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

[Mr. Cinema]

Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema

2 questions.

1. Will MGM/Fox ever stop pricing their catalog titles at $39.99? 2+ years into the format, and they are still releasing old catalog movies with the highest known list price. Should "Dude, Where's My Car?" really cost more than "I Am Legend" or "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"? Should it have the same list price as "Iron Man"?

2. Newly announced Carrie and Amityville Horror discs will contain 0 of the dvd extras. Why?

My questions got lost in the shuffle, likely due to it not being related to DNR, so I'll try again.

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

I think I've seen that on a 4K

Very cool!! Did you see it in theaters that way or somewhere else?

[hollywoodguy]

Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema

My questions got lost in the shuffle, likely due to it not being related to DNR, so I'll try again.

More likely because Penton doesn't work or speak for MGM or Fox. If he wants to take a stab at it, I'm all ears though.

[mattym]

i'd be interested to know what was wrong with the BD transfer of Transformers that was alluded too...sorry Penton, tramping on your thread

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by jangofett

Penton/Max/anybody , I have a question about Sony's revenue stream from Blu. I know that Sony gets $$$ from discs sold, but what happens after 7 years? Will the ability to profit from Blu disapear after 7 years, b/c of a patent or will Sony still be pulling in ching 15 or 30 years from now? This should basically be public information b/c it concerns basically public legal stuff, albeit hard to uncover for the layman; but I was just curious. Can you let me know how this is supposed to work out? thanks.

I’ll defer to Max in hopes of encouraging him to join in the conversation, as people tell me that he still pokes his head in here from time to time.

I hope all you guys and girls appreciated the contributions Max made to this forum both prior to and following the conclusion of the format war on both this thread and other Insider’s Threads at blu-ray.com.

Which reminds me, on a historical note, I believe that a milestone was passed, as when one totals up all the views from all the Insider’s Threads from past and present…………
https://forum.blu-ray.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61

-we reached and passed a milestone about 45,000 – 50,000 views ago.
That milestone being over 2,000,000 total? views for all the Insider’s Threads combined.

Congratulations to all viewing members and non-members.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Alan Gordon

For the record, my comment was simply referring to the MULTITUDE of differing opinions regarding the look of a title on Blu-ray. "Grain" being one of the hot topics...

No problem, I never considered you (nor Craig ) as one of the fanners of the flames of whatever the perceived or real deficiencies of the Blu-ray format is, this particular season of the year.

My post was more reflective of the plethora of PM’s I’ve received over the past few weeks where people were complaining to me that ever since they began reading other forums recently, they’ve found themselves actually looking for compression artifacts, banding, DNR, EE, etc. and couldn’t enjoy the damn Blu-ray movie to begin with as they were being pulled into the game of artifact hunting rather than watching movies at home.
What a sad commentary on how out of kilter some other boards had become.

But don’t be tooooo tough on any of the online reviewers because despite their differences of opinion in regards to things such as the presence or absence of grain, I’ve been told that those that do online reviews (and feel compelled to also post on the boards) are making a concerted effort to take back the boards from the forensic screenshot scientists and place them back in the hands of film enthusiasts, as things got so far out of balance.

We shall see.
In the meantime, a tip of the hat from me to them.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Mystery Clock

PM,

wrt. the Olympics Opening Ceremony -- I know NBC is already marketing the DVD -- any chance of them offering it on Blu? Or, not to put to fine a point on it, is there any point in them offering it on Blu, given the compressed mess that the NBC broadcast was?

-John

Well, without getting into the whole 1080i vs 1080p issue, I can guarantee you one thing. The raw video coming from the venues to the IBC (International Broadcast Center) in Beijing is probably quite good.

And that raw video is being transported from the IBC to NBC studios for U.S. distribution, where it’s later compressed and what not to give the appearance that you are seeing every evening in your homes.

If they can tap that raw video as a source for a Blu-ray disc, it may be a well worthwhile endeavor.

I plan on finding out more here (scroll down a little)………….
http://www.smpte.org/events/pre_con_08

Speaking of which, I’ve got to run, so only a few more quick replies from me.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

Hey Penton

On another note, have you had the chance to look at a certain BD that recently underwent the first ever 8K scan from a 65mm source? Quite impressive!! Though I would have loved a feature where they had a small segment scanned at various resolutions so you could compare.

Well, spill the beans on the title and let everyone here in on the fun.

Keep in mind for all those “film purists” out there, that a 70mm. contact print made from an original 65mm camera negative and projected via a well maintained 70mm projector is the ultimate quality because ANY intermediate, film or digital, will degrade the image.

This has readily been visually proven in past demonstrations.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by hollywoodguy

More likely because Penton doesn't work or speak for MGM or Fox. If he wants to take a stab at it, I'm all ears though.

If you know, and/or are in contact with “Callie”, tell her that my heart goes out to her and I offer her my very Best Wishes.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by mattym

i'd be interested to know what was wrong with the BD transfer of Transformers that was alluded too...sorry Penton, tramping on your thread

No problem.

[Rob Tomlin]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Well, spill the beans on the title and let everyone here in on the fun.

Keep in mind for all those “film purists” out there, that a 70mm. contact print made from an original 65mm camera negative and projected via a well maintained 70mm projector is the ultimate quality because ANY intermediate, film or digital, will degrade the image.

This has readily been visually proven in past demonstrations.

..

[Alan Gordon]

I don't believe I have EVER been pulled OUT of enjoying a movie by "defects", etc., though I have certainly NOTICED many of them during viewing via BD, DVD, HDTV, SDTV, etc. The key is simply to move on...

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

But don’t be tooooo tough on any of the online reviewers

We have to find our fun where we can get it!

Seriously though, I've picked on reviewers for years for many things, and I've disagreed with them plenty, but there ARE some great reviewers out there who do know what they're talking about. I may not always agree with them, but my intention was not a dig (at most of them), but rather how different some people's interpretation can be of a title's PQ.

~Alan

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

The “problem” is that few hobbyists really know anything specific about grain/noise reduction but speak as though they are sudden authorities on the subject, and now the result on some consumer forums is that whenever somebody sees “soft”, they scream “DNR’ed” and they are literally taking the fun out of actually watching movies in high definition for many film enthusiasts.

Just like few “film purists” know anything whatsoever about low contrast or high contrast film stock and how it affects sharpness and which years in the past showed a definite trend for filmmakers to use either, let alone for specific titles.

Combine this with the fact that you have people claiming they have photographic recollections of the theatrical presentations from years ago.

The “struggle” in the future will have little to do with the issue of grain but, more to do with the economic decisions of whether/when some content providers will appropriate funds for new HD transfers of some older titles that were mastered solely utilizing CRT monitors in the past.

Very well said Penton!!!!!

[Bobby Henderson]

There is no substitute for seeing a 70mm presentation in a properly calibrated theater. PERIOD!

Agreed, especially when the 70mm print is created from 65mm photographed footage rather than merely blown up from 35mm or freaking digital video.

I'm really hoping that upcoming Blu-ray versions of Baraka and The Dark Knight just blow people away with the high image quality via their 65mm sourced footage.

There isn't any substitute for seeing a movie shot for 70mm in a 70mm-equipped movie theater. However, movies shot in the 65mm/70mm process can look significantly better on Blu-ray than if the footage was shot on 35mm or "digital."

Hollywood studios apparently don't realize they could go a very long way in future-proofing their movie productions by shooting in 5-perf 65mm or 8-perf 35mm (VistaVision). Lawrence of Arabia is a 46 year old movie that will likely look excellent on Blu-ray due to its large format source material. How good will something shot in 1080p digital video seem 46 years from now?

[patrick99]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I’ll defer to Max in hopes of encouraging him to join in the conversation, as people tell me that he still pokes his head in here from time to time.

I hope all you guys and girls appreciated the contributions Max made to this forum both prior to and following the conclusion of the format war on both this thread and other Insider’s Threads at blu-ray.com.

Which reminds me, on a historical note, I believe that a milestone was passed, as when one totals up all the views from all the Insider’s Threads from past and present…………
https://forum.blu-ray.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61

-we reached and passed a milestone about 45,000 – 50,000 views ago.
That milestone being over 2,000,000 total? views for all the Insider’s Threads combined.

Congratulations to all viewing members and non-members.

Thanks for bringing up this subject, Penton. I for one most definitely appreciated Max's contributions: his combination of excellent inside information, levelheadedness, and passion for the cause was hard to beat.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

The “problem” is that few hobbyists really know anything specific about grain/noise reduction but speak as though they are sudden authorities on the subject, and now the result on some consumer forums is that whenever somebody sees “soft”, they scream “DNR’ed” and they are literally taking the fun out of actually watching movies in high definition for many film enthusiasts.

It seems to be many of the same people are actually unhappy with anything different from HD video.

I certainly see them as a grave threat to the sanctity of future transfers, and take the fun out of discussing the discs, but why are they taking the fun out of watching the movies?

Gary

[jangofett]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I’ll defer to Max in hopes of encouraging him to join in the conversation, as people tell me that he still pokes his head in here from time to time.

I hope all you guys and girls appreciated the contributions Max made to this forum both prior to and following the conclusion of the format war on both this thread and other Insider’s Threads at blu-ray.com.

Which reminds me, on a historical note, I believe that a milestone was passed, as when one totals up all the views from all the Insider’s Threads from past and present…………
https://forum.blu-ray.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61

-we reached and passed a milestone about 45,000 – 50,000 views ago.
That milestone being over 2,000,000 total? views for all the Insider’s Threads combined.

Congratulations to all viewing members and non-members.

A'ight and thanks for referring the best person to go to.

[Kris Deering]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

Agreed, especially when the 70mm print is created from 65mm photographed footage rather than merely blown up from 35mm or freaking digital video.

I'm really hoping that upcoming Blu-ray versions of Baraka and The Dark Knight just blow people away with the high image quality via their 65mm sourced footage.

There isn't any substitute for seeing a movie shot for 70mm in a 70mm-equipped movie theater. However, movies shot in the 65mm/70mm process can look significantly better on Blu-ray than if the footage was shot on 35mm or "digital."

Hollywood studios apparently don't realize they could go a very long way in future-proofing their movie productions by shooting in 5-perf 65mm or 8-perf 35mm (VistaVision). Lawrence of Arabia is a 46 year old movie that will likely look excellent on Blu-ray due to its large format source material. How good will something shot in 1080p digital video seem 46 years from now?

The title I was referring to before was Baraka, which is an amazing looking BD release.

TDK was shot IMAX which is a bit different than 65mm considering it has far more vertical resolution. If the prologue is any indication, it should look incredible on Blu.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

It seems to be many of the same people are actually unhappy with anything different from HD video.

I certainly see them as a grave threat to the sanctity of future transfers, and take the fun out of discussing the discs, but why are they taking the fun out of watching the movies?

Gary

See post #4846
Paragraph 2.

Now it’s lunchtime.
http://www.sushiroku.com/sushiroku/index.htm

P.S.
Hey, to all those “rad” Olympic viewers out there, tune in tonight? for the BMX finals which are scheduled, I think.
The sport has its roots in SoCal motocross racing from the late ’60’s.
In fact, if anyone here can tell me the name of the fellow (shown in this quintessential motorcycle movie) who is popping a wheelie at the end of this clip, and who later went on to become a very successful motocross racer…………
I’ll send them the Spider-Man three pack set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCbtE...eature=related
Quite a lot has changed since then, as you can see.
Just too much for words alone.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Kris Deering

The title I was referring to before was Baraka, which is an amazing looking BD release........

And the “demonstration” that I was referring to before, can be read about here for those who were unable to make it to U.C.L.A. back in the day.

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2007/as_good/index.htm
Scroll down for Baraka which is near the bottom of the page.