Halloween 4K UHD (1978)

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by JackForrester

Yeah, I'm just gonna say it. I can't appreciate HDR or see what everyone say they see. To me it just looks way too dark and the colors kind of desaturated. Maybe it's my set, maybe my taste for PQ sucks, maybe both, all I know it's not for me.

Now back to topic:

She got stuck in the window but she'll be right here *hands phone*

It’s your setup/settings.

[Noremac Mij]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

It’s your setup/settings.

No, it’s not.

[theatom]

Originally Posted by cuzzin

Not yet. Per their email last week, the orders that included posters and vinyl were supposed to start shipping "early (this) week," which is why I'm surprised I haven't seen any movement on my order yet. I don't think Wednesday and beyond is still considered the early part of the week.

Yeah, for sure. That’s why I was hoping to see some movement there already. Well, here’s to hoping I get a surprise in the mail either early tomorrow or hopefully by Thursday.

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by Noremac Mij

No, it’s not.

To be fair, it Also depends on the film. I, too, have had issues with HDR on some titles (I’ll never watch the Superman UHD again), but others look excellent and don’t have the issue you’re describing at all (if you think Groundhog Day looks overly dark or desaturated, you’re simply not watching the same thing that I am).

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

Biggest ones for me are the thunderclaps as 1978 begins (completely different on the earlier surround mixes vs the mono) and the stinger as Michael’s head darts up behind Annie in the car (the mono had a high-pitched chime in the sound effect that has been missing in every surround version since).

Another noticeable change is that the remix adds an additional sound effect that’s not present in the mono. In the remix right as Michael slices Annie’s neck, there’s a high-pitched “swirly” sound effect that’s added on top of the one that’s always been there.

If you skip to 1:06:57 in this video, you can hear the original mono sound effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IRF...ature=youtu.be

Here’s the remix version, where they added an extra sound effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtL_...ature=youtu.be

[Noremac Mij]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

To be fair, it Also depends on the film. I, too, have had issues with HDR on some titles (I’ll never watch the Superman UHD again), but others look excellent and don’t have the issue you’re describing at all (if you think Groundhog Day looks overly dark or desaturated, you’re simply not watching the same thing that I am).

I’ve seen good HDR too, especially for new movies. But from 90’s and earlier, there are way more too dark releases than good releases. Desaturated look is very easy to fix by simply increasing the “color” setting. But the too dark of a picture is very difficult to correct. Simply increasing “brightness” doesn’t work. Improper HDR exaggerates shadows. Shadows that shouldn’t be there, because they were minimized by very expensive lighting during filming. HDR is literally ruining these movie maker’s work. It casts shadows on actor’s faces. It looks horrible.

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

That bodes especially terribly for this not being as revisionist of a mix as I’d feared/expected. Maybe it sounds good, I don’t have the disc…but it shouldn’t sound like you’re “surrounded in a monsoon”. It should sound like a steady rain with a few thunderclaps.

I was being hyperbolic, LOL - sorry if I got carried away. I just think this sounds THAT good. I was trying to express the very real feeling I had when I came close to instinctively flinching so as to not get wet.

Like I said, I look forward to hearing what more expert ears have to say about this. In the meantime, if it makes you feel any better, after hearing some of you mention that scene earlier, I compared the mono and the Atmos and they sound like the same sound effects to me (I especially paid attention to the thunder). Just everything much more clear and spacious in the Atmos mix.

I've gone back and forth a few times checking various scenes, and I can say I definitely prefer the Atmos mix, by a massive margin. I like that the mono is there for historical purposes - but the Atmos is really an immersive audio experience. It feels like I am "in" the movie, in all the best possible ways.

Originally Posted by Spooked

What sound system are you using?

I have an early '10s Sony HD receiver. It can handle 7.1 but I only have 5.1 at the moment. I am bit-streaming out the Atmos via the second HDMI port on my UHD player since my receiver doesn't do 4K.

FWIW, I've also compared it in a few scenes with the native DTS-HD 5.1 track, versus the Atmos folding down into Dolby TrueHD - and there is a subtle shift, again in favor of the Atmos. I can hear the difference in the object-based positioning, even without having the equipment to fully take advantage of it.

[crowe-t]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

To be fair, it Also depends on the film. I, too, have had issues with HDR on some titles (I’ll never watch the Superman UHD again), but others look excellent and don’t have the issue you’re describing at all (if you think Groundhog Day looks overly dark or desaturated, you’re simply not watching the same thing that I am).

I have Groundhog Day in 4K and it looks incredible. Not dark at all. It's the best looking 4K disc, of an older movie shot on film, I have.

[yourmomcalled]

Mine had a loose UDH, with some scratches towards the edge. The third disc was also scratched. I returned that for their one remaining copy, and the UHD was loose in that one as well. Luckily the disc was ok, but again, the third diac was scratched. Ended up keeping that one, because I didn’t want people thinking I was insane. I didn’t keep track of which discs had fingerprints or smudges, but most of them did.

I’m glad I have the boxset and the steelbooks for 2&3, because I won’t be buying the rest of these unless they’re dirt cheap.

Also, the slipcover has a bunch of spots that look like something was rubbing against it.

For example (it looks like glare in the picture, but that’s how the cover looks from any angle):

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by crowe-t

I have Groundhog Day in 4K and it looks incredible. Not dark at all. It's the best looking 4K disc, of an older movie shot on film, I have.

Same here. Incredible release.

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by Noremac Mij

I’ve seen good HDR too, especially for new movies. But from 90’s and earlier, there are way more too dark releases than good releases. Desaturated look is very easy to fix by simply increasing the “color” setting. But the too dark of a picture is very difficult to correct. Simply increasing “brightness” doesn’t work. Improper HDR exaggerates shadows. Shadows that shouldn’t be there, because they were minimized by very expensive lighting during filming. HDR is literally ruining these movie maker’s work. It casts shadows on actor’s faces. It looks horrible.

Like all tools, HDR can be used properly or improperly. But HDR itself is not the issue. It’s like blaming Atmos for a poor Atmos mix. The problem is what is done with the tool, not the tool itself. I grant you, MISused HDR is indeed a problem on a lot of releases.

[steel_breeze]

Just ran my 4K disc through the paces, and I'm lovin' it. This is one of those hi-larious times I spent an hour skipping around, comparing scenes, when I should've just sat down and watched the whole damn movie -- only would've taken half-an-hour more than what I did!

I'm LOVIN' what I'm seeing. Keep in mind, I'm the guy who still watches his 4K discs down-converted via Oppo 203 to my 1080p SDR projector.

1. That very first reviewer stated a problem playing this with his Oppo 203, but I had no such issue. It recognized the disc and played fine. My Oppo is undefeated, knock on wood.

2. The two new opening logos suuuuuck, and are very loud. I've definitely made a note to cue this movie to the 35s mark whenever I watch it.

3. The color timing of Laurie's walk to school (right at the beginning, when she crosses the street to join Tommy) still looks desaturated to my eyes, but I'm really diggin' literally everything else. The "walk of the three girls after school" is much better, in my opinion.

4. The detail and grain are glorious. Absolutely a first-rate transfer from original neg.

5. Not that many of you will care, but the only shot (in my skipping around) that suffers from the HDR-to-SDR conversion is the wide shot of the open fields by the train track, which dollies over to discover Loomis in the phone booth. Looks very washed out and overly bright on my SDR setup, like some of the beach scenes in Jaws. But again, I have to take those lumps 'til I get a proper HDR setup.

6. Did I mention those two opening logos suuuuuuuck! You're in the mood for the classic music to start and YIKES THOSE LOGOS ARE SO FRIGGIN' LOUD. Again... cue to 35s to eliminate them.

7. Mono sounds the same to my ears as previously, and at the same volume I dialed in when watching the Blu-ray from the boxed set... but that's not an insult or a disappointment coming from me, 'cuz I've always been 100% content with that mono track.

This is a home run, in my book: the definitive edition, for me, of an all-time fave. Can't wait to start having vaccinated friends over for some seasonal viewings!

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by bobbyh64

Another noticeable change is that the remix adds an additional sound effect that’s not present in the mono. In the remix right as Michael slices Annie’s neck, there’s a high-pitched “swirly” sound effect that’s added on top of the one that’s always been there.

If you skip to 1:06:57 in this video, you can hear the original mono sound effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IRF...ature=youtu.be

Here’s the remix version, where they added an extra sound effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtL_...ature=youtu.be

My God that is horrible.

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by yourmomcalled

Mine had a loose UDH, with some scratches towards the edge. The third disc was also scratched. I returned that for their one remaining copy, and the UHD was loose in that one as well. Luckily the disc was ok, but again, the third diac was scratched. Ended up keeping that one, because I didn’t want people thinking I was insane. I didn’t keep track of which discs had fingerprints or smudges, but most of them did.

I’m glad I have the boxset and the steelbooks for 2&3, because I won’t be buying the rest of these unless they’re dirt cheap.

Also, the slipcover has a bunch of spots that look like something was rubbing against it.

For example (it looks like glare in the picture, but that’s how the cover looks from any angle):

Email SF a copy of the receipt, they’ll replace the discs for you.

[crowe-t]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

I was being hyperbolic, LOL - sorry if I got carried away. I just think this sounds THAT good. I was trying to express the very real feeling I had when I came close to instinctively flinching so as to not get wet.

Like I said, I look forward to hearing what more expert ears have to say about this. In the meantime, if it makes you feel any better, after hearing some of you mention that scene earlier, I compared the mono and the Atmos and they sound like the same sound effects to me (I especially paid attention to the thunder). Just everything much more clear and spacious in the Atmos mix.

I've gone back and forth a few times checking various scenes, and I can say I definitely prefer the Atmos mix, by a massive margin. I like that the mono is there for historical purposes - but the Atmos is really an immersive audio experience. It feels like I am "in" the movie, in all the best possible ways.




I have an early '10s Sony HD receiver. It can handle 7.1 but I only have 5.1 at the moment. I am bit-streaming out the Atmos via the second HDMI port on my UHD player since my receiver doesn't do 4K.

FWIW, I've also compared it in a few scenes with the native DTS-HD 5.1 track, versus the Atmos folding down into Dolby TrueHD - and there is a subtle shift, again in favor of the Atmos. I can hear the difference in the object-based positioning, even without having the equipment to fully take advantage of it.

When you said you compared the mono and the ATMOS do you mean the mono that's on the Shout 4K disc or original mono from the Criterion LD?

I have an ATMOS setup so I'm really looking forward to hearing the ATMOS soundtrack on this release. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun.

[PowellPressburger]

What opening logos?

Should open with the Compass International logo (I hope!)

[Noremac Mij]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

Like all tools, HDR can be used properly or improperly. But HDR itself is not the issue. It’s like blaming Atmos for a poor Atmos mix. The problem is what is done with the tool, not the tool itself. I grant you, MISused HDR is indeed a problem on a lot of releases.

Indeed and it’s exactly what I said.

[steel_breeze]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

What opening logos?

Should open with the Compass International logo (I hope!)

That's one of them, and there's another one before that. But even the Compass logo is very intrusive, and has not been on previous releases.

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

That's one of them, and there's another one before that. But even the Compass logo is very intrusive, and has not been on previous releases.

The other logos shouldn’t annoy me as long as the original Compass logo intros the film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETEh...ature=youtu.be

Was it altered? Having music start over other logos, assuming you meant annoying logo jingles being too loud?

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by steel_breeze

That's one of them, and there's another one before that. But even the Compass logo is very intrusive, and has not been on previous releases.

You mean there are two Compass logos? The movie has always started with several seconds of black screen while the theme is heard, followed by “A Compass International Pictures Release.” So there’s two logos before this? And they add to the runtime of the movie instead of being separate files that play before it?

Was also wondering if you listened to the Atmos mix and if the music has that horrible, tinny sound that’s on the 7.1.