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PS78: Pre-ANH Star Wars Bootleg VHS from 1978 ***"RAW" DVD RELEASED*** — Page 2

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Jetrell Fo said:

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

If it this turns out to be something of interest, I have a Panasonic AG-1980 which is well-known as one of the very best decks ever made for extracting detail from old VHS tapes.  Not that I'm in need of yet another project...

I've got the exact same machine.....I love it too....though I have to say I'm probably still a novice when it comes to using it's full potential.

I think Silverwook(?) has one too.  What is interesting is that most really high-end VHS machines were designed to get the absolute most out of VHS recording and playback, and so naturally assumed the user would use the very best tape stock and condition.  Not many manufacturers thought about a future market for high-end VHS machines designed for lousy or worn tapes.  Now that the format is dead, those few that were designed for that are now the machines most coveted - meaning the Panasonic AG-1980, and also some of the JVC decks (such as the HR-S9911U).  I lucked into a mint AG-1980 last year and wow, I couldn't believe the difference.  Went back and re-captured all of my old VHS captures with noticeable improvement.

"Close the blast doors!"
Puggo’s website | Rescuing Star Wars

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Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

Jetrell Fo said:

Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

If it this turns out to be something of interest, I have a Panasonic AG-1980 which is well-known as one of the very best decks ever made for extracting detail from old VHS tapes.  Not that I'm in need of yet another project...

I've got the exact same machine.....I love it too....though I have to say I'm probably still a novice when it comes to using it's full potential.

I think Silverwook(?) has one too.  What is interesting is that most really high-end VHS machines were designed to get the absolute most out of VHS recording and playback, and so naturally assumed the user would use the very best tape stock and condition.  Not many manufacturers thought about a future market for high-end VHS machines designed for lousy or worn tapes.  Now that the format is dead, those few that were designed for that are now the machines most coveted - meaning the Panasonic AG-1980, and also some of the JVC decks (such as the HR-S9911U).  I lucked into a mint AG-1980 last year and wow, I couldn't believe the difference.  Went back and re-captured all of my old VHS captures with noticeable improvement.

Mine was gently used but really clean when I got it.  I have used it to make some VHS back ups but I'm still learning who to use it alongside my PC and my Panasonic DMR-EA18 Recorder. 

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Does anyone here with a Panasonic AG-1980 live in the NorthEast (of the US, that is)? I live in Maryland.

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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Mavimao said:

Do you know if it's the mono mix on the tape?

Not yet, but myself and others will determine that (as well as other details) after I post the XP Mode recording.

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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What maybe of note is the brightness, details in the shadows like the machinery just to the right of R5's head often gets blended into the background.

frank678 wrote: Or after the tape it was recorded on the 'VK250' bootleg

That's a good idea.  According to: http://www.pandahi.com/1008157804.html

(RCA assigned the number "VK 250" for their brand of two hour capacity tapes that was later reassigned as the generic term "T 120")

The 'T-120' name is still used today.  The 250 may have referred to the vertical resolution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS

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What maybe of note is the brightness, details in the shadows like the machinery just to the right of R5's head often gets blended into the background.

That may be a problem with the Toshiba DVR620. Maybe the Panasonic AG-1980 can bring those details out. (Alternatively, I may just need to adjust the brightness/contrast.)

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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Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:

I will be in Annapolis Aug 31-Sep 2. But I won't have a car.

 

I'm sort of imagining the tape being inside a manilla envelope inside a briefcase which is handcuffed to someones wrist who is also wearing sunglasses. I think maybe I'm getting too carried away reading this thread

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There are many possibilities, some exciting, some meh.  If it were an older generation copy of something we already have, then it wouldn't be of much interest.  If it were a screen capture that didn't exist before, or an earlier generation of an already-available bootleg, that would be big.  If it were a stereo grab of the 70mm mix, that would be a very important find.  If it contained the Biggs hangar scene, it would induce heart attacks.  It all depends on what the experts here find as they apply their respective fine-toothed combs to Antcu's initial capture.  I'm looking forward to reading about it!

"Close the blast doors!"
Puggo’s website | Rescuing Star Wars

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or how about it has loads of WW2 aerial dog fights where the space stuff should be? o.k. probably not. i am actually way less ambitious - i just hope it is watchable from start to finish unlike the other first film bootlegs which are not that easy on the eye 
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I think the grappling hook part was there on opening day.

I wish that I could just wish my feelings away...but I can't.  Wishful wishing can only lead to wishes wished for in futile wishfulness, which is not what I wish to wish for. 

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Let's not restart the grappling hook debate in here, that path leads to madness.

And it sounds like some of us need to start an AG-1980 fan club. ;)

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

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1990osu said:

I think the grappling hook part was there on opening day.

Only for the 70mm version

WINK

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

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I'm at a loss for words. This is amazing. I'd long pondered whether any bootlegs existed that were fully squeezed. This answers my question.

The colors look excellent, and it's not a deteriorated multi-gen dub. I can't wait to see this - and I would love to eventually see an AG-1980 preservation of it, if at all possible.

Once we get to see your initial transfer, we'll be able to determine if it's 35mm, and which sound mix it is. (If it's 16mm, a good amount of picture will be chopped off at the bottom.)

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TServo2049 said:

 (If it's 16mm, a good amount of picture will be chopped off at the bottom.)

A 16mm print can be chopped just about anywhere.  Comparing my Puggo Grande versus my Stjarnornas Krig, both are from 16mm sources and are both equally and heavily cropped, but one is cropped more at the top and the other is cropped more at the bottom.

"Close the blast doors!"
Puggo’s website | Rescuing Star Wars

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OK, I'm ripping DVDs 1 and 2 of my XP Mode recording. There's ~1 minute of (intentional) overlap between the two. Should I join them or post each DVD separately?

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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AntcuFaalb wrote: OK, I'm ripping DVDs 1 and 2 of my XP Mode recording. There's ~1 minute of (intentional) overlap between the two. Should I join them or post each DVD separately?

Doesn't personally matter to me.  What is your goal?  Not sure why you are ripping the DVDs.  ('ripping' to me generally is the process of taking an existing DVD and converting it to another format, maybe you're using this term to define the digitization of the VHS to DVD format)  If this is a preview to figure out what this version is then size and quality are not as important.  In the past when people converted media, it was done to a standard disc size, a CD of around 750mb was common.  If you are viewing this as the best preservation you are capable of (quality matters) then leave each DVD as is.  The laserdisc format required several discs for each movie, to maintain quality the same can be done with the DVD5 format.  (Moth3r's 77 boot was preserved this way; 2xDVD5)  Were you thinking of combining the discs to make a DVD9?  People often balk at dual layer media as it's not considered common enough, and the dual layer break can be a problem.  Save the work, leave each disc as is.

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I now have two losslessly-compressed (Huffyuv) AVIs for DVDs 1 and 2. Together, they represent the entire film, but some credits are missing, as the source VHS cuts off right after displaying "Robert Watts". I also think there's a 1-2 minute drop-out somewhere in the middle, but I haven't started to look for it yet.

The quality is nice, but it definitely needs some deflickering, cropping, deinterlacing, resizing, and the works. I think the Panasonic AG-1980 would do a much better job at preserving it than my Toshiba DVR620.

It can't be the mono mix. Luke clearly says "Blast it, Biggs! Where are you?" and Porkins' scream is audible. I tried listening for C-3PO's line, but I couldn't hear it.

Here's a sample from Part 1: Sample 7

Here's a sample from Part 2: Sample 8

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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Assume it's not from a 16mm film source and we're 100% certain that it doesn't have the mono mix. What's left? That is, what might it be from?

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'm not the person to ask to find technical differences, but colourwise this doesnt 'feel' related to the other bootlegs.. I can't see any instant similarity, I think its a different print to those or if not captured through a much different chain.