Older HD

[rodgerse]

As of yet, this film seems to be the oldest released on any sort of HD.mind you on hd-dvd, but alot older than any Bd release, I believe.

Wondering if wizard of oz and/or gone with the wind will be release on Hd at all.Seeing as they're best examples of that time, and I'td be interesting to see what PQ they could get out of films from such a time when sound and color was like HD.Anyone know quality of hd-dvd release?, any scrnshots, reviews.

[sonicbox]

A couple of excellent classics in high-def, that'll eventually make it to Blu-Ray:

Robin Hood review:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/adven...nhood1938.html

Casablanca review:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/casablanca.html

Sales were awful for both, FYI. It might be a while...

[rodgerse]

Originally Posted by sonicbox

A couple of excellent classics in high-def, that'll eventually make it to Blu-Ray:

Robin Hood review:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/adven...nhood1938.html

Casablanca review:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/casablanca.html

Sales were awful for both, FYI. It might be a while...

Don't believe casablanca was shot in color though, but thanks.

[sonicbox]

No, it wasn't. You only care about color?

[rodgerse]

Originally Posted by sonicbox

No, it wasn't. You only care about color?

just saying, wondering if Hd experience would be as good for such early works, but with b+w it definatly won't.

[FilmmakingFiasco]

Originally Posted by rodgerse

just saying, wondering if Hd experience would be as good for such early works, but with b+w it definatly won't.

Comments like this make me really, really sad. I actually watched scenes from Casablanca last night at a friend's house. I have to tell you, HD adds so much depth and clarity to a black and white film. The blacks are really deep and everything stands out so well.

It also bothers me when people say "I don't want to buy that movie in HD because it's a comedy and comedies don't benefit like blockbusters do". It's high def, all content is slowly moving that way and if mastered properly, most content will benefit from high def.

[meckel]

Originally Posted by FilmmakingFiasco

Comments like this make me really, really sad. I actually watched scenes from Casablanca last night at a friend's house. I have to tell you, HD adds so much depth and clarity to a black and white film. The blacks are really deep and everything stands out so well.

It also bothers me when people say "I don't want to buy that movie in HD because it's a comedy and comedies don't benefit like blockbusters do". It's high def, all content is slowly moving that way and if mastered properly, most content will benefit from high def.

+1

Robin Hood and Casablanca never looked or sounded better. Can't wait to upgrade from HD to Blu (found them both cheap, used or I would have waited). Would live to see older films release on BluRay. Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, The Big Sleep, and so on

[Kratos3]

Originally Posted by FilmmakingFiasco

Comments like this make me really, really sad. I actually watched scenes from Casablanca last night at a friend's house. I have to tell you, HD adds so much depth and clarity to a black and white film. The blacks are really deep and everything stands out so well.

It also bothers me when people say "I don't want to buy that movie in HD because it's a comedy and comedies don't benefit like blockbusters do". It's high def, all content is slowly moving that way and if mastered properly, most content will benefit from high def.

I agree. There are so many GREAT movies that were done in B&W and it's a shame that more people don't see them. I, for one, can't wait til some of the older movies are remastered for BD. The depth, detail, and dimensionality of these movies would be incredible! Movies like Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront(I love Brando), ANY Hitchcock movie, The Big Sleep, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, and countless others would greatly benefit from an HD transfer(it is in color, but I can't wait for Vertigo on BD!).

You have to remember, these movies were all shot on film. The detail you can capture on film is practically limitless. Now, through the course of time with the degradation of the negatives and crappy transfers you don't always see what it is capable of. But remastered B&W films are stunning!

Disregarding older films just cuz they're B&W doesn't make sense to me, but hey, to each his own. Go through the AFI 100 greatest movies and you will see what I mean.

[Joe Cain]

Originally Posted by Kratos3

I agree. There are so many GREAT movies that were done in B&W and it's a shame that more people don't see them. I, for one, can't wait til some of the older movies are remastered for BD. The depth, detail, and dimensionality of these movies would be incredible! Movies like Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront(I love Brando), ANY Hitchcock movie, and countless others would greatly benefit from an HD transfer(it is in color, but I can't wait for Vertigo on BD!).

You have to remember, these movies were all shot on film. The detail you can capture on film is practically limitless. Now, through the course of time with the degradation of the negatives and crappy transfers you don't always see what it is capable of. But remastered B&W films are stunning!

Disregarding older films just cuz they're B&W doesn't make sense to me, but hey, to each his own. Go through the AFI 100 greatest movies and you will see what I mean.

Penton-Man confirmed a while back on the Insiders thread that Sony has done a 4k scan of On the Waterfront---I'll jump on it the day it's released.

[sonicbox]

Casablanca in high-def is often used as demo material for high-end theater installations. It shows how well high-def media can reproduce a restored classic B&W film print.

Anyway, the current tell-tale sign is the awful sales of almost every vintage 'classic' film on high-def. The current market is full of people that only want movies that look like Crank and Cars... and fear so-called grain.

[Kratos3]

Originally Posted by Joe Cain

Penton-Man confirmed a while back on the Insiders thread that Sony has done a 4k scan of On the Waterfront---I'll jump on it the day it's released.

NICE!!

[rodgerse]

Originally Posted by Kratos3

I agree. There are so many GREAT movies that were done in B&W and it's a shame that more people don't see them. I, for one, can't wait til some of the older movies are remastered for BD. The depth, detail, and dimensionality of these movies would be incredible! Movies like Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront(I love Brando), ANY Hitchcock movie, The Big Sleep, and countless others would greatly benefit from an HD transfer(it is in color, but I can't wait for Vertigo on BD!).

You have to remember, these movies were all shot on film. The detail you can capture on film is practically limitless. Now, through the course of time with the degradation of the negatives and crappy transfers you don't always see what it is capable of. But remastered B&W films are stunning!

Disregarding older films just cuz they're B&W doesn't make sense to me, but hey, to each his own. Go through the AFI 100 greatest movies and you will see what I mean.

Noones arguing how good b+w films were.critically speaking, I'm sure they're quit comparable to any modern one, but the pure viewing expericence is diminished withouhtt color.

The question is really what the limit of Hd film capability is.I don't think you could go much farther than 1930s technicolors like robinhood, wizard of oz or gone with the wind before clearly seeing the difference between the older and modern hd releases.

[Kristin Simard]

The Saragosa Manuscript
High Noon
Olivier's Hamlet
Kozintsev's Hamlet and King Lear
Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête

all the old Fellini B & W film classics
films of Kenzi Miziguchi

it's a much longer list, but I haven't had my morning coffee yet...

[mtmw1863]

Originally Posted by Kristin Simard

The Saragosa Manuscript
High Noon
Olivier's Hamlet
Kozintsev's Hamlet and King Lear
Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête

all the old Fellini B & W film classics
films of Kenzi Miziguchi

it's a much longer list, but I haven't had my morning coffee yet...

Schindler's List (another b & w movie) would probably look good too on the transfer.

[Kristin Simard]

Originally Posted by rodgerse

but the pure viewing expericence is diminished withouhtt color.

Not so for films which were artistically filmed in B & W. Have you ever seen a good print of Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête?
Or High Noon? I'd never want to see them in color.

[FilmmakingFiasco]

Originally Posted by rodgerse

Noones arguing how good b+w films were.critically speaking, I'm sure they're quit comparable to any modern one, but the pure viewing expericence is diminished withouhtt color.

The question is really what the limit of Hd film capability is.I don't think you could go much farther than 1930s technicolors like robinhood, wizard of oz or gone with the wind before clearly seeing the difference between the older and modern hd releases.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. I don't know what a "pure viewing experience" is but there are MANY films that are visually baffling that are in B&W. As someone who has shot films in both B&W and color (on 8mm, 16mm, DV and HD) as great as color can look, I enjoyed playing and working with lighting in B&W.

These older Warner films, that have been scanned in at 4k, since about 1998, and have been remastered, will look amazing. Technicolor films will have a different tone to them than modern films but they won't be any less demo material.

[rodgerse]

Originally Posted by FilmmakingFiasco

I'm not sure what you're saying here. I don't know what a "pure viewing experience" is but there are MANY films that are visually baffling that are in B&W. As someone who has shot films in both B&W and color (on 8mm, 16mm, DV and HD) as great as color can look, I enjoyed playing and working with lighting in B&W.

These older Warner films, that have been scanned in at 4k, since about 1998, and have been remastered, will look amazing. Technicolor films will have a different tone to them than modern films but they won't be any less demo material.

Well I was just wondering how the old color method tittles would compare, considering the early use of it.Its just that its that an old, but color film might look, especially in hd compared to modern, but b+w just look good in its own way.

and 4k?that really just sounds like a huge over-scan for the sake of preservation.Can film really be scanned that high withought just being a bunch of static and grain, how much higher than hd can it go?.

[Kristin Simard]

Originally Posted by mtmw1863

Schindler's List (another b & w movie) would probably look good too on the transfer.

IMO films like Schindler's List and Sin City are actually color films, but YES, I agree.

There are many films that use both B & W and color, the Russian film Solaris, The Wizard of OZ.......long list......

[DavePS3]

B&W films? Hmmm...

The Train
The Thin Man series
Bowery Boys series
The Killing
One Eyed Jacks (think it was B&W)
Skinny & Fatty (Japanese children's film)
Above Us The Waves
Dam Busters
Birdman of Alcatraz
David Copperfield
Day The Earth Stood Still
Dead of Night
Gene Krupa Story
Let No Man Write My Epitaph
Ladykillers
Soldier In The Rain
Grapes of Wrath
Joker Is Wild
Lemon Drop Kid
Ma & Pa Kettle series
Man of 1000 Faces
Man With The Golden Arm
On The Waterfront
Requiem For A Heavyweight
Pickwick Papers
The Haunting

...too many more to list but I'd grab all these. I'm interested to see B&W on Blu'. Although, many of the titles I mentioned would need serious re-mastering first.

[rodgerse]

Anyone interested in any silent and black and white hd releases .