Movie Blurays: Pros and Cons

I was a bit disappointed when I got the TOS Blu-ray set to find that TMP was not the DE but the original theatrical, which is okay, but I love the DE and consider it superior in every way.

 

Only Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Restored) [Blu-ray] which had an actual restoration.

See the review from DVDTalk.


As far as
Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection
it is cheaper to purchase the Blu-ray collection on a sale or even used but if you own the films as the Special Collector's Edition on DVD keep it for another 4 years when we will see some Blu-ray special edition.

 

I just did this based off your recommendation. I have gobs of DVDs, I wasn't watching them, and I need money. I ran through the whole process and if I get about what they estimated, I'm getting $2 for every DVD they get, which is just fine with me! I sent it via media mail because one down side is you have to pay for the shipping, and for DVDs, that can get expensive, so media mail will have to do. USPS says the media mail will take about 5 days to get it there, which I'm glad to say is well within the 15 day time frame.

 

It's been years since I've last seen the theatrical version. That's why I kinda like the idea of it being the version on the Blu-Ray, which I intend to get soon. I'd like to compare again.

 

After watching the theatrical edition again on BluRay, I keep thinking about the #1 highlight of the Director's Edition that nobody seems to mention. The sound.

The sound design in the Motion Picture is very awkward, intrusive and overall annoying. Do we really want to have a computer's voice constantly telling us what we already know every time something happens? I don't mind a warning or two for the obvious, but how many times must we hear "INTRUDER ALERT!" before we get the idea? That is probably one of the best example of content elimination for an alternate version of a film I've seen to date. Even more so than Deckard's voice over elimination for the Director's/Final Cut. Less is so much more.


And don't forget......

INTRUDER LOCATION: A SONIC SHOWER!

 

Pro: Cheap as chips.
Con: Sod all extras. TWOK is badly graded.

 

I really don't understand some of the fierce opposition to the colour of the FX shots in the BD versions. It looks so much more realistic and evocative of outer space with its subdued dark blues. In the DVD edition the ships are lit up like Christmas tree ornaments and the warm saturated colouring makes it look very artificial and cartoonish. Hopefully they will stick with the new colour scheme if they re-release the Special Editions on Blu-Ray.

 

Despite some mixed reviews the films look much better on Blu-ray than they ever have on dvd and there really isn't a comparison... That said some of the Blu-ray transfers are mediocre at best and not in the same class of transfers that other major franchises like the James Bond series recieved.

The picture quality on the TNG set is much better in general than the TOS films. That is to be expected when one considers that films like TMP are over 30 years old and there is only so much that can be done with the source material.

With the TOS series the pq varies from film to film. Both TMP and TWOK look very good. The thing that upset me a little about TMP as that it was the inferior theatrical version, but that has nothing to do with the pq. TWOK was the only film that got a full restoration and it shows. The movie will not look any better than it does here.

Star Trek III and IV look pretty mediocre. The skin tones are off in ST III and ST IV looks dated much the same way that many 80's films do. There are various scenes that look great and some that look just okay, but again I blame the source material and how the films were shot.

ST V - This disc is very "dark". I have close to state of the art equipment which isn't the problem. I actually had to go back and watch the disc again to see if it was me or the disc. I played it on my brothers player with the same results. I assume this is how the filmmakers wanted to movie to look, but something seems off to me. I have since seen complaints in Blu-ray forums about the same thing. In my mind this was the worst of the transfers.

I thought the series bounced back with the pc on ST VI. Not a perfect transfer (see ST 09) but acceptable for an over twenty year old film.

I thought the pq on the TNG set was in general much better with the TOS films. Nemesis is one of the worst films in the series, but the transfer is near perfect. Even the older movies like First Contact and Generations look better than the TOS films which reflects the fact they were shot in the mid to late 90's rather than the early 1980's. I will not be updating this set when the inevitable next release happens. I will can't say the same about my TOS set.

I suspect that these Blu-ray releases will not be the definitive releases on Blu-ray. I think it is likely you will see better transfers with more extras around the time the sequel is released.

There is just a general sense that these film especially the TOS films were rushed and the pq suffers from it. I'm not saying that they aren't respectable, they are, but they far from the quality the series deserves...I would like to see the ST films be given the tender loving care that the 007 films were given.

On the other hand the TOS tv series and ST09 film are absolutely perfect. They are both reference quality. TOS will never look more vibrant than it does here. It looks like it was shot last week rather than over 40 years ago...Star Trek "09" has won several Blu-ray awards and is simply perfect.

Don't wait for better versions because you will never find them. They are the examples I give when somebody asks me why upgrade to Blu-ray.

 

Disagree. I greatly prefer the theatrical versions of The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country as presented on Blu-Ray to the 'Special Collectors Edition' DVDs.

The picture and sound quality on the Blu Ray discs are far better. I've watched both versions on my 40" 1080p TV and 5.1 Surround Sound system using a PS3 as the disc player.

 

It's not how the movies looked when they were produced; it's the age of the elements, the masters, and the transfers. The newer films look better because they are newer, and the negatives are less worn or decayed. Also, Paramount originally did the masters and transfers in reverse order, so the older films were even older by the time they were prepared for release on DVD (and subsequently BD).

Doug

 

The removal of the computer voice was the once thing that I absolutely HATED about the DE. I wish they had never changed it.

 

Hey Cap, did you ever hear anything back from them? I did a similar trade and got word that they accepted the valuation and have sent me the check (it's not big but every bit helps!). I should get it next week. Did yours work successfully?

 

I've been a home cinema enthusiast for many years, to anyone who's perhaps being influenced to skip the TOS BD box set because of the "poor transfers" - please be under no illusion, they ALL kick their DVD counterparts arse right out of the ball park. Really, I put on the TMP: DE DVD the other day - it looked f**king horrible.

Do not hesitate to purchase the set, especially if you are viewing (or intend to view) on an HD monitor 37" or upwards.

TMP: DE, after watching the theatrical version for the first time in an age on BD, I'm honestly not convinced the DE actually improves on this magnificent and woefully underrated Sci-Fi epic.

TWOK: DE, hands down the theatrical version is superior. No additional Peter Preston cringe worthy and totally extraneous humour. No inferior alternate takes of scenes I've loved for years. Colour timing has been altered, but certainly not to the detriment of the film. I was delighted Paramount opted to release the theatrical version on BD.

TUC: Home Video Version, again inferior to the theatrical version. I don't like the opened aspect ratio, 2:1 I believe, the OAR is far more cinematic IMO. The "Scooby gang" ending is unnecessary, and I loathe, I detest Scotty's "I bet that Klingon bitch did not shed one bloody tear" line - totally out of character.

 

I greatly prefer the theatrical version of TMP. If only we could get them to put the 'ABC Special Longer Version' on Blu-Ray.

 

Yes, TMP is truly magnificent. I have not, and will not, be browbeaten into submission by the "slow motion picture" brigade. The movie is awesome, I love every second of it. Perhaps the "tighter" DE is a kind of "contract release" type clause allowing those who actually do like the film to finally "admit" to it because it's been "improved" so much by the DE - LOL.

 

Get the TNG set. The TNG films never looked better! GENERATIONS looks like it was filmed last year! A vast improvement over the DVDs and the SE DVDs! And in addition to this, all specials for the SE DVDs have been transfered to Bluray!

I was very disappointed with the release of the TOS set, and sold it after a while! You should stick to the SE DVDs for the TOS films, but defineatly upgrade the TNG films!

 

http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/

I think ST2 looks the best, and they should source from film, not enhance. They should only enhance with all those old Dr Who episodes, or when they have lost the film.

ST4 is very sharp edged, but the faces are blurred. It's a bit of a con, when you can just put in a standard DVD and it will upscale.

I had a photo op from 1986 with De Kelley recoloured. It was made more blue. It looks great. They should do that with ST4, and release it in Europe with the full European intro and logo, which was different.

 

Upscaling is so misunderstood. I'm not directing this to you specifically Cheapjack, but an upscaled DVD will not, and cannot, approach the quality of Blu-ray or any native full HD source. NTSC DVD's are encoded at 480i, their PAL counterparts 576i. Most movie Blu-ray's are 1080p. Here in the UK, you often see or hear advertising campaigns about DVD players upscaling to "near HD quality", with the same proclaimed by totally uninformed presenters on myriad shopping channels.

A DVD or Blu-ray players scaling chip will improve PQ by a small amount, maybe take a few jaggies off etc. But will not come even close to native HD. Also, all HD TV's already have scalers built in, otherwise any standard definition material you watch would be a box in the centre of your screen.

In many cases, a TV's scaler is often better than low/mid budget DVD/BD player's. If you're prepared to spend more, there are some excellent players on the market, like the OPPO BDP-83.

I say again, in terms of PQ/AQ, the TOS movie six-pack hands down wipes the floor with the DVD's - despite the DNR and Edge Enhancement. Anyone with an HD display should not hesitate in getting them immediately!

 

Yeh, but it's not as good as sourcing from film, is it?

Just look at those screencaps. I'd pay £150-300 for the full whack, for all ten, and they could do it and they should.

I will be buying these, though, cos they might not bother re releasing, when this super high def comes out in ten years time and we might never see our favourite films again.