Fire in the Sky (1993)

[HeavyHitter]

Those caps are really impressive - it looks like film at last! Well, I may have to pick this up sooner than later now. lol

[LeDroitDeTuer]

And here I was thinking that I'd settle for my Imprint copy. That looks way better than I thought it would, and at least this one isn't a limited release.

[RalphoR]

Well, dang....that looks amazing. I've been buying a ton of 70s animals gone bonkers and sci-fi stuff lately so I think I can squeeze in a 90s UFO gem to pair with The UFO Incident.

[NKB2017]

Originally Posted by LeDroitDeTuer

And here I was thinking that I'd settle for my Imprint copy. That looks way better than I thought it would, and at least this one isn't a limited release.

That's what I'm thinking too

[houseca]

I'm so glad I sold my Imprint. I can now get this one and have a ton of money left over to get more awesome stuff.

[Katatonia]

Originally Posted by houseca

I'm so glad I sold my Imprint. I can now get this one and have a ton of money left over to get more awesome stuff.

I'll probably keep mine for the Director's Audio Commentary + the bonus Featurette with the visual effects Supervisor and Effects Art Director, which were both quite good.

It's a little strange that Shout couldn't also get those to port over from the Imprint release.

[Manfonse]

Will upgrade to this and keep imprint, the commentary is worth keeping. UHD will be day one when that comes.

[Kyle15]

I gotta wonder why Shout was late to advertising the remaster. That's surely not something spur of the moment that changed, especially with no delay. I myself had no idea it was a remaster until what, a week ago?

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Kyle15

I gotta wonder why Shout was late to advertising the remaster. That's surely not something spur of the moment that changed, especially with no delay. I myself had no idea it was a remaster until what, a week ago?

Maybe they thought people would buy it anyway since it's the first region A release.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Maybe they thought people would buy it anyway since it's the first region A release.

They got a built-in label buyer fanbase who buys everything anyway, so they really don't have to advertise anything by that stretch.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Kyle15

They got a built-in label buyer fanbase who buys everything anyway, so they really don't have to advertise anything by that stretch.

Yep, like Criterion light. I asked a guy one time who had over 300 Criterion titles on BD if he had watched them all. He said about half. So, enough said.

[HeavyHitter]

Ordered.

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Unless it looks significantly better than the Aussie release (which I spent nearly $30 on), I'm good. With no collectable slipcover, this can wait for a future sale.

I spent about $37 total after shipping from DD for the Imprint. I'm just now learning of Shout's remaster; Not going to buy another Blu-ray, though. The 4K floodgates are open so it's just a matter of time before this one hits UHD. Shout dropped the ball by not advertising the new scan as early as possible. Maybe it was a VERY last minute decision to allow a new scan by Paramount?

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

I spent about $37 total after shipping from DD for the Imprint. I'm just now learning of Shout's remaster; Not going to buy another Blu-ray, though. The 4K floodgates are open so it's just a matter of time before this one hits UHD. Shout dropped the ball by not advertising the new scan as early as possible. Maybe it was a VERY last minute decision to allow a new scan by Paramount?

The remaster wasn't cooked up this quick. I think they made an announcement boo-boo, or possibly planned this one for UHD and then couldn't do it. Something went screwy somewhere between the short time it was announced and remaster terminology corrected.

[Nick Michalak]

Originally Posted by Kyle15

The remaster wasn't cooked up this quick. I think they made an announcement boo-boo, or possibly planned this one for UHD and then couldn't do it. Something went screwy somewhere between the short time it was announced and remaster terminology corrected.

Well, Paramount doesn't license out UHD rights. They release those in-house. It was weird how they announced this title as they released all the specs one day, but then, added on the "New 4K Scan" bit the day after. A bit of a clunky announcement. I bought the Imprint Blu-Ray on eBay for $22 after Scream Factory announced it on that first day, showing depleted bonus features and no new scan. Now, seeing these posted stills, I'm half tempted to throw another purchase out for this. We'll see. Paramount will release it on 4K Blu-Ray eventually, just like Escape From L.A., Event Horizon, and Friday The 13th (which were licensed to Scream Factory before).

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by Nick Michalak

Well, Paramount doesn't license out UHD rights. They release those in-house.

They've begun licensing UHD tho. Kino just made a hefty UHD package deal with em, for example.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Kyle15

The remaster wasn't cooked up this quick. I think they made an announcement boo-boo, or possibly planned this one for UHD and then couldn't do it. Something went screwy somewhere between the short time it was announced and remaster terminology corrected.

I assume Paramount themselves probably did a new master between Shout's acquisition and Shout's announcement. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time Shout used outdated information on their packaging (their "The Blob" and "Dawn of the Dead" releases still list extras that aren't on-disc and then there's "Get Shorty" 4K "remaster").

[JonVanSickle]

Is there anywhere to view a stills comparison or bitrate for this vs Imprint. I have the slip case version by Imprint & wonder if it’s worth the upgrade. Features matter but if it’s a substantial difference in quality, I’ll upgrade & sell my Imprint.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by JonVanSickle

Is there anywhere to view a stills comparison or bitrate for this vs Imprint. I have the slip case version by Imprint & wonder if it’s worth the upgrade. Features matter but if it’s a substantial difference in quality, I’ll upgrade & sell my Imprint.

Here is one that is similar between Kyle15's screenshots, and this site's review. Pretty significant improvement.

Imprint (top) / Shout Factory (bottom)





Bitrate info (Caps-a-Holic source for Imprint, Kyle15 for SF)

[Nick Michalak]

So, after reviewing the bonus features on both Blu-Rays, the Scream Factory one simply cut down the Imprint Films' audio commentary to a condensed "select scene" version that runs 26 minutes long as just a highlight reel of the full commentary. You can tell it was recorded via Skype/Zoom during the pandemic's height, and maybe Scream didn't feel great about the audio quality for a feature length commentary. So, they made it something easier to digest to match the other interviews.

Said interviews with Patrick, Sweeney, & Isham are essentially identical. They may have re-cut them with footage from the new scan, or at least, encoded them a bit better. The Robert Patrick interview is extended a bit more on the Scream Factory disc. Patrick talks about him mulling over the screenplay and actually visiting the town it was set in. I think the only reason that the Special Effects featurette wasn't included is that I believe it was produced by a different company. It doesn't have the Ballyhoo Films credit on it, and it contained on-camera interviews as opposed to the audio-only material of the other ones. So, for the features, Imprint wins, but Scream Factory will seemingly win in picture quality due to the new scan.