Blu-Rays for Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz

[dvdjunkie]

I really don't get the excitement of all this.

If you have a decent Blu-Ray player, and a really nice HDTV, then the upconversion of "Gone With The Wind", which I have the four-disc edition, and "The Wizard of Oz", the three-disc edition, looks just as good as the Blu-Ray will look, IMO.

I can't see double-dippping unless there is some great "can't live without" added footage, or special feature.

When I got my first Blu-Ray Disc player a few years ago, when Blu-Ray was in its infancy and fighting the HD-DVD clash, I made a vow then not to buy just any movie because it was on Blu-Ray (except Walt Disney Animated Classics, which I will add as they appear on Blu-Ray).

There are some movies that look just as good upconverted as the Blu-ray editions. Compare, for instance, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" regular DVD with the Blu-Ray and there is not a lot of difference.

I do not plan on replacing any of my existing DVD's with Blu-Rays just for the sake of having my whole collection on Blu-Ray. And I still don't buy everything that comes out new on BR. I am still buying a lot of regular DVD's.

[Dottie]

I think WoOZ and GWTW looks as good as they possibly can, so I don't really see how Blu-Ray can make it that much better, and as Bill has said, Blu-Ray players can upscale and then DVDs look great as well.

However, I might get the new Wizard of Oz Edition, since I only have the 2-Disc edition. But I probably won't get the new GWTW since I already have the 4-Disc and that one has sooo many bonus features I don't think I'll ever need more.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I don't have either movie (unless you count a run-down, over-used VHS of Wizard). I guess I'll be picking up The Wizard of Oz and will be skipping on Wind. I've never seen all of it (probably because it is so freaking long) and it just didn't catch my interest. Wizard is a great classic and I'll be happy if I get it on Blu-ray (if I have enough money when it comes out, whenever it does come out this year).

[Flanger-Hanger]

I think WoOZ and GWTW looks as good as they possibly can, so I don't really see how Blu-Ray can make it that much better...

Go watch The Adventures of Robin Hood on DVD and then Blu-ray, you'll see a difference. The same will apply to these films which had their restorations done in HD and will be able to show off their full capability on blu.

[drfsupercenter]

If you have a decent Blu-Ray player, and a really nice HDTV, then the upconversion of "Gone With The Wind", which I have the four-disc edition, and "The Wizard of Oz", the three-disc edition, looks just as good as the Blu-Ray will look, IMO.

That's pretty much my argument for not being a Blu-Ray fanatic... I have a PS3 now and my upscaled DVDs still look amazing.
So far, Iron Man is the only one I've actually seen a difference in. I also own Transformers (for the bonus features really) and Terminator 2 (probably not worth the $12.99 retail price...)

I know some movies can look a lot better on Blu-Ray, but a lot really don't. If you want to walk a foot away from the TV to see some small print on a sign or something, than maybe. But from a normal watching distance (for me, about 10 feet for a 50" TV), most upscaled DVDs still look just as good as true HD stuff.

[2099net]

If you have a decent Blu-Ray player, and a really nice HDTV, then the upconversion of "Gone With The Wind", which I have the four-disc edition, and "The Wizard of Oz", the three-disc edition, looks just as good as the Blu-Ray will look, IMO.

That's pretty much my argument for not being a Blu-Ray fanatic... I have a PS3 now and my upscaled DVDs still look amazing.
So far, Iron Man is the only one I've actually seen a difference in. I also own Transformers (for the bonus features really) and Terminator 2 (probably not worth the $12.99 retail price...)

I know some movies can look a lot better on Blu-Ray, but a lot really don't. If you want to walk a foot away from the TV to see some small print on a sign or something, than maybe. But from a normal watching distance (for me, about 10 feet for a 50" TV), most upscaled DVDs still look just as good as true HD stuff.

That is just so wrong, its unbelievable. Go watch Casablanca, Adventures of Robin Hood, The Searchers or How the West Was Won on Blu-ray - all old (Casablanca is B/W!) movies from Warners.

Each Blu-ray release is phenomenal in it's clarity and definition - How the West Was Won especially which is a huge revelation. It really does look better than the majority of films filmed and released in the past year.

Oh course some Blu-rays are below par - some DVDs are. Time, effort and money needs to be spent in order to get an optimal Blu-ray release, where as this wasn't as important on DVD. You keep mentioning Terminator 2, but Terminator 2 is a well known poor Blu-ray release:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.ph ... how=review

Generally, the European release from Studio Canal is considered a much better visual presentation:

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content/id/68 ... s-cut.html

The main difference not being the fact that it's Blu-ray and Blu-ray is crap, but the US seems to have been taken from an existing (substandard?) transfer where as Canal did a new transfer/remaster for their HD DVD/Blu-Ray release.

As for Transformers, I have the HD DVD, but I'd surprised anyone can say the upscaled DVD looks just as good. Not that I have any intention of viewing the crap that was the Transformers movie ever again.

[Jack Skellington]

I'll get both of them, and I'll also get The Exorcist, when it comes out on BD. Three of my favourite "Childhood" movies !

[drfsupercenter]

Will that Studio Canal Blu-Ray of T2 work in American PS3s? I ordered the UK disc of Transformers: The Movie (the 1984 animated one), as it was only released over there but happens to be region free so it'll work everywhere.

I have Transformers on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, simply because the HD-DVD has nasty DRM problems and doesn't even play correctly in my Xbox 360 addon. Otherwise the two HD sources look 100% identical. And for the DVD, some parts of it look as good.

I think the thing with DVDs is the fact that they are usually variable bitrates... on a lot of movies I've upscaled, certain parts look just amazing, while others aren't as good. And I know some DVDs aren't good... I watched GoldenEye a couple days ago and it was truly a disappointment. (But that's not even out on Blu-Ray so you can't try to get me to switch over!) (I think there was a "remastered" DVD they came out with before Quantum of Solace, but mine's an older one that was part of a 7-disc Bond pack)

Each Blu-ray release is phenomenal in it's clarity and definition - How the West Was Won especially which is a huge revelation. It really does look better than the majority of films filmed and released in the past year.

The thing is, depending on the movie, that clarity and definition isn't always noticeable. I compared the movie Hot Rod to its HD-DVD counterpart and seriously could not see a difference. I compared three different scenes, each with different colorations and such. On one scene, the HD-DVD was easier to read the Pepsi advertisements in the window of a building they were standing in front of, but that's just about it.

And other movies, like I mentioned Iron Man, actually do have a huge difference. I'm not saying Blu-Ray isn't better, but a lot of times it's an unneeded improvement.

Not to mention that a *good* DVD will still look simply phenomenal - it's not like you'll be watching a DVD and going "Wow, this just looks like crap, I need my Blu-Ray disc!" It might look a little grainy or something but I hate the people who complain and moan about a certain title not coming to Blu-Ray... they can just use the DVD and it'll look about 85% as good! (I made that number up based on what I personally can see, it's probably different for others)

[2099net]

I find now that DVDs have a slight "out of focus" quality to them. As you say some DVDs look more than perfectly all-right when upscaled, but I find these to be in the minority. Stuff like grass, leaves, clothing textures etc just don't look the same.

I don't think anybody NEEDS Blu-ray. But if given the choice I'd go for the Blu-ray release. In fact the only DVDs I've bought since going HD DVD/Blu-ray have been TV DVDs (I may break down and get the DVD of Son of Rambow soon though being as I can get it for about £6).

[drfsupercenter]

Well, I guess it depends on the disc/movie. I know what you mean about "out of focus"... some newer movies have it.

Shorter ones like Get Smart, etc. that are only 90 minutes and have a pretty high bitrate on DVD, don't really have that problem though. National Treasure: Book of Secrets was probably one of the best quality DVDs on my HDTV I've seen. I should rent the Blu-Ray just to see if there actually IS a difference.

And I guess the saying "you can't miss what you never had" goes there - if I buy a movie and watch it on my HDTV it doesn't look bad. So I won't be trying to get the Blu-Ray all of the sudden. Really, I'm not buying new releases on Blu-Ray because then I'll HAVE to watch them on my PS3 and on that TV, not anywhere else in the house, on my computer, or my portable DVD player. And since I can rent Blu-Rays for free, why not?

Though maybe if they ever come out with the "dual format" then I'll buy them... I know they did that for HD-DVD where one side was HD and the other was standard DVD, then I'd probably buy them in high def.

[2099net]

I believe they are experimenting with dual format - see

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2196

As for people who say both Gone with the Wind or Wizard of Oz are too old to look better on Blu-ray then check this out:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRevie ... lu-ray.htm

Make sure to click on the screenshots and ensure that they are fully zoomed in when displayed.

Now, are you telling me that a DVD upscaler will get results like that?!? It really is stunning, especially so in movement.

[kbehm29]

Amazon has just listed both of these for pre-order, $59.49 a piece. No set release date yet.

[ajmrowland]

If the HD DVD and Blu-ray of Hot Rod were released by the same studio, it normally would be the same transfer.

Also, with bitrates, I noticed Bugs' Life had an average bitrate of 10, while Wall-E was closer to 30. Two different movies, but huge difference in PQ.

[KubrickFan]

I believe they are experimenting with dual format - see

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2196

As for people who say both Gone with the Wind or Wizard of Oz are too old to look better on Blu-ray then check this out:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRevie ... lu-ray.htm

Make sure to click on the screenshots and ensure that they are fully zoomed in when displayed.

Now, are you telling me that a DVD upscaler will get results like that?!? It really is stunning, especially so in movement.

I don't think those should be compared to each other. HTWWW was shot in Cinerama, which uses three 35mm strips, and is thirty years older. It also has a far greater 'resolution' than Wizard or Gone will ever have.
You can compare them to The Adventures of Robin Hood, which is from the same era, but also looks very impressive. It's compared to the SD, so you can see the difference.
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRevie ... lu-ray.htm

[blackcauldron85]

Has anyone heard about either of these movies being rereleased on standard-def DVD? I will periodically check on Amazon.com, but they don't have anything (besides the Blu-ray releases) listed. I had written in a GWtW thread that the used prices aren't horrible, but I just checked, and, yeah, they kind of are horrible. I hope the films are released on standard-def DVD; if not, it's kind of a smack in the face to non-converters. Yeah, maybe I should've upgraded the films from VHS to DVD a few years ago, but I didn't...so that's my bad, but DVD isn't dead yet!

[Dottie]

I know that a DVD version of the 70th Anniversary Edition of WoOz is going to be released, since I signed up for the mail alert when it would become available and it said DVD.
I didn't check GWTW though, since I might probably not upgrade that one because I already have the 4-Disc set from a few years ago.

Edit: There you go, Amy!

http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-70th-Anniv ... 802&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Wind-Anniver ... y_d_text_b

[Disneykid]

TheDigitalBits is saying Oz is rumored for October while Wind is rumored for December. I would absolutely love it if that's true considering that's my birthday month. For some reason, that film has become a sort of birthday film for myself. Almost every version of the film I've bought/received has been for my birthday. I might as well continue that tradition.

I like the box art for it, even if I would've liked a little more creativity than just a publicity photo. Maybe the interior artwork will be more unique.

And for anyone wondering why I keep talking about Wizard of Oz and not Gone with the Wind, it's because the latter's a film I really like but don't love. As such, I'm more than satisfied with my DVD of it. Oz, however, will be a day one purchase for me.

[blackcauldron85]

Thank you, Dottie! I hope the prices come down- I'd be happy with a 2-disc DVD set of each...like the OOP DVDs, only in-print! If Columbia House gets them, I could get them cheaper, with the deals they have.

[zackisthewalrus]

Amazon.com has confirmed "The Wizard of Oz" for October 27 and "Gone with the Wind" for December 1.

[Disneykid]

Mmmm, I know where some of my birthday money's going three days after I get it...Now give us some detailed specs, Warner!