Predator (1987) (Ultimate Hunter Edition)

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Persianimmortal

I saw this movie when it came out (I was 16 at the time), and the 2008 edition which I have is very close to how the movie looked in the theater. Perhaps your TV (or PC monitor) isn't calibrated, so the image I posted looks wrong to you, but it's a fairly accurate comparison of how these two editions actually do look.

The issue is that it is easy to make the 2008 edition look like the 2010 edition. Just turn up the DNR on your TV (most HDTVs have this setting). Also increase the Sharpness control, which is much the same as the Edge Enhancement baked into the 2010 edition. Finally, change the Color, Brightness and Contrast controls, to oversaturate and slightly wash out the picture, and Viola! you can achieve much the same "new" look as the 2010 edition.

However you can't do the reverse. You can't turn the 2010 edition into the more faithful 2008 edition. You can't remove DNR or EE, even if you turn Sharpness to 0 (which is the correct calibrated setting by the way), or switch off DNR (which is again the correct setting for an HDTV).

This is why faithfulness to the original for every movie is important. Starting with an original and faithful movie source, every person can change it to suit their taste. But if you start with a source that's already been molested and altered, the best you can get is a compromise since you can't undo some of these changes.

+1 to absolutely everything you just said.

[Agent Bond]

I recently watched the 2010 version for the first time, and I must say I'm glad that I didn't listen to everyone saying how bad it is. I mean I can understand some of the complaints, but IMO it looked fantastic!

This!

Let's take all those old classic sci-fi movies and scrub and recolorize them, then replace all the hokey special effects with brand new CGI effects, so it "looks like new"!

I'd be okay with that.

[HonestJohn]

Originally Posted by Zot!

I think the UHE would be more popular if they limited it to 3000 copies.

I wish it had been a limited edition so it wouldn't have been available for me to buy back in 2011 when I first got into Blu. It was one of the first few Blu-rays I picked up without knowing any better and to quote Arnold from another movie .... "Big Mistake"

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Agent Bond

This!



I'd be okay with that.

Then you don't understand or respect film, director's intent, or any other attribute that makes a motion picture.

[Tech-UK]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Then you don't understand or respect film, director's intent, or any other attribute that makes a motion picture.

+1.

I think some people are posting just to stir up the pot. I would also like to say that it sometimes comes down to your equipment, specifically how ones TV is setup/calibrated, or not in this case. On my old setup I never recognised the EE and DNR in films, until recently when I got my new TV and set it up properly. I cannot watch TDK anymore due to its EE! For the record I own the 2008 release of Predator.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Tech-UK

+1.

I think some people are posting just to stir up the pot. I would also like to say that it sometimes comes down to your equipment, specifically how ones TV is setup/calibrated, or not in this case. On my old setup I never recognised the EE and DNR in films, until recently when I got my new TV and set it up properly. I cannot watch TDK anymore due to its EE! For the record I own the 2008 release of Predator.

Totally agree with you Tech. The first thing I do to an HD display, even if it's not mine, is make sure Sharpness is 0, DNR is off, and Mosquito Noise Fix is off. Yeah, TDK does have a fair amount of EE in the 35mm sequences and that keeps it from being anywhere near reference material in my book even if it does have a few IMAX sequences.

[Zot!]

Originally Posted by HonestJohn

I wish it had been a limited edition so it wouldn't have been available for me to buy back in 2011 when I first got into Blu. It was one of the first few Blu-rays I picked up without knowing any better and to quote Arnold from another movie .... "Big Mistake"

I was just making a joke in reference to everybody's other favorite undying thread, Fright Night. Out of curiosity, what do the DNR lovers think about modern mainstream films that are intentional grain fests, like Green Zone.

[TheWildWhelk]

Originally Posted by Zot!

I was just making a joke in reference to everybody's other favorite undying thread, Fright Night. Out of curiosity, what do the DNR lovers think about modern mainstream films that are intentional grain fests, like Green Zone.

Haven't see Green Zone, but '300' from Zack Snyder has a lot of film grain added to it in Post so that it doesn't look like a video game. And it works. Gladiator and Blackhawk Down also have higher levels of film grain, and i accept the Directors intent with that. Having a decent screen is absolutely vital, as my first screen a 37" LG HD Ready couldn't handle film grain at all and made the image look like it had been drenched in dust. Highlander and Total Recall (UK editions) looks atrocious until i got my 40" Toshiba Regza. What! A! Difference!

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Then you don't understand or respect film, director's intent, or any other attribute that makes a motion picture.

Sometimes the "Directors/filmmakers" are just plain wrong, George Lucas and William Friedkin come to mind.

[42041]

Originally Posted by tylerdurden10

Hey, I'm not saying that I like ALL movies to look completely fresh & brand new (I'm no child, so I like alot of older movies), I'm just saying with this particular movie, I enjoyed the "newer" look of it as compared to the first release. You have to understand, I saw this movie when it came out, so for it to look as new as it does is great.

PS: Those comparison pics you posted look way worse up close compared to how it looked on my TV, of course if it looked THAT bad on my TV, then I def would prefer the 2008 release

I don't know any new movies that look like Predator UHE.

[Stinky-Dinkins]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

Sometimes the "Directors/filmmakers" are just plain wrong, George Lucas and William Friedkin come to mind.

He was talking about "Director's Intent" as in how the director originally shot and crafted the film... how a film originally appeared theatrically and how it's important to recreate that on BD. Nothing to do with a nutty Director intending to change a film many years post release, the post he quoted was in favor of film revisionism.

[HeavyHitter]

Saying the director's intent is wrong makes no sense at all. You can say it looks bad, but to say intent is wrong, is wrong. Intent is just that - the way he wanted it.

[supercutz]

Ugh, everytime I see this thread pop back up to the first page, I keep clicking on it in the hopes of an update from Fox. But nope. Just the same tired 2+ year old argument over which version is better.

Shouldn't there be a statute of limitations for resurrecting old threads to repeatedly argue a dead point that has not (and likely will not) change.

As someone else stated, both are still available. Pick the one you want and let this tired thread die.

[raygendreau]

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleich...ss=1#vergleich

Check the binocular image. Select the 1080P image and zoom to 400% after you center on the 'B' which is the Bushnell logo (I used to be a product manager with Bushnell Optical when those Instafocus binoculars were sold.) There is a thin ring around the 'B'. Toggle between the 2008 and UHE and take your choice.

I see the entire ring clearly in the UHE. It is nearly obliterated in the 2008 version. The Bushnell B is clearly a B in the UHE and like an 8 in the 2008 version. As I noted before, I have held those binoculars in my hand before they were sent out for product placement in the film so I am confident when I tell you the color is accurate.

Some of you need to brush up on the difference between a fact and opinion.

[Kryptonic]

Because I spend my time watching a movie looking for rings on tiny details that take up .5% of the image.

[42041]

Breaking news: using an obsolete, inefficient codec at low bitrates on a grainy (read: incompressible) movie may cause loss of detail in some frames


Here's a fact: the human brain is orders of magnitude more adept at separating visual elements, such as skin textures and grain, than any computer algorithm.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by raygendreau

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleich...ss=1#vergleich

Check the binocular image. Select the 1080P image and zoom to 400% after you center on the 'B' which is the Bushnell logo (I used to be a product manager with Bushnell Optical when those Instafocus binoculars were sold.) There is a thin ring around the 'B'. Toggle between the 2008 and UHE and take your choice.

I see the entire ring clearly in the UHE. It is nearly obliterated in the 2008 version. The Bushnell B is clearly a B in the UHE and like an 8 in the 2008 version. As I noted before, I have held those binoculars in my hand befor they were sent out for product placement in the film so I am confident when I tell you the color is accurate.

Some of you need to brush up on the difference between a fact and opinion.

You are still confusing overblown contrast with fine detail. You can see the ring better because the image has been made artificially brighter. Again, your opinion is simply a misinterpretation of the facts.

[42041]

Originally Posted by supercutz

Ugh, everytime I see this thread pop back up to the first page, I keep clicking on it in the hopes of an update from Fox. But nope. Just the same tired 2+ year old argument over which version is better.

Shouldn't there be a statute of limitations for resurrecting old threads to repeatedly argue a dead point that has not (and likely will not) change.

As someone else stated, both are still available. Pick the one you want and let this tired thread die.

Well, there's always people joining the forum, I'm sure it's new to someone!

[Dragon Lee]

ahhhh the memories....I remember buying the UHE and then buying the '08 release after reading all the negative UHE reviews. turns out I hated the '08 transfer so I sold/traded it about a year ago.

[Mandalorian]

Can someone who owns the UHE please upload a pic of the title screen? That's basically a screenshot of when the title "Predator" appears on screen. I have the '08 version, and think it looks great for how shitty the movie looks on its own. I want to compare the title screens of the two transfers.