Spasmo (Umbero Lenzi) - Scorpion Releasing - Page 3 - Blu-ray Forum

stephenwilson04 · 03-31-2015, 12:32 PM

I realise this thread is for the US release of Spasmo, but for anyone who doesn't import US discs, just a heads up that 88 Films in the UK is also releasing the film on BD in July.

I KEEL YOU · 03-31-2015, 12:45 PM

Never seen this movie, but the combination of the picture on the cover, the colors and the font, along with the movie's name are EPIC.

AlexIlDottore · 05-27-2015, 12:54 AM

Oh for f sake

Quote:

Originally Posted by EddieLarkin

I'm getting a little confused over SPASMO now as well. The caps at Mondo Digital of the Scorpion disc look like it's another LVR turd, and yet the images of the actual transfer that 88 posted at FB look much better. Still a tad noisy but much more natural than the Scorpion release. Compare these from the Scorpion disc:

http://www.mondo-digital.com/spasmo7big.jpg
http://www.mondo-digital.com/spasmo6big.jpg
http://www.mondo-digital.com/spasmounfiltered.jpg

To these from the actual transfer:

https://scontent-fra3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...92537286_o.jpg
https://scontent-fra3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...22985991_o.jpg
https://scontent-fra3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...08867456_o.jpg

Perhaps it's just down to Scorpion's encoding, which is too bad because 88's isn't typically very good either.

Brian81 · 05-27-2015, 10:50 PM

So...I'm not sure what to do here. The DVD looks bad and this looks bad. This one is $20 from BBY, not sure if the price is likely to drop with time. Is this one a limited edition? AMZ's price is just too much.

My opinion on those caps is that they're probably the same master. If you notice, the better looking ones are the darker scenes. With these LVR abominations, they don't look as bad when everything's dark. It's when things are brighter that everything just falls apart....

...HOWEVER....

If the linked caps are accurate, then the compression on the Scorpion looks like trash. There should be a layer of noise across the entire image, but instead there are only patches of it. The last three you posted look more even. It's almost like the BU releases vs 'old' Arrow releases of the same titles. The compression on the Arrow releases were bad.

Is the 88 Films release going to be B-locked?

EddieLarkin · 05-27-2015, 11:05 PM

The latter 3 caps are from the actual transfer itself, rather than any Blu-ray. Hence, it's free from compression. That's perfectly replicable on a Blu-ray of course, but many labels fall down in this regard. I'll never quite understand how a label can look at their compression free transfer, and then look at their compressed Blu-ray file, and seemingly not notice or care about the often inexcusable difference.

That's not to say SPASMO is heavily compressed mind, as I recall now that Mondo Digital caps are not reliable.

As to what you should do, I strongly suggest waiting until we have more screens of both the Scorpion and 88 discs, and I'll see about doing comparisons between both, and between both releases and the caps of the transfer.

Brian81 · 05-27-2015, 11:14 PM

Don't take the image below as anything accurate. It's just a print-screen from my laptop posted into Paint of the Shriek Show DVD. Not calibrated, and it's not even a full HD monitor. Just here as a rough idea of how the DVD looked.

UseY0ur1llusi0n · 05-28-2015, 01:35 AM

I thought Scorpion said they were going to improve their encoding after the whole David and Lisa debacle.

ScorpionReleasing · 05-28-2015, 02:17 AM

The film has a deliberately stylized look and one should reserved judgment for the final product when they see it in motion projected. It's clearly not the same source as the dvd (the framing is different)

Brian81 · 05-28-2015, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScorpionReleasing

The film has a deliberately stylized look and one should reserved judgment for the final product when they see it in motion projected. It's clearly not the same source as the dvd (the framing is different)

What we are referring to is the scanner noise and how it looks compressed. That unfiltered shot from the Mondo Digital review, IF ACCURATE, looks like something from the BD of 'Burial Ground'. I hope MD took poor captures and that this doesn't represent what is actually on the disc. Because MD's captures look atrocious.

nitin · 05-28-2015, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UseY0ur1llusi0n

I thought Scorpion said they were going to improve their encoding after the whole David and Lisa debacle.

David and Lisa was apparently a mistake by the authoring house (although it would be good to get an official word on whether this wil be fixed).

As for this one, at the moment, no one is sure if MD's caps are accurate and whether Scorpion's master is different to the one 88 FIlms are using.

saginawjuggalo · 05-29-2015, 02:35 AM

I was happy to find Sorority House Massacre clocks in at a healthy 28 Mbps and Mortuary at 29 Mbps. I'm not claiming they're flawless, but compression wise it's nice step in the right direction when compared some other Scorpion offerings I've seen. After years of studying (aka obsessing) I believe AVC @27 Mbps provides a reliable starting point when it comes to quality encodes for most content... of course more is needed with the grainiest of films. Technically it goes deeper than that depending on what the compressionist does or doesn't do, I'm just glossing over things to keep it simple.

Every label should be maximizing video bitrates of the main feature! Reduce the bitrate of extras if you have to.. If I had to guess, I'm sure most wouldn't give a rat's booty about macroblocking on special features. Most Scorpion titles leave 2GB+/- (of 25GB) left on the table that could have been used towards the movie's video bitrate. I know it costs more, but moving up to 50GB would be a welcomed move for future upper tier releases. I've seen mild-to-obvious compression problems on a few Scorpion/Code Red releases when viewing on my 50" Plasma and I except to see even more using my projection setup.

According to my count Scorpion is averaging 21.951 Mbps. Code Red has recently stepped their game up with The Devil's Wedding Night @29.983 kbps and The Obsessed One @33.996 kbps. I'm hopeful that Scorpion will follow his brother's recent bitrate upgrade!

Scorpion's track record. My bitrate scans.

Death Ship: 21.994 kbps
Don't Answer the Phone!: 26.089 kbps
Girly: 24.971 kbps
House on Sorority Row 18.000 kbps
Mortuary: 29.027 kbps
The Octagon: 16.200 kbps
Sorority House Massacre: 27.998 kbps
The Unseen: 20.000 kbps

Other reported bitrate scans.

David and Lisa (13.99 Mbps)
Day of the Animals (18.09 Mbps)
Killer Fish (24 Mbps)
Short Eyes (20 Mbps)
Tomboy (25 Mbps)

FarewelltotheFlesh · 06-13-2015, 08:02 PM

Spasmo is now available from diabolikdvd

dsman71 · 06-13-2015, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarewelltotheFlesh

Spasmo is now available from diabolikdvd

And Deranged ! ( i know its not Scorpion but I just saw it)

Member-222782 · 06-13-2015, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarewelltotheFlesh

Spasmo is now available from diabolikdvd

I wonder why it's not in the new arrivals section. I had to type it in

Thanks for the heads up - didn't feel like waiting until July 7th. Amazon has it for the same price anyway.

RiFiFi1955 · 06-13-2015, 10:48 PM

I got this on pre-order, can't wait until it is in my hands!

FarewelltotheFlesh · 06-14-2015, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cine74

I wonder why it's not in the new arrivals section. I had to type it in

Thanks for the heads up - didn't feel like waiting until July 7th. Amazon has it for the same price anyway.

I know, I found it by accident. I think they forgot to update the "latest arrivals" section. Apparently they have a busy weekend with The Devil's Playground poster show.

I was hoping diabolik would get Malice and Needful Things but it looks like they're either skipping those titles or they haven't put pre-orders up.

cakefactory · 06-14-2015, 06:53 PM

Is anyone getting both this and the UK version? I'd definitely buy this one all things being equal, but it sounds like they are from different sources and will look quite different.

FarewelltotheFlesh · 06-23-2015, 10:04 PM

Received my copy from diabolikdvd. I watched the "unfixed" version and I think it looks great. I'm not an expert but this looks very good to my eyes. There's some print damage and it has noise but the PQ is detailed and colorful. I doubt 88 films version is going to look better than this. Love 88 Films and everything but this is probably as good as it gets for a film such as this. Well done Scorpion! I'm very pleased with my purchase.

cakefactory · 06-23-2015, 10:43 PM

Thanks for the feedback, I'll order it from Diabolik right now!

Brian81 · 06-24-2015, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Is anyone getting both this and the UK version? I'd definitely buy this one all things being equal, but it sounds like they are from different sources and will look quite different.

I'm waiting to see screencaps from both releases. If they're close, I will go Region A. If not and the Region B is better, I'll import even though it means I can't play it on every player.

05-27-2015, 10:50 PM	#44
Brian81 Blu-ray Champion Member since:Mar 2011 Trading Score:4	So...I'm not sure what to do here. The DVD looks bad and this looks bad. This one is $20 from BBY, not sure if the price is likely to drop with time. Is this one a limited edition? AMZ's price is just too much. My opinion on those caps is that they're probably the same master. If you notice, the better looking ones are the darker scenes. With these LVR abominations, they don't look as bad when everything's dark. It's when things are brighter that everything just falls apart.... ...HOWEVER.... If the linked caps are accurate, then the compression on the Scorpion looks like trash. There should be a layer of noise across the entire image, but instead there are only patches of it. The last three you posted look more even. It's almost like the BU releases vs 'old' Arrow releases of the same titles. The compression on the Arrow releases were bad. Is the 88 Films release going to be B-locked? Last edited by Brian81; 05-28-2015 at 03:49 AM.

05-28-2015, 02:17 AM	#48
ScorpionReleasing Scorpion Releasing Insider Member since:Aug 2012	The film has a deliberately stylized look and one should reserved judgment for the final product when they see it in motion projected. It's clearly not the same source as the dvd (the framing is different) Last edited by ScorpionReleasing; 05-28-2015 at 02:53 AM.

05-29-2015, 02:35 AM	#51
saginawjuggalo Power Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2007 Location:Saginaw, Michigan 4K collection:167 Blu-ray collection:2058 DVD collection:85 iTunes collection:1 Trading Score:2	I was happy to find Sorority House Massacre clocks in at a healthy 28 Mbps and Mortuary at 29 Mbps. I'm not claiming they're flawless, but compression wise it's nice step in the right direction when compared some other Scorpion offerings I've seen. After years of studying (aka obsessing) I believe AVC @27 Mbps provides a reliable starting point when it comes to quality encodes for most content... of course more is needed with the grainiest of films. Technically it goes deeper than that depending on what the compressionist does or doesn't do, I'm just glossing over things to keep it simple. Every label should be maximizing video bitrates of the main feature! Reduce the bitrate of extras if you have to.. If I had to guess, I'm sure most wouldn't give a rat's booty about macroblocking on special features. Most Scorpion titles leave 2GB+/- (of 25GB) left on the table that could have been used towards the movie's video bitrate. I know it costs more, but moving up to 50GB would be a welcomed move for future upper tier releases. I've seen mild-to-obvious compression problems on a few Scorpion/Code Red releases when viewing on my 50" Plasma and I except to see even more using my projection setup. According to my count Scorpion is averaging 21.951 Mbps. Code Red has recently stepped their game up with The Devil's Wedding Night @29.983 kbps and The Obsessed One @33.996 kbps. I'm hopeful that Scorpion will follow his brother's recent bitrate upgrade! Scorpion's track record. My bitrate scans. Death Ship: 21.994 kbps Don't Answer the Phone!: 26.089 kbps Girly: 24.971 kbps House on Sorority Row 18.000 kbps Mortuary: 29.027 kbps The Octagon: 16.200 kbps Sorority House Massacre: 27.998 kbps The Unseen: 20.000 kbps Other reported bitrate scans. David and Lisa (13.99 Mbps) Day of the Animals (18.09 Mbps) Killer Fish (24 Mbps) Short Eyes (20 Mbps) Tomboy (25 Mbps) Last edited by saginawjuggalo; 06-13-2015 at 06:36 AM. Reason: Updated info.

03-31-2015, 12:32 PM	#41
stephenwilson04 Special Member Member since:Jan 2011 Location:Scotland Home Theater Gallery:1 Blu-ray collection:2	I realise this thread is for the US release of Spasmo, but for anyone who doesn't import US discs, just a heads up that 88 Films in the UK is also releasing the film on BD in July.

03-31-2015, 12:45 PM	#42
I KEEL YOU Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:May 2011 4K collection:67 Blu-ray collection:458 DVD collection:42	Never seen this movie, but the combination of the picture on the cover, the colors and the font, along with the movie's name are EPIC.

05-27-2015, 11:05 PM	#45
EddieLarkin Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jun 2011 4K collection:659 Blu-ray collection:4699 DVD collection:893 Trading Score:1	The latter 3 caps are from the actual transfer itself, rather than any Blu-ray. Hence, it's free from compression. That's perfectly replicable on a Blu-ray of course, but many labels fall down in this regard. I'll never quite understand how a label can look at their compression free transfer, and then look at their compressed Blu-ray file, and seemingly not notice or care about the often inexcusable difference. That's not to say SPASMO is heavily compressed mind, as I recall now that Mondo Digital caps are not reliable. As to what you should do, I strongly suggest waiting until we have more screens of both the Scorpion and 88 discs, and I'll see about doing comparisons between both, and between both releases and the caps of the transfer.

05-28-2015, 01:35 AM	#47
UseY0ur1llusi0n Banned Top contributor Member since:Oct 2013 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Trading Score:4	I thought Scorpion said they were going to improve their encoding after the whole David and Lisa debacle.

06-13-2015, 08:02 PM	#52
FarewelltotheFlesh Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jun 2012 Location:Ontario, Canada Blu-ray reviews:12	Spasmo is now available from diabolikdvd

06-13-2015, 10:48 PM	#55
RiFiFi1955 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jun 2012 Location:Albany, NY 4K collection:104 Blu-ray collection:1930	I got this on pre-order, can't wait until it is in my hands!

06-14-2015, 06:53 PM	#57
cakefactory Blu-ray Baron Top contributor Member since:Oct 2012 Location:WI, USA 4K collection:442 Blu-ray collection:3929 DVD collection:808 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:23	Is anyone getting both this and the UK version? I'd definitely buy this one all things being equal, but it sounds like they are from different sources and will look quite different.

06-23-2015, 10:04 PM	#58
FarewelltotheFlesh Blu-ray Guru Member since:Jun 2012 Location:Ontario, Canada Blu-ray reviews:12	Received my copy from diabolikdvd. I watched the "unfixed" version and I think it looks great. I'm not an expert but this looks very good to my eyes. There's some print damage and it has noise but the PQ is detailed and colorful. I doubt 88 films version is going to look better than this. Love 88 Films and everything but this is probably as good as it gets for a film such as this. Well done Scorpion! I'm very pleased with my purchase.

06-23-2015, 10:43 PM	#59
cakefactory Blu-ray Baron Top contributor Member since:Oct 2012 Location:WI, USA 4K collection:442 Blu-ray collection:3929 DVD collection:808 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:23	Thanks for the feedback, I'll order it from Diabolik right now!

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals