Universal: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection
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- Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:48 pm
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Umm...that's hardly a counter-argument, he just basically says Kehr doesn't know what he's talking about without offering a single shred of evidence. Lame.
A few posts later, Harris writes: "The reality of the situation is that we were limited in the tools available to restore 'Vertigo' / "Vertigo" to perfection. This is one of those cases where, if we could do a bit of fixing, the image could now be made perfect."
Okay, so it has problems, he admits it. What still needs to be fixed? What doesn't? What things have been "fixed" that shouldn't have been?
A few posts later, Harris writes: "The reality of the situation is that we were limited in the tools available to restore 'Vertigo' / "Vertigo" to perfection. This is one of those cases where, if we could do a bit of fixing, the image could now be made perfect."
Okay, so it has problems, he admits it. What still needs to be fixed? What doesn't? What things have been "fixed" that shouldn't have been?
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- Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 6:06 pm
This set deserves a big red flag.
Got this set last night and decided to watch Marnie first. Dropped it into my Toshiba and it would not load. After turning the player on and off a few times it finnally loaded. On the first shot of the film after the credits (the yellow handbag) the player froze. After a little rewinding it played fine. It played fine all the way through the film. Then, two minutes before the end it froze, jammed, would not play, would not return to menu, and after being turned on and off would not load at all.
I should have heeded all the warnings and not bought any Universal discs. Everything they release is flawed. The biggest problem is the size of this set. What am I supposed to do, watch 14 movies looking for problems? And then when I get my replacement set am I supposed to watch all 14 movies again?
Buy with caution.
Got this set last night and decided to watch Marnie first. Dropped it into my Toshiba and it would not load. After turning the player on and off a few times it finnally loaded. On the first shot of the film after the credits (the yellow handbag) the player froze. After a little rewinding it played fine. It played fine all the way through the film. Then, two minutes before the end it froze, jammed, would not play, would not return to menu, and after being turned on and off would not load at all.
I should have heeded all the warnings and not bought any Universal discs. Everything they release is flawed. The biggest problem is the size of this set. What am I supposed to do, watch 14 movies looking for problems? And then when I get my replacement set am I supposed to watch all 14 movies again?
Buy with caution.
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- Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 3:29 pm
You said everything.Every time I buy some crap from Universal I feel like I have to watch the whole thing as fast as I can.So you buy some of the movies you love and it never is a pleasant experience.At all.BWilson wrote:
I should have heeded all the warnings and not bought any Universal discs. Everything they release is flawed. The biggest problem is the size of this set. What am I supposed to do, watch 14 movies looking for problems? And then when I get my replacement set am I supposed to watch all 14 movies again?
Buy with caution.
Rear Window looks like crap to me.I also watched Vertigo.As it always happens with Universal some of the discs have a lot of scratches.My dvd of "Trouble with Harry" has so many scratches that I will be amazed if it actually works.
Only 15 minutes of the AFI tribute to Hitchcock.The greatest moments of that night are not in here. To me,(again-That means => in my personal opinion)this is not the best DVD Release of the year,month or even week.This is Universal getting your money one last time before HD dvds.It is an "upgrade" (of sorts) but maybe(for some people) an unnecessary one.
Last edited by Eclisse on Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I'm really curious why the Vertigo mono track should sound so bad?
In the HTF thread linked to above, PatrickMcCart writes:
"The mono track for Vertigo has massive amounts of compression (I mean dynamic range compression, not data compression). There is virtually no depth at all, and whatever the relative levels of music dialog and sound effects were supposed to be in the original mix, you would have a hard time telling by listening to this track."
Robert Harris replies:
"The mono track for "Vertigo," once again, is derived from an assemblege of used 35mm optical prints. What would have been at least partially hidden amongst the components of 1930s to '40s theatre sound systems, in place when the film was released, is now front and center via modern audio playback technologies.
Very, very few films released to DVD from this era are mastered from optical dupes.
You cannot add high or low end where it no longer exists."
...so the question remains, why was Vertigo mastered from optical dupes?
In the HTF thread linked to above, PatrickMcCart writes:
"The mono track for Vertigo has massive amounts of compression (I mean dynamic range compression, not data compression). There is virtually no depth at all, and whatever the relative levels of music dialog and sound effects were supposed to be in the original mix, you would have a hard time telling by listening to this track."
Robert Harris replies:
"The mono track for "Vertigo," once again, is derived from an assemblege of used 35mm optical prints. What would have been at least partially hidden amongst the components of 1930s to '40s theatre sound systems, in place when the film was released, is now front and center via modern audio playback technologies.
Very, very few films released to DVD from this era are mastered from optical dupes.
You cannot add high or low end where it no longer exists."
...so the question remains, why was Vertigo mastered from optical dupes?
- mbalson
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:26 pm
- Location: Toronto,Canada
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They are not specific to this set at all. The Vertigo intro thing is a bit annoying however. I just finished watching the new Vertigo disc and it is a HUGE improvement over the older disc. Fine detail and color are vastly improved. People are being extremely rough on this set and while it's not 100% perfect, what set could be that included this many films of this age for under $100? I love it so far. Even the packaging.
- Lino
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:18 am
- Location: Sitting End
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Maybe we all need to upgrade our TV sets and DVD players and I'm not being ironic: my CC copy of The Leopard which should and has every right to look fantastic on my TV, just doesn't. I get better results on PC monitors.mbalson wrote: People are being extremely rough on this set
I personally think this is an important point that people are forgetting to consider.
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- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:09 pm
- Location: here and there
Anyone catch this on thedigitalbits.com the other day?
One last note today... we've noticed a strange thing here at The Bits. In going back to a lot of our very early Universal DVD releases (released in 1997 and 1998), we've discovered that many of those discs have simply stopped working in our DVD players. We don't know if the discs' bonding layers have gone bad, or if they're simply not compatible with newer players, or what. Affected so far are our original copies of the special collector's editions of Apollo 13, Psycho, Vertigo and others. We recommend that you check the older Universal titles in your own collections for similar problems. Let us know if you're encountering this as well.
I checked my copies of the 2 Hitchcock titles and ditto.... not a peep out of ANY of my players. Strange, I know I threw these in the player last year at some point. Kind of a scary thought if there are more titles involved.
One more reason I'm keeping the new set, for all of the problems.
One last note today... we've noticed a strange thing here at The Bits. In going back to a lot of our very early Universal DVD releases (released in 1997 and 1998), we've discovered that many of those discs have simply stopped working in our DVD players. We don't know if the discs' bonding layers have gone bad, or if they're simply not compatible with newer players, or what. Affected so far are our original copies of the special collector's editions of Apollo 13, Psycho, Vertigo and others. We recommend that you check the older Universal titles in your own collections for similar problems. Let us know if you're encountering this as well.
I checked my copies of the 2 Hitchcock titles and ditto.... not a peep out of ANY of my players. Strange, I know I threw these in the player last year at some point. Kind of a scary thought if there are more titles involved.
One more reason I'm keeping the new set, for all of the problems.
- mbalson
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:26 pm
- Location: Toronto,Canada
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Anyone wanting to know more about the new vs. old transfers should check out this page:
http://www.daveyp.com/hitchcock/dvds/bo ... /index.php
Just select a film, select a screen shot and use their new Javascript screen capture toggler. It works great and really shows how almost all of the new transfers better the old ones.
http://www.daveyp.com/hitchcock/dvds/bo ... /index.php
Just select a film, select a screen shot and use their new Javascript screen capture toggler. It works great and really shows how almost all of the new transfers better the old ones.
- Lino
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:18 am
- Location: Sitting End
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Agreed. Vertigo now looks so much better it's unbelievable! And the same goes for almost all the others too. Trouble with Harry looks like a million bucks now!mbalson wrote:...really shows how almost all of the new transfers better the old ones.
Of course, this boxset is reserved and aimed to that film lover who wants to have the very best versions of Hitch's Universal movies and in that respect, it delivers in spades. Bravo!
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- Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 3:29 pm
I changed my mind about this box set because of the "expiration date" on the old discs.
from digital bits:
from digital bits:
=D>One last note today... we've noticed a strange thing here at The Bits. In going back to a lot of our very early Universal DVD releases (released in 1997 and 1998), we've discovered that many of those discs have simply stopped working in our DVD players. We don't know if the discs' bonding layers have gone bad, or if they're simply not compatible with newer players, or what. Affected so far are our original copies of the special collector's editions of Apollo 13, Psycho, Vertigo and others. We recommend that you check the older Universal titles in your own collections for similar problems. Let us know if you're encountering this as well.
Back tomorrow. Stay tuned...
- dx23
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:52 pm
- Location: Puerto Rico
The Universal Studios website is reporting that Family Plot, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Marnie, Shadow of a Doubt, and Torn Curtain are going to be released individually on Febraury 7 2006.
http://homevideo.universalstudios.com/c ... F01%2F2006
http://homevideo.universalstudios.com/c ... F01%2F2006
- dx23
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:52 pm
- Location: Puerto Rico
From thedigitalbits.com:
In other release news, Universal has announced that the Hitchcock classics Frenzy, Rope, Saboteur, Topaz and The Trouble with Harry will each be available in singly on 6/20 (SRP $19.98 each). These are the same remastered versions available currently as part of the studio's Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection box set.
- dx23
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:52 pm
- Location: Puerto Rico
From dvdactive.com:
Cover art for each release hereTitle: Alfred Hitchcock Singles
Starring: N/A (Various)
Released: 20th June 2006
SRP: $19.98 Each
Further Details:
Universal Home Video has today announced individual releases of a number of Alfred Hitchcock films. Available from the 20th June will be Frenzy, Rope, Saboteur, Topaz and The Trouble with Harry. Each disc should set you back around $19.98. Rope and Saboteur will be presented in 1.33:1 full frame, along with English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono tracks. The rest will be presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Disc contents will be identical to those previously available in the recent Alfred Hitchcock boxset, so you can expect production notes, behind the scenes featurettes, trailers and more. We've attached artwork below
- Joe Buck
- Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:59 pm
- Location: New York
I've heard a lot of contradictions regarding the quality of these new DVDs. I did not buy the whole set because I am not really that big of a stickler. Now, as the films begin to be released separately, I dipped my toe and picked up Man Who Knew Too Much as it is one of my favorites and the previous DVD left much to be desired. Based on my A-B comparisons, the new version is much better, although still far from perfect. The edge enhancement is a little distracting as well.
Now, obviously I'll get Vertigo, if only for the mono soundtrack. Of the other titles, the only ones I'm really thinking about are Torn Curtain and Rear Window. I've heard that Torn Curtain is dramatically improved. Can anyone verify this for sure?
What's the deal with Rear Window? Is it enough of an improvement for me to invest?
I suppose I may have to get Pycho as well, just for the anamorphic wide screen.
I don't need new versions of movies like Rope and Trouble With Harry, as I barely watched them anyway.
Give it to me straight. Which DVDs are genuine improvements? I mean really noticeable. Do I really need to buy them all?
I like the old packaging, so I will discard the new cases. They are hideous, and those ridiculous cardboard sleeves have to go!
Now, obviously I'll get Vertigo, if only for the mono soundtrack. Of the other titles, the only ones I'm really thinking about are Torn Curtain and Rear Window. I've heard that Torn Curtain is dramatically improved. Can anyone verify this for sure?
What's the deal with Rear Window? Is it enough of an improvement for me to invest?
I suppose I may have to get Pycho as well, just for the anamorphic wide screen.
I don't need new versions of movies like Rope and Trouble With Harry, as I barely watched them anyway.
Give it to me straight. Which DVDs are genuine improvements? I mean really noticeable. Do I really need to buy them all?
I like the old packaging, so I will discard the new cases. They are hideous, and those ridiculous cardboard sleeves have to go!
- Gigi M.
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:09 pm
- Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep
JOE, if you're a Hitch fan, there's absolutely no reason for you not getting this set. Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds and Marnie are the biggest improvements for me.Joe Buck wrote: Give it to me straight. Which DVDs are genuine improvements? I mean really noticeable. Do I really need to buy them all?
I like the old packaging, so I will discard the new cases. They are hideous, and those ridiculous cardboard sleeves have to go!
Anyway, check out Beaver review for any doubts you might still have.
- manicsounds
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
- Location: Tokyo, Japan
- subliminac
- Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 1:21 am
- Location: Columbus, OH
- Joe Buck
- Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:59 pm
- Location: New York
Well, the Amazon seller was honest after all and I got me DVDs last night. I checked a few of them out and they do indeed look better, particularly Torn Curtain and Vertigo. I had already seen the new Man Who Knew Too Much transfer and although there are still flaws, I thought it was far superior to the previous version. I had been a bit scared off because some reviewers said it was actually worse than before. One disc that I am not that enthusiastic about is Rear Window, which still doesn't look right to me. The colors look dull. I enjoyed the extra disc, although I concur that they should have included much more of the AFI tribute.
So I am glad I went ahead and upgraded, although the fact that I only paid $9 was a big plus.
So I am glad I went ahead and upgraded, although the fact that I only paid $9 was a big plus.