The Answer Is...Blu-ray! - Page 6

Hehheh...  The use of BD-Java/BD-Live has been THOROUGHLY CRAPPY so far.  Did you hear that?  Oh wait, I (and every other HTF-er) already said something like that earlier (but maybe a tad more politely).   Just thought maybe if we kept repeating that, etc., we'll someday actually get some acknowledgement, etc.

And oh yeah, please continue to stay away from excessive DNR and EE and whatever other excessive PQ/AQ manipulations.  Although I'm not one of the big naysayers about The Sound of Music BD, I do also wonder whether FOX hasn't gone too far w/ the color correction/biasing on that one.  That and of course there's been plenty of debates about the apparent audio manipulations/changes too.  And IIRC, there hasn't been much, if any, acknowledgement about any of that from FOX so far.

Anyway, yeah, I (and even the missus) do also enjoy quality extras, but too often, we either get pure fluff or nothing at all.  I just bought a few Fox BDs including <gasp/> Moulin Rouge to give that seemingly gimmicky, beloved flick another chance in that supposedly glorious Blu-ray presentation.   My wife thinks I'll regret that because she too thought it sucked when we bought the DVD ages ago (and promptly got rid of it).  I tried to rationalize... errmm... give due consideration to other perspectives on this flick, suggesting maybe we were just watching it w/ the wrong expectations, etc, and that this glorious BD presentation might just do the trick for us.  She remains skeptical, but allowed me to amuse myself w/ that whimsical notion rather than spoil it all w/ a dose of real reality.  Only time will tell how that's gonna turn out.  Hopefully, Blu-ray will indeed do it again and fully reveal for us this brilliantly colorful feast of spectacles, so my brain isn't hammered repeatedly w/ "I told you so"...

And oh yeah, did I mention that I've never seen All About Eve before and just bought that on BD?  Looking forward to that.  Thanks in advance, FOX!  Also picked up Rob Roy on BD as well -- though that's actually an MGM title released by FOX.

Anyway, please don't bite the hands that feed y'all -- and we'll behave likewise ourselves w/ BDs for "food".  We'd love to continue collecting high quality presentations of beloved films (both new and old) on Blu-ray -- no idea if we'll ever get to a next higher format and actually benefit much in practice, so I guess Blu-ray might indeed be *the* last major physical media format for the large majority of us...

With all due respect...

_Man_

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finn 

and then there were none...

As others have pointed out, that's a two-way street.

I can say this much: I'm buying fewer Fox discs. Prices are too high, features are headed in the wrong direction (see my post from last Sept., quoted in full below), and there is still a troubling tendency within the marketing segment (though not, I'm sure, within the restoration team) to defend unconscionable practices such as those applied to Predator.

There's a lot to buy and a lot to watch -- and only so many hours in the day. Others are doing it better.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Reuben 

I join what previous posters have said:

 

1. Best possible audio/video quality (and that includes not trying to "reinvent" the film, as Fox did with its recent reissue of Predator);
2. Physical media, not streaming;
3. Emphasis on the cinematic content, not downloadable gee-gaws.

 

Rather than quote others, I'm going to be bold enough to quote myself from a recent review of a Blu-ray not issued by Fox (and I've reviewed Fox discs, as well as discs from almost every other major studio):

 

Quote:

Kino Lorber has obviously paid attention to how major studios produce Blu-rays and learned what to do and what to avoid. Their discs load quickly and go directly to a simple menu with no lead-in trailers or other advertising material and no elaborate Java code that takes minutes to load. The film is presented with excellent audio/video quality, and the extras are informative rather than promotional. The people at Kino Lorber seem to understand that a film like Ajami can’t be used to cross-sell other films or tie-in merchandise. Their focus is on delivering the cinematic and emotional experience. What more can one ask? 

 

 

I agree with the reasons why Bluray is better than digital downloads and internet steaming!  While I also agree that the quality of digital downloads and streaming will get better and will compete video wise.  But over all Bluray is superior to streaming and downloads and is the only way to go!  But I would like to add, if your bluray player goes down you get it fixed and you are back in business.  You do not have to have an internet connection to watch Bluray movies!  If you loose your hard drive there goes all your movie downloads, and many of us know that SATA drives are known to fail within 1 -2 years.  Bluray also has the superior sound and I do not see them offering lossless audio on streaming or downloads anytime soon!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd H 

I love Blu-ray and have built a pretty decent collection of discs. However, I find I'm starting to buy less and less as studios begin to slather the discs in DNR and edge enhancement. For example, the recent release of Predator was an absolute abomination that I refuse to buy until there is a new transfer done.

The reason I got into this hobby was to reproduce, as closely as possible, the theater experience at home. That includes maintaining the proper aspect ratio, not editing the content (I'm looking at you Lucas), and correctly resolving the film grain! Give me these things and I will continue buying. Don't deliver these things and I take my discretionary spending elsewhere.

In the grand scheme of things I consider Predator an anomaly (at least I hope it is).  With all the catalog BD starting to hit as they come down to the $10-$15 price point I have been starting to upgrade my DVDs, so you could say I am buying more BDs, but I am price sensitive.  I appreciate that Fox (and WB) are finally starting to release some catalog.  Its fantastic that All About Eve and An Affair to Remember are out.  Please don't stop with those!
 

I agree with Adam. As someone who's watched quite a few Fox Blu-rays over the course of the last year or two, Predator was the odd man out from a technical standpoint. I didn't review Patton, but reading the reviews of others, I've never added it to my collection because of what was said about it. Those two Fox discs are the only two (and The Longest Day, so I'm told) in recent memory which were ruined by excessive processing. Fox's treatment of classics like The Robe, Miracle on 34th Street, and South Pacific couldn't have been more impressive.

I would agree with Adam, if a Fox executive weren't currently out there defending what was done with Predator. An apology would be too much to expect, but silence would be prudent.

Mr. Finn, ask Shawn Belson about the Oct. 2008 screening he co-hosted (with other Fox personnel) for a large group of HTF members. He may remember an impassioned plea not to muck around with the original image using grain-reduction tools. That was me. Since then, I've seen only two studios err in that regard, and Fox is one of them. Lionsgate is the other. Is that the company you want to keep?

Three years after buying my first blu-ray player, I'm buying more discs than ever, and am usually completely satisfied with the product.

-R

So, the answer to the question - "Why Blu-ray?" turned out to be.... Blu-ray! A bit of a cop-out isn't it?

I haven't bought a DVD in ages. But I still have over 2000 DVDs on my shelves not replaced by Blu-ray and most are not even on Blu-ray yet.

My local HMV only has a few racks devoted to Blu and I still see a lot of people browsing the DVD racks. How many years has Blu-ray been out now?