Gladiator (2000)

[DetroitSportsFan]

I'm guessing that there won't be exchange program, but there will be some sort of rebate program for those that bought the first release.

[ely.cop.rock]

Mine will go on ebay. Had original and caught it on sale so will put on there for $8.00 dollars. Still cheaper then going to the bar for 2 hours if all I lose is a dollar.

[Fighter]

Never seen so much crying from grown adults. The bd came out almost 5 months ago...give it a rest

The transfer looks fine

[blu_sharpy]

Originally Posted by Fighter

Never seen so much crying from grown adults. The bd came out almost 5 months ago...give it a rest

The transfer looks fine

Not gonna rant cause too many people whinge about this title enough, but it certainly doesnt look good.

[Rovic]

Probably wont' make a difference, but my copy is still un-opened, i wonder if my best bet is to re-sell it in ebay or wait to see it they'll have some sort of rebate/exchange program....

[thecardman23]

Originally Posted by Fighter

Never seen so much crying from grown adults. The bd came out almost 5 months ago...give it a rest

The transfer looks fine

wellsaid! finally someone shares my sentiment. im not saying i wouldnt be happy to see a remastered version, but this version wasnt that bad and have grown SO tired of hearing ppl complain about it like it was the end of the world.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

Yeah, but that Braveheart double dip came seven years later.

So I don't understand. If the studios release a mediocre transfer and they decide to give you an option for a better one within a year it pisses you off? I am not trying to pick a fight I am just trying to understand. I mean if you didn't think you were gonna be happy with the Gladiator release you should have done a littler research and saw what others said or maybe rented it first if you were cautious? It seems to me just a lot of people have an addicting Blu-ray buying habit on this site I do myself so I can relate...but I have also learned with my Blu-ray buying that I need to be more cautious with buying and see what others have to say about a disc first...maybe that is the lesson to be learned here for a lot of people? If you don't like how the quality of the disc sounds vote with with your wallet and don't buy it. But if for some reason you just can't resist not owning it then you will just have to bite the bullet and re-purchase the better re-release if one comes.

I don't own the Gladiator disc nor have I seen it but I have seen reviews and screenshots and it doesn't look that AWFUL at all...just not demo material. And the audio on the disc seemed to be given quite good ratings. So I really don't see why they should offer an exchange program.

Like I joked in an earlier post I have around 20 Blu-ray's in my collection that I consider pretty bad or mediocre looking. Should I be expecting a free exchange for those too when they re-release??

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Rovic

Probably wont' make a difference, but my copy is still un-opened, i wonder if my best bet is to re-sell it in ebay or wait to see it they'll have some sort of rebate/exchange program....

If I were you I'd sell it ASAP before news of the reissue spreads.

[Esox50]

Originally Posted by Grubert

If I were you I'd sell it ASAP before news of the reissue spreads.

You gotta be careful with this though. I've been caught in a bad spot selling off previous DVDs or Blu-Ray versions based upon rumors of a Blu-Ray version or re-release...only to be stuck without the movie due to delays or cancellation of the new version.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by RedIsNotBlue

So I don't understand. If the studios release a mediocre transfer and they decide to give you an option for a better one within a year it pisses you off?

The only issue I have is that The Digital Bits mentioned that this new release is from a "transfer that was just completed a couple of months ago."

Meaning that they were working on a new transfer at the same time they released the current subpar disc. It would have been nice if they just waited 6 months or so and released it correctly the first time, no?

[Arkitect76]

too much money spent on the first transfer so they had to get some back?....

they do this for themselves and their pockets not for us the consumer...

[RedIsNotBlue]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

The only issue I have is that The Digital Bits mentioned that this new release is from a "transfer that was just completed a couple of months ago."

Meaning that they were working on a new transfer at the same time they released the current subpar disc. It would have been nice if they just waited 6 months or so and released it correctly the first time, no?

Yeah well Digital Bits is also hit or miss with details like that half the time to be honest but yeah I am not saying Paramount didn't **** up here. But I think people clamoring for them to go into their pockets for a free exchange is a little harsh. They don't HAVE to re-release Gladiator at all. I also want studios, especially Paramount, to not have to focus more time, money and effort on re-release more than they have to because they already seem to be having enough trouble getting new catalog titles on the market.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by RedIsNotBlue

Yeah well Digital Bits is also hit or miss with details like that half the time to be honest but yeah I am not saying Paramount didn't **** up here. But I think people clamoring for them to go into their pockets for a free exchange is a little harsh. They don't HAVE to re-release Gladiator at all. I also want studios, especially Paramount, to not have to focus more time, money and effort on re-release more than they have to because they already seem to be having enough trouble getting new catalog titles on the market.

No argument there. IMO all of the major studios have been slacking in the catalog department.

Anyone who is being realistic should not expect an exchange program.

[Darkhawk9587]

This trend of putting out blus with questionable PQ (referring to this and Gangs of New York) is really getting annoying. Why do you have to release a film on blu only to rerelease it a few months down the road because people didn't like the first one?

[RedIsNotBlue]

Originally Posted by Darkhawk9587

This trend of putting out blus with questionable PQ (referring to this and Gangs of New York) is really getting annoying. Why do you have to release a film on blu only to rerelease it a few months down the road because people didn't like the first one?

You guys can keep blaming the studios all you want as well but you keep paying them to do it. Take this as a lesson...vote with your wallets! If the Blu-ray release isn't up to your standards then don't buy it and voice your opinion. That is the ONLY way studios will care what you have to say. If you buy both copies and ***** what do they care? They have your money and you willingly gave it to them.

[Maggot]

This is why I think Blu-ray may be doomed. Although I love the format, seeing more than enough bad PQ reviews tells me that for the kind of resolution and fidelity Blu-ray brings, the studios REALLY do have to restore or at least do a serious remaster, of every film that gets issued. I think with more and more sub-par catalog titles coming out, the evidence is clear. The studios either don't have heart and or the time and or the money. Whichever it is, they are pushing a format that will easily and handily expose a bad transfer like nothing else before. Like I said, I love the format and have gone hog wild buying up discs(up to about 140 now) since getting my player and plasma screen this past November, BUT I'm reading too many and seeing too many films that really do need a better transfer. Personally, I think the industry has bitten off more than it can chew with this format. They need to get it right each and every time with this format.

Originally Posted by Darkhawk9587

This trend of putting out blus with questionable PQ (referring to this and Gangs of New York) is really getting annoying. Why do you have to release a film on blu only to rerelease it a few months down the road because people didn't like the first one?

[RedIsNotBlue]

I disagree Maggot. When it comes to new releases pretty much every disc is top notch like Star Trek, Inglourious Basterds, etc. Those are the discs most people care about and they are A+ for the most part. And I am not even putting down catalog titles. I think that there is a lot of A+ catalog titles out there as well but there is always going to be lumps of coal. DVD sales are declining and Blu-ray's profits are just slowly continuing to climb with each year that passes so it is not doomed anytime soon my friend.

[Maggot]

Oh, I'm not talking about new movies. I'm talking about catalog titles that are 10 years or older. Heck, I've seen some bad PQ reviews for 5 year old movies.

Originally Posted by RedIsNotBlue

I disagree Maggot. When it comes to new releases pretty much every disc is top notch like Star Trek, Inglourious Basterds, etc. Those are the discs most people care about and they are A+ for the most part. And I am not even putting down catalog titles. I think that there is a lot of A+ catalog titles out there as well but there is always going to be lumps of coal. DVD sales are declining and Blu-ray's profits are just slowly continuing to climb with each year that passes so it is not doomed anytime soon my friend.

[Gremal]

You really think Blu-ray is doomed because of releases like this?! I had a friend over to see the Gladiator BD and she was so blown away she bought a blu-ray player. I'll give her my copy of Gladiator if a new one really comes out (seeing is believing and digital bits has claimed titles like Taxi Driver and Lawrence of Arabia that never materialized were coming). Frankly, I think some moments of Gladiator look as good as they're going to get on the Sapphire edition. I'd love Paramount to prove me wrong.

[SleeperAgent]

Originally Posted by Gremal

You really think Blu-ray is doomed because of releases like this?! I had a friend over to see the Gladiator BD and she was so blown away she bought a blu-ray player. I'll give her my copy of Gladiator if a new one really comes out (seeing is believing and digital bits has claimed titles like Taxi Driver and Lawrence of Arabia that never materialized were coming). Frankly, I think some moments of Gladiator look as good as they're going to get on the Sapphire edition. I'd love Paramount to prove me wrong.

That's because the extended parts were of a newer master. The rest was the old master from the DVD. There was a whole debate about how the extended scenes looked amazing.

Which makes me wonder......did Paramount have that whole new master and still release the sub-par product first on purpose? There are many reasons to do this (greed, look better when they "listen to the fans for a re-release") but it still seems wrong.