Jeffrey Nelson
Screenwriter
When silent films running at non-standard speeds are mastered in 1080p rather than 1080i, the result is annoying stop-n-go motion stutter artifacts due to repeated frames every 5 or 6 frames. Apparently Kino is now mastering all silents progressively no matter what the speed. A Kino quote that was reposted on the Criterion thread at HTF:
Cohen:
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
Kino:
THE BLACK PIRATE (color version only; B&W version is at 24fps and plays fine)
LES VAMPIRES
DIE NIBELUNGEN
And from the Buster Keaton Short Films Collection, the following films are affected:
THE HIGH SIGN
CONVICT 13
THE SCARECROW
NEIGHBORS
THE HAUNTED HOUSE
HARD LUCK
THE GOAT
THE PLAY HOUSE
MY WIFE'S RELATIONS
THE BLACKSMITH
THE FROZEN NORTH
THE ELECTRIC HOUSE
Luckily, THE BOAT, THE PALEFACE, COPS, DAYDREAMS, THE BALLOONATIC and THE LOVE NEST are running at 24fps and are thus unaffected. ONE WEEK is definitely running slower than 24fps, way slower, but it doesn't appear to suffer from stop-n-go stutter; it only suffers from someone's insistence on running it so slow. Not sure what's up with this one. So, that's twelve Keaton shorts that are affected by being mastered in 1080p at non-standard speeds. All of these twelve shorts play perfectly fine in the old Kino DVDs, much much better than their botched Blu-ray renditions, despite missing some extra HD picture detail. Better hang onto those DVDs, fans. I certainly did.
Please note that I'm not in any advocating any sort of boycott toward these companies; I'm just trying to help prospective buyers make informed purchasing decisions. Some may not notice the motion artifacting, but many do; the problem is definitely there, and needs to not be there. Help spread the word to Kino, Cohen and all others who release silent films on Blu that 1080p is not one-size-fits-all, despite what spec-obsessed collectors say; it only works well for silents at 24fps. If it's not 24fps, please master it at 1080i.
This thread will be updated with new information whenever it comes to light.
At least OUR HOSPITALITY was spared, but because of this new wrongheaded view on the part of Kino and apparently now Cohen, the following films that I know of have been released in stop-n-go stutter motion on Blu-ray:
Cohen:
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
Kino:
THE BLACK PIRATE (color version only; B&W version is at 24fps and plays fine)
LES VAMPIRES
DIE NIBELUNGEN
And from the Buster Keaton Short Films Collection, the following films are affected:
THE HIGH SIGN
CONVICT 13
THE SCARECROW
NEIGHBORS
THE HAUNTED HOUSE
HARD LUCK
THE GOAT
THE PLAY HOUSE
MY WIFE'S RELATIONS
THE BLACKSMITH
THE FROZEN NORTH
THE ELECTRIC HOUSE
Luckily, THE BOAT, THE PALEFACE, COPS, DAYDREAMS, THE BALLOONATIC and THE LOVE NEST are running at 24fps and are thus unaffected. ONE WEEK is definitely running slower than 24fps, way slower, but it doesn't appear to suffer from stop-n-go stutter; it only suffers from someone's insistence on running it so slow. Not sure what's up with this one. So, that's twelve Keaton shorts that are affected by being mastered in 1080p at non-standard speeds. All of these twelve shorts play perfectly fine in the old Kino DVDs, much much better than their botched Blu-ray renditions, despite missing some extra HD picture detail. Better hang onto those DVDs, fans. I certainly did.
Please note that I'm not in any advocating any sort of boycott toward these companies; I'm just trying to help prospective buyers make informed purchasing decisions. Some may not notice the motion artifacting, but many do; the problem is definitely there, and needs to not be there. Help spread the word to Kino, Cohen and all others who release silent films on Blu that 1080p is not one-size-fits-all, despite what spec-obsessed collectors say; it only works well for silents at 24fps. If it's not 24fps, please master it at 1080i.
This thread will be updated with new information whenever it comes to light.
