Sony Black Crush on late-2014 / early-2015 BDs

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

There is a list in the first post:

I think plopplop00 might be a Spambot or sock account.

[crazyBLUE]

heren it comes

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

heren it comes

[Liquid_Swords]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

I was at Target today and saw the DVD for $5. I almost bought it just to send Sony a message but decided to boycott all of their movies indefinitely until they fix this nonsense.

Problem is every DVD of My Girl is full screen.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by Liquid_Swords

Problem is every DVD of My Girl is full screen.

[marine92104]

I've been reading this thread but haven't run into any titles that suffered the black crush until tonight.

I rented Annie. Boy did it detract from the film. Black crush everywhere.

Has Sony seriously not admitted there is a problem. On a properly calibrated display it was awful.

I won't be watching or purchasing any of the films that has this problem.

I can't believe this is being allowed thru their quality control.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by marine92104

I've been reading this thread but haven't run into any titles that suffered the black crush until tonight.

I rented Annie. Boy did it detract from the film. Black crush everywhere.

Has Sony seriously not admitted there is a problem. On a properly calibrated display it was awful.

I won't be watching or purchasing any of the films that has this problem.

I can't believe this is being allowed thru their quality control.

They haven't made any sort of statement, or admitted anything.

I'm watching TROOP BEVERLY HILLS right now, and I can confirm it also has the black crush.

We need to make more noise. Please email the address in the original post, and call the 800 number in that post too.

The more voices, the better chance of changing something. Thanks!

[amoergosum]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

They haven't made any sort of statement, or admitted anything.

I'm watching TROOP BEVERLY HILLS right now, and I can confirm it also has the black crush.

We need to make more noise. Please email the address in the original post, and call the 800 number in that post too.

The more voices, the better chance of changing something. Thanks!

Exactly...notice how their replies changed already >>>

"Thank you for your e-mail. We appreciate your interest in Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) products.

In order for us to best assist you, please provide the following information:
• Where did you purchase this title, and was it a new sealed copy or a used copy?
• What is the UPC number (located on the back of the case, underneath the barcode)?
• Have you tried playing this title on any other players and, what is the make and model number of each player?
• Does your Blu-Ray player have the latest firmware update?
• Has this title successfully played before?
• Have you tried adjusting your video settings on your TV?
• Please provide the exact time on the disc when the unwatchable scenes happen.


Please also provide us with the following information as well:
• Last Name:
• Mailing Address (No PO Boxes):
• Phone Number:

Thank you for your continued patronage and for taking the time to contact us.


Regards,

May
SPHE Consumer Affairs"

>>>

Thank you for your interest in Sony Pictures Home Entertainment products.

Have you tried modifying your video settings on the television? There is currently no known issue with this movie's release. If the problem persists, we'd be happy to test the movie for you.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you.

Regards,

>>>

"Thank you for your interest in Sony Pictures Home Entertainment products.

We have forwarded the email to our management. This issue is still being looked into.


Thank you for you patience in this matter."

That last one is the reply which I received. I think that's the first time they actually acknowledged that it's an issue.
So keep sending those emails, guys!

[grrrarg]

I would love to give Sony my money for Troop Beverly Hills, unsure if I want to invest in a faulty disc with nothing but a hope for a replacement plan in the future...

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by grrrarg

I would love to give Sony my money for Troop Beverly Hills, unsure if I want to invest in a faulty disc with nothing but a hope for a replacement plan in the future...

Be aware this disc probably has the least issues with the black crush. 99% of the film is in bright sun and brightly lit interiors, so only the smallest shadowy areas are black.

The only really distracting parts are a night scene of a sleepover, which is almost impenetrably black, and very brief nighttime exterior establishing shots of locations, which are also crushed beyond recognition.

That said, most of the movie looks like it was shot yesterday, with vibrant colors and flawless detail. You can compare it to the clips in the featurettes, which are from an older HD transfer, filled with digital noise and washed out colors.

[Gold Ranger]

I was gonna get Troop Beverly Hills, but now I'm glad I waited.
I'll get it once it is fixed!

[Gold Ranger]

Fury
The Interview
My Girl
Troop Beverly Hills

These are the ones I want.
Equalizer is one I already have and that needs to get fixed before I watch it!

Is there a full list of the afflicted titles?

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Gold Ranger

Fury
The Interview
My Girl
Troop Beverly Hills

These are the ones I want.
Equalizer is one I already have and that needs to get fixed before I watch it!

Is there a full list of the afflicted titles?

There's a list in the first post in this thread.

THE EQUALIZER does not appear to be affected. Check out this comparison between the BD and the DVD, which have identical black levels:

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleich...ess=#vergleich

[Gold Ranger]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

There's a list in the first post in this thread, but it needs to be updated.

Is THE EQUALIZER affected? that's the first I've heard. I don't own the disc. Do we have comparison caps to show it's definitely crushed compared to the UV or DVD?

I thought I read in this thread that it was...

Yeah, the list is what I copied to make my post.
I just deleted the two I will never own...

[HorrorBlu]

I blame North Korea.

[Pieter V]

Originally Posted by HorrorBlu

I blame North Korea.

[StingingVelvet]

HDD says Troop Beverly Hills looks amazing on BD: http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1836...erlyhills.html

Not fighting about this anymore, just saying reviewers still aren't seeing what you guys are seeing, right or wrong.

[jscoggins]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

HDD says Troop Beverly Hills looks amazing on BD: http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1836...erlyhills.html

Not fighting about this anymore, just saying reviewers still aren't seeing what you guys are seeing, right or wrong.

You're cherrypicking a small sample of the population.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

HDD says Troop Beverly Hills looks amazing on BD: http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1836...erlyhills.html

Not fighting about this anymore, just saying reviewers still aren't seeing what you guys are seeing, right or wrong.

It absolutely does look amazing. 99% of the film looks stunningly gorgeous, because this is a 4k scan of the original negative for a film that was almost entirely shot in super bright situations. The black crush is mostly visible in the few dark or shadowy areas of the frame, where it could easily be missed. It's only really glaring in one scene, a sleepover in a dark room, and it would be easy to think the movie was meant to look that dark if you didn't know: A) the movie, B) about the ongoing Sony problem.

Still, the featurettes contain HD clips from an older transfer, which do not have the black crush. For example, in the clips, Craig T. Nelson's black pants are not simply an inky, even sea of black, they have details, folds, etc.

Doesn't change the fact this disc is affected by an ongoing problem with Sony discs, this film just suffers least from it because of how brightly it was photographed.

And the reviewer here at blu-ray.com definitely noticed it:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Troop...122611/#Review

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by jscoggins

You're cherrypicking a small sample of the population.

Not sure what you mean, I read a lot of reviews of Fury, Annie and others and no one mentioned the issue. Just saying they continue to not mention it.

Though I guess this site did notice a minor crushing issue this time, which is cool to see.