The Criterion Collection

[stobbart]

Originally Posted by bgmat58

All this talk about Revanche is making me regret not picking it up during the last sale...

Revanche just felt like an average movie to me. I too was swayed to watch it due to all the praise it was getting here. It was a decent movie, Ill never watch it again though

[Pyoko]

Originally Posted by bgmat58

The thin red line was so impressive. The booklet said it was mastered at 4k resolution, why does it seem that most other major video overhauls are
Mastered at 2k? Am I correct in assuming that the 4k mastering was why the video quality was so perfect?

There are two key things at work here:
1) it's a 4K transfer
2) it's a brand new transfer

If we're still talking Criterion, most of their releases are passable but many of the transfers used are already getting to be a number of years old, and both technology and attitudes have moved forward very fast in this area with the arrival of consumer HD and Blu-ray, and new scans even at 2K would show a lot of improvement (especially on the more outdated ones, like the disappointing Il Gattopardo.)

But 4K definitely adds an additional level of sharpness. Bigger Than Life and The Red Shoes are two other films that received 4K transfers/restorations, and they look fantastic as well.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by Pyoko

There are two key things at work here:
1) it's a 4K transfer
2) it's a brand new transfer

If we're still talking Criterion, most of their releases are passable but many of the transfers used are already getting to be a number of years old, and both technology and attitudes have moved forward very fast in this area with the arrival of consumer HD and Blu-ray, and new scans even at 2K would show a lot of improvement (especially on the more outdated ones, like the disappointing Il Gattopardo.)

But 4K definitely adds an additional level of sharpness. Bigger Than Life and The Red Shoes are two other films that received 4K transfers/restorations, and they look fantastic as well.

I believe you mean the masters are a few years old, not the transfers. The transfers for Blu-ray are all brand new, and the different video codecs (MPEG-2 for DVD and MPEG-4 AVC for BD) prove it, but in the case of some of the Blu-rays from catalog spines, like Kagemusha and The Man Who Fell to Earth, I think the HD masters are the same as the DVD editions, and the older technology and processes could account for the BD editions not looking as visually pristine (by Criterion standards) as those BD transfers from newer HD masters.

[Pyoko]

I meant what I said. There is a bit of confusion when it comes to the terminology in the community, but I've found the following is largely accepted:

The transfer refers to the actual process of transferring the physical film into the digital realm, which results in a digital master. This master is then used to create an encode (using AVC, VC1 or MPEG2) that is put on the Blu-ray disc.

I specifically said the transfers were old, because it's very possible they did additional work on the masters in terms of dirt and scratch removal for the Blu-rays, thereby creating new masters, but without going all the way back and doing new transfers (which is where the real costs, and improvements, are.)

And the HD transfers/masters being used for Criterion's Blu-rays are mostly the same ones done/utilised for their previous DVDs. The only exceptions are where new DVDs are released at the same time (like The Thin Red Line or The Red Shoes) though that's no guarantee either. This is why Il Gattopardo was disappointing, it was sourced from the same transfer that was done for the DVD release 6-7 years ago, and it's just badly outdated by now.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by Pyoko

I meant what I said. There is a bit of confusion when it comes to the terminology in the community, but I've found the following is largely accepted:

The transfer refers to the actual process of transferring the physical film into the digital realm, which results in a digital master. This master is then used to create an encode (using AVC, VC1 or MPEG2) that is put on the Blu-ray disc.

Apologies, then. It seems I had the terms "transfer" and "master" reversed.

[italy12]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Gotcha they are neighbors so same thing

Wow that's so not true on any level. Call a Dominican a Puerto Rican, or vice versa and watch how fast you realize you just made a mistake!

Or, better yet, call a Haitian an African American, you know, because they're the same color...you get the idea...

[italy12]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

i thought anyone would of caught that but the experts above didnt get it!

It would be funny if you were actually talking about the Germans. If I made a joke about Italians, but was hoping people would get that I was ACTUALLY referring to the Portuguese or the Spainsh, you know, their neighbors, it wouldn't be that funny.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by italy12

Wow that's so not true on any level. Call a Dominican a Puerto Rican, or vice versa and watch how fast you realize you just made a mistake!

Or, better yet, call a Haitian an African American, you know, because they're the same color...you get the idea...

Originally Posted by italy12

It would be funny if you were actually talking about the Germans. If I made a joke about Italians, but was hoping people would get that I was ACTUALLY referring to the Portuguese or the Spainsh, you know, their neighbors, it wouldn't be that funny.

Dude i know this already obviously it didnt matter at the time. They spoke German, the Director has a German Name, and the movie itself is apart of German Film. Since we are learning things learn how to use your spell check

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by bgmat58

The thin red line was so impressive. The booklet said it was mastered at 4k resolution, why does it seem that most other major video overhauls are
Mastered at 2k? Am I correct in assuming that the 4k mastering was why the video quality was so perfect?

All this talk about Revanche is making me regret not picking it up during the last sale...

Its really a great movie. I definitely underrated this one. Its a 5/5, i was thinking about this flick all day

[italy12]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Dude i know this already obviously it didnt matter at the time. They spoke German, the Director has a German Name, and the movie itself is apart of German Film. Since we are learning things learn how to use your spell check

No, Spainsh is a real language. They speak it in Spain

And yes, you should see The Thin Red Line.

[italy12]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Dude i know this already obviously it didnt matter at the time. They spoke German, the Director has a German Name, and the movie itself is apart of German Film. Since we are learning things learn how to use your spell check

Actually, I think he has an Austrian name...and they speak not only German, but a dollop of Russian as well

[JediFonger]

have there been any 2011 announcements yet?

[captveg]

Originally Posted by JediFonger

have there been any 2011 announcements yet?

No. Probably not until the 15th.

[hedliniv]

So should we expect a better transfer in the future for Seven Samurai since it is only a 2k scan? I was hoping this new criterion blu-ray would be the definative version to own.

Originally Posted by Pyoko

There are two key things at work here:
1) it's a 4K transfer
2) it's a brand new transfer

If we're still talking Criterion, most of their releases are passable but many of the transfers used are already getting to be a number of years old, and both technology and attitudes have moved forward very fast in this area with the arrival of consumer HD and Blu-ray, and new scans even at 2K would show a lot of improvement (especially on the more outdated ones, like the disappointing Il Gattopardo.)

But 4K definitely adds an additional level of sharpness. Bigger Than Life and The Red Shoes are two other films that received 4K transfers/restorations, and they look fantastic as well.

[Pyoko]

Originally Posted by hedliniv

So should we expect a better transfer in the future for Seven Samurai since it is only a 2k scan? I was hoping this new criterion blu-ray would be the definative version to own.

Unless you're planning 10 years into the future I think you can safely buy the Blu-ray (I know I will), Criterion will probably not re-release it within that time. Seven Samurai looks to be quite good anyway, and the transfer is not as old as some of the other titles Criterion's released on Blu.

It's such a high-profile title I would be surprised if it didn't get a 4K or 8K restoration some time in the future, but like I said, that's probably years away.

[kndy]

Finished watching "Seven Samurai" on Blu-ray and I compared it to the previous two DVD releases. Wow! Criterion Collection did a fantastic job with this BD release! Rewatching it again but now with the roundtable audio commentary (re-listening to it now that I have read Donald Richie's Kurosawa book).

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by JediFonger

have there been any 2011 announcements yet?

Does anyone know the 'newsletter schedule' I just see them occasionally, and never thought to keep track of when they were sent.....

[dankrakafoon]

Originally Posted by Pyoko

There are two key things at work here:
1) it's a 4K transfer
2) it's a brand new transfer

If we're still talking Criterion, most of their releases are passable but many of the transfers used are already getting to be a number of years old, and both technology and attitudes have moved forward very fast in this area with the arrival of consumer HD and Blu-ray, and new scans even at 2K would show a lot of improvement (especially on the more outdated ones, like the disappointing Il Gattopardo.)

I am sorry. What exactly did you find disappointing in the Il Gattopardo transfer?

I have this Blu and I must say I am very happy with the picture quality... Very film like, in excellent condition and to my eyes, the colors were gorgeous.

Just curious to get your point of view on this.

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by Pyoko

I meant what I said. There is a bit of confusion when it comes to the terminology in the community, but I've found the following is largely accepted:

The transfer refers to the actual process of transferring the physical film into the digital realm, which results in a digital master. This master is then used to create an encode (using AVC, VC1 or MPEG2) that is put on the Blu-ray disc.

Maybe I've just always seen it used incorrectly, but since the early days of DVD, I've consistently seen the term "transfer" used in the way you're using "encode" above when discussing home video - the idea being that the movie is transferred from the master (digital or otherwise) to the appropriate format for the home medium. Then again, maybe that's because at the advent of DVD, most if not all masters were still on physical film and the term transfer has simply stuck.

What you refer to as "transfer" above, I most often see referred to as "digital intermediate" today. Obviously, there's some semantic confusion out there.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Does anyone know the 'newsletter schedule' I just see them occasionally, and never thought to keep track of when they were sent.....

They said they will put it out this week sometime. I was thinking today.