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A Few Words About A few words about...™ Back to the Future -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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While I find it disturbing to read about people spending their hard-earned dollars on replacement packaging for the garbage that Universal is using for Back to the Future, it is what's inside that matters -- once you get past the packaging.


I've sampled all three discs, and have come away generally pleased. In no way is this reference quality. Images appear to be softened and then sharpened, and any desire to have the look of film is nowhere to be found.


However...


Step back and consider this set for entertainment value, which is absolutely there -- the films feel as if you're visiting with old friends -- and you realize that from a proper seating distance, ie. not a foot away from the screen seeking problems, that the release is far better than alright. From a normal distance it looks very, very good.


Colors are beautiful. Blacks, shadow detail, and the entire look of the films is wonderful.


What it comes down to with BttF, is whether one is viewing the software as a scientific experiment, or as good, old-fashioned pulp entertainment, albeit very, very expensive pulp entertainment. These are not message films.


These are wonderfully entertaining films, which work their magic as well today as they did in when released.


Viewed as very high level entertainment, and not art, these films come off well in their new Blu-ray form. There is certainly a digital look, with occasionally lines seen around objects, but the end result, for what it is, is far more than acceptable, and from the proper distance, beautiful.


Audio is thrilling, and fully rendered in uncompressed form.


Are these films perfect? No.

Are they far more than acceptable, with no major flaws?


Absolutely.


Still deplore the packaging, as I do that used by Warner for their special edition Harry Potters and Clint Eastwoods, only this is annoying to use.


That said, I can still...


Recommend the set, albeit extremely expensive for what it is. If I had to choose between BttF and Fox's Alien Anthology at twice the price, my money would go to Fox, with the incredible work performed by Charles De Lauzirika. The Alien Anthology is a class act.


RAH


*******************


Before viewing, I already hate this set, based only upon the horrific packaging. People are going to be breaking discs, discs are going to attract dirt and dust, and it just feels... cheap in every way imaginable.


You pick up the package, and the cardboard and plastic thing holding the discs falls out.


And the price on this is $80?


Who thinks these things up? The only rational reason behind it would be if the brother-in-law of an NBC exec owned the packaging company.


This is the absolute worst that I've seen since Baraka's original paper pack.


RAH
 

Stephen_J_H

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Originally Posted by Robert Harris
I'll try to look at the discs later, if I can release them from captivity without damaging them.


RAH

This doesn't bode well. I was holding off anyway, but it's clear that Uni has yet to learn from the mistakes of Battlestar Galactica, etc.
 

JohnS

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I just got the BTTF set and I really wished the packaging was like the very impressive Aliens packaging.


AND DAMN IT! I just broke the packaging trying to get out BTTF 1


I want a suitable replacement packaging.
 

David Deeb

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Why do these studios insist on re-inventing the wheel?

But more importantly, are the studio's marketing executives & producers not reading online forums like HTF?

If they are not, they are completely out-of-touch with the so-called "empowering of consumers" via forums & social media that other marketing experts have been aware of for the last decade.

By simply keeping a pulse on this, and other respected forums, these Universal executives would have enough sense to know that their potential consumer advocates dislike packaging like this. By ignoring the collector market, their efforts fail both in terms of functionality and in terms of public relations.
 

rdf8585

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Robert Harris was completely spot on. Very well said!


I've since imported the standard UK Blu release which has standard digipak packaging with regular push buttons.
 

Xenia Stathakopoulou

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This thread should be renamed a few words about back to the future packaging. Makes me glad I purchased the UK tin blu ray. Im looking forward to reading Mr. Harris"s thoughts. If he doesnt break the discs.
 

TravisR

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Originally Posted by David Deeb

Why do these studios insist on re-inventing the wheel?

But more importantly, are the studio's marketing executives & producers not reading online forums like HTF?

If they are not, they are completely out-of-touch with the so-called "empowering of consumers" via forums & social media that other marketing experts have been aware of for the last decade.

By simply keeping a pulse on this, and other respected forums, these Universal executives would have enough sense to know that their potential consumer advocates dislike packaging like this. By ignoring the collector market, their efforts fail both in terms of functionality and in terms of public relations.


I completely agree with what your saying but with all the senseless nitpicking that you see on forums, I can't blame studios for having long given up on getting feedback from message boards.
 

Nelson Au

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Okay, I took a moment and opened my set to see how bad this is.


I studied it for a few minutes and it seems very simple. Once you understand how it works. At first I was a little confused too. The center spindle hole doesn't have anything there to push on like we're used to. There are springs molded at the bottom pressing the discs into the tangs that hold it in.


Once you do it, you see how it works:


1. Pull back




2. Lift up




3. Lift out

 

StevenW

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Wow you know you have some bad packaging when you need a diagram to show you how to get discs out! LOL
 

StevenW

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Originally Posted by Nelson Au

I was trying to be helpful. I hope it didn't come off as anything negative.

No, no, absolutely not. I thank you for explaining it. Perhaps Universal should include your diagram with all sets.
 

Morsoth

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Your diagram is very well made! (The arrow design are really cool!)


Still waiting my set from Amazon.ca, but I'll look forward to your "How to not break your set" pictures. Thank you in advance!
 

Lord Dalek

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I'd just like to say to all those guys who used to complain about Warner's old figure 8 digipaks. You were idiots.
 

rdf8585

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Look how much nicer the regular British version is:


Standard packaging, much better art on discs.


No digital copies, but that's a non-issue for me.
 

TonyD

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I got the set early today and it took me a few minutes to figure out this packaging is terrible, then a few more minutes to see that I need to pull the disc down and out to get it out.

I STILL COULDN'T GET IT OUT.

awful package for this set.
 

Jeff Brooks

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Just call me dumb and dumber! Who knows how much damage I did to the disc on the bottom by continuously pushing on it through the hole in the top disc, trying to get it out. I am looking forward to viewing this release, even though the packaging is not so great.
 

Stephen_J_H

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Re: digital copy discs: Why not put these in an envelope on the back of the box and use slimpaks in the outer cardboard slipcover? It's not like anyone hangs onto digital copy discs once installed.
 

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