Gladiator Master Blu-ray Comparison and Review Thread - Page 4

I don't know how things work with regards complaints to film studio's but here in the UK if an organization like the BBC gets just five complaints they consider it representative of thousands or 20 complaints as representing tens of thousands.

I think it's probably true of other organizations as well.

Therefore it doesn't matter if most people do not complain. If just 1% of the buyers complain it's considered a loud enough complaint to make a difference.

Thats why i think we should get organized and get the addresses and start doing a bit more campaigning. I think if everyone who is moaning about this on internet forums got their heads together and started a campaign we could make a difference. it's how we write the letters and whether we are adults about it which is going to make a difference as to how or if they listen to us.

I am firmly of the belief though that a hundred well written letters would be seen as representing hundreds of thousands of would be buyers and they would listen because studio's want sales and anything which detracts from that would be seen as a bad thing.

It doesn't matter if it's a huge hit and sells well. If the studio think they have lost a potential hundred thousand sales due to not making an effort with a new master then they will get the message.

We have the power to do more it's just a question of how many of you will put the effort in or will just complain about it on internet forums.

A difference of a hundred thousand sales?

Its been reported by a trusted source that the transfer was approved by Ridley Scott.

Unacceptable indeed!

Very disappointing to see this title treated this way. All the years of setting up our home theaters, being early adopters, only to be rewarded with subpar BD's?

Whose pirating who?

I wish they would have just delayed the release by a year (or whatever time) to get a new and better transfer done for Scott's approval. Given the BD contains both cuts and extras, it will be a very, very long time - if ever - that it's released again and who knows if it would even be released with a new transfer.

If that's true, then so much for the "the director is always right" mantra I often hear.

My sheer guess is an older (approved) transfer was used - similar to Cameron's (older) approved T2 transfer that keeps getting recycled on BD. I think it's obvious that the extended scenes in Gladiator came from a later, different (more ideal) source than the theatrical cut.

Just ridiculous. I'm no purist when it comes to grain and other film artifacts, but damn, to actually lose filmed visual elements due to digital manipulation? As much as I love this film, I will not purchase this.

I wonder how noticeable the scrubbed arrows are, if it's just on this frame, or other frames, do they wink in and out of existence like strange matter...

But when - this year or some years back?

I second that. At the start of the year I had a bunch of BDs that I intended to buy, and so far I am batting zero. Ghost, Pretty Woman, Enemy at the Gates, Good Bad Ugly, It Could Happen To You, Ronin, and Let the Right One In. The only one I ended up buying was Let the Right One In, and even that has the subtitle issue. I didn't buy any of the other ones for PQ or AQ related issues.

So it is either one of 2 things. If I like a movie, then it is a kiss of death for BD quality. Or else overall BD quality is declining, and IMO it is delibrate. The more desirable a movie, the greater the incentive to mess it up so they can double or triple dip. The only good to come out of this is that I am spending far less than I had planned.

Hopefully they don't delibrately mess up Heat, Contact & Forrest Gump. It is a good suggestion about posting comments on amazon, I am going to start doing that.

I guarantee he approved it based on something other than these frame shots, that is sure as hell for sure. He'd freak if someone pointed out missing arrows and vanishing spears.

No, you're wrong. DNR and filtering lowers the resolvable detail (resolution). Those screencaps of the BD hardly look to be higher than the quality of a good upscale.

Hint: Because they have clsoe to the same resolution.

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I'm starting to think a lot of directors don't really know about this technical stuff like DNR, EE, etc...

I have it on good authority that Ridley Scott always comes to AVS and checks the screengrabs before authorizing his movies to BD or DVD.

Well, this thread has convinced me. Thanks Eric. Preorder cancelled. I have the BEV ts file via HTPC that will hold me over until I find this BD for $15 max. Too bad. For those doing the most squawking, please start a petition or something, I will gladly sign it.

Actually Facebook groups can sometimes be quite convincing, if it gains a following.

If someone could produce a Facebook Group with the intention to make the issues known, we could soon produce quite a following if we each spread the word.

Same here, I cancelled my pre-order. This title has been relegated to a bargain bin purchase.

..especially if you market it well. Send invites to media outlets and see if you can get any attention!

You would be correct.

I guess they need to hire x as a special consultant before any Blu-ray is released.

Now, will Paramount F-up "Forrest Gump?" I'd be royally PO'd about that!!

If they use whatever they used for the dvd, ain't gonna be pretty methinks. Here's to them pulling a braveheart.

Forest Gump isn't a co-production so this one will be all Paramount. Here's hoping that it measures up to Braveheart. I'll be ecstatic if it does, and it'll go a ways to saying whether or not this Sapphire Series thing means a damn when it comes to Paramount and catalog titles.

Yeah. Let's hope the Star trek films were an anomaly....

They're no anomaly - Paramount's catalog releases are littered with edge enhancement, DNR, stretching and old masters meant for DVD (and in the case of The Truman Show, all four). This Sapphire Series is supposed to stand for top of the line video, audio and extras, however. And the Braveheart release really is a standout.

I guess what I'm saying is... If Forest Gump turns out well, we may actually have some hope for the future of Paramount catalog release.

I knew something was up when I looked at the screenshots dvdbeaver posted.

The EE is so pronounced and everything looks very digital. DNR is applied just a notch less than Patton, which is very sad.

I can't believe they botched such a great movie.

Though, Braveheart looks amazing and it will make up for Gladiator.

Braveheart: 1 Gladiator: 0

Is it possible for the people doing the Amazon reviews to link to the OP? I think images showing how it's worse would go a lot further than text throwing around "DNR" and "EE" which most people haven't heard of.

That's a good idea.

Someone can start the Facebook one. I have started a Twitter one as that seems to be the latest greatest social networking site.

My user name is FilmGrainIsGood.

Anyone from AVS who wants to start showing support for non filtered releases can join and add me and i'll add them and maybe we can start to get something going.

We can pinpoint bad releases using Twitter as well as these forums and perhaps get a message across and out there to the general public.

Regarding Enemy At The Gates....I thought that was supposed to be a good new transfer to Blu Ray.

Regarding Forrest Gump, there are two pics of the HBO broadcast posted by eric.exe here.

There were more posted by someone in the big Blu-ray/HD DVD/HDTV thread but the post has disappeared unfortunately.

The issue is invisible on CRT monitors...