A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Fletch on May 07, 2010, 11:24:37 PM
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Other thread was full of conjecture & rumour....
Truly had the time of my life last night watching the BR disc. The sound mix (stereo) is spot on, powerful, clear & captures all of the energy. Looking forward to one day testing the 5:1
The picture, as mentioned previously, is nowhere near modern DVD standard even & suffers on a larger screen. I guess you can spend millions cleaning up Gone With The Wind, but the budget isn`t there for our niche market?
Plenty of good old fashioned tape glitches and marks, and a colour glare that feels like a time warp back to the 80s.
You get used to it, but even by Telegraph Road my son was saying, "Dad, look at that line!" It feels like you`re watching the best ever VHS cassette.
Shame about the picture but this is a good ol` DS dream come true. After all the talk of, It`ll Never Happen - Mark is Looking Forwards.... finally the master is revealed in an official release!
Oh, & the performance was ok..... ;)
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mark is looking forwards, and apparently is not interested at all in this release...
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Interesting review, thanks a lot. I haven't seen it yet, but suppose that the vintage look may support the whole atmosphere of the show, comparable to watching old photographs from the 80ies and remembering good ol' times.
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I appreciate the honesty from Fletch. I have a feeling it will look something like the way they rehashed Red Dwarf and pumped glaring colours into our faces for the American market.
This is quite sad, in fact it is very sad, to offer something in BD that clearly is not in a high definition. I would suggest it is the Best Definition (BD? :D) possible and that is all.
If they have messed about with the colour mix just to make it look 'good' i can understand that MK would not be too happy about this just like I bet he isn't happy with them messing with the mix that was apparently 'so bad'.
Yes I haven't seen it, I have read one honest review, and I wonder if it is worth the bother. I transferred the VT version to DVD many years ago and to be honest, I am very happy with it. It was a measure of the night(s) in question and and the production methods available at that time and has been acceptable for over 25 years. It is only due to the advent of modern TVs that prompted this project.
I would still like to read more reviews though when everyone gets the time.
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Short review:
Screen quality: could be better. I agree with the comments made by others. But on the other hand, what would you expect from a concert shot during the early 80's? The sound has made a big improvement, a pity that they didn't use it for the 'normal' live-album. But when you listen carefully you can hear some differences. At the beginning of Once Upon A Time In The West there are a few seconds of the synth-part missing. Of listen to Solid Rock, during the intro you can hear saxophone. It's not on the album!
Overall I'm happy with this release. Maybe some more in the future? The Mandela-concert in perfect sound? Of the Wembley '85-gig?
Regards,
Lars B.
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Thanks for that short review. When you say the synth part is missing -do you mean that it has just been taken out of the mix or have a few bars of music been removed?
Thanks
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Thanks for that short review. When you say the synth part is missing -do you mean that it has just been taken out of the mix or have a few bars of music been removed?
It's the part just after MK says 'Are you alright'. A few seconds of the synth part are missing.
Regards,
Lars B.
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I'm confused about the picture quality, because on the official trailer it says "Restored to High Definition Clarity" which i assumed meant the picture!!
I don't have the Blue-Ray yet so can't see for myself.
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just ordered through amazon...wait and see....
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I'm wondering about the deluxe edition with CDs. Anybody has it yet??
I really want to find out if it contains the original sound or not....?
I know it says that it does include the original soundtrack on the CDs, but I'm still hoping for the new sound :)
Anyway, I sooooooo can't wait to buy it!!
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I'm wondering about the deluxe edition with CDs. Anybody has it yet??
I really want to find out if it contains the original sound or not....?
I have the Deluxe edition. The 'original' album is the original one, with the original sound!
Regards,
Lars B.
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I have the Deluxe edition. The 'original' album is the original one, with the original sound!
Regards,
Lars B.
Thanks for the reply.
Oh well, it is decided then, I'm getting the DVD.
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Further comments here, seems it's perhaps not worth upgrading to Blu Ray just for this disc:
http://forum.blu-ray.com/united-kingdom/138870-alchemy-dire-straits-live-2.html
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Just bought the BD disc and watched/listened to it on my 2.1 LG HB-354BS system (with 5.1 sound pretty well 'simulated') and my Plasma (non HD) 42'' TV. Here is my review:
1/Package: feels a bit cheap. Does not mention anything about the extras, just has an advert for the MP3 download. The booklet inside is short but not bad, interesting stuff about DS's history. The disc menus are ok, but with some imperfections - selecting "Tunnel of Love" jumps directly to after the "Carrousel Waltz" intro, so if you want the intro, you have no choice but going backwards on the "Two Young Lovers" track...
2/Picture Quality: as said before, it is better than any copy of the VHS I have ever watcher before, but still, nowhere near today's HD standards, as it could be seen of the Police 'Certifiable' BD, for instance. Picture is stuck to 4/3, grainy and noisy; on "Going Home" one camera even has a piece of hair or something on the lense, which is making Mark stop and laugh... I have to check whether this hair was there on the original film, can't remember it.
3/Sound Quality: as can been expected from Chuck, it is breathtaking, even on my lame 2.1 system. Makes me wonder how we could have been satisfied with the original mix for the past 26 years and why they don't re-release the CD. It even makes me entirely reconsider my opinion about the Alchemy concert: I used to think that is was a great concert, but not the best compared to Wembley 85. Now I really wonder. The sound is pristine, the guitars sound smoother, the vocals crystal clear. Some keyboards nuances that were not heard before are now well present. As already said, the sax at the beginning of Solid Rock sounds really new !
4/Bonuses: It is disappointed not to have the entire concert, not even LoG ! I guess that when they said they had found the "original tapes", they really meant that they have found the master of the original film, without any extra. I guess they may also be some rights issues for LoG, as it was issued as a separated video clip (still available on the SoS DVD). But we have a great consolation: the BBC documentary is really great. It features great complete live versions of rare songs, such as Down to the Waterline, Les Boys and Where do you think you're going. The unreleased "Making Movies" soung is there, it is a great plus. They are great interviews about the sudden pressure that came with the sucess to the group, the relationships betwenn Mark and David... At some point Mark is asked ifto which extent DS is just a vehicle for MK's songs. He replies "none really, it's all about the band, being together, being part of a greater whole" :)) All in all, very touching HQ documentary.
Overall, I am quite happy but this is not perfect... what's next ? :)
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Yes, I remember the hair from the VHS.
Many seems to be disappointed with the picture quality, but is it at all possible to make something better than the original? I seem to remember that the original video was very grainy. You can't fix that, can you? If the original was film or HD video yes, of course, but if the video equipement was bad quality?
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Hi,
just got home to my new bluray version of the concert and here are my impressions of the package:-
The disc comes in a standard case with all the original artwork as in 'no overdub bits'.
It also states PS3 compatible lol.
Firstly let's get one thing straight, upon loading the disc you are greeted to nice menu system with a random clip playing in the background... Very nice indeed!
Once you start up the concert I immediately was quite surprised it was in standard 4:3, I really was expecting it to be converted to 16:9 ?. Incidently on the back of the case it states it is recorded in 1080p widescreen??? You tell me!
The picture quality is much better than a VHS trust me. The colours looked great on my HD tv although I can see what people are saying about the grainyish bits. A bit like some if the 80's films that have been transferred to BD i.e Commando. I have to disagree that it look only like a good VHS cos it truly looks quite sharp on my tv. You can make out the smudge marks on the guitars and stuff. With reference tithe hair, that doesn't bother me, it was there in the original!
More importantly and what Mark/DS is all about is the sound. Oh my god it is absolutely stunning. You can hear it is mixed so well. It blows me away and you have to bear in mind mine is being simulated by a surround sound system too. I know we have all seen this concert so many times before but seeing it and hearing it in this way just makes you realise as if we didn't know not only how awesome MK/SD were. The concert is sublime! Show some new bands this and I reckon they would quite literally wet themselves in excitement.
The extras on the disc are great too. The 2 Whistle Test songs are in fact in an even clear clarity if you ask me!
The Arena documentry is as was and a great incite into DS of that era.
I really loved the biography in the enclosed booklet and it is plainly exactly factual about the greatest band that has ever lived.
All in all we could moan about the omisions that we feel could have been added but in all honesty I knew that they would never be there.
This is the perfect live bluray purely based on the sound quality alone. And boy wasn't Mark and the boys having a great time
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Great review!
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Yeah, I almost regret having ordered the DVD now (I don't have a blue ray player at the moment but a PS3!)
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Nice review.
I still don't have it (hopefully tomorrow), so here is another question:
Can you still hear the equipment"buzz" in the beginning of Going Home?
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Nice review.
I still don't have it (hopefully tomorrow), so here is another question:
Can you still hear the equipment"buzz" in the beginning of Going Home?
I couldn
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i cannot wait watching it on my nice 42" full hd tv, with my sony bluetooth (wireless) headphones, playing air guitar....
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Also what I found with the sound in place like the build up to Tunnel Of Love. On the original on the clicky bits (which I hope you know what I Mean) They are even more emphasised in this new version, as if you can really pick up on the nail/finger combination of Mark snapping at the strings..
It's soo good 8)
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Yeah, I almost regret having ordered the DVD now (I don't have a blue ray player at the moment but a PS3!)
Why DVD? You have a PS3!!!!!!
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i cannot wait watching it on my nice 42" full hd tv, with my sony bluetooth (wireless) headphones, playing air guitar....
Please film it and put it onto YouTube, will you? :lol
LE
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Yeah, I almost regret having ordered the DVD now (I don't have a blue ray player at the moment but a PS3!)
Why DVD? You have a PS3!!!!!!
I also have a DVD player
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yeah, but you can watch the bluray disc on the PS3
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yeah, but you can watch the bluray disc on the PS3
My point entirely ;D
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I know I can, that's the point I was making when I said I almost regretted going for the DVD. From previous reviews, the picture was not great on the bluray, and the PS3 is connected to a huuuuuuuuge screen, so I thought I'd be better off with the DVD which is connected to the telly, and to be completly honest, I can work it. The PS3 and the home cinema setting is a bit more complicated for us blonds... ;D
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I know I can, that's the point I was making when I said I almost regretted going for the DVD. From previous reviews, the picture was not great on the bluray, and the PS3 is connected to a huuuuuuuuge screen, so I thought I'd be better off with the DVD which is connected to the telly, and to be completly honest, I can work it. The PS3 and the home cinema setting is a bit more complicated for us blonds... ;D
A Huuuuuuge screen is sooo nice :o
I've bought myself a PS3 yesterday! Tomorrow the Alchemy Blu-ray disc is coming to my place! :P :D
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I understand that the Blue-Ray has better audio than the DVD ? If so, then the blue-ray is a must for a PS3 owner.
Fordie, i agree about the start-up menu - its beautiful! :) Shame that it then cuts to 4:3
On the subject of the Arena doco - the concert footage is superb, again great sound. Not sure if it was cleaned up for this release or if it always sounded this good?
Did Arena film the whole concert? Is there a torrent somewhere? Its very watchable! Good quality.
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I understand that the Blue-Ray has better audio than the DVD ? If so, then the blue-ray is a must for a PS3 owner.
Fordie, i agree about the start-up menu - its beautiful! :) Shame that it then cuts to 4:3
On the subject of the Arena doco - the concert footage is superb, again great sound. Not sure if it was cleaned up for this release or if it always sounded this good?
Did Arena film the whole concert? Is there a torrent somewhere? Its very watchable! Good quality.
The audio will indeed be better on Blu Ray, but only if you have your player connected up to a top end surround system that decodeds HD audio.
On the 4:3, it was shot in 4:3, would people prefer it if they cut off teh top and bottom of the picture to fill the screen? If so you can probably get your TV to do it for you.
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I think the point is - the menu has a stunning widescreen `look` about it, creamy white bars above & below, the film footage inside looks pristine & wide. So initially, the transformation to the real thing is unmistakably dissapointing when you select `play`.
No i`d rather not have the image chopped if it wasn`t filmed that way.
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It's black&White on my own tv, and no full screen (4:3 TV) :-\ :'( :'( (no HD-TV)
Very very strange
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It's black&White on my own tv, and no full screen (4:3 TV) :-\ :'( :'( (no HD-TV)
Very very strange
Wrong Region Alert?? Although I thought it was worldwide region!!???
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got a message from amazon that it will be delivered later....aaarrrgghh
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Why not just buy in the shops Pottel ? Is it not released there yet?
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Just ordered the blueray too now. I'll let you know which one is best! ;D
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hardly buy in shops anymore, i mean cd's and stuff, i use amazon. mostly gotten lucky with that.
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hardly buy in shops anymore, i mean cd's and stuff, i use amazon. mostly gotten lucky with that.
me too, hard to beat Amazon.
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As a man who works in a little bookstore I have to say: Support your local shop! ;D :-* :-* :-*
With amazon you can never have a chat about the weather - and "Service with a smile" is for free, too! But referring to that MK lyrics,
I must admit we do not have women in cages... :( But I am working on it.... :disbelief
LE
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yeah, I know it's a shame but my local record store has never had anything I wanted every time I looked, (and I do try to give it a chance every now and then) they always need to order it and I might as well do it myself, it gets delivered directly in my mail box, for a cheaper price...
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Hi,
I was only trying to get some mercy.... ;D
Of course I have an account there, too. And they are quite good. Found some stuff there on DVD that I never thought I would be able to watch again...
Alchemy was always great to listen to, but I never really liked the movie. They all behave just like they all are had a good smoke before the show and the weed was a very special one... Especially Hal Lindes is a guy that I am very happy to see dismissed.
LE
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Hehe, Hal Lindes always reminds me of Luke Skywalker ;D
That Arena documentary - is this the one where we see the band riding on donkeys?
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Alchemy was always great to listen to, but I never really liked the movie. They all behave just like they all are had a good smoke before the show and the weed was a very special one... Especially Hal Lindes is a guy that I am very happy to see dismissed.
LE
Well, you then probably like more the crazy-jumping, bare-feeted, pink-headbanded Jack Sonni with his turned over Start and maxi sunglasses covering his ears...??
At least they were playing Rock&Roll then with everything to it, it had energy, it was powerful and you sure couldn't fall asleep. Unlike today, with the songs in the current setlist you easily can.
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Well, I think I will wake up when Speedway starts at the latest...
No, Miriam, the Arena Documentary is the one where Mark is sitting on the floor of an otherwise empty apartment - the guitar next to him on a big seat cushion - and where bits of "Making Movies" are played and you can see the band in the rehearsal room. Quite interesting stuff! Interviews with David and
Pick and Ed and some life stuff from Paris.
LE
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Interviews with David and
Pick and Ed and some life stuff from Paris.
LE
Isn't it from the Rainbow Theatre in London, December 1979?
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No sign of this DVD's release anywhere in the US. Last release date I heard was the 18th or 24th? There's very little info anywhere.
Edit: Amazon claims the DVD will be released on June 3rd, and the Blu-ray on June 8th.
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No sign of this DVD's release anywhere in the US. Last release date I heard was the 18th or 24th? There's very little info anywhere.
Edit: Amazon claims the DVD will be released on June 3rd, and the Blu-ray on June 8th.
The DVD will be released on June 08 by Hip-O records (Universal Music division in US). It is a re-print of EU release with the same UMG catalog number. The Blu-ray will be available in US as an import only.
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love the part in TR at about 1:10:30 or so in the video (bluray) that really speaks for his skills...
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Quite interesting that Guy hasn't watched it (according to his forum).
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I have watched the DVD (couldn't work out how to play the blue ray on the playstation on the big screen, I know, I am blond ;D).
WOW! The picture wasn't great but WOW, what sound! Much muuuuuuch better than the CD.
Loved it!
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i don't get the whole sound thing.
at least not compared to the rereleased cd from not to long ago,..
compared to the good old VHS, yes,..but else..
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Why would Guy watch it, for a start he's not in it, and its from a band no longer together, and he had no involvement in that DVD, so why would he watch it.
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as i told him, it may be a daft question.
the real reason is, i saw mark dancing around on his funny little red boots, and wondered whether Guy had ever seen this rec....nothing more..
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Why would Guy watch it, for a start he's not in it, and its from a band no longer together, and he had no involvement in that DVD, so why would he watch it.
As a fan? I'm a fan and I've watched it! Curiosity even? His mate's in it and Chuck mixed it - he knows him too! Loads of reasons for him to watch it, not to mention the concert itself! :)
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i don't get the whole sound thing.
at least not compared to the rereleased cd from not to long ago,..
compared to the good old VHS, yes,..but else..
Well, I am very curious about the sound. I still don't have it (finals coming). The official trailer sounds of course good, but I don't know if it is necessarily a very big improvement. The remastered CD sound wasn't bad at all, especially when compared to the VHS.
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i don't get the whole sound thing.
at least not compared to the rereleased cd from not to long ago,..
compared to the good old VHS, yes,..but else..
I never got round to getting the old re-released CD, that might explain it........
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as i told him, it may be a daft question.
the real reason is, i saw mark dancing around on his funny little red boots, and wondered whether Guy had ever seen this rec....nothing more..
Are you watching it in surround? Seems you need to do this to really notice the difference.
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mm, not sure, as i am not an audio geek, but in the menu there's only 2 options...which one do i take??
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Pottel, while it is true that the DTS-MA lossless codec of the Blu-Ray disc is much better than lossy DTS/DD on DVD, I believe that the main source of differences you can hear are not in the technology, not even in the 5 vs. 2 channels, but in the new mix itslef.
Wether in 5.1 or 2.0, the following differences with the original CD can clearly be heard:
- Much cleaner sound. The guitars especially sound much smoother.
- Much less microphone background noise (especially during the quite parts of "Going Home" and Sultans)
- Tracks that seem to have never been included in the mix: especially, saxophone on Solid Rock can clearly be heard at the beginning of "Solid Rock".
Although it has always been referred to as fantastic, Chuck described it as "terrible", and it's true the new mix bring the whole night back to life again.
Now the question is, why this was not released on CD/MP3 ?? How do it listen to it on my Iphone and in my car ??
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mm, not sure, as i am not an audio geek, but in the menu there's only 2 options...which one do i take??
Well do you have a surround sound system for a start?
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mmm, guess not,...lol
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Got my copy of the standard DVD. Very pleased with the improved picture quality. Brings back memories :)
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...and it's great to watch Arena 1980 in decent quality btw
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Yup, and I enjoyed the Grey Whistle Test clips too :)
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The blu-ray is black and white on my tv. :-\
The DVD is also black and white on my tv :-\
They are both colour on my parents TV (Full-HD)
The blu-ray is 4:3...
The DVD is widescreen! :D
I don't understand why the DVD is widescreen and the Blu-ray has black sides...
I'll send the Blu-ray back to bol.com and I'll keep the DVD ;)
DVD is much beter IMO cause of the 16:9 widescreen.
Stupid blu-ray disc :disbelief :-\
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I only have the BR, not the DVD, and I am a bit surprised with what you say...
I think the original is 4:3 anyway, your TV can convert it to 16:9, maybe this is what happened with the DVD ??
You make me feel like buying the DVD to check...
Somebody else experienced this ? Any thought ?
Anyway, given the low quality of the image, BR cannot make a real difference over DVD here... but one thing to consider is sound: if you have a cheap system you will probably not hear the difference; but with a good sound system, you may. The big advantage of BR is that there is enough space to encode sound in a LOSSLESS format (DTS-MA, Dolby True HD, or simply PCM), while DVD is using LOSSY formats such as ordinary DTS or Dolby Digital, which are a bit better, but similar to MP3.... that's why I bought the BR...
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I have both the DVD and the blue ray. I have only managed to watch the DVD yet, but as soon as I can work out the PS3 I'll let you know!
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The blu-ray is black and white on my tv. :-\
The DVD is also black and white on my tv :-\
They are both colour on my parents TV (Full-HD)
The blu-ray is 4:3...
The DVD is widescreen! :D
I don't understand why the DVD is widescreen and the Blu-ray has black sides...
I'll send the Blu-ray back to bol.com and I'll keep the DVD ;)
DVD is much beter IMO cause of the 16:9 widescreen.
Stupid blu-ray disc :disbelief :-\
It was filmed it 4:3, if it is showing in 16:9 it is either because the picture is squashed, or part of the picture is missing.
Either way is bad in my opinion, I'll stick with 4:3 as filmed. :)
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This thread may not be the suitable place, but in the diary entry of Brighton (http://guyfletcher.co.uk/index.php/getluckytour2010/27th_May_-_Brighton_-_Brighton_Centre)
Guy says:
"We arrived an hour later to find the BBC film crew shooting bits and pieces of sound check and interviews"
Good news!? At least there will be an interview!
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I have both the DVD and the blue ray. I have only managed to watch the DVD yet, but as soon as I can work out the PS3 I'll let you know!
Well, thanks, but I know how the BR looks like, what I would like to know is how the DVD looks like :) is it also in 16:9 for you ? does the picture looks deformed or cut ?
Thanks
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I have one of those old vintage 4:3 TV's and aLCHEMY looks great :) No black bars :)
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Don't miss Hel Lindas' aLCHEMY photo gallery:
http://www.hallindes.com/alchemy-photos.html
Wishes
Allen
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Okay, just tried the DVD after the BR, and yes, it's strange, the DVD goes 16:9 by default; my plasma TV can then put it back in 4:3 if I wish, wether for the BR I can't, I'm stuck to 4:3 no matter what I do. Must be some kind of feature of HD video which I don't know...
Anyway, the picture does not look bad in 16:9, I can't tell for sure whether the image is reduced of if it is deformed... well, it looks a bit deformed. Any clue, anybody ?
One good surprise on the DVD, the 2.0 sound is actually uncompressed PCM - basically, the same as the BR.
So I would say, the BR has not a significant edge over the DVD picture wise, since it had a rather low quality to start with, and, unless you own a sophisticated 5.1 surround system, it will not have an edge sound-wise either. And, if you are dying to see the concert in 16:9, the DVD will be even better for you :)
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Ok, I got the full picture now (ah, ah...).
The original filming is 4:3. Period. There is *no way* to convert it into a 16:9 film, without either chopping the picture on top or bottom, or resizing it with a rather strange deformation effect.
The difference between the DVD and the BR is that HD movies -BR- HAVE TO BE 16:9. So, the image you get a actually a 16:9 one, which is "hardcoded" that way and has been made by putting the 4:3 image into the larger 16:9 window. Hence, no matter how you play with your TV settings, you can't make it look 16:9 - simply because your system ALREADY SEES IT AS a 16:9 picture !
On the contrary, the DVD sends a real 4:3 video signal, which can then be, depending on your mood or your TV settings, displayed in 4:3 or "upgraded" to 16:9, either by chopping ("wide 4:3") or by resizing ("wide"). But keep in mind that either way, it won't be as good, sharp and/or complete in 16:9 as it is in 4:3.
It is, and always has been since the original shot in 1983, a 4:3 movie. period. nothing will change that...
I stick with the BR, then.
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One more comment - the most ennoying thing about this release, IMHO (besides not featuring the LoG video clip as a bonus and not releasing the new mix on CD), is that there is no dedicated track for "Carrousel Waltz"; worse still, CW is not glued to Tunnel of Love, as it would be natural, but to the end of Two Young Lovers; meaning that if you want to watch the full Tunnel of Love with intro (one of my favourite activities, I must say), you need to play TOL, then rewind to the proper place. So much for a 21th century release ! When I was watching my old VHS converted to DivX, I was dreaming: at least with the official release I'll be able to go to the right track at once ! well, not even ! This demonstrates a lack of attention to details; seem that the only true perfectionist in the team who produced this is Chuck Ainlay. Well, thanks for the sound, Chuck...
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Alchemy 2 week as number 1 in Portugal, with almost no promotion at all. A good product, a great set list, sells all the time.
Fans by what they like...just give it to them!
I
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Number 6 in the UK music DVD chart apparently:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/musicdvds/
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Really enjoying the blu-ray of this. Picture quality isn't perfect, but that's the 80s for you. Sound is greatly improved though, even in plain old stereo, nevermind the rather good 5.1. I wish they'd put this stereo mix out on CD.
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One more comment - the most ennoying thing about this release, IMHO (besides not featuring the LoG video clip as a bonus and not releasing the new mix on CD), is that there is no dedicated track for "Carrousel Waltz"; worse still, CW is not glued to Tunnel of Love, as it would be natural, but to the end of Two Young Lovers; meaning that if you want to watch the full Tunnel of Love with intro (one of my favourite activities, I must say), you need to play TOL, then rewind to the proper place. So much for a 21th
Well, that's not true. If you play ToL on the Alchemy DVD then it starts with Carousel Waltz, like on the album. Carousel Waltz is the organ part. The part you're mentioning isn't called Carousel Waltz. That's the intro to ToL, and a small bit of the outro of Portobello Belle. But i agree with you that it is strange that this intro isn't 'glued' to ToL.
Regards,
Lars B.
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Oops, you got me here. You are absolutely right. But isn't the intro to TOL the outro to Two Young Lovers rather than Portobello Belle ? or did I miss the cut ?
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Oops, you got me here. You are absolutely right. But isn't the intro to TOL the outro to Two Young Lovers rather than Portobello Belle ? or did I miss the cut ?
Portobello Belle was also played that night, after Two Young Lovers, but never released on the Alchemy album/video. The calypso-sounds from the intro of ToL are just the end of Portobello Belle. There is an audience recording from this night , there you can hear it clearly.
regards,
Lars B.
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Yes you did. It was never on the official released CD, but when you listen to bootlegs from that time, you will hear a very long and great Portobello Belle,
and on CD they just faded into it. The very first seconds of this, this kind of Caribian percussive playing if you know what I mean, is the last part of PB.
In fact, if I remember, there was no break, it just went through to this middlepart until Mark says "The Song is Tunnel of Love"... As PB was about more than 10 minutes I can understand why they cut it then. But on BluRay or DVD it would have been nice to have it, together with Industrial Disease and Twisting By The Pool which would have been the complete concert. That is what I prefer to Simfy these days!
LE
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Portobello Belle turned up on the Money for Nothing compilation, or "Contractual Obligation Album" as MK wanted to call it. ;)
(http://www.copertinedvd.net/audio/D/Dire%20straits%20-%20money%20for%20nothing%20-%20back.jpg)
Also as a bonus track on a re-release of Sultans at the same time.
(http://991.com/newgallery/Dire-Straits-Sultans-Of-Swing-10979.jpg)
Although technically not a re-release if memory serves because it is the album version. :)
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Yes you did. It was never on the official released CD, but when you listen to bootlegs from that time, you will hear a very long and great Portobello Belle,
and on CD they just faded into it. The very first seconds of this, this kind of Caribian percussive playing if you know what I mean, is the last part of PB.
In fact, if I remember, there was no break, it just went through to this middlepart until Mark says "The Song is Tunnel of Love"... As PB was about more than 10 minutes I can understand why they cut it then. But on BluRay or DVD it would have been nice to have it, together with Industrial Disease and Twisting By The Pool which would have been the complete concert. That is what I prefer to Simfy these days!
LE
Actually I know that Portobello Belle was part of the concert, I just thought that there was not cut between "Two Young Lovers" and "Carrousel Waltz". Are you saying PB was in between them ? I have to watch this again
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Set of my bootleg Dire Straits Live in Paris 83, which should be similar to the Alchemy show:
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Sultans Of Swing 12:24
Twisting By The Pool 3:40
Two Young Lovers 4:49
Portobello Belle 15:30 !!
Tunnel Of Love 10:31 !!
Telegraph Road 14:08
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On the "Money For Nothing"-Dire Straits Sampler however PB is heavily cut with 4:33, even if the improvised middle part could also easily be not put to that song but seen as just an .... improvisation. Hope you understand... ::) ?
LE
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Just watched the Blue ray on the big screen. I am 15 again. Just like when I bought the VHS all those years ago, I kicked the family out (then out of the living room, today, out of the house) and enjoyed it uninterrupted, very loud.
Definitely a big step up on the sound, even if it's not up to today's recordings (like Get lucky, if that's comparable). You can hear Terry's symbals and Hal's rythm guitar much better than on the CD.
The picture is OK.
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(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8981/201008130001.th.jpg) (http://img440.imageshack.us/i/201008130001.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
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Definitely a big step up on the sound, even if it's not up to today's recordings (like Get lucky, if that's comparable). You can hear Terry's symbals and Hal's rythm guitar much better than on the CD.
The picture is OK.
Is it? Am I the only one who thinks that sound is not so great? Yeah, Hal's guitar is better now, but what the hell happened to snare drums?? Imho because of this the overall sound suffered, for me it is just differently mixed, but definitely not better.
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It's a long time since I listened to the CD and from what I remember, it's a lot clearer on the blue ray. I will put the CD on the same system later (not same player but same amps and speakers) and tell you what I think.
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Well, I have listened to Sultans on the CD and I stand by what I said earlier. I prefer the sound on the Blu-Ray. Much clearer in general.
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omg, finally set my bluray player and my denon system up the way it is supposed to be going through KEF speakers (not too expensive, but still a decent pair) and boy oh boy, now that is what i call entertainment. Once upon a time sounds better then i can remember
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Hi,
I am 40 from today on and had a nice present given by a good friend of mine - aLCHEMY Blu Ray! (who would have thought that he could be so empathetic... :lol) and it is running right now on my Panasonic 42" plasma HD flat... Boy! I have totally forgotten about how great OAATITW was and is and always will be! My set up is not surround but a good stereo ;) so I cannot say much about that new highly praised remix apart from that this Blu Ray is worth every penny! You can literally see every dab and fingerprint on Mark's guitar, and Gosh! I suddenly could READ what was printed on those programmes the folks in the audience were waving... The sound is really pristine, crystal clear and GREAT!
I remember those times when I was listening to aLCHEMY practically every day - from cassette tape, where Private Investigations was cut in two pieces and were the final solo of TOL never was heard by me until the day I got my hands of the CD, around 1990...
I will have a good time watching the bonus material this evening, and have a drink on Mark, John, Chuck Ainlay, my friend and on myself for being a fan of the best band AND Man in the world!
LE :-*
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Happy Birthday LE! :D I hope you have a great evening! Don't drink too much though! ;D
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Only Coke zero.... and Expresso... 8) and some Water of Love maybe... :lol You know I do not drink... But it seems I am "hammered" by this surprising gift and the music which I would never have put up on my stereo on my own!
Thank you, Val! The day and evening was great, although most of the folks have gone now and leave me alone with this gem.
LE
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Happy B-day, man! I have it on DVD only, but it looks pretty good (also on Panasonic 42" plasma HD). The sounds is great though. Would love to hear it in surround.
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I am not sure if it is really a great difference between DVD and Blu Ray in this case, because the picture quality is, as many have said before, of course not the best possible one. But since I have a Blu Ray player, I do not buy DVDs anymore of course - you can get Blu Rays very cheap these days when you are watching carefully at amazon or MediaMarkt or whatever - 8 or 9 Euros are not that unusual anymore. I would never have paid 23 Euros for this BD however because it is the SOUND that makes this so special and I have no 5.1, but you know, they needed a present for me... ;D
Having the Arena doc in good quality is very nice. And it would have been great if Love Over Gold had been included, but anyway.
LE
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I am not sure if it is really a great difference between DVD and Blu Ray in this case, because the picture quality is, as many have said before, of course not the best possible one. But since I have a Blu Ray player, I do not buy DVDs anymore of course - you can get Blu Rays very cheap these days when you are watching carefully at amazon or MediaMarkt or whatever - 8 or 9 Euros are not that unusual anymore. I would never have paid 23 Euros for this BD however because it is the SOUND that makes this so special and I have no 5.1, but you know, they needed a present for me... ;D
Having the Arena doc in good quality is very nice. And it would have been great if Love Over Gold had been included, but anyway.
LE
Happy Birthday!!!!
And enjoy Alchemy :D
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Happy Birthday.
Alchemy was the soundtrack to my teenage years.
Never a day went past when I wasn't playing the record.
I too only have the long awaited DVD release, but I watch
It & the great extras on a very regular basis. ;D
Hope you had a great night!
Cheers. BBB
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Thanks all! Very kind! :)
Hey bbb, it seems we have something in common, alchemy-wise! I still have the vinyl album edition (but no recordplayer anymore), it is only because of that great cover and I LOVED that cool black and white picture of Mark in the middle. Arranged on my CD shelf opened had something of an "altar" for me in those days... ;D
LE
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Hehe! You guys are nutters ;D
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happy birthday LE!
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Thank you, Rollergirl!
LE
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Alchemy is my life and my life is Alchemy !It seems !! :) There's not a single day goes by without me playing it. I'm actually listening to it right now. LE, I agreed with you on the cover. It's just sooo cool. Wonder who designed it ? And don't forget the arrows. I even had a T-shirt made with the arrows which got people attention. :lol
BTW : Happy B-day, all the good reasons to listen to more of Mark's music.
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I am a bit late, but hope you had a wonderful birthday LE!
I read that you got spoiled by that wonderful gift of your friend and enjoyed listening which is great! ;)
Fieneke
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Happy Birthday LE
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So, you know what sucks? I want my free Alchemy MP3s that come with the Bluray disc - but because my computer doesn't have a blue ray player... No Can Do! :(
Why couldn't they just have offered a voucher code system to download the files?
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I have the same problem, and by the time I need a new laptop, they won't be offering them to download anymore.
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I have the same problem, and by the time I need a new laptop, they won't be offering them to download anymore.
I've been emailing a lovely lady at MK.com and have found out that the MP3 files ARE on the disc. I've confirmed this, by going to the default Sony menu and looking at the files under MUSIC - they are ALL there and I can play them on my TV !!
Unfortunately, I cannot seem to copy them onto a USB, Sony does not seem to have any options to transfer the files. :(
So, I think I will just ask a friend with a Bluray CPU - get them to copy the files onto a USB and then import them onto my computer.... hopefully ! :-\
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Thanks for that info, I'll have a play around with that too :)