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Finch wrote:I've added a caveat to the Bloodsport entry on the OP: the film was shot in 1.85:1 but Capelight opened it up slightly to 1.78:1.

The Three Musketeers (Studio Canal)

nicolas wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 3:30 pm

Finch wrote:I've added a caveat to the Bloodsport entry on the OP: the film was shot in 1.85:1 but Capelight opened it up slightly to 1.78:1.

The Three Musketeers (Studio Canal)

Thanks. I honestly would even go so far as strip this release of its “reference” status since there are other little qualms with the mastering. I only watched the film in DV but even that couldn’t help hiding some compression artifacts, including frozen grain similar to the recent Curzon discs in terms of how noticeable they were during playback.

rrenault wrote:

nicolas wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 3:30 pm

Finch wrote:I've added a caveat to the Bloodsport entry on the OP: the film was shot in 1.85:1 but Capelight opened it up slightly to 1.78:1.

The Three Musketeers (Studio Canal)

Thanks. I honestly would even go so far as strip this release of its “reference” status since there are other little qualms with the mastering. I only watched the film in DV but even that couldn’t help hiding some compression artifacts, including frozen grain similar to the recent Curzon discs in terms of how noticeable they were during playback.

Speaking of Curzon, I was personally pretty happy with their presentation of The Double Life of Veronique (I haven't picked up their Three Colors release yet), and I'd be fine with it being in the reference column. I didn't really detect any distracting compression issues such as one does during those bitrate plummets on the weaker StudioCanal releases, not to mention the subtle DNR Criterion seem to apply to a lot of their UHD discs.

nicolas wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 1:09 pm
Based on this, I will order Part 2 and give it a look as well. Also can't wait for Godard's masterpiece Contempt which will hopefully receive the same treatment.

nicolas wrote: Wed May 03, 2023 9:13 pm Another 4K UHD which deserves all possible praise - Plaion Pictures’ Rider on the Rain. Available as “Der aus dem Regen kam” in Germany.

I’ve now watched the entire film after previously only spot-checking and felt compelled to reiterate how phenomenal this film looks as presented by Plaion.

Their encode (watched in DV but applicable to HDR10 and SDR as well) and disc presentation rivals anything by Fidelity in Motion. Yes, it’s that good and beautiful. Some shots are honestly beyond belief - for a somewhat oddity of a film, for the period and stock / lens limitations and for the astounding quality of the restoration as done in France. I felt like getting to see a DCP on my TV (LG OLED 2022 83 inch).
I wish every 4K UHD would look like this. I may even say that this is my favorite 4K UHD I’ve seen so far image-wise - and I own roughly 700.

This is demo material for a shot-on-film joint. There are no opticals apart from the title- and end credits with only a handful of second-gen material moments spread throughout, likely for scenes they originally had to cut.

The film is odd in how it jumps in tone pretty wildly but Bronson clearly had fun doing this part, unlike some of his later works. Don’t expect action, much more a thriller / drama European style. It’s no masterpiece but a good watch made even more special by absolute reference quality video and very good audio.

All labels and authoring houses still struggling with getting across a perfect encode should take a good look at this disc. A two-hour movie on a BD-66 with a couple language options and a flawless encode. It’s all possible… if they want it.

Sporting a new 4K restoration that won the award for "Best Restored Film" at the Venice Classics branch of the 2022 Venice Film Festival, Branded to Kill makes its worldwide home video debut in 4K UHD (The film has been previously released numerous times since the 90s). Suzuki's masterpiece had an interesting history in home video. Going from being one of the worst Criterion DVD transfers to now becoming one of the finest 4Ks for Japanese cinema in the home video market.

Released in native 4K without any HDR included, this transfer shows MORE image in the frame in comparison to the previous editions (Blu-ray is 2.35:1, 4K is 2.39:1). DVDBeaver has already uploaded some comparisons for the new 4K edition so readers should be able to notice the difference. It is also worth noting that the 4K restoration used the original camera negative whereas the older HD remaster used a fine-grain master positive. The transfer does a great job of creating depth into the image and the contrast is darker in this version while having better grayscales as well. The grain is consistent and never increases or decreases for different shots. Worth noting that because of the film's dark visuals, grain isn't easy to notice in many scenes, especially for those who have smaller TVs.

Great presentation and I really thought it didn't look too different from the older Blu-ray. I was wrong. The shadow in the older edition creates small dark halos around the edges of the characters in many scenes. The resolution obviously seems more noisier, and the contrast isn't very rich. Despite the massive improvements in colors and clarity, it's still not an easy sell for those who have owned the previous editions (Whether it's Criterion or Arrow). For the 4K edition, this film SHOULD be seen on the biggest screen possible to see the huge differences in grain structure.

therewillbeblus wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 1:13 am Well, some people haven't upgraded to 4K yet or might not at all, but also want the remastered transfer and may pay a bit extra for it.

AxeYou wrote: Thu May 11, 2023 12:24 am I'm genuinely curious: Why would people want a remastered Blu-ray in a 4K package? Is it because they haven't made the leap to 4K equipment yet?

I for one would rather have the studios/labels include the old BD, because of how often they screw up the audio on every new release with additional "restoration," e.g. unnecessary noise reduction, new remix only... At least with the original BD in the package, one can easily extract the old track and remux it to the 4K.

If one has 4K-capable equipment and isn't sensitive to audio defects, I'd guess it won't matter either way.

M Sanderson wrote:Anyone else hearing that there are no audio issues on the Shout Factory 4k of Full Circle (Haunting of Julia)? - the one apparent issue regarding the BFI release.