FUNNY FACE and SABRINA Eye Popping Blu-rays (1 Viewer)

[OliverK]

Zulu could have some more fine detail, but I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. It has striking luminosity, like looking out a window, and the color is outstanding. My friends were awe struck by these aspects of the transfer. So, while it's not perfect, it looks pretty darn good to me. I'm very happy to have it in my collection.

The striking luminosity and color is what makes it so sad that the completely over the top processing was applied. This could have been close to reference quality on large screens, now it falls apart at closer viewing distances.
It would love to see how Zulu looked before it got the "special treatment" and I would also like to know what source was used for the Blu-Ray.
Regarding The Big Country: It certainly is not perfect but it still looks like film and not video. Imo The Big Country never had the potential to look as fantastic as Zulu and with the limited budget that it was afforded the results are what I would still call respectable but definitely not great - we unfortunately do not have a Ben Hur budget to spend on every classic movie. On seond thought I owuld have to take it off that list because of the incorrect squeeze that was employed - I can take it out of the transfer but I think that I am in the minority there and a Blu-Ray should respect the correct aspect ratio and proportions without the viewer having to resort using special add-on equipment like a scaler.

 

[John Hodson]

Caps-a-holic on Sabrina

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by John Hermes /t/320526/funny-face-and-sabrina-eye-popping-blu-rays/30#post_3950875
Zulu could have some more fine detail, but I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. It has striking luminosity, like looking out a window, and the color is outstanding. My friends were awe struck by these aspects of the transfer. So, while it's not perfect, it looks pretty darn good to me. I'm very happy to have it in my collection.

Its overprocessed garbage and looks nothing like film material.

 

[John Hermes]

Its overprocessed garbage and looks nothing like film material.

People can disagree about things. We obviously do.

 

[bigshot]

Zulu looks spectacular on my projection system. Sharp as a tack and with great color and contrast. Daylight, night scenes, interiors... All good. Proper balance like that in every single scene isn't common.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by bigshot /t/320526/funny-face-and-sabrina-eye-popping-blu-rays/60#post_3951098
Zulu looks spectacular on my projection system. Sharp as a tack and with great color and contrast. Daylight, night scenes, interiors... All good. Proper balance like that in every single scene isn't common.

Stephen, i can respect your opinion about the Disney classic titles but on this occasion i have to agree to disagree, sorry. ( John too - sorry )

 

[bigshot]

Well, I'll disagree (partially) with another one mentioned here... To Catch A Thief. It looks pretty ordinary until the party scene. From there on, the image quality jumps a couple of notches. I haven't seen anyone comment on that, and I wondered if two different sources were being used.

 

[hguerth]

After noticing some warnings in this thread I hesitated for two full months before I finally ordered the BD from France. Now I'm sorry I did - hesitate, I mean.
The picture is nothing short of delightful - some filtering there may be, but it's not at all "annoying". To declare it "scrubbed" would be absolutely unjustified.
As to grain: It's VistaVision, stupid.
It is not an 8K scan, that's for sure, but 2K - that I can't imagine. Look at the amazing details of the Paris landscape und buildings. And Audrey's face in close-up is by no means waxy, but cute as it should be. Never so clearly I saw the difference in her age to that of Kay Thompson (and Fred Astaire as well) .
Most irritating for me was the blurring of the image in the wedding dance scene. For some minutes I was inclined to distrust my eye-sight - then CUT and - WHOA! the usual sharpness. So I'd say it wasn't Paramount's fault but Stanley Donen's decision (soft focus and/or scrim diffusing). Maybe this was due to the intrinsic difficulties of lawn dancing - as we've known later on from Cimino's Heaven's Gate. Never noticed that before.
The Blu-ray is region free and not too expensive - buy with confidence!

 

[OliverK]

Hans, can you please share how big your TV is and what your seating distance is?

 

[hguerth]

Not too big but a very good one for the Blu-ray experience: Samsung LCD 46 A956 (46 inch, backlit LED with local dimming, something they do not produce any more, except Sony and Philips). My viewing distance normally is 7 feet but for an excellent picture quality I carefully reduce that (for some images of the FF-BD I went to a 3 - 4 feet distance). Is this satisfying?

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by hguerth /t/320526/funny-face-and-sabrina-eye-popping-blu-rays/60#post_3951528
Not too big but a very good one for the Blu-ray experience: Samsung LCD 46 A956 (46 inch, backlit LED with local dimming, something they do not produce any more, except Sony and Philips). My viewing distance normally is 7 feet but for an excellent picture quality I carefully reduce that (for some images of the FF-BD I went to a 3 - 4 feet distance). Is this satisfying?

Just reading a review of the 55inch version of this set here;

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-le55a956-20081106134.htm

Seems to be a very good set.

 

[haineshisway]

Just reading a review of the 55inch version of this set here;
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-le55a956-20081106134.htm
Seems to be a very good set.

I have it and it's a great set - beautiful image. And Funny Face looks great on it. Of course, I don't sit with my nose pressed up against a 100 inch screen - that just doesn't interest me.

 

[haineshisway]

Not too big but a very good one for the Blu-ray experience: Samsung LCD 46 A956 (46 inch, backlit LED with local dimming, something they do not produce any more, except Sony and Philips). My viewing distance normally is 7 feet but for an excellent picture quality I carefully reduce that (for some images of the FF-BD I went to a 3 - 4 feet distance). Is this satisfying?

If it works for you, it's satisfying. Others like to sit up close, freeze-frame images, blow them up, study screen caps, and do everything but actually watch and enjoy - a movie.

 

[haineshisway]

Well, I'll disagree (partially) with another one mentioned here... To Catch A Thief. It looks pretty ordinary until the party scene. From there on, the image quality jumps a couple of notches. I haven't seen anyone comment on that, and I wondered if two different sources were being used.

I felt the Blu-ray was not all it could be - it's fine, but is nowhere near Ron Smith's work on The Ten Commandments and White Christmas.

 

[haineshisway]

Zulu looks spectacular on my projection system. Sharp as a tack and with great color and contrast. Daylight, night scenes, interiors... All good. Proper balance like that in every single scene isn't common.

I'm with you.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/320526/funny-face-and-sabrina-eye-popping-blu-rays/60#post_3951547
I have it and it's a great set - beautiful image. And Funny Face looks great on it. Of course, I don't sit with my nose pressed up against a 100 inch screen - that just doesn't interest me.

I was with you until that last unnecessary comment, really not nice at all, try some restraint before typing next time.

There is nothing better than watching a Blu ray that has been well done on a large 100inch or more projection setup, there is no "pressing nose against screen needed" and films can look so cinematic, shame ( that in my opinion ) Zulu looks so poor, gotta say it again since you brought it up. ( again )

 

[haineshisway]

I was with you until that last unnecessary comment, really not nice at all, try some restraint before typing next time.
There is nothing better than watching a Blu ray that has been well done on a large 100inch or more projection setup, there is no "pressing nose against screen needed" and films can look so cinematic, shame ( that in my opinion ) Zulu looks so poor, gotta say it again since you brought it up. ( again )

What is not nice about what I said - I made a statement of fact for me personally. I think we're allowed to do that here, no? In fact, in this post I'm responding to, you do exactly that and I don't say you're not being nice. And I disagree with you. And the world goes round. I was responding to a specific person who likes to sit really close to his screen. I don't understand it, and, as I said in a subsequent post, I don't understand people who do it at movie theaters either. The reason, I'm told, is because it makes the movie more immersive. But how can it when you don't have a clear view of it? When I first saw Ben-Hur back in 1959 the only seat my mother could get was in the first row. That was immersive all right and not in a good way. When I saw it again a few weeks later from the tenth row, THAT was an experience.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/320526/funny-face-and-sabrina-eye-popping-blu-rays/60#post_3951576
What is not nice about what I said - I made a statement of fact for me personally. I think we're allowed to do that here, no? In fact, in this post I'm responding to, you do exactly that and I don't say you're not being nice. And I disagree with you. And the world goes round. I was responding to a specific person who likes to sit really close to his screen. I don't understand it, and, as I said in a subsequent post, I don't understand people who do it at movie theaters either. The reason, I'm told, is because it makes the movie more immersive. But how can it when you don't have a clear view of it? When I first saw Ben-Hur back in 1959 the only seat my mother could get was in the first row. That was immersive all right and not in a good way. When I saw it again a few weeks later from the tenth row, THAT was an experience.

It was your comment about pressing one's nose up to your 100 inch screen that did it, sounded like a dig to me because your reply quoted me and i have a projection setup in my home and i also happen to have some Blu ray screencaps at my website, hence putting two and two together and thinking you are aiming things at my direction.

 

[OliverK]

Not too big but a very good one for the Blu-ray experience: Samsung LCD 46 A956 (46 inch, backlit LED with local dimming, something they do not produce any more, except Sony and Philips). My viewing distance normally is 7 feet but for an excellent picture quality I carefully reduce that (for some images of the FF-BD I went to a 3 - 4 feet distance). Is this satisfying?

Thank you, that helps. I just try to understand why the reaction to movies on Blu-Ray is so different between people. I don't think it can be down to relative viewing distance that much as for example you are sitting quite close to you about 3 1/2 feet wide picture so that cannot be the reason you like Funny Face vs others who don't.

 

[OliverK]

Of course, I don't sit with my nose pressed up against a 100 inch screen - that just doesn't interest me.

Still waiting to find even one person that would be interested in that, there is really nobody I know who sits closer than one screen width away from his screen so that would be 100 inch from a 100 inch screen. Not much nose pressing can be done at that distance, except maybe for certain wooden puppets when they are telling a lot of lies.