Carl Theodor Dreyer box set (BFI)

[jhird2007]

Got my set today. Similar size to the Rossellini box set. The discs are in skinny covers with a nice booklet.

Here's a few pictures:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing

There is no number on the set I have unlike the Rossellini one so not sure how many this set is limited to.

[rapta]

Ah so they are the super-slim cases (like StudioCanal's Tati set). I'll probably pick this up sometime this week (priority over the Rossellini set).

[Judex]

Just received mine from Amazon.

My one initial nitpick, I wish the booklet was a MoC 100+ page book.

[Judex]

I'm not implying anything. And I'm certainly not implying that the content of the booklet isn't good. Which you seem to assume I'm doing.

It's an excellent booklet. Just I'd like it to be bigger with more writing on the films and key people connected with the films.

If some how you've taken offence to that then, that's your problem.

[rapta]

Beaver review...

[CrockettandTubbs]

Might finally buy this tonight. I think I'd 'enjoy' the Rosselini films more, but I'm a sucker for extra features

[nitin]

little disappointed Ordet and Day of Wrath didnt get their own separate discs for maxed out bitrates but I trust lyris' encoding skills enough to still expect knockout PQ.

Should be another few days fro Amazon's package to arrive at my door.

[David M]

They don't need separate discs, the quantization is very, very low. Separate discs would just be frivolous.

[Marlow27]

Quite impressed by what I saw on the Beaver review, nice clarity and picture quality. Feel very confident buying it now.

Still, I'd like to see some more reviews, so hopefully people start to receive their orders and post their thoughts soon.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by Lyris

They don't need separate discs, the quantization is very, very low. Separate discs would just be frivolous.

lyris,

do you mind providing a layman's explanation of what you mean by quantization?

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by jhird2007

Got my set today. Similar size to the Rossellini box set. The discs are in skinny covers with a nice booklet.

Here's a few pictures:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw7...ew?usp=sharing

There is no number on the set I have unlike the Rossellini one so not sure how many this set is limited to.

It looks like the box might be a thicker cardboard than some of their previous releases (Herzog, Robbe-Grillet, etc.)? Is that just wishful thinking?

Regardless, this set looks to be an essential.

[Judex]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

It looks like the box might be a thicker cardboard than some of their previous releases (Herzog, Robbe-Grillet, etc.)? Is that just wishful thinking?

Regardless, this set looks to be an essential.

Wishful thinking
It's the same card they've used before.

[David M]

Originally Posted by nitin

lyris,

do you mind providing a layman's explanation of what you mean by quantization?

Quantization in a compression context is the amount of distortion (the amount of discarding of barely visible high frequency details) needed in order to reach a specific bit rate.

In an ideal world, the relationship between bitrate and quantization would be directly inverted to one another. High bitrate = low quantization.

However, there are some cases where there is so much high frequency content (fine details) that even a high bitrate will have a moderate or even high level of quantization. That's usually the case with ultra-detailed masters (like scans of the original negatives done on modern film scanners) and with 4K-derived scans.

As an inverse example, white text on a black screen does not need more than a few megabits per second to encode losslessly. The only way to get something that simple up to a high bitrate would be stuff to the stream with dummy information to make the counter go high. After the frequency transform during encoding, that content can be described losslessly in a very small space.

Too many people talk and talk about bitrate without talking about the amount of quantization. That's understandable because players let you read the bitrate, but not the quant. In short, softer content doesn't need as high a bitrate.

[David M]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

It looks like the box might be a thicker cardboard than some of their previous releases (Herzog, Robbe-Grillet, etc.)? Is that just wishful thinking?

Regardless, this set looks to be an essential.

BFI sent me my copy a few days ago. It does feel like the outer cardboard is thicker than the Herzog one. I could be wrong though.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by Lyris

Quantization in a compression context is the amount of distortion (the amount of discarding of barely visible high frequency details) needed in order to reach a specific bit rate.

In an ideal world, the relationship between bitrate and quantization would be directly inverted to one another. High bitrate = low quantization.

However, there are some cases where there is so much high frequency content (fine details) that even a high bitrate will have a moderate or even high level of quantization. That's usually the case with ultra-detailed masters (like scans of the original negatives done on modern film scanners) and with 4K-derived scans.

As an inverse example, white text on a black screen does not need more than a few megabits per second to encode losslessly. The only way to get something that simple up to a high bitrate would be stuff to the stream with dummy information to make the counter go high. After the frequency transform during encoding, that content can be described losslessly in a very small space.

Too many people talk and talk about bitrate without talking about the amount of quantization. That's understandable because players let you read the bitrate, but not the quant. In short, softer content doesn't need as high a bitrate.

thanks! I actually understand that

ps - so these arent from recent scans then I guess.

[David M]

Originally Posted by nitin

thanks! I actually understand that

ps - so these arent from recent scans then I guess.

They're fairly recent. My comments about less high frequency detail actually mean that in some cases the film elements themselves aren't razor sharp, it's not a fault of the transfer.

On the other hand, GERTRUD is razor sharp.

[tenia]

You see David, that's why I like reading you on your work. It's currently the only place for us, plain simple but curious customers, to learn more about how things get done.

So thanks a lot for sharing this with us !

[Yami]

Originally Posted by tenia

You see David, that's why I like reading you on your work. It's currently the only place for us, plain simple but curious customers, to learn more about how things get done.

So thanks a lot for sharing this with us !

I couldn't agree more. While the booklets always include an 'About the Transfer' section, 'about the encode' might be just as enlightening in some cases.

[tenia]

I think it's because we're used to new restorations bringing most of the upgrade with it (and I still agree to this). And while poor encodes certainly can ruin or at least limit the beauty of a restoration, it certainly won't transform any turd in gold.

Also, I believe that it might be too "theoritical", or at least technical, to speak to many people, while "4K restoration from the OCN" most likely satisfies a lot of people.

This being said, while I'm not the least enlightened about technicalities (but very far from being fully knowledgeable), I admit that it's sometimes hard to understand exactly every detail of what is included in the Criterion booklets (for instance), especially when some material generations away from the OCN is used.
What exactly is a fine grain low contrast safety interpositive ? (to exaggerate a bit )

[EddieLarkin]

Originally Posted by tenia

What exactly is a fine grain low contrast safety interpositive ? (to exaggerate a bit )

This might help:

http://www.pictureshowman.com/articl...negsprints.cfm