In theory going out via firewire to the DVCAM master and then going in from the DVCAM master to your DVD authoring software should be a perfect cloned copy of your material. But how firewire works in theory and how it work in fact are two different thing. All you have to do is clone a tape two or three times and you can see the cloning process does introduce generational loss/artifacts into the image.
You might try doing your MPEG2 export directly from your FCP timeline. Then burn the raw MPEG2 files onto disc and send that two your author. That won't tie up your edit suit much longer than doing a firewire export to tape. Why this should be any different than doing an file to tape/tape to file transfer is beyond me, but a simple test will confirm that it's a cleaner image path.
Of course that doesn't mean it's the source of the problem discribed on this thread. I'd have guessed an out of alignment chipset (ever drop your camera?) except it shows on the graphics. That more or less rules out the camera.
You might also look at your levels. If you're video is hot, it will flair and burn. This may or may not show on a consumer grade monitor, because they're designed to compensate for aberant video, but if you have a chance take a look at your camera masters and your edit masters on a nice 20" SDI equipped studio monitor. If you're shooting clean, you work will never have looked so good. But you'll also see every little defect; things you never knew where there.
Maybe the process of transferring is fine, but the software settings could be completely fucked up. For example the color tuning settings etc? Maybe the convergence is way up? Who knows, its only an idea.
Now I think we are getting somewhere! I didn't even think about the camera settings or software settings. The next phone calls will be to the editor. When Michael returns from europe, we will reset his Sony PDX-10 3 CCD camera. Thanks! Brandon P.S. How bad is the halo effect and/or blurriness on BAKER'S DOZEN? Is it more or less pronounced than on other Platinum X Pictures titles. The reason I ask is that I did not edit that title myself and the editor is not the same editor as Michael's stuff.
Brandon, WatchEd my DVD copy of Baker's Dozen last NiGht.. Great Work !!!!!!! It Kicked Ass, Man... Now ::::::Yes the Halo is still there,,,a Blue one, and DA red one, and Yes it is still Blurry and Color intensity is non Existent.. but Because the material on this DVD is KickASS; I overlook this........And again I will state,,I use 2 Denon players model # 5900 and 2900...with these models I can make proper adjustment to colour and tint... but It still is problematic to a trained Eye,,,,,,.... My screens are Sony 36'' HD and a 65" Mits.HD and the problem is more pronounced on the 65" because it's rear Projection.. Brandon, Looking forward to a Quick resolve to this problem..P.S My DVD players are connected by 3'3" COMPONENT CAbles ......{Some people are still Using COMposite which is the lowest signal carry potential available on DVD players.} Later,Guys
This might explain why Mason's stuff looks a bit better in the colour department. The sharpness still isn't quite there, probably due to the dvd authoring, but overall it's not nearly as bas as PXP's other titles. Mason's movies are watchable and definately worthy of purchase (due to the action and decent picture quality). But PXP's other stuff looks so bad so often that I refuse to even waste $5 to rent a movie I know won't look good enough to consider purchasing. I don't jack about the technical aspect of these things. But what I do know is that Mason's movies for whatever reason don't look as bad as far as the colour is concerned. However, the sharpness of the picture can use some improvement.
PLEASE NOTE - The Screenshot has not yet been uploaded to ADT. I hope Steph will help me out later.
I think it is time to kill the all theories abort the “glowing halo effect” being the result of the use c-light or any problem related to the cameras used by the PXP directors. The reason why I think it safe make that conclusion is that the “glowing halo effect” is the visible on most of the graphics too, as others already pointed out. No one used any C-light on the computer generated graphics and neither was the computer graphics captured by any camera! Right?
I’ve made some screen capture from Manuel Ferrera Anal Expedition #2 that shows the problem. The halo effect can very easily be seen on the the graphics on the start of the DVD. To me it look like the problem is an misalignment of the chroma (C) and luma (Y) signals, where the color signal overshoots and blends into the black and white (luma) signal.
Screenshot: RedLetters.jpg
- On this graphics the red colors is misaligned to the right. This leaves the luma signal as a grey shape and the red colors bleeds into the black background area.
Screenshot: CartoonBoy.jpg
- Here the yellow colors is misaligned to the right and bleeds in to the white stripes and black background.
Screenshot: EdgeDisplacement.jpg
- The misalignment runs through the whole pictures and is not just around specific areas like letters and graphics. In this screenshot the misalignment is visible as a line running along the whole vertical axis to the left side of the whole screen.
Screenshot: GlowingAss.jpg
- It is the Y/C misalignment that makes the glowing halo effect visible when two contrasting areas of a picture meets like here (here a flesh tone and a white background). We all know that Cindy Lords has a glorious ass, but in this shot she end up having a glowing ass!
I think this kind of Y/C misalignment artefacts are caused by an analogue copying or transfer of the digital footage somewhere in the production process using some bad cable signalling or some uncelebrated equipment.
Another theory is that the Y/C misalignment I caused by the MPEG-2 encoder, because the problem only occurs on moving pictures.
If you look at the FBI Warning and the DVD navigations graphics there is no Y/C misalignment, and that probably because they are both added by the DVD editor directly in the DVD authoring program.
Screenshot: FBI.jpg
The FBI graphics has perfect alignment of the color and luma signal. Compare this to the RedLetters.jpg screenshot.
Your description of the production process sound all right, but along the line somebody or something screws it all up. But I’m pretty confident that you can exclude all the cameras and c-light used as the root of the problem. I also generally find it very difficult to believe that the Y/C problem is caused by any of the digital equipment used that being DV camera, firewire cables, the DV tapedeck or the NLE editing system.
M.B. wrote that the halo effect is also visible on the VHS version which makes me wonder what kind of source material the VHS replicator uses - a Betacam SP tape? That makes me wonders if that Betacam SP version is also used a master for the DVD too?
I know the screenshots I’ve used is from a European based director, but I don’t have any of the DVD that the others posters in this thread has used as examples. So it just might be that all of the artefacts I’ve been making screenshots of is caused by a faulty PAL to NTSC conversion. But at the moment I think the Halo problem is the same wether the source material is shot with a PAL on NTSC DV Camera.
Writing all this I was wondering about a couple of thing that you might know, Brandon?
- What kind of MPEG-2 encoder is your DVD editor using? - What DVD authoring program is your DVD editor using? - What version of Final Cut Pro are you using? (version 1 and 2 had some DV codec issues that are solved in version 3 and 4- they were but not Y/C problems though) - Are all PXP movies edited on Final Cut Pro systems? - Do the European based directors use Final Cut Pro too? - How do PXP handle PAL to NTSC conversion?
That sound like the perfect way to do it because everything is kept in the digital domain. Please note when you are using firewire cables you are not digitising anything. The DV footing is already digital and all you do is that you transfer a digital file to the computers hard drive. It is no different that copying a Word file from a CD-ROM to hard drive, or downloading an avi file from the internet.If the footage from the DVCAM master tape is indeed digitised by the DVD author the digital production chain is broken. Digitisation is needed when you to go from an analog source to a digital source. It sound like DVD author is not able to handle the DVCAM material in its true digital form. It might be in this process the halo effect is introduced either by the DVCAM decks analog output or by the DVD authors MPEG-2 hardware input or by some bad cabling between the equipment.The use of check disks haven’t really help much in this case. The problem seems to be that either the DVD author nor the individual directors have been able to see the problems for a very long time. I wonder if they are all visually challenged or maybe they all have some pretty alternative aesthetic preferences. But how are they all going to know when the problem is fixed when they can’t see when it’s wrong?Why don’t you hook op your video control monitor from your FCP editing system to the DVD player. You can’t get any better screen for quality proofing of a video signal (it’s the whole purpose of such a monitor in the first place..…).
Ingenmann: Thank you for the detailed input. I appreciate it and will refer it to our DVD author. In answer to your questions:
- What kind of MPEG-2 encoder is your DVD editor using? I will check with him. It's not my area of expertise.
- What DVD authoring program is your DVD editor using? Same answer as above!
- What version of Final Cut Pro are you using? (version 1 and 2 had some DV codec issues that are solved in version 3 and 4- they were but not Y/C problems though) I use Final Cut Pro 2.
- Are all PXP movies edited on Final Cut Pro systems? Yes, to the best of my knowledge, they are all edited using Final Cut Pro.
- Do the European based directors use Final Cut Pro too? Yes, I believe they do use Final Cut Pro. They have used more than one editor, though, so I cannot be sure that all movies were edited on Final Cut Pro.
- How do PXP handle PAL to NTSC conversion? To the best of my knowledge, there is no PAL to NTSC conversion. It stays NTSC throughout.
Again, thank you for your help in improving our product. I will refer this thread to our DVD author. If he gives me any feedback, I will reply. Thank you! Brandon
Not many people involved in the porn video industry seem to know anything about the legal levels of NTSC television. The screwed up levels of a lot of DVDs has been pissing me of for a long time now, and I have been wanting to write about if for quite some time, but I’ve never really had the energy to do it.
Massive overexposure of any white wall that comes in to the viewfinder, and screaming crazy colors simply seem to be the standard in your daily dose of porn. I guess it’s just porn, and the horny bastards keep coming back no matter what they are served.
I think the problem is that the sex drive is more powerful than the learning drive. When I started shooting movies with Mark Wood, we knew very little about technical stuff. Arguably, not much has changed! It takes a long time to get as good as the greats like Christof Clark, John Leslie, or Joey Silvera. I think that we are headed in the right direction. I am sure many great companies didn't start out "great" 100% of the time. We are all trying our best. Thanks for your patience with us as we continue to improve. Sincerely, Brandon
FCP has just been once again last week upgraded last and is now called FCP HD. I think it would make sense to upgrade to veriosn 4, so everybody at PXP is at the same level. I know Mason uses FCP 4, and having the same version would make it possible to swap project files between the editors.
The new versions also have an integrated transcoder called Compressor that would make it possible to make MEPG-2 files directly from FCP DV files as Tony C suggested in his post.
Really? So Manuel Ferrera and Steve Holmes shoots all their stuff in Europe on NTSC DV cameras? - That quite a surprise. I wonder what kind of technical trouble that gives them in Europe that uses PAL equipment?
Amen, to that, Sir!Brandon, please don’t read my posting as ”Brandon and PXP bashing” that was never my intention. Actually, when I comes the using correct video levels Christoph Clark and his crew still has a quite a few things to learn, and I think the phony ”film look” of John Leslie is annoying and ascetically outdated. But they sure both know where to point the camera, and I’m still huge Christoph Clark fan no matter what freaking levels he uses.
Personally, I haven’t seen "Sexual Disorder" so I have no idea as to the quality of it. If you ask me I think it would make a lot of sense find out why it apparently doesn’t display the halo artefacts. Right now the only difference seem to be FCP 4 and the camera used.
I guess we learn from our mistakes and flukes, right?
The biggest difference between porn and every other sort of filmmaking/video is that in everything else, you sweat the details and then bitch that no one notices. In porn, you don't give a shit about the details – and then bitch that no one notices!
My biggest problem with sloppy craft in porn is that it makes it look like you just don't care. To my mind it's incredibly insulting when have a girl who's willing to eagerly take some huge cock up her ass and then suck on it like it was covered in honey, and then shoot it like this is some everyday sort of occurance. Its' not the ATM that bums me, or the DAP that's a buzzkill; it's treating these things and the people who do them like they don't even deserve public access cable standards of production quality.
But hey, if you're just in it for the money, what's the difference. Time is money, so is talent and expertise. Better in my pocket than in somebody else. No reason to give the suckers a Cadilac if they'll pay the same for a Chevy that barely runs.
Tony: Not sure what your point was, if any. I would hope you weren't inferring that the directors at Platinum X Pictures don't care enough to put out the best product possible. That is simply not the case. Each of us at PXP has paid our dues as talent and are now paying our dues as producer/directors. We take this business very seriously as it is our livelihood, just like yours. We both know there are companies that put out crap product on low-quality DVDs. PXP is not one of them.
Much more importantly, of course, is finding the solution to this problem. Our DVD author has suggested we experiment with different ways of capturing the sex. For my part, I started shooting with the Sony PD-150, the same camera used by directors like Joey Silvera. I am concerned that the Sony PDX-10 is too small or that perhaps the CCD chips are not as large as those on other Sony cameras.
The glass is MORE than half-full, my friends. Thanks! Brandon
Sanchez, Take a look at the title of this thread, as well as the first post in it. When I first saw the problem it was in one RLD title and one Platinum title that I saw within a week of one another. It's been as much a RLD problem as it has been a Platinum problem all along.
Unfortunately, because Brandon has been good enough to participate in the thread, it seems to have turned into a Platinum thread only.
My point is that I sympathize with Ingemann and his frustration are low regard for barest essential of craft in the porn industry. As far as Platinum Pictures, I can't say what's going on there. I've never seen a Platinum Pictures release. I will say that I'm surprised (in a good way) that you seem genuinely interest in improving your craft. My experiences in porn have led me to hold very low expectations and oppinions of why most people are make porn. On the basis of what I see with my eyes, I can only infer that most people don't care about what they're doing, or are too visually insensitive to be able to see the difference.
As far as "best possible product"; what is possible is always determined by time, talent, money, and committment. Obviously judging porn by the standards of mainstream film or television is irrelevent. Porn is created with orders of magnitude few resources. Even BIG budgets in porn are laughable small compared to even independent film.
Where porn could do itself a big favor is by not doing stupid things that are easy not to do (like walking in front of lights or leaving extranious comments on an audio track) and by doing smart things that are easy to do (like exporting MPEG2 tracks directly from the FCP timeline) These sorts of things don't really cost more time or money, they just take more commitment to quality.
RE: PDX 10 vs PD150
I'm not sure how the PDX 10 specs vs. the PD150 when it comes to resolution. IIRC, the PDX 10 comes pretty close to the PD150. But resolution is only part of the story. The PD150 is a heavier camera and as a result, it's going to have a smoother motion when shooting it hand-held. That's just physics. Another physical difference is that the PDX 10 has 1/5th inch chips (I think) and the PD150 has 1/3 inch chips. Depth of field control (one of the biggest things that makes video look like video and film look like film) is going to be much harder with the PDx 10. Again, it's just physics; smaller chips means short lenses for a given angle of view, and shorter lenses means greater DOF at a given apeture. For my shooting style, it's a no brainer – the PD150. For someone else who wants everything to be in focus all the time (or as close to it as possible) the PDX-10 might be better. I'd tape a big rock to the PDX to make it heavier and give it a smoother motion.
IIRC, it was virtually the same. It was the only RLD title that I've seen with the problem (although Sanchez has apparently found another).
Their disc was the first one that I noticed the problem on, so it was probably pretty severe. After noticing it on their disc I was more aware of the condition, so when I saw it again on "Feeling Black 2", I recognized it immediately.
The RLD title that I saw it on was "Black Dicks & Asian Chicks" which was directed by David Luger (not Mike John).
It should be noted that both of these titles featured black performers with either white or Asian performers. Since the problem is most apparent when the picture changes from dark to light (or vice versa) the sharp contrast of skin tones between the performers made the problem significantly more prevalent than is has been in other titles that I've seen that also have the problem.
Tony: Thanks for the clarification. I agree with you and can only say that shooting a movie each and every month can be hectic at times. This doesn't excuse anyone from doing a good job, it just means that there is a reason Troy starring Brad Pitt didn't get shot in a couple of days. The more money and time a person puts into a project is directly reflected in the outcome. Our goal at Platinum X Pictures is to make the kind of porn that people want to own in their collections. If we are not there yet, I promise you we will be one day in the not-too-distant future.
Bill: I will let someone at RLD know. Yes, we use the same DVD author for many titles.
Unfortunately my screenshot hasn’t yet been uploaded by Steph, but I’ve mailed them to Brandon. Anyone interested can get a copy at andersingenmann@hotmail.comYou keep saying that your DVD editor thinks it a camera problem. I know I’m repeating myself, but how does he then explain that the color misalignment (”the halo effect”) is EXACTLY the same on the computer generated graphics as in the movie itself? (see my screenshots labelled ”RedLetters.jpg” and ”CartoonBoy.jpg”) This computer generated graphics has NOT been anywhere near the lens of any camera. I think this should tell a forensic detective that the source of the problem is NOT the camera, and replacing the camera will not solve the halo problem.
The color misalignment is on the whole screen area and that’s why the picture looks blurry in general. The effect is just more visible on certain areas with contrasting colors. I’ll send you a full screenshot that show this very clearly if you want.
Your DVD editor can see the halo effect one deck, but not on another when looking at the mastertapes. That tells me that problem is deck specific and that the problem is introduced by the deck in some way. If it is a camera problem the halo effect will be on the mastertape and the problem would be visible one ANY deck.
The fact that the DVD editor is seeing different results on different decks should tell you another thing: He is not using a calibrated setup! That will make it very difficult to make any quality control work out properly. A ”Now I see it, now I don’t” approach is not the right way to ensure or track down quality issues.
As I said earlier - how are you going to fix the problem, if you can't see the problem?
Seeing the problem on the graphics rules out the camera as the source of the problem on the graphics It's still entirely possible that the camara has problems of it's own. Since you've got gremlins in the edit bay, the only way to check the camera is take camera masters to an edit bay that's running clean and see how the footage looks.
As far as the edit bay, if the problem manifests on one deck and not on another, and their both coming into the NLE through firewire, that is bizarre indeed. If one deck is wonky, it should give digital garbage, not an "analog looking double image."
All in all, it sounds like there are some engineering problems in your suite. This shit's a lot easier (and cheap!) than it used to be, but it's not idiot proof. Platinum might want to pony up to have a real engineer come down and tune its edit bay(s). It'll cost a k or two, but sounds like this problem has already cost more than that in embarassment and problems.
I guess your right again, T.C.. But both the graphics and the camera footage shows the same Y/C colors misalignment from left to right, and that made me draw (jump to) my conclusions. Unfortunately my screenshot are still not uploaded by Steph (Hallo!!) so I still can’t show it.
I posted a thing about it in the main talk area. I'm just sick and tired of the poor quality issues! We have Evil Angel and Zero Tollerance doing excellent jobs on their movies so maybe i'll just buy those only!
Sanchez_1960: Sorry to lose you as a customer. Not sure why you would go out of your way to post a new, hostile thread when you can plainly see we are trying our best to be open to solutions. I personally respond to everyone's concerns and have repeatedly demonstrated that I do so in this thread. In addition, you can e-mail me directly at brandoniron_99@yahoo.com or go to www.platinumxpictures.com to contact ANY director at the company if you are really interested in helping us improve. I am not sure this is the case, however.
The overwhelming majority of PXP and RLD customers are satisfied with our work and we are trying to get as close to 100% customer satisfaction as possible. There is a saying that you cannot make all the people happy all the time. You are proof of that.
I tried sending you an e-mail but, sadly, you chose not to have an address to get a hold of you. Instead, you chose to spend your time telling us how bad our product is. I will only apologize for that one last time before wishing you well with your new-found friendships amongst the flawless, impermeable other production companies.
Moving on......Changing our wide-angle lenses was the suggestion of our editor in conjunction with our DVD author. Since my last 10 scenes have been shot on the Sony PD-150, I would hope that these scenes would be technically perfect. We will see once they are edited. This, of course, will take time. It is several months from the time a scene is shot until it is turned into a finished product.
Anyways, I am as fed up with this as each of you. I am not an expert on this nor do I ever hope to become one. I just want to create good pornography that is enjoyed by everyone.
God hates us all, you know it's true, God hates this place. - Slayer 1726 Posts 10/03
Posted - May 1 2004 : 1:45PM
Brandon,
Don't let Sanchez_1960 discourage you in the least. Yes I have seen what the halo effect everyone here is talking about but normally I can't see it so predominately that it effects the porn - maybe because I watch it on a computer monitor??. The only time I REALLY see it is if names pop up on the scenes, such as in the first 'Feeling Black'. It's clear you care, so that means quite a bit to me...
PL: The only thing I care about, really, is that the overwhelming majority of customers enjoy our product. I used to think and I still think this is the case. Having said that, I will always go the extra mile to do whatever I can to make things better. I don't think Sanchez is vindictive or anything. It is just incredibly frustrating to read negative things when I know how much time and effort goes into trying to do quality work. The impression is given that the thriving fat cats at PXP are rolling around in rooms full of money and don't care about the product.
This is simply not the case.
This is a competitive industry....very competitive. If Sanchez or anyone else can find a better product, the bottom line is that he should go for it. We are doing our level best to be as good or better than other companies. The market will decide if we are successful or not.
I can certainly see it from Sanches' POV. I've only got Baker's Dozen and it has the problem big time. If Sanches has others where the problem is even worse I can understand if he's a bit annoyed.
I don't blame you Brandon for not being an expert on the technical details of DVD's. I don't know anything about it either. I do however think that it's less than impressive that your authoring company or some of the other techheads I assume are involved in the process haven't been able to figure out what the problem is yet. I know that's easy for me to say, but still...
Have you still got the video files sent to the authoring company? If so do they show the problem also?
You don't need top of the line equipment to see the problem. Just view the files on your PC (or Mac). The line running down the left side (misaligned colours perhaps) of Baker's Dozen is easily visible there.
Like Sanchez said it can't only be a lens problem as this line is also visible during the intro on the garish pink background with the picture of a female performer and her name. This line may not appear on a TV as they are often adjusted to crop a few pixels.
Instead of looking for where the halos are introduced in the video it might be easier if your techies concentrated on figuring out what could cause such a line.
I sent you some screenshots last week before I knew of this thread. It sounds like you've got screenshots coming out your wazoo. But if you like I could send you a screenshot of one of these pink frames. They clearly show a problem in no way related to your camera lenses.
Like Sanchez I'm unlikely to buy any PlatX titles until the cause of this problem is found. Having said that I'm sorely tempted by Wet Brunettes 2. Can anyone say for sure if this title has the problem or not?
Let’s try to keep this TECH TALK tread on topic, and don’t turn it in to a PXP rant. Use this this thread to help and share contributions to the solution.
I also taken a closer look at the extra material DVD “Anal Expedition #2” and found a black and white version of scene I made the initial screenshot from.
That makes it possible to compare the influence of the colors signal (chroma) in the overall picture quality, and the in this case: the source of the now infamously dreaded halo effect. I’ve combined the black and white version and the colors version into a animated gif that illustrates the Y/C and halo effect problem very well. (Warning: try to focus on the technical issue - not the ass!)
Again I think the Y/C colors misalignment might be is added by some analog signal distortion later in the process and not by the camera or lens. I don’t think a lens I capable of misaligning the color information on the camera to the left in a complete straight line, and then be keeping the rent of the picture information the black and white (Luma) signal intact as you can see in the black and white picture. But some CCD camera and lens expert might teach me otherwise.
Brandon, I think a good way to test this would be to capture some high very contrast vertical lines with your cameras.
Is there an analogue stage anywhere in the process of making any recent PXP DVD's? Anyway I agree that it couldn't be caused by the lens. Both the text i Sanchez' samples and the pink intro frames in Baker's Dozen show the computer added FX to be affected.
Again focusing on the colours (possibly only the red) getting shifted right a few pixels and leaving a visibly discoloured line on the left of the picture throughout Baker's Dozen might make it easier to narrow down the list of possible causes.
Just an idea. Like Brandon I'm no expert on this stuff.
Yes, and some crazy people even invented something called a test charts with all kind of weird patterns and funny colors. I wonder why.....?I don't know and I wasn't expressing my clearly in my post. The analog stage in the production process is just a theory based on my observations of the screenshots.
Brandon, I do apologise for the "hostile" thread...it was an impulse post! However, I'm simply dissapointed that another movie I've purchased has the problem. It's not the money, I can easily afford it...but being one of those perfectionist people... I only want quality movies in my collection. I don't like owning an inferior product! Call it a bit mental, obsessive or compulsive...but thats just how I am. I've already done a trade for Teenage Spermaholics!
If it was me who was part of PLX, I would personally dedicate my time to finding the problem and solution. Is it really that hard to oversee a production of a movie and find where the problem is appearing? I've said it before: fire your DVD producer, cuz he's either lying to you or is completely crap!
Btw, there is nobody doubting your skill in pornography. I'm just saying you should make it #1 prority to improve the picture quality on your discs! Again, my apologise for the hostile thread...next time I'll mention it in reviews! After all thats what reviews are for!
Sanchez, Bill, and everyone else: Thanks for all your input. It really is appreciated. I will refer this to the DVD author for his comments. Thanks! Brandon
The quality is more than just fine. PXP and RLD put out the most interesting films week after week. Their girls are fabolous. The action is incredible and they are going where no other studios are currently going. Our hats are off to them and we wish they keep up the great work.
Ms Christine & JC, THE first couple of adult www.msxxx-tineandjc@adultdetective.com http://www.adultdetective.com/forum/Adult_Movie_Discussions_C2/Couples_Corner_F7/
Ingenmann: Thank you so much for your helpful compare-and-contrast shot. It helps a lot and I appreciate your time and effort. I would encourage anyone who experiences quality issues with our product to return them to the original point of purchase. We want you to be happy with your purchases and if this is not the case, we don't deserve your business. It's that simple. I am simultaneously dismayed at reading this thread yet incredibly happy when I hear our daily reorders. What gives? Are most people not experiencing this effect and happy with the product? (I am not sure.) Do only certain customers take the time to give feedback? (I don't think so. My e-mail is on every one of my DVDs and I can honestly say that nearly all the feedback I get is to say "Thanks! I enjoyed watching the movie and look forward to the next.") Is this effect specific to certain TVs, DVD players, computers, etc.? (I don't think so.) Once again, I will rely on the better judgement of our DVD author and hope we can all move on to doing what we each do best! Thanks, Brandon
Thanks for the feedback Ms Christine & JC! Good to hear from you. It bears repeating that our goal at Platinum X Pictures is 100% customer satisfaction. We are all doing our best to get to that level. Thanks, Brandon
Brandon, you know i'm not so sure it makes a lot of difference to your business. I took a few PlatinumX pictures around a friends house for him to borrow while his wife was away...I saw the halo effect on his TV! However,he phoned me the next day saying how good the picture quality was on it! Then again he's only ever watched VHS before! Its simple, some people won't complain about the quality, or even notice it!
However, it matters to me and obviously a lot of other people. I am one of those people who would put on Lord of the Rings and find something to complain about its picture! Then again thats probably why I buy Plasma's and high end DVD players, to get the best possible out of a disc!
Your welcome. I guess it’s time to support you by buying my first Brandon Iron DVDs. Those ”Good Source of Iron” and ”Photographic Mammaries” DVDs sure look tasty.Don’t be so hard on yourself, Brandon. I think anybody who got a hard on by watching a PXP with the halo effect DVD can’t get a refund. That would be pure hypocrisy on their part. Even sanchez gave in a bought Bakers Dozen even though he knew it had the halo flaw. As you said Brandon ”…the sex drive is more powerful than …” well - anything!No, it is not specific to TVs, DVD or computers. The flaw is on the DVD, and if it wasn’t I couldn’t make screenshots of it. The screenshot is a pure digital rendition of the MPEG-2 file on the DVD. I can easily see the halo effect on my TV screen too, and it’s exactly the same on my TV as on my computer screen.
Because some don’t notice the halo effect doesn’t mean it isn’t there! Some people are just more sensitive and aware than others, of the visual quality of the stuff they are watching. People with big honking TVs are of cause even more likely to see flaws because of the sheer size of the screen. Bigger screen = bigger flaws.
The halo effect is apparently visible on some of the DVDs form both RLD and PXP titles, that seem to a fact now. All RLD and PXP directors don’t use the same type of DV cameras, and neither do they have the same type of editing equipment. That makes it hard for me to blame the cameras or the postproduction edits for the halo effect.
But what all the flawed DVDs do have in common is one thing: The DVD author.
On the Mar 25 2004 Brandon wrote ”Our DVD author is reviewing the master tapes but has not found a problem with them.”
If the problem is not on the master tape how is he able to claim it’s camera issue? If it was a camera issue it would be visible on the original DV tapes, on the editing system, on the DVCAM master tapes and on the DVD. If the flaw is only visible on the DVD, but not on the master tape then flaw must be introduced during the DVD authoring process.
Brandon, I think that Sanchez is right. Different people have different expectations. As someone who's into home theater (I stopped watching mainstream movies on VHS in 1990 when I converted to LaserDisc, and converted to HDTV as soon as the first HDTV that could fit down the stairs into my basement den was built), I tend to notice the technical quality of things as much as I notice the artistic quality.
I'm sure that the majority of people could watch the same DVD on my setup and not even notice the problem. However, for many of those same people, the minute that I pointed the problem out to them, would never miss it again. The rest, would never even care.
When I showed the problem to the two people at my local store, one questioned "That bothers you?", while the other answered him with "Are you kidding, that would drive me nuts."
I think that the percentage of people who fit into the "That bothers you?" guys group is probably very high among porn buyers. If it wasn't, companies like Leisure Time wouldn't even exist, much less be as successful as they are.
Aside from people who really don't care, those of us who do care have gotten burned by poor quality product for years. We don't complain. We chalk it up to experience and avoid that companies product in the future.
If ADT or RAME didn't exist, you never would have heard about this problem from me. I just would have stopped buying or renting Platinum X products. I might have told someone at the video store about the problems. But who knows whether it would have gone anywhere from there?
Bill, Ingenmann: Once again, thanks for the input. The DVD author is trying his best. I am sure of one thing: he NEVER wants to be mentioned here ever again! He is a very hard-worker with a talented staff. I am sure with all this brain-power something good will happen.
Bill: I would like to send you PHOTOGRAPHIC MAMMARIES #2 (or anything else you like) when it comes out. As it was done in the past 2 months, it probably will be no different than our other releases, but at least you know what to expect. We will get better at all of this thanks to you and a complimentary DVD is the least I can offer. I am curious to see the extent of the effects on this release from your perspective.
Ingenmann: Just e-mail me your wish list. I can only offer you Brandon Iron Prods. (the ones I own). I don't like to give out movies owned by other directors without their permission.
RE: Leisure Time. Yeah, I have thought about companies like that in the past. We do our DVDs on DVD-9. I am not sure about Leisure Time. I would think they do, too. Most adult companies use 9 instead of 5.
RE: Are pornophiles more likely to see flaws? Probably...and I am glad they do. Short of switching authors, there must be some way to get up to the same standards as a company like Evil Angel. You rarely hear issues about quality with them.
Each time I see a PXP review posted on adt, I cringe just before I click on it. Thankfully, it is usually pretty good. The most recent example is Coyote22's review of the latest TEENS REVEALED by Michael Stefano. In the reviewe, he had this to say about the audio/video quality:
VIDEO/AUDIO:
The video was in the standard full screen ratio and was clear and crisp. Pleas note that I watched this on my little plasma so it might differ on a regular tube. The audio was in stereo and well done.
We want ALL our customers to feel as satisfied as Coyote22, not like Wile E. Coyote perennially chasing the Roadrunner of crisp pictures.
Why don’t the editor join in here at ADT? There some talented people here too that might be able to help.Thanks a lot, Brandon! Once again, you prove that you are hands-down the most generous director hanging out at ADT. Keep the faith and Don't let the bastards grind you downWho cares about a crap company like Leisure Slime? A change from DVD-5 to DVD-9 eill never save them and their useless products.Evil Angel are using DVDemon http://www.dvdemoninc.com/ for DVD production. The best way to get among the best is probably hard work and a willingness the listen and learn, so I think your are on the right track, Brandon. But no one is perfect. Last year a thread here on ADT tech talk made Rocco Siffredi Production change their PAL to NTSC conversion service in Italy.
