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A Few Words About A few words about...™ Downton Abbey - Season Two -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

haineshisway

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Robert Harris said:
I had checked in on an Oppo 83, an Oppo 93 and a PS3, with the same issue on all players, and three different screens.  All with the same problem.
Some people, and this is not in any way meant as a negative, are simply less affected by this sort of thing.  Rather like an allergy to peanuts or shellfish...
but without serious health issues.
RAH
Yes. And at least now we know this is a problem specific to the US release. The UK plays perfectly with nary a jerk or jump in sight.
 

Robert Harris

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Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/318842/a-few-words-about-downton-abbey-season-two-in-blu-ray/30#post_3902054
Yes. And at least now we know this is a problem specific to the US release. The UK plays perfectly with nary a jerk or jump in sight.
Then, the question, Mr. K., is what did PBS or its agents do to the master to cause problems, or was it delivered that way?
 

Trancas

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There is definitely something up with the US version. It's an odd effect like the image is speeding up slightly and then going back to normal speed, speeding up and then normal. In scenes with a lot of movement (either the camera or the actors) there is sort of a subtle rhythmic lurching. I bought the disc from Amazon and I just returned it as defective. I'm using a Panasonic blu-ray player.
 

haineshisway

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Robert Harris said:
Then, the question, Mr. K., is what did PBS or its agents do to the master to cause problems, or was it delivered that way?
That is the question. Certainly something happened here in the US, there can be no doubt about that.
 

pjones

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haineshisway said:
Yes. And at least now we know this is a problem specific to the US release. The UK plays perfectly with nary a jerk or jump in sight.
I don't have either set myself. I gather that the video on both is 1080i? So I assume that it is 25 fps (50 fields/sec) on the UK set and 29.97 fps (59.94 fields/sec) on the US set?
Does your player-to-display video equipment chain support transmission and native display of 50Hz video? IF so, that would explain why the UK set looks smooth for you. Or else, the 50Hz->60Hz conversion that is occurring in your equipment produces better results than the conversion that is burned into the encoding of the US set.
-- Peter
 

pjones

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Adam Lenhardt said:
Aha! Then I have no idea what format it was shot in. Even if it's 25 frames progressive, it should still play better in 1080i60 with ABABAABABABB field cadence than a 123455 frame solution. There would seem to be no reason except for laziness, cost or indifference why the encoders didn't take advantage of the interlacing to make the repetition more dispersed.
I'm a little confused by what "ABABAABABABB" means (what are A and B?). Five 25fps source frames (perhaps deinterlaced from 50i) need to be spread across twelve 60Hz output fields. Also, output fields must alternate between so-called "top" and "bottom" fields of some source frame. Using numbers to identify source frames and T and B to mean "top field" and "bottom field" of that frame, do you mean using something like this:
1T 1B 2T 2B 3T 3B 3T 4B 4T 5B 5T 5B (repeat 1 field for each of 2 of the 5 frames, 2:2:3:2:3)
instead of this:
1T 1B 2T 2B 3T 3B 4T 4B 5T 5B 5T 5B (repeat 2 fields for only 1 of the 5 frames, 2:2:2:2:4)
?
Cheers,
-- Peter
 

nealg

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Amazon UK has reduced the prices on Season 2 and the Season 1 + 2 box set! Christmas Special isn't cheap, but of course I had to add it to the order. Now I can't wait to bring my defective US set of Season 2 back to Barnes for a REFUND.
I already have the US set of Season 1, but at £22.99, I got the 1 + 2 box for the extras not included on the US version. Did somebody say "double-dip?"
 

Robert Harris

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The final result of problems with the U.S. domestic release of Downton Abbey comes down to a simple fact.



[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Both Season 1 as well as Season 2 are fully defective, as they are improperly mastered.[/COLOR]



[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]For those who wish to own the series, Amazon offers a few different possibilities. Purchasing the UK release, which is non-region coded via a U.S. supplier is not the best route, as ridiculous prices are asked. The easy way is to order from Amazon UK. I found the boxed set of two seasons to be fairly priced, and delivery quick.[/COLOR]



[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Be aware that while the U.S. Season 2 is inclusive of the final episode, the UK set is not, and it must be ordered separately, but is easy enough.[/COLOR]



[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]The interesting thing here is that while Season 1 (U.S.) shows the same problem as Season 2, it is not as obvious, and plays decently. Season 2 is unwatchable, which begs the questions, what has PBS done to destroy the quality of the master?[/COLOR]



[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]I would suggest that the PBS (U.S.) release issued as "Masterpiece Classic," and "Original UK Edition," be returned as defective, which they are.[/COLOR]



[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]RAH[/COLOR]
 

haineshisway

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As I said, I'd ordered the UK of season one to start. After getting hooked, I ordered the US season two and noticed the horrors within instantly. I was a bit surprised (but not really) to not find this problem mentioned in a lot of reviews, since it's so glaringly obvious. I then purchased season two and the Christmas episode from amazon UK and they are wonderful and perfect.
 

Will Krupp

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Originally Posted by Robert Harris /t/318842/a-few-words-about-downton-abbey-season-two-in-blu-ray/30#post_3903893
That is the defective product.
I have the same one and haven't noticed anything like what is being described here. I thought it looked and played gorgeously. Odd.
 

Robert Harris

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Originally Posted by Will Krupp /t/318842/a-few-words-about-downton-abbey-season-two-in-blu-ray/30#post_3903921
I have the same one and haven't noticed anything like what is being described here. I thought it looked and played gorgeously. Odd.
May I ask what your setup is?

If you pause playback, and then go frame by frame, do you see frames 1,2,3,4,5,5,6,7,8,9,10,10...

or 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

If it's the former, there's a problem. But it may be masked by some players, which I fail to understand.

RAH
 

Robert Harris

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Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/318842/a-few-words-about-downton-abbey-season-two-in-blu-ray/30#post_3903915
As I said, I'd ordered the UK of season one to start. After getting hooked, I ordered the US season two and noticed the horrors within instantly. I was a bit surprised (but not really) to not find this problem mentioned in a lot of reviews, since it's so glaringly obvious. I then purchased season two and the Christmas episode from amazon UK and they are wonderful and perfect.
I really must say something publicly.

With the myriad of people viewing Blu-ray, one set of eyes that I've found I can always trust, are those of Mr. Kimmel.

Actually, a good name for a potential horror project.

"The eyes of Mr. Kimmel..."

RAH
 

haineshisway

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Robert Harris said:
I really must say something publicly.
With the myriad of people viewing Blu-ray, one set of eyes that I've found I can always trust, are those of Mr. Kimmel.
Actually, a good name for a potential horror project.
"The eyes of Mr. Kimmel..."
RAH
Thank you, kindly. And we're shooting The Eyes of Mr. Kimmel next week - it will be in alternating ratios of 1.33, 1.78, 1.85, 2.20, 2.35, 2.55, and 2.76. For home video the ratio will be 1.66, a fine compromise. We're shooting in 3D but will not release it that way.
 

Will Krupp

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Originally Posted by Robert Harris /t/318842/a-few-words-about-downton-abbey-season-two-in-blu-ray/30#post_3903930
May I ask what your setup is?

If you pause playback, and then go frame by frame, do you see frames 1,2,3,4,5,5,6,7,8,9,10,10...

or 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

If it's the former, there's a problem. But it may be masked by some players, which I fail to understand.

RAH
My setup is a Samsung player (I have to check for the model number but it was the last one using the Reon chipset and I bought about two years ago, after it had already been discontinued. I have also never done a firmware upgrade.) and a Samsung LCD (also about two years old) As soon as dinner is done I will pop the disc in and make sure my eyes aren't playing tricks and I will do the "frame by frame."
 

Robert Harris

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Originally Posted by Will Krupp /t/318842/a-few-words-about-downton-abbey-season-two-in-blu-ray/30#post_3903939
My setup is a Samsung player (I have to check for the model number but it was the last one using the Reon chipset and I bought about two years ago, after it had already been discontinued. I have also never done a firmware upgrade.) and a Samsung LCD (also about two years old) As soon as dinner is done I will pop the disc in and make sure my eyes aren't playing tricks and I will do the "frame by frame."

appreciated
 

Will Krupp

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Alright I couldn't wait. I popped it in and watched it (it's on right now) and I am NOT noticing anything untoward in the picture. In fact, again, I am struck by how beautiful it all seems. I did frame by frame and every fifth frame IS repeated, if that helps. Maybe I'm just not allergic to peanuts? (I'm allergic to PAL speed up, which is unbearable to me)

I stumbled on this thread quite by accident and was really surprised at the issues people are having, especially considering I thought it a stellar disc (especially for only being 1080i)

In fact, I thought it (personally and without knowing any better) a superior presentation visually to Series 1 (that occasionally has some oddities in the dark scenes.)

EDIT: The player in question is a Samsung BD-P2500. I'm really hoping that the player isn't masking it because I will eventually have to replace this one (it's starting to do some "wonky" things so I know it's only a question of time) and I hate to think other players won't handle it as well.
 

haineshisway

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Will Krupp said:
Alright I couldn't wait.  I popped it in and watched it (it's on right now) and I am NOT noticing anything untoward in the picture.  In fact, again, I am struck by how beautiful it all seems.  I did frame by frame and every fifth frame IS repeated, if that helps.  Maybe I'm just not allergic to peanuts?  (I'm allergic to PAL speed up, which is unbearable to me)
I stumbled on this thread quite by accident and was really surprised at the issues people are having, especially considering I thought it a stellar disc (especially for only being 1080i)
In fact, I thought it (personally and without knowing any better) a superior presentation visually to Series 1 (that occasionally has some oddities in the dark scenes.)
EDIT:  The player in question is a Samsung BD-P2500.  I'm really hoping that the player isn't masking it because I will eventually have to replace this one (it's starting to do some "wonky" things so I know it's only a question of time) and I hate to think other players won't handle it as well.
Do you know what to look for - it's very apparent in every single moving shot.
 

Will Krupp

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Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/318842/a-few-words-about-downton-abbey-season-two-in-blu-ray/30#post_3903968
Do you know what to look for - it's very apparent in every single moving shot.
I'm sure you don't actually mean that in the condescending way it sounds

It's supposed to be so awful that I don't even need to "look for it" do I?
I don't see a jitter or a drag and everything looks smooth and lovely to me. What can I say? I looked and watched and got caught up in the story all over again but saw no problems with the picture.
There is a slight motion blur in some panning shots but that is not unique to THIS set and doesn't take away from my enjoyment.
I'm sorry I don't find the disc even remotely unwatchable.
 

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