wm lopez

Can you please give me a quick recap on what was wrong with PETER PAN dvd? Out of all the dvds that people complained about I never read those posts.

baracine

See: http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2242pan.html

I was booted out of Home Theater Forum for daring to bring the subject up - just as they tried to suppress the recent Bram Stoker's Dracula issues - but the subject is eloquently discussed in dvdtalk forums: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=479809

It is becoming increasingly clear that HTF only exists to serve as a mouthpiece for their sponsoring studios and to put down any damaging consumer opinions that might endanger their cashflow.

slop101

Not to derail this thread further, but check out the thread below to get a clear view of the shenanigans over at HTF:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=508972

JLBkret

Has anyone found Help at any Walmarts? If so how much is it? I only went to one Walmart today and they did not have it. I seriously doubt they would carry the deluxe set.

slop101

Best Buy had about a bajillion copies of the two disc, and even a bunch of the deluxe set - at least 20 of those.

JLBkret

Did Best Buy have those ridiculous security bands around the deluxe sets? I know the Best Buy I was in today had ONE X-Files Ultimate Set and they ruined the box with that security band. Why do stores continue to use those devices? I know they don't want a $250 set just walking out the door but c'mon they ruin the box for collectors! At least Walmart is starting to wake up and they are putting the higher priced box sets in clear plastic security cases and those don't ruin the box.

soop

My Best Buy had one copy of the 2 disc set... and it was labeled "2-DISC AMARAY" on the shelf even though it was in a digipak, not an Amaray. ???

Anyone seen this in an Amaray case, or is BB insane?

PatrickMcCart

Ok, the new digital restoration is fantastic. It's 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. They did not go for a LDI look, but rather used mostly manual digital cleanup. You know how all the opticals were scratched and dirty on the MPI? They're spotless now. There's a nice layer of film grain, it's sharp, and colorful. During the opening credits, you can see the texture of the projection screen the Beatles footage was thrown on. The only drawback is that it's interlaced instead of progressive! I'm going to try to find who to contact to see if they can fix it. Most people will not care nor will it be necessary for all, but since I view most DVDs on my computer or laptop, I need progressive playback.

But wait until you see all the optical shots (with superimposed titles). I couldn't spot a single scratch or speck of dirt from the sections I went over.

The PCM audio is great, too. There's still light hiss, but the fidelity is jaw-dropping. Ken Thorne's score was previously tinny on the MPI DVD mix, but now it's just as crystal clear as the Beatles tunes. Same thing for the handful of classical pieces used! I haven't listened to the DTS 5.1 mix yet, but the PCM track is an indicator of how well they cleaned up the track.

As for extras, the regular edition has the booklet with the Richard Lester piece and Martin Scorsese's appreciation. Really nice. There's a great restoration featurette that goes into the details on the picture cleanup. This was performed at HD res, so it's a pity there's no HD-DVD or BluRay release.

I'll post some comparison pictures later (if I can find my MPI DVD rip).

Peep

Ha ha!

"daring to bring the subject up"? Dude, 28 of your 41 posts at HTF were on this subject. Not only did you beat a dead horse, but you argued with a bunch of different people and were rude to as many more.

Also, I can't find any evidence of them "booting" you out. You weren't even singled out by name when a moderator temporarily locked the topic so that "everyone can take a deep breath". And your current status there still shows up as active, not banned.

baracine

Just because you didn't find any evidence of it doesn't mean it didn't happen. The whole sequence of events is documented on the dvdtalk thread. I was prevented from posting on that thread, which was subsequently locked for good. I have since corresponded with my main enemies on that thread (also reproduced in the dvdtalk thread) and have no interest in ever going on HTF again.

PatrickMcCart

Here's a few comparisons between the 4x3 MPI DVD (1997) and the new 16x9 Apple/EMI/Capitol DVD (2007):

baracine

I just put my copy in the DVD player. The DTS sound is amazing and I will have to wait for the neighbours to leave for the weekend to play it a decently loud level. The picture is anamorphic and gorgeous. The colours haven't been altered dramatically. They're only more vivid. And, Patrick, I don't understand why you say the disc is interlaced when it's not. You should really learn to tell the difference. Every single frame is as solid as a rock.

I have glanced at the extras. The restoration documentary is 11 minutes long and my favourite part so far. The "missing scene" is really still missing as it it comprised of reminiscences of why this particular scene set in a drama school didn't gel and had to be cut. I have still to go through the interviews and the "making of". But everything looks spiffy.

PatrickMcCart

Just to make sure, I popped in Ratatouille and it doesn't have that problem, so it's not PowerDVD.

Peep

Your use of the term "enemies" says alot about yourself and casts doubt as to whether or not HTF is to blame for your "banning" - oh, wait, your lack of interest in ever returning there.

Anyway, sorry for hijacking this thread... back to "Help"....

baracine

Granted I have no idea what PowerDVD is but I am watching on a 40 inch rear-projection HDTV with a top of the line Denon DVD player and my playback frame-by-frame of this scene shows absolutely no such artifact or any combing or mouse teeth. I can only surmise that what you see is a function of the comb-filter used or some quirk in the way PowerDVD (whatever it is) operates and plays this film. Interlacing is only found on cheaper DVDs and 18 fps silent films, isn't it? It would be nearly impossible that a release like this one would be interlaced.

Addendum: I have just tried the disk on my computer with InterActual Player and Dell Media Player. The image plays fine on both players, except neither one of them can play the PCM sound correctly and none of them, of course, can play the DTS tracks at all.

PatrickMcCart

It still shows up interlaced in other players and when I import the VOB files, they read as 29.98 fps (meaning it's interlaced). Just because it's a major release doesn't mean progressive encoding will be left off by mistake. Criterion neglected to encode progressive for some titles (Koko, Alexander Nevsky, Rififi, W.C. Fields Shorts), even.

Now, on a high-end DVD player and TV, it's probably converted to progressive and you'd never see any of the combing artifacts.

(PowerDVD is the dvd player on my laptop... just a program)

baracine

I am shocked! Come to think of it, I also couldn't see the interlacing on Criterion's Pandora's Box on my system. Still, I think there is no excuse for this.

I had forgotten that the way to tell if a disc is interlaced is that each frame - even if it is deinterlaced on my system - stays on screen two or three times when I advance frame-by-frame.

On the plus side, I am starting to notice cloud patterns in the film that were washed out or not visible in the previous transfer.

paulringodaman

Go to the window........Go to the window

Breton

I got this as a late birthday present yesterday, and I'm mostly pleased with the image quality and the extras. The colors are great and it's very vivid overall; however, there is a lot of noise in the print. I think it's film grain due to the stock that was used in certain scenes. I also enjoyed the featurette about the restoration of the film. It's a lot of work to both physically restore the film, then go through it frame by frame on a computer to clean it up. The set has no less than three trailers, including one in Spanish (Socorro!). I also enjoyed Richard Lester, Victor Spinetti, and Eleanor Bron on the other docs. The packaging and booklet are very nice, so it’s a good deal.