Yeah, but they were always blurry and there's no way to fix them. So they get a pass. ;)

I mentioned this on the other thread but I thought the theatrical cut looked better imo.

Still i was not that impressed, some scenes I could do a comparison and my a20 with the abt chip for scaling and flea combination for compression noise, detail enhancement could come close to some of the scenes in the movie.

I dont get why alot of the scenes looked so flat.

I gave the video of the theatrical cut 3/5, I did not like the director cut video maybe its my imagination but i thought it was worse.

I paid 35 dollars for this in canada, and 35 for gangs I know going in there was problems but I needed these movies in my collection because I liked them so much, couldnt the studio at least give the fans a better effort.

There should be quality standards put in place. I dont think blue ray is an accepted format by mass markets at all, I could see a potential blue ray user see a good transfer and say wow, and then see something like gangs of new york and say blue ray quality is to inconsistent

I paid 35 dollars for this in canada, and 35 for gangs I know going in there was problems but I needed these movies in my collection because I liked them so much, couldnt the studio at least give the fans a better effort.


Amazon.com is your friend if you live in Canada and want to buy Blu-ray's.

Looked ok to me at 185".

No, there are just some great shots with fine detail and some blurry shots.

The blurry shots are a separate phenomenon from the DNR. Based on my experience watching the DC, the DNR is almost always there.

It's all pretty sharp IMO but the DNR and EE kill it.

Totally agree on the bolded part. It's pretty much ruined.

Amazon.com is great, but usually 2 weeks to get to canada, plus i think shipping is usually 8 dollars. Im still paying close to the same amount.

Amazon.com is great, but usually 2 weeks to get to canada, plus i think shipping is usually 8 dollars. Im still paying close to the same amount.

4 days on average to my door at least in Canada with all of my orders (15-20 of them) with $8 shipping for 1 movie and $3 per additional movie but no taxes on any of them. It's usually only a small saving on 1 movie but the more movies it really adds up.

For example Dark City was $18.95 from Amazon and even if you ordered it by itself that would have been a total of 26.95 plus about 5% on the exchange rate = $28.30 Cdn to your door.

Anyway - just so you know. I wish stores up here would sell at more reasonable prices.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/20bca774.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/a5151577.png

The blurry shots are a separate phenomenon from the DNR. Based on my experience watching the DC, the DNR is almost always there.



Totally agree on the bolded part. It's pretty much ruined.

Well we've had different experiences watching the DC. Well if minor DNR still leads to reference quality shots then maybe it is in almost every scene.

Well we've had different experiences watching the DC. Well if minor DNR still leads to reference quality shots then maybe it is in almost every scene.

Yes, we have clearly had different experiences here. To me the DNR is "minor" only in comparison to something like Patton.

Member bashing and discussions of illegal activities removed. Please read the rules. kthxbye

Yes, we have clearly had different experiences here. To me the DNR is "minor" only in comparison to something like Patton.

Haven't watched that one, though I did buy it for my dad as a birthday present "greatest movie ever" according to him. Maybe Apacolypto, Transformers are all DNR'd every second as well but on my setup they look reference.


--
edit:
Not sure where the DNR (maybe cirlce it for me in red?) is in this shot but it looks great on my setup. :D I don't watch movies at 400% zoom.
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews39/dark%20city%20blu-ray/large/2/large%20dark%20city%20blu-ray131.jpg

Haven't watched that one, though I did buy it for my dad as a birthday present "greatest movie ever" according to him. Maybe Apacolypto, Transformers are all DNR'd every second as well but on my setup they look reference.


--
edit:
Not sure where the DNR (maybe cirlce it for me in red?) is in this shot but it looks great on my setup. :D I don't watch movies at 400% zoom.


I don't watch them at 400% zoom either, but I do watch them at a viewing distance of one screen width, which brings out a lot (sometimes good, sometimes bad) that is not so apparent at a greater viewing distance.

Alot of discussion on the DNR, but what I am personally more concerned with is the edge enhancement issues being reported.

Still waiting for a copy from netflix.

I don't watch them at 400% zoom either, but I do watch them at a viewing distance of one screen width, which brings out a lot (sometimes good, sometimes bad) that is not so apparent at a greater viewing distance.

So in that picture Patrick, where do I find the DNR?

I'm using a 1080p 24fps 60" at about 8", which is more than adequate for my eyes to see the tiny details or lack of depending on the content or shot.

So in that picture Patrick, where do I find the DNR?

I'm using a 1080p 24fps 60" at about 8", which is more than adequate for my eyes to see the tiny details or lack of depending on the content or shot.

Unlike some, I don't think that screenshots are the best way to judge whether DNR is or is not present, although screenshots do give some sense as to the presence of EE. I don't suppose you have a timecode for that shot, to make it possible to look at it in the context of the actual movie on the BD?

I personally did not form an opinion on the presence of DNR in DC DC until I actually watched the BD.

Unlike some, I don't think that screenshots are the best way to judge whether DNR is or is not present, although screenshots do give some sense as to the presence of EE. I don't suppose you have a timecode for that shot, to make it possible to look at it in the context of the actual movie on the BD?

I personally did not form an opinion on the presence of DNR in DC DC until I actually watched the BD.

Hmm, well I don't see any in that grab or on my display and you didn't point any out in that 1080p grab either. FYI, I don't know the exact second as I'll have to check but I'm pretty sure it is within the first 5 minutes so I should be able to find it easily.

Maybe it is like an early spot where you couldn't make out something and others can. Might just be the display. I've used plasma's that had ugldy banding and made faces look funky, clayish similar to DNR when using the same content, same player looked great on my display.

I agree that watching the movie gives a much better way to judge the movie. Which is why I feel the way I do (Like many others I also had expected much worse from reading posts here before watching). Of course we all have different equipment, environments, physical differences (hearing and visual abilities) as well.

Hmm, well I don't see any in that grab or on my display and you didn't point any out in that 1080p grab either. FYI, I don't know the exact second as I'll have to check but I'm pretty sure it is within the first 5 minutes so I should be able to find it easily.

Maybe it is like an early spot where you couldn't make out something and others can. Might just be the display. I've used plasma's that had ugldy banding and made faces look funky, clayish similar to DNR when using the same content, same player looked great on my display.

I agree that watching the movie gives a much better way to judge the movie. Which is why I feel the way I do (Like many others I also had expected much worse from reading posts here before watching). Of course we all have different equipment, environments, physical differences (hearing and visual abilities) as well.

Those of us that see DNR in DCDC when we watch it have generally watched many other BDs on the same equipment we are using to watch DCDC and have seen many BDs with no similar problems.

Those of us that see DNR in DCDC when we watch it have generally watched many other BDs on the same equipment we are using to watch DCDC and have seen many BDs with no similar problems.

I've watched many other BD's as well on my gear (just as I'm sure a lot people here have, plus professional reviewers like Ken Brown who also reviewed DC). Some movies are poor quality and some spectacular and every in between. I'm happy that I'm fortunate enough to have such nice gear that makes it easy to distinguish and appreciate the quality of blu-ray movies. I've gone through several displays simply from being a bit anal on my gear. I thought some movies had banding/clay faces that didn't simply due to the displays, etc..

FYI, I'm not saying I don't see any DNR in the movie, just disagreeing in that for my setup it isn't almost always there. Anyways we simply disagree and that's that. I pulled the that screen grab to see if maybe I was missing something that you were seeing, but that wasn't the case in that instance..

There are probably varrying levels of DNR as well in different encodes, and IMO it isn't always "evil" depending on how the tool is used. Not stating I like it being used in general. I've said in the past I thought it would be a good feature to have in the players for those that want to use it.

Not sure where the DNR (maybe cirlce it for me in red?) is in this shot but it looks great on my setup.

I think I see it around the '5', and some of the other numbers, but might be capture/compression errors. Actually, I think its EE.

p.

To me the EE is worse than the DNR in this. VERY obvious.

Wow looks like couple of my "deleted" posts hurt some feelings LOL!

I think I see it around the '5', and some of the other numbers, but might be capture/compression errors. Actually, I think its EE.

p.

Good eye protovision. Yeah that could be some mild EE as well as on the arm of the clock.

edit: Dam, I missed whatever your post was Xylon, was it about a unibrow or DNR :D

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/7943034b.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/c14c92e8.png

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/44ec209b.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/11a643db.png

There's no "Unibrow" there. Jeez....

:)

Yeah, but the peach-fuzz mustache is just on the verge of being unflattering! :p (just can't win with this hd stuff, eh?)

AHA!!!! maybe THAT's why they DNR'd so many of her shots!!!!
The "stache!"

:eek:

To be clear, I'm not stating that there may not be missing detail on Dark City.

There has definitely been image manipulation.

What I am stating is that if there is, the film has not been plasticized, and nothing horrific has occurred.


At it's best it looks like Pan's Labyrinth. At it's worst it looks like melted plastic. Skin detail is utterly ruined, textures are smeared. Anyone with a decent setup should see this.

I disagree with RAH on this title.

AHA!!!! maybe THAT's why they DNR'd so many of her shots!!!!
The "stache!"

:eek:

Yet, no amount of DNR can eliminate it. Rufus Sewell should have given her some shaving tips.

Looked fine at 185".

Looked fine at 185".

If that's the case Gangs of New York is spectacular!

Haven't watched it yet.

Watched it the other night on my Samsung LN46A750 at 1080p24. I found the video distractingly poor at points, especially certain facial close-ups. I was very surprised to see so many 4/5 or higher ratings for the video.

Liked the movie though.

Watched it the other night on my Samsung LN46A750 at 1080p24. I found the video distractingly poor at points, especially certain facial close-ups. I was very surprised to see so many 4/5 or higher ratings for the video.

Liked the movie though.

The movie is a classic. Its just so frustrating that they leave Meet the Spartans alone and Pattonized this one.

Its not our fault that we have the HT equipment and knowledge to see this defect. Ignorance is bliss really works.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/d9e911d1.pnghttp://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/8377c02e.png

No texture at all. The bricks look like their made of clay.

Has anybody had a chance to look at the UK version of the movie ?
Would be nice to have a significantly better European version as with Pan's Labyrinth.

Its the same transfer, I had pix up before the forum data loss

Watched it this weekend and most shots dont look like the screenshots here, yeah theres some shots that are pretty shot like that, but there are alot of scenes that are razor sharp. I thought it was a pretty good transfer

Exactly. Different rigs, different results.

Sounds like someone needs re-calibration or new equipment.

Exactly. Different rigs, different results.

Sounds like someone needs re-calibration or new equipment.

I'm pretty sure the correctly calibrated setup is Xylon's.

Well, different opinions, different folks actually.

Whether you like or dislike grain reduction and its resulting picture quality is just that, opinion, but the direct lossless png captures don't lie, and image manipulation has undeniably occurred.

Agreed. But to go on and on about it is beating a dead horse.

Lobby for future titles.
This one looks fine to some of us with rigs which are more forgiving. Sure I can adjust my settings to make it look worse. Sheer stupidity and a waste of time.

Face/off while sharp just doesn't look ok. And that's what counts. TURNED ME OFF. And I (used to) love that movie.

Dark City is watchable.

Well, different opinions, different folks actually.

Whether you like or dislike grain reduction and its resulting picture quality is just that, opinion, but the direct lossless png captures don't lie, and image manipulation has undeniably occurred.

Yes exactly. I think some folks are suggesting that Xylon doesn't have a correctly calibrated setup, and nothing could be further from the truth. His screen caps are always spot on. Some people don't notice the lack of detail because of smaller screens.

Yes, I'm not blind and my screen is 185" small.

Does everyone here watch on a PC monitor in still motion sequences?

Yes exactly. I think some folks are suggesting that Xylon doesn't have a correctly calibrated setup, and nothing could be further from the truth. His screen caps are always spot on. Some people don't notice the lack of detail because of smaller screens.

I was under the impression these are direct grabs so his setup doesn't come into play. Regardless in general the screen grabs never seem to do the movies justice as to how they look on my setup in motion.

Watched it this weekend and most shots dont look like the screenshots here, yeah theres some shots that are pretty shot like that, but there are alot of scenes that are razor sharp. I thought it was a pretty good transfer

Agreed.

I think the dude doing the encode has a disgust for womanstache and tried to hide it as much as possible ;)

I am sure some of you have viewing sets that can magically add fine details, remove DNR, add film grain and make it look not waxy.

I have been doing these for a long time. They never(sic) never match what I see on my Dynamic mode TV. Damn!

I want some of that voodoo.

But seriously this is direct digital screengrabs from the file stream in the disc. My "TV" is not a factor here.

It is what it is.

lol

I love my magic display as well as my friends magic 1080p Panasonic projector :D

I love my magic home theater sound setup as well as it enables me to take advantage of the HD audio codecs despite others claiming there is no difference :D

People who aren't blessed with magical toys do have one advantage in that they can save money and just stick with DVD ;) People like me it is hard to go back to DVD :cool:

Yes, the Panny 1080p is nice, but bit noisy (sitting next to it) compared to the 720p model owned previously.

Yes, the Panny 1080p is nice, but bit noisy (sitting next to it) compared to the 720p model owned previously.

Yeah it has some fan noise but compared to their old 480 Sharp Projector it replaced it is a huge improvement ;)

Its the same transfer, I had pix up before the forum data loss

So much about that :(

With regard to beating a dead horse and lobbying for better titles in the future:

When titles like Dark City are swept under the carpet and forgotten within a few days it is not sending the right message - there has to be a certain amount of sustained criticism of titles like that or the studios in question will move on much too fast.

I think there is some need to rub these things in so to say to prevent this kind of transfers from being used for future releases.
For Dark City I think that point has been reached but when people post here to defend the in the eyes of many indefensable there are bound to be arguments.

Amazon still haven't replenished stocks of this title. Is that significant (as in no more pressings whilst they re-issue with improvements)?

Wow that guy looks 10 years younger in the DNR shot. I'm wondering if I can get DNR for my skin when I get older. I mean who needs botox when Dynamic Noise Reduction can make you look so young.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Dark%20City/7943034b.png

This picture is quite revolting.

I'm not sure how anyone can say it looks acceptable with a straight face.

Hmmmm....When I watch movies the image changes 24 times a second. Funny how that puts a different perspective on things like DNR.

Exactly. Different rigs, different results.

Sounds like someone needs re-calibration or new equipment.


open mouth, insert foot...


;)

Hmmmm....When I watch movies the image changes 24 times a second. Funny how that puts a different perspective on things like DNR.


Not at all, unless one frame has it and the next 23 don't but that isn't the case . Instead 24fps are in your face with DNR and EE with no place to turn.

Art

Hmmmm....When I watch movies the image changes 24 times a second. Funny how that puts a different perspective on things like DNR.

I agree. One single frame of DNR garbage is a lot different then 24 seperate frames of different DNR garbage. :D

Meh, this thread needs to be closed, let this horse rest in peace.

Well when folks start saying that they don't see EE or DNR in motion, I agree.

Art

Yeah, 20 cents from me.
My buddy and I watched the first 30-40 minutes of both TC and DC. We were using a Sony Pearl-40 Lcos, aka SXRD, on about 110" screen 15' viewing distance, with a PS3 serving Blu duties.

First since so many folks feel as though DVD is the only level of standard to surpass, I will say this. Yes it is better than the original DVD, but honestly that isn't hard to accomplish.

Second I can understand why many folks with 'smaller'<smaller/bigger can be subjective> displays may not see the contested issue. This does not mean that NL receives a get out of jail card.

Third in addition to DNR and EE issues we noticed smearing and other anomalies that can be attributed to compression faults or side affects due to the use of DNR & EE.
-There were other subtle yet annoying anomalies folks may observe if you know what it is. More later.

Fourth along the way we found there were instances of clarity without the Vaseline to intrude but they were few and far between and very brief.

Fifth I suspect some folks who may not see these problems is because they maybe adjusted differently or dare I say it, incorrectly their displays.
Perhaps post processing applied in their display devices with cranked sharpness levels?

That can explain why some folks do not 'see' this issue.
Sixth this horse is not dead, complacency has put it out to pasture, nibbling on grass.

Schizophrenic application of various levels of DNR and EE through out the movie diminished the experience for me. Enjoyed the film not the presentation. ;{

It feels and looks as though the film is slightly out of focus and has a thin veneer of vaseline applied to it, with animated wax statues standing in for actors.
Airbrushed City, Wax City, DNR City, Halo City, A55 City, seems true.

Thank goodness REAL cinematic master pieces are treated properly with the utmost of care when brought to Blu-Ray, like Meet the Spartans. ;}~

Best Regards
KvE

Ps I'll share some more thoughts later on. Maybe. ;}
PPS Oh yes, the still caps are representative of what the disc looks like in motion.
Being subjected to DNR/EE consistently at 24fps is going to make your perceptions adjust to accept Soft City as ok.

Meh, this thread needs to be closed, let this horse rest in peace.

True....true....

Not really as new people will find out how crap the image is if we keep on banging on about the truth.

For the record, I never said I didn't notice. I just said that I didn't care when the movie is going, the amazing lossless audio is playing, and I'm engrossed in the story. Sure, my TV is only 50" but I only sit about 7 ft from the screen.

To me, this is about movies, not pixels. The BD looks vastly superior to the DVD. It could be better, but the image is hardly "crap." If someone wants to see the movie looking better than it has looked since being shown in the theater, the BD is the only choice.

To me, this is about movies, not pixels.
That's actually exactly why the digital tampering bothers me so much. I want it to look like a movie... it's represented as pixels out of necessity.

Being vastly superior to the DVD is basically a given on BD. It should look better than "better than something else", and stand up in its own right.

Its not right, its wrong /thread

Sixth this horse is not dead, complacency has put it out to pasture, nibbling on grass.


Exactly, as long as there are posts here that state that the movie is so good that the quality becomes kind of a minor issue the horse cannot be put to rest.

This is indeed a bad transfer of a movie with a big following. Because the movie is liked by so many on this forum and elsewhere we are not happy with how it looks. There is a difference between having one of our favourite movies with a less than stellar transfer and one that you can hardly finish, Meet The Spartans could have looked like VHS and most wouldn't even have noticed :D

Screencaps look terrible, like somebody applied a painterly filter in Photoshop.

For the record, I never said I didn't notice. I just said that I didn't care when the movie is going, the amazing lossless audio is playing, and I'm engrossed in the story. Sure, my TV is only 50" but I only sit about 7 ft from the screen.

To me, this is about movies, not pixels. The BD looks vastly superior to the DVD. It could be better, but the image is hardly "crap." If someone wants to see the movie looking better than it has looked since being shown in the theater, the BD is the only choice.

Still missing the whole point. The format allows vastly superior image quality from film sources than was given with Dark City ;this is a simple truth. It is a film that is loved by many thus an opportunity lost.

To say you enjoyed this film for the story or the audio codec is irrelevant.



Art

When you want to turn off a film becuase of the ugly transfer (I wanted to after a few minutes), in my eyes that makes it crap :)

Put it this way I feel like selling it, as I hated it and it effected the films enjoyment for me.

I imagine if it was released again tommrow with a quality untampered transfer, many would upgrade on this very forum, but Joe Public probibly would not even know what the difference was.

This picture is quite revolting.

I'm not sure how anyone can say it looks acceptable with a straight face.
Just curious but to my untrained eyes this picture looks fantastic. What's wrong with it? Are you talking about the guy with his back to the camaera?

Just curious but to my untrained eyes this picture looks fantastic. What's wrong with it? Are you talking about the guy with his back to the camaera?

Was Amir the one that added the grain in the Patton pick? Adding extra grain without more detail, yet people claimed more detail. LOL, that was good.

Could be related ;)

Screencaps look terrible, like somebody applied a painterly filter in Photoshop.

Thats the problem. I didn't. That is what you're going to see when you watch this Blu-ray.

Gee sites like this need to wise up.

This site also gave top marks to Evil Dead 2 and Escape From New York....

http://www.dvdtherapy.com/review_info.php?id=1821

Optics:

A film as ominous as Dark City, where day is nonexistent, has never looked so inviting. With warm shimmering, luxuriant shades of color and chilling, midnight blacks; contrast of lightening has never looked so dramatic. Fans have been waiting for Dark City to get the 1080p treatment and New Line has brought the goods. Spectacularly detailed set designs make for a breath taking visual voyage. Thankfully, DNR and grain are absent, thus allowing for a lucid razor-sharp picture. Simply put, the image quality of Dark City will make you proud to be a Blu-ray owner.

I LOL'd at the "Thankfully, DNR and grain are absent" remark.

Reminds me of:

"What I am stating is that if there is, the film has not been plasticized, and nothing horrific has occurred."

DNR and Grain are absent...

Very rare when this statement is correct. It's usually one or the other with films, folks...

Gee sites like this need to wise up.

This site also gave top marks to Evil Dead 2 and Escape From New York....

http://www.dvdtherapy.com/review_info.php?id=1821

Optics:

A film as ominous as Dark City, where day is nonexistent, has never looked so inviting. With warm shimmering, luxuriant shades of color and chilling, midnight blacks; contrast of lightening has never looked so dramatic. Fans have been waiting for Dark City to get the 1080p treatment and New Line has brought the goods. Spectacularly detailed set designs make for a breath taking visual voyage. Thankfully, DNR and grain are absent, thus allowing for a lucid razor-sharp picture. Simply put, the image quality of Dark City will make you proud to be a Blu-ray owner.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u98/adzez/Iron%20Man/2bf088a9.jpg

I really don't want to be doing this to online reviewers where their aSSessment of the PQ is just laughable. Are they in it for the free disc only? Are they even watching the whole movie? Are their equipment calibrated? 65K color temp? 1080p? Jagermaister? Hpnotiq? I get too many PM's sending me links reviews of the Blu-ray movies where you often wonder the competence and qualifications needed for accurate and non-fanboy review. I don't want to call them out for their gross inaccuracies(very childish doing that), but this review from "dvdtherapy" is just too much to ignore. Come to think of it is there a "review" online that mentions DNR and EE and conluded that this transfer is abysmal. No excuses?

All I can say is that "review"(sic) can be filed at Oxford English Dictionary as an enrty for "oxymoron".





And now for the apology: I apologized if I offend some reviewers.

Does anybody know how the UK release fared with regards to DNR? Was it the same as the US release?

Does anybody know how the UK release fared with regards to DNR? Was it the same as the US release?
Yes, same transfer. Even though I got it cheap through a pricing error, it wasn't enough to make me keep it.

Yes, same transfer. Even though I got it cheap through a pricing error, it wasn't enough to make me keep it.
That's disappointing.

Maybe an AUS release will come through in the clutch (a la The Descent).

Maybe an AUS release will come through in the clutch (a la The Descent).
Depends on whether or not Roadshow have the rights.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dark-City-Blu-ray-Review/806/
lol @ the review :D these blu-ray.com reviews are very funny
4/5 by the PQ

I bought this last week....... what a weird movie

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dark-City-Blu-ray-Review/806/
lol @ the review :D these blu-ray.com reviews are very funny
4/5 by the PQScreenshot science! Bah! :p

Says the Blu-ray has "increased clarity," compared to DVD. Hey look! A Blu-ray that's better than the DVD! 4/5! Good job!

Here's hoping for a non playdough version of Dark City this century.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dark-City-Blu-ray-Review/806/
lol @ the review :D these blu-ray.com reviews are very funny
4/5 by the PQ

I agree just because it looks better than the DVD it doesn't warrant a 4 rating...those blu-ray.com shots expose how bad the DNR is on this title.
Here's hoping for a remastered blu-ray of this in the near future.

Here's hoping for a non playdough version of Dark City this century.

x2

it's really not a good looking disc at all. one doesn't get the feeling they're watching film.....and to think i was optimistic that the HD era would make things like EE and DNR a moot point :(

it's really not a good looking disc at all. one doesn't get the feeling they're watching film.....and to think i was optimistic that the HD era would make things like EE and DNR a moot point :(

Small steps . . . . if we complain louder we may get a "remastered" version :p

Has anybody seen the dvd version, and if so was the color also changed more to the green hue, removing the browns.

Yes. It is very similar to how the first Matrix movie was altered from it's first release and then onto the "trilogy pack" and BD version.

These are both the theatrical cut.

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/331/darkcity01nf.th.png (http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/331/darkcity01nf.png)http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/5463/darkcity01bd.th.png (http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/5463/darkcity01bd.png)
http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/9756/darkcity02nf.th.png (http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/9756/darkcity02nf.png)http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8547/darkcity02bd.th.png (http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8547/darkcity02bd.png)
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/3695/darkcity03nf.th.png (http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/3695/darkcity03nf.png)http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9422/darkcity03bd.th.png (http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9422/darkcity03bd.png)
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Not available on Netflix US streaming; it starts with the Alliance logo before the New Line one. Looks like it has temporal DNR in some scenes, but the Blu-ray has that plus the spatial smudging and EE.

Is it just me or does that blu-ray screenshot of Jennifer look better than the Netflix shot? (the top one)

This bothers me.. the Netflix looks better -- and probably has a lower bit-rate. You can easily see the sharpening on the blu-ray-- especially in the 2 pictures that have text in them. DNR is definitely evident too.

Why can't they release this version on blu-ray?

Is it just me or does that blu-ray screenshot of Jennifer look better than the Netflix shot? (the top one)
Artificial sharpening can sometimes have that effect....

So there is an actual decent film like image under all that wax. I doubt we'll ever get a proper unfiltered release but there is hope. Good find, msgohan.

Nice find indeed, but not surprising there's a non-claymation version.

Is it just me or does that blu-ray screenshot of Jennifer look better than the Netflix shot? (the top one)

This bothers me.. the Netflix looks better -- and probably has a lower bit-rate. You can easily see the sharpening on the blu-ray-- especially in the 2 pictures that have text in them. DNR is definitely evident too.

Why can't they release this version on blu-ray?


Artificial sharpening can sometimes have that effect....

I can see the edge enhancement along her cheek, especially right next to the earing (on both shots), but her forehead looks like it has more detail in the blu-ray shot.

I haven't examined the other screenies yet. It's been a long day...

I do own this blu-ray and just never had a chance to watch it.

EDIT: I just looked at the 2 that have writing. I can see the sharpening there, it's pretty blatant.

Oh dear God in heaven, how can a COMPRESSED Netflix version be superior to Blu-Ray? *sigh*We all know the answer.

Meh. I'm very happy with my BD copy. Netflix doesn't have 7.1 DTS-MA, theatrical and unrated versions (well, one or the other), special features. And if the net is down, you won't be able to watch it... or it will downgrade to SD ... or worse.... Youtube-ish if your net really sux. :p

i'm very happy with my bd copy.

+1 !

+1 !

Yes, +1 for smudgy claymation mediocrity!

Alas, it is both hilarious and disheartening that a non-filtered low bitrate stream can actually provide superior visual fidelity than the pathetic waxfest BR.

Everyone has different priorities but for me the visual quality of a release takes precedence over lossless audio. Especially over superfluous 7.1 upmixes.

Best Regards
KvE

Yes, +1 for smudgy claymation mediocrity!



Maybe I was too tired to notice. I've only watched it once (UK Blu-ray) and
don't remember a 'smudgy claymation mediocrity' .
I'm going to watch some scenes in order to check.

+1 !

+2 if I was blind this would be the prefect disc

Yes the BD is DNRed and sharpened. I watched it when it was first released and never since,really unfortunate.


Art

So, that Canadian Netflix version starts with an Alliance logo? Does anyone here have the Alliance BD? It's $15 CAD on amazon.ca right now.

I'm pretty disgusted with my US disc and I'd gladly replace it with a version that hasn't been so molested by DNR and sharpening.

Yes, +1 for smudgy claymation mediocrity!

Alas, it is both hilarious and disheartening that a non-filtered low bitrate stream can actually provide superior visual fidelity than the pathetic waxfest BR.

Everyone has different priorities but for me the visual quality of a release takes precedence over lossless audio. Especially over superfluous 7.1 upmixes.

Best Regards
KvE

Trust me. I notice and it IS unfortunate but the slightly occasional waxyness does not take me out from enjoying the movie. I feel that Dark City has more of a problem with sharpening and EE side effect than DNR, imho. The EE bugs the hell out of me but it still looks and sounds miles and miles ahead of the dvd... or pffft, Netflix. Usually an HD version of anything on NF is okay but every once in a while, your net will get bogged down or the demand on their end will go up. What do you see on your end? The picture degrades to lower res, lower bitrate. That doesn't happen on the BD. I'm a movie lover and collector. I buy movies I like, not ones that have a 5/5 PQ rating on some website.

Yes, it's a shame that it doesn't look as good as it could. I'd obviously prefer a non-DNR'd non-EE'd version but I'm not going to downgrade the rest of the experience to get those.

So, that Canadian Netflix version starts with an Alliance logo? Does anyone here have the Alliance BD?

Posts on another forum indicate it's a port of the US disc which came out on the same date. Alliance probably sent Netflix an HDTV master.

Posts on another forum indicate it's a port of the US disc which came out on the same date. Alliance probably sent Netflix an HDTV master.

UK version was the same too