Gladiator Master Blu-ray Comparison and Review Thread

[Greg_R_STL]

I think that Matt's scenario is as likely as anything, and no matter what, it's just a setup for a double dip on a major release, which has happened many times without most people knowing why. All it needs is 2 or 3 years, and a big new Ridley Scott movie or similar Universal/Paramount genre movie to help promote, and we'll be treated to the ALL NEW STUNNING HIGH DEF TRANSFER!!!, etc..

[pteittinen]

Originally Posted by Greg_R_STL

All it needs is 2 or 3 years, and a big new Ridley Scott movie or similar Universal/Paramount genre movie to help promote, and we'll be treated to the ALL NEW STUNNING HIGH DEF TRANSFER!!!, etc..

I see we shop in the same crystall ball store.

[sharkcohen]

Originally Posted by Matt_Stevens

Don't expect to know any more because that's asking too much. Just expect another release in a few years.

****.

[GizmoDVD]

Originally Posted by Blasst

That I know, I thought he might have scored one early somewhere. From his reply I don't think Josh will be going out of his way to find one.

Neither will I. Don't care for this or Braveheart. Gump though I'll be getting for sure.

[eric.exe]

Originally Posted by Blasst

eric,

Forgive me if you posted earlier about this.

What size display did you watch the Gladiator BD on?

Matt and Xylon watched on front projectors, so I was curious what you used.

I watched on 60" Sony sxrd. I could almost ignore the waxy faces, but the EE was unbelievably obvious. Unlike other movie with heavy EE, where the halo is a clear line around the objects/people, on the Gladiator BD it's actually a different color from object and the background, making it super noticeable and distracting. The next thing that runs the presentation is the colors and contrast, they are just straight up nasty. They have a harsh video look that you would never expect from a HD presentation.

[Greg_R_STL]

Originally Posted by pteittinen

I see we shop in the same crystall ball store.

What would be even better is that if, on the box copy somewhere it said, BY FAN REQUEST! as if to say, see, we care about you, we listen...

[pteittinen]

Originally Posted by Greg_R_STL

What would be even better is that if, on the box copy somewhere it said, BY FAN REQUEST! as if to say, see, we care about you, we listen...

Here, I'll lend you my crystal ball, yours is broken

[eric.exe]

definitive set.

I actually heard a radio advertisement for the Braveheart and Gladiator Sapphire BDs on the way home from work today.

[Matt_Stevens]

Originally Posted by Tom Monahan

Hey Matt,

Did you notice a big difference in edge enhancement on your friends 100 inch plus screen between the blu-ray and your DVHS recording?

Thanks

Tom

Yes I did. the BD has noticeably thicker EE at times. Rather ugly EE.

Now, I have been ordered not to say anymore. The last twenty minutes of my life were very interesting. All I can say is, a lot of people (especially over at the official BD forum) are going to have egg all over their faces.

I won't have any.

Just wait. Can't say anything else. I agreed to make one last post and let it drop. I have too much to loose in 2010 to keep at this one.

[Greg_R_STL]

Originally Posted by pteittinen

Here, I'll lend you my crystal ball, yours is broken

To hell with that, I demand a recall by the crystal ball company!!

[pteittinen]

Originally Posted by Greg_R_STL

To hell with that, I demand a recall by the crystal ball company!!

OK, it was good I didn't have my mouth full when I read that!

[Stinky-Dinkins]

Originally Posted by Matt_Stevens

What I stated as FACT was that there is another transfer, a newer one, that is much better than the older transfer, the same crap transfer used for the BD.
GLADIATOR has a much better transfer out there and it WAS NOT USED.

How is this a fact? Do you have the unused transfer in your basement? Why would they spend a large amount of money creating a new master only to use it as a paperweight?

This seems a far, far more probable scenario:

Originally Posted by Josh Z

The much more likely scenario is that Universal transferred the individual pieces of footage needed for the Extended Cut separately when creating that version of the movie, and then spliced them into their existing master for the bulk of the movie.

And all of those theories about some of being driven by spite due to lingering bitterness of the death of HD-DVD is just flat out silly.

No one attacking you personally, it's just that your theory (from supposed sources) doesn't add up, it seems like it's all hobbled together based on the extended scenes having an edge over the rest of the presentation.

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Sometimes reading posts here is unbearable because of the residual hate for Blu-ray

And this is even more ridiculous. I read this forum all the time, and I never pick up on this vibe.

I supported both formats initially (although I always bought more Blu Rays,) and I eagerly went exclusively to Blu Ray when HD-DVD crapped the bed (I was glad to, having two formats was annoying) and this forum is not at all a "Blu Ray bashing forum." People here care much less about the physical format itself than they do about how well a movie appears on the format. That's the difference, the actual format it is stored on is, at this point, seen as irrelevant.

Countless high quality Blu Rays receive the praise they deserve here, and the lower quality ones do not. The reason some people perceive a bias against the format is likely due to their odd attachment to the format itself rather than presentation stored on the format - making them likely to interpret an attack of a poor-quality transfer as an attack of the medium. Blu Ray is just a physical media that delivers the final message; no one is attacking the messenger. No one here is dumb enough to think that those movies that look poor on Blu Ray look poor because they're on Blu Ray, they look poor because the studios didn't treat them properly.

One camp is saying Gladiator has serious problems based completely on how it appears. They say this because it obviously does.

Another camp is saying Gladiator has no serious problems, they say that the other camp is claiming it does because of dislike of the disc the movie is stored on. They say the evidence is doctored, it's a conspiracy, etc. That's friggin' ridiculous. Honestly, get over yourself.

[Xae]

Maybe we can get Russell Crowe to go postal and hurl some phones and ghost spears at the people responsible

[ChuckZ]

Matt_Stevens, don't martyr yourself for something like this.

If a higher power told you to shut up, it's best to do it.

I think you got the point sufficiently across and we're all appreciative for it.

Hopefully those higher ups got the point and will be proactive to correct it (instead of trying to censor everybody).

[fpconvert]

Five days to go - still available as a pre order at Amazon and BB.

[Xylon]

Did any of the blu-ray "insiders" claim that the Romans has stealth technology that's why the arrows and other projectiles disappear?

[fpconvert]

Yes they did, they fly under the blu raydar.

[philnerd]

Originally Posted by eric.exe

I actually heard a radio advertisement for the Braveheart and Gladiator Sapphire BDs on the way home from work today.

Anyone else think that ad money would have been better spent on a proper transfer?

[pteittinen]

Originally Posted by Xylon

Did any of the blu-ray "insiders" claim that the Romans has stealth technology that's why the arrows and other projectiles disappear?

Nope, but I made that observation over there in reply to the animated gif. Got zero replies.

[mike171979]

Since my thread was closed, I'll repost Paramount's Home Entertainment email address here:

PHE_CustomerService@Paramount.com



Now, If I find out anyone that is pissed about the crappy treatment Gladiator received, DID NOT send at least one email to Paramount, I'll be very upset.

[gunm]

I do believe Matt_S, and hope he's right about a possible re-release in the future. I'm just going to hold on to my DVD copy for now, I guess.

I just hope this same craziness doesn't happen with Forrest Gump. >_<

[RDarrylR]

Just imagine how happy everyone would have been if it came on HD-DVD instead?

[Blasst]

Originally Posted by eric.exe

I watched on 60" Sony sxrd. I could almost ignore the waxy faces, but the EE was unbelievably obvious. Unlike other movie with heavy EE, where the halo is a clear line around the objects/people, on the Gladiator BD it's actually a different color from object and the background, making it super noticeable and distracting. The next thing that runs the presentation is the colors and contrast, they are just straight up nasty. They have a harsh video look that you would never expect from a HD presentation.

Thank you sir for that info.

How does it feel to have started this hornets nest?

It would have been sweet if the thread was talking about the excellent picture quality for the entire film...... alas, it was not to be this time.

[Sujay]

Originally Posted by gunm

I do believe Matt_S, and hope he's right about a possible re-release in the future. I'm just going to hold on to my DVD copy for now, I guess.

Same here. And maybe the re-release will have 6.1 or 7.1 audio, like the DVD.

[Tom Monahan]

Originally Posted by Matt_Stevens

Yes I did. the BD has noticeably thicker EE at times. Rather ugly EE.

Now, I have been ordered not to say anymore. The last twenty minutes of my life were very interesting. All I can say is, a lot of people (especially over at the official BD forum) are going to have egg all over their faces.

I won't have any.

Just wait. Can't say anything else. I agreed to make one last post and let it drop. I have too much to loose in 2010 to keep at this one.

Thanks for the response Matt! I am so pissed at myself for getting rid of my DVHS recording a few weeks ago.

Tom

[eric.exe]

I added these to the first post:


Why would a dirt processed version have more dirt? This isn't the only instance. I think this confirms that the BD uses the newer transfer that Matt speaks of, but it was filtered to such a high degree that it looks inferior to the previous transfer. Maybe the person Matt spoke to saw the unfiltered master of it.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

And this is even more ridiculous. I read this forum all the time, and I never pick up on this vibe.

I supported both formats initially (although I always bought more Blu Rays,) and I eagerly went exclusively to Blu Ray when HD-DVD crapped the bed (I was glad to, having two formats was annoying) and this forum is not at all a "Blu Ray bashing forum." People here care much less about the physical format itself than they do about how well a movie appears on the format. That's the difference, the actual format it is stored on is, at this point, seen as irrelevant.

Countless high quality Blu Rays receive the praise they deserve here, and the lower quality ones do not. The reason some people perceive a bias against the format is likely due to their odd attachment to the format itself rather than presentation stored on the format - making them likely to interpret an attack of a poor-quality transfer as an attack of the medium. Blu Ray is just a physical media that delivers the final message; no one is attacking the messenger. No one here is dumb enough to think that those movies that look poor on Blu Ray look poor because they're on Blu Ray, they look poor because the studios didn't treat them properly.

One camp is saying Gladiator has serious problems based completely on how it appears. They say this because it obviously does.

Another camp is saying Gladiator has no serious problems, they say that the other camp is claiming it does because of dislike of the disc the movie is stored on. They say the evidence is doctored, it's a conspiracy, etc. That's friggin' ridiculous. Honestly, get over yourself.

A small portion of my post taken out of context that I admittingly could have phrased much better.

I have never claimed conspiracy.... I own both formats..... I even told people to stop making blanket accusations regarding AVS as a whole....

You think I have some hidden agenda, and because I'm an active member at a different forum you've bundled me in with a bunch of pitch-fork-wielding villagers....

So many people on both sides (that's the part that will again get omitted when I'm quoted next time) immediately dismiss the posts of anyone who's not a "Regular" because they must be fishing for an argument. THAT is the ridiculous part to all of this. I enjoy reading reviews etc. from this site mainly because so many members at Blu-ray.com are .... Hell... I don't even know how to put it.... but I've heard so many people say "I can't watch DVDs anymore" and that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.... but I just bite my lip, and let them do what they want..... When you have so many people from so many different walks of life contributing, you're obviously going to get a lot of off-the-wall opinions.... and although I agree that AVS has a much more "mature" population, Blu-ray.com has a lot of really good members too. If you want to view everything I post with a skeptical eye, and think there are points being made between the lines..... go ahead. I just thought it would be nice to be treated with the same respect I've shown to members here, and elsewhere.

On topic,

I think Gladiator is pretty overrated anyways, but will buy it when the price drops. People are acting like their first born died..... Is the possibility of double dipping on a movie that bad really? $15 or so.... big deal.

[Scarfather]

I am site neutral , but I posted this at blu-ray.com and will also post this here:

Ok folks. I just nitpicked at some of those scenes (what a nerd ) being pointed out as having flaws and visual defects. For those who don't believe, it is true... unfortunately.

I went through the frame by frame process and noticed it. I will say that in most cases you will not notice it while in motion, but the fireball off the catapult being shown around the thread is real. 2 fireballs being launched disappear and reappear during mid-air. It looks more like bad CGI to be honest.

The arrows are still visible, but the flames are not lit on all the arrows.

To be honest, had I not been looking I would not have noticed, but once you know it is there, it cannot be avoided.

It seems though that this type of flaw is maximized during the beginning of the film. The dense forest and foggy conditions. I could see why this type of software would cause these types of errors.

The film does look a bit washed out and viewing the extended version, the increase in clarity on those scenes is noticeable. Kind of like the IMAX scenes on TDK.

At first I didn't pay attention to any of those issues, not even the Edge Enhancement. But nitpicking at those things has proven most claims to be true. Honestly, had I been aware of this beforehand I would have probably held off until a better price than what I paid for would have been available.
$20 or less should be a fair price to pay, anything above that is not worthy.

Another thing I noticed, the transfer is obviously not made from a new master. There is noticeable dirt and marks visible throughout.

That's the price I paid for being the first one to own both Braveheart and Gladiator. Sorry that I could not have been more detailed initially, I was too much into the fact that both of these epics were available in HD and was able to bypass all the nerdiness. I'm not disappointed, but be aware that it may not be worth the premium price. If you wish to holdoff then you should.

[van der graaf]

It's this simple: when you say blu-rays like Baraka and TDK are "horrible" and "travesties" (instead of, yes, they have issues, but they are not the end of the world bad) no one is going to take your opinion seriously when you do have valid points to make deserving of that kind of derision (i.e. Gladiator). Cry wolf when a stuffed teddy bear pops up, and when the wolf does come prowling, everyone is going to laugh at you....deservedly so.

[Stinky-Dinkins]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

A small portion of my post taken out of context that I admittingly could have phrased much better.

I have never claimed conspiracy.... I own both formats..... I even told people to stop making blanket accusations regarding AVS as a whole....

You think I have some hidden agenda, and because I'm an active member at a different forum you've bundled me in with a bunch of pitch-fork-wielding villagers....

So many people on both sides (that's the part that will again get omitted when I'm quoted next time) immediately dismiss the posts of anyone who's not a "Regular" because they must be fishing for an argument. THAT is the ridiculous part to all of this. I enjoy reading reviews etc. from this site mainly because so many members at Blu-ray.com are .... Hell... I don't even know how to put it.... but I've heard so many people say "I can't watch DVDs anymore" and that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.... but I just bite my lip, and let them do what they want..... When you have so many people from so many different walks of life contributing, you're obviously going to get a lot of off-the-wall opinions.... and although I agree that AVS has a much more "mature" population, Blu-ray.com has a lot of really good members too. If you want to view everything I post with a skeptical eye, and think there are points being made between the lines..... go ahead. I just thought it would be nice to be treated with the same respect I've shown to members here, and elsewhere.

On topic,

I think Gladiator is pretty overrated anyways, but will buy it when the price drops. People are acting like their first born died..... Is the possibility of double dipping on a movie that bad really? $15 or so.... big deal.

That's fine and everything, but what I was getting at was I've never picked up on "residual Blu Ray hate." I read this forum all the time and I've never seen anyone claim a movie looks bad on BluRay because it's on BluRay. THe medium itself has nothing to do with it.... but likewise if a movie looks bad people here aren't going to give it a pass simply because it's on BluRay.

Personally I don't give much of a rat's ass about Gladiator either. I thought the movie was good when I saw it the first two times, but I never feel like watching it again. This thing turned out fine for me, I love Braveheart and that's the one that got the great transfer. It does suck for the fans of the movie though, this release clearly should've been better.

Originally Posted by van der graaf

It's this simple: when you say blu-rays like Baraka and TDK are "horrible" and "travesties" (instead of, yes, they have issues, but they are not the end of the world bad) no one is going to take your opinion seriously when you do have valid points to make deserving of that kind of derision (i.e. Gladiator). Cry wolf when a stuffed teddy bear pops up, and when the wolf does come prowling, everyone is going to laugh at you....deservedly so.

A small handful of people bitching hardly make up a consensus on the forum.

Look at the tier thread, a system based around the input of the community. Baraka is in tier 0, one of only a handful of releases, and TDK is in tier 1.

This is different than the TDK, it's in a different class.