I was going to post this in the "DFE Theatricals coming from Kino" thread, but I decided to give this it's own thread.

As you've heard from Mark Arnold and Jerry Beck, Kino and MGM are planning to bring the Pink Panther cartoons not only to DVD again, but to Blu-ray as well and today, the officially announced it for January 30th!:

http://forum.blu-ray.com...1089&postcount=18200 

And the best part; NO LAUGH TRACKS!!! Though Mark Arnold confirmed on Facebook some will have the laugh tracks as an alternate audio option.

Pre-order links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0776K4761/ 

https://www.amazon.com/P...ction-Vol/dp/B077687NF8/ 


I just also want to point out (because Amazon lists them as anamorphic) that Kino confirmed all the shorts will be in original full screen too.

This is great news, but I'm surpriced this entire first volume contains just one disc with 20 cartoons. Couldn't they have added another disc and made it 40 cartoons or something?

On the plus side, the description of the contents and special features  sound very good. I particularly appreciate getting all the films without laugh tracks. Though a documentary of some sorts (like there is on the other D-F Blu-ray releases) would have been nice...

Content and Special Features:
20 shorts in chronological order - All with original audio (no laugh tracks) and all received additional DRS and dirt removal
Audio commentaries for selected films, by author Mark Arnold, historian Jerry Beck, filmmaker Greg Ford, cartoon writer William Hohauser, music scholar Will Friedwald, and veteran DePatie-Freleng story-man Bob Kartz - Interspersed throughout find archival sound-bites from animation pioneer and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises co-founder, Friz Freleng himself.
Includes the 1964 THE PINK PHINK - Oscar Winner (Best Short Subject, Cartoons)
Reversible Blu-ray Art

Funny you should mention documentary...:

http://forum.blu-ray.com...4355193&postcount=36 

"According to the Kino Lorber rep in the Kino Lorber thread, the complete run of cartoons will be released in 6 volumes throughout 2018, with a new doc in the final volume."

Funny you should mention documentary...:

http://forum.blu-ray.com...4355193&postcount=36 

"According to the Kino Lorber rep in the Kino Lorber thread, the complete run of cartoons will be released in 6 volumes throughout 2018, with a new doc in the final volume."

Well, hey, that's cool! For my own part, I'm more interested in the 60s cartoons than the 70s ones, so I would have loved a documentary in one of the first volumes. But at least there will be one.

Although I suspect the part about "There may be a complete box set after that" might make a lot of people debate whether they should buy the individual 1-disc releases or wait for the box set.

Make it your own. I'll say this; if the box set turns out to have an exclusive bonus disc, I'll kick myself later for buying the individual releases (though at least I gave business for Kino and MGM).

Make it your own. I'll say this; if the box set turns out to have an exclusive bonus disc, I'll kick myself later for buying the individual releases (though at least I gave business for Kino and MGM).

Ah, so you were the one saying that over on the bluray.com forums . 😛 I don't see anything to indicate a box set bonus disc, though.

What do you mean by "make it your own", by the way? Do what you feel like?

I'm gonna do what I'm doing with the Kino D-F Blu-ray releases, wait until they release a box set and buy that one.

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Ah, so you were the one saying that over on the bluray.com forums . 😛 I don't see anything to indicate a box set bonus disc, though.

You caught me. 😛 I take it you're on those forums too?

I'm not saying there's going to be a bonus disc, I'm just saying *IF*, there probably won't.

What do you mean by "make it your own", by the way? Do what you feel like?

Yeah, exactly. Buy it individually or the set.

Ah, so you were the one saying that over on the bluray.com forums . 😛 I don't see anything to indicate a box set bonus disc, though.

You caught me. 😛 I take it you're on those forums too?

Actually no, I just read some of the other comments in that thread after following your link above. And the wording and content of that particular comment was way too similar to be a coincidence. 😛

What do you mean by "make it your own", by the way? Do what you feel like?

Yeah, exactly. Buy it individually or the set.

Right, that's what I thought. Good to know you approve of whatever I decide. 😃

(I probably will buy at least the first single-disc volume, especially if reviews are good regarding restoration etc.)

I hope when they get to the volume of its release that they'll put "Pink Streaker' in HD with its original title sequence. I know it was missing from the previous MGM DVD releases.

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I already own the DVD set with the nice pink plush packaging. In fact, I bought it new within the past six months. Should I be happy with what I already have or is the image quality going to be so overwhelmingly better that I simply can't live without a high-def version of A Pink In The Stink?

The Ultimate Collection with the films? Oh yes, you should be happy with that! :)

As for the Kino Lorber releases, definitely get those too if you so desire because they will have new transfers and NO laugh tracks.

"A Pink in The Stink"? What?

Ok, you convinced me. The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection - Vol. 1 Blu-Ray, Pre-ordered!

Bluray.com  just released their review of the new Pink Panther Blu-ray set

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I got it today! Now I can enjoy Shocking Pink in its original non-laugh track glory!

However, there's a problem I must addressed and I'm surprised no one didn't notice; Dial P For Pink is presented with a lower pitch and seems to be running a little slower. I've already contacted Kino about this issue and awaiting response.

For comparison sake, here's the short in its original pitch and speed as it always been (even on the MGM DVD):

The Pink Panther in "Dial "P" For Pink" - YouTube 

I got it today! Now I can enjoy Shocking Pink in its original non-laugh track glory!

However, there's a problem I must addressed and I'm surprised no one didn't notice; Dial P For Pink is presented with a lower pitch and seems to be running a little slower. I've already contacted Kino about this issue and awaiting response.

For comparison sake, here's the short in its original pitch and speed as it always been (even on the MGM DVD):

The Pink Panther in "Dial "P" For Pink" - YouTube 

The Kino-Lorber Pink Panthers are remastered from 35mm negatives. It took a great effort to organize the very disorganized MGM DePatie-Freleng library. These cartoons have not been a high priority with MGM for a long time. Finding the non-laugh track versions was sometimes difficult and was finished at the last minute for a few of the shorts. How do I know? That's because I am involved with the project.

Dial P for Pink is transferred to 4K for the first time here. The version you are comparing to is either a PAL transfer from some time ago or a time-compressed version without pitch adjustment from one of the DVD releases. Even the DVD releases have time compression on some of the shorts. Remember that PAL runs at 25 frames per second and the classic method of transferring 24 frame per second film to PAL is to speed it up 1 frame per second. Before pitch adjustment technology was available or widely used you would hear exactly the problems you are describing but without anything to compare it to back then, nobody would notice.

I really do appreciate all the effort that went into these releases, I honestly do (to finally watch Shocking Pink without that laugh track was my highlight for this release not to mention to now hear Dial P For Pink was transferred to 4K, I did not know that!), but the fact still remains.

Now I know I'm right because the video from the official PP channel is sourced from MGM's own R1 NTSC release and I even have the release myself to confirm this (UPDATE: I checked the framerate on video, and it is indeed 24fps like the MGM DVD).

I have another example; the PAL version running as you stated 25fps:

The R2 release (which presents this and the other shorts in there matted widescreen theatrical formats. The video uploader cut off the beginning and the end):


And a UK Boomerang airing:



Sync these 2 and they match up.


Now, if you lower the pitch on one of these (and convert it to 24fps), they will match the original R1/24fps counterpart, meaning the version presented on the R1 MGM DVD was correct.

I got it today! Now I can enjoy Shocking Pink in its original non-laugh track glory!

However, there's a problem I must addressed and I'm surprised no one didn't notice; Dial P For Pink is presented with a lower pitch and seems to be running a little slower. I've already contacted Kino about this issue and awaiting response.

For comparison sake, here's the short in its original pitch and speed as it always been (even on the MGM DVD):

The Pink Panther in "Dial "P" For Pink" - YouTube 

The Kino-Lorber Pink Panthers are remastered from 35mm negatives. It took a great effort to organize the very disorganized MGM DePatie-Freleng library. These cartoons have not been a high priority with MGM for a long time. Finding the non-laugh track versions was sometimes difficult and was finished at the last minute for a few of the shorts. How do I know? That's because I am involved with the project.

Dial P for Pink is transferred to 4K for the first time here. The version you are comparing to is either a PAL transfer from some time ago or a time-compressed version without pitch adjustment from one of the DVD releases. Even the DVD releases have time compression on some of the shorts. Remember that PAL runs at 25 frames per second and the classic method of transferring 24 frame per second film to PAL is to speed it up 1 frame per second. Before pitch adjustment technology was available or widely used you would hear exactly the problems you are describing but without anything to compare it to back then, nobody would notice.

W-Who.....are you?????

OK, so I'm still investigating this; apparently both the Kino and MGM releases run the short at 24fps yet the speeds are off.

UPDATE: It seems I've been wrong this whole time. Mark commented in a Facebook post explaining everything:

"I discussed Dial P For Pink with Greg. He said that many masters back in the 80s were mastered too fast when issued on video tape. In other words, what he's saying is the new release IS the correct pitch to how the cartoon timed originally and the previous video and TV issues were wrong."

I'll take their word on that then. Giant Salamander, you were right, I owe you an apology.

OK, full update on the (unfortunate) errors plaguing this release. Yes, I'm still investigating it.:

-Dial P For Pink is presented with low-pitched audio (and I think it's a frame or 2 slower than it should be, but Greg Ford said this is the speed of how the short ran originally). I can confirm this (I got permission) that this pitch problem is indeed an authoring issue.

-Some of the commentaries are out of sync (most of them not by much but the last a little more noticeable). This is the following: Bob Kurtz and Jerry Beck's commentary for Dial P For Pink, and the commentaries for Pink Panzer (also interesting tidbit, if you listen carefully during the climax with the commentary on, there is some new pieces of background music for the short that I didn't even know exist!), Pink Punch (probably), and Pink Blueprint.

-The ending cue for Reel Pink (thank you Trevor DeChane) is from The Pink Panther Show. No one's fault on this though as the MGM release was like that too.
I've contacted Kino again regarding these faults and I'm suggesting that everyone else do the same. The more people complain, the more they'll be convinced to do a replacement program for both Blu-ray and DVD discs. Again regardless of these faults, I still recommend you buy this release because one thing is clear; all the shorts are laugh track free (though if you listen to the commentary for Shocking Pink, you can hear the laugh track in the background)!