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“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
Star Wars - The Edits and DVDr releases thread — Page 13
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Cool logo btw
“Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here?”
“Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?” - Oddball, of The Awkward Squad
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Okay, I got a chance tonight to sit down with the ISOMIX ANH DVD Transfer and while I only took the time to check out the menus, the easter egg and the isolated score I wanted to come here and post a quick review just to let everyone know what I think.
I plan on posting a more detailed review as soon as I have time to go through the entire ISOMIX Trilogy but here is a little something to get the ball rolling.
First, what is the ISOMIX Trilogy and who made it? I will say first that I do not know who "ISOMIX" is and Rik hasn't spilled the beans yet, but if "ISOMIX" wants to chime in, please do... take credit for your efforts
As for the "ISOMIX Trilogy", this project is actually kind of cool. The author of this set of DVDs has mastered the Definitive Laserdisc collection to DVD and while that has definitely been done several times before, the coolest part is that this set provides an "isolated music score". This means that during the movie you can flip to the second audio stream which is the music score only.... no special effects, no dialogue, just the music. Everything is synched up and edited perfectly to match the music that is playing in the movie.To listen to the "isolated music score" you have two options. You can (a) select the "isolated music score" from the Audio Options or (b) switch to the second autio track via your DVD Player's Remote Control.
As you may have guessed by the mention of the "Audio Options" part above, this set does have menus.... more on that later
The "isolated music score" is very nice but since it comes from what is most likely one of the newer digitally remastered CD sets it is much cleaner and louder than the music in the movie so you will definitely notice a difference when flipping between the audio tracks, however, I would say that this is fine because the idea behind the "isolated music score" is to listen to the music so it should be more in the foreground and louder than what you would expect in the movie behind all the special effects and dialogue.
With that said, on to the Menus
Like many of you out there, I love Menus
While the TR47 is really great, its biggest downfall is that it has no menus.
The ISOMIX Trilogy has some really cool menus. Let me start from the beginning to give you a good feel for what you get with this set.
First, you put the DVD in your DVD Player and click the button to close the tray and load the disc and then you are greeted with a message that says "Along time ago, on May 25, 1977".... something cool is coming up, I just know it.... then, we are treated to our most despised "altered" scene that introduces Han Solo as the "scoundrel" he is. Han shoots first and then we are taking through through the "Star Wars" intro we have seen on many of the VHS transfers where the words "Star Wars" appears with several video segments flying by as the music from our beloved movies plays on... this leads into the "main menu".
The "Main Menu" utilizes one of the famous poster drawings we all know and love:
ANH Poster
Main Menu
* Play Movie
* Chapters
* Options
There is also a somewhat "hidden" option to play the intro the Star Wars that was played on TV just before the very first airing of Star Wars on Cable TV. I guess we can call this an "easter egg". If you have never seen this little "intro" I would highly recommend watching it.
The "Chapters" Menus is pretty nice. A lot of the "bootleg" DVD transfers of the Star Wars Trilogy simply have snapshots of chapters or merely a text "caption" for a Chapter but the ISOMIX transfer has full motion video "samples" of each chapter much like what you would see in professional DVDs. To top it off, each "page" of the Chapters menu includes background music to match the musical score from the related scenes. This is definitely one of the best "Chapter" menus I have ever seen on a "bootleg" DVD.
Each of the menu options include audio/video snippets from the movies as entrance and exits for the new menu screen.
If I were to grade on Menus alone I would give this transfer an "A" but we have to look at the entire presentation first and take each "con" into consideration.
Okay, menus are really cool, the idea of being able to switch back and forth to an "isolated score" is tres cool but what about the movie itself? Sadly, this is where the set fizzles. This is a DVD that was screaming dual-layered DVD-9 but alas it is only DVD-5 at 4.7GB and with the animated intro, animated menus, animated chapter selection, a rather lengthly "easter egg" movie intro and two audio tracks, there wasn't much room left over for what is really important here... the movie.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I did not watch the entire movie, I just flipped through and checked out all the features of the disc. However, I don't think I really needed to watch the entire movie to grade its audio/video presentation. Okay, what is so wrong with the transfer? Well, like most of the "letterboxed" (aka non-anamorphic) transfers, the ISOMIX version was encoded with the black bars. I really appreciate all the guys out there giving it their best to transfer these movies to DVD but for the love of god, please spend a few minutes on VideoHelp.com. The number one rule in encoding widescreen movies where the desire is to fill out a 4:3 display (rather than 16:9 anamorphic widescreen) is to crop out the black bars and let the encoder add them in digitally. This dramatically reduces the time for encoding and makes the resultant video look so much more professional. Much like all the other "letterboxed" transfers the ISOMIX transfer suffers from grayish/black bars at the top and bottom and flashes of little "silver" spots here and there as is always present in analog sources such as Laserdisc and VHS. Did this really detract from the movie? No, not really but its one of my pet peeves
The colors in the video actually don't look too bad but the fuzzy, grayish/black look of the darker scenes is a real distraction.
Its almost midnight on a Saturday night so I think I should probably go spend some time with my wife
....but tomorrow I hope to take some time to make some screenshots to give you all a better idea of what you will find on this transfer. If you saw the post I made in the "Bootleg DVDs" thread where I compared the "official" DVD, TR47, Dr Gonzo and MeBeJedi, then you will be prepared for the comparison I will show you later. I will use the same screen shots for simplicity sake and will take some more of the darker scenes to show those off as well.
While the video quality is less than spectacular, especially in the darker scenes, I can't say that this is a bad transfer. If anything, I would highly recommend this set to those people who enjoy listening to the music from the soundtrack. Whether you want to just sit down and enjoy the Star Wars Musical Score or you want to listen to the music only as you work around the house with the option of viewing the video as well, this set is pretty cool.
For all of you out there working on creating your own transfers of these great movies I would highly recommend getting this set just to take a look at the menus. The menus on this set definitely raise the bar.
However, I would also tell anyone contemplating transferring our beloved Star Wars to DVD to invest into a dual-layer DVD Burner so that you can add in motion menus, extras and multiple audio tracks without sacrificing video quality for the most important part.
Dual-layer DVD Burners typically sell for as little as $80 and media is coming down in price all the time. Even while the media is more expensive at the moment, the quality is well worth the price.
For those looking for Dual-layer DVD Burners, don't be fooled by high-priced burners with big names like SONY, a large percentace of the burners out there use the same guts as provided by the Lite-On corporation so do your homework and save money without sacrificing quality.
Until later..... may the force be with you
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“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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Originally posted by: Z-95
Why can't I see the whole text of the first post? It ends with "but otherwise it looks and sounds pretty g ". Any way I could get the full text?
Why can't I see the whole text of the first post? It ends with "but otherwise it looks and sounds pretty g ". Any way I could get the full text?
Anyone? Please?
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pretty good!!
That's it... you really did not miss much
“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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Originally posted by: Z-95
Oh, thats the end of the post? I thought I remembered that there were a couple more reviews below that. Hmm, maybe I just don't remember correctly. Thanks anyway tho!
Oh, thats the end of the post? I thought I remembered that there were a couple more reviews below that. Hmm, maybe I just don't remember correctly. Thanks anyway tho!
There MAY have been it seems that the MESSAGE can only be so long before it gets truncated. Most forums have a feature that tells you that your post is too long and needs to be edited or it will be truncated.
- BTW I started a TR47 Thread HERE!
“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>
<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>
<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>
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NEW - The Forgotten Scenes - Ark Impressions Release/ Angrysun Remix
- 1 DVDr
- This is in PAL format
- Source - Fan created Slideshow/Video Clips of cut and unused takes
- Includes WORKPRINT footage of the alternate Jedi end!!!
- Interactive Menu
Tech Specs
- 3.85gigs
- Runtime: 50:20
- Video: 8 Mbps (average bitrate)
- Audio: LPCM 1536 Kbps
NEW - Hinter Den Masken “Behind the Masks”
- 1 DVDr
- This is in PAL format
- Source - German “DVD Kombinat” documentary
- Interactive Menus
Featuring random convention interviews with
- Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
- Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
- Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
- Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
- Dave Prowse (Darth Vader)
- Kenneth Colley (Admiral Piett)
- Garrick Hagon (Biggs Darklighter)
NEW - The Star Wars Holiday Special - Angrysun “Unauthorized Collection”
- 1 DVDr
- Source - true 1st generation “broadcast” tape transfer from KCCI Channel 8 Des Moines, Iowa
- Newer Transfer with Higher Quality
- Interactive Menus
- Includes: Easter egg with Rare FOX NEWS clip and Kenner Toy Commercial with C-3PO and R2-D2
- Custom Cover Art Coming Soon
NEW - MagnoliaFan’s Episode I - Balance of the Force [ADigitalMan-PG-Remix]
NOW including a new "ADigitalMan" PG SUB-TITLE Re-Edit of MagnoliaFan’s “Balance of the Force”
- 1 DVDr
- Source - DVD re-edit
- Anamorphic Transfer
- Subtitle Track 1 - PG Subtitles - subtle dialogue changes
- Subtitle Track 2 - Original Subtitles
Don't forget trades are always welcome!
“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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Originally posted by: Rikter
The KNOWN *Audio differences:
...
1) Alarms and klaxons are different.
2) Added panel sound effects aboard the Falcon, including a descending whine as they come out of hyperspace.
3) The communications to Tarkin via comlink are completely different.
4) When Threepio and Artoo are hiding from the Imperials on Tatooine, the stormtroopers dubbed voice is different, and so is the line:
Laserdisc:
"All right, check this side of the street. The doors locked. Move on to the next one."
Pre-ANH video:
"All right, check that side of the street. It's secure. Move on to the next one."
5) A different actress dubs for Aunt Beru. Neither version features the real voice of actress Shelagh Fraser, who has a thick British accent.
6) Some Threepio dialogue uses different takes. The additional lines ("The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave....") are missing from the laserdisc version.
7) The echo in the core shaft ("I think we took a wrong turn...") is present in both versions. However, the echo is more pronounced in the laserdisc version--probably because the video is missing the surround channels.
8) The laserdisc is missing the now-famous "Close the blast doors!" line.
9) Intership voices during the final battle are not synthesized.
10) During the final battle, "countdown" voices on the Death Star and at the Massassi base on Yavin IV are completely different.
11) Luke's line on the laserdisc, "Blast it, Biggs. Where are you?" is different on the pre-ANH video: "Blast it, Wedge. Where are you?" (from the collection of Peter Poulakakos).
- SOURCE: Ryan Silva - He has also compiled the Star Wars Compendium of Lost Footage in 1995.
UPDATE - Magnolia Fan is doing a DVD restoration/remastering of this true 'O.G.' version of the film!
So can I infer from this that Magnoliafan has a good copy of this audio mix? If you've read my other post you will see that I managed to get hold of this soundtrack, but quality unfortunately is lacking. What was his source, i.e. the 1986 home video release, or something else? Any update on progress with this restoration? The KNOWN *Audio differences:
...
1) Alarms and klaxons are different.
2) Added panel sound effects aboard the Falcon, including a descending whine as they come out of hyperspace.
3) The communications to Tarkin via comlink are completely different.
4) When Threepio and Artoo are hiding from the Imperials on Tatooine, the stormtroopers dubbed voice is different, and so is the line:
Laserdisc:
"All right, check this side of the street. The doors locked. Move on to the next one."
Pre-ANH video:
"All right, check that side of the street. It's secure. Move on to the next one."
5) A different actress dubs for Aunt Beru. Neither version features the real voice of actress Shelagh Fraser, who has a thick British accent.
6) Some Threepio dialogue uses different takes. The additional lines ("The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave....") are missing from the laserdisc version.
7) The echo in the core shaft ("I think we took a wrong turn...") is present in both versions. However, the echo is more pronounced in the laserdisc version--probably because the video is missing the surround channels.
8) The laserdisc is missing the now-famous "Close the blast doors!" line.
9) Intership voices during the final battle are not synthesized.
10) During the final battle, "countdown" voices on the Death Star and at the Massassi base on Yavin IV are completely different.
11) Luke's line on the laserdisc, "Blast it, Biggs. Where are you?" is different on the pre-ANH video: "Blast it, Wedge. Where are you?" (from the collection of Peter Poulakakos).
- SOURCE: Ryan Silva - He has also compiled the Star Wars Compendium of Lost Footage in 1995.
UPDATE - Magnolia Fan is doing a DVD restoration/remastering of this true 'O.G.' version of the film!
(Sorry for all the questions! Just one more - what does 'O.G.' stand for?)
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I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently.
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Originally posted by: Rikter
NEW - The Star Wars Holiday Special - Angrysun “Unauthorized Collection”
- 1 DVDr
- Source - true 1st generation “broadcast” tape transfer from KCCI Channel 8 Des Moines, Iowa
- Newer Transfer with Higher Quality
- Interactive Menus
- Includes: Easter egg with Rare FOX NEWS clip and Kenner Toy Commercial with C-3PO and R2-D2
- Custom Cover Art Coming Soon
NEW - The Star Wars Holiday Special - Angrysun “Unauthorized Collection”
- 1 DVDr
- Source - true 1st generation “broadcast” tape transfer from KCCI Channel 8 Des Moines, Iowa
- Newer Transfer with Higher Quality
- Interactive Menus
- Includes: Easter egg with Rare FOX NEWS clip and Kenner Toy Commercial with C-3PO and R2-D2
- Custom Cover Art Coming Soon
By "broadcast" tape, do you mean that the tranfer has been made from a professional tape like the star wars reivax version?
Could you post a screenshot?
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Originally posted by: General Gravos
By "broadcast" tape, do you mean that the tranfer has been made from a professional tape like the star wars reivax version?
Could you post a screenshot?
By "broadcast" tape, do you mean that the tranfer has been made from a professional tape like the star wars reivax version?
Could you post a screenshot?
With the difference that this broadcast tape is probably from the late 70s (when TV quality and studio equipment was much worse) and not digital.
Although I really would like to see a screenshot, too. So far I only watched bad VHS transfers of the HS.
greetings
grisan
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“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>
<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>
<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>
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“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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Wipe them out...all of them.
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Wipe them out...all of them.
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Welcome to the madhouse
“My skill are no longer as Mad as the once were” RiK
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