Ask questions to The Digital Bits team (Bill Hunt, Jeff Kleist et.al.)

[Jeff Kleist]

Heh

I've actually been in his old office at what is now Henson. Brian showed me the secret passage behind the desk area that leads to an apartment where Chaplin would often sleep so he didn't have to leave the office. How cool is that?

[captveg]

LOL. Nice.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Heh

I've actually been in his old office at what is now Henson. Brian showed me the secret passage behind the desk area that leads to an apartment where Chaplin would often sleep so he didn't have to leave the office. How cool is that?

Takes hiding from the wife and kids to a whole new level.

[MerrickG]

Jeff,

I wanted to make you aware that screenshots from the Alien and Aliens bluray have arrived online.

They show a nice clean image for Aliens WITH INTACT GRAIN!!!!!!

http://hcc.techradar.com/playback/co...alien-06-09-10

http://cdn.hometheaterforum.com/e/e3...b_Aliens08.jpg

I hear the sound of a lot of people who didnt think Cameron would know how his films should look getting a nice ***** slap to the face.

[Batman1980]

Originally Posted by chris0

I have a 60G launch PS3 and it's never left those marks on a DVD or Blu-ray. I just loaded and ejected a couple different Blu-rays and checked the back of each. No marks.

My PS3 does it too, I just figure the loading mechanism is dirty now or something, at least the thing stopped refusing to eject discs and/or making loud noises while doing so.

[DaViD Boulet]

Originally Posted by merrick97

Jeff,

I wanted to make you aware that screenshots from the Alien and Aliens bluray have arrived online.

They show a nice clean image for Aliens WITH INTACT GRAIN!!!!!!

http://hcc.techradar.com/playback/co...alien-06-09-10

http://cdn.hometheaterforum.com/e/e3...b_Aliens08.jpg

I hear the sound of a lot of people who didnt think Cameron would know how his films should look getting a nice ***** slap to the face.

More likely, the sound of folks breathing a sigh of relief that Cameron doesn't seem to be able to properly describe the HD clean up... apparently when Cameron says "no grain" or "grain free" what he really *means* is "plenty of natural film grain".

[Oliver K]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

More likely, the sound of folks breathing a sigh of relief that Cameron doesn't seem to be able to properly describe the HD clean up... apparently when Cameron says "no grain" or "grain free" what he really *means* is "plenty of natural film grain".

That's indeed more like it. I would guess there was some grain reduction but clearly he di not take out all the grain. That interview was either a practical joke by Mr. Cameron or he is not that as familiar with these things as we thought.

[Jeff Kleist]

Or, he had no idea a bunch of people on the Internet would freak at the mere mention of the tools he takes for granted

[Oliver K]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Or, he had no idea a bunch of people on the Internet would freak at the mere mention of the tools he takes for granted

The specifically mentioned that he was taking out all the grain, it was not just that he mentioned tools that he used.

To me the finished product is what counts and from what has been posted I would say Aliens looks better than expected by most so for once everybody should be happy

[DaViD Boulet]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Or, he had no idea a bunch of people on the Internet would freak at the mere mention of the tools he takes for granted

In the interview he actually says that they got rid of all the grain. He didn't make a comment about a "tool" like DNR, rather, he described the result of whatever method was used as rendering a grain-free image for Aliens. That's a pretty reasonable cause for alarm for any film purist, and it's clearly not what actually happened if these screen-captures are accurate, which makes one wonder why Cameron would have been so off-base with his description of the cleanup.

In any case, whether or not Cameron's skills lie with describing the results of digital clean-up on his films, the actual results on Aliens seem to be wonderful, and certainly not free from all film grain.

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by DaViD Boulet

In the interview he actually says that they got rid of all the grain. He didn't make a comment about a "tool" like DNR, rather, he described the result of whatever method was used as rendering a grain-free image for Aliens. That's a pretty reasonable cause for alarm for any film purist, and it's clearly not what actually happened if these screen-captures are accurate, which makes one wonder why Cameron would have been so off-base with his description of the cleanup.

In any case, whether or not Cameron's skills lie with describing the results of digital clean-up on his films, the actual results on Aliens seem to be wonderful, and certainly not free from all film grain.

I choose to believe that Cameron said what he felt people wanted to hear and he chose to use a term that was more "mass friendly". I have seen plenty of documentaries involving Cameron and the guy is very picky about the looks of his films and would have plenty of knowledge about the best look for his films. Thus, I have NO doubt whatsoever that if he is satisfied with the results then so should we.

In short, when he says something looks great, I believe him ANY day over ridiculous fanboy purist rhetoric.

[Oliver K]

Originally Posted by merrick97

In short, when he says something looks great, I believe him ANY day over ridiculous fanboy purist rhetoric.

So we should believe him when he says something looks great but not when he says that he got rid of all the grain?

THAT really makes perfect sense

[Jeff Kleist]

In the interview he actually says that they got rid of all the grain.

I know. I saw the thing before most people did and held my head in my hands. As I said, he did not choose his words taking into consideration Internet broohahas, he spoke from his perspective where they eliminated all the excess grain. James Cameron understands his tools very well, that's why he's always on the cutting edge

[DaViD Boulet]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

I know. I saw the thing before most people did and held my head in my hands. As I said, he did not choose his words taking into consideration Internet broohahas, he spoke from his perspective where they eliminated all the excess grain. James Cameron understands his tools very well, that's why he's always on the cutting edge

He mis-spoke plain and simple, which isn't a sin, but it doesn't mean that it wasn't cause for concern when he said "got rid of all the grain" but apparently in hind-sight meant to say "got rid of all the *excess* grain".

The latter phrase would not have been cause for concern. The "broohaha" was that he didn't say that, he characterized the digital clean up as resulting in a grain-free image. His characterization was clearly not accurate.

You don't have to be a industry insider or technical guru to discern that "getting rid of all the grain" and "getting rid of excess grain" don't imply the same thing.

Thankfully, the real issue turns out to be Cameron's lack of descriptive accuracy as the result is praisworthy... demonstrating what most of us (yes, even those who were concnered) believed: that he knows how to properly evaluate his film masters (whether or not his verbal description of digital clean up of those masters in an interview is accurate).

[Musashi]

Hey again Jeff.

How good is A&E about blu-ray releases?

I've taken a liking to an A&E show, and it now has a placeholder for DVD release on Amazon, but no mention of blu-ray. Of course, even the DVD is still tentative but I figured I'd check into it.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by kpkelley

Jeff,

After this site's review of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, a few questions have been raised.

Did WB source the transfer from a 65mm print or a 35mm print?

Is this the same transfer that was supposed to have been released in 2007 on Blu-ray and HD-DVD?

TIA

Jeff,

Any update on this disc?

Also, will the bits be reviewing it soon?

Thanks.

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Oliver K

So we should believe him when he says something looks great but not when he says that he got rid of all the grain?

Yes, if Cameron says he is satisfied with how his film looks than that is good enough for me. I have made that perfectly clear and I am glad that it now seems to be clear to you. That includes him saying he got rid of all the grain. Yes, I said just that.

Cameron has enough of a track record as far as Im concerned that anything he says or changes in regards to his films Im confident I will support.

And no, don't bother responding with a "if Cameron did this blah blah blah would you still support it?" type of hypothetical. I have FULL confidence that any change that he makes is for the better.

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

I know. I saw the thing before most people did and held my head in my hands. As I said, he did not choose his words taking into consideration Internet broohahas, he spoke from his perspective where they eliminated all the excess grain. James Cameron understands his tools very well, that's why he's always on the cutting edge

Which is EXACTLY what I thought and said all along.

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by Musashi

Hey again Jeff.

How good is A&E about blu-ray releases?

I've taken a liking to an A&E show, and it now has a placeholder for DVD release on Amazon, but no mention of blu-ray. Of course, even the DVD is still tentative but I figured I'd check into it.

A&E has already dropped a few titles on blu-ray. It would depend on the show, as these decisions are typically on a show-by-show basis. An Amazon placeholder (or lack of one) is not indicative of a studios plans. It's a guess by Amazon that a product will become available. Usually it is not based on any communication with the studio that owns the property.

[MerrickG]

Jeff,

Will you be mysteriously "absent" next tuesday? Ya know the day that a certain MS exclusive game comes out?

I will officially predict that IGN is going to give the game between a 9.7 and a 10 since they have the exclusive first review rights.