From: wlrc@uhura.neoucom.edu (William R. Cruce)
Subject: Re: Mini Disc Review
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 09:48:56 GMT

In article <5407@calmasd.Prime.COM> jpb@calmasd.Prime.COM (Jan Bielawski) writes:
>In article <1992Dec29.185732.8310@pubnet.com> paul@pubnet.com (Paul Telles) writes:
><
><The Rocky Horror Picture Show, R, Stereo, 1992, FoxVideo, Released Dec. 23
><
><Excellent video transfer.  The disc is not LBX.  Not that it matters, I
><believe it was originally shot at academy ratio...can someone clarify
><this?  The digital audio is of the same quality as the CD soundtrack.

I would not call the transfer excellent.  Perhaps average.  Noise is low
but the colors are wrong and overblown and slightly smeared.  Sound is
harsh in either analog or digital.  Oh, but it is so much better than the
tape, perhaps I shouldn't quibble.


>	I believe it was shot at 1.66:1 and it needs letterboxing (there
>are those who believe letterboxing a 1.66:1 film is an illusion and the
>resulting improvement is a figment of imagination.  If this is so, try
>renting Ridley Scott's "The Duellists" and see how wide the black bands
>are even at 1.66:1.  Yes I did watch the movie several times yesterday.)

According to Sight & Sound's LASERFLASH 12/92-p.29: 'This film was very
lightly matted in theaters, so no material should be lost in this
non-letterbox presentation.'  It has been awhile since I watched the
movie in a transylvanian theatrical presentation (and when I did I
wasn't aware of aspect ratios anyway :-) but there is no obvious serious
cropping evident on this video version (as say would be seen if it were
photographed in [PANAVISION]).

>	1. The movie was made in 1975 and the Academy ratio was considered
>passe at that time.
>
>	2. Compare the full screen shots in chapter 20 to the video frames
>on side 1.  You'll see arms cut off and such.

You are right.  This disc has interesting possibilities not usually
offered: video of the actual theatrical screen to compare with the
video presentaion.  Compare s1 20.30 to s2 43.10 'Jump to the Left'
The globe is fully visible to the right on the theater screen but is
barely visible on the video version.

><The disc sounds like it is surround encoded, however, no credit is given
><to Dolby Labs and the Dolby logo does not appear on the sleeve.  It is
><interesting to note though, a surround test immediately follows the film.
><Can they encode in surround and not give credit to Dolby?
>
>	Hmmm.  Sounds interesting.  I'll try to check it on a surround
>set up -- anybody else tried it?

Yep.  There is some surround information.  But that is typical of many
stereo recordings.  It depends on how the recording is done.  A careful
two-mike Blumlein recording will have out-of-phase information that
is decoded to the rear channel.  Multi-miked and multi-track recordings
-as RHPS probably is have more.  It is not 'Dolby' because the rear
channel info has not had bandwidth limits nor Dolby noise reduction
applied.  My Shure decoder has a 'stereo' switch for such applications,
but even the standard DOLBY position sounds pretty nice on all sorts
of stereo recordings (including RHPS).  For reference the RHPS has
less rear channel (or surround) info than many 'stereo' recordings.
My Shure decoder has a visual indicator which helps to quantify this.

A comment.  This movie has an amazing appeal across generations which
little else in pop music culture does.  This is mentioned by the girl
in the opening interview of chapter 20.  It's true.  I loved it in
1977.  My 16 year old daughter loves it now.  On laserdisc we can
put 'Time Warp' on an infinitely repeating loop....  happiness....


-- 
	The answer is never simple and is always changing.
    William L.R. (Bill) Cruce       INTERNET: wlrc@uhura.neoucom.edu 
Neurobiology Dept, NE Ohio U Coll of Med, POB 95, Rootstown, OH 44272 
Newsgroups: rec.video.releases