A few words about...™ Predator (2010 re-issue) -- in Blu-ray

heh. Nicely understated. 

You had me going there for a few moments.

A little late for an April Fool's joke, don't you think?

Thank you mister RicharD Harbits for teh nice post i love the 3d movies on blueray i hope they can due that with old movies like king kong maybe they can put a real monky in their and make it color and i cant weight to see the president of CaliFornia on blueray in Preddator without all the speckles

You have a nicely honed satiric barb, Mr. Harris.

You've put a smile on my face and brought a hearty chuckle out of me, RAH. That is all that needs to be said.

I sure am sorry to hear this.  I had traded my half-decent DVD edition in anticipation that this would be a good presentation.  So, we get the wax museum version, eh?!

Now that Mr. Harris has clarified the process, I kind of like the new look:

Funny indeed.  I'll admit - I wasn't entirely sure at first as I was reading it, but it wouldn't be the first time I was semi-taken in by one of Mr. Harris's humorus posts.  Years back he was discussing something on the aspect ratio issue and how a new Tv was coming out that would physically adjust the screen according to the aspect ratio. lol

Somewhat recently he did one on the first BD release of a South Park season and raved about how the image quality and detail was night and day when compared with the SD-DVD release

As a Britisher I pride myself on my, ah, dry sense of humour but RAH's post above is something else. BlackAdder would be proud, sir.

Hahahaha, man, I have to admit ... I didn't pick up on the joke until reading the comments. 

I guess I can't be thick-headed sometimes. 

Thanks Mr. Harris for the recommendation! And thank you, all you grain haters, for making this happen! 

How did i do? Was that fake deadpan enough? Did you buy into it?

Actually, FOX just might buy it?

Yea, i am keeping the old Blu-ray, and i also have the extras disc from the old 2 DVD set. So, thanks FOX, thanks for nothing. I will add to that 20% drop in catalog sales!

Honestly, there is no good option for fans wanting to buy this film on Blu-Ray.  The initial release was a multiple generations old transfer encoded poorly with MPEG2, and those familiar with the history of the production of the film will tell you the source elements are not good looking to begin with.  Not to mention the initial release included no features despite being released AFTER a feature-packed two disc DVD set  For the new version we get a new transfer, though one where the DNR has been applied to liberally (though thankfully not a lot of EE apparently).  Color and contrast look to be much better on the new release, not to mention it has all the features from the aforementioned DVD set as well as Movie Money toward a movie I was planning to see, all for $15 plus tax at Wal-Mart.  Of the two crappy options to choose from, choosing the new release seems a no-brainer to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Graham 

Honestly, there is no good option for fans wanting to buy this film on Blu-Ray. .....  Of the two crappy options to choose from, choosing the new release seems a no-brainer to me.

As in brainless? If you like the film more than you like bonus material, then get the first blu ray, but get it cheap. Its inconsistent but halfway decent compared to the version described by RAH above. Sounds like an abomination.

Not everyone online who has actually seen the disc in motion (such as Robert George) shares your opinion.  As I said, both versions video-wise are poor, though each for different reasons.  After considering the money saved by the included Movie Cash, I'll be essentially paying around $5-6 for this disc.  Considering the original release looked like crap even back when my primary display was a 32" HD tube, I'm not seeing any gain by going one way or another.  This whole situation strikes me as very similar to when the original crew Trek movies were released.  Based on the screenshots, they looked like unwatchable travesties.  In motion, though deeply, deeply flawed, they were still the best means available to watch the movies at home by a long shot.  

If this was more pricey, say like Universals current DNRed catalog titles, I'd have a different opinion. Unlike Universal, Fox did at least spring for a new transfer, something I whined for to a great extent when the first version came out.  True DNR has hindered it from being the best it could be, but for essentially $5-6, I'm in.  I will likely snail mail a polite letter describing my distaste for the amount of DNR used, but the odds of this getting some kind of rerelease/recall seem pretty darn slim. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Graham 

Not everyone online who has actually seen the disc in motion (such as Robert George) shares your opinion.  As I said, both versions video-wise are poor, though each for different reasons.  After considering the money saved by the included Movie Cash, I'll be essentially paying around $5-6 for this disc.  Considering the original release looked like crap even back when my primary display was a 32" HD tube, I'm not seeing any gain by going one way or another.  This whole situation strikes me as very similar to when the original crew Trek movies were released.  Based on the screenshots, they looked like unwatchable travesties.  In motion, though deeply, deeply flawed, they were still the best means available to watch the movies at home by a long shot.  

 

If this was more pricey, say like Universals current DNRed catalog titles, I'd have a different opinion. Unlike Universal, Fox did at least spring for a new transfer, something I whined for to a great extent when the first version came out.  True DNR has hindered it from being the best it could be, but for essentially $5-6, I'm in.  I will likely snail mail a polite letter describing my distaste for the amount of DNR used, but the odds of this getting some kind of rerelease/recall seem pretty darn slim. 

Thank you, sir, may I have another!?

Vincent

Touche, my good man, touche.

DNR is the new pan and scan. And even worse is the fact that there are people on forums such as this one who see nothing wrong with it. A snippet of a user review of the new Predator edition from another forum:

I thought the whole point in blu ray was to make movies/films look their best, not like the original…am I wrong? I guess people just need something to complain about. 

I weep for the future of catalogue releases.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth 

DNR is the new pan and scan. And even worse is the fact that there are people on forums such as this one who see nothing wrong with it. A snippet of a user review of the new Predator edition from another forum:

 

I thought the whole point in blu ray was to make movies/films look their best, not like the original…am I wrong? I guess people just need something to complain about. 

 

I weep for the future of catalogue releases.

Those postings are an extremely tiny minority in the HT community, so trying to portray them as an epidemic is highly misleading. It's the other consumers that need education.

Also, seeing as how pan-and-scan was more or less banished after a few years, comparing it to DNR making you "weep for the future" is kind of puzzling. If anything, using that analogy, it should make you glad that it's a problem that can be overcome somewhat easily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesse Blacklow 

Quote:

Those postings are an extremely tiny minority in the HT community, so trying to portray them as an epidemic is highly misleading. It's the other consumers that need education.

I disagree. I don't think "average" consumers much care one way or another - they may not like grain, but they're mostly just interested in watching the film for the story. It's the growing number of HD "enthusaists" that are the problem - people who equate high-definition with live sporting events and CG animation. I've seen an increasing number of "I like the new look, therefore it's better" posts with regards to this title, and other overly processed transfers. I think it's because of this vocal crowd - who complained that the original Predator release was poor because it was grainy - that we have this new, "improved" release.

Just picked up the original blu-ray release for less than $10. I'll take grain and occasional artifacting over the sterilized, blurry DNR'ed to death current release.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth 

I disagree. I don't think "average" consumers much care one way or another - they may not like grain, but they're mostly just interested in watching the film for the story. It's the growing number of HD "enthusaists" that are the problem - people who equate high-definition with live sporting events and CG animation. I've seen an increasing number of "I like the new look, therefore it's better" posts with regards to this title, and other overly processed transfers. I think it's because of this vocal crowd - who complained that the original Predator release was poor because it was grainy - that we have this new, "improved" release.

If you can show the "growing numbers" of posters saying this, and the "vocal crowd" that complained that the original release was too grainy, be my guest. Until then, I'm going to assume that there isn't actually convincing evidence of a noticeable increase in either numbers or loudness across the 4 forums I skim (HTF, AVS, HDD, and Blu-ray.com). In fact, the post you quoted is repeated across several boards, but appears to be (a) taken out on context of the thread, and (b) on the side of a very small minority even on that board.

I did too, Todd.  I sure wish I had not gotten rid of the SD-DVD version that had the extras.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Graham 
Unlike Universal, Fox did at least spring for a new transfer, something I whined for to a great extent when the first version came out.

Who told you this is a "new transfer"?  I've seen analysis that shows it's actually the same transfer, slathered with lots and lots of DNR and brightening, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertR 

Who told you this is a "new transfer"?  I've seen analysis that shows it's actually the same transfer, slathered with lots and lots of DNR and brightening, etc.

One of the early reviewers reported getting feedback from Fox that it's a new transfer.

In the press release letter that came with my review copy, Fox called it a brand new DIGITAL RESTORATION.