine is the classiest I own, and very sturdy. As I said yesterday, I ordered it online and it arrived fine, and I dropped the thing with no issues to the plastic slip case or the book inside. shame your not getting it due to some others purchasing damaged product from the shelves.

No disc scratches on mine either. I got oodles of CDs and DVDs that came in cardboard slips, and never had issues playing those discs either.
post #175 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Scott, the packaging of this Hitchcock set is really nice. Of course,this could be a double dip for some of the titles. Which is a good reason to skip the set. I already own the Criterion versions myself, but I've never seen the others, except Lifeboat.

The cracked cases or torn books could be unfortunate defects. Mine was perfect.
post #176 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

I hate the packaging. HATE it. Mine hasn't cracked yet, but I picked it up the other day and felt the plastic starting to give way at the seams. Great.

I don't mind different styles of packaging (even those WB "books" for Blu-Rays are okay) but my shelves are built to contain EXACTLY the depth of a standard DVD case. It bugs me to have this one lone rebel jutting out an extra few inches, obscuring the view of its neighbors.
post #177 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nelson Au
Scott, the packaging of this Hitchcock set is really nice. Of course,this could be a double dip for some of the titles. Which is a good reason to skip the set. I already own the Criterion versions myself, but I've never seen the others, except Lifeboat.

The cracked cases or torn books could be unfortunate defects. Mine was perfect.
Nelson,

Thanks for the info. I thought it might just be some unfortunate luck (such as with the first or maybe the second run of The Outer Limits original series discs); however, the number of complaints for this set is to my eyes unusually high. I will most likely wait until something better comes along.
post #178 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Sounds fair enough, Scott!
post #179 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

This packaging is like Paris Hilton--smokin' hot at first glance, but the more you analyze it, the cheaper and more unpractical it proves to be (but let me make clear: it is one of the most beautiful DVD packages--to the naked eye--I've ever beheld). For whatever it's worth, the bottom of my plastic case (which you can't see until you take off all the outer accoutrements) is spiderwebbed with cracks and each of the discs features some degree of scratches (none severe enough to affect playback, but still...). I'll be contacting DVDEmpire this morning to look into replacement...
post #180 of 256

Re: Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection - Oct 14, 2008

Anyone else get defective discs in this one? The Lodger, Spellbound and Rebecca were all unplayable on my Panasonic BD30. Just sent the set back to Amazon for replacement. Hope it's just an isolated occurrence. The other discs played fine.

I love Amazon's return policy. They send out the new set overnight, and you have 30 days to return the old one postage free.

Cheers
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