Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

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captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#401 Post by captveg » Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:20 pm

6/3/14

The Birds (1963)
The Break-Up (2006)
Rear Window (1954)
Vertigo (1958)
You, Me and Dupree (2006)

Psycho (1960) is also being re-issued

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swo17
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#402 Post by swo17 » Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:24 pm

Five timeless classics

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captveg
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#403 Post by captveg » Tue Mar 18, 2014 12:47 pm

Yeah, those two stand out as "huh?", but they were HD-DVD releases, so good to see they are still working through getting those titles in general on Blu-ray. After these come out there will still be 31 HD-DVD titles not released on Blu-ray from Universal.

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captveg
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#404 Post by captveg » Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:41 pm

And because of your pent up demand, swo, they are also releasing the following on 6/3/14:

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

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domino harvey
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#405 Post by domino harvey » Tue Mar 18, 2014 3:48 pm

They're basically just fire sale-ing all the titles already out via region free Blus in the UK

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Ashirg
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#406 Post by Ashirg » Tue Mar 18, 2014 4:06 pm

They forgot to include Along Came Polly in this rom-com avalanche of titles available on blu in UK...

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Drucker
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#407 Post by Drucker » Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:36 pm

Double Indemnity US Release reviewed at DVD Beaver.

Gary says it's a bit darker and a little less grain. However it turns out, based on this alone, it doesn't seem to be a slam-dunk/totally necessary double-dip for those with the MOC.

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#408 Post by EddieLarkin » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:15 pm

Detail is marginally improved, and whilst there is less grain I think this is more down to it being finer, rather than anything to do with grain reduction (as the review suggests, this is likely from a superior source element than the MoC). Contrast definitely receives the biggest jump in quality though. I'm not due a rewatch for a couple of years thankfully; I'll pick it up then when it's dirt cheap.

Movie-Brat
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#409 Post by Movie-Brat » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:42 pm

My only qualm with the King Kong vs. Godzilla Blu-ray is that it doesn't feature the original Japanese version. If I may ask, is there really a copyright issue as to why they haven't released it in its original format?

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#410 Post by EddieLarkin » Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:49 pm

Movie-Brat wrote:My only qualm with the King Kong vs. Godzilla Blu-ray is that it doesn't feature the original Japanese version. If I may ask, is there really a copyright issue as to why they haven't released it in its original format?
None at all. This was all debated a few months ago on Blu-ray.com, until Keith Aiken confirmed some details here and here.

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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#411 Post by Movie-Brat » Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:42 pm

EddieLarkin wrote:
Movie-Brat wrote:My only qualm with the King Kong vs. Godzilla Blu-ray is that it doesn't feature the original Japanese version. If I may ask, is there really a copyright issue as to why they haven't released it in its original format?
None at all. This was all debated a few months ago on Blu-ray.com, until Keith Aiken confirmed some details here and here.
Fuck me, that's why. That's...really, really disappointing. Well, I'll take what I can I guess. On the upside, perhaps when the rights to Godzilla 1985 expire, it'll be up for NA distribution again. I've always said elsewhere Shout Factory should be the one to distribute it for their Scream Factory lineup.

Thanks for the explanation on the issue, sir.

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kingofthejungle
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#412 Post by kingofthejungle » Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:36 pm

The image on the Universal release is a step up, but I honestly don't like the film enough to double dip on this one. The MOC is a great presentation with more special features than you could ever hope for.

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#413 Post by EddieLarkin » Thu Apr 10, 2014 12:06 pm

Beaver on Touch of Evil.

A bigger upgrade than Double Indemnity, owing more I think to the fact the MoC transfer always looked a bit too "DVD-era" to me (despite being more recent transfers than what was used on DI). Interestingly, there's now quite a bit more headroom in the widescreen framing, owing largely to a shift in the placement of the matte.

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Drucker
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#414 Post by Drucker » Thu Apr 10, 2014 12:16 pm

Looking at both of the Double Indemnity and ToE releases, they both seem great, and I'd be happy to double dip one day in the future, especially when I get a better set-up. With that said, does anyone else feel like the Universal's just a bit softer and less crisp with both releases? Look at the wallpaper behind Dietrich. Look at the picture of the house in Double Indemnity, the whites look almost blown out in the Universal, whereas the MOC looks crisp and detailed.

This is my totally non-professional, just looking at screencaps two cents. The Universals certainly seem great and it's awesome to have these available in R1, but just wanted to point out what I'm seeing. Also, these I would imagine come from the same source (1998 reconstruction), but while in this scene on the MOC doesn't have a line over Leigh's face, there does appear to be some damage mark on the new Universal release.

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#415 Post by EddieLarkin » Thu Apr 10, 2014 12:25 pm

These are both new 4K scans, so I wouldn't be surprised if they've spared no expense and gone back to the OCN.

As for the wallpaper, all I see is an absence of the chunky noise like grain (replaced with finer, seemingly more film like grain). I agree with you about the whites on the DI caps though.

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Gregory
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#416 Post by Gregory » Thu Apr 10, 2014 12:31 pm

Judging from Gary's comparisons, neither this nor Double Indemnity looks like an improvement over the transfers MoC released. I had no complaints at all about the contrast of either MoC release, and I don't think increasing the contrast is always better or that it equals "improved contrast," though that's a bias I see quite regularly in his reviews. I see no real improvement in detail in either Universal release. The only set of DI caps where the Universal seems to show more detail is that it looks like the pattern of E. G. Robinson's vest is slightly easier to make out on the Universal.

I don't really follow Gary when he says about TOE, "Aside from the cropping, I suspect the MoC is the most authentic in appearance." How does he know which framing choice is more "authentic"? That seems to be another Tooze bias you can usually count on: Showing slightly more information at the edges is said or implied to be a good thing virtually every time. I certainly understand the preference, but it doesn't necessarily mean the transfer with slightly more is more authentic or correct.
I also don't see how heavier grain is less filmlike than finer, less visible grain. If anything, the MoC release of Double Indemnity seems to show that you don't have to work from an original negative to get a top-notch transfer.

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#417 Post by EddieLarkin » Thu Apr 10, 2014 12:44 pm

Since the 1.37:1 version is more popular here anyway, debating which widescreen transfer is more "accurate" seems pointless. There are a lot less cropped heads in the new disc though.

Grain I feel is more film like the finer it is. Though it shouldn't be absent of course. The Arrow James White transfers are the gold standard: tons of grain, albeit of the ultra fine variety. The MoC disc grain, especially on Touch of Evil, is more plentiful but looks comparatively chunky, blocky, noisy etc. The grain on the Universal discs seem more like what you would find on a James White transfer; ultra fine, though in these cases less prominent. Why is this? Could be grain management, could be simply a result of the much larger scanning resolution Universal are using (all JW transfer have been 2K, rather than 4). I don't know. My understanding of the whole science behind digitizing a film element is that the higher resolution you use to scan, and the closer you are to the OCN, the more fine and less intrusive the grain becomes.

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swo17
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#418 Post by swo17 » Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:09 pm

EddieLarkin wrote:Since the 1.37:1 version is more popular here anyway
Among people who are wrong :-"

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#419 Post by EddieLarkin » Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:19 pm

swo17 wrote:
EddieLarkin wrote:Since the 1.37:1 version is more popular here anyway
Among people who are wrong :-"
There's an idiom, the particulars of which escape me right now, that applies here. Something to do with choirs and preaching, I think.

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manicsounds
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#420 Post by manicsounds » Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:45 pm

If you look carefully, and DVDBeaver says there is more headroom on the new Universal Touch Of Evil BD, the same headroom is there for the 50th Anniversary DVD edition.

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Altair
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#421 Post by Altair » Fri Apr 11, 2014 7:52 am

It's a shame Universal fall short of putting out a package to rival the MoC in completeness by offering the alternate Academy ratios; so despite the finer grain field, my Touch of Evil won't be getting upgraded. However, their blu of Double Indemnity looks like the definitive release now.

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tenia
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#422 Post by tenia » Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:55 am

What's surprising to me for Double Indemnity, is that everyone's speaking of cropping but some caps show more picture on the Universal disc (Robinson's watch), while others show more picture on the MoC disc (Stanwyck's hat).
EddieLarkin wrote:My understanding of the whole science behind digitizing a film element is that the higher resolution you use to scan, and the closer you are to the OCN, the more fine and less intrusive the grain becomes.
That's also my understanding, but I always understood it also works in reverse for the elements you're using : maybe the MoC transfer is based on a scan done one generation away from the OCN.

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#423 Post by EddieLarkin » Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:55 am

The booklet says the older Universal transfer on the MoC disc is from a dupe negative, which would be at least two generations from the OCN I believe. Touch of Evil was from a fine grain composite, which would also be two generations away typically (help, experts?). Of course, we don't actually know that Universal went back to the OCN for these new transfers.

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Drucker
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#424 Post by Drucker » Tue Apr 15, 2014 8:59 am

Touch Of Evil bluray.com
Double Indemnity bluray.com

These both look like knockouts quite frankly.

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captveg
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Re: Universal Catalog Titles on Blu

#425 Post by captveg » Wed Apr 23, 2014 12:31 pm

7/1/14

Bring It On (2000)
Cry-Baby (1990)
Kindergarten Cop (1990)
The Little Rascals (1994)

Final nail in the coffin for the Kindergarten Cop Criterion ;)

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