When the Wind Blows (1986) (Limited Edition) - Page 4 - Blu-ray Forum

lolwut · 09-25-2015, 01:14 PM

Watched this last night and man, the audio issues are bad. I'm returning it for a refund. I don't know how the reviewer didn't notice it. I sent him a PM asking if he'd reevaluate his review. I also commented on TT's Facebook page and they weren't exactly friendly about it:

"Will this be corrected? If not I'd like a refund because it's a really distracting error."

"You have already been told you can have a refund -- please contact SAE to that effect."

"I was?"

"This disc has been out for a year, and we have had exactly one complaint - if you purchased from SAE, please email orders@screenarchives.com - thanks."

I find it hard to believe that they've only had one complaint. If that's the case more people should let them know about it. Do they not have a QC department? Either they didn't notice it (poor quality control) or they did and didn't care, knowingly releasing a defective product. And they have the nerve to charge a premium price for it.

Ruined · 10-31-2015, 06:43 PM

After thinking about it, I realized what the echoes and sound problems are.

This is my educated guess: They used a master with sped up PAL audio to create this release and failed to properly convert it to 24fps - retaining the pitch of the PAL audio and time stretching it to the longer runtime during conversion instead of retaining the tempo and lower pitch by 4% as is the proper way to do it.

Now, when you slow down PAL audio to 24fps you have two ways of doing it:
1. Retain pitch
2. Retain tempo

If you use "retain pitch," you will end up with artifacts that you hear in When the Wind Blows. Essentially, it attempts to stretch the existing 25fps audio to the longer feature length 24fps audio requires. In doing so, it has to interpolate and essentially create sound where none exists to fill in the "gaps" of the longer runtime - as pitch remains sped up - and this will lead to the exact type of artifacts heard in this movie as the software has to "guess" what to fill in the time-stretched gaps with.

If you use "retain tempo," then it will lower the pitch by 4% but there will be no artifacts in the audio as there are no "gaps" to fill in since the lower pitch extends the runtime of the audio and tempo remains identical. This is the correct way to do it. This also results in the correct pitch for the movie.

IN summary, my guess is that the software used to slow down the PAL audio master used the "retain pitch" method, resulting in audio that has echoing artifacts and also has pitch 4% too high.

James Luckard · 08-02-2017, 04:34 AM

They're down to the last few hundred copies and their license is about to expire, so they've remaindered these to $9.95:

https://www.facebook.com/twilighttim...258646/?type=3

Sadly the hideous audio issue was never corrected, so it's no sale for me. I usually love TT releases, but the clips show that the echo renders this BD unwatchable to me:

I totally understand they're a small company dealing in niche/cult films like this, and they explained that they only ever pressed the one batch of 3000 discs. It's just a shame nobody noticed before all 3000 defective discs were made, but these things happen, it's nobody's fault, and their other releases are stellar.

Ruined · 09-06-2017, 07:36 PM

I confirmed the DVD-R of this movie at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/When-Wind-Blo...the+wind+blows

...does not have the audio echo issue. It also doesn't look that much worse than the Twilight Time version since the TT version seems to be a beat up master.

Overall I'd say its worth sacrificing resolution for the corrected sound. Although the DVD-R does seem to have a single line of tracking interference in the overscan zone at the very bottom of the frame.

James Luckard · 01-12-2018, 11:38 PM

Excellent news for those who can play UK BDs.

There's a UK release coming on Jan 22:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Wind-B...dp/B076M98H2M/

I'm so glad I heard about the dreadful audio problems on the American disc here and avoided it, I'd have been very unhappy to spend that much on a BD and discover that.

Hopefully this release won't have the same problems.

Filmmaker · 01-12-2018, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Luckard

There's a UK release coming on Jan 22:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Wind-B...dp/B076M98H2M/

Hmm. Probably a slim chance of being region-free, eh?

stvn1974 · 01-13-2018, 12:02 AM

I really wanted this since I am a huge fan of the Iron Maiden song based on the film but sadly the audio cock up held me off. Shame.

James Luckard · 01-13-2018, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Filmmaker

Hmm. Probably a slim chance of being region-free, eh?

I only have 2 BFI BDs - Ian McKellen's Richard III and The Day the Earth Caught Fire. Both are region B-locked, but both work with the stop, top menu, top menu trick on my Panasonic.

James Luckard · 01-13-2018, 03:18 AM

Eager to hear some reviews from the UK to see if they've corrected the atrocious audio issue on the US disc.

Dubstar · 01-13-2018, 03:39 AM

DVDCompare review

When the Wind Blows (BFI edition)

Davidian · 01-13-2018, 04:07 AM

It sounds to me like they've run both the isolated score and the full score at both the same time as there seems to be no flanging on the voices. But seeing as the two tracks are not in exact synchronization, what you're hearing is a slight echo. If you're running just the Isolated score, I'm guessing the echo is gone...

oddbox83 · 02-02-2018, 08:20 AM

The BFI release sounded fine, no issues.

Ruined · 02-02-2018, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddbox83

The BFI release sounded fine, no issues.

Really hoping KINO or some other studio picks this up for Region A and fixes the audio issue.

WaverBoy · 02-03-2018, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddbox83

The BFI release sounded fine, no issues.

EXCELLENT news, thanks! This region-free collector will be adding this to his collection lickety-split.

Killer Meteor · 03-09-2019, 03:18 PM

The soundtrack album included several sections of dialogue, from various parts in the film, but all so quiet you could barely hear them, at least on the CD I have.

Ruined · 09-09-2019, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruined

Really hoping KINO or some other studio picks this up for Region A and fixes the audio issue.

I can confirm the German Turbine Mediabook 100% fixes the issue and is Region A friendly:

09-06-2017, 07:36 PM	#64
Ruined Blu-ray Baron Top contributor Member since:Sep 2009 Blu-ray collection:1 Trading Score:1	I confirmed the DVD-R of this movie at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/When-Wind-Blo...the+wind+blows ...does not have the audio echo issue. It also doesn't look that much worse than the Twilight Time version since the TT version seems to be a beat up master. Overall I'd say its worth sacrificing resolution for the corrected sound. Although the DVD-R does seem to have a single line of tracking interference in the overscan zone at the very bottom of the frame. Last edited by Ruined; 09-06-2017 at 10:32 PM.

01-13-2018, 03:18 AM	#69
James Luckard Blu-ray Count Top contributor Member since:Jan 2011 Location:Los Angeles, CA 4K collection:399 Blu-ray collection:1816 Blu-ray reviews: 34	Eager to hear some reviews from the UK to see if they've corrected the atrocious audio issue on the US disc. Last edited by James Luckard; 01-13-2018 at 04:10 AM.

09-25-2015, 01:14 PM	#61
lolwut Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Dec 2011 Location:Virginia, US 4K collection:384 Blu-ray collection:1641 DVD collection:445 MA collection:257 Digital collection:292 iTunes collection:347 Prime collection:210 Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:202	Watched this last night and man, the audio issues are bad. I'm returning it for a refund. I don't know how the reviewer didn't notice it. I sent him a PM asking if he'd reevaluate his review. I also commented on TT's Facebook page and they weren't exactly friendly about it: "Will this be corrected? If not I'd like a refund because it's a really distracting error." "You have already been told you can have a refund -- please contact SAE to that effect." "I was?" "This disc has been out for a year, and we have had exactly one complaint - if you purchased from SAE, please email orders@screenarchives.com - thanks." I find it hard to believe that they've only had one complaint. If that's the case more people should let them know about it. Do they not have a QC department? Either they didn't notice it (poor quality control) or they did and didn't care, knowingly releasing a defective product. And they have the nerve to charge a premium price for it.

10-31-2015, 06:43 PM	#62
Ruined Blu-ray Baron Top contributor Member since:Sep 2009 Blu-ray collection:1 Trading Score:1	After thinking about it, I realized what the echoes and sound problems are. This is my educated guess: They used a master with sped up PAL audio to create this release and failed to properly convert it to 24fps - retaining the pitch of the PAL audio and time stretching it to the longer runtime during conversion instead of retaining the tempo and lower pitch by 4% as is the proper way to do it. Now, when you slow down PAL audio to 24fps you have two ways of doing it: 1. Retain pitch 2. Retain tempo If you use "retain pitch," you will end up with artifacts that you hear in When the Wind Blows. Essentially, it attempts to stretch the existing 25fps audio to the longer feature length 24fps audio requires. In doing so, it has to interpolate and essentially create sound where none exists to fill in the "gaps" of the longer runtime - as pitch remains sped up - and this will lead to the exact type of artifacts heard in this movie as the software has to "guess" what to fill in the time-stretched gaps with. If you use "retain tempo," then it will lower the pitch by 4% but there will be no artifacts in the audio as there are no "gaps" to fill in since the lower pitch extends the runtime of the audio and tempo remains identical. This is the correct way to do it. This also results in the correct pitch for the movie. IN summary, my guess is that the software used to slow down the PAL audio master used the "retain pitch" method, resulting in audio that has echoing artifacts and also has pitch 4% too high.

01-12-2018, 11:38 PM	#65
James Luckard Blu-ray Count Top contributor Member since:Jan 2011 Location:Los Angeles, CA 4K collection:399 Blu-ray collection:1816 Blu-ray reviews: 34	Excellent news for those who can play UK BDs. There's a UK release coming on Jan 22: https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Wind-B...dp/B076M98H2M/ I'm so glad I heard about the dreadful audio problems on the American disc here and avoided it, I'd have been very unhappy to spend that much on a BD and discover that. Hopefully this release won't have the same problems.

01-13-2018, 12:02 AM	#67
stvn1974 Banned Member since:Jan 2012 Location:Earth Trading Score:18	I really wanted this since I am a huge fan of the Iron Maiden song based on the film but sadly the audio cock up held me off. Shame.

01-13-2018, 03:39 AM	#70
Dubstar Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:down at Fraggle Rock Home Theater Gallery:1 4K collection:201 Blu-ray collection:1953 DVD collection:304 MA collection:4 Digital collection:33 Trading Score:29	DVDCompare review When the Wind Blows (BFI edition)

01-13-2018, 04:07 AM	#71
Davidian Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Jun 2008 Location:Perth 4K collection:94 Blu-ray collection:1985 Blu-ray reviews: 4 Trading Score:12	It sounds to me like they've run both the isolated score and the full score at both the same time as there seems to be no flanging on the voices. But seeing as the two tracks are not in exact synchronization, what you're hearing is a slight echo. If you're running just the Isolated score, I'm guessing the echo is gone...

02-02-2018, 08:20 AM	#72
oddbox83 Blu-ray Champion Member since:Sep 2013 Location:UK	The BFI release sounded fine, no issues.

03-09-2019, 03:18 PM	#75
Killer Meteor Banned Member since:Jan 2013 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:-	The soundtrack album included several sections of dialogue, from various parts in the film, but all so quiet you could barely hear them, at least on the CD I have.

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