Most disappointing Blu-ray releases so far

[Evra]

We're now into 2011 and with another year gone, we've ushered in many great Blu-ray releases but also some utter disappointments when it comes to Blu-rays. So, what has been the most disappointing Blu-ray releases for you so far? I don't mean disappointing in terms of the quality of the film but rather the Blu-ray release.

Here are a few of mine:

Heat: A Michael Mann supervised transfer and this is the best they provided us? Don't get me wrong I love Heat as much as the next guy but with this transfer, I have no desire to revisit this film on Blu-ray no thanks to the awful audio mix.

Batman Begins: The five minute preview to The Dark Knight included in the disc made me want to break the disc after knowing that we could have had PQ as good as TDK but instead had to endure what we had to endure with the Batman Begins transfer. Boo!

Charade: One of my favorite films of all time and I was thrilled to see this on the Criterion collection but the extras or rather the lack of it, is disappointing to say the least and imho, no where near deserving the hefty price tag it has.

Any others to add?

[GunRanger]

I really don't see he problem with Heat.

[HD Goofnut]

Predator: UHE - Way too much DNR. Luckily I kept my 2008 MPEG-2 version.

Spies Like Us/Funny Farm - Both needed new masters and Warner didn't want to pay for it.

The Untouchables - Too much DNR, but it is still noticeably better than the DVD.

That's the first few that come to mind. Maybe I'll think of more later.

[ridergroov1]

I don't see a problem with Heat or Batman Begins. I thought batman was really good actually.

[nolfoc]

Originally Posted by GunRanger

I really don't see he problem with Heat.

Originally Posted by ridergroov1

I don't see a problem with Heat or Batman Begins. I thought batman was really good actually.

+1 i dont see what the problem is either.. i thought Heat and Batman Begins looked excellent

[lefty23]

Originally Posted by ridergroov1

I don't see a problem with Heat or Batman Begins. I thought batman was really good actually.

I don't see a problem with any of the three: Heat, Batman Begins, or Charade. I can understand wanting more special features, but to classify it as a disappointing release is a bit of a stretch IMO.

[BillieCassin]

None. Honestly.

I like to watch movies. And TV shows. If they look better than DVD, I'm happy. And I don't put a microscope up to my TV to check every little pixel - it either looks good, or it doesn't. I think some people spend an awful lot of time worrying about things that are pretty insignifigant to the overall viewing experience - and there is a huge difference between watching a movie and noticing a poor transfer, and putting a disc in to "examine" it, two feet away from the screen and going frame by frame analyzing it.

That's why I'm happy with all my Blu's - I haven't gotten a distracting transfer yet, they all look better than DVD counterparts - so hey, I'm a happy guy.

[miller_time22]

I was disappointed none of the extras for Escape from New York were carried over from the special edition dvd.

[Darthvong]

Originally Posted by miller_time22

I was disappointed none of the extras for Escape from New York were carried over from the special edition dvd.

This. Add me to the "I don't see anything wrong with Batman Begins"

[Evra]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

None. Honestly.

I like to watch movies. And TV shows. If they look better than DVD, I'm happy. And I don't put a microscope up to my TV to check every little pixel - it either looks good, or it doesn't. I think some people spend an awful lot of time worrying about things that are pretty insignifigant to the overall viewing experience - and there is a huge difference between watching a movie and noticing a poor transfer, and putting a disc in to "examine" it, two feet away from the screen and going frame by frame analyzing it.

That's why I'm happy with all my Blu's - I haven't gotten a distracting transfer yet, they all look better than DVD counterparts - so hey, I'm a happy guy.

I own DVDs for most of the older films I like and the only reason I buy the Blu-ray is for the transfer - hence the microscoping.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by Evra

I own DVDs for most of the older films I like and the only reason I buy the Blu-ray is for the transfer - hence the microscoping.

Whatever you do is up to you, but have you ever met a Blu-ray that looked *worse* than it's DVD? Some people might not like color timing, etc., but really....a Blu pretty much universally is better than a DVD.

Many of the films I have bought on Blu are DVD replacements as well. If they look better, I'm happy. So far, haven't found one that isn't.

What is odd about the microscope thing to me is - well, you don't watch a movie from two feet away pausing every second to compare pixels and frames, so why does it matter what it looks like that close? If it looks good at viewing distance, isn't that the point?

[minarets77]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

None. Honestly.

I like to watch movies. And TV shows. If they look better than DVD, I'm happy. And I don't put a microscope up to my TV to check every little pixel - it either looks good, or it doesn't. I think some people spend an awful lot of time worrying about things that are pretty insignifigant to the overall viewing experience - and there is a huge difference between watching a movie and noticing a poor transfer, and putting a disc in to "examine" it, two feet away from the screen and going frame by frame analyzing it.

That's why I'm happy with all my Blu's - I haven't gotten a distracting transfer yet, they all look better than DVD counterparts - so hey, I'm a happy guy.

While this forum is nowhere near as bad as AVS, I have to agree.

And also, "OMG, DOES IT HAVE A SLIPCOVER!?!?!"

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Predator: UHE - Way too much DNR. Luckily I kept my 2008 MPEG-2 version.

Spies Like Us/Funny Farm - Both needed new masters and Warner didn't want to pay for it.

The Untouchables - Too much DNR, but it is still noticeably better than the DVD.

That's the first few that come to mind. Maybe I'll think of more later.

I thought that looked spectacular on BD!It put to shame the argument that older films can't have as much detail as newer films which many here is chanting.Maybe I should take another look,but don't think I'm gonna change my mind unless someone slipped me a mind-altering drug that time I watched it

PS:Maybe there is a difference between european and american versions?That's really the only explanation I can come up with over this discrepancy in opinions . . . .

[crow2k5]

Dinosaur....
With all the great pixar transfers, this is the best they could do. What a letdown

[OneWayFilms]

Originally Posted by crow2k5

Dinosaur....
With all the great pixar transfers, this is the best they could do. What a letdown

Dinosaur wasn't PIXAR. Disney did that one all alone.

[blufellas]

Originally Posted by GunRanger

I really don't see he problem with Heat.

I also thought Heat looked good.

[nascar2010]

For me, it's "Ghostbusters". I had to double-check that I was watching the blu-ray version. Luckily, only spent $7 on it.

[DVDFreaker]

Originally Posted by nascar2010

For me, it's "Ghostbusters". I had to double-check that I was watching the blu-ray version. Luckily, only spent $7 on it.

Even with all the grain, Ghostbusters still have good picture quality

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by nascar2010

For me, it's "Ghostbusters". I had to double-check that I was watching the blu-ray version. Luckily, only spent $7 on it.

Yeah, the thing about the Ghostbusters Blu-Ray is that while it does look superior to either DVD version (especially the travesty that was the "Green" Edition), it wasn't quite up to snuff-- the master they used wasn't the greatest, and still suffered from contrast-boosting problems such as excessive "mosquito" grain and lost detail. A fresh new remaster would have solved these issues.

As for complaints about Batman Begins-- there is more to complain about with the Dark Knight Blu-Ray than the Batman Begins Blu-Ray. They used the IMAX master for the Dark Knight, which meant all scenes shot on standard 35mm film were DNR's and EE'd thanks to IMAX's DRM process. I'm sure we'll be seeing a double-dip of that title in the future (likely to coincide with the 3rd film) that will correct this issue, as well as adding more extras and possibly offering the option of keeping the movie at a constant 2.40:1 aspect ratio using seamless branching.

My most disappointing releases? Forgiving the early first couple of years and focusing on more recent titles, I would say:
1) Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition (I don't think this needs elaboration anymore)
2) Escape from New York (no extras? If they at least threw on the commentary, I could package it with my Special Edition DVD and problem solved, but they couldn't even do that).
3) Grindhouse (448 kbps Dolby Digital? Really?)

[rkproceed]

-LOTR (seemed deliberate bad PQ to me)
-Predator (The jungle looks hideous)
-Planet Earth (Our planet deserves more)