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timlamb
Thingumajig
Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 66
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 Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2014 11:36 am Post subject: |
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| I have made the decision to get a region free mod kit for $60 for my Oppo 103. You can hook them up externally now so it won't void the warranty. Region B Avengers will be mine. I want a set that is properly done. Think it is any coincidence that the specs were never fully detailed before the US release? It wasn't! Five 52 minute episodes per disc max and 20 mbps average video at a minimum. Plus The Persuaders! |
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Prendergast
Thingumajig
Joined: 04 Sep 2008
Posts: 83
Location: Dark Country House
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| Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2014 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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| timlamb wrote: | | I have made the decision to get a region free mod kit for $60 for my Oppo 103. You can hook them up externally now so it won't void the warranty. Region B Avengers will be mine. I want a set that is properly done. Think it is any coincidence that the specs were never fully detailed before the US release? It wasn't! Five 52 minute episodes per disc max and 20 mbps average video at a minimum. Plus The Persuaders! |
I did the same thing for my 103. You won't regret it. |
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timlamb
Thingumajig
Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:16 am Post subject: |
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I have read some complaints of the white levels or contrast being too high. I don't have the optimum discs to compare, but it does seem like the gamma is set too high. I lowered the gamma to 2.4 from 2.2 on my set and this doesn't crush blacks in the slightest or make the picture too dark and dims down the overly bright whites.
I have only watched the 1st three episodes. I have to say the 5.1 track which is new and wasn't on the optimum discs I am very impressed with. The remastering job is commendable especially being 5 years old now and the set is only hampered by compression. 5gb's for 52 minutes is absurd. 12 gbs for second for video negates any of the fine work done on the remastering of the series. The iTunes version of "From Venus with Love" in 1080p is 1.7gb and looks like a good dvd. At 5 GB this episode actually looks HD but sharpness and fine detail is lacking due to the compression. At 10 gbs per episode that should resolve the issue. I am not asking for 30 mbps for video as some do, but 20 mbps isn't too much to ask. 448 kbps for the DD track? This is a bluray right? Lossless please. Also these discs do hold the record for the most HD content crammed onto a bluray disc in the US since the inception of the format.
Last apparently "Mission Highly Improbable" is out of sync according to many with words and mouths not matching up. That alone is reason for a recall! |
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anti-clockwise
The Bird Who Wrote Too Much
Joined: 17 May 2013
Posts: 1683
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:26 am Post subject: |
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| timlamb wrote: | I have read some complaints of the white levels or contrast being too high. I don't have the optimum discs to compare, but it does seem like the gamma is set too high. I lowered the gamma to 2.4 from 2.2 on my set and this doesn't crush blacks in the slightest or make the picture too dark and dims down the overly bright whites.
I have only watched the 1st three episodes. I have to say the 5.1 track which is new and wasn't on the optimum discs I am very impressed with. The remastering job is commendable especially being 5 years old now and the set is only hampered by compression. 5gb's for 52 minutes is absurd. 12 gbs for second for video negates any of the fine work done on the remastering of the series. The iTunes version of "From Venus with Love" in 1080p is 1.7gb and looks like a good dvd. At 5 GB this episode actually looks HD but sharpness and fine detail is lacking due to the compression. At 10 gbs per episode that should resolve the issue. I am not asking for 30 mbps for video as some do, but 20 mbps isn't too much to ask. 448 kbps for the DD track? This is a bluray right? Lossless please. Also these discs do hold the record for the most HD content crammed onto a bluray disc in the US since the inception of the format.
Last apparently "Mission Highly Improbable" is out of sync according to many with words and mouths not matching up. That alone is reason for a recall! |
Pathetic. Just pathetic. Just curious, how did you get the Persuaders? Did it come separately? And how does it compare?
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timlamb
Thingumajig
Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:54 am Post subject: |
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| The Persuaders was in reference to getting a region free mod kit for my Region A Oppo 103 and getting The Persuaders from the UK. |
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Alan
A Touch of Brimstone
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 2982
Location: The Edge of Avengerland
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 11:20 am Post subject: |
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| timlamb wrote: | | Also these discs do hold the record for the most HD content crammed onto a bluray disc in the US since the inception of the format. |
Nope. The Invisible Man, as I said so before. I have the release myself. 13 HD 50-minute episodes on one disc.
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timlamb
Thingumajig
Joined: 11 Jul 2010
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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| I thought that was a Region B release. My mistake, as I did state record for a stateside release. |
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Alan
A Touch of Brimstone
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 2982
Location: The Edge of Avengerland
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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No, Region A (though Region Free), Tim. 
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Brisco
Nutshell
Joined: 25 Nov 2008
Posts: 45
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Alan wrote: | | Brisco wrote: | | So the clear market for American Avengers Blu-rays is the collector crowd, not the casual WalMart shopper. And the collector crowd would have paid more for a better release specifically catered to them. The only thing I can figure is that Lionsgate is just hoping to cash in on Marvel's popularity and hoping WalMart customers confuse the title and confused grandmothers give their Thor-loving grandkids Steed and Peel Blu-rays for Christmas. |
I can't imagine that's the strategy. After all, once those grandkids realise that Steed and Emma wear their underwear on the inside of their clothing, the discs would be returned for a refund. |
Obviously I was being a big glib, Alan, but I'd still place good money on the new interest in The Avengers (going back to the reissued Peel DVDs) after so many years of dormancy having something to do with the popularity of their namesake. There actually is an odd cottage industry here of producing content specifically to trick WalMart buyers. A friend of mine makes movies for a company called The Asylum with titles like Transmorphers or American Battleship that come out around the time of real studio movies with similar names attempting to capitalize on their marketing. (They actually cite the confused grandma example in their strategy meetings when titles are generated based on upcoming releases long before the script or even the poster, as Corman used to do.) American Battleship actually resulted in a lawsuit from Universal, and the title had to be changed to American Warship. It's hard not to get a little cynical when such things go on. And it's also discussed by legit studio home vid marketing teams when coming up with strategies. It is no coincidence that older Sherlock Holmes titles ended up repackaged with bluish covers and title treatments strikingly similar to those of the Guy Ritchie Holmes movies around the same time those movies came out. Of course real market analysis of past releases plays a huge part in strategy. But so does namesake. (And those grannies almost never make returns.)
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Brisco
Nutshell
Joined: 25 Nov 2008
Posts: 45
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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| timlamb wrote: | I have read some complaints of the white levels or contrast being too high. I don't have the optimum discs to compare, but it does seem like the gamma is set too high. I lowered the gamma to 2.4 from 2.2 on my set and this doesn't crush blacks in the slightest or make the picture too dark and dims down the overly bright whites.
I have only watched the 1st three episodes. I have to say the 5.1 track which is new and wasn't on the optimum discs I am very impressed with. The remastering job is commendable especially being 5 years old now and the set is only hampered by compression. 5gb's for 52 minutes is absurd. 12 gbs for second for video negates any of the fine work done on the remastering of the series. The iTunes version of "From Venus with Love" in 1080p is 1.7gb and looks like a good dvd. At 5 GB this episode actually looks HD but sharpness and fine detail is lacking due to the compression. At 10 gbs per episode that should resolve the issue. I am not asking for 30 mbps for video as some do, but 20 mbps isn't too much to ask. 448 kbps for the DD track? This is a bluray right? Lossless please. |
Thanks for the figures, Tim! Sound data and, as you say, no excuse for that kind of compression. I'll be awfully surprised if we ever see a recall for audio out sync on one episode though. After all, A&E kept their Persuaders! sets with multiple episodes out of sync on the market for a long time, and even reissued the same faulty set under a new cover at one point. People complained about the problems with Optimum's releases, but that company spoiled us with their dedication to correcting them!
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anti-clockwise
The Bird Who Wrote Too Much
Joined: 17 May 2013
Posts: 1683
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| Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:17 am Post subject: |
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| Brisco wrote: | | Alan wrote: | | Brisco wrote: | | So the clear market for American Avengers Blu-rays is the collector crowd, not the casual WalMart shopper. And the collector crowd would have paid more for a better release specifically catered to them. The only thing I can figure is that Lionsgate is just hoping to cash in on Marvel's popularity and hoping WalMart customers confuse the title and confused grandmothers give their Thor-loving grandkids Steed and Peel Blu-rays for Christmas. |
I can't imagine that's the strategy. After all, once those grandkids realise that Steed and Emma wear their underwear on the inside of their clothing, the discs would be returned for a refund. |
Obviously I was being a big glib, Alan, but I'd still place good money on the new interest in The Avengers (going back to the reissued Peel DVDs) after so many years of dormancy having something to do with the popularity of their namesake. There actually is an odd cottage industry here of producing content specifically to trick WalMart buyers. A friend of mine makes movies for a company called The Asylum with titles like Transmorphers or American Battleship that come out around the time of real studio movies with similar names attempting to capitalize on their marketing. (They actually cite the confused grandma example in their strategy meetings when titles are generated based on upcoming releases long before the script or even the poster, as Corman used to do.) American Battleship actually resulted in a lawsuit from Universal, and the title had to be changed to American Warship. It's hard not to get a little cynical when such things go on. And it's also discussed by legit studio home vid marketing teams when coming up with strategies. It is no coincidence that older Sherlock Holmes titles ended up repackaged with bluish covers and title treatments strikingly similar to those of the Guy Ritchie Holmes movies around the same time those movies came out. Of course real market analysis of past releases plays a huge part in strategy. But so does namesake. (And those grannies almost never make returns.) |
Thanks for the insiders look. Only in America-and Walmart says it all. They would probably sell their own mother for a buck. Just a buck. And then you have the opposite extreme, at Sotheby's auctions where the Maltese Falcon statuette sells for over 4 million.
The saddest part is that it people fall for it. How much do they make for these cheap knock offs?
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Alan
A Touch of Brimstone
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 2982
Location: The Edge of Avengerland
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| Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 7:29 am Post subject: |
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My copy arrived care of All Your Music, which unfortunately meant it got smashed in the post due to their inept packaging. Oh well, claim raised...
In the meantime, I've taken a look at a couple of episodes and am reasonably impressed. The theme music is ruined by the 5.1 processing to the point where it sounds like it's been recorded in a bucket, but otherwise, not at all bad. There is a definite improvement over the UK DVD in terms of sound and vision, though it's not the leap I would expect in either instance. The low bitrate obviously doesn't help in this respect, but at the same time, it doesn't look artifacty or in any way compromised by it.
To my ears, the pitch issue on the sound merely makes it sound correct to me as a UK viewer.
It's encoded Region A and there aren't any of the occasional Panasonic workarounds available on these discs for Region B importers.
The simple menus are also an improvement over the slow and clunky Optimum ones.
All told, pretty pleased with this.
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supersimon
Thingumajig
Joined: 21 Mar 2010
Posts: 95
Location: Timperley
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| Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:16 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for that review Alan, do you think this augurs well for the UK release possibly in the spring? |
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Alan
A Touch of Brimstone
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 2982
Location: The Edge of Avengerland
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| Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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I don't think it has anything to do with the European release. From all I can tell, Lionsgate have gone it alone on the Blu-rays beyond sourcing masters from StudioCanal.
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Alan
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ischtar
Winged Avenger
Joined: 06 Jun 2010
Posts: 674
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:46 am Post subject: |
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I wish I could comment on this, but for some reasons my copy won't run. I had never problems with the multiplayer before, but it does not accept the Blu ray discs this time 
Sadly I'll have to send it back and wait for the British release. |
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Alan
A Touch of Brimstone
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 2982
Location: The Edge of Avengerland
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 6:54 am Post subject: |
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So sorry to hear that!
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Alan
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Jace
Thingumajig
Joined: 22 Jun 2014
Posts: 78
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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i watched EPIC tonight and it looks really lovely. the best film-surface and detail so far out of the episodes I've previewed. beautiful. to my US ears, everything tends to crumble when people speak (due to the pitch difference), but fortunately this episode has very little dialog from steed/peel, so it was more authentic and fun. I think The Joker will be similarly successful.
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Lando
Little Wonder
Joined: 05 Jan 2009
Posts: 216
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| Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 9:49 am Post subject: |
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I've been happy with the set. I hope there are more future blu Ray releases of the other seasons as well.
I wish I could justify a mod blu Ray player for the network persuaders set. I love my UK dvd set from network and would gladly upgrade.
What happened to the saint on blu Ray? Network announced plans several years ago. |
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Alan
A Touch of Brimstone
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 2982
Location: The Edge of Avengerland
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| Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Lando wrote: | | What happened to the saint on blu Ray? Network announced plans several years ago. |
I don't think they ever announced that. I certainly don't remember them doing so.
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Lando
Little Wonder
Joined: 05 Jan 2009
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