The Criterion Channel

[fdm]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I could probably Google this, but I figure someone here might know. Is anything on the Criterion Channel in 4K?

Nope. Best is 1080p (with dolby surround audio at best).

[fdm]

Last night I watched Diamantino. Finished it before midnight, but when done I already got the error message that it was no longer available. Good thing I started early. Goofy but still worthwhile.

I kind of petered out after that, decided to call it a month, and take care of some other things.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

I notice Inside is streaming on the Criterion Channel. Is it the unrrated version?

No idea, but it's 1:22:44 long, if that helps any. I would guess it is unrated, since Criterion doesn't seem to hold back on anything. Lionsgate.

Added it to my watch list.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by fdm

Nope. Best is 1080p (with dolby surround audio at best).

That's what I assumed. Thanks for confirming.

[RCRochester]

Just thought I'd throw a quick recommendation out for MAN ON A SWING, which is expiring at the end of December. I won't go any further into it than what is on their summary, but I'll say that if you are a fan of 70s murder mysteries/police procedurals you should definitely check it out. I had never even heard of it until I saw it on the Channel.

[nathan_h]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I could probably Google this, but I figure someone here might know. Is anything on the Criterion Channel in 4K?

They’ve sort of gone the other direction in the sense that if a movie is worth showing they just get the best they can ….. even if that’s lower than 1080p ….. rather than putting resources into updating the channel technically by going 4k.

I realize the two are not technically mutually exclusive but they seem to be behind the curve technically, probably due to finances, so with limited resources personally I endorse more content versus more technology, if they have to choose.

It’s a shame they don’t just use the built in player technology Apple offers on the tvOS and iOS platforms which would offer them more tech with lower cost. But I’ll bet it still leaves them high and dry with other platforms.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by nathan_h

They’ve sort of gone the other direction in the sense that if a movie is worth showing they just get the best they can ….. even if that’s lower than 1080p ….. rather than putting resources into updating the channel technically by going 4k.

I realize the two are not technically mutually exclusive but they seem to be behind the curve technically, probably due to finances, so with limited resources personally I endorse more content versus more technology, if they have to choose.

It’s a shame they don’t just use the built in player technology Apple offers on the tvOS and iOS platforms which would offer them more tech with lower cost. But I’ll bet it still leaves them high and dry with other platforms.

Thanks.

[Egons Ghost]

What's this about French Connection on Criterion Channel having the dialogue between Scheider and Hackman early in the film (presumably due to racial epithet) being cut out?
People say the film looks great, though.

[DaBargainHunta]

A Christmas Dream (Vánoční sen, 1945) - 1/2

This 11-minute B&W short from The Criterion Channel is a silent film with music about a little girl who goes to sleep after opening her Christmas presents and dreams about them coming to life. The effects are very impressive for the time (1945) and place (Czechoslovakia).

[DaBargainHunta]

Fun little movie I watched on Christmas Eve, naturally, because it's called:

Christmas Eve (1947) - (out of 5)

An eccentric old lady has to decide which of her three foster sons gets her considerable fortune if they all show up on Christmas Eve in front of a judge and a relative trying to get the money for himself. This is a little cool movie because it features a nice mix of genres.

[fdm]

I'll have to try that one on for size. Watched Office Killer early this morning, by the way, kinda fun.

Also a few days back I got a taste for some Italian neo-realism and watched The Girl In The Window. Quite good. And it doesn't even expire for a while yet. There's two more in that group of films I've yet to see, hope they are quite good too.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Egons Ghost

What's this about French Connection on Criterion Channel having the dialogue between Scheider and Hackman early in the film (presumably due to racial epithet) being cut out?
People say the film looks great, though.

Yep, it appears that the brief scene near the beginning where Popeye tells Cloudy “Never trust a n*****…” is missing. I can think of no other reason it was cut than that. Thankfully I have two copies on blu so I don’t need to watch it on the Channel (I only checked it after I read your post). Still, I’m very disappointed by this, I can only assume it was Disney/Fox’s doing.

Watched Scrooge the other day. My first time seeing this particular version of the story. Clearly they were hoping to replicate the success of Oliver! Albert Finney was brilliant as Scrooge but I found the songs to be very unmemorable apart from the Oscar nominated “Thank You Very Much” which had a bit more of a hook to it though it wasn’t that great either. It’s under the Saturday Matinee heading, which is appropriate because it’s a good background movie for a lazy afternoon this time of year if you’re not already sick of Christmas stuff.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

Fun little movie I watched on Christmas Eve, naturally, because it's called:

Christmas Eve (1947) - (out of 5)

An eccentric old lady has to decide which of her three foster sons gets her considerable fortune if they all show up on Christmas Eve in front of a judge and a relative trying to get the money for himself. This is a little cool movie because it features a nice mix of genres.

I recorded this the other day from TCM, so just gave it a watch. A little slow starting up, but yeah it sure did have a mix in there. Worth a watch.

[JulesAndJim]

Originally Posted by fdm

Nope. Best is 1080p (with dolby surround audio at best).

What is an example of a movie on there with Dolby surround? I ask because I haven't had any play with surround sound (even movies that have a surround track on disc) and would like to see if the issue is with my settings/app or if I just haven't played anything actually uploaded with surround sound.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by JulesAndJim

What is an example of a movie on there with Dolby surround? I ask because I haven't had any play with surround sound (even movies that have a surround track on disc) and would like to see if the issue is with my settings/app or if I just haven't played anything actually uploaded with surround sound.

Couldn't tell you offhand, I wouldn't even swear I've actually heard one, but the technology for that should be simple enough for them to do since it's just analog. I would suggest maybe trying the three colors trilogy. (Maybe I'll give White a try and see if there's any sign of its surround audio.) My streaming platform for CC by the way is Roku, though sometimes I watch it on an Apple TV.

If I run into anything I'll let you know, though I'm not spending a lot of time there when I can just watch a disc or directv and get better audio, which is important to me. On the other hand, I also do like to watch movies I'll probably never get another chance to watch anywhere else, so sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. There's been some pretty great stuff, so still worth the subscription in spite of the audio limitations.

At least Filmstruck had their audio shit together, and their video was fine too... not the most stablest platform though.

[fdm]

All right, I just got a chance to briefly visit Three Colors: White on the criterion channel. I'm pretty sure the blu-ray had dolby surround audio, though I never watched more than a little bit of it to check the audio (to see if the replacement disc was ok, as I recall). Nope, no surround on the channel.

Next tried Red, and definitely distinctive surround sound there, so there's a good test case for you J&J.

And lastly went to Blue, and no surround there either.

One out of three.

I really should revisit that trilogy... it seems like the last time I watched it was with the UK dvds.

[JulesAndJim]

Interesting. I tried Three Colors: Red on my Apple TV 4K and got no activity from the surround speakers. I tested with every available audio setting in the Apple TV menu and no dice. I wonder if Criterion Channel supports surround on Roku, but not Apple? It's also weird that there wouldn't be surround on Blue or White, but would be on Red. All three blu-rays are specified as having the same "2.0 surround."

[cheez avenger]

The Criterion Channel does not offer surround sound. It's only 2.0 STEREO until further notice. I use my APTV4K and it's only 2.0.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by JulesAndJim

Interesting. I tried Three Colors: Red on my Apple TV 4K and got no activity from the surround speakers. I tested with every available audio setting in the Apple TV menu and no dice. I wonder if Criterion Channel supports surround on Roku, but not Apple? It's also weird that there wouldn't be surround on Blue or White, but would be on Red. All three blu-rays are specified as having the same "2.0 surround."

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

The Criterion Channel does not offer surround sound. It's only 2.0 STEREO until further notice. I use my APTV4K and it's only 2.0.

Let me clarify/explain further. What I really meant is (analog) Dolby ProLogic surround sound, which is 4.0 channel analog audio derived from matrix-encoded 2.0 stereo: Left, Center, Right are full range audio, and the 2 Rear surround speakers play the same rear channel content to both rear speakers
And yes both the Roku and the Apple TV 4K for Red had Dolby ProLogic surround sound being generated through my Denon receiver, via its Dolby Surround setting... but just for Red. I don't believe there is a flag associated with such content, so you may have to set your receiver to its Dolby Surround (or ProLogic) setting in order to get the additional surround content to appear in your Center and Rear channel(s). All you (should) need is stereo 2.0 coming from your streaming device to get any matrixed content that may be there decoded.

The thing/trick is that what's offered on the channel does not necessarily match what's on their discs, since they really don't seem to care that much about the audio content. So with Blue and White they got lazy and only provided unmatrixed 2.0 stereo audio (if that); and with Red somehow they managed to provide matrixed stereo 2.0 audio, giving you the Dolby Surround sound.

This technology has been around since the time that video tapes went from mono to stereo in the late '80s. Maybe some day Criterion will make it to the late '90s with their channel's audio.

[DaBargainHunta]

So far I've watched Blind Alley, It's Such a Beautiful Day, and Out of the Past (not to mention the ones I've already seen before, like Smoke and Office Killer).

I recommend all, but I especially urge you to take an hour out of your life to watch It's Such a Beautiful Day. Trust me, you won't regret it!