I just bought The Masseuse and I could not believe the bad quality of this DVD. The quality is something I might have expected from a DVd made six years ago, not a 2004 production. The image is grainy and the video compression abysmal, I've seen Hong Kong VCDS with a better image than this. If this is the usual quality of Vivid's films then I won't be buying any more of their products in future.
The movie looks grainy because it was shot on film, and Vivid usually doesn't use film. They use video (hence the name, Vivid Video). The movie looks pretty bad, I do agree. Although, if you want to see a fairly good presentation, especially on film, check out Sentenced. That movie looks great. I think it just depends on the director as well as who did the DVD. Paul Thomas's movies tend to come out rather grainy, and dark.
I have seen plenty of grainy movies transferred to DVD (mostly non porn) and grain is not a problem; the problem with The Masseuse is that it has very bad video compression. Look at the background, the way the texture of the walls seems to smear, and the very large artifacts. I think what has happened is that Vivid have tried to squeeze so many extras onto the one DVD that they've left very little room for the film itself. The tail wagging the dog. It's a pity because I watch DVD because of the detail it offers, but in this DVD Jenna Jameson is reduced to a pink blob (maybe a slight exaggeration).
I have only two DVDs in my collection that have a worse picture than The Masseuse, and they are an early DVD of "Ashes of Time", a copy of "Blue Velvet" that looks like it has been filmed off TV and "Caligula". Most of my (few) gonzo DVDs have better picture quality.
There is no excuse for poor picture quality now, especially when California is full of companies providing professional film to digital transfer.
I hope Vivid tries harder in future. They should with all the profit they make.
IAFD, supporters of beastiality. Just say no. 7564 Posts 11/02
Posted - Mar 10 2005 : 9:58AM
If there is one hardcore porn company which has used film the most this past 10 years, it would surely be Vivid, wouldn't it? Borderline , Bad Wives , The Masseuse 3 , The Awakening , Fade To Black ... In fact, most of their big budget titles and even some of their b-grade stuff is shot on film in order to sell it to some cable channels who demand shot-on-film material. At least, that is why I remember.
About the origins of the company name, I have no idea if it is because they use video. It is certainly true that Vivid was pretty much put on the map by the work of Bruce Seven (often with the first Vivid contract star Ginger Lynn) in the mid 80s, which he shot on video.
CorinaTaylor said: "I do not feel like being Corina Taylor today..."
The reason for this is that Vivid does not care about the quality of their product. As long as people buy their tapes and DVDs, they have no incentive to try harder. The quality of their DVDs and VHS is pitiful for a company of their size. That, and the fact that they edit the hell out of their movies for rerelease soured me on them long ago. It's a pity too, because they have had many great stars over the years. I was sickened when I learned that Jenna signed with them, however at least she and Jay do have control over their product, and it shows. Compare ClubJenna movies to the average Vivid release. No comparison.
The CJ logo is on the DVD, but the film was a PT production, which means Vivid production. Hence, the grainy picture. However, I just relooked at it, and it isn't as bad as some are making it. The film itself was very good, as was the performances by Jenna and Jay.
I have said that a couple of times before, but it's actually the only feature I kept on watching until the end just because of the story. I think Jenna might make a good mainstream actress.
I don't think the picture quality is THAT bad, but it's true that it doesn't keep up with the standards of recent Evil Angel or 3rd Degree products.
I've just finished watching the film and this really is an excellent feature. The story is good, all the actors give creditable performances and the sex is hot (esp the dildo scene, although it's cut too short for my liking) and jenna is , of course, simply gorgeous.
But I have not changed my opinion on the picture quality; in fact, considering how good the film is, I now think it is worse! If you have a diamond you don't display it in a box filled with manure! I'm sure Jenna was horrified at the picture quality, and if she wasn't she should be.
I hope this message will make Vivid start realizing that they need to improve the picture quality of their DVDs, and do something about it, but I am sure they will just look at their bank-balance and laugh.
Paul Thomas seems to use film much more than he uses video, which is why so many of his movies are so grainy. I will agree that most of the problem lies with Vivid and their priorities. If you look back a few years you'll find a thread somewhere (sorry, I'm too lazy to look right now) where people wrote them complaining about their quality, crappy extras, and butchering their movies and they were told that they didn't care what the person thought, that they were going to keep butchering the movies and cramming the DVDs so full of crap that they couldn't get decent technical aspects. Sad as it is, it all came off as being about two steps away from Vivid just saying "fuck you, we don't give a rat's ass what you think". That response was a big reason why I rarely review Vivid DVDs.
"Vegetarianism for me is about saying ‘yes’ to things - even meat." - Coupling
It makes you wonder why anybody (of any artistic integrity) would agree to work for them... unless, of course, it's because they pay better than anybody else.
I have to add that I agree with the poor quality of the Masseuse video.
I wanted to add that today I received my copy of Last Girl Standing and I haven't seen this many blocks since i was rebuilding the foundation in my Grandmas house.
In 8 GB's of DVD space,there is no reason in the world that the compression rate on an 1.5 hour video should be so bad that macroblocks are prevalent,but they are.Fast motion scenes are like watching a mosaic trying to come to life.
I have just purchased my last Vivid video production. I would be disappointed to see a VCD of this quality honestly.
I didn't really have as much of a problem with the quality of the new "Masseuse" than I did of the original, which was included in my set. There are no options to choose from on the main menu, other than to play the movie, and about two-thirds in, the freezing was unbearable. The movie played somewhat better on my TV than did on my DVD rom, but still, is got very irking, especially when it has happening during the sex scene. Either way, I think both movies are good, but the original is better for it had more emotion, character development, and a deliberate pace, which made the sex scenes even better. Also, I think Hyaptaia Lee and Randy Spears are better actors than Jenna and Justin Sterling.
Audrey Madison Interview
Posted - Mar 9 2005 : 3:57PM