Shout Factory Press Release: Route 66: The Complete Series (1 Viewer)

[PatrickGoodluck]

The tragic thing in all this is that these prints will now become the standard version by which newcomers to the show will judge it by. Unless of course you're content with better quality on edited TV syndicated prints, which I, for one am not.
I'm also disappointed that Brian Ward has not answered his critics about this issue since its release. I was one of those (perhaps foolish in retrospect?) who was optimistic about his statements and believing we were getting "improved" prints upon its release. Even though Brian didn't specifically say so.

 

[DeWilson]

The tragic thing in all this is that these prints will now become the standard version by which newcomers to the show will judge it by. Unless of course you're content with better quality on edited TV syndicated prints, which I, for one am not.
I'm also disappointed that Brian Ward has not answered his critics about this issue since its release. I was one of those (perhaps foolish in retrospect?) who was optimistic about his statements and believing we were getting "improved" prints upon its release. Even though Brian didn't specifically say so.

They spend the money to buy the show outright, and then not spend the time to make new,fresh decent transfers on the series? That's just inane! ROUTE 66 is a great series!
If THE FUGITIVE is the most botched and mishandled classic drama show of the 1960's on DVD, then ROUTE 66 is the second! (and LOST IN SPACE is the 3rd with "off-the-sheclf" prints rather than new transfers!)

 

[PatrickGoodluck]

They spend the money to buy the show outright, and then not spend the time to make new,fresh decent transfers on the series? That's just inane! ROUTE 66 is a great series!
If THE FUGITIVE is the most botched and mishandled classic drama show of the 1960's on DVD, then ROUTE 66 is the second! (and LOST IN SPACE is the 3rd with "off-the-sheclf" prints rather than new transfers!)

TOTALLY agree! Yeah, LOST IN SPACE has been riddled with problems both from off-air broadcasts and even going back to the video era with poor transfers.

 

[Stewie719]

Hate to say this, people (especially with this being my first post here), but I'm seeing evidence of other problems with this set as well: Aspect ratio problems.
My set arrived from Amazon today, and I immediately discovered that several Season 1 episodes are not in their native 4x3 format, but stretched to fill the entire 16x9 screen (as opposed to cropped like Infinity's original Season 1 Volume 2 set was). Episodes 1, 2 & 4 on the very first disc - "Black November," "Lance Of Straw" and "The Man On The Monkey Board" - are all playing back on my HDTV this way, and a few others amongst the Season 1 DVDs are stretched out as well. All other Season 1 episodes are "pillarboxed" and in the correct ratio. (I've yet to check the set's other seasons.)
I'm pretty sure this is not an issue with my monitor and/or player settings; everything was calibrated and properly set up using the Digital Video Essentials DVD. Just the same, any verification on this from others here who have the set would be welcome. If there actually are ratio-related mastering problems with this set, then I think Shout! owes us some explanations (not to mention replacement discs!). Thanks in advance.

 

[Jack P]

I didn't see that aspect ratio problem on "Black November" or "Lance Of Straw" on my primary player (a Sony portable Blu-Ray). "Lance Of Straw" though does still look like a weak 16mm print.

 

[smithb]

Sounds like a potential "flagging" issue. However, if it was improperly flagged you would think it would effect everyone the same, and this is the first report of the issue that i have seen. I would recheck your player and TV settings for how to handle the aspect ratio (I don't recall DVD essential going into this, but my copy is pretty old). Within most TV's these days there are multiple settings from forcing one or the other to an auto-detect settings. In any case, you should be able to force it to 4:3 from the remote when watching those episode.

 

[Stewie719]

Thanks for the responses.
For the record, I'm playing them on a Sony BDP-S570, connected to a Vizio SV422XVT via HDMI. I do know that the Vizio's aspect ratio settings are only stretch and zoom-based. These really aren't applicable to my situation. My problem is that I don't have another working player I can connect to the Vizio to try the discs on (my old Samsung player died on me two years ago).
It's weird because is I've never experienced anything like this, and I've played hundreds of DVDs and Blu-rays on this setup, of both 4:3 and 16:9 material – the display has always been correct in all instances.
I'll have to tinker with the player's aspect settings when I have more time this weekend.

 

[smithb]

Thanks for the responses.
For the record, I'm playing them on a Sony BDP-S570, connected to a Vizio SV422XVT via HDMI. I do know that the Vizio's aspect ratio settings are only stretch and zoom-based. These really aren't applicable to my situation. My problem is that I don't have another working player I can connect to the Vizio to try the discs on (my old Samsung player died on me two years ago).
It's weird because is I've never experienced anything like this, and I've played hundreds of DVDs and Blu-rays on this setup, of both 4:3 and 16:9 material – the display has always been correct in all instances.
I'll have to tinker with the player's aspect settings when I have more time this weekend.

Do you typically have the TV set for "Normal" or "Stretch"?

 

[Stewie719]

Do you typically have the TV set for "Normal" or "Stretch"?

The Vizio 422's screen settings are Zoom1, Zoom2, Normal and Stretch. It's always on Normal, without exception. I never change it.

 

[smithb]

"Normal" would be correct for your TV.
I noticed this with your blu-ray player:
Screen Settings:
Original Select this when connecting to a TV with a wide mode function. Displays a 4:3 screen picture in 16:9 aspect ratio even on a wide-screen TV.
Fixed Aspect Ratio Changes the picture size to fit the screen size with the original picture aspect ratio.
The default is "Original". I'd verify it is set to "Fixed Aspect Ratio".

 

[HenryDuBrow]

Interestingly enough for TV watching, it seems that CNN in Europe is still broadcasting in 4:3? So a channel like that is good to set your set by, press 4:3 there and when on 16:9 channels (most by now) it'll automatically switch to that original ratio. A stretched widescreen picture on 4:3 material/signal isn't very cool to behold.

 

[PaulaJ]

That's disappointing about the quality of the episodes. I wish I could check on them myself but the *#(&)#(*#$ discs won't advance beyond the FBI warning! And I have a brand new Blu-ray/DVD player. Off to the Shout FB page to complain.

 

[Stewie719]

I noticed this with your blu-ray player:
Screen Settings:
Original Select this when connecting to a TV with a wide mode function. Displays a 4:3 screen picture in 16:9 aspect ratio even on a wide-screen TV.
Fixed Aspect Ratio Changes the picture size to fit the screen size with the original picture aspect ratio.
The default is "Original". I'd verify it is set to "Fixed Aspect Ratio".

It is indeed on Fixed Aspect Ratio.
To re-affirm what you said before: On that Fixed Aspect Ratio setting, I have select episodes playing back in 16:9 (only with this DVD set, its other episodes – as well as all other 4:3 sources across all other disc media – display properly). Put it on Original, and ALL 4:3 material is stretched to 16:9.
When I get a chance, I'm next going to try connecting this player to my Samsung HDTV in the bedroom, just to see if the problem moves with it.
Looking beyond that, I'm starting to wonder if this could be a player firmware issue that updated software from Sony might solve? It still has the original factory firmware which I've never bothered to change, perhaps there's cause to do so now? What do you think?

 

[smithb]

The fact that I haven't heard of anyone else reporting it but you, and your device settings are as they should be for this content, I can only think of the following:
- That there is some odd flagging for these particular episodes (I don't know the details of how the flagging of aspect ratio's can be done) and some players can detect it properly and others not, which could lead to a firmware issue (worth checking, as well as trying on another player), or
- Something about the flagging of those episodes was messed of during the manufacturing of that disk. I saw someone else complain they couldn't get their disks to go past the FBI warning before freezing (also using a blu-ray player).
I would try it on another player to see if it is consistent. If so, I would return it for another. Unfortunately, your TV won't let you force it to 4:3.

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by DeWilson /t/318411/shout-factory-press-release-route-66-the-complete-series/120#post_3929235
They spend the money to buy the show outright, and then not spend the time to make new,fresh decent transfers on the series? That's just inane! ROUTE 66 is a great series!

And this is what I don't get. They spend money to acquire the rights to . . . what? The same prints that Roxbury used? Did they know what they were getting for their money? I am not trying to jump all over Shout, I am just asking questions because this whole deal doesn't make sense to me.

Route 66 had some great outdoor photography and is a fascinating window on the 1960's to me. If there was a show to make an extra effort on quality, this would be one of those shows imho.

 

[PaulaJ]

Finally got the DVDs to play -- on an old DVD player I bought in (I think) 2006.
Bleh! Looks barely better than a bootleg!
Can any of you technically oriented people explain why brand-new DVDs get stuck on the FBI warning on a brand-new Blu-ray/DVD player (which states "menu" on its little read-out window, although all I'm seeing on the TV is the FBI message), but they will on a six year old machine?

 

[smithb]

They spend the money to buy the show outright, and then not spend the time to make new,fresh decent transfers on the series? That's just inane! ROUTE 66 is a great series!

My impression was that they just licensed the show, received source prints as part of the process, and did the best they could with what they were provided. But I could be wrong.
Just for clarification:
- Are you saying they bought the show outright and did not license it for a period of time?
- Who did they buy the rights from, an estate or the studio?
- What did they receive in this process, original 35mm source prints that they chose not to transfer?
- You know that they own source material better then what we are seeing?
I've never before heard the transation phrased like you have just stated.

 

[smithb]

Finally got the DVDs to play -- on an old DVD player I bought in (I think) 2006.
Bleh! Looks barely better than a bootleg!
Can any of you technically oriented people explain why brand-new DVDs get stuck on the FBI warning on a brand-new Blu-ray/DVD player (which states "menu" on its little read-out window, although all I'm seeing on the TV is the FBI message), but they will on a six year old machine?

What blu-ray player? Some blu-ray players were designed mainly to play blu-rays and aren't always the best DVD players. Could be the disks are finicky and the old DVD player can handle this better then the new blu-ray player.

 

[PaulaJ]

The player is an Integra DBS 30.3 and it's played every other standard DVD (or DVD-R) just fine (including homemade DVD-Rs).
The Shout! Factory Route 66 set is the only one that I've had any problems with.
I watched some episodes past the initial 15 and they look a lot better but really, if better elements out there exist, then I don't know why Shout didn't pursue using them.
Or at least let people know that they were using the same exact elements -- I would have bought the box set anyway as I never bought the Roxbury DVDs and I like having the entire series in one attractive box. (I like the artwork a lot.) This is a great series. I was in Tulsa last year and got so excited when I saw the "Historical Route 66" signs that I snapped pictures from the moving car. (Don't worry, I wasn't driving.)

 

[Richard Gallagher]

I reviewed the Shout set using a Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player connected to a Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display. I experienced no problems with the aspect ratios (all episodes display in 4:3) and I experienced no playability issues.