Ask questions to The Digital Bits team (Bill Hunt, Jeff Kleist et.al.)

[Jeff Kleist]

There are definately a bunch of pieces in there like the chewing on the machine planet, the Cybertron flyovers and such. You can tell at the end they started to run out of money. Particuarly nasty is the still cel of them flying into Unicron which you can tell is just being dragged across the background, scratches, dust, hairs and all

[jd213]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

There are definately a bunch of pieces in there like the chewing on the machine planet, the Cybertron flyovers and such. You can tell at the end they started to run out of money. Particuarly nasty is the still cel of them flying into Unicron which you can tell is just being dragged across the background, scratches, dust, hairs and all

I'm not sure what you're referring to... The shot of the Quitesson ship being flown into Unicron's eye was done from his POV, and looks very well done as the ship zooms toward the "camera" without any dragged cels that I can recall.

[Jeff Kleist]

I don't have time right now to dig out the disc, but it's Ultra magnus and a bunch of others from very far away so that they're right above just being blobs. It's just a single cel thats dragged in front of the camera. You'll know it when you see it

Here's a funny story actually. I almost had to send Rhino my Japanese laserdisc back in the day, that I bought at great expense simply so I could have spike drop the S-bomb. That and the jacket art is totally sweet. Hasbro misplaced the original uncensored audio, but they found it in time for that tape reissue

http://www.mindspring.com/~laserdisc...ansformers.htm

Contrary to what Zyber says, it does indeed contain the word

[jd213]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

I don't have time right now to dig out the disc, but it's Ultra magnus and a bunch of others from very far away so that they're right above just being blobs. It's just a single cel thats dragged in front of the camera. You'll know it when you see it

Oh, you mean the shot of the Autobots flying out of Unicron's other eye before he explodes? Yeah, I guess that cel is dragged, but they're so small that it hardly matters, and it isn't something that I would see as being the result of a huge budget cut. Unicron is the major focus of that shot, and he was animated fine.

Here's a funny story actually. I almost had to send Rhino my Japanese laserdisc back in the day, that I bought at great expense simply so I could have spike drop the S-bomb. That and the jacket art is totally sweet. Hasbro misplaced the original uncensored audio, but they found it in time for that tape reissue

http://www.mindspring.com/~laserdisc...ansformers.htm

Contrary to what Zyber says, it does indeed contain the word

Um, not to defend Zyber, but I have the LD as well (only the original release with the Star Wars ripoff cover, I also had the Pioneer re-release but gave it away since it only had mono audio), and it most certainly is not there. I actually had to mix it in from the Sony DVD set when I re-authored it with the LPCM 2.0 from the LD.

[Jeff Kleist]

Maybe I'm misremembering the one I had, it definately had the swear word in it though

Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist View Post
I don't have time right now to dig out the disc, but it's Ultra magnus and a bunch of others from very far away so that they're right above just being blobs. It's just a single cel thats dragged in front of the camera. You'll know it when you see it
Oh, you mean the shot of the Autobots flying out of Unicron's other eye before he explodes? Yeah, I guess that cel is dragged, but they're so small that it hardly matters, and it isn't something that I would see as being the result of a huge budget cut. Unicron is the major focus of that shot, and he was animated fine.

Wait till you watch it in HD on a big screen. The cell is DIRTY

[jd213]

Maybe you're thinking about the Canadian clamshell VHS release from the mid-90's? I had that as well, it was the first home video release to have the swear word.

I have the UK BD, and there's definitely lots of dirt here and there (and I'm soooo glad they didn't try and clean it up with automated dirt & scratch removal or anything), but I still think the animation is beautiful and consistent.

[Oliver K]

Hello Penton,

RAH gives a big thumbs up to you guys at Sony with a special mention of Grover:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/foru...0#post_3693168

Fast forward to post 131

He also mentions Shawn Belston from Fox and deservedly so as with the exception of Patton I think that Fox also has a rather good track record of classic releases although they are still not in the same league as Sony as far as I am concerned.

Thought you'd like to read that and speaking about the great work with catalog and classics we are still waiting for a release date for The Bridge on the River Kwai

[DaViD Boulet]

Originally Posted by Vincent Pereira

You keep saying "print", DaViD. I sincerely doubt a "print" was used, they are almost never used for modern video transfers unless they are the only available element. It would either be the 35mm IP, or cut negative.

Vincent

Yes, I'm not sure which photochemical element it is exactly for Fellowship so rather than state all possibilities every time I mention it I'm saying "print". However, "Print" was precisely the term I saw used in a technical discussion of the source for the current digital transfer of Fellowship in another forum, but like you I'm not convinced that it literally was a final release "print" versus the other earlier-generation photochemical options you mention. Whatever the case, the photochemical master (whatever it may be) the primary reason that Fellowship has a distinctively flatter, less sharp, and less detailed appearance versus the later two films, and it should be possible to produce a better looking Fellowship by scanning analog sequences from earlier-generation material and then digitally porting DI sequences to assemble a real "DI" for the complete film.

[Q?]

I got a chance to check out a Panasonic 3D tv yesterday. I saw the Astro Boy trailer and a trailer for some sort of nature documentary, I was impressed by the nature documentary btw, great stuff. One thing got me curious, you've said earlier a certain percentage of the population are discomforted by the 3D experience, headache and eyes hurt. I experienced those discomforts last year with Ice Age 3 3D, but I experienced none of that with the Panasonic 3D tv. I don't know if longer exposure would result in discomfort, I just wondered if the Panasonic tv is different from the "Digital 3D" (if I remember correctly) tech?

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

There are definately a bunch of pieces in there like the chewing on the machine planet, the Cybertron flyovers and such. You can tell at the end they started to run out of money. Particuarly nasty is the still cel of them flying into Unicron which you can tell is just being dragged across the background, scratches, dust, hairs and all

As iconic as the 80s film was, it also was the beginning of the end of Transformers and Im hesitant to even call it GREAT.
As much as I love the film when I was little, I always got upset when Prime got killed. In fact, I would say that it was the first truly traumatic event I experienced as a child. Not only that, it was very disappointing with the way they handled the deaths of other autobot characters. I'm not sure Ironhide, Brawn, Ratchet and Prowl could have been given a worse death then what they were given in the 1986 movie. It was pathetic and a real slap in the face and something that I will always hold against the film and make me really wonder what they were thinking. I seem to recall in an interview that they thought kids wouldn't care once they had their Ultra Magnus, Hot Rod and Galvatron toys.

I would have to say that I have a love-hate relationship with the 1986 film.
After the death scene is when I truly start to love the film.

It was pleasing that they did try to right the wrong of the movie and bring Optimus back, but by then it was too little too late.

[Jeff Kleist]

I got a chance to check out a Panasonic 3D tv yesterday. I saw the Astro Boy trailer and a trailer for some sort of nature documentary, I was impressed by the nature documentary btw, great stuff. One thing got me curious, you've said earlier a certain percentage of the population are discomforted by the 3D experience, headache and eyes hurt. I experienced those discomforts last year with Ice Age 3 3D, but I experienced none of that with the Panasonic 3D tv. I don't know if longer exposure would result in discomfort, I just wondered if the Panasonic tv is different from the "Digital 3D" (if I remember correctly) tech?

Yes it is, but theatrical 3d should cause you less problems due to larger screen and higher refresh. Check out the coral reef demo, it's the best one

[jaaguir]

Jeff, if releasing catalog on blu-ray is such bad business as we're always told, how come small companies can do it? How can Blue Underground release cult titles, usually with new scans (something that a big company like Universal can't be bothered with, apparently)? Do they have other income sources to compensate, and are they releasing as some sort of investment in the future or what?

Thanks

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

Lucas doesn't need an anniversary to shill his Star Wars products. ...

2011 has been suggested, and that seems pretty aggressive compared to his DVD timeline.

Small reminder: After the laser disc release, George Lucas originally intended to wait for a high definition format before releasing the Star Wars saga again in disk form. It took a fan letter campaign to change his mind about waiting, convincing him to release on DVD.

This probably accounts for some of the delay for the DVD release.

[Jeff Kleist]

Jeff, if releasing catalog on blu-ray is such bad business as we're always told, how come small companies can do it? How can Blue Underground release cult titles, usually with new scans (something that a big company like Universal can't be bothered with, apparently)? Do they have other income sources to compensate, and are they releasing as some sort of investment in the future or what?

As I said a week or so ago. Way different economics/overhead Thankfully the AACS fees are now lowered for smaller companies as well. 5000 copies can be a huge success for a small company while 7000 is a disaster for a studio. The smaller companies also often share resources with foreign distributors as well.

Small reminder: After the laser disc release, George Lucas originally intended to wait for a high definition format before releasing the Star Wars saga again in disk form. It took a fan letter campaign to change his mind about waiting, convincing him to release on DVD.

Eh, it was more the fact that he was certain high definition discs would be out in 2002-3ish, and when it failed to materialize and wasn't even close, he did the DVDs

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

As I said a week or so ago. Way different economics/overhead Thankfully the AACS fees are now lowered for smaller companies as well. 5000 copies can be a huge success for a small company while 7000 is a disaster for a studio. The smaller companies also often share resources with foreign distributors as well.



Eh, it was more the fact that he was certain high definition discs would be out in 2002-3ish, and when it failed to materialize and wasn't even close, he did the DVDs

Be that as it may, he releases Star Wars to home video when he feels he can make the most money for that marketing cycle.

[JonBidinger]

So Arrow films is releasing 5 Dario Argento films in the UK in August. In the US rights to Phenomena and Tenebrae are Starz/Anchor Bay, while Inferno, Deep Red, and Cat o' Nine Tails are Blue Underground. Recently Arrow has partnered with Blue Underground for releases like City of the Living Dead. Will they be doing this with the Argento titles as well and can we expect US releases of at least the Blue Underground titles and maybe the Anchor Bay ones as well? Any chance that Blue Underground may even acquire the rights to Phenomena and Tenebrae from Anchor Bay as well? I know Starz isnt too thrilled with their cult and horror titles, although they will be releasing The Evil Dead soon.

[Jeff Kleist]

Last I heard Starz was basically going to let the rights lapse on everything other than a core dozen or so titles

[4K2K]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

As I said a week or so ago. Way different economics/overhead Thankfully the AACS fees are now lowered for smaller companies as well. 5000 copies can be a huge success for a small company while 7000 is a disaster for a studio. The smaller companies also often share resources with foreign distributors as well.

Couldn't a smaller company profit with only a few hundred copies of a Blu-ray title?

http://www.pacificdisc.com/PricingBluRay.html

Retail-ready Blu-ray mastering and replication pricing

$3030 if produced before?
or $6030 if not produced before? (but the $3000 could be paid at $500 a year)

(2.49+0.04) * 1000 + 500 = $3030
(2.49+0.04) * 1000 + 500 +3000 = $6030

say each disc is sold to the customer at about $21

$3030/$21 = 144 need to be sold to profit if they've produced a title before?
$6030/$21 = 287 need to be sold to profit if they've not produced a title before?

[Jeff Kleist]

You're only looking at physical medium, you're not looking at wholesale prices either. A $29.99 disc is pulling in under $20 wholesale.

There's overhead (salaries, marketing, advertising, office space, electricty etc etc), there's licensiing fees, royalties, storage, distribution and shipping

The golden rule, as I've said in the past. It's not the cost of the medium, it's the cost of what's on it.

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Last I heard Starz was basically going to let the rights lapse on everything other than a core dozen or so titles

Speaking of Starz, is that Spartacus show any good?