logo Sign In

Elmo Oxygen

User Group
Members
Join date
23-Aug-2006
Last activity
17-Oct-2020
Posts
22

Post History

Post
#736387
Topic
DVD Lab Pro or Other Authoring Software
Time

So I've spent a lot of time designing menus for my custom discs that you can find on sites that rhyme with Finemageddon, Dinematik, Faragarga, and DryPeen. Not that I've successfully designed them, I've just spent a lot of time doing it. I've tried sort of middle-of-the-road software because I need more than just a basic menu, but I don't care if it's a motion menu. I've mostly used TMPGENC DVD Authoring 4 and DVDStyler.    They both have benefits but while I'd prefer to use TMPGENC because it compiles functional DVDs, it's also limited with the number of audio tracks (2), button use flexibility (it predetermines what the buttons will do), the inability to specify which audio track chapter selection correspond to (annoying for someone who often adds full soundtrack options), and a very fixed design and hierarchy of the discs.

DVDStyler is much more open in your choices, but it's extraordinarily buggy, including a major problem where it won't spit out a functioning DVD that has chapters, unless you want to reduce the quality of the video by running it through another transcode. Recently, I've also discovered that when you do finally get a functioning disc (and it won't work on every DVD player), the button and background images within the menu pulse on screen as if they were supposed to be in motion or trying to focus their eyes. It's very difficult to look at. The designer of the software is aware of these problems, as most people with the patience to use DVDStyler have experienced them, but each new version of the software fixes small issues or adds a trivial feature (rotating buttons!).

And after finally giving up (for the third or fourth time) on DVDStyler, I figured I'd better finally learn DVD Lab Pro. It's certainly fancier but mostly intuitive. However, certain things make me grind my teeth and want to throw the keyboard, and this is coming from someone who is very good at internalizing rage and not exposing it to the world. I spent an hour trying to add a button on a menu page and all I got was a number (1) that was attached to the background image. I can't type anything that the button will show and I can't move it without moving the whole background. I consulted the very detailed help manual and it doesn't seem to anticipate how frustrating this might be and how it doesn't give you any ability to actually have a reasonable looking page. I thought maybe I could just import the menus I made for DVDStyler (some of which you can see below) but I realized the buttons wouldn't be active, and then I'd have the same problems with adding buttons that I had before.

I realized that you can import menus (not just the images) into DVD Lab Pro in .mnu and .stm files, though I have no idea how I would create those types of files. I'd like to learn this software if I can, but if someone has something they use that would be appropriate for someone with a B+ level of understanding of DVD Menu design, I am listening.    

Post
#736172
Topic
Info Wanted: 'Magnificent Ambersons' - Criterion LDrip - has anyone done this?
Time

captainsolo said:

I've recently stumbled across a great number of titles that have either been buried with mediocre DVD transfers or poorly released-all in web DL HD versions of varying quality. I take it that m,any of these are being found on Amazon/itunes etc.?

Some are upscales, but some seem to be genuine higher quality copies straight from whatever master was generated. I just watched a wonderful 720p version of Son of Frankenstein that was a genuinely higher res version of the same print found on my defective DVD.

The pubHD 720p version of Ambersons I found has the Criterion LD commentary synced to boot. It looks like an upscale of the WB DVD that should have been a Blu-ray and not bare bones, that they of course made us shell out $20 for.

I have the Criterion CAV, and on a good CRT, it holds it's own and displays that even the DVD is far from what it should be in this day and age. The DVD seems to be from the same source as the PAL DVDs that have been around for years, just with proper frame rate. The Criterion was at least supervised by individuals who attempted to master it correctly and not just dump it to a disc. Comparing the two reveals the DVD format's better blacks and overall detail, but the LD feels more natural. This is the same phenomenon I get with Criterion's CAV box of It's a Wonderful Lifeversus the Paramount DNR DVD/BD. The LD may have contrast boosted, be a bit fuzzy, have only analog sound, print damage-but when properly viewed the experience is far greater.

If we can sync a copy of the Criterion PCM mono, that will get this release as good as it ever will be short of a new scan. Then every one of us could send our pathetic single layer DVDs back to WB and demand a proper release after all these years. This is a perfect title for their Archive division.

The PCM is only on the rarer later CLV reissue. We should also do a full scale capture of the CAV features, but alas I can't get my stupid ATI card to ever work.

Either the Archive should re-issue this title, or better yet allow Criterion to regain another lost from its LD days. And perhaps someone could be allowed to search for the lost materials again. Despite some interest in the past, there has never been a cohesive and invasive search across all parties, whether still in existence or not. If the missing parts of Metropolis were found....there's always hope. (And of course, no one ever cares about finding the cuts from The Lady from Shanghai.)

 You can find my mega-torrent of Ambersons which uses all of the best sources, and all of the extras you can think of, including preserving the Criterion laserdisc extras, and Bogdanovich's full 4 hour interview with Welles, if you go to sites that rhyme with Bleen, Faragarga, and Grinematik.

Post
#701760
Topic
Help: looking for... 'The Alamo' (1960) Roadshow Version - has anyone done this?
Time

OmegaMattman said:

Not sure if one's floating around.  I picked up the LD (along with the LD Producer's Cut of "Hawaii") a while back and was hoping to make a composite between it and the Theatrical DVD sometime before Christmas.  But, I seem to be moving every few months and haven't yet had a chance to make a digital capture.

 There's definitely interest in both of these roadshow versions. If you don't think you can get to it and you want to trade for something, I can rip and upload them at various places.

Post
#621032
Topic
Info: THE ARRIVAL - Special Edition (seeking a team up) (lots of useful info)
Time

_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

Elmo Oxygen said:

Are you still up to do this preservation? If not, send it to me and I'll do it. I have an LD player, capturing hardware, and menu design capabilities.

Now I'm really involved into my SW projects!

As soon as they will be released - hope before the end of this month - I could think about it; I have good LD players, good capture card, but poor menu design capabilities - truth is that my free time is all devoted to SW project, and I have no time to dedicate to/I'm too lazy to learn how to make good DVD/AVCHD/BD menus... (^^,)

May you help me with the SW menus?

I could try to help with the menus. No guarantees on their level of fanciness though. I mostly use TMPGEnc Authoring and/or DVD Styler, the former of which is simple, the latter of which has more options but is way more buggy.

If you're in the US, you can send me the discs and/or The Arrival, or if you're not find some more private to host them and I'll get them that way.

Post
#620861
Topic
Info: The Criterion Laserdisc Preservation Thread
Time

FanFiltration said:

 

A few Criterion Laserdiscs I have added to my collection in the last few months.

 

Yojimbo (single disk)

The Hidden Fortress (5 side / 3 disk)

Lawrence of Arabia (8 side / 4 disc)

Casablanca  (2 disks)

Citizen Kane (6 side / 3 disk)

I've been uploading all of the laserdisc commentaries I've collected or ripped. You can find them on a site that is named after a body part that rhymes with the band Ween.

 

However, there are still many more left, including Citizen Kane (2 different laserdiscs, one Criterion, one not, were never ported to DVD), Casablanca, Carrie, Some Like it Hot, High Noon, Cat People, etc. If anyone has these discs, please either send me a PM and we'll find a place to upload it or post more information in this thread.

 

Here's a full list of Criterion laserdisc commentary tracks that I haven't seen online anywhere:

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Blackmail

Carrie

Casablanca

Cat People

Darling

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

High Noon

It's a Wonderful Life

A Night at the Opera

The Player (but only side 3 is unavailable, I have side 1 and 2)

Sansho the Baliff

Scaramouche

Show Boat

Singin' in the Rain

Some Like it Hot

Swing Time

The Wizard of Oz

 

There are plenty of other tracks from non-Criterion disc, and you find the whole list here. I do have some of these tracks and have uploaded them accordingly, but only a handful. It would probably be more appropriate in another thread, though.

Post
#620859
Topic
Info: THE ARRIVAL - Special Edition (seeking a team up) (lots of useful info)
Time

_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

It accidentally happens that I have both versions of "The Arrival" on laserdisc (the normal edition and the special edition boxset, STILL SEALED!) AND a very good choice of laserdisc players - between them, again accidentally, the Pioneer HLD-X9...

Maybe a new preservation project is "arrived"? ;)

Are you still up to do this preservation? If not, send it to me and I'll do it. I have an LD player, capturing hardware, and menu design capabilities.

Post
#281470
Topic
Reckless (1984, Aidan Quinn) Laserdisc to DVD transfer (* unfinished project *)
Time
Originally posted by: Zeromancer
Hey elmo,

Is there a way I could get that divx file from you?
I could mail you a blank cd/dvd.
Just let me know or pm details.



The movie is 1.85 matted, and the image quality is about the same as an LD, only with grey letterboxing. However, as I said, INHD had some major hiccups during the broadcast so there are a lot of video and sound interruptions, which was why I was telling you that your LD is actually best. What you have is an open matte, not pan and scan transfer, an it has the benefit of lacking the constant video and audio problems mine does. If you really want the divx (which I don't have anymore), try to get it reseeded on KG.

http://www.photodump.com/direct/SiscoDu/bscap017.jpg

Post
#279873
Topic
Reckless (1984, Aidan Quinn) Laserdisc to DVD transfer (* unfinished project *)
Time
Originally posted by: Zeromancer
Hey Elmo,

Do you still have the hd files for the movie? Or do you just have the divx?
Would it be possible to get the divx or hd files from you?



I have neither. What I do have is a downconverted DVD from HD via s-video on a DVD-r. So I can offer VOB files (with grey letterboxing), an the image looks like a high level LD. Unless the matted image is most important to you, it probably is just worth holding onto your LD. Plus, the original broadcast by INHD had a lot of digital hiccups, so your copy is best.
Post
#279742
Topic
Reckless (1984, Aidan Quinn) Laserdisc to DVD transfer (* unfinished project *)
Time
Originally posted by: Zeromancer
Originally posted by: Elmo Oxygen
Originally posted by: Zeromancer
Okay guys I need some help on this one.
I've got all the songs that was used for the soundtrack in this movie except for Thomas Newman - Understanding Gravity.
If somebody has this song, I would greatly appreciate it in my project, so I could have a complete soundtrack to add in.



This appeared on INHD in widescreen quite some time ago. If you do a search on KG you can even find the divx I made from it.

oh wow I would have loved to get my hands on the hd files.
just curious what is KG?


I'd leave a link to the site (and my torrent) but I thought links to torrent sites were forbidden here? I'll tell you that .net is the answer, not .com
Post
#279048
Topic
Taxi Driver commentary? (from the Criterion LD) (Released)
Time
Originally posted by: meedermow
Indeed - thanks for dropping by Elmo Oxygen and congrats on being the source provider !

As far as this disc goes, I don't really see the need to max out visual quality on the Superbit (which, although some were obvious step-ups from previous releases, were always the Emperor's New Clothes in my eyes as the be-all-and-end-all in AV quality etc.) and since I won't be putting the original soundtrack/dialogue of the film on this disc it will be unnecessary going DTS etc.

There's no real need for this to be Dual Layer since it's the audio tracks that are the stars. With the commentary synched (took a fair while with various areas - end of laserdisc sides ? - that knocked the subsequent remainder out by a few seconds each time) it's still only 3.8gb using the purest visual and the filtered mp3's - so with the soundtrack too (even it were PCM) - I can quite happily bring this in at a single layer with little to no compromise. For those that need the HD or Superbit experience, then by all means procure them and watch them for the film's sake

That's not to say that anyone else is welcome to try with the two audio tracks on this disc when it's released, but waiting on better sources etc. are usually the reasons why projects such as this get delayed/forgotten. No big deal like I say - but with the isolated score, this one's all ready to go !

Cheers,

mm



My suggestion of using the Japanese Superbit (not available in the US at all, and impossible to get here now that Nicheflix is gone) was based on the DVDBeaver caps and comparisons of the other versions, not any blind assumption that Superbit was better. Hopefully elvis56 does have it at his library and we can make a set worthy of that 2 disc set of The Game that appeared on MySpleen a few years ago.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews18/taxi_driver_dvd_review.htm


You can see the drastic differences between the various discs.


Post
#278983
Topic
Reckless (1984, Aidan Quinn) Laserdisc to DVD transfer (* unfinished project *)
Time
Originally posted by: Zeromancer
Okay guys I need some help on this one.
I've got all the songs that was used for the soundtrack in this movie except for Thomas Newman - Understanding Gravity.
If somebody has this song, I would greatly appreciate it in my project, so I could have a complete soundtrack to add in.



This appeared on INHD in widescreen quite some time ago. If you do a search on KG you can even find the divx I made from it.
Post
#278960
Topic
Idea: 'That Was Spinal Tap - A Rock and Roll Creation' - a supplemental project?
Time
Originally posted by: ThatArtGuy
Okay...

I have a lot of promised material waiting in the wings. Some of it has been sent (thanks ). However, others have told me that they will send their stuff to me in a couple weeks, so it might take awhile for this to get started. I have started on the first disc, and will probably have to put this project out on a disc-by-disc basis, due to the huge, and truly unending, amount of material that is out there. (Similar to other large projects on this board.)

If *anyone* thinks they might have *anything* (or knows someone who does) to contribute, I would greatly appreciate it. (Who knows? Someone just might have the AMEX and Volkswagen commercials on their tapes from CSI: Miami.)

Thanks!

ThatArtGuy



I'm the one who made the massive divx compilation that has appeared on KG and Zaerc. It included the movie with all the commentaries, the sequel, the rough cut (in sync), all the extras from the Criterion and MGM discs, the soundtrack, some music videos from the second album, and an episode of Comic Strip Presents, which obviously had a small influence on the film. The only piece I was missing was the clip on the Criterion LD with the band performing and Reiner introducing as Wolfman Jack. Since the last time I uploaded it, I acquired the performance on SNL of Big Bottom (which connoisseurs will notice has a slight alteration to appease the censors) and an in character radio piece that runs about an hour. You could also include the episode of The Simpsons they appeared on.

Any material you need from me, I can provide the originals, such as the movie, rough cut, sequel, or extras, everything else would be in divx format.

Post
#278959
Topic
Taxi Driver commentary? (from the Criterion LD) (Released)
Time
Originally posted by: meedermow
Hey folks,

Apologies for letting this slide off the map a little - have been busy on a few other projects. Just a quick update. Commentary is now fully synced to the uncut r1. So all is well there !

As soon as the score arrives it shouldn't be too long before we get this out there.

Cheers,

mm



The commentary in MP3 format was my first ever commentary only torrent that I made (a little over 2 years ago), which is why I accidentally did it in seperate files. It was whatever the default was on DVD Audio Ripper. Since then, I have offered my LD up many times for use in one of these projects, though not just synced up with the R1 disc, since the image and sound are rather poor on them, but with the Japanese Superbit as well. I'd say you could use the HDNET version, since that has obviously the best picture quality, but I'd imagine the Superbit would look better than a downconverted HD2DVD version of the HDNET broadcast (not to mention the watermark, and the fact that the Superbit has a DTS track). What I proposed to those who make these projects that end up on MySpleen would have the image and sound from the Superbit, the commentary and score from the LD, and the other extras from the SE. This would probably be 2 DVD-9, as I can't imagine fitting all that on one disc. If anyone needs any material, let me know. I have been trying to get a copy of the Superbit, but failing so far, as I don't want to put up $60 for a new one.

Post
#239618
Topic
Rad (1986) (Released)
Time
Originally posted by: The Starkiller
The HD version looks fantastic. Unfortunately, there is an INHD² watermark on the image. But even worse, it has been cropped to 16:9 and a lot of image has been lost at the top and bottom. Nevertheless, it is leaps and bounds better than my laserdisc.

HD:
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4384/radhd7gj8.jpg

Laserdisc:
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/5475/radld7sn4.jpg


As someone who upped an HD version of Rad about a year ago, I can say that it isn't a matter of cropping. The movie was open matte on LD and VHS, and the anamorphic widescreen version crops out only unneeded information that was never meant to be seen in the first place.
Post
#237682
Topic
Idea: 'Prince of the City' preservation?
Time
Originally posted by: GhostAlpha26
I was wondering if anyone had the means to put this movie on DVD. It has never been released on DVD and I always thought it was a very strong and emotional movie that was overlooked.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082945/



http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/3866152965/303-2679983-3739433?v=glance&n=284266&s=gateway&v=glance

I got a full DVD-r of this very disc recently. Looks pretty great.