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*** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread - Page 5

post #121 of 278
4/10/09 at 7:37pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

I don't have any specific examples, but I still cannot help thinking that some of the films released via this program were meant for the "regular" Warner DVD release and hence were re-mastered, but due to the economy's collapse found their way here instead.
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post #122 of 278
4/10/09 at 9:00pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

In response to Chuck's post about the weird effect that he was getting on Dream Lover.
It is not just you. I noticed this same effect on Countdown...very much so...the credits..which are red almost look like they have a unique effect to make a zebra pattern on the credits...this is not supposed to be there.
And I noticed it on Enemy of the People although not so much.
Also pay attention to the opening video commercial for the archive....the effect is there as well whenever red is on the screen.
All of the b&W films I got looked fine.
But the color ones all have this weird effect whenever red is present.

I contacted WB on this and they said that no one has mentioned about this before. They are sending me two new discs free thinking that maybe I got bad ones. The girl did say that if it is still doing it it may be then how the discs are being made. She really didn't know that much since she was just customer service.

I contacted allied vaughn to ask them about the discs and hopefully I will get a response.
The quaility of the transfers is fine...but that compression leaves a lot to be desired.
I suggest we all contact WB and ask them to contact allied vaughn and tell them that they are making making the disc improperly.
-Mark
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post #123 of 278
4/10/09 at 11:13pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Pytel
In response to Chuck's post about the weird effect that he was getting on Dream Lover.
It is not just you. I noticed this same effect on Countdown...very much so...the credits..which are red almost look like they have a unique effect to make a zebra pattern on the credits...this is not supposed to be there.
And I noticed it on Enemy of the People although not so much.
Also pay attention to the opening video commercial for the archive....the effect is there as well whenever red is on the screen.
All of the b&W films I got looked fine.
But the color ones all have this weird effect whenever red is present.

I contacted WB on this and they said that no one has mentioned about this before. They are sending me two new discs free thinking that maybe I got bad ones. The girl did say that if it is still doing it it may be then how the discs are being made. She really didn't know that much since she was just customer service.
-Mark
This is a very old problem. It is caused by Allied Vaughn using a very old MPEG2 encoder, and not deinterlacing the content. There is a very lengthy explanation from a long time ago here. It is sad that this is even an issue on DVDs being released in 2009, irrespective of the source material. It can and should be fixed during the encoding process, it is to WHV's discredit that it wasn't taken into account before authoring the first lot of DVDs.
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post #124 of 278
4/11/09 at 2:19pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Just watched THREE SAILORS AND A GIRL, and although the color might not have been on par with SO THIS IS LOVE, I was pretty satisfied with the look of this DVD. Unlike another comment, I did not find any flickering or edge enhancement and at times the colors were quite vivid. Reds sometimes tend to be oversaturated and this does not bother me as I have seen this on many HDNET color telecasts. The screen caps don't do the film justice. Sound quality was quite good. I am wondering if inconsistencies in watching this films and maybe others have to do with what TV or DVD system one is using. BTW, the notes on this DVD are quite laughable. They state "cameos from real life Broadway legends George Abbott, Moss Hart and Ira Gershwin." These three legends are played by actors impersonating these people.

Other films viewed:

BHOWANI JUNCTION: I found the print to be quite gorgeous. Also the screen caps posted don't do this film justice either. The stereo sound is also very good. A very satisfying presentation.

ON BORROWED TIME: This DVD opened with the old Turner logo and there seemed to be flickering on the credits. Did not see this once the film began. However this 70 year old film is showing its age. There were some scratches and the B&W image is on the softer side. But this was not enough to spoil my enjoyment of this beautiful fantasy. I am happy this one finally made it to DVD.
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post #125 of 278
4/11/09 at 6:13pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Again, as somebody else asked, could everyone please state what hardware you are using to view these...thanks!
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post #126 of 278
4/12/09 at 9:49am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Pytel
In response to Chuck's post about the weird effect that he was getting on Dream Lover.
It is not just you. I noticed this same effect on Countdown...very much so...the credits..which are red almost look like they have a unique effect to make a zebra pattern on the credits...this is not supposed to be there.
And I noticed it on Enemy of the People although not so much.
Also pay attention to the opening video commercial for the archive....the effect is there as well whenever red is on the screen.
All of the b&W films I got looked fine.
But the color ones all have this weird effect whenever red is present.

I contacted WB on this and they said that no one has mentioned about this before. They are sending me two new discs free thinking that maybe I got bad ones. The girl did say that if it is still doing it it may be then how the discs are being made. She really didn't know that much since she was just customer service.

I contacted allied vaughn to ask them about the discs and hopefully I will get a response.
The quaility of the transfers is fine...but that compression leaves a lot to be desired.
I suggest we all contact WB and ask them to contact allied vaughn and tell them that they are making making the disc improperly.
-Mark

It also affects Heart Beat in the few scenes set in jazz bars, with red lighting. The red light reflecting on Nick Nolte's face makes it look like you're seeing him through bevelled glass. Very distracting. Luckily, there's only a couple of those scenes in the film.
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post #127 of 278
4/12/09 at 12:52pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

INTERRUPTED MELODY: One of my favorite films from the 50s. Although I have the laser, I was looking forward to the DVD release and I was not disappointed. I found the quality of this DVD to be almost flawless in Eastman Color and sound. Oscar nominee Eleanor Parker is quite superb as opera diva Marjorie Lawrence. Its hard to believe Parker is not actually singing the arias but the voice is in fact Eileen Farrell. I watched the film on my 52" Mitsubishi DLP and Toshiba DVD player.
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post #128 of 278
4/12/09 at 3:27pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by WadeM
That doesn't compare to The Big House. By far the worst picture quality of all the movies I got.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnMor
How is it that after nearly a month, people STILL don't understand that these films are NOT going to be remastered for this. It's one thing to expect a lower price point, but when are people going to accept that these are old video masters and will NOT have the picture/sound quality (and the extras) of a regular dvd.

Except the Big House is the sort of film you expect WB to release during their annual vault mining of feb/march oscar oriented releases. nominated for best picture, first female screenwriter to win an oscar for screenwriting (and then the only one to win for more than fifty years, iirc), controversial in its day as well. But without a new telecine, that's the best a relatively important film will look on home video. to get a better idea of how it might look you'll have to luck into a theatrical screening of it. It'd have been a good title for the first controversial classics set, though it's not as strong as any of those films, but it's at the level of commerciality as Fury or I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang.
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post #129 of 278
4/12/09 at 8:29pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Pytel
In response to Chuck's post about the weird effect that he was getting on Dream Lover.
It is not just you. I noticed this same effect on Countdown...very much so...the credits..which are red almost look like they have a unique effect to make a zebra pattern on the credits...this is not supposed to be there.
And I noticed it on Enemy of the People although not so much.

THANKS MARK! I'm so glad someone else can confirm this! I can't imagine it looking worse than on DREAM LOVER. Those huge pixilated images are directly from the disc and it REALLY looks like that. Unbelievable. I really hope they fix this issue on future encodes....
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post #130 of 278
4/13/09 at 8:05am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

I was quite pleased with my copy of Doc Savage Man of Bronze.
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post #131 of 278
4/13/09 at 11:56am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by cajunhillbilly
I was quite pleased with my copy of Coc Savage Man of Bronze.

Erm, when did Vivid Entertainment start an Archive service?
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post #132 of 278
4/13/09 at 12:00pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

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post #133 of 278
4/14/09 at 2:06pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

"Countdown" to my eye looked acceptable: like a typical "unrestored" movie of its vintage. I did not see any artifacts in red areas, as some have reported.
The disc will be a must for Altman complete-ists!
"A Lion is in the Streets" has occasional print damage, and has "cigarette burns" (sprocket holes). The color seems a touch faded, too. It reminds me, as to quality, of some of the old pre-recorded studio-made VHS tapes that I had in my collection. But still very "watchable".
Nice to have some more 'late' Cagney on dvd. And that Anne Francis is plenty hot! But her part is too brief... (OT: So what's the holdup on Shake Hands with the Devil?)
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post #134 of 278
4/15/09 at 12:17pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Some comments on the program, Countdown, and The D.I. here:

Warner Archive DVDs: A hands-on evaluation | Crave - CNET
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post #135 of 278
4/19/09 at 5:57am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Two or three weeks ago, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY had a review of PRIVATE LIVES (1931) and was pretty negative about it.

I watched it last night. True, it's got a fair amount of dirt and debris especially in the first half of the film and the audio is definitely hissy, but I watched THE DIVORCEE from the FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD Vol. 2 the other night (basically the same period of Shearer's film career), and it didn't look appreciably better than PRIVATE LIVES. The EW review complained about the softness of the image. Frankly, I was rather pleased it was as sharp as it was. Again, no worse than THE DIVORCEE.
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post #136 of 278
4/19/09 at 8:07am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by MattH.
I watched THE DIVORCEE from the FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD Vol. 2 the other night (basically the same period of Shearer's film career), and it didn't look appreciably better than PRIVATE LIVES. The EW review complained about the softness of the image. Frankly, I was rather pleased it was as sharp as it was. Again, no worse than THE DIVORCEE.


It should be pointed out though that the price of The Divorcee works out at $7-$8 (for a proper pressed disc too) compared to $20 for Private Lives.
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post #137 of 278
4/19/09 at 9:46am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Livius
It should be pointed out though that the price of The Divorcee works out at $7-$8 (for a proper pressed disc too) compared to $20 for Private Lives.
This thread is for reviews not to discuss pricing.





Crawdaddy
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post #138 of 278
4/19/09 at 12:35pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Swindoll
Erm, when did Vivid Entertainment start an Archive service?


I meant Doc Savage which is a Warner title. Okay?
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post #139 of 278
4/19/09 at 1:20pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

I've watched four of the six movies in my most recent order. As others have mentioned, (1)THE MONEY TRAP looks very good, and (2)THE BIG HOUSE is in poor condition. I think the problem with THE BIG HOUSE is in the source material rather than the transfer. It's a fairly significant film of its genre, and it would be nice to see it restored.
(3)THE OKLAHOMAN, widescreen enhanced in color, looks quite good, comparable to WESTBOUND and WICHITA, which were included in an earlier order. It's an entertaining Allied Artists western which replaces my old VHS copy.
(4) CANYON RIVER, also widescreen enhanced in color, does not fare as well. It starts out okay, but over the course of the 80 minute running time, the image quality deteriorates to the point where it looks no better than your average old movie recorded from television (aside from being widescreen); and some of the stock footage of cattle stampedes looks worse yet. It's not that great a movie either, unless you're a real western buff. Have you ever noticed that George Montgomery's cowboy hats always have a much wider brim than those worn by other Hollywood cowboys?
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post #140 of 278
4/20/09 at 7:33am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

I have received 4 Archive titles and have 2 more on the way.

If you consider small displays preposterous, you can skip this review right now or have a good laugh, your choice...

I have a standard DVD player/recorder, a brand new tube TV perfect for the all the Academy ratio films I watch, a Sony amp and PSB speakers.

So far I have watched Three Comrades and it looks considerably better than the home video VHS I have or the DVD-R a friend burned for me off TCM. I thought both sound and picture were much superior and picture much sharper too. I could not be more delighted - one of my all-time favorite films.

I also watched Three Sailors and a Girl - the only copy I had was an old faded, washed-out TV print with commercial breaks, so there is truly no comparison to be made. It totally obliterates my old VHS. (I even found out my old TV-taped copy had been very briefly edited!) The colors are very rich and beautiful and ditto the sound. Hearing Jane Powell and Gordon MacRae sing is one of the greatest pleasures I can think of.

So naturally, not having a highly sophisticated high def set-up, everything looks great, which makes me happier than ever that I did not listen to friends and family last year who were pressuring me to get a widescreen flat screen. I guess that makes me an anachronism in more ways that one.
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post #141 of 278
4/20/09 at 7:42am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by cajunhillbilly
I meant Doc Savage which is a Warner title. Okay?
Fair go, it was just a joke!
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post #142 of 278
4/21/09 at 7:33am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

There's a review of Doc Savage up at dvddrive-in.
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post #143 of 278
4/21/09 at 8:23am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Standard DVD / small display review....you have been warned.

I thought that Room for One More looked absolutely pristine. As happy as I am about the quality of the others I have watched so far, this is decidedly the best-looking. And, may I add, a beautiful, heartfelt, touching story too that actually stays short of maudlin.
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post #144 of 278
4/26/09 at 11:33pm

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Has anyone had any trouble with their copy of BIG CIRCUS. I played my copy through my Yamaha 6.1 equipment and although the archive trailer plays OK when the movie begins all of the soundtrack comes into the surround speakers instead of the front speakers. Thus the movie sounds awful. The DVD shows two track stereo so I cannot understand why this should happen. As I am in Australia and went to a great deal of trouble and expense to get this DVD through a US address as Warners don't have international shipping I'm not to keen to return it if all copies are the same. All of the other DVD's in my order work perfectly. Thoughts are welcome
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post #145 of 278
4/27/09 at 4:41am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

I finally watched The Adventures of Huck Finn starring Mickey Rooney. The audio/picture quality was quite good. There was an occasional spec in the picture and an occasional hiss in the sound, but otherwise very good quality. I am thinking about getting Capt Sinbad soon.
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post #146 of 278
4/27/09 at 6:00am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Gary posted my review for I Was a Communist for the FBI. Pretty decent quality.
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post #147 of 278
4/27/09 at 6:52am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by wesaussie
Has anyone had any trouble with their copy of BIG CIRCUS. I played my copy through my Yamaha 6.1 equipment and although the archive trailer plays OK when the movie begins all of the soundtrack comes into the surround speakers instead of the front speakers. Thus the movie sounds awful. The DVD shows two track stereo so I cannot understand why this should happen. As I am in Australia and went to a great deal of trouble and expense to get this DVD through a US address as Warners don't have international shipping I'm not to keen to return it if all copies are the same. All of the other DVD's in my order work perfectly. Thoughts are welcome

Use a different setting, perhaps without Dolby Pro-Logic or not on the surround setting because it is not decoding properly. There is surely a setting on the receiver that will fix this and just give you the audio in the two front channels.
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post #148 of 278
4/27/09 at 6:57am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

SPITFIRE looks pretty terrible, as does MANNEQUIN. These are definitely old video masters that were perhaps used for the video releases in the early 90s. The image is quite high in contrast, the print waves and fluctuates abnormally, and there is a fuzziness to the appearance that I NEVER see on vintage DVD releases from major companies.

PAINTING THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE has some scenes with very nice color, and print appears to be in great shape. The encoding shows its shortcomings in some quite noticeable macroblocking in some of the brightly lit dance scenes. It also appeared to have some color fringing from where the 3 strips of film did not perfectly match up in several reels, but it wasn't as bad as I've seen on many other Technicolor films from this period. Stupid movie though - just stupid.
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post #149 of 278
4/27/09 at 8:25am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Pennington
SPITFIRE looks pretty terrible, as does MANNEQUIN. These are definitely old video masters that were perhaps used for the video releases in the early 90s.
Think of it this way, doesn't it make you appreciate more how amazing a lot of similar vintage films on Warner DVDs look? Yes I realise that isn't exactly comforting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Pennington
The encoding shows its shortcomings in some quite noticeable macroblocking in some of the brightly lit dance scenes.
I assume the dancing scene features a lot of movement? Is it a fast or slow dance?

I just hate hearing this sort of thing, I don't mean the mentioning of it, I mean the fact errors of this sort are occurring. There is absolutely no justifiable reason why an 87 minute film should show any macroblocking whatsoever, even on a single layer disc. This suggests either 1) it has been encoded on a very old encoder 2) the encoding features an arbitrary bitrate limit that is far too low.

Either way these are more signs that whoever is encoding these DVDs doesn't know what the hell they are doing. If I was in the U.S. I would demand a replacement, or an exchange for a different film.
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post #150 of 278
4/27/09 at 8:37am

Re: *** Official Warner Archive DVD Review Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Howson
I assume the dancing scene features a lot of movement? Is it a fast or slow dance?

I just hate hearing this sort of thing, I don't mean the mentioning of it, I mean the fact errors of this sort are occurring. There is absolutely no justifiable reason why an 87 minute film should show any macroblocking whatsoever, even on a single layer disc. This suggests either 1) it has been encoded on a very old encoder 2) the encoding features an arbitrary bitrate limit that is far too low.

Either way these are more signs that whoever is encoding these DVDs doesn't know what the hell they are doing. If I was in the U.S. I would demand a replacement, or an exchange for a different film.

The macroblocking is evident with or without the heavy movement. It is most noticeable in solid blocks of color.

The encoding is just another example of the poor compression done on the initial slate of titles. The print and transfer are perfectly fine, sometimes even quite good, but the engineering behind the disc lets things down. It is FAR from unwatchable, but it is less than I would've expected.

If anyone is interested, I posted 2 highlights from PAINTING THE CLOUDS... As you can see the color is quite nice. As it is further compressed by YouTube, you can't judge the compression on the DVD from what I posted. These two scenes were ALL that I found in any way enjoyable - such a silly plot.... Remember to select the HQ option in the bottom right of the video window!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnomvarVVZA
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