The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection 4K UHD (1954-1963)

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by Darth Marcus

US Universal HE rep: So across the pond the Hitchcock set will have plastic hubs to hold the discs. It’s a little more expensive, so we went with cardboard sleeves for our set. It saves us money, and who cares if it scratches discs? These losers will buy the set anyway. **** ‘em, amirite? Hahahaha...

Me:

Everyday that passes is one more day till I'm vindicated by all the Criterion fan boys defending their stupid hipster packaging

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by Scottishguy

Everyday that passes is one more day till I'm vindicated by all the Criterion fan boys defending their stupid hipster packaging

Criterion is not the only label that uses cardboard sleeves.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by Akoutroubas

I'm talking about when you play the disc and a message that comes up. Either make that message crystal clear or don't include one at all. Who does the QC with this damn discs?

What I was saying is that if the slightly shorter version was the actual theatrical version (at least in the US), then it would be the "uncut" version that would have to be labeled "modified."

The part that should have been made more clear was their wacky "extended version as seen in theaters... with additional footage for the first time" business.

At any rate, it doesn't seem that Universal's marketing department did much research on this.

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Criterion is not the only label that uses cardboard sleeves.

True. But they make some of the worst abominations.

[Bn43]

Originally Posted by Jlouisbarrett

I guarantee that if this set underperforms in the US, the Universal execs will not assume it’s because of the packaging. They will simply assume there’s no market demand.

After eighty years (not counting his silent films, because they don't sell as well) of popular Hitchcock and countless releases, they suddenly assume there's no demand. When other classic releases are doing fine on UHD, they assume there's no demand. I think it's safe to not buy this for now.

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by Scottishguy

True. But they make some of the worst abominations.

I’d argue that they’ve never done anything as bad as these sleeves where you have to put your fingers on both sides of the disc to get them out. I had this packaging with the Mad Men set and actually couldn’t get the discs out at all. They were stuck. I had to (no joke) pull the pages apart to get them out.

[foultone]

Originally Posted by mpa25

Also, I was extremely disappointed when Hulu pulled Alfred Hitchcock Presents a few months back as there are a ton of episodes I still hadn't watched. Is there any chance we'll ever see this collection on blu-ray and are DVD's really the only way to currently own this classic series?

It's on Peacock.

[Scottishguy]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

I’d argue that they’ve never done anything as bad as these sleeves where you have to put your fingers on both sides of the disc to get them out. I had this packaging with the Mad Men set and actually couldn’t get the discs out at all. They were stuck. I had to (no joke) pull the pages apart to get them out.

Do they even test this packaging?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdMj...ature=youtu.be

[mpa25]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

There's always a possibility we'll see more Hitchcock UHDs but the remaining Uni-owned films are all in desperate need of new masters so it might be a while.

Originally Posted by Babu93

I'm not holding my breath. I feel if there were any plans afoot, they wouldn't have released a set of their 4 biggest hitters first. But we can live in hope. If this sells well, they might consider it.

Warner do need to get their finger out with NbNW. I might be biased since it's my favourite film of all time... But jeeez, we needed that on 4K yesterday.

Thanks for your feedback Dailyan and Babu93! I ended up going through with purchasing the 2016 blu-ray release of the Masterpiece Collection earlier today. I know there's a chance all or most of these eventually get released on 4K UHD, but it sounds like a significant amount of work still needs to be done on some of the less popular titles. Who knows if that work will ever happen and see a release on a physical media format? While in my opinion anything related to Hitchcock should be a priority to NBCUniversal and should be handled with absolute care and precision (looking at you Psycho mono track), it's clear this large corporate entity doesn't think so. I might eventually purchase the Hitchcock Classics Collection on 4K or go with individual releases of some of my favorites once they do get released though. Thanks again for your insight and guidance!

[LateReg]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

I’d argue that they’ve never done anything as bad as these sleeves where you have to put your fingers on both sides of the disc to get them out. I had this packaging with the Mad Men set and actually couldn’t get the discs out at all. They were stuck. I had to (no joke) pull the pages apart to get them out.

The Mad Men set is good looking but it's easily the worst set I own from a practical standpoint. Who thinks of this crap? Before buying the set for collection purposes, I owned Seasons 1 - 7 individually and wouldn't think of selling them. In fact, I need to buy Season 7 Part 2 to complete my individual sets, which is never something someone should have to do after buying a Complete Series.

[mpa25]

Originally Posted by mpa25

Also, I was extremely disappointed when Hulu pulled Alfred Hitchcock Presents a few months back as there are a ton of episodes I still hadn't watched. Is there any chance we'll ever see this collection on blu-ray and are DVD's really the only way to currently own this classic series?

Originally Posted by The Admiral

One of the many reasons why I despise streaming so much.

Originally Posted by foultone

It's on Peacock.

Thanks for the heads up foultone!

I'm with you The Admiral. While I have a decent digital collection, I'm definitely more a fan of physical ownership of media if at all possible. The fact that licensing/contractual agreements ultimately bounce around from one streaming provider to another gives me a headache. The whole reason people gravitated to streaming in the first place was to watch only what they wanted to and could justify paying a fraction of what cable/satellite cost. Now there are so many streaming services no one can keep them straight (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, ESPN+, YouTubeTV, HBO Max, Starz, Peacock, Paramount, etc.) As a consumer, things are basically structured again that if you want to watch just a little variety you have to subscribe to at least 3-4 of those. It's cable packages just repackaged again.

[Jlouisbarrett]

Originally Posted by Bn43

After eighty years (not counting his silent films, because they don't sell as well) of popular Hitchcock and countless releases, they suddenly assume there's no demand. When other classic releases are doing fine on UHD, they assume there's no demand. I think it's safe to not buy this for now.

Universal’s previous “Masterpiece Collection” on Blu-ray (which I own) used disc sleeves. This new set also uses disc sleeves. If this UHD set doesn’t sell well, they will assume there’s not much demand for Hitchcock on a format that already struggles in sales. They will not assume it’s the sleeve packaging.

If you want more Hitchcock, or similar films on UHD in the future, then buy this set as soon as you can. If you hate the packaging, then put the discs in different packaging.

[Shanghai Express]

I’m depressed. I’ve been looking forward to this since the day the first rumors started. Tomorrow is the day, and until a few days ago I thought I’d be first in line at Barnes & Noble when they opened. But I’m seriously considering not buying this at all. I want the original soundtracks for Vertigo and Psycho. And besides, I don’t have extra cases to put the discs in. Should I just wait for individuals to come out?

[Bn43]

Originally Posted by Jlouisbarrett

Universal’s previous “Masterpiece Collection” on Blu-ray (which I own) used disc sleeves. This new set also uses disc sleeves. If this UHD set doesn’t sell well, they will assume there’s not much demand for Hitchcock on a format that already struggles in sales. They will not assume it’s the sleeve packaging.

If you want more Hitchcock, or similar films on UHD in the future, then buy this set as soon as you can. If you hate the packaging, then put the discs in different packaging.

If they assumed that, they'd be idiots, because Hitchcock's movies having been selling well for eighty years and other classic releases are doing fine on this format, as I already stated. I'm not buying this right now. Waiting for a big discount on the non-booksleeve UK version, by which point the audio labeled "Original" in Psycho will hopefully have been corrected. I know this set will sell well regardless, because it's Hitchcock, four of his most liked movies. In this particular case, they don't need you to buy it just to send a message.

[bubbafett73]

I still haven't received my set yet from Deep Discount, but it should be here this week. I went on and sent a email through the link on the website earlier today.

I was so excited to receive my order of The Alfred Hitchcock Collection 4K, but was shocked to discover that Psycho and Vertigo do not have the correct original mono mixes on the discs as advertised. They have the horrible 5.1 remix downmixed when you click on the original mono instead of the original mono soundtrack. These are some of the greatest movies of all time and people that buy 4K movies are looking to get the best presentation that is closest to the original presentation. This includes the sound along with the visual. Your company has been doing great lately on your 4K restorations, but have been dropping the ball somewhat when it comes tothe original sound. There were also mistakes on the recent Blues Brothers 4K audio track of the theatrical presentation. Please do a replacement program for these discs, especially Psycho. Everytime I hear those modern rain sounds in Psycho it just takes me right out of the movie and ruins the presentation.
Thank you.

Hopefully they respond, but I doubt it.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by bigbadwoppet

None of this material was reinserted later as an afterthought. If it hadn't been part of the Hitchcock's original cut, it'd have been trimmed and junked back in 1960 and would no longer exist. Universal is providing both cuts in order to make everyone happybut if only one version were to be preserved for posterity, it should be the uncut one.

I didn't say it was an afterthought. I believe Hitchcock wanted it in there, along with some other cuts he had to make that haven't been restored to this version.

I just think Universal's marketing copy might be misleading. Apparently, the extra footage was sourced from a print, so it probably was trimmed from the negative at some point.

Originally Posted by crissrudd4554

Technically it wasn’t. The 3D version was fixed but the 2D version looked soft but that wasn’t an authoring issue. They added some DNR to the right eye image which is what is used for the 2D version. Yes doesn’t look great to viewers but not “broken” to Universal’s eyes.

Fair enough. It was a puzzling decision, though.

[maverick22]

Is anyone else still on the fence? I can't make up my mind. I need to make up my mind quickly though since it might become available for ISPU in about 40 minutes.

Is this audio issue a big enough deal to someone who hasn't seen these before?

I despise the packaging but am looking at an option in the custom art thread.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by bubbafett73

I still haven't received my set yet from Deep Discount, but it should be here this week. I went on and sent a email through the link on the website earlier today.

I was so excited to receive my order of The Alfred Hitchcock Collection 4K, but was shocked to discover that Psycho and Vertigo do not have the correct original mono mixes on the discs as advertised. They have the horrible 5.1 remix downmixed when you click on the original mono instead of the original mono soundtrack. These are some of the greatest movies of all time and people that buy 4K movies are looking to get the best presentation that is closest to the original presentation. This includes the sound along with the visual. Your company has been doing great lately on your 4K restorations, but have been dropping the ball somewhat when it comes tothe original sound. There were also mistakes on the recent Blues Brothers 4K audio track of the theatrical presentation. Please do a replacement program for these discs, especially Psycho. Everytime I hear those modern rain sounds in Psycho it just takes me right out of the movie and ruins the presentation.
Thank you.

Hopefully they respond, but I doubt it.

Before any more emails get sent:

I think Vertigo has the correct original mono. Someone else with more knowledge of the differences should confirm, but it seems authentic to me. And the DTS X mix seems to be be built from the Blu-ray's more faithful 5.1, rather than the horrible 1996 one that was on laserdisc and DVD.

So it's probably only Psycho that's the problem.

[litemakr]

Originally Posted by maverick22

Is anyone else still on the fence? I can't make up my mind. I need to make up my mind quickly though since it might become available for ISPU in about 40 minutes.

Is this audio issue a big enough deal to someone who hasn't seen these before?

I despise the packaging but am looking at an option in the custom art thread.

If you haven't seen these movies before (lucky you, you're in for quite a treat) then I would wait a little longer to get the original soundtrack for your first viewing. It seems likely Universal will fix the Psycho disc at some point because it's a huge issue. You can always watch with the remix on a subsequent viewing, but you only get one first time to see Psycho and it should be with the soundtrack Hitchcock created, not some generic modernized version.

If you really want to see it now, get the older blu-ray which has the correct original soundtrack. It still has great picture quality.

[y2jman]

well lets see here sold out target bullmoose only in stores best buy actually got price down some 59.99 so doing shipping with taxed its 65.84

however I fire up got me a 50 dollar best buy gift card last night krogers only paid 15.84 rest of visa card i'm cheap already sold essential collection bluray yesterday I hope I get by end of the week<-now the burning question since I no longer have north by northwest bluray which was in essential bluray boxset should I try to order digibook I'm not sure I know I can watch this hbo max

i'm so glad I didn't screwed up yesterday got a target gift card try to used it and its already sold out target online meh