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After downloading and reviewing all of the content available for this series on Internet Archive and the only thread I could find on here, it seems as though restoration efforts on this series have stalled.
Episodes on Internet Archive marked as “Restored” all seem to have noticeable combing and tiling artifacts and (because of the differences of VHS and DVD audio) their soundtracks have dropout and sound a bit hollow during “restored” segments. Also notable is the fact that, in one episode; missing footage was replaced by a low-resolution still image.
The commercially produced DVDs have also been blurred and mosaic filters were added in some skits to obscure copyrighted photographs. I think it would be much less distracting to add these images back in from VHS sources. However, camera motion and low video fidelity are proving to be stumbling blocks for me, as I have too little experience editing video to composite or add these images back in using “mask” filters.
I think advancements in decombing algorithms and audio editing software made within the last couple years could greatly improve the quality of these fan edits.
To that end, I have undertaken a new restoration effort, aimed towards providing a bit more video fidelity and higher quality audio.
Test results from the first week of December 2025 are promising, but I could use some help fleshing out the archive of original broadcasts and editing new restorations of the episodes effected by outdated obfuscation techniques used to obscure copyrighted photographs.
WANTED:
-Higher quality versions of any original MTV broadcasts. Most notably, the fourth and fifth episodes of season 1 (notated by the Internet Archive as episodes 1.6 and 1.7. [The DVD collection lists these as episodes 4 and 5.])
-A list of changes made to the episodes of seasons 2 through 4 from broadcast to DVD. (A Reddit post detailing the changes to season one was very helpful and I’d love to know if anyone else has already done this for the rest of the series.)
-Video and audio editing help. I lack experience and only possess low-level editing skills, any help I could get to make restored versions of The State look or sound better would go a long way.
I’d like to get the VHS audio to blend as seamlessly with the DVD audio as I can. The audio editing software I have the most experience with is Reaper. I’ve used the “Subtract” FX to remove tape hiss, but the audio sounds a bit muffled or hollow from time to time. Is there a good way to get more high end and less low, so spoken dialogue is a little more clear and lifelike? The GUI for enhancement of bass and treble in Reaper was a little too esoteric and I gave up trying to adjust them after I began to ruin the sound by over-tuning the settings.
I hope to have a draft of the first 5 episodes (with audio fixes and re-added clips like Doug and his friends singing Pearl Jam’s “alive” and the deleted Don Law umbrella joke) ready for community perusal/feedback before 2025 ends.
If you have access to broadcasts not available on Internet Archive and are willing to share them, please reach out. I plan to replace the missing footage from some episodes with the best quality download I can find. But I will make an effort to provide revised versions whenever higher quality footage is shared with me.
If you want to contribute your time and editing skills or wouldn’t mind watching my rough drafts and giving feedback, please feel free to reach out and PM me.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my project. I hope to hear from you soon!