Wizard of oz new 2 disc set, is it a new transfer or the old 2005 transfer??? (1 Viewer)

[Xenia Stathakopoulou]

Anyone know ???

 

[mdnitoil]

I have yet to see any reviews of the new SD. I've been waiting to find out if there is any point to upgrading from the previous 3-disc set.

 

[cajunhillbilly]

I plan to watch my set from 2005 again this weekend. It was traditional for this movie to come out on TV every fall back in the 60s. So I plan to watch it in memory of my youth.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Its a new transfer. Done at 8K instead of 4 like the previous dvd.

 

[mdnitoil]

Originally Posted by Lord Dalek

Its a new transfer. Done at 8K instead of 4 like the previous dvd.

I suppose I knew that, but I'm still waiting to find out whether there's any appreciable difference on the SD.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Originally Posted by mdnitoil ">[/url]




I suppose I knew that, but I'm still waiting to find out whether there's any appreciable difference on the SD.[/QUOTE]Well as you can see in the DVD Beaver comparison

 

[Xenia Stathakopoulou]

Hmm, I thought the dvd beaver review didnt show the 09 oz dvd,it just compares the blu with the 05, and 99 dvd.Are you sure ????

 

[mdnitoil]

Originally Posted by Lord Dalek , the colors are a bit less heavy on the yellow and also the film is rediculously sharp now. I mean you can see the individual grains inherent in the stock.

Yes, I get the fact that the BR looks good. For the price, it darn well better. That still doesn't tell me squat about how this latest SD compares to the '05.

My expectation is that they'll look similar. The elements are the same and they should be using the same color correction tables, but it would be nice to get some confirmation for the other 90% of the disc buying public.

 

[KathyBeck]

I can confirm that the transfer is new. I did a comparison and the 2009 version is quite a bit sharper.

 

[Xenia Stathakopoulou]

Thanks Kathy, its amazing I couldnt find confirmation of this anywhere on the internet.So im guessing, this is just a downscaled version of the new blu ray transfer.

 

[KathyBeck]

Tony, I checked the internet for weeks trying to confirm whether the 2009 release was a new transfer or not. Couldn't find out there. I have a friend who is a WOOz fanatic, and he called Warner to find out and they didn't even know. So he emailed John Fricke, the historian who did the commentary for the release, and he said it was his understanding that it was a new transfer. So he bought the new release and he and I compared them together. The most impressing part, to me, was the beginning sepia-toned part. Very sharp with a 3d effect. I believe it is a downscaled version of the blu ray transfer. There was so much hype about the blu ray that no one cared to compare the dvd releases against each other.

 

[Xenia Stathakopoulou]

Kathy, thats interesting.Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Art_AD]

Question On the Amazon site there is a sound bite from an alternate audio take of If I only had a brain. I can not find it on the disc anywhere unless I missed it. Does anyone know where this is located. I am hoping it is not a Blue disc only extra.

 

[WilliamMcK]

For whatever it's worth, I'm bitterly disappointed in the new SD Wizard of Oz. It is noticeably sharper, as well as more stable... and the image does seem to have more depth. Then why don't I like it? Because it is so dark that the blacks are crushed... forcing me to adjust my carefully calibrated TV to be able to watch the disc... and the opening sepia (always problematic for this movie... as WHV simply doesn't believe in the "less is more" concept) is not only more saturated than it ever has been before, but it is also slightly greenish (fortunately this doesn't carry over into the technicolor portion). Very frustrating as this SD set is in some ways an improvement over the last release, but in other significant ways it is a come down. I suspect that the new transfer doesn't exhibit the same problems on Blu-Ray as it does in SD... but I don't know.

 

[mdnitoil]

I think I'll just stick with my '05. I like the movie well enough, but it just seems like diminishing returns anymore. For each minor improvement, something else gets broken. Frankly every DVD version released kicks the ever-living crap out of the broadcast versions I watched as a child. I think I've finally reached a point of "good enough" on this one. Plus, and it may just be me, Warner's SD versions of what are really Blu Ray remasters have really been lackluster. I don't know what is going on over there, but it's as if little or no attention to the SD is being paid. Master for the Blu and then downrez for the SD, but nobody is following up on it and checking to see if it even looks any good.

 

[Traveling Matt]

Originally Posted by mdnitoil

Plus, and it may just be me, Warner's SD versions of what are really Blu Ray remasters have really been lackluster. I don't know what is going on over there, but it's as if little or no attention to the SD is being paid. Master for the Blu and then downrez for the SD, but nobody is following up on it and checking to see if it even looks any good.

I haven't seen too many SD downscales since Blu has come to prominence, but it seems logical this might happen. Standard releases are, of course, being given the sidecar treatment now that the focus is on HD.

It doesn't seem like a widespread issue, but I've been quite cognizant of just such an occurance due to the attention shift. Hopefully titles going to both formats - especially those new-to-disc - will be given equal care, as it seems they mostly are, so long as DVD remains an option.

And I too think the three-disc '05 WOZ is good enough.

 

Not to mention the digital glitch in Munchkinland. Head over to the High Definition Software forum to see what we are talking about and an example. If this isn't how it is supposed to be, then WB needs to fix it...We've bought this movie over and over and it is the least they can do.

 

[MielR]

I'm eventually going to get the blu-ray (probably one of the no-frills editions unless someone surprises me with the box for Christmas), but if it were just a matter of upgrading the DVD- I'd probably just stick with my '05 edition, like others have said. Different story for those who never purchased the '05 DVD, tho.

I've read that the '05 DVD had some grain removal applied (?) That would probably explain some of the increase in sharpness for this new DVD.

 

[WilliamMcK]

I need to back-pedal a bit on my recent condemnation of the new SD edition of Wizard. I still maintain that the sepia in the opening sequence (and closing) is too saturated (and it does have a very slight greenish tint not in evidence on the 2005 edition); but upon re-watching the movie from beginning to end over the weekend I think I overstated the "crushed blacks" issue. There are moments in the beginning that are too dark, but overall I think the black levels are good. While I still think this set should have looked better--and the differences between this edition and the 2005 are minor--I think the '09 will be my disc of choice from now on (at least until I upgrade to Blu-Ray... assuming I ever do upgrade to Blu-Ray). I think anyone sticking with the '05 is in good shape, but if you do purchase the newest disc I think it would be a minor upgrade.

 

[mdnitoil]

Thanks for the re-assessment. I'll still be sticking with my '05. Anymore, for as little as I watch this movie, there's just no point to sinking more money into it. I'm anticipating the same with Gone With the Wind as well. On the SD side, the only thing I'm really holding out for is the North by Northwest. That looks to be a nice upgrade.