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Star Wars 97SE in HD using super resolution & more — Page 2

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Thanks guys!

Jetrell Fo gives me an input, and I followed it...

PAL LD - Bicubic Vs NTSC LD - Bicubic:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125555

PAL LD - Bicubic Vs LD MagicSR:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125557

NTSC LD - Bicubic Vs LD MagicSR:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125558

I can't believe how much MagicSR improves the image quality; even so, it is still inferior to a simple bicubic resize of the GKar (maybe the worst of the 97 DVB recordings):

LD MagicSR Vs GKar Bicubic:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125559

I must admit I used two small clips captured few years ago; now, taking several captures from different editions (4x PAL, 2x NTSC) and averaging them to wipe out noise, using a better capture card - if only I'll be able to let it work again... - and a REALLY better NTSC laserdisc player, or, even better, using Happycube method, I think image could be improved a lot - it *could* be really *probable* that result could be even better than DVB...

@nightstalkerpoet:
take a look at the following comparison; if you see aliasing in both, it's due to the enhancing filter, but if you see only (or more) aliasing only in the regraded version, it will be a fault of the regrading filter

DVB MagicSR Vs DVB MagicSR regraded:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125561

it's 3:30am here, time to sleee... zzz... (^^,)

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

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I mentioned this over on the gout superresolution thread, but I think taking the general concept of this and using aligned multiple sources as opposed to subsequent frames to recruit the detail from, you could probably get a far superior result to anything we've ever seen before.  Better detail, and (i could be completely wrong here) I think it could possible reduce the aliasing significantly, assuming the aliasing on each source is different.

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Very nice result, Laserdisc Master! It's hard to believe these come from an analogue source. No analogue noise, and a sharp frame at the same time :-).

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Thank you very much, DrDre; going to post something in you thread now!

@Darth Lucas: as you stated, and as I wrote the post before, multiple captures of analog video, averaged/median'ed, helps a lot to get rid of noise inherent in the format - 3/5 captures make wonders using VHS, and LD benefits are great, too... using Happycube method (take a look at his work on this thread, or, better on this one to understand better how good it is, and to know he's pure genius!) I think it's possible to achieve a final result that potentially could be better than using the DVB sources!!!

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

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 (Edited)

Wow, the amount of details and picture clarity is stunning. That really is from a TV broadcast? :O

Are you going for that retro feel on the color grading? It seems to make everything look washed out, and not very vibrant. It looks cool, but I feel like I am watching an old film reel. :P

Still awesome results! Its also amazing to see how powerful Bicubic is, especially with that GKar capture.

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About color grading: it's really a preliminary version!

About bicubic: it's a simple resize filter but, given high quality as source, it produces nice results, but not comparable to better upscaler - I always use bicubic for comparison because it is supposedly used by many TV sets, in particular the cheaper ones, to upscale lower resolution to panel resolution.

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

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I thought about this, but as you can see, there is not much interest about '97SE; even if I must admit it's not my preferred version, it should be preserved nonetheless, as there is no digital retail version of it... but it will take a lot of time, and patience, and HDD space, all things lacking lately... (^^,)

Well, I worked all the afternoon just to sharp a bit the image of the laserdisc - hope it's enough, and not too much:

MagicSR V1 Vs MagicSR V1.1:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125660

waiting for your comments!

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

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Looks great! I would be interested in these. The 1997 SE were the first and last time I saw these in the theatre. Although I prefer the unaltered originals, they're far superior to those horrible 2004/2011 versions. All I can say to those is noooooooooooooo!!!! :-)

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Just curious, which LaserDisc set? I assume the NTSC 1997 set. Because I am stunned at the clarity of it. The MagicSR really brings out the detail, and the grain field is actually visible!

I will admit, I am guilty of almost completely ignoring the 97 SE, aside from spending a whopping $2 to get the widescreen VHS set. :P

But this thread has really peaked my interest in it. The set is light years ahead of the DVD and Blu ray set in the color, and contrast departments. 

Very interested in more!

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_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

Thanks guys!

Jetrell Fo gives me an input, and I followed it...

PAL LD - Bicubic Vs NTSC LD - Bicubic:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125555

PAL LD - Bicubic Vs LD MagicSR:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125557

NTSC LD - Bicubic Vs LD MagicSR:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125558

I can't believe how much MagicSR improves the image quality; even so, it is still inferior to a simple bicubic resize of the GKar (maybe the worst of the 97 DVB recordings):

LD MagicSR Vs GKar Bicubic:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125559

I must admit I used two small clips captured few years ago; now, taking several captures from different editions (4x PAL, 2x NTSC) and averaging them to wipe out noise, using a better capture card - if only I'll be able to let it work again... - and a REALLY better NTSC laserdisc player, or, even better, using Happycube method, I think image could be improved a lot - it *could* be really *probable* that result could be even better than DVB...

@nightstalkerpoet:
take a look at the following comparison; if you see aliasing in both, it's due to the enhancing filter, but if you see only (or more) aliasing only in the regraded version, it will be a fault of the regrading filter

DVB MagicSR Vs DVB MagicSR regraded:
http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125561

it's 3:30am here, time to sleee... zzz... (^^,)

LMAO ...... thank you Andrea.  Very kind of you to say.  I just remembered how your initial work looked with the LD stuff.

Having a few captures to work with so that there is more info to make use of is a far better starting place for sure.

I do like the look of the DVB MagicSR screenshot.

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DrDre, Zyrother, thanks!

@DrDre: I think we coud say, about SW versions, that the older, the better!

@Zyrother: I used two old clips captured years ago, one is a PAL LD - can't remember which one, UK? German? French? - and the other is the Japanese NTSC LD; aligned spatially and temporally, then upscaled and "refined"; you should take a look at the PaNup technique - link is in a previous post, go there, signup so you can read further info.

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

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I can definitely see the detail improvement in the MagicUP. it is subtle, but an improvement nonetheless!

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That's true, even if I must admit that, all other settings equal, the SuperResolution outputs here and there some more details, but also those hated (by me, anyway!) jagged lines; that's why I'm leaning to prefer MagicUp...

That's maybe due to the fact this shot contains frames that change little to nothing - difficult for SR to gave its best... when I'll grab some more clips, I'll test them both thoroughly!

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

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 (Edited)

Given that this source is of better quality than say something like the GOUT, I feel that aliasing/jagged lines would be less of an issue. I haven't seen much of this source, so I cant judge.

I wait with great anticipation! :D

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The newest versions of MagicUp look like a big step up from their previous incarnations. Very interested to see how it does on some other scenes. 

With regards to super resolution, I think that since Laserdisc generally has a somewhat lower resolution, SR will add less details than for a DVD. So, I think all things considered MagicUp V1.3 probably has the edge when in comes to upscaling Laserdisc sourced videos. 

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Silly question, but where can I find this MagicUp? A Google search doesn't do anything...

Nobody sang The Bunny Song in years…

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Most impressive. I wonder how it looks in motion.

I'm not sure about the artificial film grain, though. My eyes see the sharp grain and the lower resolution picture at the same time and it doesn't feel very natural to me. Maybe if the whole thing were at SD resolution (or whatever res the original files were in) it would look better?

Zyrother said:

...is the 97 SE considered better than the 2004 SE because the color timing in the 97 SE are way better and more natural?

Yes. Definitely yes.

97 also has a lot less revisionism than the 04s (no Prequels yet). However, 97 does have a bit of motion blur going on, and some of the CGI in the 04 looks maybe 10% less ugly. Jabba in Ep IV is a good example.

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DrDre said:

The newest versions of MagicUp look like a big step up from their previous incarnations. Very interested to see how it does on some other scenes. 

Me too! (^^,) I searched into my old HDD, and still not found any corresponding PAL-NTSC shot... continue the search, though, as at this moment I have problems with my capture card/driver so I can't capture anymore... (**_)

With regards to super resolution, I think that since Laserdisc generally has a somewhat lower resolution, SR will add less details than for a DVD. So, I think all things considered MagicUp V1.3 probably has the edge when in comes to upscaling Laserdisc sourced videos. 

Dunno, maybe it's due to lower resolution of the source, or the fact it's made from still frames - just the escape pod is moving; again, further tests are needed, using other clips.

Danfun128 said:

Silly question, but where can I find this MagicUp? A Google search doesn't do anything...

You'll find it nowhere... it's just my silly habit to rename almost all my avisynth function with the Magic prefix... this let me remind myself how magical this software often appears, according to its incredible results!

Asaki said:

Most impressive. I wonder how it looks in motion.

I'm not sure about the artificial film grain, though. My eyes see the sharp grain and the lower resolution picture at the same time and it doesn't feel very natural to me. Maybe if the whole thing were at SD resolution (or whatever res the original files were in) it would look better?

Maybe a coarse grain will work better... let me find some other clip, and I'll test'em both!

Zyrother said:

...is the 97 SE considered better than the 2004 SE because the color timing in the 97 SE are way better and more natural?

Yes. Definitely yes.

97 also has a lot less revisionism than the 04s (no Prequels yet). However, 97 does have a bit of motion blur going on, and some of the CGI in the 04 looks maybe 10% less ugly. Jabba in Ep IV is a good example.

Yep, 97 Jabba is awful - not that 04 is so much better...

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

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_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

DrDre said:

The newest versions of MagicUp look like a big step up from their previous incarnations. Very interested to see how it does on some other scenes. 

Me too! (^^,) I searched into my old HDD, and still not found any corresponding PAL-NTSC shot... continue the search, though, as at this moment I have problems with my capture card/driver so I can't capture anymore... (**_)

With regards to super resolution, I think that since Laserdisc generally has a somewhat lower resolution, SR will add less details than for a DVD. So, I think all things considered MagicUp V1.3 probably has the edge when in comes to upscaling Laserdisc sourced videos. 

Dunno, maybe it's due to lower resolution of the source, or the fact it's made from still frames - just the escape pod is moving; again, further tests are needed, using other clips.

Danfun128 said:

Silly question, but where can I find this MagicUp? A Google search doesn't do anything...

You'll find it nowhere... it's just my silly habit to rename almost all my avisynth function with the Magic prefix... this let me remind myself how magical this software often appears, according to its incredible results!

Asaki said:

Most impressive. I wonder how it looks in motion.

I'm not sure about the artificial film grain, though. My eyes see the sharp grain and the lower resolution picture at the same time and it doesn't feel very natural to me. Maybe if the whole thing were at SD resolution (or whatever res the original files were in) it would look better?

Maybe a coarse grain will work better... let me find some other clip, and I'll test'em both!

Zyrother said:

...is the 97 SE considered better than the 2004 SE because the color timing in the 97 SE are way better and more natural?

Yes. Definitely yes.

97 also has a lot less revisionism than the 04s (no Prequels yet). However, 97 does have a bit of motion blur going on, and some of the CGI in the 04 looks maybe 10% less ugly. Jabba in Ep IV is a good example.

Yep, 97 Jabba is awful - not that 04 is so much better...

 It's so much much better, just not good. :)

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towne32 said:

 It's so much much better, just not good. :)

Maybe, but still awful for my taste! (^^,)

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

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Are you guys actually serious? The '04 Jabba is the worst thing ever made after Jar Jar. The '97 one is indeed awful but like 100 times better than the '04.

“English, motherf***er! Do you speak it!?”

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It's funny, when I see '97 Jabba the nostalgia of seeing Star Wars for the first time allows me to see past its gaping flaws. When I was seven, CGI Jabba was real, dammit. When I look at the '04 version I just see a digital effect, albeit a much improved one.

(And '04 Jabba is actually a damn good effect, just visually inconsistent with everything else in that movie.)