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DAWN OF THE DEAD Image Quality????? (1 Viewer)

Christopher*KH

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Dec 26, 2002
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118
Does anyone else see poor image quality during the film??

There are several scenes that look poorly. Such as when Peter makes dinner for Stephen and Fran.

Thats just one of many and I am hoping that it's just my copy. If it is I need to return it.

I had a problem recently with my Runaway Jury and I took it back and got one that wasn't messed up.

So if ANYONE can verify that it is or isn't please respond.
One reason I posted this thread is the Reveiew on here I read sounds like there is't hardly anything wrong,

I may be just paranoid.

I hate to feel like I spent money on this copy and its defective. So if it is just this way then ok.

Thanks ahead of time, Chris 3-14-04
 

Travis Olson

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Oct 7, 2001
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I had no problems. The whole transfer is just fantastic. The movie looks like it was made just last year.
 

Michael Elliott

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The only problem I noticed was when the lights are out in the mall and Savini's character is about to be killed.
A lot of dirt here but it's still better than previous editions. I believe this was my 8th DVD of this film and this version is certainly the best.
 

Rob Lutter

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It's a low budget film from 1978.

Honestly, the DVD looks 10 times better than I've ever seen it before and better than I ever thought it COULD look... any quality issues are just nitpicking at this point.
 

Rich Romero

Supporting Actor
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Jun 6, 2002
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All I can see when I watch it is an excellent looking image. Check your TV and DVD player settings.
 

dmt

Auditioning
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Feb 23, 2004
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did u make the mistake of putting the dvd player thru the vcr thru the tv's coax inputs like did in 97? hehe
 

Topher

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Jun 11, 2003
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You can't go into a movie like this and expect it to look like the Lord of the Rings. Like Ron Lutter mentioned above, it is a LOW budget film from 78, it looks as good as it can. I would imagine this is what it looked like in the theater then and until now we haven't had a version that looked this good. At least, I haven't personally seen one that has. Relax, and enjoy a killer horror flick! Next someone will say the sound isn't reference! :D
 

Ken_McAlinden

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The film was made for $1.5 million in 1978 which would be something like a $4 million dollar production today. It's amazing how much production value they got on screen, but there will still be shots that reveal its low budget origins.

Regards,
 

Gordon McMurphy

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Previous to Kodak's high-speed 35mm stock in '83 all exposed 35mm negative appeared grainy in very dark lighting conditions. Modern 35mm stocks are even better - you can practically shoot in total darkness now and retain the images and not have grain.

But Dawn would have been shot on typical 35mm stock in 77/78. Fran and Flyboy's dinner scene is stylistically underlit, and thus has grain.

I think that the transfer is one of best I've ever seen for a low budget guerilla production. This was an Anchor Bay title that definately needed a new Divimax transfer. I don't think that Creepshow 2 and Children of the Corn do - but some may disagree.
 

Ruz-El

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I thought it looked great. I did have a problem with my disk though. On chapter 13 at what I beleave is the layer change it locked up than skipped to chapter 15. On backing it up, it wouldn't play, kept locking up. The back of the disk looked funny, like it had something spilled in the layer while it was being made. I exchanged it and the new copy appears fine (plays normally from chapter 13 to 15, although I haven't watched the entire move.)

This is the first DVD out of 300 titles that I bought brand new that had a serious problem. I count myself lucky.
 

Christopher*KH

Stunt Coordinator
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Dec 26, 2002
Messages
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Thanks guys for the replies....

I do have everything connected "correctly".
I am anal about that stuff.

There are some scenes after "THEY" clear all the zombies out of the mall that look like perhaps they didnt have the best frames of film.

For one right after they are playing video games in the arcade and shows the zombies trying to get into the mall looks very grainy....

Also in Chapter 20 when Stephen is stuck in the elevator without power and the zombies are attacking the bikers looks really grainy. I guess its all because of the "dark scenes"......all I am wondering is if "everyone elses copy looks the same way". Thay way I know mine is ok.
 

Robert Anthony

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Aug 31, 2003
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Russell: Same thing happened to me. Stuck transitioning from chapter 13 to 14. Wouldn't start at Chapter 15. I'm guessing the end of Chapter 13 is where the layer change is, and that the 2nd layer was messed up somehow. First returned disk I've ever had, too. This new one works just fine, though.
 

MikeEckman

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I just wanted to throw my .02 on this topic. I just picked up the Dawn SE yesterday at Best Buy for $11.99 and I wanted to say this transfer is LEAPS and BOUNDS better than the original DVDs. Anchor Bay did a top notch job with this transfer, and any imprefections are nitpicks. The fact that you are expecting reference quality from a movie that probably shouldnt look half this good is a testament to the restoration job Anchor Bay did!

BRAVO!!!!
 

SteveW

Agent
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Oct 29, 2003
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I finally had a chance to watch my copy yesterday and was absolutely impressed with the pq. There were a few dark spots that got a little grainy, but all in all it looked great. AB did an excellent job on the transfer. Almost too good. The clarity makes the effects looked too cheesey at times. I'd say this looks better than some movies half it's age. Even better than some recent releases I have seen. I'm happy to have a good quality version to watch. I can now retire my VHS copy.
 

Kevin M

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Kevin Ray
I rented it through Netflix and I also had the lock up at the ending of chapter 13....I was hoping it was because it was a rental disc....damn, I think I might just wait until fall and get the superduper set.
 

Geoff_D

Supporting Actor
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Jul 18, 2002
Messages
933
No lock-ups on my Pioneer DV-525. As for PQ, this movie looks so good it's staggering. It's very dark compared to other versions I own, but it makes the movie look all the more moodier. Good stuff!
 

Robert Anthony

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Aug 31, 2003
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I got a Toshiba--I forget the model. 1700 maybe? There's a 7 in it somewhere. Sorry ;)

The new disc works just fine on it, so I'm thinking that maybe the pressing plant just screwed a couple up going from 1st to 2nd layer. Glue problems, maybe.
 

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