.............but it's only in the U.K! Bummer! I don't know of any specs yet.......but it's officially posted at Amazon's U.K. site.

Big michael cain fan, this is great news :)

One of my great fears was that if Blu-ray won, great classic library titles like this would never find their way to Blu-ray.

I'm very happy that I was wrong about that.

This is the kinda great old title that I have always wanted to see in high def in my home theater.

I'm ecstatic about this release. One of my favorite action movies of all time.

Looking forward to this one, another Michael Caine fan.
Zulu should look terrific.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y10/Polardoor/ZuluShot.png

A must buy for me.

Looking forward to this one, another Michael Caine fan.
Zulu should look terrific.


One of my all time favourite cain movies is "The Man Who Would Be King "(ok connery is the leed actor but hey!), if they release that id be in movie bliss :D

.............but it's only in the U.K! Bummer! I don't know of any specs yet.......but it's officially posted at Amazon's U.K. site.
I hated that movie. It depicted the Africans as mindless savages. It was basically spun from the point of view of the Colonialists: Depicting people trying to defend their own country as savages, just like they did to the Native Americans. Nothing more than a British version of American Cowboys and Indians. They can keep that.

If the release SHAKA ZULU on Blu-ray, I am in.

Quit the opposite, this movie tried very hard to show the Zulus (and african blacks in broader sense) in positive light as brave warriors and South Africa's government at this time don't liked that at all. Still, it is very sanitized version of what really happened at the Battle of Rorke's Drift. There was not much to be proud of on both sides. The Zulus were completely drugged when they go to battle(they even had special suicidal units of ferocious warriors, that were drugged so heavily, they die from the overdoses, even if they were not killed in the battle...something like viking bersekers...only drug induced), the brits were all bearded young men in their twenties and covered in dirt and dust(and not the cleanly shaved cinch soldiers from the movie in they forties), and there was no appreciation of the bravery of the opposite side on any of the sides, like in the movie. It seams that brits stabbed to death hundreds wounded Zulus after the battle, because quite frankly such small unit could take care of so much prisoners. Anyway, the Zulus were colonisators as the brits or the dutch(they conquered this territory only 50 or so years before), but they not build railroads and infrastructure, from which their former colonies live till to day, like the brits, they kill all men and take women and children as slaves. Between us, the Indians never were the noble savages from literar fiction too(they comitted genocide on enemy tribes, killed the buffalos in thousands long before they had modern riffles, loved to torture people to death and so on...still the genocide part i dont held against them..it is inherent in human behavior for milion of years....even chimps do that). Back to Zulus...still love the picture. Barrys soundtrack is priceless in this.

Zulu should look terrific.

laff.

It's another super mega DNR'd transfer from Paramount

If this is region free, this will be awesome!!! can't wait!!!!

Guys ck out this thread started by coldmachine: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1048167

I hated that movie. It depicted the Africans as mindless savages. It was basically spun from the point of view of the Colonialists: Depicting people trying to defend their own country as savages, just like they did to the Native Americans. Nothing more than a British version of American Cowboys and Indians. They can keep that.

If the release SHAKA ZULU on Blu-ray, I am in.

They were Uneducated savages.Woops that's righ they beat us to the moon.:D
Killer Classic movie.Can't wait to get it.

laff.

It's another super mega DNR'd transfer from Paramount

No it's not....This film was shot 70mm and has very fine grain...Sky television in the UK paid for a complete restoration and i imagine that will be the print used for the Blu Ray release.

As for it being a racist film depicting Africans in a bad light...No way...They are depicted as warriors who have codes of conduct during battle ( just like the Brits have codes of conduct during battle ) and given respect in the movie. Look at the very end scenes...No way are they depicted as savages and i think the person who says that hasn't even seen the movie.

No it's not....This film was shot 70mm and has very fine grain...Sky television in the UK paid for a complete restoration and i imagine that will be the print used for the Blu Ray release

Sorry, but it is. The faces are extremely waxy. I'll make some screenshots if needed.

Guys ck out this thread started by coldmachine: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1048167

Alan,

Damn!

Never would have thought another thread on Zulu would be in the Ultra High- End HT gear.:D

Time for a thread merge?

Guys ck out this thread started by coldmachine: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1048167

Oh man, I'm all over this when it comes out :eek:

Sorry, but it is. The faces are extremely waxy. I'll make some screenshots if needed.

I'm talking about the upcoming Blu Ray edition sourced from the new HD print that Sky commissioned.

No that's not excessively DNRed but please print your pictures to show the proof you have and then we can talk about it. ( Not talking DVD here )

Sorry, but it is. The faces are extremely waxy. I'll make some screenshots if needed.
I don't care if their noses are missing.:eek: This will be a MUST buy for me. Great motion picture!!!

laff.

It's another super mega DNR'd transfer from Paramount

The uncompressed 2k master is almost perfect. The restoration is very clean, as the film was good to start with,'Super Technirama 70'. There are also some new film reprints being made available to private collectors too.

The uncompressed version, with its huge data rate, was fantastic to see. Shown at 14ft on an HT5000 and also on a fully compliant DCI machine, it was totally amazing.

I hope they dont do anything silly with the BD transfer, but see no reason why they would.

Theres another screen here from a C3X1080/ISCOIII/Vistascope combo...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1048623

Those are nice shots coldmachine.

So how do people get new film reprints? $$$$ and who you know? I didn't know such things happened. I'm not slamming the info, just curious how it all works.

The uncompressed 2k master is almost perfect. The restoration is very clean, as the film was good to start with,'Super Technirama 70'. There are also some new film reprints being made available to private collectors too.

The uncompressed version, with its huge data rate, was fantastic to see. Shown at 14ft on an HT5000 and also on a fully compliant DCI machine, it was totally amazing.

I hope they dont do anything silly with the BD transfer, but see no reason why they would.

Theres another screen here from a C3X1080/ISCOIII/Vistascope combo...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1048623

Well, I'm a huge fan of this film, so let's hope it is pristine.

They were Uneducated savages.Woops that's righ they beat us to the moon.:D
Killer Classic movie.Can't wait to get it.

THAT'S ABOUT AS RACIST AND INSENSITIVE A STATEMENT AS I HAVE EVER READ IN THIS FORUM.:eek:

Those screen shots look terrible. Hopefully the Blu-ray will not go overboard with the DNR.

THAT'S ABOUT AS RACIST AND INSENSITIVE A STATEMENT AS I HAVE EVER READ IN THIS FORUM.:eek:

Is truth a legitimate defense?

Does anyone know if this release will play in Region A players?

Wow. Those facial shots are wax city. Completely unnatural. Ugly as sin. :mad:

Any update on whether "Zulu", and "Ipcress File", will be region free?

THAT'S ABOUT AS RACIST AND INSENSITIVE A STATEMENT AS I HAVE EVER READ IN THIS FORUM.:eek:

Well in it's historic context at the time the native people where seen as a little more sophisticated than an animal. Sorry if that hurt your feelings.
(Although recent events in rwanda might entice us to believe that it isn't far from the truth.)

It's part of our history. Like progroms, crusades ,inquisition, slavery, Smoking gun 'evidence' to start a war to 'defend' ones own country at the other side of the world, just a murder at the next street corner etc. etc. All ugly events events and it happened. It's still happening.

Should we stop making movies about these events?

Anyone seen this yet? I haven't found any reviews either. I'm interested to see what this looks like in HD. As i'm in the US, it hasn't appeared here on any cable HD channels. I know it's more popular in Great Britain. I'm also interested in the sound mix, the SD DVD we have here (MGM) is in mono, and it's horrible. If anyone gets a copy, let us know what it's like.

Great News...this along with films like BREAKER MORRANT are welcome news for blu ray fans !

i hated that movie. .....................

if the release shaka zulu on blu-ray, i am in.

+10000000

THAT'S ABOUT AS RACIST AND INSENSITIVE A STATEMENT AS I HAVE EVER READ IN THIS FORUM.:eek:

Ethnocentric not racist perhaps

The movie made Michael Caine the star he is, I can't wait for this. As long its not region locked of course.

In stock at Amazon.co.uk

Just got this in the post, as i am on my lunch break i have not had a chance to watch the entire film but what i can confirm it is Region Free.:)
I have tried it on my Uk sony 350 and my Pioneer elite 95fd and it works fine.
The pq looks great but the audio is sterio only.
Hope this helps.
Kevin

Where can we get this in USA.One of my favorite movies.HELP

I'm fairly sure Amazon.co.uk will ship to the US. :)

Steve

I'm fairly sure Amazon.co.uk will ship to the US. :)

Steve

That is true. I order from Amazon UK a few times a year.

Can someone confirm that this will play in the US?

Can someone confirm that this will play in the US?
Reports say it's region free.

Reports say it's region free.

Sweeeet.

I ordered it! For what it's worth, there is a reader review on the Amazon UK site that is positively glowing. Who knows if it's legit, but this game claims it's one of the best transfers he has ever seen on HD DVD or BD. Here's to hoping!

Here is the link to the HD broadcast review which got lost during the forum outage.

http://www.hdwars.co.uk/review.aspx?type=broadcast&id=1

Can someone confirm that this will play in the US?

I did.

I ordered it! For what it's worth, there is a reader review on the Amazon UK site that is positively glowing. Who knows if it's legit, but this game claims it's one of the best transfers he has ever seen on HD DVD or BD. Here's to hoping!

What he didnt tell you was he was watching it on his 28inch widescreen television from fifteen feet back and he forgot to wear his glasses during the screening.

highdefdouches.com has a review up for the Zulu import. He says its a well restored print but it contains very noticeable EE and DNR. Too bad, I was looking forward to importing.

highdefdouches.com has a review up for the Zulu import. He says its a well restored print but it contains very noticeable EE and DNR. Too bad, I was looking forward to importing.

Of course because this is Paramount and the extras are in 480i this is going to be the exact same version released in America next year on it's 45th anniversary.

Just got this in the post, as i am on my lunch break i have not had a chance to watch the entire film but what i can confirm it is Region Free.:)
I have tried it on my Uk sony 350 and my Pioneer elite 95fd and it works fine.
The pq looks great but the audio is sterio only.
Hope this helps.
Kevin
I am not sure if you are in the UK or US. Did i understand you that ZULU payed fine in two US region A players?
Thanks
Humberto

highdefdouches.com has a review up for the Zulu import. He says its a well restored print but it contains very noticeable EE and DNR. Too bad, I was looking forward to importing.

Very disappointed. I will still keep it, because it's probably the best looking version so far, but still...

That broadcast had unbelievable DNR. It seems eric's screenshots from earlier in the thread are gone.

Don't worry, soon there will be enough caps of the unbelievably DNR'd and EE'd Blu-Ray to make all the lovers of a clean, sharp and colorful picture happy :D

blu-ray.com has their review up.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?id=1594&show=review

Screens look very nice.

I wouldn't expect lots of grain in this production which was shot in Super Technirama 70 and yes i know it uses 35mm film.

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/Widescreen/trbook02.htm

The review sounds nice....I'll keep an open mind on this one and may buy.

woah, that's atrocious

Hmmm....the screenies at Blu-ray.com look much much better than these. Plus they give the video a 5 star rating although they mention the DNR issue.

Mine was shipped earlier today. Should have it in my hands this week.

I've seen worse, but these screens are very smooth looking. Some noticeable halo's in places as well.

What a shame titles are being butchered like this.

Oliver,

Could I ask you -
What HT equipment are you viewing with?

Thanks

holy **** Oliver!

This is worse than Patton or Longest Day (imagine that).

DNR dial cranked up to 50! jezuz effing criyst!

I don't know what else to say :eek:

This movie was "restored" last year I think. A result like this done recently shows Paramount really doesn't know how to take care of their catalog titles. A high percent of Paramount titles I've seen on HDTV are DNR'd too.

Welcome to Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros.

Oliver,

Could I ask you -
What HT equipment are you viewing with?

Thanks

I have a 14ft curved screen, most stuff I watch with a 9" CRT fed a 1080p signal but I also use 1080p digitals to get an idea how stuff looks to most front projection people.

If this is what the disk looks like we are back in "Longest Day" territory.

Thanks for the screencaps Oliver....I guess the review site got it wrong ( again )

No way i will be buying this and i love this movie too.

I sure hope when Braveheart is released by Paramount in January they do a better job than this.

holy **** Oliver!

This is worse than Patton or Longest Day (imagine that).

DNR dial cranked up to 50! jezuz effing criyst!

I don't know what else to say :eek:

It is VERY bad - I watched about 20 minutes of it and in the end gave up.
The way it was shot and set up Zulu is really what one could call eye candy. Imo it would have had the potential to look almost as good as HTWWW, but now it has been reduced to this.

I thought we were going in the right direction with HTWWW and Sleeping Beauty, but having seen Baraka and Zulu it is clear that there is always the risk of somebody somewhere thinking that a picture has to be cleaner and/or sharper and thereby transfers are rendered less than optimal as in the case of Baraka or in this case painful to watch.

Thanks for the screencaps Oliver....I guess the review site got it wrong ( again )

No way i will be buying this and i love this movie too.

I sure hope when Braveheart is released by Paramount in January they do a better job than this.

Glad to be of help, I think I will nominate Zulu for that special section of your thread where you put Patton and Dark City.

In 2006 a new 35mm print was struck of Zulu - keep an eye out for it as it is as of now the only version to really see Zulu close to the way it was once possible (70mm roadshow prints).

It is VERY bad - I watched about 20 minutes of it and in the end gave up.
The way it was shot and set up Zulu is really what one could call eye candy. Imo it would have had the potential to look almost as good as HTWWW, but now it has been reduced to this.

I thought we were going in the right direction with HTWWW and Sleeping Beauty, but having seen Baraka and Zulu it is clear that there is always the risk of somebody somewhere thinking that a picture has to be cleaner and/or sharper and thereby transfers are rendered less than optimal as in the case of Baraka or in this case painful to watch.

Your one sick puppy Oliver.Get a life.:p

Your one sick puppy Oliver.Get a life.:p

I'd like to think that other than suffering a disappointing classic release here and there I have quite a good (ht-)life, especially with most releases of new movies now looking as good as they do :)

That is absolutely horrendous. Any reviewer who gives this one a pass is blind or a complete idiot. Sorry, but that is just the way it is.

This is a disgrace.

I must be blind. What's wrong with this movie? Every image I have seen here and on other forums look wonderful. People must be really splitting hairs to find something wrong with it. I have a Sony KDS60A3000 TV and a Panasonic BD30 player.

Another thing...people keep referring to Patton. I have it and it also looks great. The only thing I didn't like is the detail is so good you can see Patton's fake eyebrows in the opening of the movie (he's at attention in front of the big flag).

Anyway, I ordered it and can't wait. My favorite movie of all time!

Yes, you may be blind. More likely, you just don't have the knowledge needed to understand this issue. :( No offense intended and I mean that, but the images on this and Patton and Longest Day and Zulu are nothing like the actual images that were captured onto film. They have been processed and pushed into something resembling high def video, completely devoid fine detail.

In a word: ****

Obviously, we cannot type that word here.

Just like people refused to believe there was edge enhancement on SD-DVD's like PHANTOM MENACE... Just like people claimed there was no problem with the audio on some French HD-DVD's... We have people claiming nothing is wrong with the picture on numerous BD releases that have been HEAVILY processed with DVNR.

Lord have mercy on us all.

Well, I like to draw and can be pretty good at it if I concentrate. When I'm finished, everyone looks at my work and says how great it is but all I see are the mistakes I made. Maybe something similar is happening here but in reverse.

I also have to remind myself I'm looking at screen captures on an LCD monitor right now and not my TV at home.

Until I get my hands on this and see it for myself I will hold off judgement. Oliver is viewing on a 14 foot screen! God bless him...but my tiny 92" diag may not reveal the flaws that he sees.

The screen shots are just that.

Then again the audio of my French HDDVD Rambo's never bothered me :)

Its worse than the sky-hd print ! that is the worst DNR I have ever seen

Well, I like to draw and can be pretty good at it if I concentrate. When I'm finished, everyone looks at my work and says how great it is but all I see are the mistakes I made. Maybe something similar is happening here but in reverse.

I also have to remind myself I'm looking at screen captures on an LCD monitor right now and not my TV at home.

You are seeing a sharper picture which to the untrained eye is an improvement, but the picture on this film has been stripped of it's fine detail. Everything has a smooth unnatural appearance. Patton is very similar. The bigger your screen the worse it is.

Its worse than the sky-hd print ! that is the worst DNR I have ever seen

With regard to the potential of the movie and what it turned out to be I would say this is definitely comparable to Patton. Both Patton and Zulu are at the top of my completely unwatchable list not only because they look the way they do but also because they could have looked absolutely stunning.

Until I get my hands on this and see it for myself I will hold off judgement. Oliver is viewing on a 14 foot screen! God bless him...but my tiny 92" diag may not reveal the flaws that he sees.

The screen shots are just that.

Then again the audio of my French HDDVD Rambo's never bothered me :)

The movie is an improvement over the DVD no doubt, but upon not so close inspection it is at the same time so artificial looking that an unusually large relative distance to the screen is essential, no matter what screen size is used. Sitting at least 2 or better 2.5 screen widths away will significantly enhance the viewing experience except of course for the fact that the movie was not really intended to be watched from that far away. But I guess if you are hell bent on watching it you might as well make the best out of it :)

If you can do better then why don't you remaster it and release it.

I was thinking about answering this one but you are so beyond making any sense that it isn't worth the effort. At least I have now saved these pearls of wisdom for posterity and can use them as a deadly weapon in any discussion about picture or sound quality :D

I looked at some comparative screen shots that demonstrate what DNR does to an image, so now I know what everyone is talking about. Personally, this reminds me in principal of a problem we all face at various times in life..."having knowledge". You learn something that changes the way you experience life. Your world is changed forever and you cannot go back to the way things were before. I think this is the basis for the saying, "Ignorance is bliss".

So a level of detail has been lost in the transfer process. Since I've seen this movie at a drive-in 44 years ago, a few times on an old CRT television and only recently, the SD DVD upconverted on my new widescreen, the experience will likely seem an improvement. But I will not refuse to watch the movie just because its full potential was not realized. We can't have perfection with every movie released. It's just the nature of how all this technology plays itself out over time.

I looked at some comparative screen shots that demonstrate what DNR does to an image, so now I know what everyone is talking about. Personally, this reminds me in principal of a problem we all face at various times in life..."having knowledge". You learn something that changes the way you experience life. Your world is changed forever and you cannot go back to the way things were before. I think this is the basis for the saying, "Ignorance is bliss".

So a level of detail has been lost in the transfer process. Since I've seen this movie at a drive-in 44 years ago, a few times on an old CRT television and only recently, the SD DVD upconverted on my new widescreen, the experience will likely seem an improvement. But I will not refuse to watch the movie just because its full potential was not realized. We can't have perfection with every movie released. It's just the nature of how all this technology plays itself out over time.

The problem is there are varying levels of DNR and mild light DNR can be fine although i would rather have none.....This appears to be one of the worst case scenarios with heavy DNR and buying it or renting it often sends the signal to whoever approved this transfer that they did a great job so hey lets do a similar job on the next movie......I can wait till they get the message that this is wrong and i won't buy this even though i very much wanted this movie in my collection.

Nobody should feel forced not to watch this, after all it is the best version of the movie available on a silver disc. The caps and the info provided can however be used as a tool to make an informed decision, especially when the relation between screencaps and what you see on your setup is more clear to you.

And hopefully all these critical threads on Zulu, Patton and even Baraka will help to raise awareness for how damaging excessive DNR and EE can be for a transfer - in the end and for me it is all about improving the quality of other transfers that are yet to be made :)

Wow, that's bad! The high DNR level on Patton doesn't bother me much (though I'd still prefer it be gone), but here... ew! Two frames are enough- that looks like crap.

Looks like the painting sequence from What Dreams May Come.

Restoration? Yeah, right.

Well, I got my copy and watched it last night. It looks fine to me even knowing what to look for as far as DNR is concerned. I think it has a lot to do with looking at a still versus full motion. Unless you're super sensitive to these things, your eyes don't have time to pick out the DNR stuff.

This issue in principal in also evident with audio. Some people apparently have full labs in their living room and they analyze the hell out of the sound and report all kinds of things that most people cannot distinguish simply because everyone's level of hearing is different (never mind how the accoustics would naturally vary).

I'm not making a case for low quality transfers...just that you have to recognize reality versus the ideal.

In the Mummy and U-571 threads people were complaining about a few specs of grain missing and now we have this. If people can't see how bad this disc looks, then future anti-DNR discussions are a waste of time.

@scrapser:

AFTER I suffered through the first 20 minutes of Zulu I made the screencaps because it looked so bad IN MOTION.

While it is nice you are not bothered by the level of DNR/EE that was applied to Zulu please do not expect others to have the same level of tolerance. I strongly doubt that somebody who is annoyed by these effects would have to be described as super sensitive to them.

you know what who cares. I dont even have this disc but own the original dvd and that picture is horrible. The pics I have seen show a great improvement. DNR or no DNR it DOESNT matter since this is the best release of this old classic! I do not understand why people bitch considering the other release is complete crap.

you know what who cares. I dont even have this disc but own the original dvd and that picture is horrible. The pics I have seen show a great improvement. DNR or no DNR it DOESNT matter since this is the best release of this old classic! I do not understand why people bitch considering the other release is complete crap.

A lot of people care for a filmlike presentation. These movies do not get redone every year so once a movie like Zulu is out we will not have another chance to get a proper transfer for 5, maybe 10 years - who knows when they will revisit it ?

Therefore the good enough attitude is not helpful at all. By all means do enjoy the Blu-Ray of Zulu as you obviously can but why not also be grateful that there are those among us that want make the next transfers of classic movies better ? We now have very high standards for new releases and we can expect the same care for older titles especially when a new transfer is done for them and in cases where the quality is unnecessarily limited due to not properly using the tools available in production.

The pics I have seen show a great improvement. DNR or no DNR it DOESNT matter since this is the best release of this old classic! I do not understand why people bitch considering the other release is complete crap.
Because for people that use as reference not a crap DVD but the film itself the new transfer is still rubbish. Only higher resolution rubbish.

the new transfer is still rubbish

That about sums up what I thought a few seconds into the Blu-Ray :D

you know what who cares. I dont even have this disc but own the original dvd and that picture is horrible. The pics I have seen show a great improvement. DNR or no DNR it DOESNT matter since this is the best release of this old classic! I do not understand why people bitch considering the other release is complete crap.
Good giref. THIS release is crap too and there is likely ZERO chance of seeing a proper one for years and years to come, if ever.

We have every right to complain at their screwing this up.

Waxmation?

I have to admit that until very recently I couldn't tell what people were talking about when they griped about excessive DNR. I understood in theory what it was, but I just couldn't see it.

I see it now, especially in your screencaps, Oliver. I don't know that I've ever noticed it much in motion on discs (although I certainly have seen "wax face" on satellite), but I will look for it more in the future. I agree that it looks less than ideal.

I cannot say that it makes a film "unwatchable." It's a distraction, but I wouldn't say it ruins the experience so much that I'm willing to forego watching a very good film because of it.

Those screen grabs are painful to look at.

Those screen grabs are painful to look at.

But the landscape shots would sure look good as wall paintings. :)

Received my copy of Zulu yesterday and finally got around to watching it. Not sure what most of you guys are on about, but it looked great to me. Maybe I'm simple and don't have a zillion dollar setup with a 10,000 foot screen (just an ISF calibrated SXRD Sony), but I enjoyed the viewing. Guess that's what it's all about though in the long run. :cool:

Unnecessary comments removed.

Received my copy of Zulu yesterday and finally got around to watching it. Not sure what most of you guys are on about, but it looked great to me. Maybe I'm simple and don't have a zillion dollar setup with a 10,000 foot screen but I enjoyed the viewing. Guess that's what it's all about though in the long run. :cool:

+1. I enjoyed the movie immensely :):):)

Received my copy of Zulu yesterday and finally got around to watching it. Not sure what most of you guys are on about, but it looked great to me. Maybe I'm simple and don't have a zillion dollar setup with a 10,000 foot screen (just an ISF calibrated SXRD Sony), but I enjoyed the viewing. Guess that's what it's all about though in the long run. :cool:

Thought it looked excellent on my 60 inch plasma from 9ft away. Excellent movie too :)

I guess I'll double dip if there is an even better version.

I also watched Becket which is even much more awsomer :)

Received my copy of Zulu yesterday and finally got around to watching it. Not sure what most of you guys are on about, but it looked great to me. Maybe I'm simple and don't have a zillion dollar setup with a 10,000 foot screen (just an ISF calibrated SXRD Sony), but I enjoyed the viewing. Guess that's what it's all about though in the long run. :cool:

It is the best version of Zulu there is so if you enjoyed it that is good for you.

I did not enjoy it as it is another transfer that does not look like film anymore. It is unfortunately far removed from what it could have been with proper care in mastering and transfering. A much better Blu-Ray could have been made with little to no additional costs involved.

Oooh, just ordered my own copy. Forgot all about that one being released. Any "Oh no this movie looks terrible" threads floating around about this one?

I doubt it since it's unbelievably good!

I know there have been serious complaints about some titles but on my displays which range from 46 inches to 60, I've rarely been disapointed with the classics. In fact many of my friends are more likely to buy Blu ray after they see what the older movies look like than any of the new stuff.

Anyway, I am busy loading up on the great classics :)

I'm now looking forward to casablanca and using it for a theme party at our home :)

I doubt it since it's unbelievably good!

I know there have been serious complaints about some titles but on my displays which range from 46 inches to 60, I've rarely been disapointed with the classics. In fact many of my friends are more likely to buy Blu ray after they see what the older movies look like than any of the new stuff.

Anyway, I am busy loading up on the great classics :)

I'm now looking forward to casablanca and using it for a theme party at our home :)

Good to hear about Becket. ;) I like the classics as well. Wish Khartoum would be released on Blu sometime soon.

And you know this because??? There's always costs involved in everything.

There are not always costs involved in altering movies to a lesser degree from what they originally looked like - that is applying no or little DNR vs. what has been done to Zulu must not necessarily cost more ( I did not say zero costs but little additional costs).



From what I've read, a lot went into the mastering and transfer of this title already, so this will probably be the best there is.

Please post a link or two to what you read, that might be interesting. And of course Zulu is the best there currently is - it is not like different mastering/transfer houses could take turns and try to improve upon the current version.



I've learned to enjoy things for what they are, not what they aren't. In the long run, life tends to be happier that way. ;)

It definitely is, but I cannot unlearn how film looks after having been exposed to it for a few decades and with current releases being rather good as a whole I do not need to. It is mainly some classic titles that continue to disappoint, other than that most current stuff looks good or very good.

My copy arrived yesterday. I viewed a few scenes on my HLS 6188S which was calibrated by UMR. I must agree that it looks more like HD video than film. Still, on my 61" screen I wouldn't say that the DNR ruined the picture. In fact, what I saw looked very impressive indeed.

Having seen many comments about this and other films, like Patton and The Longest Day, my conclusion is this. The studios are too heavy handed with DNR because they aren't viewing their product on a large FP system. While the lack of grain, and the corresponding reduction in fine detail, doesn't bother me to much on my 61" screen, on a 110-120" screen I can only imagine the result.

For now I'm quite happy with Zulu. However, if I'm ever lucky enough to obtain a system like that of Mr. Klohs I'm sure I'll dump my copy on Ebay.

There are not always costs involved in altering movies to a lesser degree from what they originally looked like - that is applying no or little DNR vs. what has been done to Zulu must not necessarily cost more ( I did not say zero costs but little additional costs).





Please post a link or two to what you read, that might be interesting. And of course Zulu is the best there currently is - it is not like different mastering/transfer houses could take turns and try to improve upon the current version.





It definitely is, but I cannot unlearn how film looks after having been exposed to it for a few decades and with current releases being rather good as a whole I do not need to. It is mainly some classic titles that continue to disappoint, other than that most current stuff looks good or very good.

Unfortunately, there is some real world concerns. I was once told, you can't please all the people all the time. When home video is still in the 60 inch and below screen realm, the releases have to cater to that audience. Even if it costs you extra.

Most of these titles that some folks are complaining about look spectacular on smaller or more mainstream screens. The difference between the Blu Rays and any other version is often night and day. Much bigger in my opinion than any of the recent releases, which tend to look decent in all formats.

Unfortunately, there is some real world concerns. I was once told, you can't please all the people all the time. When home video is still in the 60 inch and below screen realm, the releases have to cater to that audience. Even if it costs you extra.

It is a misconception that a title could be looking bad because its transfer is geared toward a certain audience. A transfer that is considered stellar by videophile standards, if we want to call it that, can be considered fantastic by all of the audience. Recent releases like Iron Man or Indy 4 are great examples of this.




Most of these titles that some folks are complaining about look spectacular on smaller or more mainstream screens. The difference between the Blu Rays and any other version is often night and day. Much bigger in my opinion than any of the recent releases, which tend to look decent in all formats.

In my experience looking spectacular has more to do with relative distance to the screen - once you approach 2 screen widths or less of distance from the screen things like grain removal and DNR are much more obvious than at longer distances.

So for me screen size is not that important in that regard and that is why I only post the size of my screen when somebody asks for it as I think it is not relevant to the discussion.

And I completely agree with regard to the night and day difference - this is often the case with older titles, and it does say a lot about the bad quality DVDs of classic releases.

Bickering posts removed. Some users have been restricted from further posting in this thread.

Had a chance to sit down and watch this. At 92" it looked really nice. The DNR neurotics went way overboard in attacking this film. Very enjoyable.

Had a chance to sit down and watch this. At 92" it looked really nice. The DNR neurotics went way overboard in attacking this film. Very enjoyable.
Screen size is meaningless without viewing distance. Even VHS is enjoyable on a 5m screen if you sit 50 meters away. If you see 1080p detail and love the waxworks you are not any less neurotic than people who don't. :)

Screen size is meaningless without viewing distance. Even VHS is enjoyable on a 5m screen if you sit 50 meters away. If you see 1080p detail and love the waxworks you are not any less neurotic than people who don't. :)

Tier 0, number 23 :o
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=858316

Tier 0, number 23 :o
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=858316

Wow, it is obvious that there is another thread that I never need to visit again - If there were only 22 discs that looked better to me than Zulu I would quit this hobby.

Last two posts regarding Zulu and the tier thread. I have brought up several times that I believe some want or hope a film is going to be eye candy and tier 0 and after one viewing rush to judgement. I also believe we have some contributors that are looking to nitpick and downgrade a title only after one viewing. IMO, I believe to fairly judge a title one should watch at least 3 times. One for the movie itself and I am sure the videophiles will notice PQ and if there are issues or not. Second time focus more on PQ, yet watch the entire film again. The third time scan through from beginning to end just focusing on PQ. I cannot tell you how many times I thought a title after a first viewing seemed like it was better than it was after a second or third viewing.

As far Zulu and the tier thread, I believe there has only been one or two recommendations for placement and the one who said tier 0 watched it again and yesterday dropped his placement recommendation to tier 4. :eek: I know the disparity. :confused: I am expecting Zulu to be dropped in the tiers. Unfortunately if only one, two or a few see a film and recommend placement that is where the film will be placed.

I am not telling those those that already know what the PQ thread is about, but I am reminding them we have a wide variety of opinions of how we should or shouldn't be rating movies in that thread. Some like grain some don't. Some are ok with some issues and don't notice them and others are hardcore and notice everything and don't cut any slack. We are constantly discussing parameters and what is and isn't eye candy, and what are and aren't artifacts and issues. We have had a flood of new contributors to the thread and it seems to be for the better of the thread and is welcomed.

Personally I want as close to film like reproduction as possible and at the same time want eye candy. I think the majority of those that post in the PQ tier thread want the same, but the main intent in that thread is eye candy. We want the best possible looking PQ on BD that we can get. Director's intent and things like out of focus or blurry screen shots are penalized by our ranking system, but I think more often than not many really good looking, eye candy BD's are ones that have obvious grain and a film like quality. I may not be successful, but when possible I try to bring the two together.

Look at the differences of opinion in the Baraka and DK threads as disparities about PQ assessment there are frequent. Some that I would have thought would have blasted Baraka or DK didn't and some that I thought wouldn't have blasted it did. We have had fence jumpers. :confused:

This movie is a must buy for me when it comes out in the u.s. I love this movie. I hope they put it in surround sound when it comes out cause I hate the mono track on the dvd. Hope we get some bonus features as well.

I brought this as it's one of my favourite films despite the negative reviews.

The DNR (or whatever you want to call it) has been way over done so that it makes a number of the shots of faces look overly waxy.

Theres no denying this. It's still way better than my old DVD (which is the logical reason for owning it). :eek:

Dvdbeaver has some comparisons btw the Blu-ray and previous dvd versions. The reviewer makes no mention of the DNR is his review, though it is certainly light years better than the dvd (even though this no longer serves as the sole benchmark in evaluating film).

I hope they put it in surround sound when it comes out cause I hate the mono track on the dvd. Hope we get some bonus features as well.

The transfer comes with a stereo soundtrack. There should be a 6-track soundtrack somewhere that was used in the 70mm roadshow version, but apparently the parties involved was tried to cut costs on the production of the master for this Blu-Ray, both for picture and sound.


Dvdbeaver has some comparisons btw the Blu-ray and previous dvd versions. The reviewer makes no mention of the DNR is his review, though it is certainly light years better than the dvd (even though this no longer serves as the sole benchmark in evaluating film).

The Blu-Ray definitely is the version to own if you have to have the film, still this transfer falls short of what can demonstrably be done with classics movies.

With the photography it has Zulu could have been demo quality and as good as anything that has been released on Blu-Ray, so the yardstick should not be the rather mediocre DVD of Zulu but how the transfers of movies like How the West Was Won, The Sand Pebbles and The Professionals turned out.

I got Zulu yesterday from Amazon here in US.Watch it last night with some friends.The movie was outstanding.Quality first rate.Everyone thought it was one of the best BD they have seen of a older movie.I have the VHS of it and the difference is not even worth mentioning.I read some of the post here and have to say if this release is not good enough or you are so ate up with whatever then I feel sorry for you and those around you.Watch it on a EPSON 8100 and Carada 110in screen and mask to the original scope.Could not even imagine a better movie experiance.BOB

I got Zulu yesterday from Amazon here in US.Watch it last night with some friends.The movie was outstanding.Quality first rate.Everyone thought it was one of the best BD they have seen of a older movie.I have the VHS of it and the difference is not even worth mentioning.I read some of the post here and have to say if this release is not good enough or you are so ate up with whatever then I feel sorry for you and those around you.Watch it on a EPSON 8100 and Carada 110in screen and mask to the original scope.Could not even imagine a better movie experiance.BOB

I concur.

My fairly jaded 20-something-year-old kids were astonished at the color, clarity, and detail when we watched our UK imported BD last night. They could not believe they were looking at a nearly 50-year-old film.

The depth of field was jaw-dopping, almost as good as the distant mountian views in HOW THE WEST WAS WON. I looked for flaws and found none on my brand new Mitsubishi 65" DLP.

Too bad the 6-track audio has still not been located, but I have *no* complaints about the viewing experience.

--Dan--

I concur.

My fairly jaded 20-something-year-old kids were astonished at the color, clarity, and detail when we watched our UK imported BD last night. They could not believe they were looking at a nearly 50-year-old film.

The depth of field was jaw-dopping, almost as good as the distant mountian views in HOW THE WEST WAS WON. I looked for flaws and found none on my brand new Mitsubishi 65" DLP.

Too bad the 6-track audio has still not been located, but I have *no* complaints about the viewing experience.

--Dan--

I agree. So, it's been DNR'd. At least the Zulu spears have not been erased a'la Gladiator. This movie is a huge favorite of mine, and I have never seen it look this good. If they redo it with less DNR (highly doubtful-the current BD hasn't even been released in the USA) I'd get it. But I like this one for now.

Zulu does not look like the film it came from but that does not mean it won't look pretty to many viewers especially compared to the DVD.

For me it is an assembly of fake textures that is even more annoying because this film could have been a true reference title: Great cinematography, a movie that is really good and it was even shot in large format and perfect lighting conditions so there should be plenty of detail to harvest from the negative.

So while what we have now is better than the DVD the next step would be a Blu-Ray that comes close to looking as good as can be expected with proper treatment (6k scan from OCN). And somebody should give a 70mm print with 6 channel magnetic soundtrack to Paramount in case that they cannot find the original 6-track masters anymore.

Not that I expect this to happen as most viewers already seem happy with what they have now so that there is probably little incentive for Paramount to redo Zulu.

They don't even have the incentive to release this title stateside - let alone ever consider a re-master. I think we're gonna have to live w/ this (slightly DNR'd) transfer for a very long time.

Slightly DNRed is an understatement. This is one of the worst examples of a film being reduced to plastic released on the format.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare/zulu.htm

They don't even have the incentive to release this title stateside - let alone ever consider a re-master. I think we're gonna have to live w/ this (slightly DNR'd) transfer for a very long time.

A re-master is indeed not very probable in the short run but hopefully at some point it will happen.

The movie was exposed to several passes with an automated dirt removal tool/dust buster by the way - after that no DNR is needed anymore ;)

Slightly DNRed is an understatement. This is one of the worst examples of a film being reduced to plastic released on the format.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare/zulu.htm
This movie in BD is excellent.

I would rather watch the criterion laserdisc

It looks great and it looks like crap at the same time. The color and contrast are really fantastic, the fine detail and skin textures are horrible.