Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Theatrical Versions) - April 6, 2010

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by blindcat87

I never bought audio versions because I won't touch abridged audio books and the unabridged ones were way too expensive.

I think it's a shame that many audiobooks are abridged. I think that especially in the digital age, there should be an effort to offer unabridged versions of any book committed to audio.

[demiscy]

Originally Posted by masoud90

I think I just seriously melted. Watched the 1080p trailer for the trilogy disk set on Yahoo! Movies and it is really incredible. OMFG!!!

can't find it.. can you please provide us with a link?

edit: found it
http://vodpod.com/watch/2697709-the-...lu-ray-trailer

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

Mandatory??

Mandatory because they contain the background that explains why the circumstances exist as they are in the main story. In his letters, Tolkien expresses that is why he added the appendices - to give the necessary background info without slowing the story down. For example, the full importance of Aragorn cannot be appreciated without tracing his lineage back to the Numenoreans (before they became corrupted), of whom their first king - Elros, was Elrond's brother; the light from Galadriel's phial that Frodo and Sam used as defense against Shelob originated from a Silmaril - that Earendil (Elrond and Elros' father) now carries above the world in his ship, etc. This timeline in appendix B is a particularly coincise and excellent summary.

[masoud90]

Originally Posted by demiscy

can't find it.. can you please provide us with a link?

edit: found it
http://vodpod.com/watch/2697709-the-...lu-ray-trailer

Well, Idk if that link is 1080p or not...but go to http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810129268/video/17135127
below the video, there is a link that says HD, move ur mouse over and select 1080p. Then click on that. It is streaming, but once it's downloaded (within seconds, I would think), open it up with whatever player u use, I use quicktime. Then click enter full screen or whatever that option is for you and enjoy the amazingness. The detail is so incredible.
I seriously have watched it 10 times since I saw it lol.

[blindcat87]

I agree. It can be really frustrating. I am a big fan of a lot of series that are only available in abridged format and to me it is in some ways worse than there being no version available at all. I just checked Audible again and the versions they have are full cast performances put out by the BBC, recordings of the radio productions they did years ago. Does anyone know if those were unabridged or not? Audible doesn't usually tag performance versions like these as to whether or not they are modified from the original text. I really would like to go through the books available before watching the BDs, but don't want an abridged version. I think I can check out the books from the NLS, the national library service for the blind, who never abridge books, but then I can't own them and commercial books usually have at least slightly better production values, so I prefer to go that route whenever possible. I might have to just buy the performance versions and check out the library versions to get the best of both worlds.

Chris

Chris

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

I think it's a shame that many audiobooks are abridged. I think that especially in the digital age, there should be an effort to offer unabridged versions of any book committed to audio.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by saprano

The reason i say TWOO is a bad example is because that movie got a special treatment. i mean its not everyday a movie gets remasterd (I wish that were the case). im saying warners regularreleases are average.

To put it in perspective, if they were to handle the transfer for pirates of the caribbean i highly doubt it would come out looking like it does now from disney. im sure many will agree with me.

The Pirates movies have 2K Digital Intermediates, I thought. It's not that difficult to get that result from what's essentially a straight port. And I'd still like to know the many titles Warner has apparently screwed up with. I think it's more the negative attitude a lot of people still have than the studio actually doing something wrong.

[MCT]

Originally Posted by deado

TrueHD 5.1... fail Warner, fail...

What happened to the DTS Master 7.1 as was reported a few months back?

TrueHD 5.1 almost guarantees that it will be 16-bit as well, as all Warner TrueHD tracks are always 16-bit...

Oh what could have been..

n00b time...

difference between 16 and 24 bit?

[mdm1699]

Originally Posted by MCT

n00b time...

difference between 16 and 24 bit?

8 bit

[Kynch]

Originally Posted by MCT

n00b time...

difference between 16 and 24 bit?

16-bit =
24-bit =

[MCT]

so I'll only go halfway-deaf as opposed to totally deaf with the sound fully cranked. Gotcha.

[kernel_thai]

I, too, used to read LotR every year. I was never much of a fan of the Hobbit tho. Much like the first two HP books, i find that tale more geared for children. Since the movies came out by tradition has ended. I do sometimes work my way thru the Bob Ingles performed audio version in the car on my way to work. I occasionally wade thru Silmarillon again but usually as separate tales as opposed to reading the whole thing.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by blindcat87

Does anyone know if those were unabridged or not?

Chris

The only unabridged version audiobook that I am aware of is the edition narrated by Rob Inglis; it is 55 hours long! Here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Tri...0990737&sr=8-1

[blindcat87]

Ouch, what a price tag, of course it is for the whole trilogy, so not really all that bad. Makes me lean towards checking out the library version though. Thanks for the info though. I'll probably give in sometime after my budget recovers from the holidays.

Chris

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

The only unabridged version audiobook that I am aware of is the edition narrated by Rob Inglis; it is 55 hours long! Here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Tri...0990737&sr=8-1

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by blindcat87

Ouch, what a price tag, of course it is for the whole trilogy, so not really all that bad. Makes me lean towards checking out the library version though. Thanks for the info though. I'll probably give in sometime after my budget recovers from the holidays.

Chris

Yes, it's too bad that the BBC versions aren't unabridged, no offense against Rob Inglis (haven't heard his version), but I have a difficult time imagining that his single-person attempt would be better than the BBC cast.

[saprano]

Originally Posted by KubrickFan

The Pirates movies have 2K Digital Intermediates, I thought. It's not that difficult to get that result from what's essentially a straight port. And I'd still like to know the many titles Warner has apparently screwed up with. I think it's more the negative attitude a lot of people still have than the studio actually doing something wrong.

The negative attitude comes from them doing a half assed job with their transfers, come dont act like you know this, there was whole DNR debate way back when. their tranfers were far from perfect, but again, they have been getting better

[blu_sharpy]

Originally Posted by saprano

The negative attitude comes from them doing a half assed job with their transfers, come dont act like you know this, there was whole DNR debate way back when. their tranfers were far from perfect, but again, they have been getting better

I must admit I was anti-warner for a while due to their treatment of catalog titles. But, they have been getting much, much better and have been bringing out the greats on Blu-ray with fantastic transfers (Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind etc...)
I have no doubt they will do really well with LOTR on Blu-ray especially seen as they will make millions of pounds out of it. And after Gladiator, I think companies have learned a thing or two about DNR usage.

[42041]

Originally Posted by KubrickFan

The Pirates movies have 2K Digital Intermediates, I thought. It's not that difficult to get that result from what's essentially a straight port. And I'd still like to know the many titles Warner has apparently screwed up with. I think it's more the negative attitude a lot of people still have than the studio actually doing something wrong.

My biggest problem with Warner these days is their video compression. Their techs must monitor their work on small displays (admittedly, I sit closer to my TV than most, but that doesn't excuse them when other studios do it right), because I routinely see obvious and frequent compression issues on their new releases, including Watchmen, Heat, North by Northwest (and that's just the stuff I've seen recently enough to easily recall) and pretty much EVERYTHING they put out in their dual format days.

[captainjoe]

Originally Posted by 42041

My biggest problem with Warner these days is their video compression. Their techs must monitor their work on small displays (admittedly, I sit closer to my TV than most, but that doesn't excuse them when other studios do it right), because I routinely see obvious and frequent compression issues on their new releases, including Watchmen, Heat, North by Northwest (and that's just the stuff I've seen recently enough to easily recall) and pretty much EVERYTHING they put out in their dual format days.

+1

That's the main issue with Warner. Their compression is rarely up to par.

[kernel_thai]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

Yes, it's too bad that the BBC versions aren't unabridged, no offense against Rob Inglis (haven't heard his version), but I have a difficult time imagining that his single-person attempt would be better than the BBC cast.

I have the BBC version on cassette as well as the Ingles version. While a full cast is always better than one actor, Ingles does a credible job. The big difference is the abridged version nearly qualifies a cliff notes. The BBC rendering is only 10 hours long if memory serves.

One of my most significant technological purchases was buying that silly ipod adapter for my car radio. My ipod became bookpod and suddenly I had time for books again.

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by kernel_thai

I have the BBC version on cassette as well as the Ingles version. While a full cast is always better than one actor, Ingles does a credible job. The big difference is the abridged version nearly qualifies a cliff notes. The BBC rendering is only 10 hours long if memory serves.

One of my most significant technological purchases was buying that silly ipod adapter for my car radio. My ipod became bookpod and suddenly I had time for books again.

I have thought about getting the ipod adapter for my car, as I occasionally make the long trip down I-5 from Seattle to San Diego, and the LOTR audio book would be a nice thing to have on the drive.