Gladiator Re-release and Robin Hood (2010) Release News

[romerojpg]

[saltysam]

The lucky yanks can exchange their old disc for the new one

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocent ... tml#072010

[grim_tales]

Interesting... in the first comparison shot the new BD looks much bluer/darker but the other ones (eg 2 and 3) up the contrast.

[bradavon]

The lucky yanks can exchange their old disc for the new one: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocent ... tml#072010

I bet we don't get that offer , especially as it's Paramount not Universal driven. I'm not hugely bothered, like I said I'll just eBay mine.

p.s - Why would they go to the effort to fix the DNR/EE and then deliberately mess up the colours? It makes much more sense that the colours were originally and are now right.

[luckystars]

Aside from the colour, I'm honestly not keen on the newer version. Its more refined an image sure, but there's no extra detail in the picture (actually I'd say it has marginally less), and looks over processed with no traditional filmic quality at all. Not a thing of beauty like most of Scotts photography.

Not posting hate, just my 2 cents/pennies.

[romerojpg]

but there's no extra detail in the picture (actually I'd say it has marginally less)

If you think that are you are looking on a tiny PC screen? as the new transfer is far more detailed, sharper and reveals so much more.

This may help you see the fine extra detail a bit better just look at the tiny hairs on his face and skin texture, it is lightyears ahead of that cruddy old one.
http://www.landofwhimsy.com/archives/20 ... sh-detail/

[luckystars]

Thanks those were enlightening

I think what it is about the colours (apart from them being new) is that there is less 'shadow detail' if that's the right term - the picture looks altogether flatter.

But those caps show you can't always trust what you see online

[romerojpg]

I do always try and get the discs in question to sort of compare (even if it is just a few scenes), but I dont think I will ever get the old Gladiator again to compare when I get the new one.
Still some caps are good at showing stuff, even if they are zoomed in a bit more than you would see on your actual TV, still at least you know when you get an epic sized new screen that it will look better

As more people get hold of the new Gladiator the net may go into meltdown with caps as only a few people have the disc so far.

[bradavon]

@ Lucky stars: Surely you're not saying the new BD is more processed than the old one?

[luckystars]

Yes, but in a different way.

The old one looks like a standard print that been scanned and had a few random filters chucked at it (not great).

The new one looks liked its been beamed through a perfectifiying gizmo and doesn't look like a 10 year old movie that was shot on celluloid, then the pallet altered to something you'd expect of a film set on Mars (also giving the picture a very flat look)

[Shingster]

No offence luckstar but you're talking utter nonsense! Less shadow detail in the new transfer? Did you even bother looking at the comparison grabs in my last post? Even Ray Charles (blind + dead) could notice more shadow detail in the newer grab, look at the shadow cast across the left side of Russell's head (his left not yours) and compare the two. You can't even make his beard out in the old grab (well not on my monitor anyway).

The new one looks liked its been beamed through a perfectifiying gizmo and doesn't look like a 10 year old movie that was shot on celluloid, then the pallet altered to something you'd expect of a film set on Mars (also giving the picture a very flat look)

Now you're just being silly, who are you trying to convince btw? We've all sat through far too many HD tansfers here to know the difference between an appalling HD transfer (the old Gladiator BD) and a pretty good one (the new Gladiator BD). You appear to a have some sort of aversion to finely detailed, colourful 1080p images.

[EvaUnit02]

The lucky yanks can exchange their old disc for the new one

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocent ... tml#072010

Jesus, after all of these years The Digital Bits is still the awfully made mess that it ever was.

[eon]

More screenshot comparisons:

http://comparescreenshots.slicx.com/com ... /picture:0

[bradavon]

@ Eva: I know. You'd think they'd at least at search. It's a nightmare to find old content.

[HungFist]

And I thought luckystars's film ratings were strange...

[romerojpg]

TheDigitalBits is easily one of the single worst sites (along with Aint It Cool news) on the web, it boggles my mind how anyone can view them sites for more than a few seconds without their eyes melting. That and TheDigitalBits is ran by a muppet much like Aint it cool then

[luckystars]

Those last screenshots were interesting. in the first the original transfer is redder than the new one, and later shots show the reverse.

It seems as if the colour alterations are changed scene by scene at least. Is the new transfer Director approved?

[gasteropod]

It's Romero-approved, what more do you want

[luckystars]

Lol sounds like a must own BD

[Shingster]

I bet we don't get that offer , especially as it's Paramount not Universal driven. I'm not hugely bothered, like I said I'll just eBay mine.

I think you'll be glad to be proven wrong on this by Universal-UK, someone over on the Blu-ray.com forums got in touch with them and recieved this reply:

Dear Customer,

Thank you for your e-mail. We would like to thank you for taking the time to write to us regarding Gladiator blu-ray.
Universal Pictures UK has been pleased with the success of Gladiator on Blu-ray, which has resulted in a high level of customer satisfaction. However, whilst there was no technical fault on the original Blu-ray master, a small number of enthusiasts have expressed a preference towards slight technical alterations. After careful consideration, we have revisited the mastering process to address those concerns.

If you wish to exchange your original DVNR (digital video noise reduction) feature disc we ask that you send us just your disc 1 in an envelope with your name and address enclosed. Please keep your original packaging and we will post you out a new disc 1.

Please note new discs will not be available in the UK for approximately 1 month.


Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd
‘Gladiator Exchange’
Prospect House
80-110 New Oxford Street
London
WC1A 1HB


Kind Regards
Universal UK Customer Service

[gasteropod]

That's good then. I find it amusing they refer to it as the DVNR disc lol.

[Yi-Long]

However, whilst there was no technical fault on the original Blu-ray master, a small number of enthusiasts have expressed a preference towards slight technical alterations.

That's strange... cause I thought it was a pretty huge outrage from MANY pissed off fans on pretty much every movieforum on the net.... but I guess according to Universal, their first release was just fine and maybe a dozen or so people were slightly disappointed with it....(!)

Oh well...(!)

Anyway, so is this new release a big improvement, or what!?

[gasteropod]

Companies always try to downplay stuff like that.

[romerojpg]

http://comparescreenshots.slicx.com/com ... /picture:0

Again anyone who wants the origanal Blu, you need to leave Blu Ray and go back to VHS.

[bradavon]

That's fantastic. I'll give it a month and see if others get there's before sending mine. Regarding that article I suspect they mean "technical" to mean a faulty disc, which it isn't. And compared to how many discs they sell, we are talking small numbers.

EDIT: I've just checked and I cannot do it anyway, I've got the USA disc. So obviously cannot send it back to Universal UK and I doubt Paramount America would let me send it to them.

I wonder why this hasn't been announced by Universal UK. It's clearly ready to go, pretty much.