The Fugitive - Silent Re-repressing with VC-1 instead of MPEG-2? - Blu-ray Forum

that1guystudios · 02-23-2009, 08:28 PM

I just purchased a copy of The Fugitive on Blu-ray for $15 the other day when it was on sale. I know the PQ & AQ aren't all that great...as I had rented it once before. However, what truly surprised me is that when I stuck this disc in my PS3, and played it back the film is now encoded in VC-1. I remember being truly disappointed with the original MPEG-2 HD-DVD & Blu-ray transfers (I rented both to compare them back in the day.) But this transfer, though not all that great, seemed to be a little different. My PS3 meter reads that the film is an VC-1 encode...and Blu-ray.com and High Def Digest all say it is MPEG-2. Was this a silent fix...kind of like the Superman Returns re-release w/true-hd & PCM?

jw · 02-23-2009, 08:53 PM

i dunno, let me break out my copy, its the original release date copy from years back

Yea, what I have is the MPEG transfer from the release date....

Gremal · 02-23-2009, 09:07 PM

Very interesting. I'll try to investigate.

GGX · 02-23-2009, 09:31 PM

The original HD DVD release was always encoded in VC-1.

Clark Kent · 02-23-2009, 10:18 PM

This is very interesting indeed and merits further investigation. There was a handful of early BD's by Warner that were MPEG-2 while the equivalent HD DVD was VC-1 but I am not sure if The Fugitive was one of them. Training Day was one of these titles. Even if they have ported over the VC-1 HD DVD encode that was absent on Blu-ray, it still was mastered from a poor master that only had 1080i resolution because of improper conversion.

that1guystudios · 02-23-2009, 10:47 PM

What made me curious about this was the following:

On the documentary (during the end credits) they talk about how they removed a crew member from a shot during the train wreckage when the film was restored/remastered for the Special Edition DVD.

However, for some reason I thought I remembered the crew member
still being in the shot on both the old Blu-ray AND HD-DVD,
but he is NOT here on this new version.
That is what prompted me to check out the bitrate/encode version, and also leads me to believe this Blu-ray is a slightly remastered version.

Sure it doesn't look great, but it seems to look quite a bit better than I remember it looking on Blu-ray before!

DigitalfreakNYC · 02-23-2009, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by that1guypictures

What made me curious about this was the following:

On the documentary (during the end credits) they talk about how they removed a crew member from a shot during the train wreckage when the film was restored/remastered for the Special Edition DVD.

However, for some reason I thought I remembered the crew member
still being in the shot on both the old Blu-ray AND HD-DVD,
but he is NOT here on this new version.
That is what prompted me to check out the bitrate/encode version, and also leads me to believe this Blu-ray is a slightly remastered version.

Sure it doesn't look great, but it seems to look quite a bit better than I remember it looking on Blu-ray before!

VERY interesting.

yes, the crew member was in that shot for the original Blu-ray release! Can you give us some more information about your copy? Can you take a shot of the outside packaging? Maybe there was a change in ISBN or something?

jw · 02-23-2009, 11:22 PM

i ended up watching it all the way through, definitely solid WB material

, wasnt reference material by far but was acceptable

neo_reloaded · 02-23-2009, 11:33 PM

Also, where did you purchase this copy?

gr8one · 02-23-2009, 11:59 PM

Just checked. Mine is also VC-1. I got mine at Costco. Didn't check to see if it had the crew member because I didn't know what I was looking for.

DigitalfreakNYC · 02-24-2009, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr8one

Just checked. Mine is also VC-1. I got mine at Costco. Didn't check to see if it had the crew member because I didn't know what I was looking for.

When did you purchase yours? Can you take a pic of the packaging? Anything that may differentiate it from others?

This is the shot of the crew member, at time code 18:57.

Sussudio · 02-24-2009, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalfreakNYC

When did you purchase yours? Can you take a pic of the packaging? Anything that may differentiate it from others?

This is the shot of the crew member, at time code 18:57.

lol never noticed that

DigitalfreakNYC · 02-24-2009, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sussudio

lol never noticed that

it's a freakin' mess. Now every time I watch the movie, I see it.

Sussudio · 02-24-2009, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalfreakNYC

it's a freakin' mess. Now every time I watch the movie, I see it.

im going to go check that out now, thanks for the pic.

gr8one · 02-24-2009, 12:36 AM

Back cover is the same that is on dvdplanet. ISBN and UPC are the same.

gr8one · 02-24-2009, 12:41 AM

Just checked. The crew member is gone. Crazy.

DigitalfreakNYC · 02-24-2009, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr8one

Just checked. The crew member is gone. Crazy.

Ugh. Worst case scenario...we'll never know the difference between the two discs from the outside packaging.

that1guystudios · 02-24-2009, 01:08 AM

See the forum over at HDD...
some interesting stuff...
and I posted pics of the dissapearing train conductor.

The transfer on this disc is a lot better, just not a revelation...
you might want to look for it at Blockbuster. All the copies they get are from the same distributor and the price is still $14.99 if you can find it at your local store. The Fugivite was sent in a batch shipment in December. Some stores got it, some didn't...but they all should have come from the exact same distribution center.

(I work for Blockbuster)

http://forums.highdefdigest.com/blu-...ml#post1442728

DigitalfreakNYC · 02-24-2009, 01:14 AM

That1guy, thanks so much for all of your info! My copy is actually still sealed so I might have to do some investigating before I decide what to do.

marine92104 · 02-24-2009, 01:49 AM

If there's anyway to on the case to make sure it's the VC-1 transfer I'd be glad to buy it.

I have the MPEG-2 version & it's a mess of a transfer.

It's the worst Blu-ray transfer I own.

If anyone knows how I can pick up the VC-1 transfer let me know.

02-23-2009, 08:28 PM	#1
that1guystudios 3D Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place... 4K collection:289 Blu-ray collection:1219 DVD collection:223 MA collection:1219 Digital collection:343 iTunes collection:145 Blu-ray reviews: 30 Trading Score:117	The Fugitive - Silent Re-repressing with VC-1 instead of MPEG-2? I just purchased a copy of The Fugitive on Blu-ray for $15 the other day when it was on sale. I know the PQ & AQ aren't all that great...as I had rented it once before. However, what truly surprised me is that when I stuck this disc in my PS3, and played it back the film is now encoded in VC-1. I remember being truly disappointed with the original MPEG-2 HD-DVD & Blu-ray transfers (I rented both to compare them back in the day.) But this transfer, though not all that great, seemed to be a little different. My PS3 meter reads that the film is an VC-1 encode...and Blu-ray.com and High Def Digest all say it is MPEG-2. Was this a silent fix...kind of like the Superman Returns re-release w/true-hd & PCM?

02-23-2009, 08:53 PM	#2
jw Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Apr 2007 Location:USA Trading Score:519	i dunno, let me break out my copy, its the original release date copy from years back Yea, what I have is the MPEG transfer from the release date.... Last edited by jw; 02-23-2009 at 09:02 PM.

02-23-2009, 11:22 PM	#8
jw Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Apr 2007 Location:USA Trading Score:519	i ended up watching it all the way through, definitely solid WB material, wasnt reference material by far but was acceptable

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02-23-2009, 09:07 PM	#3
Gremal Blu-ray Samurai Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Feb 2007 Location:Daddyland Home Theater Gallery:49 Blu-ray collection:184	Very interesting. I'll try to investigate.

02-23-2009, 09:31 PM	#4
GGX Banned Member since:Oct 2006 Location:Kentwood, Michigan Blu-ray collection:262 Trading Score:2	The original HD DVD release was always encoded in VC-1.

02-23-2009, 10:18 PM	#5
Clark Kent Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Metropolis Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:184	This is very interesting indeed and merits further investigation. There was a handful of early BD's by Warner that were MPEG-2 while the equivalent HD DVD was VC-1 but I am not sure if The Fugitive was one of them. Training Day was one of these titles. Even if they have ported over the VC-1 HD DVD encode that was absent on Blu-ray, it still was mastered from a poor master that only had 1080i resolution because of improper conversion.

02-23-2009, 10:47 PM	#6
that1guystudios 3D Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place... 4K collection:289 Blu-ray collection:1219 DVD collection:223 MA collection:1219 Digital collection:343 iTunes collection:145 Blu-ray reviews: 30 Trading Score:117	What made me curious about this was the following: On the documentary (during the end credits) they talk about how they removed a crew member from a shot during the train wreckage when the film was restored/remastered for the Special Edition DVD. However, for some reason I thought I remembered the crew member still being in the shot on both the old Blu-ray AND HD-DVD, but he is NOT here on this new version. That is what prompted me to check out the bitrate/encode version, and also leads me to believe this Blu-ray is a slightly remastered version. Sure it doesn't look great, but it seems to look quite a bit better than I remember it looking on Blu-ray before!

02-23-2009, 11:33 PM	#9
neo_reloaded Banned Top contributor Member since:Jan 2008 Blu-ray collection:416 Trading Score:72	Also, where did you purchase this copy?

02-23-2009, 11:59 PM	#10
gr8one Active Member Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 iTunes collection:13 Prime collection:132 Trading Score:413	Just checked. Mine is also VC-1. I got mine at Costco. Didn't check to see if it had the crew member because I didn't know what I was looking for.

02-24-2009, 12:36 AM	#15
gr8one Active Member Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 iTunes collection:13 Prime collection:132 Trading Score:413	Back cover is the same that is on dvdplanet. ISBN and UPC are the same.

02-24-2009, 12:41 AM	#16
gr8one Active Member Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 iTunes collection:13 Prime collection:132 Trading Score:413	Just checked. The crew member is gone. Crazy.

02-24-2009, 01:08 AM	#18
that1guystudios 3D Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place... 4K collection:289 Blu-ray collection:1219 DVD collection:223 MA collection:1219 Digital collection:343 iTunes collection:145 Blu-ray reviews: 30 Trading Score:117	See the forum over at HDD... some interesting stuff... and I posted pics of the dissapearing train conductor. The transfer on this disc is a lot better, just not a revelation... you might want to look for it at Blockbuster. All the copies they get are from the same distributor and the price is still $14.99 if you can find it at your local store. The Fugivite was sent in a batch shipment in December. Some stores got it, some didn't...but they all should have come from the exact same distribution center. (I work for Blockbuster) http://forums.highdefdigest.com/blu-...ml#post1442728

02-24-2009, 01:14 AM	#19
DigitalfreakNYC Banned Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Astoria, NY Trading Score:9	That1guy, thanks so much for all of your info! My copy is actually still sealed so I might have to do some investigating before I decide what to do.

02-24-2009, 01:49 AM	#20
marine92104 Expert Member Member since:Oct 2006 4K collection:1 Blu-ray collection:1 iTunes collection:9 Trading Score:43	If there's anyway to on the case to make sure it's the VC-1 transfer I'd be glad to buy it. I have the MPEG-2 version & it's a mess of a transfer. It's the worst Blu-ray transfer I own. If anyone knows how I can pick up the VC-1 transfer let me know.

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