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Mysterious Cities Of Gold - PAL Project. * Cancelled * (with lots of info)

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 (Edited)

Hi Everyone, I need some help.

I’ve been a lurker here for months now and felt it is time to share my fan project with you…

The mysterious cities of gold was a cartoon show that appeared around the world in 1982, there have been fan projects done of this show before - but you could say I’m a bit of a purist and want to do the show more justice.

The last known project was by Tim skutt in 2004 He used the japanese dvds for the video and lots of sources for the audio, its a pretty good fan project but there are issues with it. the project was NTSC and seemingly the video was not IVTCed properly and is quite jerky and the audio edits from all the sources are mostly choppy and not EQ matched or synced and to my ears stand out a mile.

My project is a PAL project and I started it in late 2004. I’m using the German DVD’s mainly for Video and on occasion the French set for the parts that are missing from the German set. I am also using all the ‘usual’ sources for the Audio…

To break down the scale of this project (read: how obsessed I am with it) I have so far purchased.

Vegas 6 with AC3 plugin

  • Im using vegas to sync/EQ and remaster all the audio out for the episodes and align any missing video. (theres luckly not that much missing) I then frameserve the video to Virtualdubmod for a bit of picture tinkering and from there to CCE SP for final encoding. The audio is saved as both WAV and AC3. WAV incase I need to go back and fix something and AC3 for the final DVDs

Waves mastering and restoration VST plugins

  • The wave plugs along with the vegas audio plugins are a godsend for fixing rubbish audio and makes it just about on quality to the ‘best’ assets I have.

VideoRedo

  • Mainly used for quick tests and helps set up I frames for the animated menu’s loops

DVDlab Pro

  • Awesome authoring package, best money I’ve spent

Photoshop 7

Menu Buttons, static menu assets etc…

I also have access thanks to my blagging abilities at work.

Combustion 4

Using this to colour match between the German and French Videos, does a good job because the french set has the most horrible yellow tint I’ve ever seen.

Imagineer Mokey

Used for 2d tracking a small amount of german video that suffered serious telecine wobble that really bugged me. also has studio quality grain removal for certain french bits.

CCE SP

say no more.

So I’ve been working on this project for ages now mostly in my spare time which is quite rare so thats why its taking so long.

I have completed authoring of disc 1 of what will be a 8 disc set. Including all the animated menus and assets.
All the audio and video assets for the 39 main episodes is complete and I’m now quite satified with the quality of them.

Now this is where I need your help!

MCOG was broadcast with each episode having a ‘previous’ and ‘to follow’ 30 or so second animation before and after the episode. I have audio for these sections but every bootleg version I’ve ever come across - the audio is mostly beyond repair. do you have MCOG on video recorded from the BBC1 showings or the nickelodeon showings? or indeed any other showing? Failing this I will just do my best with the audio I have, but theres no harm in asking is there?

Im doing this for the love of the show and considering this my own pet x0 -type- project. I will hope to send on the finished project to anyone who wants it.

If any of you are interested in this project I can always stick up some screenshots or snippits of WIP somewhere if you like.

Thanks for reading

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Originally posted by: CW
I will hope to send on the finished project to anyone who wants it.


Ooh! Me! Me! Me!

Unfortunately I can't help you with your request, but if I can help in the future then let me know.

So many primary school recesses were spent talking about what happened on the last night's episode! I haven't seen this show in many years, but still a favourite. It seems too many of my current friends were too young to remember it, so I'll be able to introduce them to it now.

http://www.kineticpast.com/starwars/thecheatlaserdisc.gif
Ooh, a laserdisc. The Cheat's playin' something on a laserdisc.
Everything is better on a laserdisc. Whatever happened to the laserdisc? Laserdisc!

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The theme song is stuck in my head now!!!!

“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK

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I'd love to have a copy of this too once its done. Will you be including the documentaries?
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Yes, The Doc audio quality is pretty poor though. Gillean mentioned that the Docs were shown in Australia, anyone know anyone that recorded it there?
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I have a few of the docs on disc in if u want them pm me...audio on them seems ok
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I have many AVI files of this, but I'm sure they're the same as the ones you have. I'll take a look at them though. I have a question- how many languages are you going to feature on this set? Will it have subtitles?
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Thanks for the offers tonecapone and Brimley, I have got pretty much every known english language version out there, I'm kind of looking back for source materials really, tapes that were recorded from the original broadcasts, I could more probably pull a more decent audio track from those. Even If they were mono and the tapes were as good as knackered - theres alot more analogue audio info on the tapes than on any of the rips. thanks all the same.
Brimley, Episode 14 as well as English will feature French, German and Japanese Audio as an Easter Egg. No Subs though - I did do an experiment see how viable it would be using subtitle workshop but basically it drove me mad after 3 hours on one Episode.
If anyone can show me where I can put up pictures etc I'll show some Work In Progress stuff. bit of a newb to forums.
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Originally posted by: CW
If anyone can show me where I can put up pictures etc I'll show some Work In Progress stuff. bit of a newb to forums.


You could use a site like Photobucket, otherwise I'd be happy to host them for you.

http://www.kineticpast.com/starwars/thecheatlaserdisc.gif
Ooh, a laserdisc. The Cheat's playin' something on a laserdisc.
Everything is better on a laserdisc. Whatever happened to the laserdisc? Laserdisc!

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How far along is this project? I was considering deleting my collection of AVI's.
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This sounds like a fantastic project. I loved this as a teen and still get all teary eyed and nostalgic for it.
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CW sent me a review disc of the WIP from last year. It looked great and very professional.

The menu system is definitely one of the best looking I've seen on a fan-made disc, gets you in the MCOG mood right away! I never noticed any video that looked like it was from an alternate source or any time the audio was out (of course the english dub is never completely in sync with the animation, but it just adds to the nostalgic charm).

Can't wait for the set to be finalised!

http://www.kineticpast.com/starwars/thecheatlaserdisc.gif
Ooh, a laserdisc. The Cheat's playin' something on a laserdisc.
Everything is better on a laserdisc. Whatever happened to the laserdisc? Laserdisc!

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Glad to see this project is coming along well. Can't wait to get a copy of it!
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Thanks for your kind comments and support Gillean

@ Brimley,

All main Episodes audio remastering is done.
Episode video re-remastering 12 of 39 done. (just need some time.. 5 pass CCE takes ages)
Previous/To Follow sections All done
Docs A/V, 10 of 39
Intro despotted descratched colour restored
Credits despotted descratched restored
Most Extras/Eggs done or in planning

DVD 1 Finalled
DVD 2 All menu animations done, most of audio done, Authoring to do.
DVD 3 - 8 Everything to do..

I would hope to get this complete by end of the year but realistically will be a little after that so dont delete those AVIs just yet!

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Just a quick update,

DVD's 1,2 and 3 are finalled, DVD 4 needs menu's

Also a new bonus feature will be some of the soundtracks from the show that are completely previously unreleased.

The background to the music of MCOG is that the masters used in the show are considered lost so that there are currently only 4 official CD's. 2 have been remade from scratch and are all re orchcestrated pieces. 1 CD is actually a few of the found original tracks from the show and the final CD features tracks that have been reconstituted together from the various episodes but most unfortunately come with soundfx in places and bad loops and edits mostly because of the nature of the source material - the person who made them only used the french episodes.

I have currently cut together 6 tracks from the french, german and English shows that are not featured on the reconstituted CD and all without any sound fx in the background. I've also re-cut the classic St elmo's fire track which does feature on the Reconstituted CD but mine features the full ending and does not have any sound fx at all - the CD one has sounds of birds in sections and has dodgy edits.

I'll be taking a break from it now for a few days - just ordered me a new system, Core2duo etc so it should speed the encoding up for future stuff.

then I got to start thinking about how to disribute all this when its finished....
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Happy to see this project is coming along well. Hope to see it soon! How many DVDs will the final project have?
As for posting, maybe upload it to Demonoid? myspleen is would be a good place, but its near impossible to get permission to upload anything there.
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Hi Number20, the set will be 8 dvds, 5 episodes per DVD with 4 on the last one.

Demonoid would be good but I dont have the bandwidth to seed that much data, my line is paid for by my RL work so I have to be careful what I use it for. I was hoping to maybe post out a few copies to people who can seed or upload to usenet or something?... I really want it to pass along for free but I can't burn and post full sets for everyone that wants it, 8 dvds each would end up costing me loads and with the new UK postage rates as well..
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Though I'm in the US, I'll definitely do a PIF chain if I can get copies. All disks SL or DL? Definitely interested in helping with this one.

I've got better things to do tonight than die! - Springer, Transformers the Movie

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OMG - This is a superb idea. It's a real crime that a decent version of this has never been made available.



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Thanks for the kind words, I hope one day a company does finally release MCoG but until then I will carry on regardless.
Im on DVD 5 of 8 working on the menu's - its taking a long time partly due to work commitments and partly a lack of motivation. I recieved some possible great news today that will hopefully change all that though.
I will get onto DVD 6 through the christmas holidays all things going to plan. then maybe some alterations to the other complete disks depending on what comes out of the news I have.

Was thinking of bringing it out in installments after I've finalled them.. maybe the first 4 DVD's then the later 4 when complete.

Thanks for the offer DrGonzo and thanks for the encouragement everyone.



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You could post them up on Rapidshare as well, if need be.

But that's a lotta data there.
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Hey CW!

This sounds like a magnificent project, I really look forward to its completion, I was thinking about in the NY purchasing the set made by Tim Skutt advertised on his site, but it sounds like your version will be much better than this set with all of the love you have put into making it perfect! From your comments, I gather you may be in the UK. If you can get a set to me (we'll work it out via email, just PM if interested) I will happily seed this to DEATH on whatever tracker people want it distributed on. Good luck with getting this finished, many an English speaking fan of this amazing series will be eternally grateful to you when it is complete!

www.bardothodol.net

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I'm looking forward to this set as well. Good Luck with it, CW! Hope to see it soon.
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CW, I'm gonna run a PIF on yer STTM HD2DVD conversion hopefully once I get the disk, and whenever you feel like starting it, I'll run a PIF chain on dvd 1-4 of this project. Are they all SL (both ST and MCOG)?

I've got better things to do tonight than die! - Springer, Transformers the Movie