The Little Drummer Boy - Universal / Classic Media - Nov 5, 2019

[mar3o]

There's a huge difference between the two if you do direct A-B comparisons. I own both sets also, and just compared the two on my PC, direct shot-to-shot.

The Christmas Classics set has very chunky, mushy grain and lack of detail, and also has black crush. The Christmas Specials set is a leap forward in image quality. Much finer grain and a lot of additional detail, plus the color is way better. Night shots are bluish, not yellow. And much less black crush. It's still in rough shape but overall the far better presentation. The only problem is the Christmas Specials set has the unwanted fades, unlike the Christmas Classics set. But I can live with a few seconds of misplaced fades in return for the entire presentation looking far better. It is a shame that the fades had to be an issue though, otherwise the Christmas Specials set is the best I've seen it look.

[dukiejosh54]

Originally Posted by mar3o

There's a huge difference between the two if you do direct A-B comparisons. I own both sets also, and just compared the two on my PC, direct shot-to-shot.

The Christmas Classics set has very chunky, mushy grain and lack of detail, and also has black crush. The Christmas Specials set is a leap forward in image quality. Much finer grain and a lot of additional detail, plus the color is way better. Night shots are bluish, not yellow. And much less black crush. It's still in rough shape but overall the far better presentation. The only problem is the Christmas Specials set has the unwanted fades, unlike the Christmas Classics set. But I can live with a few seconds of misplaced fades in return for the entire presentation looking far better. It is a shame that the fades had to be an issue though, otherwise the Christmas Specials set is the best I've seen it look.

Okay thanks, i'll probably just go with The Christmas Specials version rather than spend the extra on the Classics set.

[moviebuff75]

The ghosting ruins the image, IMO.

[Torgon]

Originally Posted by moviebuff75

The ghosting ruins the image, IMO.

I don’t remember ghosting, but I wasn’t really looking for it; I was concentrating on detail and colors. I preferred the Universal version even with its flaws. I’ll have to look for the ghosting next Christmas when I break it out. I’m still amazed no one has a decent master. Maybe one day someone will find one a copy buried amongst some unrelated movies, lol.

[moviebuff75]

Universal should restore all of these films. They are iconic treasures, and deserve it. They aren't just some random tv filler.

[zepol]

Originally Posted by moviebuff75

Universal should restore all of these films. They are iconic treasures, and deserve it. They aren't just some random tv filler.

Family entertainment is so hard to find now so maybe they might.