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Info: James Bond - Laserdisc Preservations: 1962-1971 — Page 32

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Williarob said:

Likewise, but I still wish there were screenshots or video samples to back it all up.

Agreed! Combining the captain’s insightful posts with some screenshots could fill a website in its own right.

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I’m determined to finally start doing so…any suggestions? I really need to build a PC from scratch so I’m not huddled in front of my Sony SFP screen checking individual frames, swapping between dozens of editions and generally muttering to myself like a crazy old man.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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 (Edited)

I’ve done a couple of tests cleaning a couple of the Dr. No 35mm sample scenes.

Will be posting some screenshots, and clips later. No plans for the film yet,
just wanted to see how they would come out.

R1

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This could be used as a BD regrade source, with the LD mono as a base audio track. It should also show how much DNR/fake grain was done by Lowry as according to folks from AVS. Personally I find the clips staggering and darn near perfect in ways that no video transfer has ever been able to fully duplicate.

I just wish I knew the vintage of the source. I’d guess 60’s era or maybe the early 70’s but of course it had to be pre-'74 when IB was stopped in the US.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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 (Edited)

Side note: MGM HD Channel is airing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service this month… here’s what’s interesting though… It’s not the Lowry master they are using. There’s a small amount of dirt on the transfer and the opening credit sequence is NOT window boxed. I’ve never seen this print shown anywhere except MGM HD. Most importantly, the contrast isn’t blown out like the Blu-ray. The whites are not clipping and hot on this broadcast, so it can be adjusted for color, cleaned slightly and preserved. The Blu-ray is useless cuz it’s blown out. The colors should be corrected to look like the original DVD from way back…

DVD
http://i68.tinypic.com/10r1itj.jpg
Lowry
http://i64.tinypic.com/ohu7t4.jpg

So if this broadcast can be used as a basis… one hell of an OHMSS preservation is possible.

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Wonder where has this other OHMSS HD master has been hiding all this time? Or could they be slowly remastering in anticipation of a 4K release? That TSWLM had a non Lowry HD remaster when the others didn’t is also a mystery.

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Where were you in '77?

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 (Edited)

The MGM HD transfer of OHMSS is actually free of many of the Blu-ray’s issues, thank goodness… I don’t know where they’ve been hiding it, but it very clearly is NOT the Lowry transfer. Anyone who knows and loves the film would notice this immediately. I’m just thrilled it finally surfaced. It just needs color correction, but that’s pretty much it. There are a few specs and nicks on it but overall it is a beautiful HD broadcast.

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 (Edited)

MGM HD broadcast (sorry for the bad photo - my camera is making those wavy lines, not the transfer of course)
http://i68.tinypic.com/o0tsvk.jpg
As you can see, the aspect ratio is correct and the credits are NOT window boxed as they are on the Lowry BD

MGM HD Logo below…
http://i63.tinypic.com/14ilq28.jpg

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Somebody needs to capture this, and sync it up with the original mono off the Laserdisc. 😉

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Where were you in '77?

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 (Edited)

So I decided to do a detailed color comparison between the original DVD and the MGM HD broadcast of OHMSS… because I was convinced the colors were a bit different… but in fact, they are incredibly close. I’d say the MGM HD broadcast is 98% in line with the rich and vibrant color palette of the original DVD presentation. And that includes the brilliant shadows featured in the original cinematography… after all, this film was shot with a darker, more moody look than other Bond films. Lowry not only introduced a new color scheme to the frame by frame restoration (way too blue), they also brightened up the presentation way, way too much for the BD… everything is blown out hot white. So I am pleased to say that the MGM HD transfer is absolutely my go to version from now on because the colors are virtually identical to the original DVD. That is how OHMSS is supposed to look. The beach scenes in the opening of the film are supposed to look like dawn, not dusk. Lowry screwed all that up, among many other aspects of their transfer. The MGM HD version solves all of this. If anyone ever captures it, you really don’t have to worry about color correction after all… beyond adding the Laserdisc mono as a bonus (the broadcast audio is quite good by the way) I think this new alternative from MGM HD is the best available presentation of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Fire up your dvr if you have MGM HD channel on your system… you’re gonna want to hold on to this version.

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As you can see, even from a rough shot taken with my camera, it looks like morning and no blue cast over the image…
http://i64.tinypic.com/swwhow.jpg
…my camera makes it look brighter, so take that into account as this is by no means a proper screen cap and won’t convey brightness and contrast as they actually appear on screen.

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Flexicon9 said:

As you can see, even from a rough shot taken with my camera, it looks like morning and no blue cast over the image…
http://i64.tinypic.com/swwhow.jpg
…my camera makes it look brighter, so take that into account as this is by no means a proper screen cap and won’t convey brightness and contrast as they actually appear on screen.

Even with this photo, the colors look far more natural to me.

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Also check MGM hd on demand titles. Currently they have DN FYEO LTK and Goldeneye of which the latter may be the Lowry master-I didn’t get much chance to check before work.

This would be an interesting source. I’m trying to figure out what exactly it could be. My first instinct was to say it was likely the BD transfer minus the brightness but now I’m not so sure. If it is fully uncut who’s to say where exactly it came from.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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Sorry Guys, I lost it. I recorded the 1 am show Saturday night/Sunday Morning and was going to transfer it from the DVR this morning, but it’s gone. It was there when I went to bed last night but now it’s gone. I can see it in the list of deleted items but I can’t restore it. I think it’s because I made the mistake of watching 30 minutes of the Oscars last night while waiting for other shows to start and evidently my DVR decided to record the Oscars for me after I switched over, and it bumped OHMSS since it was the biggest file on there to make room. When the OSCARS ended and I hadn’t switched back, it just deleted that recording too. I called Verizon and spoke with their technicians but they tell me that it was essentially ‘taped over’ so it is gone and I can’t get it back.

MGM HD currently has no titles at all On Demand, and OHMSS is not scheduled to air again any time soon, so I’m pretty disappointed at the moment. If it comes on again I’ll try again and next time I’ll lock it to prevent deletion.

http://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com

http://www.the007dossier.com

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No worries, Captain… MGM HD seems to be doing these Bond marathons more often… I’m sure in a couple of months OHMSS will be back in the rotation. The good news is that we now know this version exists, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

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Remember when the worst that could happen was you forgot what was on a cassette and you taped over it? (Unless you broke off that little plastic tab.) Now our technology wipes stuff without even asking first!

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Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

Remember when the worst that could happen was you forgot what was on a cassette and you taped over it? (Unless you broke off that little plastic tab.) Now our technology wipes stuff without even asking first!

I do remember that.

In related news, I recently acquired a little more James Bond Technicolor footage:

http://www.the007dossier.com/007dossier/post/2017/03/09/James-Bond-Diamonds-Are-forever-35mm-Scope-Technicolor

Take it away Captain Solo! How does this compare to the official home video releases?

http://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com

http://www.the007dossier.com

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I’m seeing this on my phone during a break but right off the bat I can tell you that there is blue in the concrete garage not found previously, the contrast is similar to the BD but not as overdone, the color is a richer version of the LD and the night photography looks correct. I don’t quite think the desert sky in the garage exit has been so blue before!
I will compare directly at home later. Excellent work as always!

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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Bond Marathon on MGM HD announced for May 14th… just saw the promo for it.