Harmy's STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD - V2.7 - MKV (Released) — Page 139

I think he said he only got reel 1... On 35mm, that is approx. 12min, right?

35mm reels  (as shipped by lab) are typically 20min (give or take).

Harmy said:

Probably, yes. When it comes to encoding this, I'm gonna need some advice by some more knowledgeable members here to make sure everything is as it should be to be compatible.

My recommendation is that for the MKV, break compatibility for the sake of quality and compression efficiency. That is, except for software encoders. Go for 16 refs, 16 bframes, any other specialized non-compatible good setting x264 has, etc. This will break the decoding compatibility for pretty much everything except software encoders on a PC, but it will improve the quality and bitrate efficiency by a significant amount. I also recommend ditching the 2pass bitrate for the more advanced CRF setting, which produces unpredictable filesizes because it analyses the video and gives it the bitrate it needs for the specified value.

If people need hardware compatibility (DXVA etc) then they can get the AVCHD and play it on their PC, no? :)

Anyways, I know my way around x264 pretty well so I can probably help with any compression questions you may have. I also recommend ditching any encoding GUI and going for frequently updated commandline builds which in addition to being more frequently updated also give you full control of what settings to mess with and tune. I use JEEB's custom build @ x264.fushizen.eu

Also, since you're going to be using MKV, you could include fun stuff like soft subtitles of the original English version for multiple languages, multiple language tracks in a more effective compressed format like OGG or AAC (=good quality+not much space taken up), and a lossless FLAC encoded audio file of the 2.0 Laserdisc mix that's used as the basis for the 70mm recreations. I also think you should softsub the Greedo subtitles unless you're making them look very specific. But even then, .ass/ssa subs (+Aegisub editor) have a lot of features and allow you to use various fonts and move the subtitles around the frame on a per-line basis, etc. I do anime stuff so that's why I know a lot about encoding, subs, and containers. :D

Unrelated question but for the 2.0, are you still using recompressed sources (HDTV/BD rips etc) or untouched sources (BDMVs, HDTV transport streams, and such) ? I haven't been keeping up with 2.0 much unfortunately. :(

crf encoding is a no brainer, but yes, increasing ref above 8388608 / (width*height), ie. 5 for 2:35 cropped 1080p, would break absolutely everything from GPU-assisted playback to every standalone player for practically no benefit other than a minor increase in compression efficiency.

x264 is perfectly capable of producing transparent encodes without breaking compatibility,, and the jump from the 2-pass fit-to-bitrate AVCHD-complaint version to a consistent quality crf encoder would be much higher than the jump from a that crf to some ridiculous set of "crank everything to 11" settings.

csl said:

Harmy said:

Probably, yes. When it comes to encoding this, I'm gonna need some advice by some more knowledgeable members here to make sure everything is as it should be to be compatible.

My recommendation is that for the MKV, break compatibility for the sake of quality and compression efficiency. That is, except for software encoders. Go for 16 refs, 16 bframes, any other specialized non-compatible good setting x264 has, etc. This will break the decoding compatibility for pretty much everything except software encoders on a PC, but it will improve the quality and bitrate efficiency by a significant amount. I also recommend ditching the 2pass bitrate for the more advanced CRF setting, which produces unpredictable filesizes because it analyses the video and gives it the bitrate it needs for the specified value.

If people need hardware compatibility (DXVA etc) then they can get the AVCHD and play it on their PC, no? :)

Anyways, I know my way around x264 pretty well so I can probably help with any compression questions you may have. I also recommend ditching any encoding GUI and going for frequently updated commandline builds which in addition to being more frequently updated also give you full control of what settings to mess with and tune. I use JEEB's custom build @ x264.fushizen.eu

Also, since you're going to be using MKV, you could include fun stuff like soft subtitles of the original English version for multiple languages, multiple language tracks in a more effective compressed format like OGG or AAC (=good quality+not much space taken up), and a lossless FLAC encoded audio file of the 2.0 Laserdisc mix that's used as the basis for the 70mm recreations. I also think you should softsub the Greedo subtitles unless you're making them look very specific. But even then, .ass/ssa subs (+Aegisub editor) have a lot of features and allow you to use various fonts and move the subtitles around the frame on a per-line basis, etc. I do anime stuff so that's why I know a lot about encoding, subs, and containers. :D

Unrelated question but for the 2.0, are you still using recompressed sources (HDTV/BD rips etc) or untouched sources (BDMVs, HDTV transport streams, and such) ? I haven't been keeping up with 2.0 much unfortunately. :(

Please NO. I would make the mkv as compatible as possible, and the subs should definitely be a part of the movie, not a special subtitle stream

Stinky-Dinkins said:

The Pats lost Harmy, terrible fucking mistake. Is there any way you could fix this too?

Eli shot first.

Is it just a colour change or did I miss something else too ?

I hope this isn't too much of a digression but I just wanted to point out something that has been running through my mind whilst following/supporting this most excellent effort.

I have owned and/or had access to multiple Star Wars (the original) 35mm prints and screened numerous others as well (been in the theater exhibition biz for a long time). I remember seeing SW in the theater probably a dozen times during its 77-82 runs. The one fairly unifying factor in all of those prints (including mine) was the muted colors and almost greenish hue. There were a much smaller percentage that had excellent color that was more robust (but never popping mind you).  But by and large, especially at the smaller theaters, the prints always looked more muted.  The one fairly decent print I owned (which has since succumbed to vinegar syndrome) had a very faint, overall greenish hue.  Very strange. I have talked/emailed with a few other people over the years that had similar copies. It's been a kind of urban legend that Star Wars was mostly printed on Eastman stock so that George could count on them to eventually fade badly and keep collectors from having good copies. Indeed, back in the day SW prints were always around the collectors market but almost always a slightly faded Eastman.  Every once in a great while a fuji color print would show up for big bucks.

I say all this because the colors of Star Wars, to me, have always been a kind of rabbit hole. As I have read through this and other threads, the one thing I always think is "as long as it is close I am happy".  I am so pleased with the effort and, more importantly, the intentions of everyone involved. At the end of the day, I know it will look really, really good.  I remember sitting in a theater after hours and watching a well-worn Eastman print of SW with the color almost gone and hoping it could be better.  It's already there for me. Thanks Harmy.