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Info Wanted: 'Buster' (1988) - UK HDTV airing; is this actually HD?

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 (Edited)

34 screen grabs available here: http://imgur.com/a/7QCUA

There probably won’t be a Blu-ray release and apparently the DVD’s aren’t that great, so when I learned that the BBC were airing this in HD, I was quite keen to record it. Straight away, it was disappointment time: the aspect ratio appears to be wrong and the picture quality doesn’t strike me as remotely close to HD - even though the EPG on my PVR lists it as an HD broadcast and also informs you when the content has been simply upscaled to HD.

The print doesn’t look exactly stellar either and a few of the actors have a “green” tone during the gym scene. Some sequences suffer from rainbowing artefacts. I know it’s an old film but countless other titles were produced during the same period and they look a million times better than this.

I’d like your opinions please. Would you regard this as HD and what’s behind the image looking so poor - substandard print, bad telecine etc?

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“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk
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Could you post some matching screens of the DVD with correct aspect ratio?

“You don’t really mean you’ll kill me, do you?” - Juror 8
“Silence, Earthling! My name is Darth Vader. I am an extra-terrestrial from the planet Vulcan!” - Calvin “Marty” Klein

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JayArgonaut said:

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This is, without a doubt, just a very good upscale from an analog master which was stored in the composite domain. Look at the PAL rainbowing on the rooftop in the quoted image.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Post 102 is worth more.

I’m late to the party, but I think this is the best song. Enjoy!

—Teams Jetrell Fo 1, Jetrell Fo 2, and Jetrell Fo 3

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Colson said:

Could you post some matching screens of the DVD with correct aspect ratio?

There are several DVD versions, some are 4:3, others are 1:66.1 non-anormorphic and the theatrical OAR was 1:85.1 but I don’t have any copies from which to make screengrabs.

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=25698

AntcuFaalb said:

JayArgonaut said:

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This is, without a doubt, just a very good upscale from an analog master which was stored in the composite domain. Look at the PAL rainbowing on the rooftop in the quoted image.

Does that mean they’ve very likely recycled the analogue master that was used to create this?

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buster-1988-ID6569HB-Laserdisc-/381618716676?hash=item58da3f8004:g:Zr4AAOSwL7VWiBBQ

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laserdisc-S-Buster-Phil-Collins-Julie-Walters-DSS-Extended-Play-/322112339562?hash=item4aff643e6a:g:TXEAAOSwYmZXEMqg

“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk
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JayArgonaut said:

Does that mean they’ve very likely recycled the analogue master that was used to create this?

Not necessarily, but I’d put money on it.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Post 102 is worth more.

I’m late to the party, but I think this is the best song. Enjoy!

—Teams Jetrell Fo 1, Jetrell Fo 2, and Jetrell Fo 3

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I recorded it also, it’s the exact same master used since day one for widescreen video
BBC normally don’t list upscales in HD but it was

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Thanks for the confirmation.

It was also available on iPlayer and there was no HD option - so yeah, definitely just a very good upscale from an LD master.

“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk