MovieChat Forums > Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) Discussion > New Dvd warning !!!!!

New Dvd warning !!!!!

posted 17 years ago by nielso1
13 replies | jump to latest

Just got the new so called anamorphic widescreen transfer DVD,
from amazon.co.uk.

Sorry to say it, they really blew this up on fabuluos films ltd.

Its a very badly done resize of the old laserdisc masters!!!

If you just want a hint of how this movie could look
in its original format, then you might could live with that....

But...

When you resize a ntsc video source you should always do
a proper inverse telecine. This can be a complicated proces,
and they didnt bother to do this...
When a resize is done without this part of the proces you
get strange lines on the screen - wich are esp. noticable on
progressive screens - called combing artifacts....

I think that even amateur video entusiasts could have done
a better job, with a transfer from the laserdisc, wich is out there
somewhere....

Don't buy this! Its not a professional product!!!

[–] mutualslaps 17 years ago

Hmmm. who do you trust.? DVD times seemed to rate it..

see link to review below.

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=67755

[–] nielso1 17 years ago

Hey....
thats at good question...

I have watched this dvd
on my computer...

My mpeg decoder has two settings,
bob and weave...

Normal when viewing a pal dvd,
weave is ok....
But still artifacts....

On with bob,,, not so many,
but a nearly headache causing picture...

If this not a tranfer from the old
laserdisc master, i dont now what it
is....

If this transfer is so bad looking,
done directly from film source,
then its very poorly done...

If it is a laserdisc master...
Then do a real inverse telecine!!!

Wouldn't it be fine if the companies
told us what kind of anamorphic transfer
they are doing...

I guess if you just want to see the movie,
(wich is great) then buy the dvd and jugde for yourself!

I have mailed fabulous films, for an
explanation...

Will post the answer if I get any!!!

[–] MikePitt 17 years ago

I watched this DVD last night (on a 16:9 TV rather than a monitor), there is absolutely nothing wrong with the image apart the some scratches/cigarette burns here and there, colours are good,anamorphic image is good, sound is good. Purchase without fear.

[–] nielso1 17 years ago

Well I guess...

If you watch the movie on a
16:9 television (tube)you wont notice
so much different...

But watching on a plasma screen or
on computer monitor, it doesnt
look as good as other anamorphic
transfers....

If this is not a scan from
a film source, but a scale up
of a laserdisc master tape,
we just ought to know....

So lets see if they wnat to tell
us how they did it...

Happy two hear youre enjoying your
product....;-)

[–] MikePitt 17 years ago

If you could upload some screencaps of what you believe to be the worse examples of image quality with timestamps to your favourite hosting client , perhaps I could compare them with my disc.

[–] tezby 16 years ago

I watched my DVD copy last night on 16:9 plasma and it's fine. One minor gripe, the DVD is not the full aspect of the original [the titles are letterboxed on 16:9, then switches to full screen for the rest of the film] but this is far better than the old VHS version.

[–] simonbutcher73 16 years ago

hi
im watching the film now and i must say for an older film the picture is sharp,clear and looks fine
it arrived yesterday from blockbuster
its in 2.35 ratio it is anomorphic and i think it looks really good

[–] inneroscator2 16 years ago

I just got an avi from a custom DVDR sourced from the superior laserdisc transfer and I`m just going to make a 352:480 VCD. That'll do it for me.

[–] Klaaatu 16 years ago

Strange how Amazon only has one edition, and it is Full Screen (1.33:1).

How can Blockbuster carry a new one and not Amazon??

[–] emailtb-1 16 years ago

I guess the US only gets the abominable full screen edition. I did not know that before I ordered it. I can't believe they still release DVDs in full screen. Mine is going back!

[–] gareth-g 16 years ago

THE Region 2 UK Edition is a bloast! I purchased the region one edition in NYC a few years ago and was taken aback when thew title dequence finished and the film slipped into 1:33:1 ratio, completely annhialating the original composition. The extras on the region 2 copy are excellent (although you will need to view most of them on your pc).

go here to see details:

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/5192141/Colossus-The-Forbin-Project/Product.html

[–] mutualslaps 16 years ago

The region 2 release is 2.35 aspect ratio, is anamorphic and the picture is sharp and true. Buy with confidence:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colossus-Forbin-Project-Eric-Braeden/dp/B00149XOVS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1238913896&sr=8-1

[–] PsychoDingo 12 years ago

I have this same R2/PAL release from Medium Rare/Fabulous Films, which is 2.35:1 throughout.

No combing issues were noticeable when I first watched it, and I just put it on again, got really close to the computer monitor, tried to find combing, and didn't. I'm pretty sensitive to combing, and it drives me nuts, so I would have noticed it.

There are cue marks and some flecks and specks of dirt and/or damage here and there, but nothing serious. The image is kind of grainy, with soft edges. This is the only version I've seen, so I don't know if this is just how the film was made or not. In any case, it's very watchable and looks as good as a lot of other color films from its day.

While this may not be the ultimate definitive pristine edition that folks are hoping for, it appears to be the best available. I enjoyed the hell out of it, without problems from the various quality issues that bother me, so it can't be all that bad of a release.

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