Digitized American Classics

Nicholas Walker3 said:They aren't meant for general retail—they were released on DVD, but strictly for specific institutions and clubs... though even I can't wrap my head around who actually received them.

I know some music schools and academies picked them up, but I have no idea what kind of edition we're talking about here—like, does it include any commentary from the crew or maybe a critique from a film scholar? For us, that's pure science fiction.

I really think it’s a joke how people try to make stuff like this feel exclusive. A couple of buddies, Birch and Lone Wolf, actually caught the remastered versions at a theater near Central Park recently, and honestly, seeing them on the big screen is the only way to truly do them justice. If the DVD releases are being gatekept by a few niche film clubs, maybe there's a chance to grab them from the local public library instead? I'm a firm believer that eventually, everything becomes accessible to everyone, especially now that there's such a massive push to restore all these old classics.

Does anyone happen to know which titles are next on the list for digitization?

Hey there!

I am absolutely obsessed with these films, and I can't stop thinking about all the upcoming restorations.
Does anyone actually know how to get their hands on them?
Has a DVD been released yet, or is there even a plan to put them up for retail, or are they just going to be distributed to libraries, schools, and some government institutions...?
And what about the jump to Blu-ray? Is that even happening, considering a standard DVD isn't even anywhere near HD quality?
It’s honestly a disgrace that something like this isn't being offered on the open market, unless you count watching it on DirecTV—and even then, you can't actually save the content, you're just stuck streaming it through their platform (not to mention the issues with DirecTV itself).
Does anyone here have any actual intel beyond the basic stuff you can find with a two-second search online?
If anyone happens to know how to capture HD content from DirecTV—assuming that's even legal, which who knows—I would love to hear from you...

Thanks in advance!

I am in total agreement with the questions you’re raising; they are exactly what I’ve been wondering myself. This needs to be implemented on a much larger scale, rather than just being limited to DirecTV.

BLU-RAY and DVD! AVAILABLE NOW!

Eric Jackson68 said:I absolutely agree with your questions—they’re exactly what I've been wondering too. We need to implement this on a much larger scale, not just limit it to DirecTV.

Blu-ray and DVD collections up for grabs! Get them while they last.

Look, it wasn't for nothing that AT&T footed the bill for the restoration and digitization process—it was an investment. Now, they hold the exclusive rights to broadcast it. Simple as that.

I honestly wonder when they’ll finally get around to digitizing—or at least have PBS air—those early films by V. Mimice. We're talking about a massive collection there... or even better, those 600 animation shorts from the school—it would be such a treat if they actually made them available somewhere.

Still absolutely nothing from our domestic manufacturers...

From what I’ve been able to gather, they haven't even followed through on their promise to stock Birch and Lone Wolf in libraries and schools (though I'm not entirely sure about the school situation), but as far as the local library goes, there isn't a trace of them.

Eric Jackson68 said:Still nothing coming out of American manufacturing....

From what I can tell—and I haven't seen much—they didn't even follow through on the promise to get Birch and Lone Wolf into libraries and schools (not sure about the schools yet)—but I definitely haven't spotted them in the library.

They haven't—there isn't even a way for a school to order them anywhere.😠

Nicholas Walker3 said:they aren't—there's honestly zero chance the school could just order them 😠

Well, I guess I owe you an apology...
THE DIGITAL CLASSICS WERE SENT TO SCHOOL LIBRARIES MONTHS AGO!

As of today, they're part of my own collection (copies) too 🙏

Nicholas Walker3 said:Well, I suppose I owe everyone an apology...
THE DIGITALIZED CLASSICS WERE SENT OFF TO THE SCHOOL LIBRARIES MONTHS AGO!

As of today, they’ve finally made their way into my own collection (as copies) 🙏

So, come on, give us the details—how's the picture quality? Is Birch presented in 16:9? Are the covers the original versions featuring the movie posters? What does the whole thing actually look like? A little description would be appreciated... I'm genuinely curious here...

Eric Jackson68 said:What's the picture quality like—is Birch in 16:9? Are the covers the original ones with the movie posters, how does it actually look... give me a little description... I'm really curious...

It's great—honestly, once you see the HD quality, it puts that stuff DirecTV claims to offer to shame👍
Birch is in 4:3—that's how it was filmed, so I don't see how it could be 16:9😕
There isn't a cover, it's one of those book-style releases—though in this case, there's just a bit more text (really interesting stuff, especially for Lone Wolf) and a few extra images... it looks pretty cool (I personally love these book editions)—kind of like some of those "American" Blu-ray releases🙏

Nicholas Walker3 said:It’s great, considering how much HD quality DirecTV supposedly offers in their video library.👍
Birch is in 4:3 aspect ratio, which is exactly how it was filmed, so I don't see how it could possibly be 16:9.😕
There isn't a traditional cover; it follows that book-style packaging, though in this case, there's just a bit less text (which is interesting, especially for Lone Wolf) and a few more images... it looks quite unique (I actually think those book-style editions are fantastic), much like certain "American" Blu-ray releases.🙏

I was under the impression the movie might have been shot in 16:9, but if it's 4:3, then the image simply has to be that way... My mistake.

Good grief... it sounds absolutely wonderful, yet somehow nobody can actually get their hands on it... TRAGIC!!!!😠

Does that collection include H8, Black Pearl, Blue Globe, The Unscheduled Train, The Ninth Circle, Alphabet of Fear, or Prometheus from Visesica Island?
Is there an actual list for that collection available somewhere?

Word is H8 might be next on the list for digitalization... fingers crossed it actually happens!

It seems like everyone is looking for Mimice lately... honestly, if anyone wanted to talk about "The Event," I'd be happy to step up and lead the way.

Honestly, it would be nice if they actually released what they’ve already finished working on. They should be digitizing at least three films a year instead of just two... There is way too much classic cinema out there to settle for such a slow pace. At a rate of only two per year, we’re going to be waiting an eternity...

Nicholas Walker3 said:It’s great, especially considering how the HD supposedly offered by the DirecTV video library looks. 👍
Birch is in 4:3; that's how it was filmed, so I don't see how it could be 16:9. 😕
There isn't a cover, just those book-style releases—though in this case, there's a bit more imagery and less text (which is interesting, particularly for Lone Wolf)... it has an intriguing look (I personally think those book editions are excellent), much like certain "American" Blu-ray releases. 🙏

If a movie was shot in 4:3, and we're clearly talking about an old film here, they tend to use odd HD resolutions. Take Wizard of Oz:



Its resolution is 992×720.

Or take Dr. Strangelove at 1792px × 1080px.



To qualify as HD, you don't strictly need a 16:9 aspect ratio. The key is having a resolution of either 1280 or 1920 pixels in width; for older films, it's roughly 720 or 1080 pixels wide. 😉

In fact, I rarely encounter an HD film that actually uses the 16:9 (1.78:1) format. 🤷

Here we go again... reading this is honestly just painful:

http://www.popcorn.com/special/view/101/

Just enough to catch the actual culprits: they aren't sitting in some TV studio, they're out in a Hummer parked right in front of Paramount Pictures 🙂