The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition) (2001-2003)

[joenostalgia23]

Originally Posted by denger76

I am sorry but I don't like all those DVD's with this release. I prefer to just watch the movies and would wish these studios would release a bare bones (just movie version). I am guessing that as greedy as these studios are that they will release the EE's individually, if not I will wait for the complete box set with the Hobbit movies.

You do know that that complete box set will probably contain hours of bonus features too? And if they release the individual LOTR films, they'll likely contain the three discs of special features.
You could try Blockbuster or eBay, they would sell used Blu-rays without special features.

[Ugly Pig]

Originally Posted by PGW

The whole friggin' disc is tinted PUKE GREEN! It's UNWATCHABLE.

Sure, UNWATCHABLE... according to NO ONE who has actually seen the disc. Gimme a break.

[JamesKurtovich]

I doubt it's unwatchable but it could certainly look better.

[Illy Scorsese]

Originally Posted by Ken Brown

Nothing you probably haven't already gathered from my various posts. Jackson's silence is a big sign, and Warner's current "no comment" stance is another. If the tint was intentional, it seems both parties would be racing to make that point clear.

Then there's the domestic price drops and international listing oddities/delays/cancellations that have cropped up in the last few days, the fact that the tinting isn't scene-specific or indicative of a selective application, the fact that Bill Hunt suddenly isn't reporting any more confirmations or comments from Lesnie (in the beginning of all this, Mr. Hunt was the most adamant that Lesnie had approved the transfer exactly as it appears; since then, he's been as quiet as Jackson, all due respect), the fact that Jackson has posted on his Facebook page about other topics but avoided the tint question altogether, the fact that as-yet-irrefuted screenshot comparisons and photoshop color analyses continue to stack up by the hour, the fact that a single pixel of pure white doesn't seem to appear anywhere in the course of the film, the fact that identical shots in FOTR and TTT display subtle and not-so-subtle differences in the specific hues that appear, the fact that white title letters and fade-to-whites exhibit a slight green tint (the same tint that graces every frame of the film), the fact that no screenshots have been posted which exhibit any measure of pure white in the image (I can find pure white in TTT and ROTK in seconds), the fact that similar tints haven't been applied to TTT and ROTK (even though Jackson's theatrical introductions confirm they were remastered), and the fact that many of the specific color palettes Jackson mentions in his commentaries and documentaries have been altered. If it's intentional, he didn't just adjust the hues of a scene or two, he adjusted the hue of the entire film. And those are just off the top of my head. I'm sure I left out quite a few.

I honestly started this whole process leaning toward the notion that the tint must be intentional. But it seems every day there have been new pieces of mounting evidence that point to an error. Not one piece of evidence has emerged in the last few weeks -- well, other than subjective opinions -- that suggest the tint is intentional. Not one. In fact, every time I've written "not one," no one has corrected me. (That's a genuine invitation to offer up objective evidence of the tint being intentional or non-existent on some pressing of the disc, not some defiant challenge of a someone refusing to consider all angles. I'd be happy to have something to mull over other than another sign that points toward a problem.)

Anywho, hope that helps clarify. The evidence is overwhelming, in my humble opinion. Considering everything that has come to light in the last few weeks, it's hard to deny the evidence is very, very one-sided. The only objective evidence that hints at the possibility that the tint may be intentional is a months-old statement from Jackson and Lesnie indicating intentional color-grading changes would grace the new transfer. Seriously gents, that's the only objective evidence that counters the suggestion that it's an error. A vague months-old statement.

Of course, all it would take to obliterate even the most overwhelming evidence is one simple sentence from Peter Jackson. A current clarification, a new statement, a "rest easy, my babies. It's all as I intended." Which brings us back to the beginning: Jackson's silence is the biggest sign.

Yet another knock it out of the park post by you Ken!

Bravo.

[griezzel]

Originally Posted by frogmort

Your eyeballs will tell your brain that it has a green tint, but then your brain will lie to your eyeballs and tell them that it does not. Will they believe it?

HI-larious!!

[ckenisell]

I have not yet given my thoughts on the tint issue, so here's my one and done:

It seems to me that Peter Jackson has confirmed that color grading has occurred. However, it is unclear as to how much color grading was applied. From the screenshots I've seen on this site (from Ken) and other sites, there has been a green tint added to the entire film. There is no question about that.

Having said that, I don't believe that PJ would approve a green tint (this dramatic) to the entire first film. It is my opinion that this green tint WAS intended for a single scene, but got applied to the entire film. I have used various color grading software and color grading often does not get rendered at the time that the colorist is making the changes. The software usually exports profiles and timecodes in which the profiles should be applied. Then, when all of the manual work is done, the computer will render all of the changes based on the profiles and time codes created by the color grading software. Sometimes, the software gets it wrong and applies one profile to the entire film. This can happen as this is only one step of the pipeline. It could have happened AFTER PJ gave his sign-off on the film. And even though this is a high profile release, things happen. This is why PJ has not endorsed this release. I'm not even sure that he wanted the EE's the be released right now. Especially with all of the extra footage and special features he wanted released with the HD EE's. This is Warner trying to make as much $$$ as they possibly can. This is "show business" people. Not "show art."

I'd also like to address this topic of screenshots vs. motion video. There has never been nor will there ever be a difference between a screenshot or motion video when it comes to COLOR. A screenshot is just as good of an indicator of color as motion video is (unless it's a rogue frame or something). The monitor or display that is displaying the image is much more important than the screenshot itself, but since everybody is looking at these screenshots on various monitors, we are going to have to take a generalization of them. There is no doubt in my mind that the green tint is there.

So, why is the release still regarded as great and highly recommended? This is simple. Color is only PART of the picture. The detail of the video is determined mostly by the black and white portion. When looking at Y’CbCr or YUV, the clarity is stored in the "Y" portion of the video stream. The low-resolution color signal is carried in the "color difference" signals, because they are derived from B-Y’ and R-Y’. The Y signal can be spot on and the clarity can be great. It's the color channels that we are questioning. So, while the pictures can look "better" due to the accuracy of the Y portion, the B-Y and R-Y can still be off. And since 4:2:0 compression is used for Blu-Ray authoring, it's obvious that since "Y" is the "4" part of that, the clarity is the most important part of what makes up the image. This means that the picture can look fantastic, but the colors can still be "off".

The green tint looks horrible to me in the screenshots and I expect the green tint to look horrible to me when my set arrives from UPS. I am very sensitive to these kinds of issues. I expect the clarity to be better than the TE BDs, not the color, but those are two very separate issues. I expect WB to provide a swap option in several months, but I don't expect PJ to comment on it until a few months before the massive box set that will include the EE's of both Hobbit films and original trilogy.

Note: Credit goes to this http://www.spearsandmunsil.com article for the color space information in the second to last paragraph.

[mredman]

Anyone seen this new post by Robert Harris over at hometheaterforum:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/foru...0#post_3826048

I've been quite clear as to the vertigris issue. On my "magical system," it isn't there, which I feel has less to do with proper calibration than one might imagine. In my view many of the original frame grabs and sequences placed on line are either flawed or have been purposefully manipulated to have everyone appearing to be related to Elphaba. I must wonder if some, under fictitious names on various sites, might be there to simply try to make problems for the studio and the impending release. "Wouldn't it be fun to see how many people we can get to cancel their pre-orders..."



I've mentioned before, that the concept of "measuring" color is inappropriate to this cause. The extraction and analysis of a single frame, while interesting, proves nothing when one goes on the ride that the film offers, in motion, frame after frame, shot after shot. Virtually every frame of every color film has "measurable" green. Because of that, one may say that it has a green cast from beginning to end. But this comes down to misusing words. White, on the other hand, is a mixture of all three basic colors. How they are mixed gives white whatever slight tint it might have. And so I'm sure it is with the white FotR title.



Make no mistake, the colors and densities of FotR have been adjusted from the original in this EE version for the first time, as only digital technology allows. And this was an exceedingly expensive proposition for WB, virtually putting the film back into post-production after a decade. There are both primary, as well as secondary changes, affecting color and densities. The notorious pea green Reifenstahl sequence, as seen on line is (once again) not green at all.



Well, yes it is.



If one "measures," green as a part of the image, but let's not go back there.



To the human eye, if that sequence does not appear blue, with white snow in a blue cast, then one's system is in need of a calibration, which could be as simple as the gray scale being off.



I don't have the time to go back and find whatever post initially told the world that the entire film was now filtered a continuous green, but it is that kind of post that is not helpful, and only spreads rumors. I don't care where it started or who came up with it.



Along with many different shades used in the film, there are some that lean toward cyan/blue, which some may call green, but it not. There is nothing negative or disturbing about these shots.



As to "your take," there seems to be a tendency to manipulate statements from others. I don't recall every referencing pure whites in FotR outside of the End Title sequence, which if one "measures" will probably not come up as white. Cameron has taken the time to study these discs, and has written a beautiful and lengthy review, which, for whatever reason, you have distilled to down to:



"Cameron sees the green/cyan tint in certain scenes but doesn't find it objectionable except in maybe the one snow scene that lasts about 8 seconds. Overall, Cameron feels the good outweighs the bad because many other scenes look much better than previous versions."



This statement might lead some to believe that there is an implicit agreement by reviewers that the film has scenes that go green/cyan, which is different from cyan/blue, and that while this may be disturbing to some, is not overly disturbing to any particular reviewer. That is, except for yours truly and his "magical system."



As of this time, a quick check over at AVS has 38 posts by you, another 38 here at HTF, as well as 76 at Blu-ray forum. Many of these seem to question the new release before any of us had even seen it. My copy arrived on 14 June, the day that you began posting.



My purpose here is to attempt to educate the consumer, to explain what people might be seeing as to production problems, especially with older transfer elements. I attempt to do this is an honest and even-handed manner. Reviewers here, and at other sites, try very, very hard to get the truth to the consumer. None, afaik, are receiving payment from the studios, no new BMWs with California plates on loan. We try to hold down early rumors, work hard to substantiate, and report problems if and when they occur. Some, like Mr. Hunt, go to the studios in an effort to have them institute quiet replacement plans.



While I get a sense of excitement in some of your early posts, at a certain point they seem to lean toward stirring the proverbial pot with rumors, frame grabs and heavily compressed sequences found on line. But to what avail? Some of your postings are inclusive of very well prepared graphic material. All while those of us who are seeing the discs are reporting changes, but no real problems. This is not meant to question your integrity or purpose, but merely to try to get a handle on where, as a very active, and frequent poster, you're coming from. My intent is also not to single you out, as others across the web are re-timing and re-working the various images, creating a film as they wish it to be, and unfortunately basing some of their theories upon Mr. Brown's comment that the entire film is shaded green, whether one can discern it or not. Those theories also now seem to move on to why Mr. Hunt is suddenly quiet, why the filmmakers have not appeared to tell the world that the Blu-ray discs are correct, and how distribution problems and/ or announcements in foreign territories may be the harbinger of the entire set being pulled from distribution and changed because of said presumed errors.



Standing by to see how all of this will tie into Area 51 and Kennedy assassination. Alternative, how much of these discussions are supported by websites attempting to breed argument in discourse and hope for as many hits as possible.



RAH

Very interesting. Definitely agree with him

[Illy Scorsese]

I find it unfortunate that Robert Harris finds it "unfortunate" that people are basing their opinion on what Ken Brown has been stating...

I'll leave it there when it comes to Mr. Harris's latest "statement".

[WorkShed]

Originally Posted by joenostalgia23

Yeah I know it is, but so are Fight Club, Amelie and Harry Potter 6. Before this release, the whole friggin' film was pink. Look at the shot of Saruman from the HDTV/Theatrical Blu-ray.
I'm wasn't even saying it wasn't an issue, just that it's so small an issue that it's silly to insult other people who disagree. It's there, but I can live with it, especially knowing that every review that I've read from people who actually own the disc has said that the green tint isn't noticeable and that the PQ is great. The only people saying it looks terrible and needs to be replaced are people who've never actually watched the disc and have only seen screenshots and youtube clips.

I think that calling it unwatchable is a bit of a stretch. It's not as beautiful as it once looked (color-wise), but you can't compare FOTR with Harry Potter. Harry Potter 6 always had that patina. FOTR never did on any release until this disc. I don't think that the pink shot of Saruman looks great either, but I never noticed it until now because it was only a part of a handful of shots. The teal is everywhere and as Ken pointed out (who has consistently proven to be the most rational of people not only on this forum but several others) teal placed on saturated warm colors, will just end up cooling down some of the warmth (like Rivendell) and not make it appear teal.

On a different note, I have been a little disappointed with some of the other reviewers' comments regarding this matter. Hunt has decided to ignore it and not give any credence to people's opinions because he received some nasty e-mails. Harris has become snarky in some posts and will only talk about the release through heavy sarcasm, it appears. He even erased his initial thoughts on the discs to talk about how the films will stand the test of time and put words in Peter Jackson's mouth (which Jackson has of yet to say regarding the discs themselves) that this muted teal overlay is how FOTR was intended to always look.

[Illy Scorsese]

Originally Posted by ckenisell

I have not yet given my thoughts on the tint issue, so here's my one and done:

It seems to me that Peter Jackson has confirmed that color grading has occurred. However, it is unclear as to how much color grading was applied. From the screenshots I've seen on this site (from Ken) and other sites, there has been a green tint added to the entire film. There is no question about that.

Having said that, I don't believe that PJ would approve a green tint (this dramatic) to the entire first film. It is my opinion that this green tint WAS intended for a single scene, but got applied to the entire film. I have used various color grading software and color grading often does not get rendered at the time that the colorist is making the changes. The software usually exports profiles and timecodes in which the profiles should be applied. Then, when all of the manual work is done, the computer will render all of the changes based on the profiles and time codes created by the color grading software. Sometimes, the software gets it wrong and applies one profile to the entire film. This can happen as this is only one step of the pipeline. It could have happened AFTER PJ gave his sign-off on the film. And even though this is a high profile release, things happen. This is why PJ has not endorsed this release. I'm not even sure that he wanted the EE's the be released right now. Especially with all of the extra footage and special features he wanted released with the HD EE's. This is Warner trying to make as much $$$ as they possibly can. This is "show business" people. Not "show art."

I'd also like to address this topic of screenshots vs. motion video. There has never been nor will there ever be a difference between a screenshot or motion video when it comes to COLOR. A screenshot is just as good of an indicator of color as motion video is (unless it's a rogue frame or something). The monitor or display that is displaying the image is much more important than the screenshot itself, but since everybody is looking at these screenshots on various monitors, we are going to have to take a generalization of them. There is no doubt in my mind that the green tint is there.

So, why is the release still regarded as great and highly recommended? This is simple. Color is only PART of the picture. The detail of the video is determined mostly by the black and white portion. When looking at Y?CbCr or YUV, the clarity is stored in the "Y" portion of the video stream. The low-resolution color signal is carried in the "color difference" signals, because they are derived from B-Y? and R-Y?. The Y signal can be spot on and the clarity can be great. It's the color channels that we are questioning. So, while the pictures can look "better" due to the accuracy of the Y portion, the B-Y and R-Y can still be off. And since 4:2:0 compression is used for Blu-Ray authoring, it's obvious that sinc "Y" is the "4" part of that, the clarity is the most important part of what makes up the image. This means that the picture can look fantastic, but the colors can still be "off".

The green tint looks horrible to me in the screenshots and I expect the green tint to look horrible to me when my set arrives from UPS. I am very sensitive to these kinds of issues. I expect the clarity to be better than the TE BDs, not the color, but those are two very separate issues. I expect WB to provide a swap option in several months, but I don't expect PJ to comment on it until a few months before the massive box set that will include the EE's of both Hobbit films and original trilogy.

Note: Credit goes to this http://www.spearsandmunsil.com article for the color space information in the second to last paragraph.

Excellent post sir!

Thanks for adding your educated opinion to this debate.

[PGW]

We've had numerous screen caps and reviews of FOTR and even scientific analysis of the colors. I don't need to buy the disc and "watch it for myself" to decide if I'm going to enjoy watching the film with a green filter layered over it. They don't deserve my money for that, and they won't get it.

And, yes, if FOTR is greenified, to me, it's 100% unwatchable. Some people's mileage might vary, of course... but, then again, those same people have to make themselves feel better about buying the thing. Green? WHAT green?

Hopefully, when it's finally out, Warners will do the right thing, admit it's a mistake, and offer an exchange program (after sticking God-knows how many consumers with defective product, of course). If they don't? I won't buy it. Ever. And that's a shame, because two out of the three movies (judging by the screen-caps look great).

And, yes, I'm going to continue to be angry about that.

[frogmort]

"...and unfortunately basing some of their theories upon Mr. Brown's comment that the entire film is shaded green, whether one can discern it or not."

Yeah, I don't care too much for that kind of talk. He could have worded that a little more respectfully. At least Ken appears to be above the finger pointing, and to me comes across as much more polite, unbiased, and professional.

I've always respected Mr. Harris' point of view, but that one statement has changed my perspective of him.

[Illy Scorsese]

Originally Posted by WorkShed

On a different note, I have been a little disappointed with some of the other reviewers' comments regarding this matter. Hunt has decided to ignore it and not give any credence to people's opinions because he received some nasty e-mails. Harris has become thoroughly snarky and will only talk about the release through heavy sarcasm, it appears. He even erased his initial thoughts on the discs to talk about how the films will stand the test of time and put words in Peter Jackson's mouth (which Jackson has of yet to say regarding the discs themselves) that this muted teal overlay is how FOTR was intended to always look.

On this note, in the interest of being respectful I will only say... I am proud to be a member of this site... And that sentiment is only enriched by the fact that we have Ken Brown as a reviewer here.

I think we can all agree that Mr. Brown's review of this set was world class... And quite frankly is head and shoulders above any other that has been done to this point(including Mr. Hunt's and Mr. Harris's) in it's scope and professionalism.

In the interest of being respectful, I'll limit my comments to that as far as Mr. Hunt's and Mr Harris's roles are concerned so far on this matter... They have their right to their opinion and how they want to address these issues.

I'm happy Ken Brown is our reviewer here... End of story.

[Larkitect]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

I have to say the only really negative thing that has come from going to these forums is that they kind of ruined Star Trek (2009) for me. People say I'm a bleeping idiot that the following is true, but it is : I never noticed the

[Show spoiler]lens flares

until I heard everyone crying about them here. And now it's all I see half the time, LOL.

completely plausible. it's funny how the mind works. Star Trek is one of the few times where j.j.'s signature "technique" doesn't bother me.

i watched the FotR EE blu-ray two days ago and was happy with the new color timing. then i went online to see if there was any info about why such a dramatic (for the better IMHO) change was made between the TE and EE blu-ray releases. then i found this thread and spent a lot of time yesterday reading in utter amazement. and that's not a criticism. i've lurked on this forum off and on for years, mostly looking at the blu-ray reviews but i've never seen such a level of (what i'd call) healthy "enthusiasm" or "passion" over this issue.

that being said - and please for all that is good understand that i'm not trying to further stir the pot - i am a huge movie fan but nowhere near being an audio/video-phile of the level that a lot of you are (except where my wife and wallet allow, which is very modest). i feel i am in the audience from where most of the revenue for these releases will flow (though i could easily be wrong). as such a viewer i feel that most consumers will watch these and thoroughly enjoy them with little to no thought about the new (intentional or not for better or worse) color timing. i just can't see the pool of legitimate critics (even if the new look is in error) being at a level substantial enough to forcer Warner into action over this. love it or hate it, i think this will be the version we'll have to live with.

at least until the über-rainbow edition (where we get all three versions - Red-, Green- and Blue-tinted - of all three movies) with all the new special features that pj has been holding onto like gollum and the one ring.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by omicron

As an example as to how powerful this auto correction is, last year I had cataract surgery which means now one of my eyes has a different color response than the other. When I took off my eye patch everything I saw through that eye looked far more blue than I was used to because of the new clear lens. Seeing through the other, natural eye made everything look MUCH more brown/green. The difference was far greater than in the screenshot comparisons. Within a short while my brain learned to apply it's own automatic color grading to the different images from each eye making everything look as usual again despite the significant differences between the light reaching each retina.

Interesting. Did they make you ‘near’ or ‘far’ sighted with that one cataract surgery in the affected eye and how does that particular factor play with your other (‘natural’) eye?

Also, do you remember the exact name of the IOL which they implanted?

[frogmort]

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

On this note, in the interest of being respectful I will only say... I am proud to be a member of this site... And that sentiment is only enriched by the fact that we have Ken Brown as a reviewer here.

I think we can all agree that Mr. Brown's review of this set was world class... And quite frankly is head and shoulders above any other that has been done to this point(including Mr. Hunt's and Mr. Harris's) in it's scope and professionalism.

In the interest of being respectful, I'll limit my comments to that as far as Mr. Hunt's and Mr Harris's roles are concerned so far on this matter... They have their right to their opinion and how they want to address these issues.

I'm happy Ken Brown is our reviewer here... End of story.

Nicely said sir. I couldn't agree with you more.

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

On this note, in the interest of being respectful I will only say... I am proud to be a member of this site... And that sentiment is only enriched by the fact that we have Ken Brown as a reviewer here.

I think we can all agree that Mr. Brown's review of this set was world class... And quite frankly is head and shoulders above any other that has been done to this point(including Mr. Hunt's and Mr. Harris's) in it's scope and professionalism.

In the interest of being respectful, I'll limit my comments to that as far as Mr. Hunt's and Mr Harris's roles are concerned so far on this matter... They have their right to their opinion and how they want to address these issues.

I'm happy Ken Brown is our reviewer here... End of story.

Great post and I agree.

Originally Posted by frogmort

"...and unfortunately basing some of their theories upon Mr. Brown's comment that the entire film is shaded green, whether one can discern it or not."

Yeah, I don't care too much for that kind of talk. He could have worded that a little more respectfully. At least Ken appears to be above the finger pointing, and to me comes across as much more polite, unbiased, and professional.

I've always respected Mr. Harris' point of view, but that one statement has changed my perspective of him.

I will say that RAH is only hurting himself and his reputation by his lack of professionalism as far as this issue goes from my perspective and IMO. It is disappointing to see someone of his position be so closed minded to one side of this debate that many fans are legitimately VERY concerned about, even going as far as making fun and mocking the green haters in one of his posts over at HTF. His posts feel more like damage control instead of genuinely trying to "help". I have definitely lost some respect for him unfortunately with this whole fiasco. Sorry, but that is honestly how I feel and I certainly respect those who disagree since perception will change from one person to another for many various reasons.

Originally Posted by PGW

We've had numerous screen caps and reviews of FOTR and even scientific analysis of the colors. I don't need to buy the disc and "watch it for myself" to decide if I'm going to enjoy watching the film with a green filter layered over it. They don't deserve my money for that, and they won't get it.

And, yes, if FOTR is greenified, to me, it's 100% unwatchable. Some people's mileage might vary, of course... but, then again, those same people have to make themselves feel better about buying the thing. Green? WHAT green?

Hopefully, when it's finally out, Warners will do the right thing, admit it's a mistake, and offer an exchange program (after sticking God-knows how many consumers with defective product, of course). If they don't? I won't buy it. Ever. And that's a shame, because two out of the three movies (judging by the screen-caps look great).

And, yes, I'm going to continue to be angry about that.

I dont blame you..........I am still very much up in the air as far as a purchase which sucks considering how much I have been looking forward to this release. This green tint is a BIG letdown for me since it is a dramatic change in certain scenes and does not look like the movie I know and love

[WorkShed]

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

In the interest of being respectful, I'll limit my comments to that as far as Mr. Hunt's and Mr Harris's roles are concerned so far on this matter... They have their right to their opinion and how they want to address these issues.

I'm happy Ken Brown is our reviewer here... End of story.

I am also trying my best to be respectful. It's difficult to come in with your thoughts on something is considered controversial (even if in the grand scheme of things, teal tint is far from important), keeping your mind open to varying view points without mockery is important. While I am an avid reader of The Digital Bits and I value Harris's opinion, I do feel like they have made missteps in their handling of the matter. Ken has done a great job of juggling their feelings and opinions on the many sides of this topic and that is to be commended. His review has been the best review that I have read on this title. I feel Hunt may have hedged his bets that there wouldn't be any issue and wanted to be the first out of the gate with a review. He even said that his base audience just wants a quick review as soon as possible to make a purchasing decision. I still think that despite Harris's insistence that Hunt did research well before the discs came into his possession and may have written large chunks of his review before the landed on his doorstep, it is the job of a reviewer to effectively review the product given and not make general blanket statements on quality without actual research.

Again, I love reading The Digital Bits. People make mistakes and when you have to write over and over and over and over about the same damn movies, I can imagine the desire to take some shortcuts. Unfortunately, that may have hurt Harris in this case. I will say, in the interest of full disclosure, that I do read this website's reviews more than The Digital Bits.

However, Ken still turned in his very thoughtful review well before street date.

[joenostalgia23]

Originally Posted by WorkShed

I think that calling it unwatchable is a bit of a stretch. It's not as beautiful as it once looked (color-wise), but you can't compare FOTR with Harry Potter. Harry Potter 6 always had that patina. FOTR never did on any release until this disc. I don't think that the pink shot of Saruman looks great either, but I never noticed it until now because it was only a part of a handful of shots. The teal is everywhere and as Ken pointed out (who has consistently proven to be the most rational of people not only on this forum but several others) teal placed on saturated warm colors, will just end up cooling down some of the warmth (like Rivendell) and not make it appear teal.

On a different note, I have been a little disappointed with some of the other reviewers' comments regarding this matter. Hunt has decided to ignore it and not give any credence to people's opinions because he received some nasty e-mails. Harris has become snarky in some posts and will only talk about the release through heavy sarcasm, it appears. He even erased his initial thoughts on the discs to talk about how the films will stand the test of time and put words in Peter Jackson's mouth (which Jackson has of yet to say regarding the discs themselves) that this muted teal overlay is how FOTR was intended to always look.

I actually prefer the new timing in most places. To me, FOTR had the least attractive cinematography because everything looked so over-saturated. Not only the warm shades, but the yellows and greens of the shire seemed too bright. I just think this new palette helps cool down everything, and I've preferred the new coloring based on screenshots and youtube clips.

But I do wish that Jackson and Lesnie had spent more time. I have no issue with the minor(seriously no one would have ever noticed unless it was pointed out) coloring adjustments, but with the tools we have now... they could have color corrected select scenes, and even select areas of the screen. By laying a filter over, a lot of things like text or fades to white get affected. That's what bothers me most. I'm fine with "green sky, green smoke, green hair, etc." because it's quite common in most films.

I can live with this release. If it is confirmed to be a mistake and a replacement program is offered, I hope not all of the changes are undone because I actually prefer the new color palette in most of the scenes.

[WorkShed]

Originally Posted by joenostalgia23

But I do wish that Jackson and Lesnie had spent more time. I have no issue with the minor(seriously no one would have ever noticed unless it was pointed out) coloring adjustments, but with the tools we have now... they could have color corrected select scenes, and even select areas of the screen.

That may be true for a good deal of people, but the first thing I said when the first couple of screenshots came out was...

Originally Posted by WorkShed

I like the wide crowd shot. However, the close up on the ring is blown out and everything is WAAAAY too green. I'll have to see it in motion.

So, I would have noticed it without this controversy online. I wouldn't have been alone. I also find Taxi Driver to be too green, as well. Great detail, but a little muddy in contrast and green.