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Author Topic: Back to the Future Trilogy buyers beware. Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 12-24-2002 09:42 AM                     It seems that the second and third movies were misframed during the transfer process to DVD and the picture is skewed too much to the top of the frame. Universal is offering a trade in for the defective disks in February. "Thank you for your email. Universal Studios will exchange Back to the Future parts 2 and 3 for copies with the updated framing in late February 2003. You may send the DVDs back now or wait until February. Please send Back to the Future disks 2 and 3, without the case, and a letter with the following information: Name, Full Mailing Address, Daytime Phone Number, Reason for Return and Return Address. Send to: Back to the Future DVD Returns PO Box 224468 Dallas, Texas 75260”  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-24-2002 12:10 PM                        See example frames below. LaserDisc version: DVD Trilogy version:  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-24-2002 12:39 PM                     Wow, that's TERRIBLE! What kind of moron transferred that to video and did not notice such huge composition errors? Notice that even a chunk off of the left side has been cropped off. Mine as well just buy the pan and scan and mask the top and bottom of the image off. Of course even the LaserDisc doesn't look like a proper 1.85 letterbox. Looks to me like it is showing too much at the top and bottom, although at least it appears to be properly centered (assuming just a bit more was cropped off.)  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-24-2002 12:45 PM                     I seem to recall back in the various Laserdisc rags that the BTTF series in full-screen was not pan and scan but actually just full frame. That on inspection of the two versions, all that was different was the additional height offered. Steve  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-24-2002 12:50 PM                        There's a very lengthy thread over on Home Theatre Forum about this. Looks like the framing error affects most of II and III, but not I. A German web site here has numerous comparisons of images from the full-screen, letterboxed laserdisc, and "widescreen" DVD versions.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-24-2002 01:49 PM                     The misframing error is pretty ridiculous considering how the "Back to the Future" series is such a large "tentpole" in the Universal Studios movie library. It is also ridiculous considering that people have been wanting this title on DVD since the format's commercial rollout in 1997. They've had five years to get the job done right. One thing I suspect is the video transferring system defaults to having the matte locked up at the top of the frame. Someone thinking on auto-pilot just hit a button without checking any settings and fobbed off the whole thing. Sure, "Back to the Future" has been held up in litigation and other nonsense (from Steven Spielberg's initial boycott of DVD to Universal mulling the thought of doing everything on pay-per-view DiVX discs). Still, one would think after all this time the studio would be able to deliver the product in proper condition. I'm just thankful the original "Back to the Future" installment was not screwed up by misframing like the two sequel discs. Really, I would have far preferred to be able to just buy the first movie and leave the other two on the shelves. I'll send my 2nd and 3rd discs in for the exchange. But I can't say I'll miss them a whole lot while they're gone.  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-24-2002 07:04 PM                     The really pathetic thing is that Universal Home video put out the same version in different regions of the world much earlier, and KNEW about the screw-up well before the R1 discs were released. At least they are willing to exchange them, but, GEEZ!  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-26-2002 01:53 AM                        quote: A German web site here has numerous comparisons of images from the full-screen, letterboxed laserdisc, and "widescreen" DVD versions. The English translation page from the link on that page is excellent! 'The R1-DVDs of "bake tons of The Future" in the USA are already in both formats available. '  |  IP: Logged Barry Martin Expert Film Handler Posts: 203 From: Newington, CT USA Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-26-2002 04:21 AM                        Well, this really sucks. I just bought my in-laws a DVD player and seeing as how they love the trilogy I bought them this collection. Not to mention when my wife and I announced our marriage her father wasn't too thrilled so any mistake I make is huge from my point of view. Although they seemed thrilled just to have the player so I guess I'm lucky.  |  IP: Logged Daniel Boisson Expert Film Handler Posts: 157 From: Buffalo, NY, USA Registered: Oct 2001 posted 12-27-2002 12:13 AM                     wow, thank you very much, I was planning on buying it tomorrow. I had gone today to purchase american beauty, american psycho, and falling down, and decided to wait til tomorow to buy thr trilogy.......  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-27-2002 03:44 AM                     which version of American Psycho did you get unrated or the R version?  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-27-2002 01:21 PM                        Standard SMPTE 96M specifies the "Scanned Image Area, 35- and 16-mm Motion Picture Film", including all the common aspect ratios, including full screen, letterbox, and sidebar transfers.  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 12-27-2002 01:47 PM                        I purchased the triology on the day it was released and thought nothing of it until I read reports on some DVD forums that Part 2 and 3 was not correctly presented. I have not watched any of the movies yet but did check scenes from the two movies and yes, the framing is rather tight and I did not like it. Universal has offered to exchange the bad discs with the corrected versions in late February and I do intend to take advantage of their offer. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 12-27-2002 05:48 PM                     quote: I seem to recall back in the various Laserdisc rags that the BTTF series in full-screen was not pan and scan but actually just full frame. That on inspection of the two versions, all that was different was the additional height offered. In most shots, that was the case. The visual effects shots, however, were filmed and composited in "widescreen" and cut into the negative as a hard-matted image. Those shots by necessity would be reframed (panned-and-scanned) for any fullscreen video versions. quote: Of course even the LaserDisc doesn't look like a proper 1.85 letterbox. The laserdisc versions were transferred at about a 1.75:1 ratio, revealing a slight bit of "extraneous" imagery above and below what would be seen in a proper 1.85:1 presentation.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-27-2002 06:15 PM                     There were a lot of shots in BTTF Part II which used the VistaGlide motion control camera system. Pretty much any shot in the film featuring two of the same actor in the same shot was filmed on VistaVision stock. And ILM used VistaVision 8/35 cameras for the visual effects plates.  |  IP: Logged

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