Movies on NETFLIX Thread

[AndyDursin]

Given that so many excellent movies are now available through both Netflix and particularly its online streaming service, I thought it'd be a good time to go through some of them, and start a thread for sharing.

What I find about Netflix's streaming service (which by itself is only $8 month and naturally comes strongly recommended as Netflix is built into BD players, media streamers, even TVs now) is that there are, buried in the reams of new titles and Z-grade movies, some genuine curios that are in decent transfers and aren't available even on DVD.

Netflix's streaming quality as you might've heard varies wildly -- some titles look like 25-year-old standard-def transfers. Some are 16:9 transfers that look as good as DVD. Others are in HD and look better than any DVD, almost but not quite on a par with broadcast HDTV. Last night I saw THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN in HD (!) for example and it had more detail than the DVD. Universal movies tend to be in HD, other studios (like Disney) aren't.

It's all a part of licensing agreements and what digital media rights the studios have with Netflix -- so it's not as if they can entirely "improve" the quality of every transfer seeing that studios might have a contract with another, competing service.

Anyway, if you've seen anything of note, or rented something on disc as well, post about it here!

[AndyDursin]

My first post is a film not on DVD -- in fact I don't think it's been released anywhere in the world on DVD -- but is available through Netflix's onlune streaming service.



CASTAWAY, not to be confused with either the Tom Hanks movie or the Lina Wertmuller classic "Swept Away...", is an interesting Nicolas Roeg film based on a bestselling book about a cantankerous London man (Oliver Reed) who places an ad in Time Out for a "wife" to share a year with him on a desert island. Amanda Donohue is the young go-getter who ends up in that role, but the two find out that life in "paradise" isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Roeg's interpretation of the material is intriguing enough, and gets along thanks to the performances of Reed and Donohue, who's frequently naked once the movie gets going (not that it's a bad thing!). The movie is no great shakes dramatically, and seems to have been abbreviated somewhat from its source material (particularly the transition from Reed and Donohue first meeting to arriving on the island), but for a late-winter's view the movie boasts attractive cinematography and a nice score by Stanley Myers, even if you get sick of the duo's squabbling.

Considering that the movie isn't available on DVD anywhere, the 16:9 enhanced Netflix transfer is not at all bad, though the amount of jaggies seems to indicate it was brought over from a PAL source. (I've had Region 2 DVDs exhibit the same type of jaggies, it has nothing to do with the online streaming).

This was also one of those movies initially produced by Thorn EMI that was inherited by Cannon once they bought out their film division out, and hence was marketed under the 'Cannon Screen Entertainment' moniker.

[Paul MacLean]

Netflix's streaming quality as you might've heard varies wildly -- some titles look like 25-year-old standard-def transfers. Some are 16:9 transfers that look as good as DVD. Others are in HD and look better than any DVD, almost but not quite on a par with broadcast HDTV.

Yeah, I think I mentioned in another thread that I turned-off Devil In A Blue Dress just a few seconds into the title sequence, as it was just an old broadcast TV transfer (complete with the "Starz" channel logo in the lower right hand corner!).

Another thing I've found is that many movies are not formatted correctly. Many are 4:3 movies stretched-out to 16:9, while Time After Time is actually squeezed (though I was able to adjust my screen to accommodate this).

There are some great-looking transfers on Netflix streaming...but I'm not ready to abandon rental discs just yet!

[AndyDursin]

Another thing I've found is that many movies are not formatted correctly. Many are 4:3 movies stretched-out to 16:9, while Time After Time is actually squeezed (though I was able to adjust my screen to accommodate this).

Just double check that your BD player is set to 16:9 Pillar Box and not 16:9 auto. Sounds like you might have it on the wrong setting.

I have not run into many misframed movies. A couple of times when I did have the 4:3 stretch issue, the problem was solved when I made sure the BD's Display was set to Pillar Box (sometimes it says 16:9 Letter Box too), which preserves the formatting and doesn't blow it out to the sides.

Time After Time is actually squeezed (though I was able to adjust my screen to accommodate this).

That's weird, I remember trying it and looked fine...though it's no longer available for streaming so I can't tell.

I'd again try your player's settings Paul, it sounds like something that can be corrected in the player, not your TV.

There are some great-looking transfers on Netflix streaming...but I'm not ready to abandon rental discs just yet!

Me either, though they offer a few titles they offer aren't even on DVD at all which is the cool part