Ed\'s View - Old Movies and HDTV - The Dilemma of Sound — Community

#1 May 18, 2012 at 2:36 pm

Like many, I love (most) old movies. And again, like many, I have accumulated a significant collection of classics - most on VCR\'s and on the old RCA CED video disc format (RIP). With the advent of HDTV and advanced film restoration technologies, the BD and DVD versions of these movies are - for the most part - spectacular. However, the one generally disappointing aspect that mars the total HD experience of these productions is the disappointing sound quality. This is especially true with...

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#2 May 21, 2012 at 12:30 pm

There have actually been quite a few really good sound restorations of classic films and more will be coming. "The Wizard of Oz", "How the West Was Won", "An American in Paris" and others have all appeared with lossless soundtracks that are excellent. As more classics are released on Blu-Ray with restored films with lossless soundtracks, you will hear these soundtracks probably better than they were heard in many theaters originally since most movie theaters in the 1940s and '50s did not have the best sound systems. "Singin' In the Rain" will be out this summer.

By the way, many classic movies are never going to have great sound because Hollywood didn't always try to achieve the best possible sound and a lot of the equipment just couldn't capture the full sound range, particularly as you go back before the 1940s and '50s.