What have they done to Darby O Gill and the Little People? (1 Viewer)

[warnerbro]

The new blu ray transfer is very sharp and clean, but washed out, faded, and the colors are wrong. Can anyone explain why this happened? Robert Harris?

 

[David Norman]

You are the first to have complaints about the disc other than those complaining about the highly compressed audio.
There are several dozen folks who seem to have the discs (including several familiar with the prior versions) and everyone has been pretty complimentary about the transfer comparing it to the DVD and D+ versions.

I don't have mine yet, but my first thought has to be something is wrong with your disc or the way your system is playing the disc.

Assuming you haven't you could ask some of the others in the DMC Exclusives thread who have posted their viewing reports directly

 

[Thomas T]

Washed out and faded? Not on my Disney Exclusives blu ray!

 

[Tino]

The new blu ray transfer is very sharp and clean, but washed out, faded, and the colors are wrong. Can anyone explain why this happened? Robert Harris?

Perhaps posting this in the proper Blu ray forum will yield you more responses.

Blu-ray and UHD

Discuss film and documentary titles on Blu-ray. The official home of Robert Harris's A Few Words About column.

www.hometheaterforum.com

 

[Robert Crawford]

Perhaps, more people will respond now.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'm not sure many will respond as I haven't heard of any other criticism of the video aspects of this release. Most anecdotal reviews say it looks great.

Sounds like maybe a player setting issue or a bad disc.

 

[Joe Caps]

which sound track are they using? the way to tell - when darby is playing his fiddle for the little people he does the countdown in gallic in the original and in english in the redone track.

 

[Malcolm R]

From what I've read, it's the original soundtrack.

 

[breeezer]

I have to say when I compared it to my DVD, the colors looked very different, and I thought the Blu-Ray, although sharper with more contrast (too much?) was not as pleasant to look at as the DVD. And the Blu-ray was matted, and while it's no doubt similar to a theatrical presentation, showed less of the picture than I prefer. But that's just me. I'll gladly keep both versions.

 

[Robert Harris]

No clue. Haven’t seen. Faded OCN and no masters?

 

[B-ROLL]

The new blu ray transfer is very sharp and clean, but washed out, faded, and the colors are wrong. Can anyone explain why this happened? Robert Harris?

My discs arrived today and I spot-checked the first 10 minutes or so. I suspect this may be the prior scan matted for widescreen with some black on either side.

I addition, the black levels have been pushed way down to the point that the details in Estelle Winwood's black shawl are completely gone. In the DVD you can see the knit pattern of her black shawl as she enter the house in the exterior and interior. On the blu-ray it's a blob of black until she walked into a block of light on an interior shot and then there is some of the knit pattern visible. Also in the opening titles on the DVD the letters are white with a black drop-shadow. In the blu-ray there is more black and the O's are filled in with black.

As the DVD had a lot of minus and plus density & and the section I watched on the Blu-ray had virtually none, I suspect they set the DNR to high and left it there, virtually erasing Janet Monroe's freckles on the blu-ray.

Again the lip sync on the DVD was better than on the blu-ray IMHO. It sounded like a cleaned up optical track to me but I'm no expert.

 

[Capt D McMars]

The new blu ray transfer is very sharp and clean, but washed out, faded, and the colors are wrong. Can anyone explain why this happened? Robert Harris?

 

[warnerbro]

What used to be emerald green is now faded teal. The contrast seems to be maxxed out to the point where there are no black levels. I do thank them for including the Wonderful World off Disney episode in full and in HD as well as the Sean Connery documentary as well the documentary on the tricks of the movie.

 

[Capt D McMars]

My discs arrived today and I spot-checked the first 10 minutes or so. I suspect this may be the prior scan matted for widescreen with some black on either side.

I addition, the black levels have been pushed way down to the point that the details in Estelle Winwood's black shawl are completely gone. In the DVD you can see the knit pattern of her black shawl as she enter the house in the exterior and interior. On the blu-ray it's a blob of black until she walked into a block of light on an interior shot and then there is some of the knit pattern visible. Also in the opening titles on the DVD the letters are white with a black drop-shadow. In the blu-ray there is more black and the O's are filled in with black.

As the DVD had a lot of minus and plus density & and the section I watched on the Blu-ray had virtually none, I suspect they set the DNR to high and left it there, virtually erasing Janet Monroe's freckles on the blu-ray.

Again the lip sync on the DVD was better than on the blu-ray IMHO. It sounded like a cleaned up optical track to me but I'm no expert.

REally Disney....Really?!!!

 

[darkrock17]

Why not post some screen grabs so that we can see for ourselves and compare to to the DVD and VHS.

 

[Alan Tully]

I've only bought one title in this series, In Search Of The Castaways (1962), it cost a bit of money on eBay, but it is a childhood favourite. Anyway, it arrived, & I thought it looked awful, as contrasty as hell, it looked like they'd just done a quick transfer of a projection print they had laying around, so never again. It's not some deluxe release of a famous catalogue title, it's just a cash grab (the very oppersite of the Warner Archive). Disney will just have to manage their mega debt without my money.

Anyway, back to Darby O Gill & The Little People (which I remember seeing at the cinema, but I can't remember a thing about it).

 

[David Norman]

I did find one other post from someone very familiar with the film mentioning slight color differences with the first reel, but much better for the rest of the film. But even that post was very complimentary of the overall presentation and doesn't seem to be the extreme you're seeing.

I don;t have mine yet and am not overly familiar so I;m afraid I'm not going to be much help until I can find a copy of the DVD to add to the package (I want the optional Aspect ratio and audio track just to be a completionist)

 

[Paul Penna]

For what it's worth, here are two undoctored screenshots (from the disc itself, not a photo of a display) I made from my copy that just arrived today. The lower shot is from the standard-def extra "Little People, Big Effects" ported over from the DVD. (I don't have the DVD version of the film.) Click to enlarge a bit.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

I'm still trying to figure out what they've done with The Big Fisherman.

 

[B-ROLL]

I did find one other post from someone very familiar with the film mentioning slight color differences with the first reel, but much better for the rest of the film. But even that post was very complimentary of the overall presentation and doesn't seem to be the extreme you're seeing.

I don;t have mine yet and am not overly familiar so I;m afraid I'm not going to be much help until I can find a copy of the DVD to add to the package (I want the optional Aspect ratio and audio track just to be a completionist)

When I purchased DOG... I purchased the DVD collection that has DOG and 3 other DVDs for $10.00 (the sale price) Two of the films haven't been released on blu-ray (yet?). I think wal*mart.com had it for $7.96 which I believe was the same price as was the same price that DMC was charging for the DOG DVD (K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E ) by itself on sale.

I've already removed the DOG DVD and put in in a green paper disc envelope and put it in the the blu-ray case opposite the blu-ray.