Warner Archive Discussion Thread (FEEDBACK) (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Willis]

I can only comment on the single Archive purchase that I bought which was the Barker Tarzan set. imo, can't complain, they're better than unofficial or PD releases.

I do agree with many here about the price point for DVD-R's though. Maybe the price will drop as time moves on.

 

[DeWilson]

I don't think most people will be happy untill wanters makes fresh transfers on everything and lowers the price to $5!

 

[Marcel H.]

Originally Posted by DeWilson /forum/thread/283916/warner-archive-discussion-thread-feedback/2910#post_3623880
I don't think most people will be happy untill wanters makes fresh transfers on everything and lowers the price to $5!

Nah, I'm happy when this is fulfilled: "This DOES NOT replace our retail initiatives. THEY REMAIN FULL SPEED AHEAD..."

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by Jeff Willis /img/forum/go_quote.gif">
I can only comment on the single Archive purchase that I bought which was the Barker Tarzan set. imo, can't complain, they're better than unofficial or PD releases.
I do agree with many here about the price point for DVD-R's though. Maybe the price will drop as time moves on.

My experience is similar to Jeff's in that my only purchase so far is the Barker Tarzan set. And even then I waited for Jeff to buy it first and give it the thumbs up. Thanks Jeff

 

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by Thomas T /forum/thread/283916/warner-archive-discussion-thread-feedback/2880#post_3623794
. When they announce their "concerns" a second time to reiterate their point fine. A third time? Why not? But when one gives a fourth and fifth and sixth and ...... well, you get the picture ..... it changes from concerns and complaints to tiresome bashing. We got it the first three times!

Which of course begs the question: Why on Earth are you reading past the third post if it offends you so much? Last time I checked, being a member of the HTF does not require you to read every single post in a thread. A novel approach which does indeed work is to gauge the tenor of a perspective by the beginning of a post and then move on if said indication does not interest you. Try it and I guarantee you a mostly whine free experience and a easy way to avoid all subsequent bashing of the alleged bashers!

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by MarcoBiscotti /forum/thread/283916/warner-archive-discussion-thread-feedback/2880#post_3623679
The fact that non-progressive transfers are being sold possibly irks me the most though. Especially when such issues could be solved using free software on my dell laptop at home!

I'm pretty sure that the titles have all been progressive (outside the initial launch titles).

 

[Mike Kuhns]

I have 50 of the Archive titles to date and have watched about half of them so far. Other than a couple of 1930s titles that were made from pretty rough source material, I don't really have any complaints. Among the titles in my most recent order were color/widescreen westerns: THE BADLANDERS, THE SHEEPMAN, and TRIBUTE TO A BADMAN. They look wonderful---as good as any DVDs of films from that period from any manufacturer in my opinion. I'm watching them upconverted from a Sony Blu-ray player on a 65" Toshiba DLP Hi-Def monitor.

Those who say these do not look professional simply don't know what they're talking about.
Get the best deal you can, and if you still can't handle the price, you'll just have to do without. As for the gentleman who wants a product that will last 30 years, check back in 30 years and I'll let you know how they hold up. Maybe by then you'll be ready to take the plunge.

 

[Bob Cashill]

[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]"So all in all, I would say the program has value to those who have a strong understanding of lesser known releases, know what they want, have the means to pay a slightly more inflated price, and just want to see some of their favorite films released. Even if their longevity may be in question.

However, I don't think it is as friendly a program when it comes to promoting these films to less knowledgeable viewers wishing to expand their horizons since the per disk cost makes it more difficult to take chances. Too many obscure titles and if they may not last, renting might suffice."

Very sensibly put. And I agree that Warner could do a much better job promoting these films.

"Other than a couple of 1930s titles that were made from pretty rough source material, I don't really have any complaints."

Me, neither!

[/COLOR]

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by Mike Kuhns /forum/thread/283916/warner-archive-discussion-thread-feedback/2910#post_3624024
As for the gentleman who wants a product that will last 30 years, check back in 30 years and I'll let you know how they hold up. Maybe by then you'll be ready to take the plunge.

You might have noticed that I already dipped my toes in the water so to speak and bought one set. I'm not adverse to buying some more under the right conditions, but I won't buy as heavily as I do pressed disks for the reasons stated. If there are any issues with DVD-R's and how Warner's approaches producing them, I'll bet we will hear much sooner then 30 years.

 

[Traveling Matt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeWilson /forum/thread/283916/warner-archive-discussion-thread-feedback/2880#post_3623486
The big question is what bothers people more - the price points or the fact they are using TCM quality masters?

Neither. The transition from pressed discs to burned ones is my biggest obstacle. Price points and transfers can change, but a format downgrade is more foundational and permanent in nature.
I could imagine a friend charging me $20 to put a TCM-recorded movie on DVD-R. Heck, it'd be worth it to avoid the hassle of doing it myself. But I expect a professional product from a business. Cheap, recordable discs are for your home PC projects.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Originally Posted by Mike Kuhns /forum/thread/283916/warner-archive-discussion-thread-feedback/2910#post_3624024
I have 50 of the Archive titles to date and have watched about half of them so far. Other than a couple of 1930s titles that were made from pretty rough source material, I don't really have any complaints. Among the titles in my most recent order were color/widescreen westerns: THE BADLANDERS, THE SHEEPMAN, and TRIBUTE TO A BADMAN. They look wonderful---as good as any DVDs of films from that period from any manufacturer in my opinion. I'm watching them upconverted from a Sony Blu-ray player on a 65" Toshiba DLP Hi-Def monitor.

Those who say these do not look professional simply don't know what they're talking about.
Get the best deal you can, and if you still can't handle the price, you'll just have to do without. As for the gentleman who wants a product that will last 30 years, check back in 30 years and I'll let you know how they hold up. Maybe by then you'll be ready to take the plunge.

I have a 100" film screen and I've screened a handful of titles from the Archives. Many were acceptable, some were not.
If acceptable is the new standard of quality for Warner Home Video, than so be it. But it's certainly not reflected in the price point. That seems to be people's biggest beef. Furthermore, presentation for a $20+ title goes beyond the transfer itself imo. While the very least of my concerns, the fact that a major retailer is not even offering proper cover art goes a long way in reflecting the attitudes of the studio with this program I think. Again, I've receive more professional packaging from eBay sellers on the early 30s Paramounts I've purchased in the past. WHV is approaching this as essentially nothing more than TCM in a box, as someone else already stated. What bums a lot of us out, is that this has the POTENTIAL to be an amazing program if it were approached differently. I'm not inherently opposed to DVD-R if it;s out of necessity. There are just way too many strikes against this for me personally.
What I would like to know however, is whether WHV is still issuing interlaced transfers or if this has since been corrected, and what of the early launch titles? Can anyone confirm or deny?

 

[Jay_J]

I just watched the Region 2 dvd of Northwest Passage. Very acceptable transfer, I'm guessing from the old laser disc.

I've just ordered two more dvd's from the same Spanish seller....Five Graves to Cairo and Inferno.

I now have choices thanks to a region free player. If Warner, Universal, Sony, etc... want to end regular pressed releases, so be it. My money can now go elsewhere.

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

I've purchased several Archive titles, taking advantage of deals such as the 5 for $50 package in August and, based on limited viewing, I'm underwhelmed with the quality. From reading this thread, I was aware of some of the quality issues plaguing older titles such as THE BIG HOUSE and so I stayed away from such titles even though those early '30s films are some of the ones I am most interested in.
The general consensus was that widescreen-era films that had never previously been issued in OAR boasted to newer to new transfers. So, I was quite unpleasantly surprised and disappointed when the first film I watched, MIKE'S MURDER (from 1984, no less) was decidedly sub-par in quality. The picture is muddy and dull, with terrible black-levels, and based on screen-shot comparisons between the full-screen trailer and the 16x9 feature, it seems to be framed incorrectly. I watched the film upconverted on my Oppo BDP-83 player on a 42" hi-def television. I don't know where this transfer came from, but it sure didn't seem recent. As far as I know, the film hasn't appeared in widescreen on home video previously and I have not seen it on TCM before.
The film itself is quite good, a gem awaiting rediscovery. This disc, however, is a far cry from those of the pre-Archive WHV stable. In the "good old days," it was such a happy occasion when WHV put out a favorite film, whether it be an acknowledged classic or something more obscure, one could be assured that the film would be treated right...top-notch a/v quality, classy packaging, and maybe an extra or three. The slapdash presentation of MIKE'S MURDER is so contrary to this it just doesn't seem possible that it came from the same home video label, but Mr. Feltenstein is still the one steering the ship...

Originally Posted by Mike Kuhns /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I have 50 of the Archive titles to date and have watched about half of them so far. Other than a couple of 1930s titles that were made from pretty rough source material, I don't really have any complaints. Among the titles in my most recent order were color/widescreen westerns: THE BADLANDERS, THE SHEEPMAN, and TRIBUTE TO A BADMAN. They look wonderful---as good as any DVDs of films from that period from any manufacturer in my opinion. I'm watching them upconverted from a Sony Blu-ray player on a 65" Toshiba DLP Hi-Def monitor.

Those who say these do not look professional simply don't know what they're talking about.
Get the best deal you can, and if you still can't handle the price, you'll just have to do without. As for the gentleman who wants a product that will last 30 years, check back in 30 years and I'll let you know how they hold up. Maybe by then you'll be ready to take the plunge.

 

[Bradskey]

Not to veer too far off topic, but speaking of transfer quality, even with what little back catalog WHV is putting on pressed disc these days it seems like they're not even trying. They still (for the time being) release a lot of animation to DVD and I buy most of it. I've been quite underwhelmed with some of the video/transfer quality on the recent Plastic Man and Saturday Morning cartoon sets. I know the material is old and not exactly masterpieces, but I've rarely ever seen video look this bad (grainy,fuzzy,dirty,washed out) and completely unrestored on WHV pressed DVDs.

I feel most of their animation releases won't last much longer, although a few are still scheduled in coming months. Seeing as Yogi's Christmas is being dumped in the archive, no doubt most future animation releases of any kind will appear there as well. I'm seriously worried anything over 20 years old will have horrible transfers, whereas most of the animation I have bought and supported from WHV these past several years have been carefully restored or at least had good quality transfers to DVD.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Originally Posted by smithb /img/forum/go_quote.gif">
My experience is similar to Jeff's in that my only purchase so far is the Barker Tarzan set. And even then I waited for Jeff to buy it first and give it the thumbs up. Thanks Jeff
Good luck on the Gordon Scott set. I know the experience ordering from WB Archives. I had to call them a couple of times a few months ago when I ordered the Barker set from the WB site.
I agree with your take on the program. It's a good idea for those that have been wanting to add some of the lesser-known titles to their collections but as most here believe, the pricepoint plus the DVD-R format keeps a number of potential customers from buying the archive titles.
Just me, but I have set a $10 limit for any DVD-R archive title. As far as the DVD-R life question, I haven't run across any dead ones yet in my collection but most are only a few years old at this point.

 

[Bradley-E]

There are titles I'd love to own but the $19.99 price plus shipping is way too steep. I'm able to buy Blu ray titles for less.

 

[Corey]

Still waiting for my Lana Turner set:

-Green Dolphin Street
-Marriage Is A Private Affair
-Slightly Dangerous
-Keep Your Powder Dry
-Weekend at the Waldorf
-Cass Timberlane

 

[Thomas T]

WEEKEND AT THE WALDORF is available through the Warner Archives and the transfer is good. With the exception of GREEN DOLPHIN STREET, I suspect we'll see the rest of those Turner titles in the Archives also.

 

[Corey]

Yeah, I'm aware that it's been released already, but I don't want to purchase yet because they might release a Turner set.

 

[borisfw]

One of the frustrating things about the archive program for me is the price. I have put a limit of $10 or less per title.So far i've made purchases with bundles and value paks . Plus a couple of odd sales. Keeping that pricepoint.

But there are many titles that they havn't included in value paks or sales.And my insider discount only brings the titles down to $15 ea.

I just wish they would put together some kind of a program where you could buy in bulk for $10 or less per title.Like some of the bundles they did in the past. But not limit the choices to 10 or 15 titles. That would work great for me.