Author Topic: Old Movies in HD  (Read 1402 times)

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Offline AlvinladeN

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Old Movies in HD
« on: Jun 29, 2010 at 07:57 AM »
Im talking about movies created before the HD era that has an HD version (Bluray/HDDVD). Is the resolution really high def or is it just upscaled? Is the picture clarity, sharpness and audio quality the same as HD movies created this HD era?

Offline ditoy_eagle

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Re: Old Movies in HD
« Reply #1 on: Jun 29, 2010 at 08:18 AM »
Old Movies in HD can never be the same quality of those made in this era of course- different cameras, lenses lighting and resolution.  Same with sound, you can never make a mono sound into multi-channel 5.1 or 7.1 mix hehe.  

Since old movie masters are in film reels, they pass through restoration to remove dust and scratches, balance contrast, color and exposure. Expect film grain to still be present. For sound, the usual improvement process is to re-EQ and re-compress the original track, add a bit of ambience and subtle sfx to spread the mix into 5.1/7.1 and even re-encode it with DTS-HD MA. Yes the sound is improved but still not as high-resolution compared to those done today. Audio guys now have better microphones (mono and stereo) and state-of-the-art digital recorders to accurately capture music, voice and sound effects.

Still, these old films that are remastered and released in bluray will have better quality than the DVD versions and will give you the best PQ and IQ of that title.
« Last Edit: Jun 29, 2010 at 08:36 AM by ditoy_eagle »
Thanks to the PMPC for the award - Digital Movie Sound Engineer of the year in the 28th Star Awards!

Offline AlvinladeN

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Re: Old Movies in HD
« Reply #2 on: Jun 29, 2010 at 12:05 PM »
Thanks! I was thinking of collecting some old movies in Bluray. Sa DVD version na lang hehe.

Offline ditoy_eagle

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Re: Old Movies in HD
« Reply #3 on: Jun 29, 2010 at 12:25 PM »
Bro, one thing that most of these old movies have na wala sa DVD verions are the special features.  Most of the time may added extras or featurettes na HD version.  Just check on remasters of Wizard of Oz, The Godfather Coppola, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind- sa special features pa lang ang daming bago. This is a good reason to get the bluray version.
Thanks to the PMPC for the award - Digital Movie Sound Engineer of the year in the 28th Star Awards!

Offline AlvinladeN

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Re: Old Movies in HD
« Reply #4 on: Jun 29, 2010 at 03:05 PM »
Ok! Glade to hear that  ;D

Offline juanch

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Re: Old Movies in HD
« Reply #5 on: Jun 29, 2010 at 04:06 PM »
I have both the DVD and HD version of Casablanca

The HD version is better but only barely on the Optoma HD70 projector.

IMO old movies don't really benefit much on HD

Offline ALICE GO

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Re: Old Movies in HD
« Reply #6 on: Jun 30, 2010 at 10:59 AM »
I SAW a few (its a given that they'll remain few for a long time, not more than a dozen, really) which was lovingly restored by subjecting them to a clean-up and digitizing to as much as 8,000 mega-pixel then downsized to the consumer-grade 2,000K. All of it are Warner titles: NORTH BY NORTHWEST, WIZARD OF OZ, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. I'm hopeful I could see how the restoration and Blu Ray'ing delivers with THE AFRICAN QUEEN and STAR IS BORN. Non-Warner Blu Rays with aged contents - more or less - would be BARAKA and DANCES WITH WOLVES. Baraka is breathtaking in its high-definition form, even if seen on an ageing 720p DLP projector. Dances in Blu Ray is given further visual vigour by giving the most pristine presentation of its panoramic glory (and the fierce but majestic Red Indian characters). The one title I'm awaiting more than Star Is Born, would be Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO. This is the first Warner film I learned that was fully restored at a million-dollar expense because the original film stock has irreversibly deteriorated. I saw this on laserdisk, two late 90's DVD editions and a 2009 DVD edition whose distinction is its furtherly-cleaned picture making for a velvety, color-corrected, resolution. I'd await if VERTIGO on Blu Ray could deliver THE ultimate edition.

Other oldies I yearned to see on Blu Ray would be: SAMSON AND DELILAH, SOUND OF MUSIC, THE LOST HORIZON of 1973 (very rare, very obscure!), HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS, GOOD NEWS of 1948, and SINGING IN THE RAIN, among others.

Offline Clondalkin

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Re: Old Movies in HD
« Reply #7 on: Jun 30, 2010 at 12:03 PM »
Yes Ive also seen some very old film that look absolutely pristine in high def.  Of course, they cannot possibly "modernize" the outdated style of acting.   I wonder if people actually talked that way in their everyday lives.