Cartoon Classics-Volume 4 (1942) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Animation | None | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1942 | ||
Running Time | 75:38 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By |
Art Davis Robert McKimson Charles M. Jones Isadore Freleng |
Studio
Distributor |
Flashback Home Entertainment |
Starring | Mel Blanc |
Case | C-Button-Version 2 | ||
RPI | $9.95 | Music | Carl W. Stalling |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (192Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.37:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | Yes, yet more ACME. | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
The cartoons featured on this disc are:
Presented at 1.33:1, this transfer is not 16x9 enhanced. This ratio is correct for the cartoons as produced.
For the most part, sharpness is poor, although it is quite a bit better than in the previous release of this series. There are still many instances where the colour alignment is out and the edges are not lined up, such as at 3:58 or 33:30. There are really only two blurry cartoons in this collection (unfortunately, one is The Wild Hare). There are still problems with chroma noise (such as on the grass at 16:28), although once again this volume has fewer problems than the previous one. The blooming and flaring of whites is still a problem (most prevalent during The Wabbit Who Came To Supper), and serve to reduce the clarity of the image markedly. Once again, there is no real call for shadow detail, although the "darker" portions of the film really aren't all that dark. Consider the frame at 0:25 - it should be black, but instead it is a light grey as if the brightness has been raised (it may well have been in an attempt to make the images easier to see - albeit an ill-advised attempt), and it is shot through with so much false colour information that it is like looking through a kaleidoscope. With this kind of low level noise, it is obvious these transfers don't have a chance from the start.
Colours are, once again, poor. There is more oversaturation, and the problems with blooming, while reduced on this volume, are still present. This is illustrated most effectively on the shots of writing that are supposed to be legible, and that are instead completely illegible, and only identifiable as writing by the context of the scene (such as on the letter from Elmer's uncle at 39:57). Additionally, the colours are still not the vibrant mixture that they should be, looking more like a pale reflection of their former glory.
There are few compression artefacts, consisting of some minor pixelization. This volume suffers more from film-to-video artefacts than the previous one. Aliasing is markedly increased, although this is likely due to the increased sharpness, with more than a few instances (such as on the oven at 20:59). Telecine wobble, such as at 41:35, is visible on more than one occasion. As with the previous volume, there are surprisingly few film artefacts, although some, such as those at 68:00 are quite visible, and the reel-change markings are still present (such as at 37:14, 52:58, etc).
There are no subtitles on this disc, and it is single-layered, presenting no layer change.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
This disc contains a single English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack (at 192 Kbps).
Dialogue is reasonably clear throughout the transfer. The background hiss on this volume is louder and more obvious than on the previous volume, and it can be quite annoying at times. There are also more pops, including a rather obvious one at 67:54. Audio sync, as much as can be determined for this type of cartoon, is alright.
The music is again credited to Carl W. Stalling and is the standard Merrie Melodies fare, being bright and bold orchestral re-workings of classical pieces.
There is, obviously, no surround activity at all. The subwoofer does get some information, although it is entirely from the score.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video quality is very poor.
The audio quality is also poor.
There are absolutely no extras whatsoever.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Pioneer DV-535, using Component output |
Display | Loewe Xelos 5381ZW. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Onkyo TX-DS787, THX Select |
Speakers | All matching Vifa Drivers: centre 2x6.5" + 1" tweeter (d'appolito); fronts and rears 6.5" + 1" tweeter; centre rear 5" + 1" tweeter; sub 10" (150WRMS) |