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Star Wars 97SE in HD using super resolution & more

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 (Edited)

Thanks to DrDre inspirational thread - Star Wars GOUT in HD using super resolution algorithm - I thought to do my own upscale - but of the 1997 SE this time; using SuperResolution, some cleaning filters, and a 35mm grain plate added on top to increase the perceived details.

Here you are the comparisons

Gkar Bicubic Vs MagicSR + BasiClean + GrainPlate:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125306

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125307

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125308

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125310

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125311

updated comparisons at post #23

waiting for your feedbacks!

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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Looking good! What source are you using for the upscale? Laserdisc? It looks much cleaner than the GOUT.

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We have some comparison frames we can post to check against these. Although the difference seems minimal again in these, just like all the other ones, due to limitations of the source.

Team Negative1

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 (Edited)

_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

Thanka! I'm using DVB TV broadcast as source.

 Which broadcast, or are you using a combination?

Scratch that, just saw you're using Gkar. TB has far fewer artifacts, IIRC.

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CapableMetal said:

_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

Thanka! I'm using DVB TV broadcast as source.

 Which broadcast, or are you using a combination?

Hey, how are you?

You've caught me red-handed... (^^,)

Well, I used both GKar and TB - I'd like to try also Flunk, but still searching it!

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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Remarkable improvement. I can only imagine what the actor playing that soldier would say if he knew how much time people would one day spend staring at his eyeballs.

When you say both sources, do you mean for different shots, or somehow using them together for super resolution frames?

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I'm well! Just taking a break from messing with laserdisc players and soldering irons and saw you're once again undertaking a Star Wars project.

I'm sure I have Flunk on a DVD9 somewhere. I got it off the spleen a few of years ago, but I guess the torrent might be dead by now. I haven't watched it in ages, but I think it suffers from crushed blacks and a bit too much sharpening. Reivax has a load of frames missing (100+, I believe). Gkar generally suffers from excessive compression artifacts and has a washed-out look to the colour palette. The TB version for ANH is fine, I believe, but TESB has a video error and missing frames as a result. All are slathered with the same DVNR. Its the same old story we're used to by now; each source has its issues. Nevertheless it will be interesting to see how you get on with this. Some of the techniques you have developed over the last few years have produced some nice results.

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towne32 said:

Remarkable improvement.

Thanks!

I can only imagine what the actor playing that soldier would say if he knew how much time people would one day spend staring at his eyeballs.

(^^,)

When you say both sources, do you mean for different shots, or somehow using them together for super resolution frames?

I used them together, to average out noise and bring some details; then SuperResolution extract some more details, and filters do their job; at the end, a grain plate is applied.

For the shots with subtitles in GKar, I use same frames of TB, regraded and slightly filtered, to be similar to GKar version, then both are average out - this improves details a bit more than using just TB.

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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Wow, just the amount of color that is restored is amazing.

Would the LaserDisc sets be of any better quality? Specifically the Japanese set released in 2000?

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CapableMetal said:

I'm well! Just taking a break from messing with laserdisc players and soldering irons and saw you're once again undertaking a Star Wars project.

Happycube project, right?

I'm sure I have Flunk on a DVD9 somewhere. I got it off the spleen a few of years ago, but I guess the torrent might be dead by now.

Still one seeder now and then; if you could find it and seed it, it will be great!

I haven't watched it in ages, but I think it suffers from crushed blacks and a bit too much sharpening. Reivax has a load of frames missing (100+, I believe).

I'm aware of it, but I'd like to watch it neverthell, as it is less cropped than the others.

Gkar generally suffers from excessive compression artifacts and has a washed-out look to the colour palette. The TB version for ANH is fine, I believe, but TESB has a video error and missing frames as a result. All are slathered with the same DVNR. Its the same old story we're used to by now; each source has its issues. Nevertheless it will be interesting to see how you get on with this.

Answered in the previous post, while you were posting in the same time!

Some of the techniques you have developed over the last few years have produced some nice results.

Thanks, I must add that you are one of the many users here that helped me growing during these years; so, thanks also to them!

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

I used them together, to average out noise and bring some details; then SuperResolution extract some more details, and filters do their job; at the end, a grain plate is applied.

For the shots with subtitles in GKar, I use same frames of TB, regraded and slightly filtered, to be similar to GKar version, then both are average out - this improves details a bit more than using just TB.

 Very clever. I do hope this becomes available once complete!

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If you're gonna go TB route maybe using the Widescreen VHS set as a combiner source would be better?

Just a thought .....

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 (Edited)

Because source are cropped at the sides - just like laserdiscs - I calculated (when I did my first SE project) that actual image is around 2.25:1; so, the final active size should be 1920x856, to mantain proportions - even if the best would be 1920x840, to have exact double vertical size of the source, hence less upscaling errors; it will be about 2.28:1, closer than 2.35:1

towne32 said:

Very clever. I do hope this becomes available once complete!

We'll see... for the moment, I'm just experimenting; I'm curious to know how good this is in comparison to other preservations, though! Any screenshots?

Jetrell Fo said:

If you're gonna go TB route maybe using the Widescreen VHS set as a combiner source would be better?

Just a thought .....

Nope... the VHS, I must admit, is not that bad... to be a tape source; but it's not even near the TB quality; at least, I'd use the laserdisc, but, again, combined together, the TB and GKar are a step ahead any laserdisc capture - until we'll see a software-based capture, and I'm really waiting for it!

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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Feallan said:

Okay. This is magic.

Thank you very much... tell it to my son, who, after have watched the screenshot comparisons, magnified maybe 10x, showing him the differences, said: "Well, at the end, they are not that different!"... (xx_)

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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Random question, and I apologize if this has been asked a million times before. But, is the 97 SE considered better than the 2004 SE because the color timing in the 97 SE are way better and more natural? I have never fully watched the 97 SE before, only parts here and there. I do own the widescreen VHS set, so that is my only way of seeing them now.

Thanks

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I aligned the 97 and 04, and I think that, even if the 97 sources I'm using have not a perfect color grading, this is almost always better than 04 - IMHO!

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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_,,,^..^,,,_ said:


Jetrell Fo said:

If you're gonna go TB route maybe using the Widescreen VHS set as a combiner source would be better?

Just a thought .....

Nope... the VHS, I must admit, is not that bad... to be a tape source; but it's not even near the TB quality; at least, I'd use the laserdisc, but, again, combined together, the TB and GKar are a step ahead any laserdisc capture - until we'll see a software-based capture, and I'm really waiting for it!

Aside from burnt in subs is there any reason to think the Japan LD's might not be a better candidate than say the US or French LD's?  I believe the French set had the best picture quality out of the bunch aside from the PAL aspect which seems fairly easy to adjust for.

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_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

I aligned the 97 and 04, and I think that, even if the 97 sources I'm using have not a perfect color grading, this is almost always better than 04 - IMHO!

 That convinces me to at least give the 97 set a shot. Thank you!

Very much looking forward to what you have! Your GOUT upscale work is very convincing, and I think you will have terrific results here!

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Zyrother said:

That convinces me to at least give the 97 set a shot. Thank you!

Very much looking forward to what you have! Your GOUT upscale work is very convincing, and I think you will have terrific results here!

 Thanks a lot!

Jetrell Fo said:

Aside from burnt in subs is there any reason to think the Japan LD's might not be a better candidate than say the US or French LD's?  I believe the French set had the best picture quality out of the bunch aside from the PAL aspect which seems fairly easy to adjust for.

Don't know if you remember, but I did comparison between LD and Gkar at the time I made my first SET (Special Edition Trilogy) project - Star Wars: A New Hope [SET ruLes 1.0] - AVCHD & BD RELEASED! - and, even if LD is very good, and Gkar has its defects, when the latter is combined with TB, result is superior to LD...

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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New comparisons - this time I set the image at 1920x840, refined a bit the script, and applied a preliminary color regrade.

Gkar Bicubic Vs MagicSR + BasiClean + GrainPlate:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125542

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125545

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125548

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125552

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/125553

Sadly my projects are lost due to an HDD crash… 😦 | [Fundamental Collection] thread | blog.spoRv.com | fan preservation forum: fanres.com

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So, this looks pretty incredible.  It's hard to believe you can manage this with just a few filters.  I can't wait to see what this process will bring out of a higher quality broadcast.  I always liked the Reivax French cap, but I think it has burned-in alien subtitles...

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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It seems the new scripts adds aliasing. Other than that, looks amazing :)

Preferred Saga:
1/2: Hal9000
3: L8wrtr
4/5: Adywan
6-9: Hal9000