To be fair to the good folks at Criterion when new technology comes out what else are they supposed to do, but re-release their previous standard def titles. Now where I think you have a legitimate gripe is when they released M on DVD years ago with very little special features and released it again a couple of years ago in a 2-disc edition with all the great special features. We shouldn’t be punished because the people at Criterion didn’t put out a comprehensive edition the first time around. One great thing they have been doing recently is putting stripped down versions of their catalog so you don’t have to spend $39.95 if you want ONLY the film of Wild Strawberries. A way more affordable way to purchase the great restored versions of these films., though I do love the special features on their discs.
I’m bypassing the whole Blue Ray hoopla, standard def works well enough for me. Criterion delights in good transfers of their films, and the standards are pretty high since the format has reached it’s limits. I’m a proponent of high def, but I found a workaround that pleased me (and saved me hundreds in upgrades).
I bought an upconvert DVD player (it ups the resolution of standard def disks) and used an HDMI cable for all digital connection to my plasma.
The quality is astounding! I’m obsessive with the minor details (spend hours calibrating my TV) and I’ll tell you it looks just a hair notch below Blue Ray. I’m fine with that. If your TV is below 32’’, you won’t tell the difference.
You should try it, Blue Ray is a hoopla in my opinion. Only the most devoted tech freaks (with the bank) would find double dipping essential.
Yes, Alanedit, I too have an upres DVD player. A truly amazing piece of hardware.
From the FAQ’s:
“28. I want to replace my Criterion Collection DVDs with new Blu-ray editions. Do you have an upgrade program?
We offer a $20 Blu-ray upgrade program for customers who have already bought the equivalent edition on DVD. Just mail your disc, along with a check or money order for $20 (plus $5 shipping and handling), made payable to the Criterion Collection…"
So not as much as a double dip as you might think. You keep the extra’s from your edition, and only pay the 20 bucks for the blue ray edition of the film.
As far as blue ray being hoopla, if you’ve got a nice television, a 1080i at 42" or bigger, you can see the difference. Worth the money? Not just yet, in my opinion. I’m waiting for prices to drop – the players at 100, the discs at 20. It may take a year or two, but it’ll be there.
Have you ever bought an album on vinal and then bought the CD ten years later? That’s the same as what we have here.
This isn’t a double dip. Double dipping is when a studio sells an inferior product then releases a superior product. I am Legend, The Fifth Element, and Full Metal Jacket Blu-rays come to mind, though there are many more. The latter two had poor transfers and the other one just had a collector’s edition come out; all within a year of the initial release.
In the case of The Third Man they are upgrading with technology and coming out with a superior version because, however long ago it was that it was originally released, High Def did not exist. Just the same with several of their laserdiscs. Off your logic they double dipped when the DVD version came out!
Calling it a double dip is unfair name calling. Now, if they release a trashy transfer and then release a pristine one later, then you can accuse them of double dipping. But, I never see Criterion doing that.
This is better called an upgrade. If there are a few more extras that they’ve found since the DVD release then good for them. I would hope they would put those on instead of hoarding them from fear of name calling. Or worse yet, holding onto them until everyone’s bought the upgrade and then double dipping with a complete version! But again, I don’t see Criterion ever doing that.
I think I did a fairly good job muddy-ing the waters of my argument by failing to mention an important point. The publication of a new Blu Ray version I don’t see as unfair Double Dipping. That would be crazy and I would deserve to feel like a greedy fox from nursery rhymes. What irks me is the simultaneous release of a new standard version with more extra features. It irks me even more because I’m not sure I even have the right to feel this way.
I hadn’t, I admit, read the FAQs here before posting. I just figured it was such a crazy idea…. and I must say I am delighted to see a system of upgrade in place. Should we petition a similar system for standard versions re released with shiny new groovy/ badass extras?
Sometimes I buy the CD and then the vinyl :)
I’m all about Blu-ray. Upconverting a quality DVD is indeed nice, but Blu-Ray definitely outshines and I’m pretty excited to start the collection… but, in my case it might help that I was too broke during the DVD era to amass much of a collection I have to feel raw about replacing. Nothing wrong with being selective in the upgrades if one is happy with they currently have.. but bring on the Blu-ray! Of course, I’m sure I’ll feel the pain when they inevitably start double dipping with Blu-ray releases..
I think Criterion is “honest” about their double-dipping, so I don’t mind. What I mean is, Criterion releases a film, The Third Man, using the best print/materials available at the time. Years later, a new print is made from new elements, and Criterion’s old DVD now looks like crap by comparison. So, they come up with a re-release, using the new print, and adding some special features to enhance the package. They only do this when there is a vastly superior product to put out there.
This is much different than when your average big studio releases a 1-disc release of a new release, fully intended to release a 2-disc extended/unrated/whatever edition 6 months down the road. That’s the kind of double-dipping that is annoying.
Also, I think the “downgrade” editions Criterion is starting to do is a nice idea for those who want to own great films, but aren’t interested in the special features. I am not a member of that group, but I can appreciate it for those who are.
Everyone’s a critic.
Just like any new media, it’s great if you can afford it and have the proper player to play it. I enjoyed lots of films released by Janus/ Criterion back in the good old days of VHS and laser disc, bootleg, imports and all – on my little television set. I think the Essentials and Eclipse series work well ‘cause it’s great to have a good selection of versions to pick from. The difference between $24.99 vs. $39.99 or more is quite huge especially nowadays. Companies will always find a way to charge more for added features – Criterion is no different. People seem to forget – it’s called “Criterion Collection”, a bloody collector’s item! There’s a market, a demand and a consumer for everything. Hell, I spent $85 bucks of my little serviceman’s salary for an old ‘88 VHS version of Kurosawa’s “High and Low”, three times the price of the first Criterion version of the film which I already bought earlier. Why? Because I loved the way the VHS looked when I rented it years ago. It’s full widescreen, and the gray, yellowish touch on the black and white made it seem like one of those movies you normally stumbled upon TV at 2:00 AM. Just like picking an old scratchy BB King vinyl, and a remastered one. Yep, it’s a choice.
I couldn’t find the appropriate thread for this question, but are the new version of films like High and Low really that much better than the first version?
I’m going to try reviving this old thread to see if others can help in my decision-making process. I’ve taken advantage of the B&N 50% off sale to upgrade a few of my DVDs to Blu-ray, specifically 8 1/2, Yojimbo/Sanjuro, Walkabout, The Leopard and 400 Blows. I specifically chose to upgrade those titles because they either had new content or just seemed like very worthwhile upgrades while the prices are so low. I also had some coupons and store clerks who were willing to let me use them. :o)
I also have a few other duplicate titles in both formats: M, Pierrot le Fou, By Brakhage (Vol. 1), Seventh Seal, Man Who Fell to Earth. I’m giving strong consideration to selling off the duplicates (except for Man Who Fell to Earth, since I like the book that comes with DVD) but as any completist-type collector knows, this isn’t an easy decision, at least with some of the titles. I like being able to bring DVDs to places where no Blu-ray players are handy. And I’m wondering if I can get adequate return on my investment by selling them off in what may be a depressed market due to rotten economy and general drop in the used DVD marketplace. Has anyone else worked through this dilemma?
I’d also like to hear what others say about the quality upgrade in some of the other relatively recent DVDs that I bought last year before I got my Blu-ray player. Is it worth upgrading discs like The Last Metro, Last Year at Marienbad, Bottle Rocket, Wings of Desire, Repulsion or Monsoon Wedding? How about the quality improvements of re-issues like Play Time, Gimme Shelter, Wages of Fear, Monterey Pop? I prefer the DVD packaging, especially on a set like Monterey Pop with its nice booklet, or the slipcases for Last Metro, Monsoon Wedding and Last Year at Marienbad. I’m just interested in reading the thoughts of others who have had a chance to compare both versions of these films and the relative plus/minus associated with each format.
Oh, I didn’t realize this was a Third Man thread… well, I guess it’s way off-topic now because I won’t even get into discussing that DVD/Blu-ray upgrade. I have the DVD, missed my chance at the Blu, now I’m hoping that the Studio Canal version has a good transfer and I’ll add both to my collection since SC is putting some new supplements on their edition.
And Jazzaloha, if you’re still wondering, I think the new edition of High and Low is a vast improvement in every conceivable way over the first Criterion version.
Hi Dave,
In this depressed market, I think you’re better off keeping your duplicate DVD sets. Having the DVD in hand when there’s no blu-ray player around is worth more than the $20 you might get selling your used disc (and I might be pricing that kinda high).
The only reason I’d see in getting rid of your old DVDs is if you needed to make room for other discs or if you were on a budget and selling your old discs would help cover the cost of upgrading to blu-ray.
I haven’t seen both the standard AND high-def versions of any of the films you mentioned, so I can’t say much about the plusses/minuses; however, I’m one for compact-ness and space-saving. I’d buy the blu-ray editions of those films specifically for their compact packaging to save on shelf space.
Just my $.02 ;)
RackFocus
Great to see The Third Man getting released in Blu Ray format. A beautifully shot film that will no doubt delight in the extra pixels, great stuff. But, as an owner of the older version on standard DVD, I’m disappointed that double dip has come to Criterion. Maybe I’m just a crochety old man but I don’t like feeling like the greedy fox from nursery rhymes. ahhhh. How annoying, do I splash out again?, seems a bit crazy when I’m saving for the Marienbad release that’s approaching the horizon. May I be so bold to suggest that through this website, in the event of a case of dubble dip, the new extra features be made available for download to those who already own the earlier version? How to make that workable, I dunno, I’m just the ideas man…