Gladiator (2000)

[recS-12]

My general rule of thumb is when a copy releases if it's rated to only have a so-so pq I almost always stay away. I have the DVD version and I always tell myself, "this is blu-ray it should be head and shoulders above the dvd in pq and aq," if not I don't buy.

[SleeperAgent]

Originally Posted by recS-12

My general rule of thumb is when a copy releases if it's rated to only have a so-so pq I almost always stay away. I have the DVD version and I always tell myself, "this is blu-ray it should be head and shoulders above the dvd in pq and aq," if not I don't buy.

Good rule. Doesn;t work for me, gave all my DVD's away when I upgraded to blu.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by TheSoviet

Good rule. Doesn;t work for me, gave all my DVD's away when I upgraded to blu.

Let that be a lesson for the next format change

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by Q!

In my opinion there should be no replacement program, people knew the transfer was mediocre, I even remember when it was the hot topic here on this very forum.
You get what you pay for.
Sorry if that pisses you of

Well, when you expect the "Sapphire" version of Gladiator to be the only version for a while you kind of just say, well, if it looks and sounds better than the DVD why not. Then, Paramount says, "Hey, let's release a new version less than a year from the Sapphire release." I think everyone thought the Sapphire edition would remain the only version for quite some time, hence, people bought it.

[Q?]

Originally Posted by Downhere

Well, when you expect the "Sapphire" version of Gladiator to be the only version for a while you kind of just say, well, if it looks and sounds better than the DVD why not. Then, Paramount says, "Hey, let's release a new version less than a year from the Sapphire release." I think everyone thought the Sapphire edition would remain the only version for quite some time, hence, people bought it.

The "why not" part was the buyers own choice, nobody forced them into making that decision.

[Fighter]

Originally Posted by 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.

Doomed?

[oyboe]

If Paramount is admitting now they made a mistake, there should be some kind of return program. One thought is if we can just send in the disks and get a new one back while keeping the existing case that would reduce Paramount's production and shipping costs. Also it will take out the sour taste I and many other people have in my mouths. Be good to your customers.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by 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.

If the studios can get away with mediocre transfers, they'll keep doing it. There will always be people who think a movie doesn't look as bad as others say, so why should the studios change their policy when the consumers keep falling for it?
But if you really think too many movies don't look as good as they can, I think your standards may need to be lowered.

[BMM]

Originally Posted by oyboe

If Paramount is admitting now they made a mistake, there should be some kind of return program. One thought is if we can just send in the disks and get a new one back while keeping the existing case that would reduce Paramount's production and shipping costs. Also it will take out the sour taste I and many other people have in my mouths. Be good to your customers.

Agreed.

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by 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.

You set your standards far too high buddy.

Gladiator was released on September 1st along with Braveheart, Heroes Season 3, Monster, M*A*S*H, Monster, The Girl Next Door, High Crimes, Puppies & Kittens, State of Play, Sugar, Supernatural: Season Four, Fire & Ice, Bring It On: Fight To The Finish, CSI: Season 9, and Terry Fator Live From Vegas.

Gladiator and Monster are the "poor" releases out of 20 new releases that day. That's too small of a percentage to call a format doomed.

If it were the other way around and 98% of the titles were poorly done then you have an argument. So I say with all you compaining you have done about this format, its either time to lower your standards or sell off you what you bought and go back to standard-definition DVDs & a standard-definition television.

[Downhere]

Originally Posted by Q!

The "why not" part was the buyers own choice, nobody forced them into making that decision.

Yes, no one forced them to buy it, but they did buy it thinking it was the definitive release of that particular title with no new release being planned for a while. If you loved the movie and thought that this would be the only version available on Blu-ray for at least two years, then why not buy it and at least have slightly better PQ and way better AQ than the DVD release. But, I'm sure if consumers knew that a better release was coming with top quality picture, then they would have waited.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Q!

In my opinion there should be no replacement program, people knew the transfer was mediocre, I even remember when it was the hot topic here on this very forum.
You get what you pay for.
Sorry if that pisses you of

I agree with you wholeheartedly, so no apology is necessary.

If someone participates on a forum such as this, the onus of responsibility falls on the forum member to seek all of the information required before deciding on a purchase. No one is in a position to plead ignorance on this subject because the disc was reviewed on this site, as well as numerous others, plus we had pages upon pages of discussion on this very release. If someone went through all of the paces yet s/he still proceeded with a purchase, and were dissatisfied with what they received, they have no one to blame but themselves. No one was compelled to purchase this when it was released initially; all buying decisions were done voluntarily.

I concur: no replacement program should be instituted. The studios owe no one anything, and vice versa. People need to learn the hard way from their mistakes, regardless of the cost.

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by Q!

In my opinion there should be no replacement program, people knew the transfer was mediocre, I even remember when it was the hot topic here on this very forum.
You get what you pay for.
Sorry if that pisses you of

I see... every single person who purchased the disc knew it was mediocre. In fact, everyone came here to judge the screen shots, including people who didn't even know this site existed. There were no people out there that saw this title coming out and got it just because they wanted it only to find out the PQ is bad.

I personally am not one to judge by screenshots. I'd rather have the actual product in order to make my decision. So I purchased this thinking "hey, this is probably the best that there will be for quite some time" since it was a Sapphire Series release. I also had faith that if the studio did remaster it within a year, they'd offer some sort of exchange program since it'd be idiotic to release the same package but with a different transfer (though Disney did just do that with Gangs of New York). But I guess it's my fault that the studio might do a re-release and a remaster less than a year after the first release.

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by Downhere

Yes, no one forced them to buy it, but they did buy it thinking it was the definitive release of that particular title with no new release being planned for a while. If you loved the movie and thought that this would be the only version available on Blu-ray for at least two years, then why not buy it and at least have slightly better PQ and way better AQ than the DVD release. But, I'm sure if consumers knew that a better release was coming with top quality picture, then they would have waited.

Exactly right. Nothing pointed to Paramount remastering it so soon. And I am sure people figured "if they remaster it soon, they'll most likely do a replacement program." Not, "I'll wait because they'll just release it again in less than a year with a better transfer" because nothing pointed to them doing that.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Downhere

Yes, no one forced them to buy it, but they did buy it thinking it was the definitive release of that particular title with no new release being planned for a while. If you loved the movie and thought that this would be the only version available on Blu-ray for at least two years, then why not buy it and at least have slightly better PQ and way better AQ than the DVD release. But, I'm sure if consumers knew that a better release was coming with top quality picture, then they would have waited.

Consumers were taken in by the studio's marketing, but that's not the studio's fault. They're pitching a product that promises the world, but a discerning, educated customer would have taken the time to evaluate and scrutinize the rhetoric. The problem is that too many people take another's word at face value, believing what was said to be true. You can call it naiveté, but I think it's more analogous to something born every minute.

What the studios are doing with the Gladiator remastered reissue is no different than the countless films that have received the same treatment on the DVD format, just less frequently, but as the Blu-ray format matures, I expect multiple dips for a title of this stature in the future.

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

Consumers were taken in by the studio's marketing, but that's not the studio's fault. They're pitching a product that promises the world, but a discerning, educated customer would have taken the time to evaluate and scrutinize the rhetoric. The problem is that too many people take another's word at face value, believing what was said to be true. You can call it naiveté, but I think it's more analogous to something born every minute.

What the studios are doing with the Gladiator remastered reissue is no different than the countless films that have received the same treatment on the DVD format, just less frequently, but as the Blu-ray format matures, I expect multiple dips for a title of this stature in the future.

But the problem is that Paramount realized that there's a problem with the transfer, and less than a year later, they may release a new version correcting the issue. That is why people believe there should be an exchange program, because Paramount is basically admitting there's an issue with the previous disc by remastering it for a rerelease.

Look at No Country For Old Men, it received a new special edition, but no one complained about an exchange program because there was nothing wrong with the original release. The reason the special edition happened was because they simply wanted to add more features. It wasn't due to a defective or poor video transfer like Gladiator.

[bandit29]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

What the studios are doing with the Gladiator remastered reissue is no different than the countless films that have received the same treatment on the DVD format, just less frequently, but as the Blu-ray format matures, I expect multiple dips for a title of this stature in the future.

True..but a reissue in less than a year?.. The Sapphire Edition which is supposed to be the top of the line correct?.. ..brutal, Paramount, brutal.

I could see 2-3 years but less than 1?

Offer an exchange program Paramount!!

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by steve_dave

You set your standards far too high buddy.

Gladiator was released on September 1st along with Braveheart, Heroes Season 3, Monster, M*A*S*H, Monster, The Girl Next Door, High Crimes, Puppies & Kittens, State of Play, Sugar, Supernatural: Season Four, Fire & Ice, Bring It On: Fight To The Finish, CSI: Season 9, and Terry Fator Live From Vegas.

Gladiator and Monster are the "poor" releases out of 20 new releases that day. That's too small of a percentage to call a format doomed.

If it were the other way around and 98% of the titles were poorly done then you have an argument. So I say with all you compaining you have done about this format, its either time to lower your standards or sell off you what you bought and go back to standard-definition DVDs & a standard-definition television.

Let us not forget that even though it was a very small percentage of "bad" PQ by our standards. It is still an increase over the DVD. That is what most consumers are looking for. If the average person was rating our PQ this site, we would have a higher average. Blu is not even close to being doomed, in fact it is thriving!

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by Q!

In my opinion there should be no replacement program, people knew the transfer was mediocre, I even remember when it was the hot topic here on this very forum.
You get what you pay for.
Sorry if that pisses you of

You know I love you but you're just wrong here my man. Everyone HERE knew it was a mediocre transfer, but Joe Blow had no idea. He thought he was buying a quality product, but he was wrong.

The studio's re-release of a better transfer, not even 1 year later, is an admission that they screwed it up.

There should be an exchange, pure and simple.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMG

Look at No Country For Old Men, it received a new special edition, but no one complained about an exchange program because there was nothing wrong with the original release.

The same could be said when WB double dipped "300".