A Few Words About A few words about...™ Gladiator -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

Never say never but if they haven't even made a comment about the problems, I don't think you'll see a recall or a replacement issued.

 

[Dave H]

I've watched Gladiator twice on BD having rented it from Netflix and it is a disappointment. Of course, the extended scenes look good, but many other parts of the film look extremely digital and over-processed with heavy edge enhancement and plenty of obvious DNR. The outdoor scenes look the worst. On any rate, I will not purchase this title unless a new transfer is issued.

 

[Yumbo]

I thought the sound was more disappointing.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Has there been any news on if Gladiator will get a new corrected transfer or not, anytime soon? I would love to own this title on Bluray but not the way it is now!

 

[Bobby Henderson]

No word yet on a Gladiator re-master. On the bright side, I noticed cover art for a Gangs of New York: Remastered in the upcoming releases cover art section at The Digital Bits web site.

The issue with Gladiator is reminiscent of the early days of DVD. I'm sure more than a few people remember Hollywood studios trying to re-use old Laserdisc video transfers for DVD releases and being verbally dragged by the ankles by critics behind a pickup truck speeding down the section line road. Between 1999-2001 various studios insisting on using the old stuff started getting the hint they needed to author for DVD using up to date tools and up to date source material. So they started minting a lot of HD-quality video transfers to reduce to 16X9 anamorphic SD DVD format.

A decade later, the studios are, again, trying to save a buck by re-using old dusty masters. This time the bosses at least have some excuse in that the masters were "HDTV Quality." Shouldn't that be good enough for Blu-ray? Not really.

Maybe I'm seeing the mechanics of the old fashioned telecine system in a rather simplistic way. To me it amounts to a film projector playing a 35mm film print in real time aimed at a video camera. When I was a little kid living on a Marine Corps base in Iwakuni Japan, my father worked at the Far East Network AFRTS TV station aboard the base. That TV station had a machine that resembled that very setup: a film projector aimed at a video camera. Some of the movies they broadcast were actually being broadcast from a film print!

In any sort of setup where a 35mm print is being run in real time you'll have all the potential pitfalls that can occur with film projection. Sideweave, picketing, strobing/flashing, "breathing" focus, debris on the print, etc. These are issues we would have a hard time spotting on a 16X9 anamorphic enhanced standard definition DVD. But those issues can show up glaringly clear in 1080p on Blu-ray.

The film scanning approach is slower, more costly, but far more precise. Image movement via sideweave, etc. will be minimal. And the acquired scan will be of the quality that any sort of image movement can be corrected.

Simply put, Gladiator needs a redeux. The Oscar-winning film deserves a bleeding edge quality film scan and new digital intermediate -especially to work in the newly added footage. A catalog movie on Blu-ray is not worth doing unless it is done right. Various business people counting money and looking over spreadsheets may disagree with me on this point, but Blu-ray is a quality conscious platform. It demands better than going through the motions results.

 

[joshEH]

According to Bill Hunt, Paramount will be reissuing the Gladiator Blu-Ray later in 2010 (summer or fall), using a newly-completed 1080p transfer that's "far superior to the previous BD release." (The new transfer was reportedly just completed a couple of months ago).

Apparently, it's going timed to the theatrical or home video release of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood later this year, and might be labeled as a "10th Anniversary Edition."

 

[Brent M]

A lot of talk about this on other forums. So far it's just a rumor, but it sounds like one that could have some validity. Fingers crossed.

 

[Heinz W]

Great, if true. I'll be able to buy this title finally. I hated picking up Braveheart while leaving this one on the shelf, but leave it I did. New transfer = sale from me. Way to go Paramount, looking forward to what should be a remarkable disc.

 

[Scott D S]

I just hope the release (if true) is identical to the one that's already out there in terms of extras, seamless branching, etc. I can easily see them just releasing a 1-disc Gladiator with "Remastered 10th Anniversary Edition" on the cover with no extras. But I hope I'm wrong.

 

[John Hodson]

The remastered Gladiator has now been released in Holland; you can check out some screengrabs at the AVS Forums here.


EDIT: apologies, didn't see the thread on the German release.

 

[Bryan Ri]

What's the word on a US release?

 

[Tom_Ca]

According to The Digital Bits, Paramount is about to initiate an exchange program in the US:


All right... now for that awesome Gladiator news. If you've been reading any of the A/V enthusiast forums in the last 24 hours or so, you may now be aware that Paramount has just released the new remastered Gladiator Blu-ray in Holland. Fans will know that the previous U.S. Blu-ray release - a DreamWorks title distributed by Paramount, with elements provided by Universal - featured a (shall we say) somewhat disappointing and recycled high-def transfer. The good news is that, after that mess unfolded, a brand new 4K transfer of the film was done with fresh elements, and the title was re-authored to include it. It's this new transfer that's now available on Blu-ray in Europe, and early word is it's spectacular. Here's a link to a good online screenshot comparison of the new and old Blu-rays. (The first image that appears is the old Blu-ray - roll your cursor over it to see the same shot on the new Blu-ray). As expected, the difference is pretty shocking. You see? There IS a real quality difference when a studio spends a little extra money on the A/V presentation of a Blu-ray to get it right.
Anyway, word (and visual proof of) the new transfer appearing on Blu-ray in Holland has resulted in hundreds of concerned U.S. Gladiator fans e-mailing us in the last day or so, understandably hoping/pleading/begging for any information as to when they might be able to get their hands on the new disc here in the States. So here's the AWESOME news: Paramount is about to initiate an exchange program for anyone who would like to swap their previous Gladiator Blu-ray for an otherwise identical disc with the new transfer. Here's their official statement:
"We are implementing a limited exchange program. This program is only for those consumers that may have preferential issues with some of the technical DVNR (digital video noise reduction) and EE (edge enhancement) choices made in the original source transfer, and so would prefer to exchange it for one that addresses those preferences in a different manner.
While the version that we originally distributed was of the highest quality, some enthusiasts may prefer to view it without the Edge Enhancement and DVNR implemented as standard process in bringing the film to hi-def. This new master resolves those issues."

[Editor's Note: I'm waiting for confirmation from Paramount Home Entertainment on the correct customer service phone number to use and other details. I'll update this text this afternoon as soon as it comes in, so be sure to check back later.]

 

[Jeff Robertson]

Anyone else bothered by this statement:


"[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 255)]While the version that we originally distributed was of the highest quality, some enthusiasts may prefer to view it without the Edge Enhancement and DVNR implemented as standard process in bringing the film to hi-def. This new master resolves those issues." [/COLOR]


Implemented as a standard process?!?!? Oh good God.


I guess no one expected them to just come right out and admit fudging it up the first time around, but this is ridiculous.




* EDIT *


I almost forgot to point out the next thought on a lot of people's minds-- okay, now that you acknowledged a "problem" with this, guess what else needs to be fixed in a similar manner? The Star Trek Films!!!!!!!!!!!!

They've opened the door.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Jeff Robertson

Anyone else bothered by this statement:


"[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 255)]While the version that we originally distributed was of the highest quality, some enthusiasts may prefer to view it without the Edge Enhancement and DVNR implemented as standard process in bringing the film to hi-def. This new master resolves those issues."[/COLOR]

This actually doesn't read badly, as there were many people who had no problem with the original release, and found it to be of high quality. My presumption is that they will not be part of the exchange program.


Bottom line is that Paramount has properly stepped up to the plate.


RAH

 

[Jeff Robertson]

But what does that say about future catalog releases from them? To me it says, "using old DNR'd masters is fine because most people won't notice when they're released on Blu-Ray". Well, then Paramount has to serve two communities if they're thinking that way. It would be easier just to release the best possible product the first time around.

Originally Posted by Robert Harris


This actually doesn't read badly, as there were many people who had no problem with the original release, and found it to be of high quality. My presumption is that they will not be part of the exchange program.


Bottom line is that Paramount has properly stepped up to the plate.


RAH

 

[Robert Harris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Robertson

But what does that say about future catalog releases from them? To me it says, "using old DNR'd masters is fine because most people won't notice when they're released on Blu-Ray". Well, then Paramount has to serve two communities if they're thinking that way. It would be easier just to release the best possible product the first time around.

I don't believe it says anything at all about future releases. No one from the studio is saying that the release was fine. From my read, the point is being made that some people had problems with it, and they are responding to those problems.


I wouldn't try to make more of this than there is on the surface. The studio is responding perfectly. One could not ask more.


While I don't know if it's yet active, the Customer Service number will be (888) 889-9456

 

[Jeff Robertson]

I have no complaints with their response. I am glad they did what they did, and frankly, I was not expecting it. But, wouldn't it have been best to avoid having to do this at all by releasing a product that no one will have any issues with?

Originally Posted by Robert Harris

Quote:


I don't believe it says anything at all about future releases. No one from the studio is saying that the release was fine. From my read, the point is being made that some people had problems with it, and they are responding to those problems.


I wouldn't try to make more of this than there is on the surface. The studio is responding perfectly. One could not ask more.


While I don't know if it's yet active, the Customer Service number will be (888) 889-9456.

 

[Sergio]

[COLOR= black]Hello,[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black]Just called Paramount to (323) 956-5710 . Give my name and phone number to the customer service rep regarding the Gladiator blu-ray exchange program . Somebody else will call another time for instructions.[/COLOR]


[COLOR= black] [/COLOR] [COLOR= black]Regards,[/COLOR]

 

[Sean Bryan]

Will this be going on sale in the US? I didn't buy the first release because of the transfer issues, so I can't "exchange it" for the remastered version.

 

[Craig S]

Here is some additional info Bill posted on the Bits after his initial announcement. Should answer the above question:

Editor's Note: You can call Paramount Home Entertainment's REVISED customer service hotline number (888) 889-9456 - give them a couple days to get things together) to arrange the swap. Replacement discs will be available soon. For those in the U.S. and Canada who don't yet own the disc, a running production change has been initiated, so future copies shipped to retailers will include the new transfer. Rest assured, we'll post details as to exactly how you'll be able to identify the new discs (likely via some kind of packaging marking) when they start becoming available in stores in the coming weeks. And for those of you in other countries around the world, the new disc is being gradually rolled out in each region, so contact your local distributor for the details.

On behalf of Gladiator and Blu-ray fans everywhere, I'd like to send out a big Bits THANK YOU to everyone involved in the decision to do the new transfer, to those talented mastering wizards involved in the actual work (for a job well done!), and to the folks at Paramount for implementing their exchange program. THAT'S how you do right by your customers, and it's very much appreciated.