My first comparison: Best of the Best 2 1993 LD vs 2007 DVD
- Old Pang Yau
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My first comparison: Best of the Best 2 1993 LD vs 2007 DVD
Hey, this is my first comparison here, so I hope it gets the job done. It's a comparison of the 1993 Fox US NTSC Laserdisc and the 2007 Fox US NTSC DVD of Best of the Best 2. Here we go:
Compare#1:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#2:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#3:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#4:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#5:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#6:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#7:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#8:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#9:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Well, obviously, this is a "one sided fight". However, seeing as how the LD was the only widescreen version of the film released on the home market before the DVD, it's the only worthy "competitor"... but it isn't saying much. The DVD blows the LD out of the water.
The DVD has an overall "cooler" look than the "warm" LD, and this is most obvious in the coliseum sequences.
Also, it looks as if the DVD transfer was properly supervised as different scenes have different, well, differences. Some scenes are brighter than the LD, such as compare #3 in which you can't even see Patrick Kilpatrick standing behind Wayne Newton in the LD, but he has just enough shadow in the DVD. However, some scenes are darker, such as the coliseum scenes, but also have less boosted contrast.
The contrast issue is most prominent in compare #5 in the flames. They're just a giant red glob in the LD (with a green sky to match), but the flames in the DVD look sharper and more detailed (with a proper blue sky in the background as well).
Plus, the framing changes are subtle in some shots, but seems to change more drastically in others (such as compare #4), but for the better in the case of the DVD.
Also, the DVD labels the film as "digitally restored", and this is evident in the print damage shown in the LD version on compare #7. For some reason, the shots involving the metal staffs sparking had print damage in all versions before the DVD, most likely because the sparks were added in post and the film wasn't handled properly.
Overall, the Fox DVD is most likely the best this will ever look... and I'm happy with the purchase of this cheesy semi-cult classic!
EDIT:
Completely forgot to mention that the 2007 Fox DVD features the uncut version of the film.
Basically it was originally cut by roughly 5 or so seconds, with a couple of shots of James (Sonny Landham) vomiting and then a certain character (to avoid spoilers) getting his fingers blown off in an Italian-horror-like close up (see photo below), as well as an extra shot of getting gunned down.
However, similar to the case with License to Kill, the film was sent back to the MPAA, but kept the same certificate. It should be interesting to note that when this DVD was first up for pre-order, it was labelled "unrated", most likely because Fox didn't expect the MPAA to accept the reinstated shots.
Compare#1:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#2:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#3:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#4:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#5:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#6:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#7:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#8:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Compare#9:
FOX LD
FOX DVD
Well, obviously, this is a "one sided fight". However, seeing as how the LD was the only widescreen version of the film released on the home market before the DVD, it's the only worthy "competitor"... but it isn't saying much. The DVD blows the LD out of the water.
The DVD has an overall "cooler" look than the "warm" LD, and this is most obvious in the coliseum sequences.
Also, it looks as if the DVD transfer was properly supervised as different scenes have different, well, differences. Some scenes are brighter than the LD, such as compare #3 in which you can't even see Patrick Kilpatrick standing behind Wayne Newton in the LD, but he has just enough shadow in the DVD. However, some scenes are darker, such as the coliseum scenes, but also have less boosted contrast.
The contrast issue is most prominent in compare #5 in the flames. They're just a giant red glob in the LD (with a green sky to match), but the flames in the DVD look sharper and more detailed (with a proper blue sky in the background as well).
Plus, the framing changes are subtle in some shots, but seems to change more drastically in others (such as compare #4), but for the better in the case of the DVD.
Also, the DVD labels the film as "digitally restored", and this is evident in the print damage shown in the LD version on compare #7. For some reason, the shots involving the metal staffs sparking had print damage in all versions before the DVD, most likely because the sparks were added in post and the film wasn't handled properly.
Overall, the Fox DVD is most likely the best this will ever look... and I'm happy with the purchase of this cheesy semi-cult classic!
EDIT:
Completely forgot to mention that the 2007 Fox DVD features the uncut version of the film.
Basically it was originally cut by roughly 5 or so seconds, with a couple of shots of James (Sonny Landham) vomiting and then a certain character (to avoid spoilers) getting his fingers blown off in an Italian-horror-like close up (see photo below), as well as an extra shot of getting gunned down.
However, similar to the case with License to Kill, the film was sent back to the MPAA, but kept the same certificate. It should be interesting to note that when this DVD was first up for pre-order, it was labelled "unrated", most likely because Fox didn't expect the MPAA to accept the reinstated shots.
Last edited by Old Pang Yau on 26 Mar 2007, 03:29, edited 2 times in total.
- Knetan
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Thanks for the welcome! I think it was shot "half matte", because the VHS version had a little extra visual info on the top and bottom, but of course less on the sides. However, I can't find the original full screen version right now, but when I get the chance, I can compare the two.Knetan wrote:hey,
the only film in the series that was actually widescreen and not shot open matte I believe.
Welcome.
And thank you too for the welcome!grim_tales wrote:Welcome to BnB
Yep, taken care of. Sorry about that, it did indeed look like a giant mash up. That's what I get for trying to write that at 3:30 in the morningEvaUnit02 wrote:Could you please break that down into bite-sized paragraphs? It's sorta hard to read. Thanks.
Yep, that was three, "No Turning Back". The first of the 2 BOTB films directed by Phillip Rhee... and when the series really started to wander off into another path. I think the only DVD release of that entry is in a double feature set with BOTB: Without Warning, both films of course being in full screen.thelostdragon wrote:I only watched the first part and the part where Tommy Lee goes and visits his sister and her Ku Klux friends. Was that part 3?
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- Old Pang Yau
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Thanks, but if you actually watch the LD, it does have the usual "noise in motion", it's just not too prominent in still caps. The most visible it seems to be in the caps is in the aforementioned "green sky" in comparison #5. Plus, I forgot to mention one obvious advantage of the DVD over the LD... progressive scancaptainjoe wrote:Welcome,
How'd you get those LD comparisons? They look exactly like an LD looks like on a TV without added noise and compression. Well done.
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- Old Pang Yau
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Ahh, gotcha. Well, to be honest, the LD grabs were actually from a DVD I made a couple years back with my first DVD recorder, which recorded the LD in the highest possible quality to avoid compression. I then just took grabs from that disc. I could've also taken grabs directly from the LD since it's right next to my computer, but once again, like you said, the caps probably would've been over compressed. If anything, these caps are closest to how the LD would look if you watched it on a regular TV monitor. I hope no one considers that "cheating"
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Seems like the Fox DVD is easy to find online, but a HUGE pain to find in stores. I should've just ordered it in the first place, but I was stubborn enough to wait a month As for 3, I believe it's stuck with Dimension alongside 4, er, "Without Warning". 3 was a decent progression of Tommy Lee's story, showing how he dealt with killing a man (not actually mentioning Brakus's name) but 4 was just really off the wall.
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