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Info Wanted: Best way to do reviews for the OT Preservations?

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Guys,

The reviews thread Rik’s posted is really great reading. I really want to put together a decent review and will be gtetting together with some buddies at some point over the next couple of weeks to destroy several beers and write up a review of all the sets I have.

While we’ll be spending a fair anmount of time on this (one evening, probably 4 hours or so) obviously there won’t be time to watch the whole of episode IV 6 times. So we’ll have to keep it to half an hour (tops) of each version. But the question is, which half hour? Which scene’s are the ones which really show up any imperfections?

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I would not recommend watching one half hour piece, it's better to compare as much points as possible. I always zap through the movie watching segments of about 2 or 3 minutes, and try to include as much facettes as I can (space shots, movement, desert, close ups of R2, dark sequences, light sequences, smoke, light-sabres). Everytime you compare you see new things, so a full list of what I look at would be way too long. But here are a couple of things.

In the opening shot check out the texture of the moon on the left. Determine how long the Tantive's engines are seperable. Look for grain at the bottom of the stardestroyer, and determine how sharp it appears (lines clearly distinguishable?). Freeze frame on a couple of red laserblasts to check the texture for moire patterns or lines around them. When the stormtroopers come rushing into the Tantive check the texture of the smoke with laserblasts in it. And while watching pieces of the Tantive sequence pay attenton to persons moving fast in front of the camera: are they sharp in motion.
In the opening shot on Tatooine determine how sharp 3PO appears during the zoom in (for example you'll see that on EditDroid his texture is distinguisable very early in the zoom-in). Check out the texture of the sky and sand in the following sequence (3PO walking though the desert). To see how clear the limited vertical resolution stands out, check R2 close ups in the sandcrawler. Look how sharp the shot is where Luke looks at Aunt Beru when she sais the droid must speak Bocce, pay close attention to the moisture vaporator in the middle of the shot. Check out Luke's movement in the sequence where 3PO gets his oil bath, is it sharp or does it "wipe". Check the texture of the desert in the first shot of Luke and 3PO in the speeder (here you'll clearly see one of the few flaws of the EditDroid set). Check out some of the following desert-shots. And pay attention to how sharp the shots in Ben's home are. Then skip all the way through to the Darth/Ben fight to check out the sabres. And of course keep your eyes open for anything that looks suspicious

I would also recommend to sort them from least to best, and watch 'em in that order. Since the differences are so minute sometimes, that way it's much easier to compare. If you haven't done any comparing yet, you could use my list in the "official reviews" thread
Use an as big as possible screen, and a HQ DVD player. Increase the color on the pale transfers (EditDroid and Moth3r), view as much transfers as you can get: I still have all ep IV's discussed in my review, except for Farsight. If I need to post one on a.b.starwars just say so. Have fun and don't forget to post your review.

That's no moon. It's a LaserDisc.

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Thanks for the input, Grinder.

I will be using an Epson LCD projector with about a 2.5 metre screen. The DVD player is a Pioneer 575, which is a *decent* but unexceptional player. Progressive via Component cable. The projector has a 3 metre throw and viewers are sitting 2.5 metres from the screen.

We will not be paying much heed to the sound quality since I can't stand surround sound. I have analogue stereo and a bass speaker, that's all. Surround freaks me out so I don't waste money on something I don't like. But if we notice anything "wrong" or wierd about the sound that'll be mentioned.

We will be reviewing all the versions of ANH that I have. This will be:

Editdroid
Dr Gonzo
Cowclops 2
Moth3r
OCP Classic
Darth Editous

The last 2 won't be compared to the "proper" LD rips, but they're there so that people can see what we think to them, what we think the picture quality is like etc. I suppose that I ought to throw the 2004 DVD release into the mix, but I don't/won't own anything "special edition" so I might see if I can borrow or rent it.

All I have to do now is get my girlfriend's permission to hog the lounge all evening to do geekboy stuff...
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Originally posted by: RichKS

We will not be paying much heed to the sound quality since I can't stand surround sound. I have analogue stereo and a bass speaker, that's all. Surround freaks me out so I don't waste money on something I don't like.




That seriously gave me a grin this morning! I don't think I ever 'met' anyone who was freaked out by surround sound before. That's so cool! I wonder if there's a scientific term for it yet? If not I want to be the one to name it.

I call it.... dolbydigiphobia!

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Actually (now that I come to think about it) I don't think *I'VE* met anyone else who's ever claimed they actively dislike surround sound either!

Although I have met lots of folks who think that surround sound isn't worth the effort (by which I mean time, money, hassle and the incovenience of arrranging your furniature in such a way that surround actially works). I used to have surround on an old Widescreen Philips TV I had about 7 years ago. I found it really creepy. When I could hear sounds coming from behind me my brain just couldn't associate that sound as being part of the same presentation as the picture in front of me. So the sound was distracting. If the back channels just mimic the left and right (ie if you use a 5.1 setup to listen to plain ol' stereo) it's not a problem.

It's another weirdness I have I guess...
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RichKS - I can definitely see where you're coming from in terms of the money and hassle with setting up a good surround system. Most people who own thousand dollar speakers don't even have them in the right room conditions or position to get their money's worth in the first place.

However, I've been hearing A LOT about Yamaha's YSP-1 speaker system. It's just one unit that can sit on top or below your TV and has an out for a subwoofer. It's got around 42 speakers inside and projects the sound around the room without the hassle of setting anyting up. You even configure it to the size of the room and it callibrates where it bounces the sounds. I don't have one, nor have a heard it myself, but it sound like the solution for guys like you and me. You can find them on eBay for around $900...which is actually a bargain considering it's original MSRP was $1,500.

Only remaining problem might be that is still creeps you out...
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The 'multiple speakers on one board' system looks like it's a great alternative to getting a 5.1 etc. setup except your room would have to have enough flat wallspace for the sound to bounce off of.

I find it kinda weird someone doesn't like surround audio (unless you're old ), I managed to cobble together quite a nice setup fairly cheaply, Sony Trinitron 28" widescreen tv £150 ex-rental, Yamaha RX-V340 £150 inc. 3 year warranty, set of 5 new Yamaha speakers £50 inc. postage (4x 50watt satellites & 60watt center), topped off nicely with a £15 50watt Yamaha sub from a car boot sale
Kinda annoying I can't listen to it too loud for too long periods because of my tinnitus but even at low volumes it still sounds great.

I've still got to sort out digital out on my PC so when I watch films on my homemade projector I can get digital 5.1 instead of analogue 2.0 upmixed with Pro-LogicII.
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