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Dec 30 07 4:24 PM
Dec 30 07 5:23 PM
dhtreptow wrote: I feel like they have bested Image and AB on a couple occasions. There TCM is great-looking, their ASYLUM is way better than the Image DVD, they also released much-improved DVDs of TRILOGY OF TERROR, SPIDER BABY, DEVIL'S RAIN, and EATEN ALIVE. On the whole I'm fairly enthusiastic about them. I wish their DVD of COUNT DRACULA had the woman searching for her stolen infant, but it's much nicer-looking that the Kinowelt and Spanish imports.
Dec 30 07 7:11 PM
Dec 30 07 7:44 PM
dhtreptow wrote: I hope they hang in there though, who's left? Synapse, Blue Underground, Mondo Maccabro, BCI, Noshame, and Shriekshow have all had their stinkers and are all releasing a fraction of what they once did. On a side note, I've seen the other COUNT DRACULA's and they all have the same cropping, even the old Republic VHS. Were talking about the Franco film and not the BBC thing right?
Dec 30 07 8:16 PM
Dec 30 07 9:46 PM
Dec 30 07 10:38 PM
Koukol 5 wrote: I'm perfectly happy with SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES. I would rather have the widescreen look over the full screen...it didn't feel cramped to me.
Dec 31 07 2:27 AM
Dec 31 07 2:38 AM
Jeffrey Allen Rydell wrote: Koukol 5 wrote: I'm perfectly happy with SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES. I would rather have the widescreen look over the full screen...it didn't feel cramped to me. I think it looks very cramped, myself. The Retromedia full-screen was worse overall, but Dark Sky's source is cropped on all four sides *then* matted top and bottom. At the very least, the thing to do would have been to present the film at 1.66.
Why would they do this? Not really a rhetorical question, but I would like to know why a company would go to the trouble of matting a cropped image? Don't they know what they're doing? Is there any monetary gain for them to be doing this? Are they and any other company that does this, think they are riding the letterbox wave? Questions, questions, questions.....! Gil
Dec 31 07 3:38 AM
Dec 31 07 5:37 AM
Gil Ray wrote: Why would they do this? Not really a rhetorical question, but I would like to know why a company would go to the trouble of matting a cropped image? Don't they know what they're doing? Is there any monetary gain for them to be doing this? Are they and any other company that does this, think they are riding the letterbox wave? Questions, questions, questions.....!
Paul Haight wrote: The overall AV quality on the Dark Sky disc of THE FLESH EATERS is the best I've ever seen or heard for this title, so I'm glad to have it, but I don't think it should have been matted; below are frame grabs from Sinister's DVD-R (on the left) and the Dark Sky disc (on the right). The compositions on the left look better to me.
Dec 31 07 7:06 AM
Dec 31 07 1:01 PM
Dec 31 07 1:33 PM
Dec 31 07 2:05 PM
the compression is crap on WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? and COUNT DRACULA (and I'm convinced COUNT isn't a full-frame transfer at all, but a side-crop).
I'm perfectly happy with SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES.
Dec 31 07 2:09 PM
Jog my memory: Which company gave us the more complete cut of this, Dark Sky or Retromedia?
Dec 31 07 2:57 PM
Dec 31 07 4:19 PM
Jeffrey Allen Rydell wrote: Gil Ray wrote: Why would they do this? Not really a rhetorical question, but I would like to know why a company would go to the trouble of matting a cropped image? Don't they know what they're doing? Is there any monetary gain for them to be doing this? Are they and any other company that does this, think they are riding the letterbox wave? Questions, questions, questions.....! I'm about knackered, so more tomorrow, but most of the transfers Dark Sky releases were originally commissioned for broadcast on MonstersHD, who are most interested in filling up the 1.78 ratio native to the format. In early days they ran almost everything (2.35 and 1.33 alike) at 1.78, and have backed way off on the practice after vocal criticism by subscribers. Unfortunately, when it comes to titles that *might well be* widescreen - but require special attention (because they're 1.66, are haphazardly composed, or utilize a source that's been cropped for some prior reason), they seem to be simply re-conforming them for 1.78 regardless of the negative impact. On three transfers that I've seen (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE, HORROR OF PARTY BEACH, and tonight's viewing of CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE), the title sequences are presented in some bizarro ratio (1.45, 1.55, something like that) to prevent the text from spilling out past its confines. Something just isn't being properly addressed here. Upon reflection, my bigger 'beef' is probably with MonstersHD. Except of course that Dark Sky's selling a tangible product using the same masters.
Thanks, Jeffrey. It's starting to make sense to me. Too bad there aren't instructions on the prints to take the guess work out, though! Gil
Dec 31 07 4:43 PM
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