Doctor Who - The Collection (AI + DNR removal?)

For instant reference of the AI + DNR issues in regards to the Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray range, here is a crystal clear comparison between the previous DVD release of ‘The Caves of Androzani’ and the latest Blu-ray set that includes this story in ‘The Collection - Season 21’ set, uploaded by ‘TJ DW’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knuvWVLk6dA

For a further in-depth inspection of exactly how much the AI is replacing original picture detail, here’s a superb demonstration of this by ‘Pip Madeley’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24hwN1NyMs4

(I am based in the UK, therefore unfortunately ‘Imgur’ is blocked so I’m unable to post screenshots here. If there’s a fully working alternative to Imgur that isn’t blocked in the UK then please let me know and I will use this in any future replies).

I haven’t explored making my own fan edits before but am aware of Adywan of the Star Wars: Revisited series that has acheived as good as seamless results thanks to his hard work in removing the static grain, DNR and baked in colour grade masks on the latest Star Wars Blu-rays (example here: https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/STAR-WARS-EP-VI-RETURN-OF-THE-JEDI-REVISITED-EDITIONADYWAN-PRODUCTION-HAS-NOW-RESTARTED/id/56441/page/140#1579479)

This topic is more of an open discussion; can a similar process to Adywan be applied to the Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray range to carefully remove as much of the AI + DNR as possible, maybe with the help of previous releases of each story (DVD, VHS, Laserdisc) as a reference of the lost detail?

or… is the Blu-ray range now considered a lost cause / unfixable?

Again I don’t have any experience in fan-editing so I’m moreso curious to hear what others on this forum have to say on this situation. Evidently this practice by the ‘Restoration Team’ has gone down like a cup of cold sick on social media (with some officials in the range, such as Richard Bignell, publicly having a fit of rage at fans over their concerns, as explained by ‘Tharries’ here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXfWWvbVTs).

It’s also understood that ‘The Collection’ Blu-rays will be the final physical media release of Doctor Who by the BBC, so pretty much this is as ‘good’ as it is ever going to get, and that’s it.

Can anything at all be done?

I would say it’s a lost cause.

What little detail there was in the videotape material was scrubbed clean.

For the Season 13 set:

The 2013 DVD release of TERROR OF THE ZYGONS looked too smooth in shots. The BD looks like it was scrubbed even further. And the location film material has degraded. Skin tones are unnaturally red. Compare the DVD to the BD to see the degradation.

Stick to the DVDs for Season 13 - with the exception of PYRAMIDS OF MARS - the PYRAMIDS BD is an improvement on the DVD.

THE BRAIN OF MORBIUS looks good too. I thought so anyway.

Many thanks for the reply Slavicuss, most appreciated 👍

For the DVD ‘restoration’ history, here is the publicly available documentation by the ‘Restoration Team’ via their website here https://restorationteam.impossiblethings.net/

It’s interesting in that I remember the general consensus of the dvds in the '00s and '10s was broadly overwhelmingly positive (maybe just me) but today, what with more and more increased awareness of just how many technological alterations / revisionisms are being done, and having been done to tv + films in the last 30+ years, all of that being hotter more than ever today in the online public conscience - I think all of this has helped bring to my attention just how different the DVDs are to the original/surviving master tapes, as is described on a technical level word for word by the Restoration Team themselves, but nevertheless, before I took for granted before as all being positive improvements… How wrong I was.

(I highly recommend studying some of the DVD articles on that Restoration Team website, particularly ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’ and ‘The Caves of Androzani’, two of the earliest DVDs in the early 00’s but also two massively altered stories when transferred to DVD).

Having had personal recent experience in viewing a digitized broadcast master of a similar BBC programme like Doctor Who, also from the 1980’s, in good condition - it does make me wish that Doctor Who would just have its stories presented at native 720x576, any good condition sources from the masters left as-is, including all original credits, titles, graphics, text, anything damaged beyond repair carefully spliced in from alternative sources. A final outcome that isn’t reimagined, upscaled to HD, rescanned to HD, no Ai recreating false detail on the video / audio tracks - instead just getting as close to the original broadcast masters as-is possible today in 2026, warts and all that went out live on the television.

Agreed.

I wish I still had my late 1980s and early 1990s Channel 2 ABC off-air Betamax / VHS recordings. Even if some of the serials were heavily censored.

I remember THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI was butchered, whilst RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS and ATTACK OF THE CYBERMEN were untouched (apart from their cliffhangers re-edited for 25 mins format).

The BD sets are worth it for the extensive (and new) bonus features alone. A great shame the episodes themselves aren’t what they could / should have been restoration wise.