Spartacus (1960) (Restored Edition)

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by MisterXDTV

8/35 gives you 6K MAX resolution. Spartacus was also scanned @6K.

8K scans are used for 65mm (5/70 or 15/70) films only (maybe the only exception is Doctor Zhivago by Warner Bros)

Arri reference formula:

VistaVision (8/35): 37.72 mm × 24.92 mm: 6286 × 4153 pixels
Technirama (anamorphic 8/35, 1.5x ): 38 mm × 25.20 mm: 6333 × 4200 pixels

65mm (5/70): 52.48 mm × 23.01 mm: 8746 × 3835 pixels (also anamorphic 1.25x)

As RAH sez in ^ that link above, 8/35 is still scanned perf-to-perf @ 4K like a conventional 35mm feature, but the horizontal information of the movie itself (8/35 being a horizontal format) is @ 6K, as noted by your resolutions above.

[L'armée des ombres]

Originally Posted by Jaymole

I am still holding off on getting this as I am hopeful that Criterion will release this on Blu-ray.

Criterion could not add anything transfer wise so why wait

[MisterXDTV]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

As RAH sez in ^ that link above, 8/35 is still scanned perf-to-perf @ 4K like a conventional 35mm feature, but the horizontal information of the movie itself (8/35 being a horizontal format) is @ 6K, as noted by your resolutions above.

Exactly they are scanned 4K on the vertical axis, so the final result is a 6K x 4K scan....

[Early Memphis]

Originally Posted by Page14

Just wanted to update the above post. I tried playing my Spartacus blu-ray disc on somebody else's blu-ray player and it plays great. So I have to conclude that the problem is indeed my player. I still need to install the latest firmware, but even if that fixes the problem, I think it's time for me to start shopping for a new player.

Think ... OPPO!

[Page14]

Originally Posted by Early Memphis

Think ... OPPO!

Thank you! I'm aware of OPPO's great reputation ... it could be my next player.

My TV is a Pioneer, so I'm not sure if there's any benefit in hooking up a Pioneer blu-ray player to it or not. I'll be visiting the different blu-ray player forums to do some research.

[HD Goofnut]

Still waiting for $10 or less on this one. I paid $15 for the DNR disaster several years ago and I refuse to pay that much again.

[applemac]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Still waiting for $10 or less on this one. I paid $15 for the DNR disaster several years ago and I refuse to pay that much again.

This restoration is probably one of, if not, the best 4K restorations of a catalog film. Well worth $15.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Still waiting for $10 or less on this one. I paid $15 for the DNR disaster several years ago and I refuse to pay that much again.

You refuse to pay that much again for what? Spartacus? Blu-rays in general? I can see you being wary of DNR distasters and wanting to think economically... too bad there isn't a website or something you can go to to read a review and maybe check out some sample screencaps to see if they fixed the problem. Hmmm.

[AlexIlDottore]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Still waiting for $10 or less on this one. I paid $15 for the DNR disaster several years ago and I refuse to pay that much again.

It's your kind of attitude that will finish the physical format. Thanks.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

You refuse to pay that much again for what? Spartacus? Blu-rays in general? I can see you being wary of DNR distasters and wanting to think economically... too bad there isn't a website or something you can go to to read a review and maybe check out some sample screencaps to see if they fixed the problem. Hmmm.

I know the film was fixed. It's a thing of principle in my mind. When a studio screws up a release, like Universal did with Spartacus, I often times don't like spending the same amount for the double dip when a corrected version is released.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

I know the film was fixed. It's a thing of principle in my mind. When a studio screws up a release, like Universal did with Spartacus, I often times don't like spending the same amount for the double dip when a corrected version is released.

So what if it goes down to $12? That's less than what you paid for the old one. Or is $5 the going rate for your principles?

[Narcissus]

If I {blind} buy a bluray without doing my homework, that is on me, I EXPECT the studios to throw out stuff on a new format half-assed in order to cash in on the "gotta have it" wave. I bought the initial release of Spartacus knowing it was bad cause it's Kubrick {even though it's totally an Un-Kubrick film} and while bad, I feel the overall improvement is mostly acceptable.

When this came along, I was overjoyed at the reviews and screen caps and had zero problems buying another copy. Saying that you aren't going to support a great release because you bought a disc the studio put out that you didn't like/was a bad version is really doing the film industry a disservice.

Do homework, boycott bad releases {or don't about having done so afterwards}, support great releases like this {IMO this is tied with Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur as the greatest restorations ever done} because it's the only way the studios will change habits. Nothing will change unless you hurt the money.

Re Streaming, Digital, Physical:
The likely hood of a drive crash is all too great, and I don't want to be dependent on the interwebs for my video needs. BluRay may not have penetrated like dvd, which hit in 1996 and is still going strong. Players for both formats are going to be around far past my expiration date, heck you can still buy new vcr's {ok on ebay but still..}, and the only way I can see bluray or dvd dying is if the studios say that it isn't cost effective to make them anymore and flip over exclusively to streaming, in which case I will more than likely stop buying films.

Short Story Long:
If you are not buying this masterpiece out of some sort of spite/grudge/principal you are hurting yourself because this is a truly perfect restoration. Secondarily to that, you are only encouraging the studios to stop caring about the quality.

/me burns soap box

[electricloseyland]

Anyone order this from Amazon lately? Is it still coming with a slipcover? Thanks.

[Blu-21]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Still waiting for $10 or less on this one. I paid $15 for the DNR disaster several years ago and I refuse to pay that much again.

Did you know how crap the previous BD was before committing to the buy?

[stratford]

BLU-21
Most of us that did avoid the first blu release of Spartacus-1960 did so because we read the reviews telling us that the Criterion DVD was visibly superior. I have though copied the Criterion features DVD and given the whole box set to a charity shop and bought the 2Nd release of Spartacus on Blu.

What Narcissus says is spot on

[Geoff D]

How bizarre, spiting a GORGEOUS new remaster just because the old one was crap. I think Paramount deserve shooting for what they did to the Star Trek films, but if they released a 4K remastered box set tomorrow for several hundred simoleons I would buy it so fast you wouldn't see me for dust.

Let's just add it to the list of goofnut's quirks and move swiftly on.

[fullclipfink]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Still waiting for $10 or less on this one. I paid $15 for the DNR disaster several years ago and I refuse to pay that much again.

$8.99 this week at Fry's. Picked mine up yesterday with a slipcover.

http://www.frys.com/product/8550009?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[I KEEL YOU]

I was watching this video where Scorsese interviews Spielberg and they talk about Kubrick's wishes about Spartacus' restoration at the 57:35 mark here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufRw6bT7CL0

[Blu-21]

Originally Posted by stratford

BLU-21
Most of us that did avoid the first blu release of Spartacus-1960 did so because we read the reviews telling us that the Criterion DVD was visibly superior. I have though copied the Criterion features DVD and given the whole box set to a charity shop and bought the 2Nd release of Spartacus on Blu.

What Narcissus says is spot on

The HD-DVD was also superior, even though that was a very disappointing release as well.

[shrex]

Originally Posted by fullclipfink

$8.99 this week at Fry's. Picked mine up yesterday with a slipcover.

http://www.frys.com/product/8550009?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Did the same, along with the 20th anniversary edition of Apollo 13, sadly no slip on that one.