Droids Series Complete Set. Reconstruction from multiple sources. V1.0 is out! (Released) — Page 4

i have upload the german droids series on myspleen.

if you need the german audio track...

Thanks, I'll get them asap

Version 1.0 is up on Myspleen.

Keep in mind that this really isn't 100% finished.  At least not to my liking. Still looking for other sources for certain episodes.

Another thing to keep in mind is this is sourced from VHS so it doesn't always look so hot.  And the original dubbing/sound effects/animation is so out of sync with itself that it was a huge headache to try and get everything synced up again.  This is seriously 80's animation at it's worst (best?). 

Feel free to leave some feedback here as to any problems you find and anything you think needs to be looked at again.  I'll try and include as many fixes as possible for version 2.0. Not sure when that is coming out but hopefully before I grow grey hair.

Now back to my beer...

Ted, this pleases me greatly!  Thank you so much for all your work.  I know you've had a lot on your plate and that you weren't able to find all the perfect sources, but I have no doubt that you did a wonderful job.  I'll check it out and report back.  Again, thanks a million! :)

Wow!  This looks beautiful!  You and pittrek have done a fine job giving Droids and Ewoks a proper preservation.

Hi, newbie here. I'd love to see these, but I don't have a Myspleen account, and I can't seem to determine the appropriate way to ask for an invite. Any help would be appreciated.

JJJ_Spirit_Of_77 said:

Hi, newbie here. I'd love to see these, but I don't have a Myspleen account, and I can't seem to determine the appropriate way to ask for an invite. Any help would be appreciated.

Either post in this thread...

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/MySpleen-Invite/topic/8711/

Or message walkingdork who I believe is a mod over there...

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/pm-new.cfm/recipient/8664/post/628104

bah.  No sooner do I upload this to the internet that I go back through one of the episodes and catch a terrible audio editing mistake.

I think version 1.1 might come out sooner rather than later. :P

Which episode?  What kind of error?  Considering you released all the episodes as individual mp4s it seems you could just upload the corrected episode. :)

I can't thank you enough, retartedted! I had recordings of the Sci-Fi Channel edits previously. Version 1.0 is already light years better! Canada's Global Television Network was airing the uncut episodes well into the early 90's and I've been kicking myself ever since for not recording them back then.

One question: Some of the continuing story-arc episodes had a short narrative recap of the previous ep at the beginning. These recaps aren't on version 1.0. Will they be restored in the finished version?

darth_ender said:

Which episode?  What kind of error?  Considering you released all the episodes as individual mp4s it seems you could just upload the corrected episode. :)

I'll refrain from pointing it out, as to not ruin it for everyone else.  Once you notice those things one tends to fixate on it. :)

And I don't think that I will do one upload for just one tiny error.  I'll watch through them a couple of more times and make a list.  And I am sure over time people will come forward with a few things here and there as they get through the series as well.

JJJ_Spirit_Of_77 said:

One question: Some of the continuing story-arc episodes had a short narrative recap of the previous ep at the beginning. These recaps aren't on version 1.0. Will they be restored in the finished version?

I have toyed around with it a little and have been thinking about it for when I get around to a full DVD release with bumpers and other assorted clips.  The main problem with the recaps is that they don't exist on any of the commercially released tapes.  So they would have to be recreated.

retartedted said:

darth_ender said:

Which episode?  What kind of error?  Considering you released all the episodes as individual mp4s it seems you could just upload the corrected episode. :)

I'll refrain from pointing it out, as to not ruin it for everyone else.  Once you notice those things one tends to fixate on it. :)

And I don't think that I will do one upload for just one tiny error.  I'll watch through them a couple of more times and make a list.  And I am sure over time people will come forward with a few things here and there as they get through the series as well.

Ah, I was thinking this was some massive problem.  I will probably hardly notice it.

So to be clear for the slower readers (me, myself, and I), each episode is complete, unlike the DVD releases?  I know you had sources you didn't prefer as much, but these episodes lack nothing, correct?  If so, this is really amazing as even Coby looks great considering its source!

Video Collector said:

I'd love to hear some specifics about the work you did. What were the sources for each episode, and what processes did you employ for clean-up etc. What did you use for The Great Heep in the end?

• Episodes 1-8, 10-13 video is sourced exclusively from the Japanese tapes.  The audio is primarily the UK PAL tapes, with occasional snippets from the SciFi airings and Japanese tapes for audio that was cut from the UK tapes.  Mostly around commercial breaks.
• Episode 9 is obviously a home video recording of the original ABC airing.
• Great Heep is from the UK PAL tape.  I used SRestore for the scenes that were animated on 2's and a regular deinterlace for scenes animated on 1's.  Pain in the ass if you ask me.  Then it was just a simple 25fps->23.976fps conversion by slowing down.
• Each episode follows the lineage that I posted in my first comment in this thread.  JVC S-VHS deck-> Hauppauge capture card-> raw avi-> Avisynth (animeivtc) and then into Virtualdub where I did very very slight level and color adjustments. And very minimal noise reduction.  Hardly any really.
• Regarding a DVD release, I don't plan on doing one until I can get some better sources for Coby and Heep.  Hopefully that is within the next couple of years.  Those tapes aren't getting any younger.  Would really love it if some of those people trying to track down the tapes would give me a chance to get a crack at them.  I feel like I should have never mentioned their existence because now people are talking about the Mexican tapes all over the place.  There is even a blurb about them now on the Star Wars wikia page for Droids.

darth_ender said:

So to be clear for the slower readers (me, myself, and I), each episode is complete, unlike the DVD releases?  I know you had sources you didn't prefer as much, but these episodes lack nothing, correct?

Yes, every episode as they originally aired.  Minus the recaps (mentioned just a few posts above) as those haven't been released on any commercial tape that I am aware of.  The only copies are from television airings to include the SciFi channel ones.

Fantastic! Thank you so much! As someone who has a digital media player hooked up to his TV for most of his viewing, I find the .mp4 files incredibly useful. I've been ripping from the Ewoks DVDs into .mkv files for my own viewing anyway, and this saves me a step. Can't wait!

Thought this might interest people here:

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Petition-to-release-Droids-and-Ewoks-cartoons-on-DVD/topic/15653/

Ripplin said:

retartedted said:

JVC S-VHS deck

Aha. Any chance you could post the model number? Just curious, as I have one and, well, hate it. :p (turned out to be a bottom-of-the-barrel one)

JVC HR-S9600U 

I might be able to do a DVD of these episodes, you better stick around, because it's coming to a 'spleen near you!

Jag vet inte vad du säger. Jag pratar bara svenska! :(

Darth_Ender, you know how to speak English, and I have seen you making posts in English. So what you said is wrong. ;)

Sorry, double post. :(

Du är dum!