Blu-ray transfer of old movies

[nycomet]

Originally Posted by aramis109

It's been discussed in great detail here and elsewhere, but I'll sum it up as briefly as possible:

Film is capable of much higher resolution than 1920 x 1080. There have been 4k and (I believe) even 8k resolution. That's well above the capabilities of Blu-Ray currently.

Make no mistake- if handled properly and some time and effort are put into it, older movies can look FANTASTIC. I know Rob Tomlin has been waiting forever, but Lawrence of Arabia should be amazing thanks to the filmstock used. For currently-released movies, check out Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey for a couple of the best-looking bd's available.

I can't wait for Armageddon to come out on Blu-ray. The original film burned up at Universal Studios in a fire, but Criterion had released a two-disc oldray DVD version of the movie more than a decade ago. I hope Criterion still has their copy of the Armageddon master so they can put it out on Blu-ray. I do not know if Michael Bay has a copy of the film master in his personal movie vault in his mansion. He probably has it but it might need to be THXed.

[sirk]

I just watched Kill Bill V1&2 and both are excellent looking. Also the Hunt for Red October does look excellent considering its age. I also recommend Starship Troopers as an excellent looking BD!

[imhotep]

WOW, thanks everyone for the friendly education! (note to the OP, I hope it didn't seem like I was hijacking the thread. I actually posted my own asking essentially the same question and a mod moved it).

I figured that film would be well into the realm of over-sampling when compared to 1080p, but I'm glad to have now confirmed this with the gurus. 2001 just might be the first BR disc I buy for myself. So far I've just rented a few. Spider Man 3 really blew my socks off, but that's coming from a guy who watched his first 1080p movie this week

Another question:

I've seen how you can search for current and upcoming BR releases on this website, but is there also a database somewhere that lists whether or not a specific title is slated for BR release in the distant future? I'm literally salivating for the Bourne trilogy on BR.

Thanks again for all the help. It's nice to join a forum where newbie questions aren't scorned.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by imhotep

Another question:

I've seen how you can search for current and upcoming BR releases on this website, but is there also a database somewhere that lists whether or not a specific title is slated for BR release in the distant future? I'm literally salivating for the Bourne trilogy on BR.

If it doesn't come up in a search for movies check if it is mentioned in the forums.

You can also search by cast or crew member.

Also, at the top of each thread is a search tool to search within the thread.

Originally Posted by imhotep

Thanks again for all the help. It's nice to join a forum where newbie questions aren't scorned.

You were just lucky that you caught us on a good day.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Another incredible looking catalogue title transfer is 'Speed.' For one of the first BDs released it has an astounding video quality. It was the first title that made me realize how Blu-ray is a completely rounded medium instead of just a forward moving technology. It can span the entire spectrum of film history to provide increased enjoyment of home entertainment.

[alexakajeff]

Halloween
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Evil Dead 2

That's it for horror, for the moment. Everything horror is coming out September 16, September 30, and October 21.

[RiseDarthVader]

If you go to a digital cinema you get amazing picture quality. The cinema I work at is currently testing digital projectors and if we think its good all of Australia will start switching over! No more scratches or dust, no more flickering or colour fading. Blu Ray will never look as good as digital cinema or a 1 day old print.

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by RiseDarthVader

Blu Ray will never look as good as digital cinema or a 1 day old print.

BD is almost 2K Digital Cinema. If your theater chain is looking at 2K projection system, well... If it's 4K, then it's better.


fuad

[GreenFrog08]

The old movies are being sold in blu-ray format. Are they really high definition movies? Or they upconverted regular tapes into Blu-ray format?

If we buy old collections like Indiana Jones, 007, Rambo, ... they are all fake BR correct?

Thanks.

[R3DRUM]

Originally Posted by GreenFrog08

The old movies are being sold in blu-ray format. Are they really high definition movies? Or they upconverted regular tapes into Blu-ray format?

If we buy old collections like Indiana Jones, 007, Rambo, ... they are all fake BR correct?

Thanks.

Yes they are absolutely fake. Well all the Rambo's are on blu but the only Indiana Jones on blu is the newest one and that isnt even released yet and same go's for the 007 movies, only Casino Royale is blu,.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by R3DRUM

Yes they are absolutely fake. Well all the Rambo's are on blu but the only Indiana Jones on blu is the newest one and that isnt even released yet and same go's for the 007 movies, only Casino Royale is blu,.

OP, film has a resolution many times higher than what even blu-ray can provide. Welcome to the site!

[plowmanjoe]

i tihnk you are talking about older movies being transfered onto blu-ray. not bootleg blu-rays right?

like "the thing" on blu-ray or "the warriors". these are real blu-rays. nothing fake about it.

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by GreenFrog08

The old movies are being sold in blu-ray format. Are they really high definition movies? Or they upconverted regular tapes into Blu-ray format?

If we buy old collections like Indiana Jones, 007, Rambo, ... they are all fake BR correct?

Thanks.

Full 'High definition,' or 1080p, is a specific digital resolution: 1080x1920. The vast majority of films (and all films before recent times) were filmed with actual analog film stock, which has no set resolution. In fact, film is of extremely high quality, and the level of detail you can see in film, in most cases, exceeds the level of detail possible with 1080p.

So for any given older film, you can go back to the original film stock and capture the film at 1080p or higher. This is no different than modern films (the ones still shot on film at least). Older films may have deteriorated some, but restoration is done to keep old films in good shape. Besides the issues of restoration and digital intermediates (which would just complicate this discussion), the process of bringing an old film to Blu-ray is very similar to bringing a new film to Blu-ray.

So no, there is nothing "fake" about old films in high definition.

[SoCalTiger]

Originally Posted by GreenFrog08

The old movies are being sold in blu-ray format. Are they really high definition movies? Or they upconverted regular tapes into Blu-ray format?

If we buy old collections like Indiana Jones, 007, Rambo, ... they are all fake BR correct?

Thanks.

Sure... DVDs are fake too because as everyone knows this stuff was originally recorded on "tape". VHS ftw!

[R3DRUM]

lol i misunderstood the question i thought he meant somebody was selling bootlegged blu's of those said movies .. my bad please disregard my first answer lol.

[GreenFrog08]

Thanks for great information. I thought High Definition is only new time like my Sony FX1 recorded in Hi-Def transferring to Blu in Hi-Def. Didn't know old tapes still transferring to Blu and can be considered as Hi-Def. That was my original question about fake Blu.

[AintNoSin]

Originally Posted by GreenFrog08

Didn't know old tapes still transferring to Blu and can be considered as Hi-Def.

Tapes? No. Films, absolutely.

[prankster]

Originally Posted by GreenFrog08

Thanks for great information. I thought High Definition is only new time like my Sony FX1 recorded in Hi-Def transferring to Blu in Hi-Def. Didn't know old tapes still transferring to Blu and can be considered as Hi-Def. That was my original question about fake Blu.

you will be quite amazed by the quality of most of the older/classic movies that are being re-released on blu-ray.

[neo_reloaded]

Originally Posted by GreenFrog08

Thanks for great information. I thought High Definition is only new time like my Sony FX1 recorded in Hi-Def transferring to Blu in Hi-Def. Didn't know old tapes still transferring to Blu and can be considered as Hi-Def. That was my original question about fake Blu.

Still seems to be a little confusion.

Movies are shot on film, which has an amazing level of detail (above high definition). When VHS was around, the film was captured with an appropriate level of detail to fit onto VHS. So while those VHS tapes were low quality by today's standards, they were not the definitive representation of a movie's true quality - they were basically low-quality copies of the high-quality film.

Now with Blu-ray, we can make a much higher quality copy of the film, one within the realm of "high definition."

[4K2K]

Originally Posted by neo_reloaded

Full 'High definition,' or 1080p, is a specific digital resolution: 1080x1920. The vast majority of films (and all films before recent times) were filmed with actual analog film stock, which has no set resolution. In fact, film is of extremely high quality, and the level of detail you can see in film, in most cases, exceeds the level of detail possible with 1080p.

What if they use a 2K digital intermediate and use a Defocus Window to apply a Gaussian blur to scenes, is it still extremely high quality and does it still exceed the level of detail possible with 1080p (1920x1080)?