The Criterion Collection

[needlebreesh]

I somewhat expected this but nonetheless--Criterion gonna Criterion lol

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=2&x...0&l=0&i=2&go=1

Now to order the VS version

[RBBrittain]

Already had Kane on pre-order from B&N, with a cheap copy of Fiddler on the Roof thrown in to meet the $35 minimum. Just pulled the trigger on Mulholland Drive at Amazon too since they PM'ed B&N.

[BoydR12]

Originally Posted by needlebreesh

I somewhat expected this but nonetheless--Criterion gonna Criterion lol

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=2&x...0&l=0&i=2&go=1

Now to order the VS version

What in the **** are you on about? I looked at your link and found absolutely nothing to be on about. Enjoy your sleazy label that releases 10x more porn than they do qualify films

[Mushi Minion]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

What in the **** are you on about? I looked at your link and found absolutely nothing to be on about. Enjoy your sleazy label that releases 10x more porn than they do qualify films

Woah, sensitive much? Is Criterion your girlfriend or something?

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

What in the **** are you on about? I looked at your link and found absolutely nothing to be on about. Enjoy your sleazy label that releases 10x more porn than they do qualify films

Point in the doll where the adult film hurt you

[gbm82]

Eh.. Gonna leave that typo

[Kleeberg]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

What in the **** are you on about? I looked at your link and found absolutely nothing to be on about. Enjoy your sleazy label that releases 10x more porn than they do qualify films

VS does right by whatever films they release, with as much (or more) care as Criterion. Also their artwork isn’t lazy (coughCitizenKanecough).

[tatterdemalion]

Originally Posted by Kleeberg

VS does right by whatever films they release, with as much (or more) care as Criterion. Also their artwork isn’t lazy (coughCitizenKanecough).

I couldn't care less if the cover was blank or had a middle finger on it, when I'm purchasing a blu-ray I'm buying it for the movie. Nobody here believes Criterion rules above all others. They're just a boutique label that tries to license films of decent to high quality that other companies won't release, especially art-house foreign films. I'm glad VS does right for those who want their line of films.

For this sale I bought two, with two more coming as Christmas presents. They are:



I was just in the mood for a little serious and a little silly.

[jkoffman]

Originally Posted by needlebreesh

I somewhat expected this but nonetheless--Criterion gonna Criterion lol

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=2&x...0&l=0&i=2&go=1

Now to order the VS version

What am I missing in this example? I sampled some other caps here and I don't see a significant difference in color, but I do see more grain in the Criterion. How is the VS better? Criterion: "New 4K digital restorations of all four films, approved by filmmaker Mario Van Peebles"

[Kleeberg]

Originally Posted by jkoffman

What am I missing in this example? I sampled some other caps here and I don't see a significant difference in color, but I do see more grain in the Criterion. How is the VS better? Criterion: "New 4K digital restorations of all four films, approved by filmmaker Mario Van Peebles"

People just want to be outraged over the smallest things these days.

[dvining]

Originally Posted by Kleeberg

People just want to be outraged over the smallest things these days.

This outrages me.

[jkoffman]

Originally Posted by Kleeberg

People just want to be outraged over the smallest things these days.

I guess they were so outraged that they didn't even have time to explain why.

[Kyle15]

There's considerably more macroblocking on display. The VS syndrome disc looks like grain as opposed to posterized chunks. It's not huge but it's there; looking right at it! The VS syndrome disc is from a 4k restoration, and by the looks of it the Criterion uses the same restoration/master. If it's actually "new" and not Criterion's definition of "new" (Pierrot le Fou) there's little tangible difference. It's literally down to compression.

[Dankk]

Originally Posted by jkoffman

What am I missing in this example? I sampled some other caps here and I don't see a significant difference in color, but I do see more grain in the Criterion. How is the VS better? Criterion: "New 4K digital restorations of all four films, approved by filmmaker Mario Van Peebles"

I'm not as big of a videophile as some other folks on this forum; however, I'm just enough of a snob to know that Criterion does indeed tend to use relatively poor compression quality for most of their releases, and the screencap comparison that needlebreesh posted up above is a very textbook example of this (IMO).

Comparing the Criterion vs. the VS release, the VS release appears to have a tighter and more defined grain structure, whereas the Criterion version looks more "splotchy" and poorly defined. Another way to put it is that the Criterion version has a more harsh, more "digitized" look to it, whereas the VS version looks a little more film-like and organic. The VS version overall appears "smoother", retaining the natural film grain without blurring out everything else.

You honestly should be able to see this difference very easily if you use the Zoom mode on capsaholic (which I believe needlebreesh's link links to by default).

Someone in another thread (I think it was Geoff D) put it very well: I think the reason why Criterion has gotten away with this for so long, is because while the majority of their audience is cinephiles, a much smaller subsection of that group are also videophiles. Obviously there is some overlap between the two, but in the Criterion community, that delta appears to be much larger for some reason. The Criterion community obviously loves the Criterion Collection for its content, but they don't seem to be great at noticing/evaluating the technical quality of that content.

I know this is obviously a Criterion thread, and by posting this here I'm inevitably inviting myself to get blasted for criticizing Criterion's release quality (something they're known for); however, just because YOU can't see the difference, doesn't mean everyone else can't as well. Also: There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting a company's feet to the fire and encouraging them/pressuring them to fix or improve the quality of their releases. It's in everyone's best interests, is it not?

I've always thought of it as unfortunate, because everything else that Criterion does, restoration-wise, is honestly incredible. It's just their final encoding pass for their BDs that happens to be substandard and slightly diminish the quality of their otherwise fantastic releases. I really wish they would use another encoding company, like Fidelity in Motion or something, but who knows if that will ever happen.

[jkoffman]

Now ^that^ is an answer. Thank you!

I do appreciate the caps posts, but admittedly I typically do not notice some of these issues as much when a video is playing. Maybe if I had a larger TV or projection.

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by Dankk

I'm not as big of a videophile as some other folks on this forum; however, I'm just enough of a snob to know that Criterion does indeed tend to use relatively poor compression quality for most of their releases, and the screencap comparison that needlebreesh posted up above is a very textbook example of this (IMO).

A great post. I remember hearing scuttlebutt a while back that the cheap Universal Blu-ray release of Moonrise Kingdom actually looked superior to the Criterion. To be fair, it was apparently very subtle, but the slight disparity was still there.

Originally Posted by BoydR12

Enjoy your sleazy label that releases 10x more porn than they do qualify films

This is honestly the kind of snobbish buffoonery that makes the Criterion thread a laughingstock and punching bag everywhere else on Blu-ray.com. I personally don't own any VS releases, nor do I have interest in most of them, but calling them a "sleazy label" is just silly elitist nonsense.

Newsflash: You're not smarter or better than other people just because you have Criterions on your shelf.

[jzbadblood]

Sweet Movie is more disgusting and repugnant than anything VS has ever put out.

[yoloswegmaster420]

Oh great, another one of these conversations.

[dvining]

Originally Posted by yoloswegmaster420

Oh great, another one of these conversations.

Better or worse than the "when is Criterion going 4K" conversations of yesteryear?

[yoloswegmaster420]

Originally Posted by dvining

Better or worse than the "when is Criterion going 4K" conversations of yesteryear?

At this point, I'd rather see posts from people who unironically ask how much a title will be on sale during a B&N/Criterion Flash sale.