"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[Torsten Kaiser TLE]

Originally Posted by cjamescook

Which reminds me, does anyone know the scoop with The Avengers?
Your posting alludes to it being restored, but some reviewer comments on Amazon for various DVDs claim poor quality, if not outright errors.

Just curious before I buy.

THE AVENGERS have NOT been restored. LUMIERE, and later Studio Canal, made several efforts at remastering (between 1991 and 1999) - all at the Standard Definition level [PAL, the A&E presentations are conversions], mostly played out to D2 composite tape. Some later masters were made to Digital Betacam, as far as I know. Noise Reduction hardware was used to clean up the image, leaving remnants of film defects and, more importantly, artifacts behind. The best DVD versions to get (and probably for quite some time) are the French Studio Canal issues. These are not great, but okay. That is if you can play PAL and Region 2 discs. Hope this helps .

[Bobby Henderson]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

I wonder why, then, the 35mm release prints weren't made from a post-DMR DI.

How do you know the 35mm release prints weren't sourced from the same digital intermediate?

The factor of possible generational loss in the process of mass producing high speed printed 35mm release prints may be doing more to blur the issues certain viewers have been complaining about regarding the IMAX and Blu-ray versions of The Dark Knight.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

How do you know the 35mm release prints weren't sourced from the same digital intermediate?

The 35mm release prints don't exhibit the visible DMR-process artifacts seen on the IMAX release and Blu-ray.

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by Torsten Kaiser TLE

THE AVENGERS have NOT been restored. ... The best DVD versions to get (and probably for quite some time) are the French Studio Canal issues. These are not great, but okay. That is if you can play PAL and Region 2 discs. Hope this helps .

Thank-you very much!

[Penton-Man]

Hey Robert,

I guess we should not restore films now, based upon the condition of the film elements but rather on some peoples’ personal preferences.
This post at the top of the page by “oink” gets my frontal lobotomy of the year award…………
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1132351&page=2

Another winner is the following comment……”I also resent the fact that MGM and the Wayne estate have allowed this film to deteriorate and are now asking for handouts to perform the restoration.”

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by horseflesh

I presume you didn't get to see the Arse tonight???

I am clueless, as long as you’re not giving up the score of some match that I have yet to see, please tell.

I’ve been so overwhelmed recently that I don’t even know if Arsenal has made it past the Quarters into the semis of the Champions League.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

How do you know the 35mm release prints weren't sourced from the same digital intermediate?

The factor of possible generational loss in the process of mass producing high speed printed 35mm release prints may be doing more to blur the issues certain viewers have been complaining about regarding the IMAX and Blu-ray versions of The Dark Knight.

Bobby, somebody recently forwarded a post to me from "Film-Tech" which a person carrying your handle posted there.

Is that you?
Seems like a well-informed group of people over thar.

[Penton-Man]

9:00 A.M. - and duty calls.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I am clueless, as long as you’re not giving up the score of some match that I have yet to see, please tell.

Hmm... without giving up said score, it's tough to find anything to tell...

"We played Liverpool in the league."

*AHEM*

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I’ve been so overwhelmed recently that I don’t even know if Arsenal has made it past the Quarters into the semis of the Champions League.

We sure did, baby!

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

9:00 A.M. - and duty calls.

TMI! TMI!

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by bbeck

(Also, though the BBC box mentions DTS-HD MA, at least a few anecdotal comments on various message boards indicate the actual codec is DTS-HD HR.)

I have the BBC box of Pride and Prejudice, and it says "AUDIO English DTS HD." And, indeed, the audio is DTS-HD 5.1 @ 2.0 mbps.

[bbeck]

At that low bitrate, it must surely be High Resolution then, not Master Audio. I don't know where people were getting this notion that the soundtrack was MA, but it's being reported everywhere. Perhaps it's because we've had only a handful of HR releases to date?

How is the mix? Does it sound gimmicky at all? Do you have the old DVD release to compare?

(Still hoping someone in the know can chime in regarding the restorationists' original intent.)

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by bbeck

At that low bitrate, it must surely be High Resolution then, not Master Audio. I don't know where people were getting this notion that the soundtrack was MA, but it's being reported everywhere. Perhaps it's because we've had only a handful of HR releases to date?

Yep, it's specifically displayed as DTS-HD HR. The other disc from my collection I remember with such a track is Walk the Line (but at least that's 3.0 mbps).

Also, the fact that bitrate is constant is a dead giveaway.

How is the mix? Does it sound gimmicky at all? Do you have the old DVD release to compare?

(Still hoping someone in the know can chime in regarding the restorationists' original intent.)

I must say I haven't had the time to do anything more than spot-check it. I'll keep you posted.

[SquidPuppet]

Penton, I saw in Bill/Jeffs thread, your statement about there being no plans (currently) to bring Breaking Bad to Blu. Are you able to comment on Damages season 2 at this point?

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

TMI! TMI!

Does that mean that the Tyler Mount is Insecure?
If so, then I certainly hope that somebody paid the liability insurance; otherwise, someone on the ground better yell out “Incoming!”

P.S.
It’s time for lunch……..
http://www.sushiroku.com/sushiroku/index.htm

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Penton, I saw in Bill/Jeffs thread, your statement about there being no plans (currently) to bring Breaking Bad to Blu. Are you able to comment on Damages season 2 at this point?

Sorry Squid, that post was a personal fave to Jeff who has a personal interest in that title on Blu and just couldn’t procure that info through his normal channels.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

It’s time for lunch……..
http://www.sushiroku.com/sushiroku/index.htm

Can you ship some of that to me? The Japanese restaurants suck around here.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Sorry Squid, that post was a personal fave to Jeff who has a personal interest in that title on Blu and just couldn’t procure that info through his normal channels.

Whatever. Kidding.

Have a spicy Tuna handroll for me. Gawd I miss the dining options of SoCal.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Have a spicy Tuna handroll for me.

But, avoid the fugu.

It can kill you, just ask any Bones fan.

[Jeff Kleist]

Not the fugu we have here, it's all farm raised

Only wild fugu can eat the coral that forms the toxin