The Criterion Collection

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by wondervamp

Converting PAL to NTSC? Isn't this the whole reason we are buying them?

A region Free Bluray player allows you to watch Region A, B & C titles. However for special features that are not HD a lot of them are coded for PAL and will be unviewable if the player/TV doesn't have the hardware to convert PAL to NTSC. NTSC is 30fps 525i and PAL is 25fps 576i. Bluray is neither standard, but something else as its 24fps 1080p.

I'm not a expert on this stuff so a little research would be recommended if you are shopping for a player.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=189834

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by bugsnest

I know the feeling
I had been pondering over "Thief" and as soon as I saw your post, I just went ahead and ordered since it was still on sale on Amazon.

However, for the Apu Trilogy, I am quite certain it may be back on sale when it's release in November... if not Amazon, the BN sale would be around that time.

I think Criterion will have a FLASH SALE sometime this month.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Banned User

A region Free Bluray player allows you to watch Region A, B & C titles. However for special features that are not HD a lot of them are coded for PAL and will be unviewable if the player/TV doesn't have the hardware to convert PAL to NTSC. NTSC is 30fps 525i and PAL is 25fps 576i. Bluray is neither standard, but something else as its 24fps 1080p.

I'm not a expert on this stuff so a little research would be recommended if you are shopping for a player.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=189834

I could be missing something, but if you have a new-ish TV, a player (any player, really,) and a good AV receiver, it will not only handle PAL content, but process your audio more than satisfactorily.

I don't know why you'd want a player that processes audio and whatnot if you have a proper home theater set-up. ..and that isn't me objecting to the idea - I simply don't get it.

Get a good TV. Get an OK player. Get a good AV receiver. Get good speakers. Let the components do what they have been designed to do and you're good to go. Am I wrong?

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by callahan09

As someone who is a total PQ/AQ novice (and nearly blind & deaf to boot), I don't know what the difference is between one blu-ray player & another. To me, it seems an awful lot of money for a device that essentially plays the same discs. I mean, I can generally tell differences from one TV to another, and sometimes even one surround sound receiver to another (though not to nearly as distinct a degree as I can TV screen PQ), and I can certainly tell the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray. But I've never been able to tell the difference between my PS3, my PS4, my Xbox One, or my parents who have a Sony stand-alone player (the only folks I know who don't happen to use a videogame console as their blu-ray player). I keep hearing how awesome these Oppo's are, but what is the real difference that makes it worth so much more money? I was thinking of getting a region-free Sony BDP-S5200 because it's an inexpensive region-free player, but I'd be interested in learning more about what makes these more expensive options worth getting? As someone who has never been able to tell the difference between players, would I be able to tell the difference if it was THIS player that I was comparing to (since I've never seen one before, maybe the increase in quality really is just that obvious)?

Not to digress this thread anymore, but the simple answer is no difference if you are going to use the same setup, and avoid video processing settings for blu-rays.

http://www.cnet.com/news/do-all-blu-...ound-the-same/

Long answer, is that it depends on your setup, if you are going to watch DVD's on it, if you want to play SACD's, if you are planning to use it to replace your current AVR, or are going to use it with separate preamps and amplifiers, etc.

They will also work faster than most cheaper players and be more reliable in the long run.

Now I need to come up with something relevant to this thread

I have like 14 films in my wishlist, if the sale happens I will probably have to use financing for this damn Criterion, and damn the exchange Rate for USD.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I could be missing something, but if you have a new-ish TV, a player (any player, really,) and a good AV receiver, it will not only handle PAL content, but process your audio more than satisfactorily.

I don't know why you'd want a player that processes audio and whatnot if you have a proper home theater set-up. ..and that isn't me objecting to the idea - I simply don't get it.

Get a good TV. Get an OK player. Get a good AV receiver. Get good speakers. Let the components do what they have been designed to do and you're good to go. Am I wrong?

Never said anything about audio. All players and TV's do not play PAL. So its possible to grab a region free player, hook it up to your TV and then purchase a disc only to find out you can't play all the content or any DVD extras. I'm just recommending people check that before making a purchase. Plenty of resources on the net for that. What you are describing is just a roll of the dice. "Hopefully what I picked up will play this content"

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I could be missing something, but if you have a new-ish TV, a player (any player, really,) and a good AV receiver, it will not only handle PAL content, but process your audio more than satisfactorily.

I don't know why you'd want a player that processes audio and whatnot if you have a proper home theater set-up. ..and that isn't me objecting to the idea - I simply don't get it.

Get a good TV. Get an OK player. Get a good AV receiver. Get good speakers. Let the components do what they have been designed to do and you're good to go. Am I wrong?

In my case, with my PS3, when playing the PAL extras of the movie Once, it just went back to the menu after few seconds of processing, but they play fine with the Seiki which can handle PAL and on the same TV, so I think the player needs to support the conversion.

Although I am not totally sure if it was something that could get fixed by modifying some of the AV receiver settings.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Never said anything about audio. All players and TV's do not play PAL. So its possible to grab a region free player, hook it up to your TV and then purchase a disc only to find out you can't play all the content or any DVD extras. I'm just recommending people check that before making a purchase. Plenty of resources on the net for that. What you are describing is just a roll of the dice. "Hopefully what I picked up will play this content"

No, I know you didn't say anything about audio. Oildude was describing his experience w/ his region free player. What I'm saying is, if you buy good quality components - tv, player, avr receiver, speakers, you won't have to worry about it.

Yes, it is worth looking into. I don't object to that, but I think if you are using modern and good equipment, these concerns are not relevant. again, I was kind of half responding to the praise given to a blu-ray player's ability to process audio signals.

Regarding PAL content, I have a Panasonic Viera LED TV that I purchased 2 years ago and a typical home theater set up that I described above. Even before I was region free, my set up was processing PAL content on ITV's region free release of Black Narcissus. That was my point.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

In my case, with my PS3, when playing the PAL extras of the movie Once, it just went back to the menu after few seconds of processing, but they play fine with the Seiki which can handle PAL and on the same TV, so I think the player needs to support the conversion.

Although I am not totally sure if it was something that could get fixed by modifying some of the AV receiver settings.

Ok. So in the case of my all region copy of BN, either my TV was capable or my AV receiver was capable of processing the content. Like I said, I don't know enough to say it was one or the other, but I don't think the player MUST support PAL. or was my Samsung region A player capable of processing PAL? I don't think so, but I don't know for certain.

[Banned User]

This is getting way off topic. There is a list on these forums of players that convert PAL and for movies that are 1080 50hz which require it. I only know about it because the first player I bought did not convert PAL and many TV's don't either as mine did not. Just didn't want someone to purchase a player only to find out they can't play all the discs and content they purchased. The worst is a region B title that starts off showing a PAL advertisement which keeps you from watching the movie. Can't tell you how many times I put in the disc frantically hitting skip chapter to try and get it going.

As far as how common PAL support is is anyone's guess and for another discussion. Though i tend to agree if using a quality audio receiver it will most likely convert.

[wondervamp]

Originally Posted by Banned User

This is getting way off topic. There is a list on these forums of players that convert PAL and for movies that are 1080 50hz which require it. .

Do you have a link to the list of players?

I don't want to derail the thread.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by wondervamp

Do you have a link to the list of players?

I don't want to derail the thread.

Just look in the Blu-ray.com Players and Recorders forum. I think its a sticky topic. Or just search for the player you are interested in and PAL.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Really excited about the Rivette hint. Paris nous appartient had a really interesting production, so here's hoping the supplements delve in to that (the film is probably best known for being the movie that Antoine Doinel and his family go and see in The 400 Blows, some two years before Rivette finally finished it!).

Not to mention, it just went up on Hulu the same say as the email hint.

[ShellOilJunior]

For the clue I thought of The Lavendar Hill Mob for a nanosecond...

[wondervamp]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Just look in the Blu-ray.com Players and Recorders forum. I think its a sticky topic. Or just search for the player you are interested in and PAL.

Well the Sony 5200 does. It has internal PAL to NTSC Converter. Done

[SkyAntoine]

Got 45 minutes into Paris, Texas today at lunch. I wanted to call in sick for the rest of the day. Absolutely absorbed me. Can't wait to watch the rest of it tonight.

I also recently found out Harry Dean Stanton is a Kentuckian and they have an annual Harry Dean Stanton Fest in Lexington. I need to attend this next year.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

In the middle of watching A Matter of Life and Death for a second time from a TCM DVR recording. I really hope that Criterion will add this film to their collection soon. AMOLAD is probably my favorite Powell and Pressburger film followed closely by The Red Shoes. Is it just me or are the visual effects for this film quite advanced for 1946? I love how P&P transition between Heaven and Earth by going back and forth between B&W and color, respectively. The central love story works better for me the second time around. June and Peter fall in love so quickly because of the extreme circumstances of their first and second encounters. I thought their relationship moved too quickly during my first watch, but everything makes more sense now. I have now decided that if I am on the fence about a film, I should try to give it a second watch ASAP.

Also, hasn't there been a recent theatrical run and restoration for AMOLAD? That makes me belive that maybe Criterion will release this film in 2016.

Hoping for that too, it is my new "Most wanted in the Collection" on my profile.

A few months ago I watched I Know where I am Going and while it is a good movie, It is the first Powell & Pressburger film I am not totally overwhelmed with.

Still I think A Matter of Life and Death is indispensable to complement The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as their technicolor masterworks, but unfortunately I don't think there's any official hint given right?

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Still I think A Matter of Life and Death is indispensable to complement The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as their technicolor masterworks, but unfortunately I don't think there's any official hint given right?

Would love to see A Matter of Life and Death get a release. Have not heard any hint of it though. I believe the last restoration was back before 2001 by BFI and Sony Pictures and region rights sit with Sony? Unless there has been another I'm unaware of. Maybe there has and TCM has access to it. According to TCM's bio on the film

Like most original Technicolor film negatives, A Matter of Life and Death was in serious need of restoration several years after its original release. Luckily the British Film Institute agreed to perform some restoration work on it in 1995 and their subsequent work convinced them to completely restore the entire feature with the financial assistance of Sony Pictures. According to Cathie Christie in an article on the restoration, "They discovered that when the original film was edited the three strips [of Technicolor] were slightly out of alignment. Although this was less of the problem in 1946, it became more of a problem in 1999 when in addition to the misalignment, the technicians found that the three strips had shrunk in the ensuing 50 plus years. Adding to the challenge was the fact that each strip had shrunk at a different rate....The team was further tested, surprisingly, by the black and white sequences. There was no original black and white negative from the film, which was apparently cut together with duplicate negatives. The delicate process involved shooting a new positive of the black and white with black and white film stock. From the positive three separate fine grain negatives were made. The team then discovered that the original black & white negative had its own set of defects which transferred to the three newly printed negatives. However, not all the negatives had inherited the same defects. It became clear that it was impossible to cut the three new negatives together because of the varied defects, and in the end they chose the best of three b&w negatives and cut it into the new film." After all the extensive restoration, A Matter of Life and Death now looks as glorious and as striking as it did in 1946.

**EDIT** The Germany and French Blurays have varying issues and appear to be from the same restoration (1995-2001) digitally restored in 2014. The color timing looks identical to the Sony DVD? I did find a claim that Sony back in 2013-14 performed a digital restoration. ""Sony Pictures’ Grover Crisp was on hand to see his company’s splendid digital restoration of A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, which may not have been original Technicolor but gave a very close approximation, with saturated colors and rich contrasts."

I would hope the Film Foundation would try to do another physical restoration on the film since tools have changed a lot in the past 15 years.

[silverlakephil]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Would love to see A Matter of Life and Death get a release. Have not heard any hint of it though. I believe the last restoration was back before 2001 by BFI and Sony Pictures and region rights sit with Sony? Unless there has been another I'm unaware of. Maybe there has and TCM has access to it. According to TCM's bio on the film



The Germany and French Blurays have varying issues and appear to be from the same restoration. The color timing looks identical to the Sony DVD. I did find a claim that Sony back in 2013-14 performed a digital restoration which is probably the print used on the French/German release and being shown on TCM

however this: "A Matter of Life and Death by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger (UK, 1946, 104’, Color), in collaboration with Park Circus Limited" seems to point to another print/restoration. http://www.screendaily.com/festivals...090703.article. I believe they are referring to the same 2014 digital restoration here. Cannot not find any evidence of another.

One can hope the Film Foundation will take it up and provide a new restoration like Tales from Hoffman as Scorsese is a huge fan.

I've been pining for a Criterion release with a more recent restoration if possible. Of all the Powell/Pressburger collaborations, this is my favorite. DVDbeaver says the German/French Blu-ray is from the 2001 which was the basis of the Sony 2005 DVD.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...th_blu-ray.htm

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

I've been pining for a Criterion release with a more recent restoration if possible. Of all the Powell/Pressburger collaborations, this is my favorite. DVDbeaver says the German/French Blu-ray is from the 2001 which was the basis of the Sony 2005 DVD.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...th_blu-ray.htm

Reread my post. I came across more info. A few claims Sony did a digital restoration in 2013-2014, but from what I can gather the French/German release is plagued with issues and from the original 2001 scan. Color problems from shrinkage and a push to blue so I don't think this was from the 2014 effort. Maybe someone who saw it on TCM can chime in.

There is hope for a bluray release in a march 2015 interview with Thelma Schoonmaker:
"Quint: I'm glad you guys are fighting the good fight and I hope you guys have the stamina to keep them coming. I really want a Blu-Ray of A Matter of Life and Death, so you need to go make that happen for me. Just for me, nobody else. I'll be fine with that.

Thelma Schoonmaker: We're actually working on it and trying to raise the money for it. I'm very hopeful. By the way, George Romero, the other person who is sort of besotted with this movie, will be introducing it at the Film Forum on the 14th. Are you in LA or New York?"

[mrjohnnyb]

Just a quick update:

So, now that I've got my region-free blu-ray player, I decide to go shopping on amazon.uk.

I see two great movies (Chariots of Fire and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - I have a refined appreciation for certain anime) for a great, grand-total price: $19.50 (American Dollars.) When I begin to check the specs, I discover that they are both region free.

I figured "What the heck?" and made the purchase anyway.

I thought members in here might be interested since it is a good price.