Here comes the ramblings of the resident 'Grumpy Old Man'.
Here's what I think about all of your crticisms of the Blu-Ray picture.
1. You must not have your Blu-Ray hooked up correctly using the HDMI cables that generally are not provided with your Blu-Ray player.
2. You probably don't have a 'true' HDTV Plasma or LCD Flat Panel Monitor.
3. You probably haven't had it professionally 'optimized' for best picture and sound after the 200-hour break in period.
4. Thinking that you know more about picture optimization because you own a THX-included optimizer, so you do it yourself can cause real problems.
5. And just for the sake of being one of the "joneses" you join this thread because you think it is the cool thing to do.
6. You think watching a movie on a 2" iPOD screen is cool.
Now I have points 1, 2 and 3 covered like a blanket, and I DO NOT see anything that you are talking about or have talked about in the past 7 pages.
I personally own all of the Disney and Disney/Pixar releases so far on Blu-Ray, and find that they are prestine in picture and sound. I don't find any of the "clay-looking" skin tones that some talk about, but that is because I have had my television professionally calibrated for best picture and sound by a technician who knows what he is doing. (Sure it costs about $150, but my television is now using less energy, and I will have extended the life of my panels by about 50,000 hours because of this optimization.
I love the 'pillar-boxing' on "Pinocchio" and "Snow White", and think that the Wide Screen of "Sleeping Beauty" is just what the doctor ordered for watching the Disney Animated Classics. I hope that they keep up this quality with "Dumbo" and whatever follows.
It seems that some of you like to tinker with your television sets and your DVD players and that could be the problem you are having. Why not set up the DVD player to be compatible with your TV and then sit back and enjoy the movie. Don't touch the "zoom" button because you don't like the unused portion of your television screen (the black bars) and just enjoy what you are seeing. After all, it is the picture that you paid money to see in the movie theater, not some genius at Disney who is only showing you what he wants you to see.
All of the Digitally Animated Films of the past few years look phenomenal in Standard DVD upgraded on a Blu-Ray player and no amount of extras will get me to replace those with a Blu-Ray version. I don't have to be the leader of the pack, or the follower. I just buy what I want, and what looks best on the Blu-Ray player and my HDTV.
So unless you are a professional photographer who has applied for a job at the Disney studios because you think you can do a better job, step back and see what it is that you are really complaining about. Have you caused your problems by not having the correct player, TV, or hook-up accessories. Or are you needlessly pushing buttons on your DVD player that don't need to be pushed because you think you can improve the picture.
Just be thankful that we can all enjoy these Classic Disney Treasures in the comfort of our own home, and quit being so critical of what you have.
Sorry for the rant, but after reading seven pages of these silly complaints, I just had to say something.
