Cast Away is here!

[shamus]

Just came in the mail. Popped it in for a quick look....
-First it is a grainy mess(and I dont mind grain) and the print has a lot of damage/dirt etc... Owners of D-Theater warned us and I would have to say they are right.
-Second its 16X9???? Case says 2.35:1? I did pop in the standard DVD and that too is 16X9 with a misprint of 2.35:1.
-Third.... some good news. The audio in the crash sequence is frighteningly real(and this is only the core).

As bad as I feel the PQ is, its still a nice improvement over the DVD on a 10ft screen. There was a huge improvement from the standard DVD DTS track compared to this DTS core(I cant wait to get a player that decodes Masters)
Im a little disappointed as I was really looking forward to reference PQ on a deserted island, but we were warned by others.

Couple more notes..
-The case is one of the old Fox cases with the rounder corners... I wonder how long this has been sitting in a Fox warehouse?
-This may hold the record for the longest boot time so Im expecting some players to have problems with it. Panny BD10 owners have no fear.

[Konfusion]

its out already?

[kpkelley]

I got mine on friday from pacific.

[GaS]

I thought PQ on this title was only so-so with the DTheater tape.

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by shamus

Couple more notes..
-The case is one of the old Fox cases with the rounder corners... I wonder how long this has been sitting in a Fox warehouse?
-This may hold the record for the longest boot time so Im expecting some players to have problems with it. Panny BD10 owners have no fear.

I think you're mistaken. This is the first Fox Blu-Ray I've had where it actually has the embedded Blu-Ray logo at the top. All the other ones are rounded.

But this film is very grainy and... well... film like. There's dirt and stuff, but there are no compression artifacts which is nice. Some of it's somewhat soft, but like you said, it is an improvement over the regular DVD. One thing I noticed is that the sound isn't flagged for ES which I believe the original DVD was. Not really a big deal, just a little something I noticed.

[shamus]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMG

I think you're mistaken. This is the first Fox Blu-Ray I've had where it actually has the embedded Blu-Ray logo at the top. All the other ones are rounded.

But this film is very grainy and... well... film like. There's dirt and stuff, but there are no compression artifacts which is nice. Some of it's somewhat soft, but like you said, it is an improvement over the regular DVD. One thing I noticed is that the sound isn't flagged for ES which I believe the original DVD was. Not really a big deal, just a little something I noticed.

I meant the corners of the case, but you are right about the imbedded logo. The new Die Hards have a more squarish box and just by my first look at this case.... it just looks old.

I was hoping for a 6.1 or 7.1 aswell.

What about that 16X9 thing?

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by shamus

I meant the corners of the case, but you are right about the imbedded logo. The new Die Hards have a more squarish box and just by my first look at this case.... it just looks old.

I was hoping for a 6.1 or 7.1 aswell.

What about that 16X9 thing?

That's correct. I believe it was orginally shown as flat (1.85) in theaters. So that's correct.

[KenThompson]

Even if the transfer is not up to snuff I have to get it as my copy on dvd went bye bye a month ago. Still one of my favorites.

[lgans316]

Anyone wants to debate the review rating done on our own forum ?

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movie...20&show=review

[blujacket]

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1088/castaway.html

[Scorxpion]

link:

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/fusio...hp?tid/139662/

Video:

"Fox still can’t seem to get the advertised aspect right for this film. Both the previous DVD and the new BD list the film as 2.35. All who have seen it already know that it’s actually a 1.85 film. So, for most, that means no letterboxing. This is another accomplished high def video presentation. Encoded at a high AVC bitrate, it distinguishes itself over the previous DVD in many areas, particularly high frequency detail and the overall sense of clarity from not only the heightened sense of resolve, but the lesser burden from compression and ringing. Compression appeared to hold no burden over the video even in the more challenging underwater and nighttime shots. Gradients and transitions are always smooth and natural. And film grain is preserved much more cleanly as well.


Audio:

"When the DVD came out, this was one of the most often talked about demo discs for really deep bass. I can think of a few better now, but Cast Away still shakes things up from time to time - the plane crash probably being the most memorable. The film received a nod from the Academy for its sound. Unless they experienced the film in a THX certified theater, this is probably the first time most have probably heard its full might and subtlest detail. I still haven’t. But, the lossy core was very immersive. It throws so much at you at once, it becomes hard to separate all the different effects, confusing your senses, much the same way Hank’s character would have probably felt in such a severe situation. It’s very effective indeed with lots of post injected ambient tropical island detail to take the place of Hank’s silence – until he unboxes Wilson that is.

[davidPS3]

Thanks for the update and news. I am still waiting for my copy to show up?

[davidxiphoid]

Just got this in the mail from amazon. Was really excited to watch it on blu as it's one of my favorite movies. Also assumed it would be, and should be in theory, a demo disc. It takes place on a deserted tropical island, should be a gorgeous transfer right? WRONG......wow .. Pretty sad pq. Better than the DVD? Yes but that's not sayin much. The aq is damn great but overall one of my biggest disappontments in blu purchases. even @ $9.99 I almost feel taken advantage of. Shame on you 20th century fox...

[Dotpattern]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

Pretty sad pq. Better than the DVD? Yes but that's not sayin much. The aq is damn great but overall one of my biggest disappontments in blu purchases. even @ $9.99 I almost feel taken advantage of. Shame on you 20th century fox...

You're assuming that Fox did something wrong and that the transfer is poor. But there is nothing wrong with the transfer and Fox has nothing to be ashamed of. The movie, even in the theater, was not bright and pristine. It is dark and muddy on purpose as it serves the mood of the story and the loneliness of the character. The island isn't a tropical getaway for Chuck Noland and therefore shouldn't look like an episode of Planet Earth.

[xander]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

Pretty sad pq. Better than the DVD? Yes but that's not sayin much. The aq is damn great but overall one of my biggest disappontments in blu purchases. even @ $9.99 I almost feel taken advantage of. Shame on you 20th century fox...

To be fair, the OP of this thread gave you a heads up 2 years ago.

[cojake]

I bought a Canadian copy from a member on here and was quite pleased with my purchase. I thought it looked great. I saw it in the theater as well and remember it being gritty and gloomy at times too.

[McGarnigal]

I just watched it a few days ago- some scenes are better than others, the island scenes aren't Lost/Planet Earth quality but look great compared to the indoor scenes. Blacks aren't amazing either, but the audio is.

[davidxiphoid]

I disagree. There are several threads talking about how 20th century Fox skimps on quality, extras etc... Have they gotten better about not half assing blu releases? absolutely.... This is an older release so I didn't expect it to be pristine, but it's below subpar as far as I'm concerned. Reminiscent of the first release of 'the fifth element' only difference being that Sony did right, remastered it and offered new copies free to anyone that purchased the first release.

True the OP did warn,but I honestly never expected it to be THAT poor looking. I do agree that certain scenes look better than some. The long shots, the panoramic scenes, those look especially horrible. It was just $10 bucks so I'm not crushed, but I can imagine the anger of the original purchasers that paid $30 after viewing it.

Originally Posted by Dotpattern

You're assuming that Fox did something wrong and that the transfer is poor. But there is nothing wrong with the transfer and Fox has nothing to be ashamed of. The movie, even in the theater, was not bright and pristine. It is dark and muddy on purpose as it serves the mood of the story and the loneliness of the character. The island isn't a tropical getaway for Chuck Noland and therefore shouldn't look like an episode of Planet Earth.

[Mendoza]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

I honestly never expected it to be THAT poor looking. I do agree that certain scenes look better than some. The long shots, the panoramic scenes, those look especially horrible.

What is it specifically about the PQ that made it seem so bad?
I'm inclined to agree that the deliberately bleak, lonely, desolate nature of the cinematography (e.g. shooting in overcast conditions) just doesn't lend itself to the clear, colorful, "tropical adventure" look which is more satisfying aesthetically but wouldn't have suited the content. But after taking that into account there are no doubt some deficiencies in the transfer; I just haven't watched this in awhile and when I did was only slightly disappointed (part of me still thinking a tropical island has to be beautiful.)

[Clark Kent]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Fox's transfer of Castaway. In fact, it is one of the exemplary Blu-rays they have done, an AVC-encoded image at an average over 33 Mbps. Those numbers are better than 98% of all releases from any studio. The original film was just not meant to be great looking in high-definition.