Wallace & Gromit: The Collection 4K UHD (1989-2008) (BBC)

[Bubbles-11]

FROM THE ACADEMY AWARD®-WINNING NICK PARK! THIS IS THE COLLECTION OF FOUR CRACKING HALF-HOUR SPECIALS FEATURING THE CHARMING AND ECCENTRIC INVENTOR WALLACE, AND HIS FAITHFUL, FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND GROMIT!

A GRAND DAY OUT
On a quest for his favourite snack, Wallace takes Gromit on an out-of-this-world adventure in his home-made space rocket to discover if the moon really is made of cheese.
© NFTS 1989

THE WRONG TROUSERS
Wallace takes in a mysterious lodger, but Gromit's suspicions are aroused when the new arrival stats to show a sinister interest in his master's Techno-Trousers.
© Aardman / Wallace & Gromit Ltd 1993

A CLOSE SHAVE
Wallace and Gromit set up a window-cleaning business, only to find themselves ensnared in a deadly mystery involving sheep rustling, a malevolent guard dog and true love.
© Aardman / Wallace & Gromit Ltd 1995

A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH
Wallace and Gromit's new bakery business faces danger when a mysterious killer starts targeting all the bakers in town.
© Aardman / Wallace & Gromit Ltd 2008

EXTRAS:
Audio Commentaries
The Amazing World of Wallace & Gromit
Inside The Wrong Trousers
A Close Shave
How They Did It
The Making of A Matter of Loaf and Death
How They Donut
When Wallace Met Harvey
Picture Gallery
Invention Blueprints
A Grand Night In - The Story of Aardman
Cracking Contraptions

No Curse of the Were Rabbit due to licensing reasons. Releases on November 25th
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DK23VPTS/

[UpsetSmiley]

Now that's a more reasonable price and with HMV's 20% off this will go better than cheese and crackers.

[Sibbo192]

Awesome that it has the documentary on it as well

[SpaceBlackKnight]

IIRC, Aardman did the 4k SDR masters in 24fps which means they're speed adjusted but are probably using pitch corrected audio as the upcoming Shout sets are. 2160p 25fps is an accepted format on UHD but is most common on things like trailers and behind the scenes/docs. Its very rare for features to use it and that seems to be reserved for demo discs and stuff like full wildlife docs.

The BDs might be a different story. BBC regularly does 1080i 50hz content but in this case are using completed masters provided by the rights holder. Chances are they use the pitch corrected 24fps 4k masters or possibly created 25fps versions of them for broadcasts, which might introduce incorrectly higher pitched audio.

[drush9999]

Original audio on The Wrong Trousers and keep the first three at the correct 25fps and I'm in.

[KingBoo]

Always love a nice simple release, some discs in a case, perfect. Shame about Were-Rabbit but licensing is licensing unfortunately. Hope Netflix being involved with the new film doesn’t prevent a 4K being made available. At least in the UK we should be fine.

[The Hornets]

Originally Posted by drush9999

Original audio on The Wrong Trousers and keep the first three at the correct 25fps and I'm in.

I thought UHD couldn't do 25 fps only 24 fps ?

[Yautja_Warrior]

Shame no Were-Rabbit included (even if it's just blu-ray) like the US set but will still be a buy if the framerate and audio are correct.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by The Hornets

I thought UHD couldn't do 25 fps only 24 fps ?

It can. 25.000 and 50.000 fps are 100% supported on UHD spec.

[mar3o]

Does anybody know if this UK release is limited or if it should remain available for a while after release in shops like Rarewaves? Spent a lot of money lately so it would be helpful to put this one off for a bit but I don't want to risk missing out since I'm in the US so availability is already limited.

[The Hornets]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Does anybody know if this UK release is limited or if it should remain available for a while after release in shops like Rarewaves? Spent a lot of money lately so it would be helpful to put this one off for a bit but I don't want to risk missing out since I'm in the US so availability is already limited.

Given the U.K. doesn’t appear to be special packaging unlike the US, just a regular plastic case, should stay in print.

No guarantee Rarewaves will keep copies in stock, but you could always go with Amazon who will.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by professorwho

It can. 25.000 and 50.000 fps are 100% supported on UHD spec.

It's 50i (and 60i) that the 4K Blu-ray format can't do. Interlaced support dropped, but you have much more progressive framerate options than standard Blu-ray.

[Indiana Jones]

HMV despatched the 4K today, not expecting a weekend delivery but looking forward to watching these again, been along time.

[Jonathan McLeod]

Originally Posted by Indiana Jones

HMV despatched the 4K today, not expecting a weekend delivery but looking forward to watching these again, been along time.

Was just about to ask if anyone had had this dispatch as unusually for me there's been no movement yet. They have taken payment, but I'm certainly not going to get it Saturday like sometimes do. Seems to be a bit late even for Monday delivery at this point.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by Jonathan McLeod

Was just about to ask if anyone had had this dispatch as unusually for me there's been no movement yet. They have taken payment, but I'm certainly not going to get it Saturday like sometimes do. Seems to be a bit late even for Monday delivery at this point.

I haven’t received a Saturday delivery in years but they always arrive on the Monday.

[phraseturner]

Hopefully, someone who receives this release soon will report that it is Region A / USA friendly.

[Pieter V]

Originally Posted by phraseturner

Hopefully, someone who receives this release soon will report that it is Region A / USA friendly.

Standard Blu-ray? Blu-ray discs plus backcover only shows B logo.

[Geoff D]

Should get mine today.

[Indiana Jones]

Mine has been delivered, will be getting stuck into it tonight

[lockwoodland]

So I’ve joined this forum after being a longtime Blu-ray.com lurker to give my thoughts on this, as a lifelong Wallace & Gromit nerd… ’cause this is an odd one!

The first disc (bar an opening BBC disclaimer and logo) appears for all intents and purposes to be the upcoming US Shout! Factory 4K disc, replete with their ‘The Complete Cracking Collection’ title and design for the menu.

Popping on the start of The Wrong Trousers in 4K, the new 5.1 mix sounds like an upgrade, filling my surrounds nicely, however the picture is objectively worse than the old 2009 Blu-ray, with a bunch of DNR applied, smearing out the lovely texture and film grain of the old versions. It’s like looking at the film with vaseline on the lens. It certainly feels less like a new 4K scan, and more like a 4K HDR upscale with noise reduction, which is an odd choice for such a famously textural stop motion series.

Thankfully though, the accompanying Blu-ray Disc is not these new masters, but the umpteenth reprint of the aforementioned 2009 UK disc from 2 Entertain. So you’ve always got that for the better picture quality, I guess.

Then the third and final disc (the only one that seems specifically made for this release) features A Grand Night In, the BBC’s Aardman documentary (which is nice), plus the first UK release of Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions on Blu-ray. Taking a look at these though, it seems that like other US releases and Aardman’s YouTube uploads, they’re very much SD masters blown up to 1080p, which is a shame considering they were clearly shot on film. Nobody’s coughed up to rescan the originals of these, unfortunately.

And for prospective international buyers, the two Blu-ray Discs are Region B only, soz.

Anyway, that’s my rundown for anyone considering buying! Now I shall go back to lurking (besides answering any questions).