A few words about...™ The Ten Commandments -- in Blu-ray - Page 4

While there is unlikely to ever be another HD disc format, Blu-ray will continue to evolve the same way Laserdisc did. Already they have bumped it up to 3D, and after Peter Jackson's The Hobbit comes out at 48 fps, there will likely be a new version of Blu-ray player that will be able to handle movies shot with higher frame-rates.

I suddenly feel incredibly old.

Ditto here.  Could Alien be made today?  Talk about a slow-paced (and I love it) beginning.

I would like to hear Joe Caps' opinion on the sound.  Having produced the old laserdisc box set edition which, while containing rather dull colors, had a stunning never-surpassed soundtrack, Joe is a stickler when it comes to The Ten Commandments.  I recall him once saying that a late fifties re-release had altered music cues during the Red Sea sequence and virtually all releases except his box set utilized these alterations.  So if this BluRay has changes to the music during this sequence, this could be the reason.  His box set had the original DeMille-approved music cues.  Joe also had several other issues with music and reverb mixed too high or too low on earlier releases.

I have seen the new version projected digitally and the sound was phenomenal.  For the first time since Joe's old laserdisc, the Entr'acte sounded like true stereo as opposed to reprocessed mono.  This film was originally released with a mono track according to Paramount's restoration team, but I've heard rumors that DeMille did request a stereo mix for one or two prestige theatres.  Nonetheless, those looking for lots of activity in the rear speakers should realize that most pre-Dolby-era films tended to spread the sound widely across the front and save the mono surround speaker for isolated instances to "wow" the audience.

I'd love to hear what Joe Caps has to say.  Given all the issues he's had with earlier DVD releases, I wouldn't judge this restoration by them.   If he's pleased, I wouldn't be concerned at all.

I've noticed that Amazon is no longer stocking the BD box. It was "item under review" for a while but now is only available through marketplace sellers. The only reason I want the box set instead of the cheaper 2-disc set is for the inclusion of the 1923 silent version. I was waiting for the price to drop to under $50, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I fear it will go out of print and I'll have to settle for the movie-only version!

(What is it about those 'nubs' - or whatever you call the things that hold a disc in place? There are almost as many forms - good, bad and indifferent - as there cases out there. Some wouldn't hold a piece of paper even if it was glued to it, while others do too good a job, resulting in the risk of breaking the disc in the effort to extract it!).

I don't know why home video ever got away from the hands-down best case/disc holder: the classic Amaray. It held the disc firmly and released it easily. It's never been improved upon. I bought them in bulk and transferred every DVD I have into them. Sadly, it's not being used in Blu-ray (the disc holder, not the black case itself) except in rare cases.
 

I just googled Amaray. If you're referring to the 'pie-cut' hub then, yes, those are the best. I've never received a loose disc in one and the individual hub sections are easy to depress. I've no doubt that the 'brother in law' syndrome has a lot - or everything - to do with the sheer incompetence behind the myriad designs. I can imagine the empty knock-offs being given a cursory glance and passed without any testing done with those shiny, circular things they're meant to hold. Time is money, I guess!

I'm referring mostly to DVD cases. I've had a few blu disc dislodgements but at least the softer plastic helps to minimize scratching when these occur. The material used and design adopted for TTC appear to be departures from the reasonably homogenous blu standard. I'm afraid to look!
 

Sounds all too familiar.  A number of disc-removal issues just like yours have been documented here -- I'm guessing earlier in this thread, but it may also have been elsewhere.  As for checking the discs, what I did initially (on all 6 discs!) was jump to every chapter stop and play a little bit, doing some freeze-framing, fast-forwarding and rewinding here and there as I did so.  No problems were evident.  I've since watched long stretches of the Blu-ray, but not all the way through yet.  Good luck!

Mine was delivered from Amazon today, and boy was I walking on eggs as I took my time unpacking and examining it, piece by piece, saving tablets and discs for last.  It must have taken me ten minutes from slitting the tape on the corrugated shipping box to gingerly lifting out the tablets and laying them on my desk, contemplating how to proceed from there.  Unfortunately, by then it was obvious that there was at least one floater inside.

The floater, one of the Blu-ray discs, had an area or two of light scuffing/scratching, and three or four of the other discs had marks on them to varying degrees.  I think only one BD and one DVD looked as pristine as new discs normally do.  Additionally, one of the hinges that holds the two inner disc flaps in the tablet had a broken end, so it's not secure.  The tiny broken off piece was there, so I might try super-gluing it back onto the hinge, though being plastic, matching the two pieces up may or may not be possible.

I carefully cleaned all six discs and placed them in spare cases.  Interestingly, the markings on one of them was something that cleaned off, making me wonder what conditions these are being packed in.  And what about the scuff marks and/or scratches on the discs that had remained secure on their spindles?  Something out of the ordinary is happening in the assembly of these packages.

Next, I took a deep breath and popped in the first Blu-ray.  And oh my god...the image was so stunning I almost forgot my mission, which was to test the disc!  Finally got into a groove and went through each chapter stop on all three BDs, digressing a bit here and there to sit and be totally awed.  Obviously it will take a straight through viewing to assure myself that there are no playing problems.  And truthfully, I'm pretty sure that the marks on my discs are only on the protective layer and are very unlikely to cause any problems.  There is still no excuse for any of this defacing, however light and however benign, to be there.

The tablets are lovely, and though I'll try to repair that tiny broken piece just to know it's together right, there's no way I can allow myself to keep the discs in there ... ever.  Well, maybe the DVDs, since it's unlikely I'll ever have occasion to use them, and providing I convince myself that reducing the load to three discs, they won't have trouble staying secured.  But for total peace of mind they should be tested, too; otherwise, why keep them?  What an ordeal.

I do like the package design overall, and I actually like the use of magnets to keep things closed nicely.  If only the tablets had been designed to hold a regular keepcase which could be removed for frequent use or for shelving with one's other discs.

I remembered posting in detail about my copy, and it was in another thread so here it is in case it's of help: