DVDBeaver

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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tenia
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Re: DVDBeaver

#626 Post by tenia » Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:15 am


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domino harvey
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Re: DVDBeaver

#627 Post by domino harvey » Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:27 am

What happens when the new Blu-ray you're reviewing somehow looks worse than the nearly fifteen-year-old non-anamorphic DVD? Well, you make this rather tortured argument:
In what is certainly a rare occurrence for DVDBeaver, I'm going to say that the image quality here is beside the point, for even if certain moments looked crisper on the DVD, they now have an almost ethereal, shot-on-video-and-projected glow. The film utilizes a mixture of media (Video, 16mm, Super-8 in either black & white or color) in its presentation, and I believe that this is a realistic presentation of Jarman's original intentions although it shows less information in the frame than the DVD (notably the right edge) and the BD visuals can look horizontally stretched. For those looking for a crisp glossy image - well, this film was never meant to look that way. The expansion to 1080P does create artifacts and some edge-enhancement. We would like to compare this to the BFI Blu-ray one day.

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tenia
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Re: DVDBeaver

#628 Post by tenia » Fri Aug 30, 2019 5:02 am

"It's worse, but for once, we don't care because worse might actually be more faithful, despite the 15yo DVD obviously showing details are available on whatever original elements were used then".
Joke aside, I do wonder what happened here. The BD looks like a mis-aligned 3-strip Technicolor movie, despite having been marketed as a "NEW 2K REMASTER OVERSEEN BY PRODUCER JAMES MACKAY".
However, I checked my BFI Jarman Vol. 2 set and The Garden is (with Glitterbug) the only movie not to have any technical details in the included book, and the movie definitely looks equivalent to those Zeitgeist Beaver caps.

Note also that Gary is wrongly attributing the disc to Kino.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: DVDBeaver

#629 Post by Michael Kerpan » Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:04 am

What on earth went wrong here!

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swo17
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Re: DVDBeaver

#630 Post by swo17 » Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:07 am

tenia wrote:
Fri Aug 30, 2019 5:02 am
the movie definitely looks equivalent to those Zeitgeist Beaver caps.

Note also that Gary is wrongly attributing the disc to Kino.
Kino distributes Zeitgeist titles now. And you're saying the BFI transfer looks just as bad?

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jsteffe
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Re: DVDBeaver

#631 Post by jsteffe » Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:29 pm

I arranged for a 35mm print screening in Atlanta a while back, and the film had an inherently inconsistent quality because of the mix of smaller formats and SD video footage. There were also lots of effects with some kind of rear screen projection combining video and film, with *very* apparent seams around the actors and the scenes behind them. You can see examples of that in Gary's screencaps. The old DVD version looks "cleaner" and the color is punched up, but I find the new Blu-ray more faithful to what I saw on the big screen. Gary is right in this case about the superiority of the Blu-ray, for the reasons he states.

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Re: DVDBeaver

#632 Post by RitrovataBlue » Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:43 pm

I can’t speak for the DVD, but the film is a mix of SD video and 8mm film, not high res formats by any stretch of the imagination. I like the misaligned Technicolor comparison - that’s a fairly accurate descriptor for the film’s aesthetic. It’s the closest Jarman came to a Guy Maddin film.

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John Cope
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Re: DVDBeaver

#633 Post by John Cope » Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:31 pm

It's funny that this comes up now as there's a whole discussion about it as part of the box set over on Amazon back in March.

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tenia
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Re: DVDBeaver

#634 Post by tenia » Sat Aug 31, 2019 1:43 am

John Cope wrote:It's funny that this comes up now as there's a whole discussion about it as part of the box set over on Amazon back in March.
Here you go. Thanks for that.

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Re: DVDBeaver

#635 Post by _shadow_ » Sat Aug 31, 2019 12:35 pm

The Amazon link has a more plausible explanation of the color fringing, apparently from the BFI. The color fringing is not present in the DVD, and it's not the increase in resolution in the BD that's made it visible. The BFI note does beg the question of why the 35mm print is considered the reference element when higher-resolution materials are available.
For the BFI's new Blu-ray release we worked closely alongside The Garden's producer to create a new 2K master using that original 35mm master negative, which had been used to create the original 35mm distribution prints (approved by Jarman). Older home ent releases of the film were mastered directly from the video tape that was used to create the 35mm negative and do exhibit better definition, however they don't represent the film as it would have looked in cinemas in 1990.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: DVDBeaver

#636 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sat Aug 31, 2019 3:35 pm

Is it not possible that the folks who made the original 35mm master screwed up?

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tenia
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Re: DVDBeaver

#637 Post by tenia » Sat Aug 31, 2019 4:56 pm

From what I read here, it seems to me the movie was supposed to look low-rezzed in post production, hence choosing for reference a print who got through this process.

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Luke M
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Re: DVDBeaver

#638 Post by Luke M » Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:48 pm


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mfunk9786
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Re: DVDBeaver

#639 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:52 pm

Question: Does Tooze hang onto all the discs he reviews? Would it be some kind of breach of whatever form of journalistic ethics apply to him to sell some of them off?

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domino harvey
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Re: DVDBeaver

#640 Post by domino harvey » Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:56 pm

I'm sorry but the mental picture of Gary shivering while huddled under a blanket because the dude decided to buy movies instead of paying the heating bill is hilarious. Funny though, I didn't think begging for a handout was part of the bootstrap messaging of his beloved Republicans

mfunk: He says in the linked plea above that he does sell some of the discs

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cdnchris
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Re: DVDBeaver

#641 Post by cdnchris » Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:00 pm

He sells them openly on Facebook. I'm actually not sure about the ethics behind selling them. I usually box ones that I will never watch again.

*cough*Microwave Massacre*cough"

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domino harvey
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Re: DVDBeaver

#642 Post by domino harvey » Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:09 pm

cdnchris wrote:
Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:00 pm
I usually box ones that I will never watch again.

*cough*Microwave Massacre*cough"
Image

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FrauBlucher
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Re: DVDBeaver

#643 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:22 pm

That sounds toxic

Orlac
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Re: DVDBeaver

#644 Post by Orlac » Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:31 pm

All of a sudden, I feel so sane and sensible with my money.

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Re: DVDBeaver

#645 Post by CantelopeSkiz » Mon Oct 07, 2019 6:22 pm

His business plan is to pre-order everything at either full or near-full price?

Orlac
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Re: DVDBeaver

#646 Post by Orlac » Mon Oct 07, 2019 6:32 pm

That explains all the nudie algorithims...even random shots of mothers bathing their offspring get uploaded.

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mfunk9786
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Re: DVDBeaver

#647 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 6:35 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:56 pm
I'm sorry but the mental picture of Gary shivering while huddled under a blanket because the dude decided to buy movies instead of paying the heating bill is hilarious. Funny though, I didn't think begging for a handout was part of the bootstrap messaging of his beloved Republicans

mfunk: He says in the linked plea above that he does sell some of the discs
Sorry, I didn't click because I'm at work and (I wish I were making this up) the site is blocked for porn. Guessing it was quickly swept for nudity and they found a ton, coupled with the name of the site which is still a bizarre one to me

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Re: DVDBeaver

#648 Post by MongooseCmr » Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:00 pm

CantelopeSkiz wrote:
Mon Oct 07, 2019 6:22 pm
His business plan is to pre-order everything at either full or near-full price?
This is so insane to me. I’ve only know of him for as long as I’ve been a member here, but I assumed he was some old internet fixture who still got press releases, like Harry Knowles. He’s just pouring his own money into this, for 20 years? Why?

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Re: DVDBeaver

#649 Post by cdnchris » Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:39 pm

MongooseCmr wrote:
Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:00 pm

This is so insane to me. I’ve only know of him for as long as I’ve been a member here, but I assumed he was some old internet fixture who still got press releases, like Harry Knowles. He’s just pouring his own money into this, for 20 years? Why?
He gets press releases from a lot of labels I believe but certain ones don't send them (he lists Shout!, Network, Warner Archive for examples), and part of it could be because he's located in Canada, though I'm not entirely sure.

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Finch
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Re: DVDBeaver

#650 Post by Finch » Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:53 pm

david hare wrote:
Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:04 pm
There are other places to look.
What else is there other than caps a holic? I'm not giving Blu-Ray.com my traffic with the morons they masquerade as reviewers on there.

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