Eraserhead DVD now available for purchase (2 Viewers)

[Jeremy]

Felix Martinez:

In an ideal world, the hour and a half comments by Lynch and trailer should have been on a 2nd disc.

Actually, disc space isn't the reason for the lack of a PCM track (the whole disc is only about 7 GB, leaving plenty of storage space for an uncompressed audio track), it's the bitrate.

I think that the combination of desired video bitrate and the perils of a layer change caused them to drop the PCM. As it is now, the movie itself isn't even over 4 GB.

 

[Michael Hall]

Yet another post by me asking for info on the DL.com team's packaging of the DVDs: I know people have said there is a kind of "envelope" type thing that holds the disc in the box, but I'm curious as to if the disc is easily damaged in the shipping process due to how it's held in there. In my mind, I paid 50 bucks for this thing, and I'd like it to be in pristine condition when it gets here and not have slid around and scratched itself all to pieces.

If something like that happens (as recently did to me) with an order from an online retailer, it's not a big hassle to go through a return and replacement process; I have a feeling that such a process with the EH DVD would be an entirely different story, and end up costing me a few bucks.

Long story short, as unique as the packaging is, does it do its job well?

 

[John CW]

Taking into account all this "bitrate" vs "disc space" stuff... Would the picture quality have benefitted from a second disc?

And if so, after all this time... why on earth didn't DL consider a two disc set??

Hmph :frowning:

~ Johnny

 

[Patrick Larkin]

Can someone take more pics of the packaging and post them? The pictures so far don't really show where the disc goes and stuff. Thanks.

BTW, if you want, you can send pictures to me and I will host them and post them.

 

[Felix Martinez]

Actually, disc space isn't the reason for the lack of a PCM track (the whole disc is only about 7 GB, leaving plenty of storage space for an uncompressed audio track), it's the bitrate.

Yes, but increasing the bitrate would make the .m2v file bigger as well - and that's really the whopper file, so it's a balance. I am, however, surprised to read from your post that the dual-layered DVD isn't at capacity.

Saw this finally last night, and fear not EH fans - it's excellent! The audio quality was actually a bit more of a pleasant surprise to me than the video quality, compression-wise. I was frankly disheartened to hear the PCM track was a no-show, but the DD 2.0 is downright impressive. Lots of nice, low frequencies, and spacious atmospheres...

The image is sparkling clear, and a wonder to behold, but there are a handful of scenes in the beginning of Henry walking outdoors, where the detail in the walls, gravel, etc. were kind of undulating and the grain was clumping together in classic MPEG-2 compression fashion. But this was seen projected on a 92 inch screen, where every imperfection is in your face. After a handful of these problematic shots, the rest of the film was just sparkling. Not one blemish, not one flaw, other than the occasional bob and weave in the gate. I don't recall a trace of EE either.

Fantastic show, and well worth the wait!

Felix

 

[Felix Martinez]

but I'm curious as to if the disc is easily damaged in the shipping process due to how it's held in there.

The DL.com box used for shipping is sturdy and rigid. Unless UPS uses it as tire stop for their vehicles, you should have absolutely no prob.

I had EH, the Short Films DVD (in a similar 8"X8" box) and a fragile, ceramic Dumbland coffee cup - all in the same package. Everything was perfect.

Cheers,
Felix

 

[Felix Martinez]

I think that the combination of desired video bitrate and the perils of a layer change caused them to drop the PCM

You may be onto something here. If Lynch didn't want his film interrupted by a layer change, that could well explain the limited disc capacity and reluctance to go to a 2-disc set (I don't recall a layer change in the film itself, so the Lynch recollections and trailer are probably all on the second layer).

Who knows? It's still a wonderful set!

Cheers,
Felix

 

[Nathan_H]

for those that want to rent rather than buy eraserhead on DVD, http://www.greencine.com (the indie/arthouse alternative to netflix, et al.) indicates they will be stocking it as an option, later this month

 

[Michael Hall]

Well, UPS just dropped my copy of "Eraserhead" off not more than an hour ago, and my jaw dropped at the quality of the packaging. I won't have a chance to watch it for a few days (I'm currently at a DVD playerless home), but if the quality of the disc itself is anywhere near the care given to the packaging, all I can say is wow.

The DL.com box, as stated earlier, is a very sturdy cardboard and is aesthetically pleasing as well. My EH DVD was packed in red tissue paper, with a copious amount of styrofoam peanuts to prevent damage. The DVD box itself is inside a resealable clear plastic bag, and has a semi-thin paper sleeve with the DVD artwork (i.e. the logo and Jack Nance on the front, with the Girl Inside the Radiator on the back) that fits over the actual box. The box is thick black cardboard, and has two gatefold flaps (that look like a sideways "U" with a hole in the center to see the disc) that hold the disc in (the disc itself sits in an envelope attached to one of the gatefolds). The disc is held in the envelope by a small sticker, which is easily removable with a bit of care. Under the disc and the gatefolds are the book, which has a lot of really nice photographs. There is also a business card sized, well, card that tells you the technical specifications of the disc.

Overall, the packaging on this is top notch. It's bigger than I thought it would be, but it's also of a lot higher quality than I thought it would be. Now all I need to do is actually watch the disc!

 

[Chris_House]

Here are some pics for the person who requested them. I did my best to show how the CD is placed in the holder.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

thanks for those pictures. now i understand the praise and the complaints clearly.

 

[Randall Dorr]

The review at DVDFile states it's a two disc set with PCM.

 

[Damin J Toell]

The review at DVDFile states it's a two disc set with PCM.

That's what the spec sheet included with the disc says, and it's an error based on early specs. The DVDFile reviewer apparently relied on the spec sheet instead of checking his own equipment for confirmation.

DJ

 

[Felix Martinez]

The review at DVDFile states it's a two disc set with PCM

Wrong, and wrong!
Cheers,
Felix

 

[John CW]

Felix: You write for DVDAngle? Any chance you could get them to fix this?

The first ever review at DVDAngle had this lovely piece of information:

This is one of the very few DVD in which I won't complain about the lack of 16x9 enhancement. I'm a firm believer of seeing a movie the way it was originally intended. Grosse Pointe Blank was shot in 1.85:1 'spherical' and not anamorphic. I'm not fond of the fact that Buena Vista does not release any 16x9 DVDs, yet this is a rare exception to the rule.

Four years later and it STILL hasn't been fixed!

(Sorry that was OT, I know.)

~ Johnny

 

[DaViD Boulet]

That's so funny. I read the dvdfile.com review and thought that he was confirming that the audio was 2.0 PCM too!

Here's the actual text:

These cleaned-up elements were then processed through an Aphex 204 Aural Exciter to restore clarity and detail to the mix, and some processing was added to extend the low frequencies. "To deliver maximum fidelity, the restored track is presented uncompressed in PCM 2.0 stereo." Unfortunately, the actual track itself is recorded in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, doubtless a last-minute change to save precious bit space? While a true PCM track would likely have been better, this is s still a very well-restored soundtrack.

Upon 2nd glance it's clear that the final disc is *not* PCM stereo, but 2.0 Dolby. I'd love to know the bit-rate however. 2.0 DD at 384 or 448 could sound very, VERY good.

-dave

 

[Damin J Toell]

Upon 2nd glance it's clear that the final disc is *not* PCM stereo, but 2.0 Dolby.

That's because the review was updated with (some of the needed) corrections.

DJ

 

[Michael Hall]

Not that my opinion will amount to a hill of beans, but I just finished watching the new EH DVD and I have to say that it is nice to finally have a perfect copy of this film on DVD after about eight years of watching it on a dub of the Japanese laserdisc. The picture quality is simply breathtaking and is on par, if not better than, the excellent transfer on "The Elephant Man" (Lynch's other b&w film, for the uninformed). The sound is great, as is the "Stories" section of the disc. It's nice to hear Lynch's recollections about the genesis and the making of the film.

So, if you're a fan of the film and you're still sitting on the fence about this one, jump off the fence and order it. I would imagine you won't be disappointed.

 

[Ken Stuart]

For those who haven't seen the film and are wondering whether they should buy it unseen, here is a brief description.

Imagine your worst nightmare - not the colloguial use of the phrase, but an actual bad dream, and then imagine that the atmosphere - rather than the specific events - of that dream was made into a film.

Ironically, the amazing success of the film in portraying this, is precisely why I'm not interested in forking over US$50 for the DVD --- i.e. it is not a film I can bring myself to watch very often! My guess is that if I end up buying a DVD of this film, I would watch it a maximum of twice over the rest of my lifetime...

 

[Ike]

I'm the exact opposite, Ken-I think this will be one of those rare films I'll watch over and over. I think anyone that's interested in it will be a fan of David Lynch, which will in turn prepare them for what they are getting into. It's no more dark than Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, etc.

But I agree-it is the closest Lynch film I've seen in getting that dream logic/atmosphere right.