A Few Words About A few words about…™ The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection - in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I always think of the shot where Cardiff crashes the camera through the— or is that another film?

 

[davidmatychuk]

I just watched the featurette (in 4K!) about the restoration of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" on the amazing new 4K disc, and I guess I know now why Mr. Harris reviewed the other discs in the box set and not that one. Looking good, Mr. Harris, and so modest!

 

[Robin9]

Just watched TMWKTM on UHD streaming to check it out. Very impressive. Not a great Hitchcock but it has a lot of great Hitchcock moments. Stewart is so much better in ROPE and he didn't think he was right for the role -- but I disliked this ugly bumbling American character here since I saw it as a kid: Get over it, you're eating in Morrocco, hick! And their kid is one of the most unappealing movie children ever. But the film is worth it for the face paint reveal scene with the agent. And I always thought this film showed what an amazing actor Doris Day could be. Her breakdown scene is utterly real. But the film loses a lot of steam after the concert assassination.

My big question is about the sound from the Prime UHD streaming version: the dialogue volume was incredibly lower than sound effects and music to the point I was switching volume control back and forth. I have a Marantz 6015 and it had that effect through any mode. It was quite obnoxious and actually ruined a lot of the film while watching.

I agree completely about Doris Day. A major, major talent.

 

[Robert Harris]

I just watched the featurette (in 4K!) about the restoration of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" on the amazing new 4K disc, and I guess I know now why Mr. Harris reviewed the other discs in the box set and not that one. Looking good, Mr. Harris, and so modest!

I wish someone on crew would have asked me to straighten my shirt whist twisting my upper torso to proper line of sight. But at least they didn’t have me looking off-camera. I’ve never understood that particular interview technique. They put my friend, Tom Fine, on stage and it looked great.

 

[AlanP]

I agree completely about Doris Day. A major, major talent.

Doris would have been great in "North By Northwest" too bad she was never given he opportunity to work with HITCH again...........As well Kim Novak I could have seen her in Both roles Tippi Hedren especially "Marnie" if ever there was a role made for Kim it was "Marnie"

 

[ccrawford]

Can anyone confirm that the Hitchcock UHD discs play okay in Panasonic 4K players, specifically the DPUB420 and 820?

 

[dpippel]

Can anyone confirm that the Hitchcock UHD discs play okay in Panasonic 4K players, specifically the DPUB420 and 820?

I have a UB9000 and they play with no issues.

 

[ccrawford]

Thanks for responding. Someone online said they wouldn't play in his Panasonic--but he didn't say which model.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thanks for responding. Someone online said they wouldn't play in his Panasonic--but he didn't say which model.

Several HTF posters have Panasonic players so if that was an issue, I'm pretty confident it would've been brought up here.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Can anyone confirm that the Hitchcock UHD discs play okay in Panasonic 4K players, specifically the DPUB420 and 820?

I have played every one of them, except for two from the last set I have not got to yet, on my Panny UB820 with no issues.

 

[ccrawford]

Thanks so much for your input. I've just finally gone 4K this past week and the Hitchcock sets are a top priority.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Thanks so much for your input. I've just finally gone 4K this past week and the Hitchcock sets are a top priority.

Check out the prices on Gruv.com. If you are a first time customer, there is a code for 20% off. If not, there was an anniversary code for 15% off that still worked a couple of weeks ago. The Hitchcock sets are usually priced pretty low there, and they do not charge sales tax or shipping.

 

[Nathan_H]

Thanks so much for your input. I've just finally gone 4K this past week and the Hitchcock sets are a top priority.

It's a great set to start with. FYI they play fine on my 420.

 

[PMF]

A 4K/UHD Award should be given to Universal for this now completed and consistently exquisite 3 Volume collection of Alfred Hitchcock.

IMHO, this is by far one of THE most satisfying physical media products and packages ever to be produced in the 4K/UHD format.

Hats-Off, Five Stars and A+ in every regard.

 

[ccrawford]

It's a great set to start with. FYI they play fine on my 420.

Thanks for letting me know this. I plan to get the 820 before Christmas and I currently only have the 420, so this is good to know.
Thanks everyone for your help, much appreciated.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Thanks so much for your input. I've just finally gone 4K this past week and the Hitchcock sets are a top priority.

Congrats!

One thing about these Hitchcock sets is they do come in packaging that many do not like and could possibly cause more playback issues than normal -- and 4K disc playback in general certainly seems more finicky (w/ the slightest defect or dirt, fingerprint, etc) than BD, so... some may just be experiencing issues along those lines instead, which has been somewhat common...

Just make sure there are at least no visible signs of defect/dirt/etc on the playing surface each time you play a 4K disc and that should probably go a long way to mitigating such issues me thinks -- I usually examine the playing surface w/ some good light source (and wipe clean w/ non-abrasive cloth as might be needed) before playing and have never experienced any such issues so far myself...

_Man_

 

[ccrawford]

Thanks for the info. I've read that the discs can have a film on them that can hamper playback. I plan to wipe the discs before they go in the player. I already had two 4K discs in my collection because they included the blu-ray versions and I put both 4K discs in the 420 yesterday and they played fine, as is, but that won't always be the case...

 

[cda1143]

...
One thing about these Hitchcock sets is they do come in packaging that ... could possibly cause more playback issues than normal -- and 4K disc playback in general certainly seems more finicky (w/ the slightest defect or dirt, fingerprint, etc)... some may just be experiencing issues along those lines instead, which has been somewhat common...

Just make sure there are at least no visible signs of defect/dirt/etc on the playing surface ... I usually examine the playing surface w/ some good light source (and wipe clean w/ non-abrasive cloth as might be needed) before playing and have never experienced any such issues so far myself...

_Man_

Thanks for the info. I've read that the discs can have a film on them that can hamper playback. I plan to wipe the discs before they go in the player. I already had two 4K discs in my collection because they included the blu-ray versions and I put both 4K discs in the 420 yesterday and they played fine, as is, but that won't always be the case...

This is all accurate. UHD discs are far more difficult to read. The slightest imperfections can cause problems. As you've read from the responses, most people have very few problems, but unfortunately it's something all UHD users should be aware of.

In addition, the remaining mass market UHD players: three Panasonics, and two Sonys all have reader/error correction which are not very robust. Many discs which may struggle on either the Panasonics of Sonys will breeze through on the gaming players (or the no longer available Oppo or LG players.) This is well documented.

I wouldn't worry too much about someone saying discs from studio X won't play on machine Y, but reading problems will occur significantly more often than with BDs. It's just something we will have to deal with occasionally.

 

[ScottRE]

I got this set for Christmas and was thrilled. When I popped in Vertigo, I was sad that the sound mix wasn't what I was expecting. I'm not a expert, but usually it's the police gunshot sound effects that tip me off. The earlier mix is unique, nothing like the standard movie gunshot with suitable echo against the buildings. The sound on the 4K and the Blu sound more typical Hollywood. Small difference? To be sure, but it's the little things. It took me years to fully enjoy Superman (1978) again. I needed the original Krypton explosion back (and it took the Blu Ray TV release to do it!)

I breezed through some early posts here but too much now for me to do a deep dive. But I caught that the original sound mix for Vertigo was "lost" and the sound effects were new to the restoration. Why not grab the earlier mix from the DVD? At least put it on a separate audio track?

I love these films and mostly only have them on DVD so I'll support these beautiful upgrades, but put me on the team who prefers and original sound to be included if it exists.

 

[Worth]

I got this set for Christmas and was thrilled. When I popped in Vertigo, I was sad that the sound mix wasn't what I was expecting. I'm not a expert, but usually it's the police gunshot sound effects that tip me off. The earlier mix is unique, nothing like the standard movie gunshot with suitable echo against the buildings. The sound on the 4K and the Blu sound more typical Hollywood. Small difference? To be sure, but it's the little things. It took me years to fully enjoy Superman (1978) again. I needed the original Krypton explosion back (and it took the Blu Ray TV release to do it!)

I breezed through some early posts here but too much now for me to do a deep dive. But I caught that the original sound mix for Vertigo was "lost" and the sound effects were new to the restoration. Why not grab the earlier mix from the DVD? At least put it on a separate audio track?

I love these films and mostly only have them on DVD so I'll support these beautiful upgrades, but put me on the team who prefers and original sound to be included if it exists.

The original mono Vertigo mix is included on both the blu-ray and the 4K