USHE Announcement: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[warnerbro]

i just received my standard UK box set and it is perfect -- and only 74 pounds which comes out to about 120 bucks. I checked all the disks and they are there. I watched Vertigo and The Man Who Knew Too Much. They are both perfect with the classic VistaVision look of extreme high fidelity and detail. The color is rich and bright. Vertigo has no original mono option which is disappointing, but the DTS is so good I won't complain. The Man Who Knew Too Much is a revelation. It has never looked nearly this good. I didn't see any problems with it at all. Perhaps they corrected it? You can see details like never before like Doris Day's freckles and every one of Jimmy Stewart's whiskers. It hasn't had the clean up work done on it like Vertigo which is very clean-looking. The Man Who Knew Too Much has a film look to it with some speckles here and there but I didn't mind it. The color temperature is more pink than the orange look it used to have.

 

[WilliamMcK]

At the risk of beating a dead horse, does anyone know if the mono option that's available on the U.S. VERTIGO disc, is actually the original mix? I'm so pleased with the sound of both the 5.1 and mono options that I'm not going to have a cow, if it turns out the mono is just a mix down of the new stereo. There's one little tell tale sign that makes me think it is the original mix... but it's really hard to be certain. I'd love to know.
I took a look at THE BIRDS again last night, and I remain in the minority camp that says this isn't a successful transfer: yes, 90% of the movie looks better than it ever has before on home video; and yes, my feelings about the failure of the transfer won't inhibit me from watching and enjoying this disc in the future -- but, the digital artifacting is so palpably present in the back screen process shots during 'Tippi' Hedren's back and forth trip across the bay that it's amazing to me that more people haven't commented on it. There is unmistakably a halo of grain that surrounds Hedren's head and travels with her as she ducks and moves about the skiff. I've noted it on both my blu-ray players and with the "noise reduction" on my display set to both off and on ("off" being my default position).

 

[Steve Tannehill]

My LE set showed up this afternoon via the USPS. Apparently, DHL Global Mail is completed by the Post Office, just like Royal Mail. The package arrived in pristine shape, the discs are all fine, and the extra printed material is quite nice. It is still showing as delivery by December 8 via tracking.

 

[rayman1701]

Well my limited set from Amazon UK finally entered the US! Got a bit nervous when it hadn't moved much since it shipped. So now it is in Secaucus NJ, but since we are dealing with DHL, probably Friday to get to Chicago. But at least it is finally in the States.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I'm watching Family Plot. Maybe my eyes are not as discerning as some, but to me just past the halfway point, the picture looks okay. The process shots look a little off, but they always did.
Of course, I am watching through the eyes of someone who really likes the film. It was the first Hitchcock I saw in the theater.

 

[Gary16]

[quote name="The Man Who Knew Too Much is a revelation. It has never looked nearly this good. I didn't see any problems with it at all. Perhaps they corrected it? You can see details like never before like Doris Day's freckles and every one of Jimmy Stewart's whiskers. It hasn't had the clean up work done on it like Vertigo which is very clean-looking. The Man Who Knew Too Much has a film look to it with some speckles here and there but I didn't mind it. The color temperature is more pink than the orange look it used to have.[/quote]

Call me crazy but I think "The Man Who Knew Too Much" looks better on the UK Blu-ray than the US one (I have both). The color shifting in the opening bus scene was much less noticeable. I had to look hard to see it whereas it was very distracting on the US one. I know they're both the same transfer but they are from different masterings. Is it possible at least some of the issues are not in the transfer but in how the discs were mastered?

 

[Matt Hough]

Well, it that IS the case, I'm glad since I've bought the UK edition.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Maybe the UK edition accounts for Family Plot looking fine, as well.

 

[Mark-P]

The Man Who Knew Too Much is a revelation. It has never looked nearly this good. I didn't see any problems with it at all. Perhaps they corrected it? You can see details like never before like Doris Day's freckles and every one of Jimmy Stewart's whiskers. It hasn't had the clean up work done on it like Vertigo which is very clean-looking. The Man Who Knew Too Much has a film look to it with some speckles here and there but I didn't mind it. The color temperature is more pink than the orange look it used to have.

Call me crazy but I think "The Man Who Knew Too Much" looks better on the UK Blu-ray than the US one (I have both). The color shifting in the opening bus scene was much less noticeable. I had to look hard to see it whereas it was very distracting on the US one. I know they're both the same transfer but they are from different masterings. Is it possible at least some of the issues are not in the transfer but in how the discs were mastered?

I posted my thoughts in what I mistakenly thought was the official Hitchcock Masterpiece thread: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/325143/alfred-hitchcock-the-masterpiece-collection-limited-edition-blu-ray-review-recommended#post_4003812
I agree that "Man Who Knew Too Much" isn't nearly the travesty it's made out to be. Mine is the UK release.

 

[haineshisway]

i just received my standard UK box set and it is perfect -- and only 74 pounds which comes out to about 120 bucks. I checked all the disks and they are there. I watched Vertigo and The Man Who Knew Too Much. They are both perfect with the classic VistaVision look of extreme high fidelity and detail. The color is rich and bright. Vertigo has no original mono option which is disappointing, but the DTS is so good I won't complain. The Man Who Knew Too Much is a revelation. It has never looked nearly this good. I didn't see any problems with it at all. Perhaps they corrected it? You can see details like never before like Doris Day's freckles and every one of Jimmy Stewart's whiskers. It hasn't had the clean up work done on it like Vertigo which is very clean-looking. The Man Who Knew Too Much has a film look to it with some speckles here and there but I didn't mind it. The color temperature is more pink than the orange look it used to have.

Let's be clear - there are no different transfers in the UK set - everything is the same - if you watched each disc side by side you would see the same image. Let's not start making people think that Universal did further work JUST for the UK set - I think you can see the folly in that.
Second, define "never looked nearly this good." As compared to? VHS? Laserdisc? DVD? Correct on all fronts. However, if you think this is what the dye transfer theatrical prints looked like, you'd be very much mistaken. Mr. Harris has said "Don't be fooled by the sharpness." It's sharp. It's just not right.

 

[Persianimmortal]

The Australian set that I have has the UK discs in it (as witnessed by the UK and european ratings logos) and they definitely have the same problems reported with the US set. The color pulsing in The Man Who Knew Too Much is definitely there for example. If you're not seeing them then it can come down to different levels of visual sensitivity or different settings on your display.

 

[warnerbro]

I saw THE BIRDS. It looked okay -- not nearly as good as THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH or VERTIGO. THE BIRDS in comparison looks kind of grey and not very sharp. REAR WINDOW is in 1.66:1 ratio. It looks much more detailed and better than it's ever looked, but a little muddy and grainy compared to VERTIGO and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. So far, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH looks the best. The yellow shimmering everyone is talking about I still can't see.

 

I think they all look good and Ive seen most of them now..even the Birds looked great

 

[KlausK]

By the way amazon.co.uk is selling it now for 62 Pound in their BlackFriday deals and right now boxes are still available! So if you want to get it take the quick chance ;-)

 

[Sumnernor]

Too late - timer has run out. The Indiana Jones sold out in circa 20 seconds!!!! The Woody Allen box took circa 10 seconds including to be soldout- The wait list was also in this time full!!

 

[Garysb]

My LE made it to Secaucus NJ on Saturday. I am guessing I will have it by Monday or Tuesday

 

[SteveMaturin]

Hi, this is my first post here. I have though been lurking around these boards for several weeks and watching the developing discussion as the box sets were awaited and then started to be delivered. I live in the UK and purchased the ltd edition version of the box set. I thought that the transfers were all pretty much as reported. As many of you seem to have the UK box set, I wonder if anybody has yet found a problem with the Marnie disc that is quite separate to the quality of the transfer.
All is fine on the film (ignoring the state of the image) until around 1hour and 5 minutes into the film. Then, just after Sean Connery and Tippi Hedrem have driven off and his relatives are moaning about Marnie, my machine starts to make whirring noises, freezes and then, eventually jumps forward to a couple of minutes later. The problem occurs again a couple of scenes later just as Sean Connery is starting to talk to Tippi Hedren when they are on their honeymoon onbaord a ship. I am sure that there are other incidents as well. The problem happens whether I am playing the scene normally, fast forwarding through the scene or playing it at 1/16th speed.
Thinking it was just a faulty disc, I sought out a replacement set but the same problem occurs in exactly the same places. I have played the film in fast rewind backwards from the end and can see that the problems seem to end around the 1hour 25 minutes mark. After that, the disc plays fine.
I know that Blu-Ray players can be funny and am aware that Marnie is probably a disc that most people will turn to after a while. However, this is the only problem disc in my set. All others are fine.
Has anybody with the UK set experienced a similar problem or could check out their disc out now? Any idea what might have caused the problem?

 

[TravisR]

All is fine on the film (ignoring the state of the image) until around 1hour and 5 minutes into the film. Then, just after Sean Connery and Tippi Hedrem have driven off and his relatives are moaning about Marnie, my machine starts to make whirring noises, freezes and then, eventually jumps forward to a couple of minutes later.

Is your player's firmware up to date? By no means am I an authority but if you've gotten a replacement disc and it has the same problems, I'd bet that it was the firmware.

 

[Steve...O]

Originally Posted by KlausK /t/321703/ushe-announcement-alfred-hitchcock-the-masterpiece-collection-blu-ray/1620#post_4005434
By the way amazon.co.uk is selling it now for 62 Pound in their BlackFriday deals and right now boxes are still available! So if you want to get it take the quick chance ;-)

Rats - missed it

After the VAT deduction for Americans, this would have been about $80 or so. Great deal for those who got it.

 

[Charles Smith]

Is your player's firmware up to date? By no means am I an authority but if you've gotten a replacement disc and it has the same problems, I'd bet that it was the firmware.

Just checked those sections. No problem on the Oppo BDP-93.