steven.saw... at (no spam) banet.net> wrote in message

news:6XHVj.3730$jk1.1615 at (no spam) trndny05...> "Lincoln Spector" <notmyr... at (no spam) address.com> wrote in message
news:cZLUj.9283$iK6.6388 at (no spam) nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com...
At this point, no silent film (to my knowledge) has been released, or
announced for release, on Blu-Ray. But it will happen one day. (And for
those who ask "Why watch a silent film reformatted to 16x9?"
Wasn't "Napoleon" widescreen? Are there other extant silent widescreen
titles?
Steve

P.S. As for Blu-Ray - aren't we going to be downloading all our videos
onto hard drives soon? Isn't Blu-Ray going to go the way of DAT, APS film
and Minidisc?

It will be sometime before we can download 50GB at a decent rate. I tried
Apple TV's download service, and it's HDTV doesn't come near what I get
through the Dish Network, which is nothing compared to what Blu-Ray could
do.

Lincoln

Will silent films be reformatted to 4 x 3 and have black bands
masking both sides
I assume they'll be SHOWN in 4x3 with black bands (called pillarboxing).

At this point, no silent film (to my knowledge) has been released, or
announced for release, on Blu-Ray. But it will happen one day. (And for
those who ask "Why watch a silent film reformatted to 16x9?" I answer "Don't
worry. They will be pillarboxed to 4x3 with black bands on the sides.") But
what will be the first silent film to get this treatment?

My guess: The General. Here's why:

* It's a popular title likely to sell well.
* It's in the public domain, so the release won't be delayed by licensing
fights.
* There are excellent source materials in 35mm film (or so I've been told)..
* There are several recorded scores to choose from.
* It's a visually beautiful film which will take advantage of Blu-Ray's
abilities.

Any other suggestions?

Lincoln

On May 8, 4:23 pm, "Lincoln Spector" <notmyr... at (no spam) address.com> wrote:



At this point, no silent film (to my knowledge) has been released, or
announced for release, on Blu-Ray. But it will happen one day. (And for
those who ask "Why watch a silent film reformatted to 16x9?" I answer "Don't
worry. They will be pillarboxed to 4x3 with black bands on the sides.") But
what will be the first silent film to get this treatment?

My guess: The General. Here's why:

* It's a popular title likely to sell well.
* It's in the public domain, so the release won't be delayed by licensing
fights.
* There are excellent source materials in 35mm film (or so I've been told).
* There are several recorded scores to choose from.
* It's a visually beautiful film which will take advantage of Blu-Ray's
abilities.

Any other suggestions?

Lincoln

I would have to guess that Pandoras Box will be the first Blu-Ray.
The last Hunchback release was an HD transfer and even it wasn't
deemed marketable. With Criterion entering the market, they have a
much better chance of releasing any silents due to their built-in
collector market. Looking at their catalog of silent films, Pandora's
Box seems to be the perfect choice.

I would have to guess that Pandoras Box will be the first Blu-Ray.
The last Hunchback release was an HD transfer and even it wasn't
deemed marketable. With Criterion entering the market, they have a
much better chance of releasing any silents due to their built-in
collector market. Looking at their catalog of silent films, Pandora's
Box seems to be the perfect choice.