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Help: looking for... 'The X-Files' (1993) - Season 1 to 4 in 4X3???

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Hi, anyone have 480p or HD versions of the X-Files Season 1 - 4 in 4X3?

I have the DVDs, however I think everywhere Season 1 - 4 is only in 16x9 now and 480p/720p/1080p 4X3 versions of Season 1 -4 would be better.

This link has information on the remastering, http://www.xfilesvault.com/features/Whats-Wrong-With-The-X-Files-On-Blu-ray/.

I think the 480p 4X3 versions of Season 1 -4 are better because they are in the original intended framing with only Seasons 5+ being protected for 16X9. Thank you.

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So, let me get this straight: you want something you already have?

As for HD versions of seasons 1-4 in 4:3, well, let’s just say it’s highly unlikely that Fox will release it that way, if at all.

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Avatar_Emil_Borg said:

So, let me get this straight: you want something you already have?

As for HD versions of seasons 1-4 in 4:3, well, let’s just say it’s highly unlikely that Fox will release it that way, if at all.

So caustic with much attitude and you’re wrong. The DVD’s aren’t 480p and prior to 2015 480p 4X3 versions were available. It’s also possible since around 2015 that 4X3 HD versions aired, that’s why I posted.

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skoal said:
The DVD’s aren’t 480p…

What exactly are they?

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Maybe upscaled VHS masters? And by “not 480p” he means “not the quality 480p could be”? I dunno.

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As far as I know, the first HD version was the one broadcasted on the German HDTV (7MAXX IIRC), in 16/9; no 4/3 HD, nor 480p. Again, AFAIK.

The only way to get the best quality is to find out if the laserdiscs are better than DVDs (highly unlikely), or combine both PAL and NTSC DVDs (and add some cleaning filter) to obtain a better upscaled version than each single PAL or NTSC upscale.

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The DVDs are 480i. I know for a while Netflix was showing them in 4:3, but I don’t recall if they were interlaced or SD or HD or whatever.

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Wait a moment - are the NTSC DVDs different from the PAL DVDs? Because I’m pretty sure my DVDs are 4:3

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SwissArmyTin said:

Maybe upscaled VHS masters? And by “not 480p” he means “not the quality 480p could be”? I dunno.

I dunno either. Pretty confusing original post. In any case, the DVD’s are 480i, as another member has confirmed.

pittrek said:

Wait a moment - are the NTSC DVDs different from the PAL DVDs? Because I’m pretty sure my DVDs are 4:3

The DVD’s for Seasons 1-4 are 4:3, on both PAL and NTSC.

“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk
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The netflix versions are 16:9 and were the first signs of a remaster by Fox.
The blurays are 16x9, but the sides opened up, the cinematogrpaher claimed they protected for 16:9, which seemed to be the case as of season 4.
The original dvds are 480i, but I was curious if the Japanese laserdiscs were progressive?
I wanted to start a project for the x files with these factors in mind.

The intro is in serious need of work:
The Font was not correct
The rest was upscaled, at least one shot of the intro can be replaced in HD and that footage is from tooms.
And these fuckups plagued the intro well into season 10.
I also wanted to create a framing master where the 16:9 openings are overlaid over a de-interlaced 4x3 version, still though the main corners would be lost but this would preserve both framing styles.
I wanted to see if I could use Vincent Cheung’s video epitomes to assemble something with them but this project is on hold until I can acquire a computer for the workload I’m going to be frying it with.
Alot of VFX also had to be recreated and I assume that I’ll need to be preserving the original VFX.
I also want to do my own VFX mods to the second episode.

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The dvds and laserdiscs came from tapes, edited with a video toaster so I doubt that any of those are progressive, I assume that the LDs have extra picture information from a master that was both younger and less compressed on LD.
As for HD 4x3 masters, those were also created by the company in charge of the restoration alongside a 16x9 version, and is now somewhere in a vault within the bowels of Fox.
They started mastering in HD in season 5, but those are different masters than the ones used today.
And some parts of the series had to come from the original broadcast masters, hence a shift in quality.
This is also evident in the Twin Peaks bluray release, and TNG, but I bet you already knew this.
The best bet is DVDs, unless you have a hookup at fox and god forbid he has to deal with Rupert Murdoch’s merry band of attourneys, but at least the series isn’t owned by National Amusements.

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I assume the original hd masters of 5-9 were lost, or lower res to bad I can’t provide screenshots at the moment.

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I would assume the original broadcast masters would be on a higher resolution tape format, however I can’t find out much about how the original video toaster system worked or what Video tape format was used, so I can’t assume that there is a PAL broadcast element that would sufficiently improve upon the DVDs which look awful compared to HD (sorry purists, I wish they would have BSGd the release so I could have both).
All of that being said if anyone can compare a PAL version to the 480i dvd or laserdisc please assist us.

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The DVDs however would have had to have come from a source that was a D-betamax format due to 90s tech standards.

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The only episode filmed on tape in it’s entirety was season 7’s “X-Cops”.
But it still looks damn good.
The X-Files was a technical pioneer from season 5-9 as it was an early HD broadcast ignoring HD tests from 1972-1989, at the time a consumer’s atsc tuner costed upwards of 5k.

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Season 10 was filmed with the Arri Alexa at 2.8k, so it will probably look best if it is ever shown at a 4k upscale when remastered from the 2.8k.

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Cut and dry,
The DVDs need to be preserved for the sake of historical broadcast ratio, but they are such garbage.
The bluray has the best picture and color your going to get, be satisfied.
All film elements were scanned at 2k, and that’s probably the last time they’ll get scanned,
They should have been scanned at 4k, but Fox treats this show like they treat their news channel, any jackass can get on it and insult suicide victims.

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 (Edited)

Jeffgale26 said:

I assume the original hd masters of 5-9 were lost, or lower res to bad I can’t provide screenshots at the moment.

Seasons 5-9 were originally mastered in SD 16:9. They were never mastered in HD.
I think the first HD mastering and broadcast for a US prime-time drama show was an episode of Chicago Hope on CBS in 1998.

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NTSC US laserdisc for “Pilot” is noticeably better than NTSC US DVD; more details, and a bit more image on the sides; I just compared this, and the second episode, “Deep Throat”; with the latter, laserdisc is just marginally better, but still has more image on the sides. Probably all the other NTSC US laserdiscs should be the same.

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com