Titanic 4K UHD (1997)

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by gooseygander2001

Yikes... If these are rips from the disc they look really unnatural to my eyes. As others have said, it looks like Cameron is slowly trying to make his catolog of movies look more modern/digital instead of embracing film and the era his films were made. I'm all for directors intent but now I wish he didn't own the rights to his own movies. Some sites that I normally agree with gave this glowing reviews but if those clips are representative of the 4K UHD then god help us!

He doesn’t own the rights to his films drama queen.

He only stipulates in his contracts that he has final approval on video & audio masters.

[gooseygander2001]

Blu ray c-o-unt sounds about right. I didn't realise you brokered that deal.

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by gooseygander2001

Blu ray c-o-unt sounds about right

Thank you.

[blakninja]

After all these technical discussions, I went and bought this DVD today.

[Trekkie313]

[Show spoiler]

The compression, neutral color-timing...

[Mierzwiak]

Originally Posted by gooseygander2001

As others have said, it looks like Cameron is slowly trying to make his catolog of movies look more modern/digital instead of embracing film and the era his movies were made.

A pretty long time ago I started to think it is Directors of Photography, not directors who should be overseeing those restorations / remasters of their work, at least when they're still alive.

[blakninja]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

[Show spoiler]

The compression, neutral color-timing...

What are you referring to?

[matbezlima]

Originally Posted by emmet otter

I personally would be all for digital removal of unwanted 'pop ups' during the filming. Even to slightly zoom in for just a particular scene for a brief moment to take out anything unwanted would also be acceptable. To lose so little and to gain so much throughout the whole film would be an acceptable sacrifice to maintain a full open matte. Just my opinion and wish.

Your arguments sound like if open matte was 2.35, and films were cropped on the sides for an intended aspect ratio of 1.78, you would be demanding the 2.35 version, even though it's not the intended aspect ratio of the compositions. You just want open matte, to see all that was shot, you don't seem to really care about the aspect ratios themselves and how they affect the compositions, how they were meant to look. Like painters making a painting, directors and cinematographers carefully choose what should be in the frame, and what is cut, what makes the composition balanced, and so on. Changing the aspect ratio destroys the intended compositions. More isn't better. I think any cinephile would understand this.

You sound like the type of person who would love to see every film be full screen in your TV by using some sort of software that guesses what is outside the film's frame, even if it's already open matte. After all, the more the better, right? No.

[blakninja]

Hey I just noticed they mirrored the image for the 4K cover.. blasphemy! (They also changed her earrings and dress!)

[matbezlima]

Originally Posted by Mierzwiak

A pretty long time ago I started to think it is Directors of Photography, not directors who should be overseeing those restorations / remasters of their work, at least when they're still alive.

Coppola once said that the look of The Godfather is really all Gordon Willis. If Gordon Willis had been alive, he would have been pissed with the Paramount UHDs.

When Friedkin drastically changed The French Connection, how it looked, it was the outrage of the cinematographer that made Friedkin retract his changes, and Fox fix the errors.

[tama]

The DPs should be overseeing transfers huh?

Dean Cudney and Vitorrio Storaro have entered the chat

[matbezlima]

I think it makes sense that cinematographers would be far more protective of the look of the movies than directors. It must suck seeing a director changing all your hard work on a whim. You want to preserve and protect all the work you did.

[gazza1975]

talking about open matte here which is a topic im very interested in - ive been watching the open matte version from the 3d blu i believe and it looks absolutely stunning - its hard to believe how much more picture is above and below the 2.35 version - then i started to watch this new 4k version and i was instantly taken out the film - i find open matte movies more immersive and if you add the atmos soundtrack to it too it just makes the experience that extra special - are people saying that they prefer to watch movies at home with black bars at the top and bottom then because i disagree - to me wide screen scope films should be reserved for cinema screens and then for home movies(if the film was shot in super 35) they should be opened up for home viewing - cameron did this for both avatar movies and im so disappointed for the upcoming tianic, true lies and abyss 4ks that hes gone back to scope again for the home releases - i think its a real shame (

[Bolty]

This thread is more Groundhog Day than the Groundhog Day thread ever was.

[matbezlima]

I thought that we were past the point of arguing about letterboxing...

With our modern big TVs, letterboxing is not an issue. Even the tiniest modern TV will easily dwarf CRTs (the small size of those TVs was why Cameron did what he did!). There is no reason for letterboxing to not be the standard. 16:9 was chosen as an aspect ratio that would be a compromise to best fit all of them with minimal loss of screen space.

And I hope that someone here doesn't come saying they would want Ben-Hur to fill their screens. It would destroy those beautiful ultrawide compositions.

[crowe-t]

Originally Posted by blakninja

After all these technical discussions, I went and bought this DVD today.

I had this one. It's letterbox and not anamorphic.

[matbezlima]

Since we are talking about problems in projection, here is one of the all-time great cartoon gags. It fooled many projectionists into thinking there was a hair in the projector, not realizing it is actually a gag for a fourth wall break, as Tex Avery loved so much.

YouTube

[Poya]

Originally Posted by matbezlima

What about "IMAX Enhanced" versions of films? It's not rare for Marvel movies on Disney Plus to be available in such versions. It can be a nice novelty, though they are not obviously not the intended aspect ratio, and should not be the default way to watch a film. James Gunn feels this way about the IMAX Enhanced versions of his Guardians Of The Galaxy movies: he is not against it as a nice option to have, but he didn't compose the films for that aspect ratio, so it will never be the way he recommends people to watch his movies.

You know what is a very frustrating case though? Dune. That film was made for IMAX, and to fully use its screen. Dennis Villeneuve said it so. The film was made to be seen in IMAX aspect ratio. But now, in all platforms and releases, you can only watch it cropped!

I don't think Villeneuve has ever said IMAX was the only way to see the film, especially the 1.43 sequences. He may have said that as a way of saying "see this on the best screen possible" and IMAX is synonymous with that.

The film wasn't shot on the format.

Originally Posted by matbezlima

Since we are talking about problems in projection, here is one of the all-time great cartoon gags. It fooled many projectionists into thinking there was a hair in the projector, not realizing it is actually a gag for a fourth wall break, as Tex Avery loved so much.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EV7lfcZ_wN0

Tex Avery and Ryan Reynolds would have been the ultimate team-up.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by escvnte

I still have the 3D set as well, other than the 4-disc 2005 Deluxe Edition.
Those are already enough for the extras.
The 4K release is all that matters.

12 days to go, for me.

The UK version, correct? Because I surmise the BD has the same features as the US version. I may have to use DVDCompare to confirm.

[captainsolo]

Basically for the older Cameron films most of the LDs and older masters including the DVD ports of the LD masters were made before he could go to crazytown in terms of tweaking anything to his heart's desire. Each successive format and release afterwards unlocked more and more toys for him to change seemingly anything. It will be lucky if this even looks halfway decent or resembles itself.

Sure the LD masters for Cameron films aren't perfect and he got in there with early DNR on some (True Lies especially) but otherwise they're pretty much as-is for the time considering. The sound especially. Plus you can track down the 1.33 variants on the Super35 films should you wish to.