Recently purchased movies / tv series

[1977 1,743]

[filmmusic 1,823]

Since I see you've purchased a blu-ray (that is, you have a blu-ray drive), why are you purchasing DVDs?

I can't go back to DVDs..

[1977 1,743]

9 minutes ago, filmmusic said:

Since I see you've purchased a blu-ray (that is, you have a blu-ray drive), why are you purchasing DVDs?

I can't go back to DVDs..

 

Blu-ray never took off where I am. Blu-rays often cost double or triple the price. I sometimes pick up the Blu-ray of a specific title when the prices drop enough, but I'm also very selective of which titles I buy on Blu-ray.

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

Blu-ray players can play DVDs.

[filmmusic 1,823]

30 minutes ago, JTWfan77 said:

Blu-ray never took off where I am.

Neither here in Greece.

I just purchase them from abroad. Amazon US and UK mostly.

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

2 hours ago, filmmusic said:

Neither here in Greece.

I just purchase them from abroad. Amazon US and UK mostly.

 

I've bought some Blu-rays (that simply aren't available in Europe, or just in poor quality) from the US, but in that situation (shipping and taxes included) they don't just cost double or triple, but easily five to six times what a corresponding DVD would cost here. And almost the same goes for the UK post-Brexit, sadly. There was a time when UK was my primary source for Blu-rays, because the German releases are, on average, lousy or worse, but that's not affordable anymore.

[1977 1,743]

 

 

11 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I've bought some Blu-rays (that simply aren't available in Europe, or just in poor quality) from the US, but in that situation (shipping and taxes included) they don't just cost double or triple, but easily five to six times what a corresponding DVD would cost here. And almost the same goes for the UK post-Brexit, sadly. There was a time when UK was my primary source for Blu-rays, because the German releases are, on average, lousy or worse, but that's not affordable anymore.

 

Same here. Everything has to be imported, shipping costs are insane and the exchange rate worsens by the week. Most of the stuff I buy consists of local second-hand releases that people are dumping because of streaming.

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

That said, I haven't bought a single DVD since I switched to Blu-ray, and I've replaced probably about 90% of my DVD films with Blus. And for about half of the rest, I'm mostly still just waiting for a hi-def version to be released.

[A24 4,326]

Don't they have more choice (Blu-ray wise) in the UK than on the main land?

[Jay 37,312]

5 minutes ago, AC1 said:

Don't they have more choice in the UK than on the main land?

 

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

There was a time when UK was my primary source for Blu-rays, because the German releases are, on average, lousy or worse, but that's not affordable anymore.

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

1 hour ago, AC1 said:

Don't they have more choice (Blu-ray wise) in the UK than on the main land?

 

A bit maybe, but my bigger issue is that in many cases (except for a few of the major studios), the German distributors now make their own releases (instead of essentially releasing the same disc separately in each region). And German Blu-rays often have one or more of the following issues:

• Default language German, you have to manually switch to the original language (even though every DVD and Blu player has an option to select the preferred language, but German discs tend to ignore that setting)
• Only German subtitles
• Film titles and captions (i.e. stuff in the actual video image) in German
• Trailer show dubbed in German (no alternate languages)
• Inferior image quality

[1977 1,743]

I know this may seem odd but I like to have a matching DVD release for every Blu-ray release that I have in my collection.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

1 hour ago, JTWfan77 said:

I know this may seem odd but I like to have a matching DVD release for every Blu-ray release that I have in my collection.

(strokes chin, and nods) Interesting.

Why? Tell us more.

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

More extras?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

9 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

GOOD WILL HUNTING: a well-written film, with a good, if self-conscious, performance, by Damon.

 

DELIVERANCE: nuff said.

 

PALE RIDER: also, nuff said.

 

THE OUTLAW JOSE WALES: Hell, yeah!

 

RAISE THE TITANIC!: a silly film, but the "raising" scene, followed by Titanic sailing into New York, is magnificent. Also, it has Jason Robards, and a brilliant John Barry score, so... nuff said.

[1977 1,743]

9 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

(strokes chin, and nods) Interesting.

Why? Tell us more.

 

Well it started because I already had a huge DVD collection (and Laserdiscs for that matter) and couldn't bear to part with them. Also, the DVD versions often have different artwork from their Blu-ray counterparts and I'm a sucker for artwork. I also like the flexibility of having a DVD version to watch on a laptop at times. But mainly I'm just a hoarder.

 

9 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

More extras?

 

This also.

[A24 4,326]

Photos, please!

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

[1977 1,743]

2 hours ago, AC1 said:

Photos, please!

There ain't much to see. Just a bunch of crates stacked up with media inside.

[Marian Schedenig 8,175]

Speaking of badly produced Blu-rays… anyone remember these commercials?

 

For years, they used to show up on tons of Blu-rays (British ones, I think) and were unskippable - which always greatly annoyed me as the person who *bought* the Blu-rays with *money*. At some point I found out that they usually appeared only *after* an initial country selection screen, and if you selected e.g. China as your region (or whatever the first entry in the list in Asian characters was), the ant-piracy ad with the pirated music wouldn't play (but everything else would be the same, because the disc's main programme didn't have any special audio tracks, subtitles or menus in Chinese anyway).

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

8 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

There ain't much to see. Just a bunch of crates stacked up with media inside.

That's how it always starts, then, later, there's Blu Ray, and 4K, and UHD 

[1977 1,743]

1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

That's how it always starts, ooh Laserdiscs, aah DVDs, then, later, there's Blu Ray, and streaming.

 

 

[rough cut 1,714]

Bill Hunt over at The Digital Bits has confirmed with WB that Superman The Movie uses the same transfer as the one from 2018.

 

Quote

“WBHE has replied with the following answers to the questions we posed for clarification: 1) Superman: The Movie 4K utilizes the same video master as the 2018 UHD but now includes the original theatrial audio mix (Comment: We believe this is in DTS-HD MA format now, where as the 2018 4K offered it in 48/24 Dolby Digital. –BH). 2) Superman: The Movie includes Dolby Vision HDR while the sequels include only HDR10. All have Dolby Atmos.”

So the new feature on STM 4K 2023 is not visual, but audial: The disc will have the original theatrial audio mix in DTS-HD MA 2.0 (supposedly), where as the 2018 4K had it in 48/24 Dolby Digital 5.1.

[1977 1,743]

 

See? I do buy some Blu-rays.

 

 

When you order the Blu-ray and they send you the Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray instead

 

 

Also happens to be my first one, i.e. gosh, now I need to get a compatible player and tv.

[Schilkeman 955]

I'm still rebuying a bunch of stuff on DVD. Too many blurays have poor remastering. Also, in my experience with the 4K77 project, I've discovered that for me, DVDs are closer to the look of a theater print (not the original negative, the print that would actually be seen). This is incidental, of course, due to the loss in resolution, but it just looks "right" to me. I have a nice bluray player than can force 24p from DVD.

 

I've made exceptions for a few things, especially in rare cases when the DVD is demonstrably worse than the bluray (Star Trek: TNG, for instance), but otherwise, I've gone all-in (again) on DVD. 

 

Also, I love buying up ultimate collector's editions and stuff. I can usually get them for under $15 off eBay. Hopefully, all the hipsters go back to VHS, and leave DVD alone lol.

[1977 1,743]

It reminds me of the early days of DVD when a lot of Laserdisc afficianados were hanging onto their Laserdiscs because of the lossless PCM stereo (matrix surround encoded) tracks and the supposed better sounding AC-3 digital tracks.

[Schilkeman 955]

14 minutes ago, JTWfan77 said:

It reminds me of the early days of DVD when a lot of Laserdisc afficianados were hanging onto their Laserdiscs because of the lossless PCM stereo (matrix surround encoded) tracks and the supposed better sounding AC-3 digital tracks.

I gave serious consideration to just going to Laserdisc, but I would need a new (old) TV, and I also think the aughts were a pretty good decade for film, and I wouldn't have access to them. Shame there were no Laserdisc burners. I could put the LotR trilogy on Laserdisc, like a maniac. Oh, well, DVDs are fun, too.

[1977 1,743]

58 minutes ago, Schilkeman said:

Shame there were no Laserdisc burners. I could put the LotR trilogy on Laserdisc, like a maniac.

 

I thought I was the only maniac

 

Imagine the LOTR: EEs Laserdisc boxed set *faints*

 

Well mastered laserdiscs look pretty sweet on my Samsung plasma.

[Schilkeman 955]

53 minutes ago, JTWfan77 said:

Well mastered laserdiscs look pretty sweet on my Samsung plasma.

I have a plasma, also, but LD is interlaced, and doesn't do 24fps, which is a no go for me. I definitely get the appeal, though. Like vinyl, but even dumber lol.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

5 hours ago, Schilkeman said:

 I could put the LotR trilogy on Laserdisc, like a maniac. Oh, well, DVDs are fun, too.

 

4 hours ago, JTWfan77 said:

I thought I was the only maniac

 

You diseased maniacs. Did you think you could hide your laserdiscs from me, by encasing them in lead?

[1977 1,743]

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

He's serving notice.

[1977 1,743]

[Andy 4,088]

Excellent! Some nice 3D titles there!

[1977 1,743]

And here's another 3D one (and a couple of DVDs):

 

[Andy 4,088]

I’m Not familiar with the Pirates one.  Have you seen some of the 3D films from nwave pictures?  They produce some of the strongest 3D out there. 

[1977 1,743]

3 hours ago, Andy said:

I’m Not familiar with the Pirates one.  Have you seen some of the 3D films from nwave pictures?  They produce some of the strongest 3D out there. 

 

No I haven't. Are they documentaries? I've never heard of that studio.

[Andy 4,088]

Nwave Pictures
 

They do a little of everything but their 3D animated features are incredibly aggressive 3D. I have Sammy’s Tale a Turtle Story and Thunder and the House of Magic. The movies themselves are okay as far as animated features but the 3D pop outs are incredible. You will have fish floating in your living room. 
 

Other recommended strong 3D from them is 

Sammy’s Great Escape 

Corgi

Bigfoot FAMILY

Hopper

Robinson Crusoe

 

[Andy 4,088]

 

Don’t laugh.  But I used to love the old cartoon. Never saw the movie. 

[1977 1,743]

2 hours ago, Andy said:

Nwave Pictures
 

They do a little of everything but their 3D animated features are incredibly aggressive 3D. I have Sammy’s Tale a Turtle Story and Thunder and the House of Magic. The movies themselves are okay as far as animated features but the 3D pop outs are incredible. You will have fish floating in your living room. 
 

Other recommended strong 3D from them is 

Sammy’s Great Escape 

Corgi

Bigfoot FAMILY

Hopper

Robinson Crusoe

 

 

Well it has John Hurt ('s voice) so that's something 🤣

 

[Andy 4,088]

Yeah it’s nothing amazing in 2D, but if they had used it as a demo disc to sell 3D, we would still have manufacturers producing 3D TVs. It’s next level.  

[1977 1,743]

Two films with unreleased Horner scores:

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

THE DRESSER is one of the best bloody films of the 80s.

 

"STOP...THAT...TRAIN!"

 

 

 

 

On 27/02/2023 at 10:52 AM, JTWfan77 said:

You see Outlaw Yosey Wales?

Heh, heh, what a flick.

[1977 1,743]

[Naïve Old Fart 9,504]

Absolutely brilliant!

Post of the week!

[filmmusic 1,823]

My latest Blu-ray/4k order from amazon:

 

Normally I wait for a 4K update of big films, but since EVITA is Disney, I don't think we're gonna see it in 4K, so I purchased it anyway.

[1977 1,743]

Hopefully this will reverse that trend:

 

Now then, let’s get to some potentially significant Disney news. My industry sources have been telling me for a while now that returning Disney CEO Bob Iger’s reorganization would likely be looking at the possibility of pivoting back to traditional home video formats, given the uncertainty in the theatrical business and the slow ramp-up of streaming and digital. And now Iger appears to have confirmed this while speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in San Francisco yesterday. Our friends at Media Play News have reported thusly (see link here)...

Disney reported a Q1 operating loss of $212 million on revenue of $2.46 billion in its “content sales/licensing and other” segment, in part due to a dearth of home entertainment releases. The decrease in home entertainment results were due to lower unit sales of new release titles, reflecting fewer releases, and catalog titles.

Iger believes the push toward streaming theatrical titles undermined the licensing and retail businesses.

“Home video, at one point as we called it, was extremely lucrative for our company,” Iger said. “We’re looking at all of that [again].”

The CEO believes content can co-exist on traditional distribution platforms and streaming without damaging either due to differing platform audiences.

“It’s already clear to us that the content exclusivity that we felt would be so valuable in growing subscribers was not as valuable as we thought,” Iger said. “While eventually everything will migrate to streaming. We’re not there yet.”

Well, it certainly took the studio long enough to realize that there’s still quite a bit of money to be made selling content on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD, but thank goodness it finally seems to be happening!

Now here’s the thing: Nothing is official yet, and it might be a few months before these plans start to become more concrete, if indeed this decision is made. But it does appear that Iger’s re-org is considering making physical media more of a priority again. Beyond the James Cameron titles we know are coming to 4K and Blu-ray, it’s likely that consumers won’t really start to see the tangible results of any shift in strategy until 2024. But if this shakes out the way we think it could in the coming months, more Disney and Fox catalog titles may actually start arriving on physical media at long last. Rest assured, we’re all over this story and will have more to say in the coming weeks.

 

https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/031023-1500

[Tallguy 3,379]

So: Star Wars Originals confirmed!

[Andy 4,088]

Criterion had their flash sale, and the recently purchased soundtrack reminded me that I enjoyed this back in high school English class, so… purchased.  
 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I picked Dazed And Confused 4K, The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen 4K, and Inland Empire.