The Towering Inferno (1 Viewer)

[questrider]

I own the Vudu version of "The Towering Inferno" and it has the wrong aspect ratio. The correct ratio is 2.55:1, but the Vudu version is cropped to 1.78:1. The Blu-ray, of course, has the correct ratio.

The blu-ray is 2.35:1.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Towering-Inferno-Blu-ray/5024/

 

[Tino]

I own the Vudu version of "The Towering Inferno" and it has the wrong aspect ratio. The correct ratio is 2.55:1, but the Vudu version is cropped to 1.78:1. The Blu-ray, of course, has the correct ratio. It is not Vudu's fault because Vudu uses what the studios give them. I own hundreds of films on Vudu and there are quite a few issues like this. A lot of 1.85:1 films were cropped to 1.78:1 because the studio thought people wouldn't notice. "Fatal Attraction" was even cropped to 1.33:1 and was only recently corrected back to 1.78:1 (which isn't really correct since it should be 1.85:1). Other streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, etc., are probably filled with errors like these too. This is why Blu-ray is still the de facto standard for cinephiles. Blu-rays are for more discerning viewers so the studios must have their A game. Streaming is for the average viewers that comprise of too many people who don't know any better which studios can take advantage of. There are many sites that review Blu-ray picture and audio quality, but have you even seen one that does it for streaming videos? That's because the average viewers don't ask for that. Nobody asks because nobody cares. If the consumers care less, the studio will give them less, simple as that.

If you must have the Vudu streaming version, buy the Blu-ray first, then get the Vudu version for only $2 with its disc-to-digital service, then you have the best of both worlds. Only eligible Blu-rays are allowed. I got "Towering Inferno" on Vudu this way, so this is one of the eligible Blu-rays. In fact, most of my Vudu movies were bought this way. You can obtain the Vudu version by either scanning the UPC of the Blu-ray, or scan the Blu-ray disc with your PC's Blu-ray drive. Yes, you can rent discs from Netflix and get the Vudu versions this way too. That's why Vudu has a limit of 100 conversions per year only to prevent anyone from abusing this method.

I have over 1500 films in vudu. Love the service.

But

Netflix rentals have never worked when I tried them. probably because they are specific rental copies.

I converted at least 300 films last year. Never was informed of any limit.

And the home scaninning on the app has yet to work for me. I have to use a pc.

And yes I wish they would fix the AR for Towering Inferno. And others.

 

[kevin_y]

I have over 1500 films in vudu. Love the service.

But

Netflix rentals have never worked when I tried them. probably because they are specific rental copies.

I converted at least 300 films last year. Never was informed of any limit.

And the home scaninning on the app has yet to work for me. I have to use a pc.

And yes I wish they would fix the AR for Towering Inferno. And others.

Vudu's disc-scanning service indeed has no limit (AFAIK), but its UPC-scanning service does have a 100-per-year limit. To have UPC-scanning work, your Vudu account's billing address has to match the location where you do the UPC scanning. You also have to turn on your mobile device's GPS location to verify your location. And the UPC also has to be eligible for the conversion. There are only about 8000 UPCs that are known to work, not a lot. There are also discs that don't work for disc-scanning, but work for UPC-scanning. This service is obviously just a way to entice disc buyers to become digital buyers, so don't expect too great of a treatment. And I'm still primarily a disc buyer for all the reasons I've mentioned, and only get digital copies cheaply via this method. If Vudu and movie studios want more of my money, they have to UP THE STANDARD of digital movies to something close to the standard of Blu-rays.

The disc-scanning service works mostly for discs made years ago. If you rent Netflix discs made years ago, even rental copies, they may work. Recently released discs almost never work. That's probably because many recent discs come with digital code already. Also, discs made by some studios, like Warner, are more likely to be eligible for conversion than those made by other studios, such as Criterion. But some Criterion discs do convert, such as David Fincher's "The Game."

I don't hold my breath and hope the studios fix the aspect ratio issue. The studios obviously often use the same copies they use for broadcast/cable TV as the ones for streaming. That explains why so many of them are cropped to 1.78:1. Vudu also has stopped showing you a 2-minute preview of a movie, so you can't check out the aspect ratio before you buy or rent. Your only hope is to check out the trailer, because sometimes you don't see an actual trailer, but simply a clip of the movie itself, which allows you to see the AR.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I am curious about why people want to do the Vudu disc scanning. You have the disc, what's the advantage to watch it on Vudu?

 

[PMF]

I have a sentimental attachment to it as well. It was the first movie that I ever reviewed professionally.

The first-time review is significant to each and every critic, as it is always a towering achievement.

 

[kevin_y]

I am curious about why people want to do the Vudu disc scanning. You have the disc, what's the advantage to watch it on Vudu?

It's for the convenience. You can watch your movies anywhere on any device, including your home TV. Even though I have a home theater with multiple Blu-ray/DVD players, I often find it more convenient to pull up a movie on Vudu on that same setup even if I own the disc.

You bring a "streaming stick" the size of your finger, go to a friend's house, plug the stick into his TV, and voila, you have access to your hundreds of Vudu movies that you can share with your friend. How would you do that with discs, other than hauling hundreds of discs to his home?

Then you have all the other little advantages, such as not having to sit through all the ads at the beginning of Blu-ray or DVD.

 

[Johnny Angell]

It's for the convenience. You can watch your movies anywhere on any device, including your home TV. Even though I have a home theater with multiple Blu-ray/DVD players, I often find it more convenient to pull up a movie on Vudu on that same setup even if I own the disc.

You bring a "streaming stick" the size of your finger, go to a friend's house, plug the stick into his TV, and voila, you have access to your hundreds of Vudu movies that you can share with your friend. How would you do that with discs, other than hauling hundreds of discs to his home?

Then you have all the other little advantages, such as not having to sit through all the ads at the beginning of Blu-ray or DVD.

Yeah, I can see that, particularly the streaming stick. However, when I'm home, I'll watch the blu ray. As for other devices, I just can't get interested in watching a movie on my iPad.

 

[kevin_y]

Yeah, I can see that, particularly the streaming stick. However, when I'm home, I'll watch the blu ray. As for other devices, I just can't get interested in watching a movie on my iPad.

When you are home, you can still watch Vudu. As I said, Vudu is not just for smartphones and tablets, but also TVs. If you have wife and kids with multiple devices in multiple rooms, that adds so much more value and convenience for everyone. The user interface is so much simpler too. A typical Blu-ray remote has about 30 to 50 buttons. But THIS is what a typical streaming remote looks like. As I said, Blu-ray is still a must for videophiles, but you can't deny the advantages of streaming. My point is that it is good to have BOTH. When you buy Blu-rays, sometimes you even get digital versions for free.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I am curious about why people want to do the Vudu disc scanning. You have the disc, what's the advantage to watch it on Vudu?

It's sometimes easier for me because I have ten bookcases of discs from DVD, HD DVD, Blu-ray and 4K/UHD. I'm talking 6-7 shelves in each bookcase which means I have the bookcases in three different rooms so if I'm in any of my three home theater setups, it might be more convenient to watch a movie on Vudu than to walk upstairs to retrieve a certain title from one of my bookcases. The same if I'm upstairs and don't want to walk downstairs to retrieve a particular title that might be stored in a bookcase in my downstairs library.

 

[ABritch]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Disaster film Granddaddy to the big three that started the disaster film craze of the 1970's - Airport (1970) or its great-Grandaddy - The High and the Mighty (1954)

 

[cinemiracle]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Disaster film Granddaddy to the big three that started the disaster film craze of the 1970's - Airport (1970) or its great-Grandaddy - The High and the Mighty (1954)

Disaster movies go back to the birth of cinema more than a 100 years ago. AIRPORT and HIGH AND MIGHTY were only in recent decades. There were perhaps hundreds more. What about the silent film NOAH'S ARK as an example?

 

[3D Projectionist]

Fond memories of seeing TI on the 70's when it opened in London. I seem to remember the Cinema had installed a new sound system just prior which was pretty darn good and a memorable screening. Its a film I partially love watching and looks very nice up on our home screen.

Vudu sounds like something from a Lugosi film

 

[DP 70]

I saw this in 70mm in London at the Warner and it was excellent, the good old days.

 

[TravisR]

Vudu sounds like something from a Lugosi film

Now that you say that, it kinda does. "Doctor Mirakle is going to use his vudu ray."

 

[SFMike]

Putting young adult memories aside I now find this on the level of a bad TV movie with a better cast than usual.

 

[ABritch]

Disaster movies go back to the birth of cinema more than a 100 years ago. AIRPORT and HIGH AND MIGHTY were only in recent decades. There were perhaps hundreds more. What about the silent film NOAH'S ARK as an example?

yes, but i was thinking specifically of the disaster craze of the 1970's that seemed to start with "Airport" in 1970 and ended with "When Time Ran Out" in 1980 and included titles such as;

Airport
Poseidon Adventure
Skyjacked
Towering Inferno
Earthquake
Airport 1975
Airport '77
The Concorde - Airport '79
Beyond The Poseidon Adventure
When Time Ran Out

and to a lesser degree;

Hindenburg
Cassandra Crossing
Two-Minute Warning
Black Sunday
Rollercoaster
Avalanche
Gray Lady Down
The Swarm
Meteor