Halloween Blu-ray vs. DVD

[Gringo Loco]

Hi all. I just got a laptop not too long ago and I also got a blu-ray player for it. So naturally I wanted to take some screengrabs of some of my BDs. One topic that has been brought up amongst home theater enthusiasts and also Halloween followers, is the color timing on the blu-ray vs. the dvd. Since I figured out how to take screengrabs, I thought I would post them here for all to compare. Unfortunately I do not know how to get ss' at 1920x1080 resolution, only 1680x1050 so this will have to do.

With that being said, please, if you know, post some timestamps of Halloween so we can compare the discs.

Here is an example of the Halloween Blu-ray.

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/9603/halloweentitleblurayvz8.th.png (http://img247.imageshack.us/my.php?image=halloweentitleblurayvz8.png)

[Patrick]

I love my Blu-ray of Halloween. I think it looks amazing. The "blue hue" everyone freaks out about on one of the standard dvd's....I don't see what the big deal is. Not every movie filmed at nighttime is going to have a blue tint to it. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the "blue hue" was added in post production or something like that? I'll admit, the blue is pretty and makes it have a "fall" feel to it, but I don't think NOT having it detracts from the film in any way. My Blu-ray still has a hint of the blueness to the night scenes. It's not entirely absent.

As I said, I love the picture on my Blu-ray of Halloween. The color looks great to me.

[sCabbOy]

I like the blue hue, I haven't seen the BD version, but I can handle it.

[Gringo Loco]

I tried to use imageshack to host the pics but they have a file limit size and they take forever to download so I hosted them on my photobucket site. Since I had to host them there, I don't think I can shrink them down for the forums with a link to the actual pic. However, I am able to post them in their full resolution over at the OHMB so if you want to see them, go ahead and view them over there.

Halloween Blu-ray vs. DVD pics (http://www.ohmb.net/showthread.php?t=13984)

[Patrick]

I am very anxious to get Halloween II and Halloween III on Blu-ray when Universal decides to do so. I'd love to watch the opening to Halloween II in Hi-Def.

I am assuming Anchor Bay/Starz will release Halloween 4 and Halloween 5 this fall on Blu-ray.

[The Dream Master]

I love my Blu-ray of Halloween. I think it looks amazing. The "blue hue" everyone freaks out about on one of the standard dvd's....I don't see what the big deal is. Not every movie filmed at nighttime is going to have a blue tint to it. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the "blue hue" was added in post production or something like that?

Color timing is a post-production alteration, yes, and it's vital to a film's look. The blue hue is what Cundey (the cinematagrapher) intends, so it's any medium's job to replicate it accurately. That's why it's such a big deal.

As for the BD vs. the two DVD versions: it falls somewhere in the middle. The daytime scenes are closer to the correct, Cundey approved transfer from '99, but it still doesn't have all of the blue hues; some are restored, while some aren't. It's still not perfect.

[Patrick]

And what is perfect in this world? Nothing.

[The Dream Master]

Well, the '99 version is as close to perfect as it can be, so there's no excuse that later editions don't feature the color timing. It's pretty much inexcusable that Blu-ray of all formats still doesn't get it right, as it should represent the best possible quality out there--sadly, it's still lacking.

[Skott]

Well, the '99 version is as close to perfect as it can be, so there's no excuse that later editions don't feature the color timing. It's pretty much inexcusable that Blu-ray of all formats still doesn't get it right, as it should represent the best possible quality out there--sadly, it's still lacking.

It's most likely because the transfer used for the Blu Ray is the exact same transfer done on the previous DVD release that removed the color timing. The only difference is the Blu Ray is in HD, obviously. Don't worry, I'm sure Anchor Bay/Starz will be whoring out another DVD/Blu Ray for the 30th Anniversary. I don't have enough copies of Halloween yet so it's a must have for me!

[The Dream Master]

No, it's not the same transfer. As I said earlier, it improves upon the Divimax in certain scenes. For example, the daytime scenes actually look like it's fall instead of summer, and the blue tint is there in some scenes where it's missing in the Divimax. However, the blue tint isn't fully restored as it is in the 1999 DVD. But yeah, I'm sure AB will be re-releasing it yet again at some point.

Added: I should note that it probably technically is the same transfer; however, it seems as if Anchor Bay digitally tried to alter the color timing. JP (a member of the old forum) not only told us that Anchor Bay was going Blu long before it happened, but he also told us that Halloween would be among the first releases and that Anchor Bay would fix the color timing. It turns out he was partially right; at any rate, Anchor Bay knows about the problem, so hopefully they'll fully correct it next time out.

[Patrick]

Well, the '99 version is as close to perfect as it can be, so there's no excuse that later editions don't feature the color timing. It's pretty much inexcusable that Blu-ray of all formats still doesn't get it right, as it should represent the best possible quality out there--sadly, it's still lacking.


That's not true. The picture quality of the movie Halloween has nothing to do with the added color timing that Dean Cundey added into the finished film. That may be the way he wanted it represented on disc but, you can't fault Blu-ray and say "it's still lacking".

That is two totally separate things. If you want to fault someone or something for not releasing a blue saturated version of Halloween, then ask Dean Cundey why he wasn't involved with the Blu-ray disc of Halloween when Anchor Bay was manufacturing it. If he was so gung-ho about it, then he should have stepped up and done something.

[The Dream Master]

I never once attacked the format; I'm criticizing Anchor Bay for not putting forth the maximum amount of effort on the format. If anything, I'm saying Blu-ray deserves better because this release is still definitely lacking.

And yes, this does affect the image quality. The resolution is fine and the film is eye-poppingly gorgeous, but it's still not where it should be due to the color timing. It's not all about making a film look clean and gorgeous--a release should faithfully recreate what the artist intended, and this one does not, nor did the Divimax version (which is actually even worse).

And for all we know, Cundey has no idea what's going on. We do know that Anchor Bay knows about it, yet still managed to mess it up. That, and Cundey put out his approved version and Anchor Bay had no reason to deviate from it for the Divimax release, but they did so anyway.

[Swahili]

That's not true. The picture quality of the movie Halloween has nothing to do with the added color timing that Dean Cundey added into the finished film. That may be the way he wanted it represented on disc but, you can't fault Blu-ray and say "it's still lacking".

That is two totally separate things. If you want to fault someone or something for not releasing a blue saturated version of Halloween, then ask Dean Cundey why he wasn't involved with the Blu-ray disc of Halloween when Anchor Bay was manufacturing it. If he was so gung-ho about it, then he should have stepped up and done something.

I'm in the camp that says the color timing doesn't make a huge difference, in my opinion. I've got both versions, and to be completely honest, when I watched the H25 DVD, before I knew about the color palette differences, I actually thought it looked alot better than the previous '99 DVD. Maybe it had more to do with the more high-quality transfer, or maybe it had to do with the slightly different color scheme to the night and day scenes, but it never had me up in arms about it either way; I still watch either DVD from time to time, and one doesn't really stand above the other in my eyes.

Having said that, with the Cundey comment you made about 'stepping up to do something', it shouldn't really be up to the cinematographer to track every release of one of their films on home video formats and make sure the color timing matches what they long ago dictated. He participated in the '99 DVD, where he made it clear how the film should look, in terms of color palette, and thats where it should end. Anchor Bay did screw up the transfer in that they didn't follow his original instructions, but that doesn't mean that its up to Cundey to always be tracking the releases to make sure they match his preferences; the man has better things to do, I'm sure.

[Utellme]

Being the completetist that i am and stupid also i guess i bought every version of the original Halloween. Now this whole color timing thing i don't understand nor do i think i want to i just go by what pleases my eyes more. Someone here can answer this cause you people know more about this stuff but there is one of my Halloween's that has a lot more blue hue to it and i hate it.It looks so horrible and mine you i have a nice new HDTV 1080 I so its not my TV.

My eyes don't like the Blue Hue overload covers up detail i like the new Blu Ray version it looks awesome.My major complaint is the lack of features they should of gave us everything from all the past versions but they did this so they can go on double and triple dipping us.

Hopefully the next release will have all the extras from all the versions along with the new found lost footage.

[The Dream Master]

The blue hue is the color timing issue that's in question. You might not like it, but it's supposed to be there. It's what the cinematographer (Dean Cundey) intended. And if it were there completely (as it should be), there would still be plenty of detail on Blu-ray. The reason your version with "a lot more blue in it" has less detail is because you're watching it on regular DVD.

Bottom line, it's not a format issue. The blue tint should be there; to me, it's no different than cropping a part of the picture out, as it's an alteration to the original intention. The Blu-ray version is better than the Divimax version, but it's not quite there yet. Give me the color timing of the '99 AB disc with the resolution of the BD, and it'd be perfect.

[Gringo Loco]

From what I understand, the THX 1999 dvd looks worse than the divimax dvd but it has the closest to the correct color timing.

[The Dream Master]

Yes, that's correct. The THX DVD isn't as sharp or pristine as the HD master used for the Divimax, but the color timing is right. I never bought the Divimax version because of it.

[Patrick]

The Blu-ray is awesome to me. I want clarity and sharpness to a movie when I watch it. If it would have had the blue in it.....that would have been great. But it doesn't...atleast not to the extent I have seen in some comparisons.

But, I want the picture and sound to be the best it can be.

[The Dream Master]

Well, if the picture doesn't reflect what the cinematographer intended, that affects the quality in my eyes. It can be as clear and plain as possible, but if it's altered, it's altered--simple as that. Simply put, the Blu-ray version isn't the best this film can look. Not yet anyway. It's just short of being awesome. I at least give AB credit for fixing the daytime scenes and restoring some of the blue tint. Also, they included the original mono track (but it should have been uncompressed). Hopefully it'll all be there the next time around.

[Gringo Loco]

I'm in the process of getting a THX dvd copy so I can compare the color timings. Hopefully by tomorrow I should have a copy.

[Patrick]

Well, if the picture doesn't reflect what the cinematographer intended, that affects the quality in my eyes. It can be as clear and plain as possible, but if it's altered, it's altered--simple as that. Simply put, the Blu-ray version isn't the best this film can look. Not yet anyway. It's just short of being awesome. I at least give AB credit for fixing the daytime scenes and restoring some of the blue tint. Also, they included the original mono track (but it should have been uncompressed). Hopefully it'll all be there the next time around.

I see your point. But, at the same time how many people on this board alone still are stuck in a Full Screen frame of mind when it comes to WideScreen films? Alot of people don't see anything wrong with that. But, I on the other hand, do. I like to have films in the aspect ratio as they were filmed. That's my opinion though. As you think that the blueness should be present, I agree....but don't think it's THAT big of a deal. If it had been in the original film while filming was going on and as the years went on, it was white washed for one reason or another, then yea, I would have a problem with it. But, as far as I know, it was added later on......was it 20 years later? Was the blue in it's original release?

Yea I am sure AB will be more than willing to dish out another Blu-ray copy of Halloween this fall that may indeed include the blue night scenes.

[The Dream Master]

People disagree about how blue the film originally was. Some people claim it was always as blue as it is in the '99 DVD, some claim it wasn't quite as blue. I choose to believe that Cundey knew what he was doing when he supervised and approved the transfer for the '99 DVD. At any rate, most people agree that the Divimax version is too de-saturated. Hell, AB seems to have copped to this by re-releasing the '99 DVD and referring to it as the "restored version." At any rate, Cundey's color timing isn't something that was completely added twenty years after the fact. It was always there in some form; unfortunately, there's no way to know for sure anymore exactly how it looked. Still, like I said--I trust Cundey.

For me, the blue tint is just as important as the film being cropped to me. It's an intentional choice made by the filmmakers, and its alteration by an outside party bugs me. If anything, it would at least seem as though the BD version represents a bit of middle ground. A little bit of the blue tint made it back in (and the daytime scenes were restored to their fall look).

And yeah, of course there will be another version of Halloween on BD. It's the 30th anniversary this year, after all. :)

[Patrick]

That's right. I forgot it's the 30th Anniversary. Cool.

I know winter is almost over but, I just love fall time of the year. Can't wait for that again.

[Utellme]

Is there anyway one of you can post pics of all these different versions.I mean the front cover.


I just looked at my versions i have the following versions.

1999 Anchor Bay Hologram cover with TV Version

2003 Anchor Bay 25 th Anniversary Edition

2007 Blu Ray

Are these all the versions that you are speaking about above ?

[Gringo Loco]

THX without the hologram
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41CJBZZSQFL._SS500_.jpg

Divimax
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZDAY3B9JL._SS500_.jpg

Blu-ray
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LT7hsieHL._SS500_.jpg

[Utellme]

Ok thanks . I like whatever version has the least amount of Blue Hue distortion wether its original or not i like whatever is easyier on my eyes.

[The Dream Master]

See, I think the blue hue is absolutely gorgeous. It's one of the things that distinguishes Halloween from other films. Without it, things just look so...plain. And Halloween is anything but. :)

[Utellme]

Now for me DM without the Blue it looks so clear imo.

[The Dream Master]

But if you're referring to the Blu-ray version, of course it's going to look clearer. It may or may not have anything to do with the blue. Also, if you're just referring to the standard Divimax edition, it'll be clearer too because it's a much better transfer than the '99 disc (color timing fuckups aside). The only fair way to compare things is to see an HD version with the blue tint. Then we can see how much "clearer" it is. Not that it matters because if the blue tint is supposed to bathe things in shadows, then we shouldn't be surprised if the darkness hides things.

[Utellme]

Yes, that's correct. The THX DVD isn't as sharp or pristine as the HD master used for the Divimax, but the color timing is right. I never bought the Divimax version because of it.
DM i have the 99 THX duel set with Michael hologram on front and it has a 2nd disc the TV version.

Does the TV Version have the right color timing also ?

[The Dream Master]

Yep, the TV version is correct to my knowledge.

[Utellme]

Is the color timing right on the Blu ray version ?

[Gringo Loco]

Is the color timing right on the Blu ray version ?

Not according to Dean Cundey.

[Patrick]

It may not have alot of blue tint to it but the picture clarity is amazing. You need to check it out and see.

[Rich]

I have the restored edition and the 25th anniversary edition on DVD. I am debating on whether or not to get the Blu-Ray. Maybe I'll just get it to have the film in high definition. The picture and sound of a blu-Ray are far superior to that of a DVD, which I learned directly from compairing the Friday the 13th DVD to the Blu-Ray.

[Utellme]

Maybe there will be some of that footage that was found in those Halloween boxes ? For the next Blu Ray.

[Rich]

Yeah, doesn't some company called Synapse own those found boxes of Halloween footage? I wonder if we'll ever see any of that.

[Brett H.]

Doesn't sound like it because it'd cost them thousands to get it out there and no one involved in the ownership of Halloween cares it exists.

[Just Jeans]

And what is perfect in this world? Nothing.

This isn't brain surgery or rocket science. Given how many times Halloween has been released and re-released, there's no excuse (aside from disinterest on the part of Anchor Bay) for the Blu-ray edition to have gone to print with the color timing fouled up.

Imagine if JAWS were released on Blu-ray lacking color timing on the day-for-night sequences. It'd look dismal and cheap.

The people involved in the creation of these films work very hard on the final product. Frankly, I'm surprised Cundey hasn't raised holy hell.

[Rich]

I just watched my 25th Anniversary edition again last night, and I must say, the colors in that edition are still in as far as I can tell. Maybe they are dimmed a little bit. I don't know. I know that in the very beginning before young Michael killed his sister, there were blue tints on the Myers house. Then later on, there are also blue tints on the Wallace house. Are the colors just toned down a little maybe, because they are definitely still there as far as I can tell. As far as the pitcure quality itself, the Divimax is far superior. The only seen I did not care for on that particular DVD release is the scene where Laurie looks out the window and you see the white mask behind the car. That scene is way too blurry on the Divimax edition of the film, but other then that, the picture is absolutely perfect. The sound is very good as well. I had my sound system on last night, and it sounded great!

As far as the film itself, Halloween is a film I can never ever stop watching. It is such a friggen great movie...everything about it is absolutely superb. It is just "one of those films."

[The Dream Master]

Rich, the 25th Anniversary is just wrong in several places. There's no denying this. I've seen it personally, and I've seen dozens of screen shot comparisons of the same scene. It's not that the blue tints are completely removed (because they are there for some shots), but they're obviously missing in other places. Plus, there's the fact that Haddonfield looks like it's in the middle of summer, not fall, which is a huge error. It's a shame too because the transfer is otherwise well done.

[Rich]

How is it wrong? You are right it does look very bright. The thing you have to remember is that the film was shot in California, though the story takes place on the East Coast. I think it is the high def clariity of the picture that really brings out things that we have never seen prior, such as those sun gleams and things like that.

[The Dream Master]

I know it was shot in summertime in California, which is exactly why Cundey had to go and re-color time everything to make things look more dull. It's not the HD master bringing out more detail--it's just the color. The grass and trees are way too green, and it just generally looks like summertime when it shouldn't.

[Utellme]

[QUOTE=Brett H] Doesn't sound like it because it'd cost them thousands to get it out there and no one involved in the ownership of Halloween cares it exists.


Thats sad news there.


As far as the color timing is the less blue tint the better for me imo.

[Rich]

It doesn't bother me that much. I don't think it takes anything away from the film itself. As far as the new footage in concerned, I guess it's just going to sit and rott away into nothingness. That is a shame because I think that might be the only way I would be willing to buy another copy of Halloween is if they released the found footage on a disc or something.