DVD Screenshots: Director's Cut VS. Theatrical Bootleg

The Theatrical bootleg is a Criterion LD transfer.

For all pics - Director's Cut on top, Theatrical Bootleg on bottom

boy am i ever grateful for the DC DVD. i never knew BR was ever in such bad quality.

Though the picture quality is better for the DC...I noticed that the image seems to be cropped more on the DC as well.

My DC DVD sure doesn't look like that, even on my buddy's plasma screen.

well when you take a snapshot like that and shrink it down, all the colors and picture gets scrunched together, which might account for those pics looking better than your dvd.

is it me or do the bootleg theatrical shots seem wider than the DC itself???

can tht be?

is it me or do the bootleg theatrical shots seem wider than the DC itself???

can tht be?

Yeah, the DVD version seems to be cropped.

is it me or do the bootleg theatrical shots seem wider than the DC itself???

can tht be?

um ...deja vu

Though the picture quality is better for the DC...I noticed that the image seems to be cropped more on the DC as well.

Are we comparing straight-rip to straight-rip here or what? Because if these are frame grabs from the "Net versions" out there or from someone else's rips not ones you made yourself, then who knows if this is just a test of how good the initial rip from DVD/Laser disc was in terms of color, cropping, and aspect ratio conversion standpoints. What were the source files for these screen grabs? Did you do the grabs yourself on rips you made yourself, or are they from some random copies of the movie that you found?

I purchased the bootleg version off of eBay and the DC is of course the retail version. I'm not sure what you mean by "straight rip", but I simply inserted both dvds into the player and captured the images using powerdvd5.

OK. That's my point, you're comparing a ripped Laser Disc version that was then encoded to MPEG2 for DVD burning with the Director's Cut DVD. Now, we all know how bad the DC transfer is, but we are still comparing a known-quality (the DC DVD) with a completely unknown quality (the bootleg of the Criterion LD). Who knows if those bootleggers had any clue about how to make a clean rip and MPEG2 encode. When they capped the LD (which is analog) to digital form, they could have screwed up the colors, the cropping, the aspect ratio, etc. So, what I'm saying is, I'm not sure this comparison means much. A true comparison would compare the Laser Disc itself to the DC DVD (or maybe the DC LD). I'm sure that if purchased 3 different OV bootlegs from eBay, you'd see three different quality levels for each. Not sure, but just my two cents.

BTW, is your bootleg any good? Hows the compression? The audio? Are there any noticeable a/v dropouts where the laser disc changed sides? And who (Ebay name) was your source in case I want to snag a copy?

I understand your point about how this might not be a true comparison because the quality can vary depending on the transfer. When I originally made this post I think there was only a few people on eBay selling this version. Each had the same artwork for the case and DVD. The artwork is really amateur and the DC description is placed on the back. It's funny because right below the description, which mentions the voice narration has been removed, it states "WITH ORIGINAL VOICE OVER NARRATION". I would think if each seller had created their own transfer, they might also create their own artwork and not simply copy the cheesy artwork I just described. So I assumed they were probably acquiring it from the same source.

I'm not too technically sound when it comes to DVD audio/video compression, etc. but I'll try to answer your questions the best I can. I've only viewed the DVD once and that was back in December, so I have hard time remembering some aspects.

-I'm not sure what you by "good", but obviously I've shown the comparison shots and the video lacks quality even when compared to the DC, which isn't exactly impressive either.

-I'm not sure how the compression is. If you can explain how I would find out this information, I'd be glad to check.

-I can't recall how the audio was, but I don't remember it being too impressive.

-I don't recall any A/V dropouts during the side change, but they may exist. (Does anyone know at what timeframe this occurs?)

-I don't remember the seller who I purchased this from, unfortunately. I'd be glad to burn you a copy.


If you have any other questions, let me know.

I did my own Rip (I included screenshots) if anyone wants it I'll share on Bittorrent it looks tons better than that bootleg thats on Ebay.and I also have On the Edge on the same Disc .

Theatrical Cut + On the Edge AC3 audio for both on 1 DVD ISO 3.0GB

Please tell me and Ill put up the torrent this week .

do you have the full video for "on the edge"? the torrent isnt avalible anymore.

yes I have the Full Documentary

Do you want me to Up the

DVD with Theatrical Movie/On the edge 3.0GB

or AVI of On the Edge ?? 298MB