Hitchcock on Universal DVD and Blu-ray

[swo17]

Thanks again!

[Ovader]

Received the discs today in a padded envelope after first contacting the replacement program in early October with no response and then again in early December with success. The discs came within individual cases with the blu-ray in a sealed blue case but it is still the incorrect disc with the numbers 2129626 - 1130624 on the black label. The UHD has the new numbers but has that incorrect audio mix in the uncensored version of Martin Balsam making a sound after the third stab at the bottom of the stairs as mentioned in this thread.

[senseabove]

Supposedly Rope, Saboteur, and Shadow of a Doubt are next up for the 4k treatment.

[soundchaser]

I would love to see Rope get a new restoration, if it means an improvement over the currently smudgy Blu-Ray.

[ftsoh]

At this rate we can hope the entire Universal Hitchcock will be upgraded to UHD in 2024!

[yoloswegmaster]

Universal France have revealed that Trouble with Harry, Shadow of a Doubt, and Saboteur are going to be released on 4K UHD.

[yoloswegmaster]

The 2nd volume for the Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection has been revealed and will contain the following films in 4K: Saboteur (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), The Trouble with Harry (1955), Marnie (1964), Family Plot (1976).

[andyli]

So no Rope (1948) in sight. A bit disappointing.

[Ribs]

Inevitably they probably decided to save it so the inevitable third volume has another heavy-hitter instead of mostly the bargain bin. Did I read that there will be a hopefully unbotched UHD of To Catch a Thief released in Europe as Uni has the rights there or did I make that up?

[senseabove]

Marnie getting a new scan is by itself enough to make this set anything but disappointing, and while I don't think Harry is a particularly good movie, I expect it'll be a reference 4k disc—the BD is already gorgeous.

[andyli]

Marnie getting a new scan is by itself enough to make this set anything but disappointing, and while I don't think Harry is a particularly good movie, I expect it'll be a reference 4k disc—the BD is already gorgeous.

Yeah the titles selected for this set are indeed a strong bunch. I particularly appreciate the chance to re-watch Family Plot (a late Hitchcock that mysteriously made to Rosenbaum's 1000 favorite films list while some other better-regarded ones didn't) in a (hopefully!) much improved transfer.

My quibble about Rope was specifically due to the earlier news that it would come out this year. I can certainly wait for a third set that features Rope and Frenzy for starters.

[ford]

Who has the rights to NORTH BY NORTHWEST? Seems like the ideal 4K Hitchcock.

[therewillbeblus]

Who has the rights to NORTH BY NORTHWEST? Seems like the ideal 4K Hitchcock.

Warner, and agreed- the blu already looks great, so I'd love to see what they could do with it

[senseabove]

The UHD Vol. 2 set is up for preorder for $44+tax shipped with the code signup20 at Gruv.

[ianthemovie]

Judging from Amazon it looks like the titles from this set are also going to be released individually on the same release date.

[senseabove]

Those are also available for individual pre-order at Gruv, though if you're ordering at least 3 of the 5, the box of 5 is actually a few bucks cheaper.

[Finch]

Just Shadow and Marnie for me. Hoping Marnie turns out to be as good as The Birds UHD at least.

[dekadetia]

Inevitably they probably decided to save it so the inevitable third volume has another heavy-hitter instead of mostly the bargain bin. Did I read that there will be a hopefully unbotched UHD of To Catch a Thief released in Europe as Uni has the rights there or did I make that up?

Fingers crossed there is something to this. I streamed this in 4k on Paramount+ last night -- it appears to be the same source as the Paramount Presents blu and it's as bad as any 4k resto I've ever seen -- aggressive DNR, motion smoothing, etc. The higher resolution might even make it look worse; I flipped over to the 1080 copy on Hulu and while the same problems were present it seemed like the lower res was a bit more forgiving.

[swo17]

Just wanted to have this down somewhere for easy reference...here's what's left from the Masterpiece Collection for an eventual third wave of UHDs:

Rope
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Torn Curtain
Topaz
Frenzy

North by Northwest will presumably be put out soon enough by WB or who knows, maybe Criterion

[DeprongMori]

North by Northwest will presumably be put out soon enough by WB or who knows, maybe Criterion

Now I’m curious whether we’ll see Rebecca and Notorious re-issued in 4K UHD by Criterion to coincide with their eventual inevitable 4K UHD release of Spellbound.

[therewillbeblus]

The UHDs are packaged so tightly in these cardboard sleeves I'm struggling to get mine out without making thumbprint marks on the edges of the discs. Has anyone found a better solution, and how sensitive are UHD discs to this kind of damage? (I ask because my experience is that BDs are more sensitive to damage than DVDs, when I rent from the lib, and I'd hate to have this format be even more sensitive and be doing significant damage just by taking them out for the first time...)

[EddieLarkin]

It is significantly more sensitive, owing to the fact the physical disc and laser are the same as the old format, but the data is more tightly crammed into the grooves (33GB per layer vs 25GB). So a scratch or a smudge are more likely to cause hiccups. Consequently I always check new discs before I play them, and give them the necessary wipe. I've never come across an unplayable disc though.

[therewillbeblus]

Consequently I always check new discs before I play them, and give them the necessary wipe.

How do you wipe your UHDs appropriately? (And how can one avoid this issue with a set like this that holds the discs in the sleeves so tightly?)

[Roscoe]

The UHDs are packaged so tightly in these cardboard sleeves I'm struggling to get mine out without making thumbprint marks on the edges of the discs. Has anyone found a better solution, and how sensitive are UHD discs to this kind of damage? (I ask because my experience is that BDs are more sensitive to damage than DVDs, when I rent from the lib, and I'd hate to have this format be even more sensitive and be doing significant damage just by taking them out for the first time...)

After finally getting the glue off my Blu-Rays from the stupidly designed original UNIVERSAL MONSTERS collection, I just put them into individual paper CD sleeves that I picked up cheap online, and put them back in the appropriate place in the box set, but placed between the pages, not tucked inside the sleeves. I had to do the same with Criterion's 4K CITIZEN KANE set, putting them all in sleeves, but then tucked them inside the appropriate sleeves in the box -- it's easier to get a hold on the paper sleeve than the disc itself.

[EddieLarkin]

Consequently I always check new discs before I play them, and give them the necessary wipe.

How do you wipe your UHDs appropriately? (And how can one avoid this issue with a set like this that holds the discs in the sleeves so tightly?)

With the underside of whatever shirt or t-shirt I'm wearing! Though I suppose a small microfibre cloth, like those used for cleaning eyeglasses, would be more suited to the task.

As for a permanent solution, I've never bothered implementing one. A cloth will adequately remove dust or a smudge caused by slots, where necessary. I've never encountered a slot actually scratching a disc to the point it affects the permanent playability of the disc.