Giving Up On Blu Ray? (1 Viewer)

[Thomas T]

I've long since realized that I don't really belong here but I hang out anyway For me, it's never been about the equipment. It's always been about the movie. I'd much rather watch a great movie with a well written script, excellent acting etc. even if the transfer has some scratches, the image isn't razor sharp and the soundtrack is mono than a breathtaking pristine 4K transfer with 7.1 sound of some crappy comic book blockbuster. I mean I can have a good time at something like Wonder Woman at the theater (and I did) but I'd never purchase it. Sometimes once is enough (and in some cases more than enough). I understand that this forum is populated by equipment buffs so technology is important but let's face it, movies like L'Avventura or All About Eve are hardly showcases for a 4K UHD multi channel sound 65" home theater set up.

 

[benbess]

I've long since realized that I don't really belong here but I hang out anyway For me, it's never been about the equipment. It's always been about the movie. I'd much rather watch a great movie with a well written script, excellent acting etc. even if the transfer has some scratches, the image isn't razor sharp and the soundtrack is mono than a breathtaking pristine 4K transfer with 7.1 sound of some crappy comic book blockbuster. I mean I can have a good time at something like Wonder Woman at the theater (and I did) but I'd never purchase it. Sometimes once is enough (and in some cases more than enough). I understand that this forum is populated by equipment buffs so technology is important but let's face it, movies like L'Avventura or All About Eve are hardly showcases for a 4K UHD multi channel sound 65" home theater set up.

I agree, more or less, but in fact often we can watch great old movies with beautiful restorations. All About Eve, The Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia, and hundreds and hundreds of other movies from the 1930s to the 1980s and been beautifully restored, often from the original camera negatives. As at least one person has said here, sometimes these restorations are so wonderful it's almost like seeing the movie for the first time. But really it is still about the movie. And for me and many others the restoration makes it more about the movies. I can still enjoy old movies if they are scratched, have dust and botched or faded color, and I did for decades, but even back then I often wished that somehow, magically, I could see these old movies the way they looked on opening night when they were first released. And now we can....

 

[bigshot]

I never judge quality by numbers or formats. We've gotten to the point where even MP3s sound better than anything anyone had in the home just a couple of decades ago, and video formats have gone far beyond what would have been the best that people would have seen in theaters. More isn't always better.

The nice thing is that all this great technology can liberate us from having to worry about pixel resolutions or bit depths any more. We can focus on the movies and music instead.

Ha! AS IF! Not in a home theater forum!

 

[Thomas T]

I agree, more or less, but in fact often we can watch great old movies with beautiful restorations. All About Eve, The Wizard of Oz, Lawrence of Arabia, and hundreds and hundreds of other movies from the 1930s to the 1980s and been beautifully restored, often from the original camera negatives. As at least one person has said here, sometimes these restorations are so wonderful it's almost like seeing the movie for the first time. But really it is still about the movie. And for me and many others the restoration makes it more about the movies. I can still enjoy old movies if they are scratched, have dust and botched or faded color, and I did for decades, but even back then I often wished that somehow, magically, I could see these old movies the way they looked on opening night when they were first released. And now we can....

Well, of course, I want to see a film under the best possible circumstances. I certainly didn't mean to imply that I preferred watching films with faded color, scratches etc. It's just that for me, if a movie is really good or I'm enjoying it on any level, I get lost in the story, the acting etc. and the scratches, soft transfer etc. don't bother me after awhile. I have a 7,000 movie collection of which about a 1000 are blu ray and the rest DVD. I can't afford to upgrade everything nor do I want to. For me, some titles are good enough on DVD (Raging Bull, On The Waterfront, Born Yesterday etc.) and I see no need to upgrade no matter how superior the visuals are while others (Spartacus, Good The Bad And The Ugly, All That Heaven Allows etc.) lend themselves to the hi-def format. Of course, it's all personal taste. I haven't upgraded Gone With The Wind to blu (and have no plans to do so) but I have upgraded from DVD to blu for Xanadu.

 

[CraigF]

^ I pretty much echo your sensibilities, though I am also firstly an audiophile, secondly a videophile. Bottom line is I don't care how good something looks or sounds if I don't like it in the first place. There have been a few occasions where I've completely changed my mind on a movie just because of its superior Blu-ray presentation though.

OTOH, I can watch some of the Buster Keaton movies/shorts on BD, and though they are riddled with every imaginable damage distraction, I actually don't see any of it after just a couple of minutes. I have no idea how that works, I guess content trumps pristine image for me, subconsciously, and the imperfections disappear.

 

[Thomas T]

Bottom line is I don't care how good something looks or sounds if I don't like it in the first place. I can watch some of the Buster Keaton movies/shorts on BD, and though they are riddled with every imaginable damage distraction, I actually don't see any of it after just a couple of minutes. I have no idea how that works, I guess content trumps pristine image for me, subconsciously, and the imperfections disappear.

You're preaching to the choir here! Still, there are those for whom the technology is the tail wagging the dog! No doubt there are those who will buy the upcoming 4K UHD of the Baywatch movie precisely because it is 4K UHD. The fact that the movie is an abomination is irrelevant. It looks and sounds spectacular on their system

 

[bigshot]

I don't think age or condition of the film elements are what make films appropriate for DVD. In fact it's the opposite- lots of dirt and grain are easier to render properly on blu-ray than they are on DVD because grain sucks up bandwidth. For me, TV is fine on DVD, even HD programs. I prefer blu-ray for movies that depend of visuals or have really good multichannel sound.

Raging Bull is well worth having on blu-ray. The film grain in the slow motion fight sequences are an important part of the image, and blu-ray renders that better than DVD.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Saw for the first time recently El Cid & Fall of the Roman Empire from the Miriam Collection dvd's and even though the picture quality was not the best like the blu-rays of Circus World or 55 Days of Peking which I have I still enjoyed watching them and got into the story and the beautiful photography.

 

[Thomas T]

Raging Bull is well worth having on blu-ray. The film grain in the slow motion fight sequences are an important part of the image, and blu-ray renders that better than DVD.

Raging Bull is a movie I more admire than like. I have problems with it but I'm not going into that here. Since those problems have nothing to do with the visual aspects of the film, upgrading to blu ray isn't going to eradicate those problems which is why DVD is good enough for me.

 

[Dick]

For me, I can still easily enjoy a good DVD on a 65"-ish set from say 9-10ft... though yes, the diff is quite noticeable IMHO. But on my current FP setup (despite being budget/entry-level), the lower quality does nag at me enough most times... while my family (and some friends) usually either don't notice it or simply enjoy it just fine anyway...

_Man_

Most of us should remember the days when DVD was the cat's meow -- such a vast improvement over laser disc, which in turn had been such an incredible improvement over VHS. It's true that watching my remaining 1,500 DVD's (which I sell or give away when I upgrade to Blu) is a bit less awesome on a 55" screen, and I find myself sitting further back to view them. Most of my DVD's had been purchased when I owned a 42" plasma. And there will undoubtedly come a time (soon) when 4k UHD will have people saying, "Damn, these are awesome on my 75" OLED, but many of my standard Blu's just don't look so great now..." Progress. Buying our favorites a 4th or 5th time now. I could probably buy a house (and not necessarily a modest one, either) if I had back every cent I've spent on movie collecting and equipment since the 8mm days.

 

[Mark-P]

...I haven't upgraded Gone With The Wind to blu (and have no plans to do so) but I have upgraded from DVD to blu for Xanadu.

Dude, that is totally assbackwards!

 

[Mike Frezon]

[Cue the '70s adult film music track!]

 

[Robert Crawford]

Of course, it's all personal taste. I haven't upgraded Gone With The Wind to blu (and have no plans to do so) but I have upgraded from DVD to blu for Xanadu.

To each his own, but in my opinion a miss opportunity as Gone With the Wind Technicolor is simply beautiful in 1080p. I actually teared up the first time I'd watched it on Blu-ray as it gave me that much joy. Furthermore, I've had that same reaction to other classic films I've viewed on Blu-ray.

 

[DaveF]

It occurred to me today, WHY BOTHER? I can step back 10 years and save money. I have two recordable DVD players that I use mostly for classic movies on TCM. Why not do what I used to do with VHS? When the almost new movie plays on TV, I can record it, edit out the commercials and voila!

Let me suggest recording digitally, transfer to a NAS (Synology or whatever) and cut out the DVD middleman.

My friend does this: records movies on his TiVo and transfers to his 2TB Synology NAS, and plays back with a Roku at his leisure. You can get fancier with commercial editing and transcoding options as you want.

 

[DaveF]

For me, TV is fine on DVD, even HD programs. I prefer blu-ray for movies that depend of visuals or have really good multichannel sound.

I'm guessing you don't watch contemporary tv. TV from the past decade or more takes advantage of both HD and surround sound. It doesn't have the fidelity or editing of blockbusters. But ... well, I've got a 120" HD theater mostly used for TV. Because shows like "The Americans" or "The Man in the High Castle" or "The Expanse" or "Legion" merit the best experience possible

 

[jcroy]

To each his own, but in my opinion a miss opportunity as Gone With the Wind Technicolor is simply beautiful in 1080p. I actually teared up the first time I'd watched it on Blu-ray as it gave me that much joy. Furthermore, I've had that same reaction to other classic films I've viewed on Blu-ray.

Did you grow up watching these particular films when you were a teenager or young adult?

Frequently I pick up various big name classic films on bluray for my father, where I sometimes watch these movies with him. (He gives me lists of titles to look for on bluray or dvd). He mentioned many times these were the films of his youth and young adulthood.

I have never seen many of these movies. So when I end up watching them with my father, they're frequently the first time I have watched them.

Without any "nostalgia" filters on my part, I find I have a hard time watching many of these classic era films (with or without my father present). They're not the sort of films I would watch on my own volition.

But with that being said, the only classic film I previously purchased for my father which I do like to watch on my own, is Forbidden Planet.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Did you grow up watching these particular films when you were a teenager or young adult?

Actually, I started watching them during my pre-teen years. I grew up in the NYC Metro Area during the 1960's, we had several TV channels that regularly broadcast classic films. WPIX, WWOR, WCBS and WABC. We had programs like Million Dollar Movie, The Late Show, The Late, Late Show to name a few of those classic film programs. My father worked second shift so I would wake up when he came home and watch some old movies with him that were on The Late Show or The Late, Late Show. The Million Dollar Movie was another favorite of my father and I. If you listened to the music score from the Million Dollar Movie, some of you will recognize the Gone With the Wind theme. My mother was a big movie fan too so classic movies were always on in my household. Every one of my siblings are movie buffs because of our parents.

 

[Thomas T]

Dude, that is totally assbackwards!

!yas yeht sa nwo sih hcae oT

 

[Robert Crawford]

Dude, that is totally assbackwards!

To each his own so I respect others on how they spend their monies.

 

[DP 70]

Saw for the first time recently El Cid & Fall of the Roman Empire from the Miriam Collection dvd's and even though the picture quality was not the best like the blu-rays of Circus World or 55 Days of Peking which I have I still enjoyed watching them and got into the story and the beautiful photography.

If I remember right The BD of TFOTRE has not got the Overture but the DVD has.