my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » The Afterlife   » Star Wars: The complete saga on BR this Sept. (Page 7)

This topic comprises 11 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11

Author Topic: Star Wars: The complete saga on BR this Sept. Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-17-2011 05:39 PM                        Boonowa tweepi, ha, ha. Wow, Who knew that George IS Jabba, san beard and the boufont hairdoo!  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 09-17-2011 08:31 PM                        I never saw Episodes 1-3 with digital projection. I know #1 was photographed with 35mm film and the other two were digital but they were all meant to be presented in digital only until George Lucas changed his mind and decided to show them in both digital and film. I did see Episodes 4-6 in 70mm as well as 35mm in theatres and while I thought the 70mm presentations was fantastic, it cannot even come close to the way the movies now look on Blu Ray. I spent an hour last nigh checking out the image quality of all six movies as well as the bonus features and they were all superb. Hopefully, I will try to watch the movies in their entirety after I finish watching Season One of Hawaii Five-O on Blu-Ray after I buy it on Tuesday. I must differ with Joe and Aaron about the packaging. I like it very much and the cardboard case does not feel like cheap cardboard but very sturdy in my opinion. The disc storage case is also very sturdy . It is exactly the same packaging Fox had used on the ALIEN films on Blu-Ray and if a lot of people agreed with Joe and complained, I am sure the studio would not have used it again on the STAR WARS movies. Blu Ray have a much better protective surface than DVD so I do not feel there is any risk of damaging the discs when removing and replacing them in the disc holders. When Best Buy was offering the deluxe set for $90.00 and Episodes 1-3 & 3-6 for $40.00 each it was still a bargain to pay an additional ten dollars for the three extra discs with the bonus features. Because Target offered the deluxe set for $80.00, I was pleasantly surprised when I had learned BB had dropped the price when I tried to get the store to price match Targets. Although Target offered some STAR WARS picture cards as a exclusive, Best Buy's offer of a cool SW T shirt was even better. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Aaron Garman Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: Toledo, OH USA Registered: Mar 2003 posted 09-17-2011 08:48 PM                     Thank you for the spelling and grammar corrections Joe. I was a little groggy when I typed that. The reverb was weird...I didn't get that. The scene I liked specifically was the one with Tarkin and Leia as the Empire prepares to destroy Alderaan. They had partially cleaned up the sound on that scene for the DVD but did it very half assed. This time Peter Cushing's lines seem very consistent in quality. AJG  |  IP: Logged Tom Petrov Five Guys Lover Posts: 1121 From: El Paso, TX Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-17-2011 09:55 PM                    I am reading that the blu-rays of the original films are from the same HD scan for the dvd's in 2004. Anyone want to comment?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 09-17-2011 10:10 PM                        Just watched Empire. I am watching them in the order they were made. As I found out when showing them to Jen in the order they were numbered, it left her very confused while the prequels were playing. You MUST watch them in the order made. ANYWAY, the Empire Blu-ray is identical to the Empire DVD. The center channel is still about 4-5db too low and the subwoofer is still about 9-10db too loud. The force choke and star destroyers do NOT need to drown out dialog and music, respectively. I can't recall if the Jedi DVD suffered from this, but I think it was only Empire. Gawdawful sound mix and it's the best movie! At least they got rid of Luke screaming as he falls off of the platform that was originally in the theatrical special editions. quote: Claude S. Ayakawa I must differ with Joe and Aaron about the packaging. Of course you must, for your name is Claude S. Ayakawa. Honestly, they could make the packaging out of fossilized cow dung and you'd likely think it was "wonderful". Anything but regular ol' Blu-ray boxes. I will eventually get 6 BD cases and scan the artwork from the DVDs, modify them to they say "HD OMG!" and print them so the set doesn't stand out like a cancerous tumor on my shelf. quote: Claude S. Ayakawa When Best Buy was offering the deluxe set for $90.00 and Episodes 1-3 & 3-6 for $40.00 each it was still a bargain to pay an additional ten dollars for the three extra discs with the bonus features. Best Buy was selling the 6-movie pack for $80 when I arrived and that is what they have always been advertising it as for the week prior. The individual 3-movie packs for $40 each (like you said). I saw the t-shirt and I couldn't think of one damned reason why I'd ever wear it, so I left it there. Jen kept asking me "Why don't you want that?" and my response was always "Because I don't".  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Goeldner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1360 From: Washington, District of Columbia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 09-17-2011 11:10 PM                     I watched 'Phantom Menace' Friday night and my initial impression was that I thought skin complexion looked unnaturally waxy as if DNR had been applied in the video processing of the film to hidef. The DTS-HD MA 6.1 sound though - wow ... WoW!  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-17-2011 11:29 PM                        The skin tones looked waxy because THE DIGITAL MENSACE looked that way in the theatrical presentation both film and digital. It also looked soft in many scenes. The CGI stuff looked sharp and clear while the live action looked slightly out of focus. I am not sure there is much they can do about that.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 09-17-2011 11:39 PM                     I think George is a marketing/sales genius. Creating the new versions of Star Wars and then withholding the originals has created more demand for the original versions. The real fans will end up buying both. This is straight up double-dipping all over again. I'm honestly surprised that people aren't used to this by now. Jedi mind tricks? I'd be curious to know -- how many times have you bought this trilogy on home-video? I owned the original movie on Beta and later bought the entire first trilogy on Laserdisc. When I saw the Special Editions in theatres, the love pretty much ended there. I guess I figured if they aren't sacred to George, then maybe they needn't be sacred to me either. At least I still have my happy memories of enjoying them as they were in their time. Yes, I saw the 2nd trilogy but only because I was working. Actually, I'm not sure if I ever saw all of Episode I or II. I did see all of Episode III and I kind-of liked that one. I think that one has everything we were hoping to get out of the first 2 prequels. Episodes I and II only function as filler (and a way to make 3x as much money as just making Episode III alone). Even so, someone gave me a free copy of Episode III on DVD and I've only watched the documentary in the supplemental material.  |  IP: Logged Victor Liorentas Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 800 From: london ontario canada Registered: May 2009 posted 09-17-2011 11:49 PM                     My guess on Lucas and Lowery Digital sticking with the 2k master from the 2004 dvd is the prequels have no resolution beyond that to show off. The originals at 4k or higher would start to look too good like the Blade Runner restoration. In older interviews George Lucas has talked about resolution being less important for whatever reason? I don't remember but to put out The Phantom Menace as a soft blur fest in 1999 was a sign of caring little about resolution. Another sign was Return Of The Jedi!After Empire went so far over budget he was determined to speed up production on Jedi and many sloppy grainy shots are very point and shoot! Irvin Kirshner really was the perfectionist in the whole Star Wars saga.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 09-18-2011 09:21 PM                        Just watched Jedi and the sound was fine. Didn't have the low dialog like Empire did. Likely the same mix as the Jedi DVD. I think George hates the original trilogy and loves the prequels (at least the last two).  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 09-18-2011 10:40 PM                     Could be, Joe. It brings to mind something George's ex-wife, Marcia, once said: "Getting here was more fun than being here." Perhaps she appreciated the creative struggle, while George still seems to have scarred by it even all these years later.  |  IP: Logged Jeff Kane Film Handler Posts: 74 From: corpus christi, tx Registered: Jun 2011 posted 09-18-2011 10:49 PM                     It's almost like they cut bits and pieces from different sound mixes and pasted 'em in on ANH. I have a pretty revealing system that's admittedly more focused on 2 channel audio (B&W 802D mains, HTM-2D center, Energy Veritas 2.0R sides and rears, Velodyne DD-18 and JL Fathom subs) and the dialog, music, and effects, are all over the place! Even for the same character, the differences can be huge from line to line! Some are way wet (as reverb goes), some dry, some sound quite dull and lifeless and some sound like they were re-recorded last week. Bad thing about Blu-Ray is that the CGI is even more apparent than from SD sources. It's cleaner than I've ever seen it but it's TOO clean! All just looks DNRed to death. Well, I'm still glad to have it all on BD. I hope we get the originals at some point and I hope George A.) doesn't have to die before we get 'em, and B.) doesn't put language in his will precluding the release of the originals.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-18-2011 10:51 PM                     quote: Victor Liorentas I don't remember but to put out The Phantom Menace as a soft blur fest in 1999 was a sign of caring little about resolution. I wonder if some of the softness problem in Episode I has to do with camera and lens system choices. IIRC, the live action stuff was shot with Russian-made Hawk cameras and lenses. Panavision and Arri are typically the first choices in film cameras with any major production. Panavision makes very high quality lenses. Zeiss makes stuff to fit Arri gear. George Lucas ditched Panavision for relatively unknown camera systems before. Return of the Jedi was filmed using cameras made by Joe Dunton. Panavision recently acquired the assets of the company and also put Joe Dunton and Lester Dunton on the board of directors. I remember a decent number of movies in the 1980's being filmed in JDC-35 anamorphic.  |  IP: Logged Connor Wilson Expert Film Handler Posts: 190 From: Sterling, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2011 posted 09-19-2011 08:49 PM                     Picked up the Complete Saga at Best Buy today. So far, it is not horrible. I watched A New Hope tonight. This actually the first time I fully watched an episode of the original trilogy, and I enjoyed the film itself. But I will talk about the picture and audio quality. As for picture quality, I would agree that Star Wars never looked this good on home video. You can definitely see details that were not present in the DVD and LD versions, and watching the film in true 24p/Hz was like watching a lucid painting shift and dance. My BIGGEST complaint, however, is the awful color timing. White walls are a pale grey, C3PO is in copper instead of gold, once warm reds are oversaturated, ad etc. It has unfourtunetly been like this since 2004, but slightly improved in very margin ways. For example, the lightsaber color during Luke's training was, in a few shots however, corrected from green to blue. The all-new 6.1 DTS-HD:MA sound mix is decent. John Williams' score sounded quite phonemonal on my little 2 front/2 rear sound system (no center or sub). During most of the action sequences, the soundtrack is rocking, with sfx panning in different directions, but it sounded a bit compressed, like I wasn't able to pick up the nuances of Williams' score when lots of stuff was going on each speaker. It might just be my system, which is the best I could make it to be, but I didn't notice this in other soundtracks on BD, like Avatar. I can assure you that the new Krayt dragon call Obi-wan makes is not the worst thing on this mix. The complete misplacing of the quality of the dialogue is really bad. For example, if Luke says a sentence, to be answered by Obi-wan, his response sounds COMPLETLEY different than the last time he spoke. Half of the lines of dialogue are heavy on the mids, like most older films, and the other half has more response on the highs, like it was recorded more recently. The scene that exposes this inconsistency the best is the garbage compactor scene, in which the voices of the characters bounce in clarity. It's a very annoying, should I say, "glitch" in the mix that draws the viewer away from the film. Overall, the film that started it all, as translated on the greatest home video format of our generation, is not even close to the original theatrical experience, which I think will be available in a restored print after George Lucas dies, sadly. It remains the best version of any cut of A New Hope on video, in terms of A/V performance, and the box set it comes in is essential to every movie fan. A New Hope (1977) Movie: 8/10 Video: 9/10 Audio: 8/10 Afterthought: I think this film blew up the tweeters on my front speakers just a little. Damn you, Georgie! (just kidding)  |  IP: Logged Connor Wilson Expert Film Handler Posts: 190 From: Sterling, VA, USA Registered: Jan 2011 posted 09-20-2011 08:25 PM                     Watched "Empire" tonight. Here's my thoughts: As far as the picture quality goes, it is definetly much sharper, much clearer than A New Hope. It was almost a borderline perfect 10/10 score, but the same poopy color timing of the 2004 DVDs had to come and spoil the fun. Hoth is just, a blue, icy desert instead of an exotic ice calp. WTF? For the soundtrack, I would have to agree with Joe on this one. The sfx like a tie-fighter flying by drowns out the dialogue. Why does all the action scenes have to be obnoxiously loud and wimpy? Why can't the dialogue be well intelligible during loud sequences? Isn't this set supposed to be THX-certified? Speaking of THX, even the "WOW!" Laserdisc has wider dynamic range, clearer dialogue, all the serious tech stuff THX addressed on the disc, than the discrete 6.1 DTS-HD:MA 24-bit audio on the ESB Blu. To top it on that, that Laserdisc had two-channel Dolby Surround-encoded 16/44.1 audio, which should be outdated by now! But, on the positive side, it was an aggressive and rocking mix. Had they fixed the levels and dynamic range, it would almost be a perfect 10. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Movie: 9/10 Video: 9/10 Audio: 8.75/10 Afterthought: Sorry for prolonging my rant, but the restored THX Broadway trailer was a relief. Finally something with wider dynamic range, no harsh frequencies, it turned out to be quieter than the film itself! Odd for a THX trailer, isn't it?  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 11 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.