Gangs of New York (U.S) - Extremely Highly NOT Recommended

[lgans316]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...k-blu-ray.html

'coz Mr.Robert Harris said so.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...-new-york.html

PQ: 3/5
SQ: 4/5

The film’s 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio is captured in a 1080p transfer using the VC-1 codec. Sad to say, what you’ve read is true about the look of this film on Blu-ray. It’s been processed within an inch of its life so that all grain is gone and contrast has been dialed up to being slightly too hot giving the features of the actors a slightly waxen look that robs them of some detail and character. The picture is super sharp, but you can see edge enhancement often as a result of the processing. Color is rich, and blacks are stupefyingly deep, and many may actually enjoy this “video” look for the movie, but while I didn’t exactly despise it (hence the video score above), I didn’t think for a second that it looked like film. An added note: even with all of the processing, they still managed to miss some dirt specks that are still present in the image. The film has been divided into 24 chapters.

http://www.dvdreview.com/reviews/pages/2856.shtml

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRe...rk_blu-ray.htm

PQ: 7
SQ: 7~8/10

The French version from M6Video looks to be a winner.

http://www.dvdrama.com/rw_fiche-10027-.php

Martin Scorsese can rejoice. M6Vidéo took great care of his film and book a Blu-Ray edition of a full dress. A picture of what the publisher had done with the enemy Intime, encoding AVC / MPEG4 made and wonders if some scenes in low light reflected leave a very slight noise, the bill simply remains generally excellent (even if the image can seem a little too smooth by time, not enough texture). The image has a magnificent dive, further enhanced by a depth of field that provides a wonderful spectacle at large. Apart from a vertical stripe on the film at the end of the first battle, the master is impeccable. The color management is exemplary and we are enjoying a burst of first choice. The compression knows when to forget and he skilfully emerges from viewing a beautiful fluidity ambient. One thing is sure, Scorsese's film found its brio

German - Blu-ray - 2008/Jun/27

http://www.splendid-entertainment.de...o.php?id=24574

http://dvd.themanroom.com/news/Gangs...ay_Review/2963

PQ: 4.5/10
SQ: 7.5/10

http://www.dvdtown.com/reviews/gangs-of-new-york/6044/2

PQ: 9/10
SQ: 10/10

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRe...rk_blu-ray.htm

PQ: 7/9
SQ: 7/8

http://www.dvdreview.com/reviews/pages/2856.shtml

PQ: Wonderfully rich & mesmerizing

http://www.dvdmoviecentral.com/Revie...ew_york_bd.htm

PQ: 4/5
SQ: 4/5

[JasonR]

Bummer, I was going to buy this too....

[Dogslyf]

I hope this review is wrong. I think this is a great film.

[JJ]

This is the guy who said break your Patton BR disc at intermission.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...0&postcount=74

I thought it was stellar PQ.

[Dogslyf]

Thanks for the perspective.

[jurassic_pork]

Well I love this movie and I've had it pre-ordered for a while. Hopefully this is a false alarm.

[Roland1919]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

This is the guy who said break your Patton BR disc at intermission.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...0&postcount=74

I thought it was stellar PQ.

Thats for the perspective JJ, I'll take my chances on this one. To think I though the DVD was georgous...can't wait.

[jason_grumpy]

Perhaps it's time that studios start releasing transfers of a movie w/ Grain and w/o Grain -- much like the Full Screen vs Widescreen DVD's? :P

That apparently will be the only way to make everyone happy.

[owa]

Originally Posted by Roland1919

Thats for the perspective JJ, I'll take my chances on this one. To think I though the DVD was georgous...can't wait.

That was my perspective also especially after the Patton fiasco but one of the reviewers related this release to that situation and seemed pretty level-headed about the whole thing.

You might want to read this post:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...2&postcount=45

I was on the fence and have been back and forth on whether I'm going to get it but after it has caused such a stir, I'll probably get it. Not only because of that though. Just about everything I've read still points to it being better than the DVD (and btw, I was fine with the DVD as well).

[alexakajeff]

Awww...what a disappointment.

[Blaumann]

Originally Posted by quirkmanly

This is a comment from another forum:

"The French and German release are perfect.
French editor "M6 Video" said that the disney master was pityfull, so they restarted the entire bluray with a new master, many delays after the bluray is here, and all majors french reviews give a 9/10 for the video...."

I have just ordered a copy of the german BD, which hopefully i should hold in my hands tomorrow as i am in Germany. I saw the UK BD of Gangs last year, which has the Disney transfer and looks like sh!te. Hopefully the reports of the better transfer/remastering are true. I'll post some pc screenshots once i have the disc.

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by Blaumann

I have just ordered a copy of the german BD, which hopefully i should hold in my hands tomorrow as i am in Germany. I saw the UK BD of Gangs last year, which has the Disney transfer and looks like sh!te. Hopefully the reports of the better transfer/remastering are true. I'll post some pc screenshots once i have the disc.

I look forward to reading your review nik... er... Blaumann

[Blaumann]

Originally Posted by iDarren

I look forward to reading your review nik... er... Blaumann

heh heh

[Robert Harris]

Blu-ray was, from the outset, designed to be a multi-functional system capable of serving many masters.

Combined with the PS3, it becomes a superlative gaming system.

Played back on that same PS3, or any Blu players, it can offer a totally immersive and perfectly honed rendition of film (cinema) as a digital video product.

Because of its huge data handling capabilities, compression becomes much less of a problem, and along with that the need to reduce, no less remove, the original grain structure of a motion picture.

If the consumer, as a matter of personal preference, determines that they like to view some or all older motion pictures encoded to Blu with a slightly softer appearance, the system can handle that request with the simple turn of a digital dial.

The Blu-ray system stands as a consummate achievement of modern technology in its ability to do many things, and to do them very, very well.

As I see it, the only thing that can damage or destroy its commercial image is a run of software that prohibits the system from doing the job that it was designed to do -- that being the replication of the theater experience in a home setting at the highest level of reproduction and purity.

And this is where Gangs on Blu-ray fails the system as well as the consumer.

Blu-ray discs are too expensive to allow the public to be complacent about quality, when quality is all to easy to achieve.

I believe that we've reached a plateau in development cycle, where "good enough" is no longer viable.

RAH

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris

Blu-ray was, from the outset, designed to be a multi-functional system capable of serving many masters.

Combined with the PS3, it becomes a superlative gaming system.

Played back on that same PS3, or any Blu players, it can offer a totally immersive and perfectly honed rendition of film (cinema) as a digital video product.

Because of its huge data handling capabilities, compression becomes much less of a problem, and along with that the need to reduce, no less remove, the original grain structure of a motion picture.

If the consumer, as a matter of personal preference, determines that they like to view some or all older motion pictures encoded to Blu with a slightly softer appearance, the system can handle that request with the simple turn of a digital dial.

The Blu-ray system stands as a consummate achievement of modern technology in its ability to do many things, and to do them very, very well.

As I see it, the only thing that can damage or destroy its commercial image is a run of software that prohibits the system from doing the job that it was disigned to do -- that being the replication of the theater experience in a home setting at the highest level of reproduction and purity.

And this is where Gangs on Blu-ray fails the system as well as the consumer.

Blu-ray discs are too expensive to allow the public to be complacent about quality, when quality is all to easy to achieve.

I believe that we've reached a plateau in development cycle, where "good enough" is no longer viable.

RAH

I want (expect) every BD I buy to be a jawdropping and immersive experience that accurately replicates the theater experience. The technology, hardware and software are capable of this. Therefore, any studio releasing software that falls short of this goal is failing, and, shortchanging me (consumer). I paid 5 times as much (at least) for a BD player than a DVD player based on a promise. I expect that promise to be fullfilled.

[lgans316]

Originally Posted by Blaumann

I have just ordered a copy of the german BD, which hopefully i should hold in my hands tomorrow as i am in Germany. I saw the UK BD of Gangs last year, which has the Disney transfer and looks like sh!te. Hopefully the reports of the better transfer/remastering are true. I'll post some pc screenshots once i have the disc.

Hey buddy. Hold on. Members in cinefacts.de forum are complaining of similar EE on the German BD. Due to the due diligence properly before taking the plunge.

[Blaumann]

Originally Posted by lgans316

Hey buddy. Hold on. Members in cinefacts.de forum are complaining of similar EE on the German BD. Due to the due diligence properly before taking the plunge.

cheers for that. I have read the cinefacts thread, at least the last page with the "reviews" and i would say they are inconclusive at best, and i will have to see for myself. If the german version is as bad as the UK BD, i'll sell my german copy on ebay and try to get the french version. I actually held a copy of that in my hands last weekend when i was in France, but it was 30 Euros and i didn't know it was supposed to have the better transfer...

@ me

[#Darren]

I think we need to get Inspector Clouseau on the case to sort this out.

[edDvedD]

maybe it will be remastered soon?

[kpkelley]

Gangs of New York Highly Not Recommended
From Richard Harris:

The point of this piece is make people aware of technical flaws in a new release to which many of us have been looking forward, especially after the less than fruitful standard def version.

Wanting to add it to one's collection in Blu-ray is a good thing, but the actual purchase sends an incorrect message to the studio, which is "I bought it, therefore it's good."

Disney is a superb home video entity, and as I've averred elsewhere, this might simply be a matter of someone shipping the wrong master, and things going down hill from there.

No one is telling you not to purchase Gangs.

The suggestion is that if you hold off purchasing Gangs, you may shortly end up with a proper release version, without the need for dealing with a recall, which may just occur.

Everyone who loves film wants to have a Blu-ray of Gangs in their library.

I am merely suggesting that this may be the wrong release of Gangs, the immediate purchase of which, can send the wrong message to Burbank.

Gangs is a magnificently photographed film, and the purchase of a Blu-ray disc should should carry you through the years as your home theater grows around it.

The disc being released is in no way representative of the look of that film.

RAH

I agree that it is not a good transfer, and should only be purchased by fans of the film. If you have not seen the movie I would suggest that you rent it, as it is not worth a blind buy due the questionable transfer.