Midshipman
Posted 23 November 2012 - 04:29 AM
Heads up to the U.S. crowd: Amazon is going to mark down the Bond 50 Blu-Ray set as a the Gold Box Deal of the Day this Saturday, November 24. It's currently listed on sale for $129.99 and should drop even lower on Saturday:
http://www.amazon.co...eywords=bond 50
Midshipman
Posted 24 November 2012 - 08:02 AM
Lt. Commander
Posted 27 November 2012 - 07:19 PM
Midshipman
Posted 09 December 2012 - 08:28 AM
Finally got my hands on the set, and so far I'm very impressed with Bond in HD. I started my sampling with Goldeneye's PTS. If this is indeed the worst of the set, I'm already satisfied. While the transfer suffers from significant DNR and a little edge enhancement, it still retains a high level of detail - much more than the DVD. The DNR isn’t as significant as the likes of The Phantom Menace or that one Predator release, where faces are rendered waxy. The horrendous cropping has been corrected as well. Perhaps too well - crew and equipment are now visible on the dam! The DTS surround sound is great, very good use of the rear speakers and LFE. Next, I popped in Casino Royale's title sequence. Glorious. Tons of tiny details I hadn't noticed since my original theatrical viewing - if ever. Now I'm on to a full viewing of Goldfinger. Halfway in, and I'm blown away. The movie looks better than it has any right to. There may be a tiny bit of grain removal, but not to the point where the movie no longer retains the look of film. Detail is really, really sharp. I can make out the fine detail on Connery's suit! The surround mix is decent. The door slam sound effect at the end of the PTS is missing, however.
Commander
Posted 14 December 2012 - 08:11 AM
Just read this over at ComingSoon.net:
http://www.comingsoo...ws.php?id=98016
Earlier this year, in celebration of 50th anniversary of James Bond, a box set of all 22 films in the James Bond franchise on Blu-ray was released and apparently we weren't the only ones to buy one. From the press release:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today that BOND 50i s the bestselling Blu-ray box set of 2012 with projected worldwide sales totaling $50 million in consumer spend to date. The unprecedented 23-disc premium collection features all 22 classic films on stunning Blu-ray for the first time and more than 122 hours of bonus features. The highly collectable box set was released on September 24 in the United Kingdom and September 25 in North America; additional international markets followed through October.
The BOND 50 box set release was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Bond franchise in 2012. The year-long campaign launched globally at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, included a first of a kind exhibit of Bond vehicles at San Diego Comic-Con, the re-release of Dr. No in U.S. movie theaters and a Roger Moore International press day before culminating with the “007 Days of Bond: the Blu-relay Tour” throughout the UK.
“The Bond franchise is alive and stronger than ever as evidenced by the spectacular sales of the BOND 50 box set,” said Michael Brown, Executive Vice President, Marketing, MGM. “BOND 50 has become an instant collector’s item and a must have for any Bond fan this holiday season.” Debuting just prior to the theatrical premiere of SKYFALL, the BOND 50 box set includes an additional space for that Blu-ray when it is released next year.
Debuting just prior to the theatrical premiere of SKYFALL, the BOND 50 box set includes an additional space for that Blu-ray when it is released next year.
Recruit
Posted 06 January 2013 - 08:34 AM
Hopefully someone will notice this and respond. Did they remove the ability to watch the title sequences without the text? I know you could do it on the DVD sets and the Blu-Ray's are practically identical in features and even the menu styles are the same, but I can't find out how to do this unless I'm just missing it. Any help?
Sub-Lieutenant
Posted 06 January 2013 - 10:17 PM
Hopefully someone will notice this and respond. Did they remove the ability to watch the title sequences without the text? I know you could do it on the DVD sets and the Blu-Ray's are practically identical in features and even the menu styles are the same, but I can't find out how to do this unless I'm just missing it. Any help?
Pretty sure they removed it. Sigh :-\
Sub-Lieutenant
Posted 21 January 2013 - 10:34 PM
Lieutenant
Posted 22 January 2013 - 05:44 PM
Are the remaing Bond Blu-rays that were exclusive to Target, Best Buy and Walmart now going be released to all stores on the day Skyfall comes out on DVD and Blu-ray? That what they are saying on blu-ray.com when I did a search for TND, AVTAK, TSWLM and the other ones. The only ones that doin't have that date and still have thje old date are DAF and GE(maybe they for to update those two).
Lieutenant
Posted 01 February 2013 - 05:44 PM
Sadly the DVD version of the box set has basically no special features for any of the films barring audio commentary. At least you've got nearly all the movies...
That's very strange. Why buy a new dvd box, if you already have one bought the last six/seven years, which all the bonus stuff?
Recruit
Posted 09 February 2013 - 12:26 PM
Yesterday I watched the making of of 'A view to a kill' that's on the Blu-ray and I realized that they cut/censored the documentary.
If you compare it to the version that's on the Ultimate edition DVD(same documentary), you'll find that for the Blu-ray they cut out the part about the illegal jump from the Eiffel tower and all the drama behind it (the guy was fired and never hired again for a Bond movie). While they delve into this at length in the DVD version there is not even a mention of this on the Blu-ray. The only thing mentioned there is that a couple that wasn't part of the production jumped off the tower the night before shooting.
Are there any other cuts/censorship known on any of the other Blu-ray documentaries?
Edited by Cassander, 09 February 2013 - 12:28 PM.
Lt. Commander
Posted 09 February 2013 - 11:42 PM
Don't know about the commentary but one of the documentaries talks about it extensively. Just saw it when the Blu-rays came out.Yesterday I watched the making of of 'A view to a kill' that's on the Blu-ray and I realized that they cut/censored the documentary.
If you compare it to the version that's on the Ultimate edition DVD(same documentary), you'll find that for the Blu-ray they cut out the part about the illegal jump from the Eiffel tower and all the drama behind it (the guy was fired and never hired again for a Bond movie). While they delve into this at length in the DVD version there is not even a mention of this on the Blu-ray. The only thing mentioned there is that a couple that wasn't part of the production jumped off the tower the night before shooting.
Are there any other cuts/censorship known on any of the other Blu-ray documentaries?
Recruit
Posted 10 February 2013 - 01:49 PM
Not on the UK set that I have, it is cut out. I'm talking about the documentary not some commentary track.
Lt. Commander
Posted 10 February 2013 - 04:56 PM
Recruit
Posted 10 February 2013 - 08:25 PM
Duh! How could I miss it?!? It's there indeed. I checked two times to make sure I'm not seeing thins... and I were seeing things.
I should have been more careful with my fast forwarding. Thanks for the detailed info Hockey Mask.
Sorry :(
Cadet
Posted 10 February 2013 - 10:12 PM
Are the remaing Bond Blu-rays that were exclusive to Target, Best Buy and Walmart now going be released to all stores on the day Skyfall comes out on DVD and Blu-ray? That what they are saying on blu-ray.com when I did a search for TND, AVTAK, TSWLM and the other ones. The only ones that doin't have that date and still have thje old date are DAF and GE(maybe they for to update those two).
Actually, all of these titles (barring Skyfall) are available TODAY (02/10/2013) at Best Buy and all of them are on sale for $7.99 each. Just picked up all of the titles I was missing.
Cadet
Posted 17 February 2013 - 11:57 AM
Sorry if I missed this elsewhere in the thread. I have also tried to find answers on bluray reviews, but I'm still not clear....
I have the 4 Ultimate Edition DVD boxes, and the 3 disc Collector's Edition DVD of Casino Royale. The only movie I don't have yet is QOS because I was expecting a new edition with the release of Skyfall. I am a sucker for special features and those Ultimate Editions are loaded with very well done material.
So my question is, in order for me to have everything, what is on the bluray 50th anniversary edition that is not on what I have, and vice versa:
1. The bonus disc only found in the anniversary bluray box set has less than an hour of features, and nothing particularly impressive. Is that correct?
2. I thought the features on the blurays were all the same as the Ultimate Editions, but I just randomly looked at The Living Daylights package and noticed the commentary has been split into two. Do the blurays have additional features not on the ultimates?
3. My understanding is that there is no re-release of QOS on bluray, it's the same as the 2009 disc either in the 50th anniversary box or sold individually. Is that so?
4. Is the CR bluray actually the 2007 release with new menus, which does not contain all the features, such as commentaries, found on the Collector's Edition re-release?
5. Money is tight right now, so if I gradually bought the individual blurays at only $7.99, what would I be missing, besides the nice packaging, that's on that anniversary box?
Thank you everyone.
Lt. Commander
Posted 17 February 2013 - 03:23 PM
Lieutenant
Posted 23 February 2013 - 06:20 AM
I've been picking up the films individually on Blu-Ray. The "Bond 50" Collection is nice, but I really have nowhere to display the books and I didn't want to discard the SkyFall case. So far I've picked up: From Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, The Living Daylights, Goldeneye, & Tomorrow Never Dies. Two were gifts and the others I picked up for $7.99 each off Amazon.
These are big upgrades for me. My collection from Dr. No through The World is Not Enough are the Special Edition DVDs (from 99/00). Even the UE DVDs had better transfers.
Midshipman
Posted 23 February 2013 - 06:56 AM
I actually wished I would have waited and bought them separately like your doing. You will get a nice case with each one for roughly $7.99, even if the artwork is totally different then the previous releases. The Bond 50 collection is nice, but the discs are inside the book. Maybe I'm just weird, but I would have much rather had the blurays in their own cases, and two really nice books with photos and behind the scenes info instead of slots for the disc inside the book. It is a great set, I just had something else in mind when I bought it. I had previously bought DN, FRWL, GF, TB, LALD, TMWTGG, MR, FYEO, LTK, TWINE, DAD, CR, QOS, each with their own case. So in order to complete my set of cases, I went ahead and bought the other 9 while they were on sale. I'm afraid I'll end up ruining the book by constantly taking discs in and out of it. It's a lot of money to invest in the series, but I watch the films all the time so I figure I'll get my money out of it and if for some reason a disc gets a defect I'll have a backup.
Verdict - If having the cases are important to you, don't buy the Bond 50 set. Buy them individually. The only thing you really get with the 50 set is the bonus disc, two disc books, and a small movie poster book.
Hope this helps.
Ed
Cadet
Posted 24 February 2013 - 03:58 PM
Thanks everyone. I bought 12 individually for $7.99 at Best Buy yesterday. (It helped having a $90 gift card from coworkers!) This morning they went to $9.99 so it was just in time.
The anniversary box is nice but I'm sure they'll be releasing the ultimate-mega-signature-collectors-uberspecial editions for years to come and the box will quickly become dated. (And I'm a sucker for re-releases.) We already know there is a more loaded version of CR previously released, and an inevitable re-release of QOS with more features.
The Living Daylights DVD has 2 commentaries, while the bluray seems to have combined them into one, as on the Ultimate Edition DVD. I'm big on special features and this series has very well made ones, but I really hate how they make it complicated to know what's where.
I do have a quality question: I was watching the Thunderball bluray and the dialogue is so low in the audio mix I had to turn on subtitles to understand people. The sounds and music are normal. I'm 90% sure it's something wrong in my settings, but is it possibly a defective disk? Anyone else?
Thanks.
Commander RNVR
Posted 24 February 2013 - 06:38 PM
The Living Daylights DVD has 2 commentaries, while the bluray seems to have combined them into one, as on the Ultimate Edition DVD. I'm big on special features and this series has very well made ones, but I really hate how they make it complicated to know what's where.
No it doesn't. TLD commentary on special edition, ultimate edition, and Blu-Ray has always been a single track.
I'm looking at the back of the Blu-Ray right now and it says "Audio Commentary with Director John Glen, Cast and Crew"
While I guess the fact that Glen and Cast and Crew are separated by a comma led you to believe that it is more than one track - it is a single commentary, and thus they use "commentary" singular and not "commentaries" plural.
Cadet
Posted 24 February 2013 - 08:45 PM
The recently released, single disk DVD edition with the new cover art has 2 tracks listed.
Midshipman
Posted 24 February 2013 - 11:03 PM
Thanks everyone. I bought 12 individually for $7.99 at Best Buy yesterday. (It helped having a $90 gift card from coworkers!) This morning they went to $9.99 so it was just in time.
The anniversary box is nice but I'm sure they'll be releasing the ultimate-mega-signature-collectors-uberspecial editions for years to come and the box will quickly become dated. (And I'm a sucker for re-releases.) We already know there is a more loaded version of CR previously released, and an inevitable re-release of QOS with more features.
The Living Daylights DVD has 2 commentaries, while the bluray seems to have combined them into one, as on the Ultimate Edition DVD. I'm big on special features and this series has very well made ones, but I really hate how they make it complicated to know what's where.
I do have a quality question: I was watching the Thunderball bluray and the dialogue is so low in the audio mix I had to turn on subtitles to understand people. The sounds and music are normal. I'm 90% sure it's something wrong in my settings, but is it possibly a defective disk? Anyone else?
Thanks.
I haven't noticed any audio problems on Thunderball. I watched it the other night on bluray and was able to hear the dialogue just fine. Maybe check your TV/Soundsystem volume.
Sub-Lieutenant
Posted 29 May 2013 - 06:51 PM
Midshipman
Posted 29 May 2013 - 08:58 PM
Have them all on DVD with a blu ray player playing them. Comes out good enough for me
Good for you. On the other hand: from 50" up the difference in picture quality between dvd and blu ray (take DN for example) is as huge as the difference between vhs and dvd. Watch The Professionals (the western with Burt Lancaster) or the Godfather and you will see things you didn´t notice with the last ten viewings.
Sub-Lieutenant
Posted 03 November 2013 - 09:59 AM
Yesterday I noticed that my UE OHMSS DVD has started to skip so I ordered it on blu-ray along with Dr. No and From Russia With Love. My short term plan is to upgrade all Connery/Lazenby era films to blu-ray, keeping the middle eras on UE - I already own Craig era on blu. I am in no rush to upgrade the rest, UE's look really good on my blu-ray player.
Lt. Commander
Posted 03 November 2013 - 01:33 PM
Yesterday I noticed that my UE OHMSS DVD has started to skip so I ordered it on blu-ray along with Dr. No and From Russia With Love. My short term plan is to upgrade all Connery/Lazenby era films to blu-ray, keeping the middle eras on UE - I already own Craig era on blu. I am in no rush to upgrade the rest, UE's look really good on my blu-ray player.
Cool. You will be really pleased with the blu rays. Post your thoughts after you have watched them on blu ray.
I'm still enjoying the Bond 50 set quite a bit. I recently watched Diamonds Are Forever, which has become one of my most watched 007 films.
Lt. Commander
Posted 03 November 2013 - 02:28 PM
Lt. Commander
Posted 03 November 2013 - 03:10 PM
Having by now watched almost all of the discs, I stand my case: I'm positively in love with this BR set!
I didn't get the previous ultimate set, so I enjoy watching all the extras for each movie (for instance, the deleted scenes from AVTAK and the extended scenes from TND). The picture quality is tremendous (most notably, obviously, for the old ones) and the sound is very clear.
It's really a must-have...
I agree. The films look wonderful and sound fantastic.
I find myself watching them again and again and each time I am impressed with the HD picture and DTS HD MA sound. Very well done.
I also agree there is quite a jump in picture from the UE DVD versions to the blu ray versions.