The Master (Updated with Screencaps)

[oldeschool17]

Hey guys,
Was just at Best Buy today to see if this would come in being as today is the release date, but nothing. I did see Lone Wolf TV series Vol 1 there though. Best buy had The Master listed as i think a preorder before yesterday but upon checking today its straight to "backorder". Best Buy lists it as Three Evil Masters btw. hkflix & deepdiscount has it on preorder and amazon has it out of stock. My guess is like with Heroes Two, netflix subscribers can probably get it this week. Anybody care to chime in on that?

Im guessing Best Buy and Deepdiscount will have this in 2 weeks like they did with Heroes Two.

[magicpoe]

Media Blasters included the original trailer for The Master on the Heroes Two DVD and it should give those who have never seen this movie before a good idea of what to expect.

_A4ybFsxyts

[bobo]

HEROES TWO showed up in ontario about 4 weeks late--i have a feeling the same will be true for THE MASTER--->as i have checked a lot of dvd outlets today and it never arrived.

[HAZ]

HEROES TWO showed up in ontario about 4 weeks late--i have a feeling the same will be true for THE MASTER--->as i have checked a lot of dvd outlets today and it never arrived.

Yeah, we're still waiting in Quebec. :(

[oldeschool17]

HEROES TWO showed up in ontario about 4 weeks late--i have a feeling the same will be true for THE MASTER--->as i have checked a lot of dvd outlets today and it never arrived.
wow thats fu cked up

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I didn't even realize this came out today. I am probably going to rebuy it because I have the Red Sun version and the pic quality is kinda crappy. I was just at Suncoast yesterday and they didn't have it (they usually have kung fu movies out at least a couple days early), but I will check again today just for the heck of it.

[DrunkenMantis13]

Yeah, we're still waiting in Quebec. :(
Are we even gonna see this at all over here?

[thekfc]

Yep, looks like everyone, Best Buy, circuit City, J & R , etc, have it on backorder.

[tylerpistol]

I got a shipping notification from HKflix, and assumed my copy had shipped. Turns out it was my Heroes of the East DVD, two weeks early!

[oldeschool17]

I got a shipping notification from HKflix, and assumed my copy had shipped. Turns out it was my Heroes of the East DVD, two weeks early!

Damn man. Nice messup on their behalf

[gorhama]

It took "Heroes Two" about 3 weeks to arrive at my local Best Buy so I'm going to check back next Tuesday and the week after if I must.


Damn this hobby...it's a sickness at times!! :D

[oldeschool17]

It took "Heroes Two" about 3 weeks to arrive at my local Best Buy so I'm going to check back next Tuesday and the week after if I must.


Damn this hobby...it's a sickness at times!! :D
I got it on order from deepdiscount. I got tired of checking best buy. The security guard prolly thought i was stealing since i would go there so damn often.

[HAZ]

Are we even gonna see this at all over here?

Maybe in another month... That's what I was told at Archambault.

[bobo]

so it looks like nobody has got a copy of THE MASTER yet---seems to me this might well prove to be a problem with all their releases. duh

[bobo]

did some checking----seems my copy of DD heroes of the east has shipped as well. i checked at hkflix and its listed as being in stock and ready to ship-- so if anyone wants a copy early nows your chance.

[clayk]

It appears that my copy of The Master has shipped from Amazon. Anyone have any luck with their outlets?

[GwaiLoMoFo]

Backordered everywhere Ive looked as well (locally and online).

[bobo]

yes--- it seems my copy of THE MASTER has shipped from amazon as well. so HEROES OF THE EAST and THE MASTER are on their way.

[magicpoe]

I received notification that my copy of The Master shipped today from deepdiscount. Heads up for others who purchased from them.

[oldeschool17]

I received notification that my copy of The Master shipped today from deepdiscount. Heads up for others who purchased from them.
same here. What kind of shipping did you select? I got the free shipping so itll prolly take like 12 days to get here.

[magicpoe]

Free shipping. It takes longer but I'm not going to pay $6.95 to have a DVD shipped to me, which is what they call expedited shipping.

[oldeschool17]

Mine arrived today.

One thing I found odd that the movie and trailer (the HK trailers are fine) are not flagged 16x9. I need to adjust that setting on my TV.

In the special features they have the opening credit sequence without the text. (this is also improperly flagged)

How did they go wrong?!?
Where did you get yours if you dont mind me asking.

In before the wrath of chen lung:D

[oldeschool17]

amazon.com

This happens on 2 different TV's and DVD players.

gotcha. thanks

Could you post screencaps or do a comparision? If not, i'll do it when it comes in the mail for me.

[Killer Meteor]

Mine arrived today.

One thing I found odd that the movie and trailer (the HK trailers are fine) are not flagged 16x9. I need to adjust that setting on my TV.

In the special features they have the opening credit sequence without the text. (this is also improperly flagged)

How did they go wrong?!?

That used to happen on trailers on Hong Kong Legends DVDs and it affects the main feature on Soul Blade's Dance of the Drunk Mantis and Image's Bells of Death

[magicpoe]

Hate to hear that.

[oldeschool17]

Tonight I have dinner at a coworkers (then a movie) and then a baseball game tomorrow night. Probably OT on Thur since I did not work late this week.

I will not be getting to it soon.

Thats cool man. :cool:

[Killer Meteor]

WAIT A MINUTE....

Youre' saying the movie is non-anamorphic? Damn!!!

[monque]

mine shipped today from DD.:D

[Killer Meteor]

Could be

Cestial and Fortune Star frequently send out bad materials to distributors and sometimes it is too late to delay the discs

[Grady-San]

That is sad news, mine has already been shipped out... Think this is something that Tokyo shock (media blasters) will fix or let people send back for a replacement? Someone should email them and see whats up.

[venoms5]

MB has been notorious in the past for having terrible QC. Numerous titles have had various problems. One of their movies even got sent out with a 2 minute section where the audio was completely out of sync...badly. There was no replacement disc. I assumed these problems were done and over with but it seems not.

[oldeschool17]

That is sad news, mine has already been shipped out... Think this is something that Tokyo shock (media blasters) will fix or let people send back for a replacement? Someone should email them and see whats up.

yeah good luck with that. their ph# goes straight to fax. they never answer their email. there probably is one person on this forum that has contact with them but i highly doubt he would give that up. consider everyone ****ed in that regard. your best bet is to take it back to where you got it from for a refund.

[venoms5]

I had the contact info of the two reps from the Lo Mang Expo but I have since lost it. Found this though...

Company Info for media-blasters.com:

John Sirabella
235 E 87th St, Apt 5K
New York, NY
10128
US

Phone: +1 212 532 1688
jsirabella [at] yahoo.com

[David Rees]

I cant believe any company could release a non anamorphic release in this day and age, if its true its disgraceful and i wont be buying it.
If its a mistake then lets hope they sort it out soon.

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[mr HKmovie]

The DVD is non anamorphic! It says "Letterbox Format" on the back of the DVD case. Once again the fans get screwed, and I wasted my money purchasing this release. It is a disgrace for this to happen in the year 2008! Changing the settings on your Widescreen TV will not make a non anamorphic DVD into an anamorphic DVD! The stretched out picture will look nothing like an anamorphic release.

[chen lung]

In their defence, I don't think Celestial ever created an anamorphic master.

However, what is annoying is the incorrect flagging which can be fixed. How many more examples is it gonna take for people to get that they don't seem to check stuff or even bother to provide an address that doesn't return postmaaster or a reply? I can excuse certain things for legit reasons, but I don't forgive laziness.

Siren might be a better option image wise as PAL's easier to de-interlace. Other than that, Cantonese/English mono with subtitles brushed up in translation and extras can dominate the comparison. I've got my IVL and although I'm not a cheap bastard, I'll need convincing if it's worth the upgrade as there isn't much.

I've tried about 7 addresses and PMed John at the Anime forum.

[tylerpistol]

But isn't the region 3 version anamorphic?

[chen lung]

But isn't the region 3 version anamorphic?
PAL>NTSC and possibly fake anamorphic.

[tylerpistol]

I guess they didn't have an HD master to work with. Hopefully they do for the other titles they picked up.

[venoms5]

It's listed here as anamorphic...

http://xploitedcinema.com/catalog/master-shaw-brothers-p-13949.html

[magicpoe]

is anamorphic. I'm watching it at the moment. If it was "made" anamorphic from a non anamorphic master I can't say.

[Killer Meteor]

Sheesh, ANOTHER disapointment

This is 2008. 4:3 tvs barely exist anymore in stores. When will dvd distributors learn the importance of anamorphic transfers. Its just money wasted by them

[chen lung]

When will dvd distributors learn the importance of anamorphic transfers. Its just money wasted by them
They can't make it anamorphic if it doesn't exist.

Interesting that 3 languages are there (?), but I hope they've been translating from the Cantonese in accordance with Linn's instruction?

I'm not gonna say much until someone can upload captures and confirm what it is. I wonder if the opening credit sequence is there.

[mistertpitydafoo]

I compared the Heroes Two and The Master box's information on the back and Heroes Two at the bottom box where it lists the dvds specs it says 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and The Master says 2.35:1 Letterbox Format. So as to wondering if it was a mistake or if the dvd was delayed because of fixing the problem, it appears it is official and not an error. I wish all of IVL's releases had Slates like these ones do, I always hate when they show them reading something and you know it's important to read what it says but the subs don't tell you, so far Media Blaster's releases have fixed that problem.

[Killer Meteor]

They can't make it anamorphic if it doesn't exist.

.

The Germans managed pretty well

[chen lung]

I wish all of IVL's releases had Slates like these ones do
IVL do state what their DVD consists of, be it anamorphic or whatever :).

so far Media Blaster's releases have fixed that problem.
Fixed what exactly?

[chen lung]

The Germans managed pretty well
Unless Spannick can come and tell us what goes on, I think Celestial only did a number anamorphic, whilst titles like this, '36th Chamber' and 'Heroes Two' were probably done non-anamorphic. Who knows :)?

Of course, this one hasn't been released elsewhere with (real?) anamorphic.

[Killer Meteor]

[QUOTE=chen lung;56479]Unless Spannick can come and tell us what goes on, I think Celestial only did a number anamorphic, whilst titles like this, '36th Chamber' and 'Heroes Two' were probably done non-anamorphic. Who knows :)?

QUOTE]

36th Chamber was first batch Germans did. Non-anmorphic

After that, every titles was blown up to anamorphic, including ttiles like Invincible Shaolin and Heroic Ones, which were non-anamorphic on their Siren DVDs

[David Rees]

I had such high hopes after the Heroes Two release.
Heroes Two didnt have an anamorphic release in HK,UK or Australia but they managed an anamorphic transfer for that release so why not for this one.
As has been stated you cant buy a 4:3 tv anymore (not in the UK anyhow) so why put out dvds which have to be blown up to fill the screen and in some cases, such as the UK release of Heroes Two it even cut off some of the subtitles!
Why cant they demand anamorphic before signing any agreements as its one of the most important aspects of any dvd release.
Whats there next release supposed to be?

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[oldeschool17]

I had such high hopes after the Heroes Two release.
Heroes Two didnt have an anamorphic release in HK,UK or Australia but they managed an anamorphic transfer for that release so why not for this one.
As has been stated you cant buy a 4:3 tv anymore (not in the UK anyhow) so why put out dvds which have to be blown up to fill the screen and in some cases, such as the UK release of Heroes Two it even cut off some of the subtitles!
Why cant they demand anamorphic before signing any agreements as its one of the most important aspects of any dvd release.
Whats there next release supposed to be?

CHEAP OFFICIAL ALL REGION SHAW DVD'S ONLY $1.98! CLICK HERE! (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=4&campid=5335857173&toolid=10001&customid=kf+forum&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fstores.ebay.com%2FMood-in-Asia_Shaw-Brothers-Martial-Arts_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ13727520QQftidZ2QQtZkm )
Challenge of the Masters is next.

Again, as mentioned in Chen's reply the anamorphic/non-anamorphic situation isnt necessarily the distro's fault. Thats an issue with Celestial in what they issue to them. So if anything, be upset with Celestial. The distro has control on the video conversion, flagging, and type of subs used.

[David Rees]

But surely if the distributor insists on anamorphic then there wont be such problems. Can you imagine someone like Universal releasing non-anamorphic titles, there would be outrage and rightly so!

[mistertpitydafoo]

Chen Lung, I meant Slates as in...
Slates = The subtitles for signs and books and other things they show onscreen. (It wasn't a typo for states :) )

IVLs never seem to have those like an example is the name of the school on The Master, called The Decent Martial Arts School. The IVL does not have slates like that. I wish all them did because quite often they show symbols or signs that we can't read. Like at the end of Boxer From The Temple when he is reading the signs that tell him to follow buddha and repent (I'm assuming from the voice over and what happens at the end) but it doesn't tell you what they say even though they are important to the story like these media blaster ones do. Thats a feature I really like about them. IVLs need Slates.

[chen lung]

IVLs need Slates.
They started them later on in their batches it would seem :).

[oldeschool17]

But surely if the distributor insists on anamorphic then there wont be such problems. Can you imagine someone like Universal releasing non-anamorphic titles, there would be outrage and rightly so!

Oh i understand, but who knows what kinda of agreements were worked out on these releases.

Chen, fake anamorphic, are you basically saying they stretched out the picture to make it appear as anamorphic? How would one be able to identify if thats the case(would it be very obvious visually,etc)?

[chen lung]

Chen, fake anamorphic, are you basically saying they stretched out the picture to make it appear as anamorphic? How would one be able to identify if thats the case(would it be very obvious visually,etc)?
I can't be sure, but I suspect it could be the case.

If MB were able to answer (:rolleyes:), then we'd know what the situation was for sure.

[Killer Meteor]

I think the fake anamorphic is when the transfer is a 4:3 letterbox master later re-adapted into a new 16:9 anamorphic master, as opposed to a brand new anamorphic master

Early on in the IVLs, they switched to anamorphic dvds, even though the masters were the same 4:3 masters. This includes titles like 36th Chamber and The Lizard. However, someone added tons of edge enhancements onto the images, making them look worse than the previous non-anamorphic masters! This was later sorted out after a couple of batches

Siren (Australia) got anamorphic or not depending on what Celestial's original PAL master was. That's why their Heroes Two was non-anamorphic, it was Celestial original pre-HD version, more zoomed in and not framecut than the new Media Blasters DVD

Now Momentum UK was just awful. Everything they released was non-anamorphic, even though two of the masters - Spirutal Boxer and the 2nd version of Heroes Two - existed in 16:9 anamorphic genuine at Celestial

MIB (Germany) Their first lot was non-anamorphic and all titles Celestial kept 4:3 masters only at the time. However, from their second batch, they were 16:9 releases, regardless of the original master. Whether Celestial did this or MIB did it themselves I don't know but see. It can be done

And all the French and dutch DVDs are anamorphic! But no English subs. Still, splendid fellows!!!

So I'm not crucifying Media Blasters for this. It could be Celestial screwed up and there was not enough time to correct things. I hope they respond and at the very least copy the Germans!

[chen lung]

I donno why people pre-order unless it's a limited edition - you never know what you're gonna get :).

Is the film progressive?

[chen lung]

I preorder to save a few bucks. Silly me.
Ah right :).

[gorhama]

Aside from the anamorphic issue, I'll still pick this up to support MB for trying to bring more Shaw Brothers movies to Region 1 DVD!!

Has to be an issue with Celestial that the print was not anamorphic like other's had wrote.

[oldeschool17]

Chen or somebody, please post up screens from the IVL version. Your's truly, will do a screenshot comparison once my MB comes in.

[Delirious]

for any true movie fans not just martial arts alone, region 1 or not is nothing more than just a minor annoyance. Region free dvd players are plenty in the market.

[oldeschool17]

exactly. there's no excuse to not own a dvd player with the capability to break region coding.

[venom10463]

Screen grabs from the IVL's version of The Master:

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/7545/pdvd005sf6.png

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/8413/pdvd000ny5.png

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/2548/pdvd001fh2.png

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/7308/pdvd002os1.png

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/6130/pdvd003kd7.png

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/5706/pdvd004lk3.png

[oldeschool17]

thanks venom10643. I'll match your caps when i get my disc in.

[gorhama]

for any true movie fans not just martial arts alone, region 1 or not is nothing more than just a minor annoyance. Region free dvd players are plenty in the market.

Very true, but when your wonderful wife asks you to choose between a new LCD TV and a region free player...the TV wins!! :D My next purchase will be a region free player for sure.

Also Region 1 got the crappy end of the stick for years now and it's nice to have some companies put out Shaw Brothers and other martial arts movies with quality extras decent audio/video quality.

[oldeschool17]

Very true, but when your wonderful wife asks you to choose between a new LCD TV and a region free player...the TV wins!! :D My next purchase will be a region free player for sure.

Also Region 1 got the crappy end of the stick for years now and it's nice to have some companies put out Shaw Brothers and other martial arts movies with quality extras decent audio/video quality.

In all due respect, if you can afford a $1000+ tv, whats $50 more dollars for a hackable region free dvd player?

[reason108]

I found a Phillips dvd player w/hdmi out that sold for around $40/50. It was easy to make region free. It isnt the best but not bad at all for the price.

[tokenganjaclan]

Not to high jack but I can't understand why people still don't have region free players? Here's one of the best players out, Super good if you use it as your main cd player as well. Audiophile grade cd player and one hell of a dvd player as well.

http://www.amazon.com/OPPO-DV-980H-Up-Converting-Universal-Player/dp/B000UIA6YM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1211569300&sr=8-1

Or here is an even cheaper option. $60 and it upscales as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-DVP5982-1080p-Upscaling-Player/dp/B000N254LU/ref=pd_bbs_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1211569300&sr=8-5

[gorhama]

In all due respect, if you can afford a $1000+ tv, whats $50 more dollars for a hackable region free dvd player?

Oh I brought that up but when you've save for the TV and the insurance plan another $50 bucks wasn't in the budget. Also my wife wanted to get Wii Fit. I know I know excuses all around, but hey what's the problem about waiting for Region 1? I'm not complaining about the products.

But you do make a valid point.

[Grady-San]

Shrug I am quite happy with this release... Thats all that matters right? I am gladly retiring my IVL version.

[oldeschool17]

Oh I brought that up but when you've save for the TV and the insurance plan another $50 bucks wasn't in the budget. Also my wife wanted to get Wii Fit. I know I know excuses all around, but hey what's the problem about waiting for Region 1? I'm not complaining about the products.

But you do make a valid point.
Trust me, i know how it is to have the wife cockblock all the fun. I was just hoping you could use that leverage on negotiations with the wife. :D

[David Rees]

Has anybody spoken to them as to why this is not anamorphic?. Having just upgraded to a large screen lcd it really is noticeable when you have to zoom in on a dvd and thats without the sub problems.
As i said before its just not on to release non-widescreen friendly discs in this day and age. If Joy Sales can do it on there budget releases then anyone can!

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[chen lung]

Not me. It looks like crap stretched on my 50" TV. Where's the subs when it's stretched? I will not touch a future release from them unless it's anamorphic. This is a mega waste of double dipping.

Hail Image!!!
Image are far worse in what they do. MB get proper NTSC at least (even if they don't flag it as progressive), but it's still a lacking release in other areas.

As long as MB have the subtitles placed over the black bar and image, it should be fine for zooming in at least.

Has anybody spoken to them as to why this is not anamorphic?. Having just upgraded to a large screen lcd it really is noticeable when you have to zoom in on a dvd and thats without the sub problems.
As i said before its just not on to release non-widescreen friendly discs in this day and age. If Joy Sales can do it on there budget releases then anyone can!
JS stuff is fake anamorphic. I reckon MB didn't upconvert to anamorphic as that would have worsened the quality and really cheated people instead.

There is no denying that MB's contact service is terrible.

[Whirlwind]

Does this DVD really feature a New English dub & not the original ?

HKFlix says both English 5.1 & 1.0 are new dubs.

http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.545598/qx/details.htm

[oldeschool17]

Does this DVD really feature a New English dub & not the original ?

HKFlix says both English 5.1 & 1.0 are new dubs.

http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.545598/qx/details.htm
I hope thats not the case but hkflix does messup their listings sometimes. Case in point, if you look how they listed the siren visual version, it doesnt list the english dub on that version but it does have the dub on there(and im almost positive thats the original dub)

[David Rees]

JS stuff is fake anamorphic. I reckon MB didn't upconvert to anamorphic as that would have worsened the quality and really cheated people instead.



I would rather have "fake" anamorphic than a picture that is difficult to watch on widescreen tv sets!

[gorhama]

I was able to pick this up Friday. For those asking it has the original DUB in mono and 5.1 Dolby. The images is not that horrible on my 37 inch TV. If you watch it with the old school dub and zoom in it stil looks good. But either way I guess I'm easy to please.

[oldeschool17]

What kind of tv do you have? A CRT or LCD/Plasma?

[gravedigger666]

Sometimes have to wonder do you guys concentrate into movie itself or just picture quality...I have not seen IVL release so bad necessary to upgrade for movie itself,in few cases done it by extras....no difference to me is quality good or excellent:o

[David Rees]

I have a 32" lcd.
The picture quality on the Celestials are fine, its when you have a widescreen tv and you have to zoom in to get the right ratio that you lose quality and it can cut off subtitles.

[gfanikf]

WAIT A MINUTE....

Youre' saying the movie is non-anamorphic? Damn!!!

It was that or a fake 16X9 Celestial transfer. MB felt that the loss in quality for the added resolution was not worth it. I have an interview with MB coming up in a week that will talk about it.

I can say for a FACT that The Master is the ONLY title that will have this occur.

[oldeschool17]

On your interview, will you have a question asking MB why they do not answer their emails or correspond to their fans?

[gfanikf]

On your interview, will you have a question asking MB why they do not answer their emails or correspond to their fans?

No idea what email addy you have been using. It could old or outdated. What is it? Their email server has in the past been goofy at times (tech side, not theirs).

[oldeschool17]

No idea what email addy you have been using. It could old or outdated. What is it? Their email server has in the past been goofy at times (tech side, not theirs).

i think there has been a few thats out there on a google search:
jsirabella [at] yahoo.com
customer@media-blasters.com
info@media-blasters.com
(212) 532-1688<-----this is their fax#?

[chen lung]

I've tried about 6 addresses and they didn't respond, or they returned with postmaster.

I'd definitely be interested in hearing a response from them.

[gfanikf]

i think there has been a few thats out there on a google search:
jsirabella [at] yahoo.com
customer@media-blasters.com
info@media-blasters.com
(212) 532-1688<-----this is their fax#?

Last is a fax. They recently moved, but I'll ask if they can give me a general CS email that works.

[mistertpitydafoo]

It's the original english dub I'm 110% sure. It even has a line from this one WuTang song from the cd Wutang Forever where he goes something like, "you've rapped and pillaged, I'm here to punish you" "are you my judge?" "Yes I am, I'm gonna chop off your arm, are you ready?" I had always wondered where that line had came from because I've heard them sample many other martial arts movies and have recognized the lines but this one I never did (plus I usually don't want the dub versions so I thought I would never find the source of that line and while I was watching it I got all happy about my discovery).

[chen lung]

Idiots.
Not really, as they maintained the original quality and sharpness by not touching it - upscaling it would have softened it. Blame Celestial for the non-anamorphic transfer, but MB are most likely responsible for anything else - subs, etc.

[gfanikf]

Not really, as they maintained the original quality and sharpness by not touching it - upscaling it would have softened it. Blame Celestial for the non-anamorphic transfer.

Right, it would be the same as hitting the zoom button on a dvd player. MB in this case gave the viewer the option of choosing what they preferred, much better than only a fake anamorphic transfer.

[David Rees]

MB in this case gave the viewer the option of choosing what they preferred, much better than only a fake anamorphic transfer.

How?...i dont have a choice, i have to zoom in to get the proper resolution and fill my screen therefore sacrificing picture quality.
I hope as stated there next release will be ok as i want to support what the company are releasing.

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[chen lung]

How?...i dont have a choice, i have to zoom in to get the proper resolution and fill my screen therefore sacrificing picture quality.
I hope as stated there next release will be ok as i want to support what the company are releasing.

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Non-anamorphic is crap, but I reckon MB thought:

Upscaling to 16:9 will affect both those with 4:3 and 16:9 equipment in terms of quality.

Non-anamorphic only affects those with 16:9 equipment, so leaving as it was was the lesser of the evils as to maintain resolution and also suit 4:3 TVs (not that 4:3 is the people's choice of course).

[gfanikf]

How?...i dont have a choice, i have to zoom in to get the proper resolution and fill my screen therefore sacrificing picture quality.
I hope as stated there next release will be ok as i want to support what the company are releasing.

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But that is sort of the same effect with a fake anamorphic transfer.

[David Rees]

No its not. My so called fake anamorphic transfers look far better than any that have to be "zoomed in".
Out of interest how many of us here have widescreen TV's as opposed to 4:3?...i know you cant buy 4:3 new TV's in the UK anymore is that the same everywhere?
I never realised the importance of anamorphic until i upgraded to a widescreen and it is very noticeable on larger screens, 32" upwards.
By having non-anamorphic transfers your not making your discs very user freindly for the future are you.:eek:

[gorhama]

I recently got a Samsung 37 inch LCD TV and I agree with what David Ree's wrote in that the anamorphic enhancement is a wonderful thing. That same thing being said I'm not mad at MB for releasing what they did, I would be more upset if the picture quality was all grainly and damaged but it was clean and looked good to me.

I guess I'm easy to please. The action in the movie more than made up for it. :D

[David Rees]

Perhaps i am sounding a bit harsh as im sure the transfer is good.:D
Is the HK dvd anamorphic?

[The Running Man]

Is the HK dvd anamorphic?

Yes.


gfanikf,
if you have direct contact with Media Blasters, please tell them to tell their translator to redo the Celestial subtitles totally to make sure NOTHING is dumbed down and make sure all grammar is proper. Also, it'd be preferable if the subtitles on their interviews were also removable.

There were also some odd mistakes on the Heroes Two DVD like the new trailer playing four times in a row (twice non-anamorphic, twice anamorphic) that would be appreciated if they were to make sure it won't happen again.

And finally, to make sure that the video for the main features are progressive video and not interlaced.

[chen lung]

And finally, to make sure that the video for the main features are progressive video and not interlaced.
Actually, all film-based material including extras.

I suspect one of their extras was taken from PAL video judging by the audio's pitch and not converted to the original NTSC speed, but I can't fully confirm.

Also if they could please correct ratio stuff on their extras and if being transferred from VHS, to crop off squiggly lines.

[The Running Man]

Actually, all film-based material including extras.

Actually, you're getting ahead of yourself. ;) I am just asking for it to be on the main feature. It's not a big deal if it isn't on the special features. Most DVDs don't anyway.

[chen lung]

It's not a big deal if it isn't on the special features.
It is a big deal and I'm surprised you're saying otherwise for a hardcore DVD enthusiast:(.

[The Running Man]

What's a bigger deal to me if it's an interview that's letterboxed but not anamorphic and even then I won't sweat it. But a video interview that isn't progressive is not a big deal.

[chen lung]

What's a bigger deal to me if it's an interview that's letterboxed but not anamorphic and even then I won't sweat it. But a video interview that isn't progressive is not a big deal.
The interview was interlaced - something I would want to be kept as because it was shot 50 or 60i originally. I was talking for film-based (or progressively shot/converted) stuff like the trailers and intros. WIthout it, most displays will ghost the picture.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

All this geek talk is waaay over my head...:) Im just gonna buy the damn thing!

[daTOAD]

Just bought it from Best Buy for $12.99. Good movie weak extras[ with exception of interview]. Will future MB releases have commentary like Heroes Two and why is that movie $19.99.

[Killer Meteor]

Right, it would be the same as hitting the zoom button on a dvd player. MB in this case gave the viewer the option of choosing what they preferred, much better than only a fake anamorphic transfer.

Where does this mentality come from? Media Blasters re-doing the image for 16:9 removes the problems caused by the zooms on tvs. My Phillips widescreen blows up the scan lines on the monitor, making any non-anamorphic title a chore to sit through

Its just poor excuses

[mr HKmovie]

My grandmother is the only person I know with a 4:3 TV. Is that the market they are going for? @#$% MB. This non-anamorphic release is unwatchable garbage. The "fake" anamorphic IVL release looks pristine in comparison.

[Xenorama]

i really enjoyed the movie- haven't seen it in several years. it seems like it's a Shaw version of a Jackie Chan movie, without a lead as charismatic as Jackie or Fu Sheng.

still, it was a load of fun.

David

[Killer Meteor]

My grandmother is the only person I know with a 4:3 TV. Is that the market they are going for? @#$% MB. This non-anamorphic release is unwatchable garbage. The "fake" anamorphic IVL release looks pristine in comparison.

I'm not too keen on the IVL either, because its PAL-NTSC. Non anamorphic and standards conversions are both no-nos in my book

[oldeschool17]

Screencaps of Menus first. Comparisons will come in a bit.
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=27&pictureid=283
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=27&pictureid=284
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=27&pictureid=285
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=27&pictureid=286
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=27&pictureid=287

[chen lung]

Thanks Olde!

Hmm, even though MB included Cantonese, it comes last lol (hope the subs aren't based on the Mandarin)!

Textless intro's interesting. I suppose Celestial were able to supply one from their source which probably didn't have any text-generated stuff (hence why it was newly done on the film itself), but it's strange the English version isn't there (Ground Zero disc has it).

[Morgoth Bauglir]

What do you mean abotu the English version not being there?

[oldeschool17]

I dont know Mandarin or Cantonese, so yer gonna have to help us out on identifying that. Caps are taken with WinDvd using Force Weave. Appears to be progressive but Chen, verify that with me. I meant to leave a lil gap on the first comparison but oh well. I tried to match em up as best as i could. Have a look at why videophiles are livid over this:

EDIT: I have deleted the comparisons due to venom10643 caps being inaccurately captured. Scroll down to post#142 where I have re-capped based off of Chen Lung's screen capture.

[oldeschool17]

Trailer maybe?
What do you mean abotu the English version not being there?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Wow, the MB version looks 100 times better than the IVL. But why is the IVL so big? I think it would look better if it wasn't so big. Is that the anamorphic thing you guys always talk about?

[oldeschool17]

Wow, the MB version looks 100 times better than the IVL. But why is the IVL so big? I think it would look better if it wasn't so big. Is that the anamorphic thing you guys always talk about?
The media blasters version is 4:3 aspect ratio whereas IVL i think has 16:9 aspect ratio. Somebody verify if i got that right

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Do all anamorphic DVDs look like this? It looks blurry and distorted.

[oldeschool17]

Morgoth,
Read this to educate yourself on more of anamorphic/non-anamorphic
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/anamorphic235demo.html

To answer your question, go look at Dragon Dynasty's sb videos. Those should all be anamorphic if im not mistaken. As for the IVL caps of The Master, maybe this is what everyone is refering to as fake anamorphic.

[Killer Meteor]

No, its simply whoever took the DVDcaps of the IVL didn't set their screencap properly. Anamorphic DOES NOT look that way when displayed properly. Its how the image is stored, but its output in normal dimensions. You just adjust the settings of your DVD player depending on whether you have a 16:9 or 4:3 tv

[oldeschool17]

thanks killer meteor for the clarification. venoms10643 did the ivl caps while i did the mb caps.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

oldeschool I checked that link and the anamorphic side looks distorted. I'm so confused here. I'm just glad I have a normal TV where I don't have to do settings and stuff. I'm really bad with anything electronic that requires more than 1 step.

[oldeschool17]

I dont know what else to tell ya man. Each picture has a corresponding explanation of whats going on. Try re-reading it again from top to bottom(left side of the page is non-anamorphic/right side is anamorphic), if not, perhaps someone on here can better explain it for you.

[Killer Meteor]

oldeschool I checked that link and the anamorphic side looks distorted. I'm so confused here. I'm just glad I have a normal TV where I don't have to do settings and stuff. I'm really bad with anything electronic that requires more than 1 step.

OK, in layman's terms

Anamorphic is a way to blow up a widescreen picture for a widescreen tv, removing some or all of the black bars without removing detail. Its common practice on many dvds

By not making a widescreen DVD anamorphic, the viewer has to do the blowup themselves with the zoom button on their widescreeen TV, which doesn't often work so well. Some TV's zooms look awful. Also, non-anamorphic autonatically means a waste of resolution in the picture. Also, in the case of The Master, the subs are placed too low and will get cropped off with the zoom on the TV

Had Media Blasters taken the video given to them and made it anamorphic with a bit of re-encoding, we would have had a dvd functional in an age where 4:3s are dying out, and 16:9 is deservedly standard. For me, non-anamorphic makes the DVD much less of a prioirty. Had it been anamorphic, I would have bought it in a flash. But it isn't, so its' in the maybe pile. Hell, I've had DVD-Rs of non-anamorphic titles where the person who made the DVD-R did the anamorphic enhancement with a bit of jiggery pokery.

Its pathetic really

[Killer Meteor]

oldeschool I checked that link and the anamorphic side looks distorted. I'm so confused here. I'm just glad I have a normal TV where I don't have to do settings and stuff. I'm really bad with anything electronic that requires more than 1 step.

Ummmm, try scrolling down the page. That first example is how the image is stored on the DVD, which is why the IVL screencaps in this topic are distorted, because the person taking the caps did not set the cap-taker (for want of a better word!) to do the correction

[Morgoth Bauglir]

lol, don't worry about it man. All this stuff is too complicated for me. Maybe if I had an anamorphic TV I would understand this.

[oldeschool17]

Ummmm, try scrolling down the page. That first example is how the image is stored on the DVD, which is why the IVL screencaps in this topic are distorted, because the person taking the caps did not set the cap-taker (for want of a better word!) to do the correction
For those that want to know, what would one need to do look for in the settings to fix the correction?

[Killer Meteor]

For those that want to know, what would one need to do look for in the settings to fix the correction?

With Power DVD, I went to the configuation menu

Click on Player Setting
Click on Advanced
Click on Snapshot

Set to Current Video Size (bullet-point like icon)
And tick the box which reads KEEP ASPECT RATIO

[oldeschool17]

Cool.
With Power DVD, I went to the configuation menu

Click on Player Setting
Click on Advanced
Click on Snapshot

Set to Current Video Size (bullet-point like icon)
And tick the box which reads KEEP ASPECT RATIO

[chen lung]

What do you mean abotu the English version not being there?
Na, the English credit sequence :).

Do all anamorphic DVDs look like this? It looks blurry and distorted.
Not sure why Venoms caps look overexposed, but I uploaded a capture (http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2791/themasterivlvh6.jpg) (feel free to add Olde) and levels-wise, it looks the same as MB, but it's soft due to the upscale likely. I'd only upscale stuff that was inserts to complete an uncut movie or something, but no other time really. I know there's the scanline issue as you say though.

Celestial were dumb by doing it non-anamorphic FFS. Thankfully it seems they've stopped that (unless that's for HD transferred stuff only?).

I've been told converting PAL non-anamorphic to NTSC anamorphic nearly has the same values (?).

OK, in layman's terms

Anamorphic is a way to blow up a widescreen picture for a widescreen tv, removing some or all of the black bars without removing detail. Its common practice on many dvds
Not as such, but yeah, it is complicated to explain in a post. But in a long nutshell (for this 16x9 DVD), anamorphic allows you put a higher resolution image into a lower resolution capacity by squishing inwards (hence why Venom's caps look distorted). From there, you can use a computer DVD player to stretch back out to the original resolution prior to squishing (poorer quality). Alternatively, you can use a projector lens or CRT monitor to stretch it out again optically (better quality).

It's a subject you'd need to read online :).

[Morgoth Bauglir]

It's a subject you'd need to read online :).

I think I'll just try to forget abotu anamorphic. MAybe then my head will stop hurting:p

And the opening credits have Chinese on the left and English on the right, expect for 2 credits which are just in Chinese.

[Killer Meteor]

I think I'll just try to forget abotu anamorphic. MAybe then my head will stop hurting:p

And the opening credits have Chinese on the left and English on the right, expect for 2 credits which are just in Chinese.

Well, next time you go to buy a tv, keep in mind 4;3 tvs are going the way of the dinosaur

[oldeschool17]

Recapped
http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/3042/chenoldeschoolzx0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[venom10463]

I had my setting to the default NTSC 720 480 resolution. I couldn't find the right resolution to preserve the aspect ratio. So I just captured them at the default 720/480 resolution.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Well, next time you go to buy a tv, keep in mind 4;3 tvs are going the way of the dinosaur

I have 2 TVs as backup in case the one I got now breaks. I'll be chillin with the dinosaurs for awhile:cool:

[chen lung]

MB got an original trailer for 'The Master' unlike IVL, nice one ;).

But yes, subtitles aren't 16:9 friendly (for that, they must be divided between the black bar and the image, or placed over the screen entirely which I don't like as it obscures stuff and feels crammed, etc) making it only suitable for those with 14:9 zoom. For god's sake...

This Well Go USA looks a bit out of place, but they may actually examine their stuff for general quality and strike a more balanced result on the movie itself as opposed to a mixed result coming from distributors focued on this genre (in the US) doing both extras and AV, but not getting it all correct. Although it uses a 5 minute character (TCOS) and the bland Crash Cinema-reminiscent theme on the artwork, they don't appear photoshopped thankfully. I've emailed with my opinions/requests and got a response about packaging and confirmation of passing my comments on - we'll soon see folks :)...

Another note about the comparison is that during the PAL>NTSC conversion, it seems to have cropped the sides and stretched them, making for the slightly fatter look.

[oldeschool17]

Im not gonna do caps, but here is what the subs are in the beginning before the fight in the beginning. I highlighted in red what seemed out of place or didnt flow that well(well at least to me it didn't).

CKT: You three are very punctual
Wang Lung Wei: Jin Tianyun, we have nothing to do with you. Why do you call us here?
CKT: Because you are murderers and rapists, I cant stand anymore.
WLW: So you want to be a hero?
CKT: I just want to give you a little punishment. To chop off all your right hands. Then you'll behave properly in the future.

[venoms5]

Im not gonna do caps, but here is what the subs are in the beginning before the fight in the beginning. I highlighted in red what seemed out of place or didnt flow that well(well at least to me it didn't).

CKT: Because you are murderers and rapists, I cant stand anymore.


The subs say..."Because I can't stand to see murderers and rapists". Only he says it like this--"Killers and murderers...I can't stand the sight of you!"

A lot of Chinese is literally spoken backwards much like Yoda-speech.

Not sure about the other one but he does mention severing the hands of the three men.

[tokenganjaclan]

Man you guys crack me up. The MB dvd wipes the floor against the IVL. I have both and it's night and day. Who gives a rats ass if it's not 16.9 friendly? The colors, detail ect..On the MB disc is outstanding. Let alone the PERFECT dub. Not one bit of hiss or pops. Even the fake 5.1 is outstanding. To my eyes the IVL is a fake ani-job anyway.
I can't stand 16.9 tvs either. IMO they look like dog crap. Have a good watch on your Sat or Cable.. Blah!!! If you like break up, thats your bag. I'll take my 36inch Sony CRT any day. I say well done MB. They didn't muck with the movie by making fake ani-crap, they left it the way they got the print. $12 well worth it.

[chen lung]

More examples that they fix translation, but nothing else (awkwardness, grammar etc).

They don't appear to be working from the Cantonese judging by the names either?

[David Rees]

tokenganjacian you have a lot to learn about image transmission.
16:9 anamorphic gives you more resolution than normal 4:3 simple as that.
The only reason a 16:9 set would look horrible is if its set up wrong (a lot of this can be seen in stores unfortunately!)
Go to a proper AV store and ask to be shown the difference and you will then realise that anamorphic is the way to go with far better picture quality.
If you buy the right cables then a widescreen tv will switch to anamorphic automatically when its fed the signal.
I wont be buying this release for this reason, even if i zoom in on the image i loose the subtitles!....crazy

[HAZ]

Hmm...Going to watch this with some Chinese speaking friends & then we'll get down to whether or not the subs are accurate. I don't know how many people here speak Chinese. Maybe some of the people who've commented on the subs here are fluent or speak it a little? If so, can you suggest better translations from the OG language?

[tokenganjaclan]

tokenganjacian you have a lot to learn about image transmission.
16:9 anamorphic gives you more resolution than normal 4:3 simple as that.
The only reason a 16:9 set would look horrible is if its set up wrong (a lot of this can be seen in stores unfortunately!)
Go to a proper AV store and ask to be shown the difference and you will then realise that anamorphic is the way to go with far better picture quality.
If you buy the right cables then a widescreen tv will switch to anamorphic automatically when its fed the signal.
I wont be buying this release for this reason, even if i zoom in on the image i loose the subtitles!....crazy

I know Anamorphic is better. I buy all my movies in Ana if they are out that way. The Master isn't and I'm glad it's not. Just look what happened on the IVL. It's a total fake job that has just been pulled forward and trimmed. Maybe MB could have done a better job at faking it, Who knows. I give them credit for leaving it well enough alone. Either way, like I said " It mops the floor up against the IVL" The IVL is just bad, Pulled forward,trimmed and what's up with the color??? The color,clarity of the MB is tops. And it's only $12, C'mon everyone has $12.

[oldeschool17]

what's up with the color???
Venom10643 had his settings wrong so the size and picture came out wrong. For an accurate comparison, go to post#142 for my reply. I will delete the original comparisons due to it being an inaccurate comparison

[David Rees]

$12 is a waste if i cant read the subs properly (it will cost me a lot more than $12 to import it to the UK!)....its still the IVL for me im afraid just for the convenience of watching it properly on my TV. Im sure the picture quality is very good which is makes it all the more frustrating.:(

[Grady-San]

Curious.. for the ppl who cant see the sub's correctly, is it because your zooming in to fill your screen? The reason I ask, I played this on my 42' Toshiba LCD tv and I see things fine. Sure I have the black bars but that doesn't bother me one bit.

[Killer Meteor]

For the record, the subs on the Siren DVD can be read fine with a 16:9 zoom. However it only has a Mandarin track

[The Running Man]

Hey gfanikf, did you get to read what I wrote to tell Media Blasters? :)