Blue_Harvest said:
- Validation will be done by trusted users, which will be able to see the original and the modified file at the same time (in a screenshotcomparison.com way)
I’m wondering if a good starting point would be to build a clip database of complete shots from the major prior home video releases for reference. Kinda like Blue_Harvest’s screenshotcomparison idea or Harmy’s screenshot galleries, but not necessarily limited to a single frame of a RAW film scan and its restoration-in-progress. I’m thinking of individual clips that can be played, looped, frozen, reverse-played, and slo-mo’d, etc. and can be viewed in 1-up, 2-up, 4-up, etc. configurations. Cut, Wipe, and Transparency controls can enable the user to examine registration or digital alteration differences.
For instance, there would be any given SCENE#:FRAME# (or similar identifying nomenclature) for a shot in the film that is being referenced. (BTW, are slated scene numbers known for every shot in these films?) For this example I’ll choose the shot in Return Of The Jedi when Boba Fett gets clobbered by Han Solo on the Skiff and his rocket pack misfires. We know this shot was changed for 2011 Blu-Ray. The references to compare might be a inverse-telecine’d Pan+Scan Laserdisc rip, the GOUT DVD rip, the 2004 SE Broadcast capture, and the 2011 BR. The user or group could dynamically remove or add additional versions for the comparison, such as a RAW scan and a restoration work-in-progress. A 4-up view could look similar to Harmy’s comparison but such that the clip could actually be played (in synchronization or separately), as described above: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM9HqKhDhHT1O6CDfGmH44R1AduXqfpFjOqiMHVX3OnWusb-fZ_RoPKjAcO8Jcgsg/photo/AF1QipOgOrVI4-ndqRB8QWhESeWlR96nGf52R9aDrmsa?key=blBhRV9DNmsxaVlMdUpFYjYxN3FISk5Ma2xfQ293
Image viewing size, dynamic scaling, and colorspace conversions would have to be taken into account due to significant differences in pixel dimensions, aspect ratios, letterboxing, and video standards of the various versions. It would be helpful to be able to add the preceding and subsequent shot to the clip comparison. Missing frames from one release vs. another can be easily identified and SCENE MISSING: FRAMEXX title cards could be toggled over blank frames. Theatrical vs. Special Edition and Blu-Ray additions could be similarly synced, though wholes sections which don’t have an exact equivalent such as “Lapti Nek” vs. “Jedi Rocks” might need to be handled separately.
I have no idea if a web interface could be easily developed that would enable what I’ve described. It would probably be pretty difficult, and I have doubts that a central read-only server could work in realtime for lossless remote playback. Perhaps user caching would make it feasible. If a web interface is unworkable, then it might be more reasonable to have a private server with lossless clips of each version of each shot, that can be downloaded on an individual basis and loaded, stacked, and synced into a standard NLE timeline.
I know a lot of the folks here on OT have worked very hard to capture all the picture detail possible from old interlaced video releases, and spent ages trying to calculate reverse-pulldown patterns until their eyes crossed, etc. Maybe this is one way that their hard work could be showcased.
