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Stephen King's IT (1990) - Original two-part version! [RELEASED]

Author
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 (Edited)

It

The movie “Stephen King’s It” (1990) originally premiered as a two-part TV mini-series. However, for quite some time, it was only available in the form of one long movie (at least since the DVD).

The difference is that some footage has been cut out from the end of Part 1 and the beginning of Part 2 - most notably, where there are on-screen credits. Basically, in Part 1, the final shot of bloody “IT” written on the wall and the end credits are removed. In Part 2, the entire intro and opening scenes have been removed. Additionally, the BluRay had the end credits redone in a different style.

The currently known cut versions:

  • German VHS (4:3)
  • UK VHS (4:3)
  • Worldwide DVD (cropped to 16:9)
  • Worldwide BluRay (4:3)

The available uncut versions:

  • US VHS (4:3)
  • US Laserdisc (4:3) (Amazon link)
  • A UK TV airing.

Source Materials:

  • The picture was taken from the BluRay. It has been remastered in great quality and offers the original 4:3 aspect ratio.
  • Footage from the uncut NTSC LaserDisc has been provided by RidgeShark. This footage needed to be upscaled and regraded, as the colors and contrast of the LD were rather murky.
  • An entire digital PAL SDTV recording in 544x576i was provided by JayArgonaut. It has better color and contrast but was suffering from an intrusive TV logo and bad compression.

What has been done:

  • Upscaled the LD footage shot by shot and regraded them with the ColorMatch tool.
  • Recreated the intro credits for Part 2 by merging the BluRay footage with LD footage.
  • The end credits for Part 2 were only available in the SDTV source, however, they had voices and a squeeze effect applied to a part of them. Missing credit titles were recreated by using LD footage from Part 1 and re-animated.
  • Audio editing to reconstruct the full version and the (shorter) end credits for Part 2. Reencoding in DTS-HDMA 2.0.
  • Reconstruction of the Lorimar logo. 😃
  • Resync of English subtitles for the new runtime and added dialogs. Subtitles are available both as normal and HoH versions.
  • Resync of the existing and addition of new chapter marks (based on the original BluRay ones).

Result is a 22.1 GB MKV file.

As always, no download links here.

Media info:

Unique ID                                : 175785817997259163523193354472887051179 (0x843F1DF82A53DF149A2FC4AFC45663AB)
Complete name                            : Stephen King's It.mkv
Format                                   : Matroska
Format version                           : Version 4 / Version 2
File size                                : 22.1 GiB
Duration                                 : 3 h 11 min
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 16.5 Mb/s
Encoded date                             : UTC 2017-09-17 06:09:05
Writing application                      : mkvmerge v8.2.0 ('World of Adventure') 64bit
Writing library                          : libebml v1.3.1 + libmatroska v1.4.2

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L4
Format settings                          : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, RefFrames               : 4 frames
Codec ID                                 : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                                 : 3 h 11 min
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 14.8 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate                         : 30.0 Mb/s
Width                                    : 1 920 pixels
Height                                   : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Original frame rate                      : 23.976 (23976/1000) FPS
Standard                                 : NTSC
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.298
Stream size                              : 19.8 GiB (90%)
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No
Color range                              : Limited
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : DTS
Format/Info                              : Digital Theater Systems
Format profile                           : MA / Core
Mode                                     : 16
Format settings, Endianness              : Big
Codec ID                                 : A_DTS
Duration                                 : 3 h 11 min
Bit rate mode                            : Variable / Constant
Bit rate                                 : 1 711 kb/s / 1 509 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        :  / Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 93.750 FPS (512 SPF)
Bit depth                                : 24 bits
Compression mode                         : Lossless / Lossy
Stream size                              : 2.29 GiB (10%)
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No

Text #1
ID                                       : 3
Format                                   : UTF-8
Codec ID                                 : S_TEXT/UTF8
Codec ID/Info                            : UTF-8 Plain Text
Duration                                 : 3 h 9 min
Bit rate                                 : 54 b/s
Count of elements                        : 2201
Stream size                              : 75.7 KiB (0%)
Title                                    : English
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No

Text #2
ID                                       : 4
Format                                   : UTF-8
Codec ID                                 : S_TEXT/UTF8
Codec ID/Info                            : UTF-8 Plain Text
Duration                                 : 3 h 10 min
Bit rate                                 : 59 b/s
Count of elements                        : 2470
Stream size                              : 82.9 KiB (0%)
Title                                    : English for the Hard of Hearing
Language                                 : English
Default                                  : No
Forced                                   : No
Author
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TheHutt said:

…There might also be actual HDTV airings of the 2-part version.

I recorded an SDTV airing of the original 2-part version a few years ago from a UK channel where old video masters and OOP stuff frequently turn up (especially Warner content). Unfortunately the resolution is 544x576i - nowhere even close to NTSC 720x480, let alone 720/1080p.

“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk
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 (Edited)

I’ll see if I can dig up my laserdisc copy and player that are in storage. Certainly no promises (I have plenty of unfinished projects), but it would be fun to see how well the deleted segments can be upscaled to 1080p and reintegrated into the movie. Shame about the footage being cut.

Also - I noticed you used my clip on youtube. 😉 That’s actually taken from a VHS rip by another user over at the internal organ place. It’s a bit overly filtered for my taste, but it got the job done. You may have noticed I upscaled it to 1080p for better viewing. There’s also a laserdisc rip there but it has been deinterlaced by simply throwing away half the resolution which makes for a very ugly upscale to 1080p. If anyone else out there wants to tackle a laserdisc transfer, you can do a lot worse than using this avisynth script to get proper 24p:

TFM(PP=0,mChroma=false)
TDecimate(mode=1)

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Also - I noticed you used my clip on youtube. 😉 That’s actually taken from a VHS rip by another user over at the internal organ place. It’s a bit overly filtered for my taste, but it got the job done. You may have noticed I upscaled it to 1080p for better viewing. There’s also a laserdisc rip there but it has been deinterlaced by simply throwing away half the resolution which makes for a very ugly upscale to 1080p. If anyone else out there wants to tackle a laserdisc transfer, you can do a lot worse than using this avisynth script to get proper 24p:

Wow! Small world. 😃
Thanks for the info and the potential help with the LD footage.
One user at Blu-ray.com offered to make a recording on US TV. If it is indeed in HD, I would try that. Else, I would fall back to the LD as the best SD source.

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I snagged the 2 VHS edition someone made a DVD out of and I’m going to watch it tonight. It would be nice to see if someone would make a composite of the LD and the 2 tape VHS release to get a nicer picture for a possible upscale.

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Why do a composite of LD and 2 tape VHS? The LD is the uncut version (192 min). No need to compose it with VHS.

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TheHutt said:

Why do a composite of LD and 2 tape VHS? The LD is the uncut version (192 min). No need to compose it with VHS.

It was merely a suggestion, not a direction.

The VHS is uncut as far as I can tell too. At least the 2 tape version.

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Jetrell Fo said:

TheHutt said:

Why do a composite of LD and 2 tape VHS? The LD is the uncut version (192 min). No need to compose it with VHS.

It was merely a suggestion, not a direction.

The VHS is uncut as far as I can tell too. At least the 2 tape version.

There’s literally no need to do that though since the Laserdisc is uncut. Ideally, editing the cut footage from LD into the Bluray transfer would be best.

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I hope @RidgeShark will be able to get footage from his LD. 😃

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Some good news. My Pioneer CLD-D704 laserdisc player’s spindle clamp was not grabbing discs and I feared the worst. But after cleaning it,the clamp now grabs the disc and begins playing.

I should have some time next weekend to transfer the footage and see what it needs to create a proper upscale. Still hoping a HDTV airing will come along with the footage. From what I see online, past HDTV rips are 187 min (NTSC) and 180 min (PAL) - so they are the cut version.

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 (Edited)

I was able to take a crack at it a little sooner. I have no idea what the blu-ray will look like, so this has only been adjusted per my personal tastes to improve the appearance of the laserdisc when upscaled to 1080p.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5eEa2k1FrDHSDg5cm54UDMwT1k/view?usp=sharing

File size is bit large (517mb) to better preserve the light film grain I added to give this a more natural look. I appreciate any critiques and recommendations. I’d especially like to hear from others who have worked on laserdisc transfers.

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Thanks! I’ll check it out. 😃

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RidgeShark said:

I was able to take a crack at it a little sooner. I have no idea what the blu-ray will look like, so this has only been adjusted per my personal tastes to improve the appearance of the laserdisc when upscaled to 1080p.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5eEa2k1FrDHSDg5cm54UDMwT1k/view?usp=sharing

File size is bit large (517mb) to better preserve the light film grain I added to give this a more natural look. I appreciate any critiques and recommendations. I’d especially like to hear from others who have worked on laserdisc transfers.

It might be worth seeing what sort of grain is present on the Blu-Ray, then adding the appropriate amount to match that.

“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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 (Edited)

RidgeShark said:

I was able to take a crack at it a little sooner. I have no idea what the blu-ray will look like, so this has only been adjusted per my personal tastes to improve the appearance of the laserdisc when upscaled to 1080p.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5eEa2k1FrDHSDg5cm54UDMwT1k/view?usp=sharing

File size is bit large (517mb) to better preserve the light film grain I added to give this a more natural look. I appreciate any critiques and recommendations. I’d especially like to hear from others who have worked on laserdisc transfers.

Looks quite nice at first glance! I’ll check out how it’ll play with the BD footage once I have it.
By the way, could you also rip the end of Part 1 from LD for me as well? 😃

Also, it’d be nice to have a version without added grain (for the reason stated above) for both clips.

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 (Edited)

Colson said:

It might be worth seeing what sort of grain is present on the Blu-Ray, then adding the appropriate amount to match that.

Absolutely my intention. Along with color and level corrections to better match the Blu-ray.

TheHutt said:

Looks quite nice at first glance! I’ll check out how it’ll play with the BD footage once I have it.
By the way, could you also rip the end of Part 1 from LD for me as well? 😃

Also, it’d be nice to have a version without added grain (for the reason stated above) for both clips.

I’ll post the raw 480i copies soon so you can have a look. The previous clip was more a fun experiment and is not recommended to be used in a final composite with the blu-ray.

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Still, it was a nice demonstration of what can be pulled from this SD material.

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RidgeShark said:

Colson said:

It might be worth seeing what sort of grain is present on the Blu-Ray, then adding the appropriate amount to match that.

Absolutely my intention. Along with color and level corrections to better match the Blu-ray.

Glad to hear it! I’m excited for the release.

“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:

TheHutt said:

…There might also be actual HDTV airings of the 2-part version.

I recorded an SDTV airing of the original 2-part version a few years ago from a UK channel where old video masters and OOP stuff frequently turn up (especially Warner content). Unfortunately the resolution is 544x576i - nowhere even close to NTSC 720x480, let alone 720/1080p.

SilverWook said:

There was also a VCD release at one point.
http://www.tuah.com/vcdcd/cgi-bin/vcd_info.cgi?id=1709
Pretty sure this website is dead though.

I’d like to see the 576i and VCD versions.

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 (Edited)

Here are the original captures. One caveat though - these are DV codec, so be careful with the reds if doing your own processing. It would be better if I had an uncompressed video capture system with state of the art 3D comb filter, but I don’t 😦. But Laserdisc is an analog composite format, so I don’t think it hurts it too much. At least this isn’t a crappy MPEG-2 capture.

One big plus though - figured out an efficient way to record audio from the optical out. So unlike the earlier example, the audio is now full uncompressed stereo and probably about as good as you can get from this laserdisc.

End of Part 1 (622mb) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5eEa2k1FrDHZnNxM1B5bXhjTm8/view?usp=sharing

Beginning of Part 2 (891mb) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5eEa2k1FrDHVW53ZHR3ODJuams/view?usp=sharing

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Might the 576i be higher quality?

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I am not sure this version was ever released in PAL.

@RidgeShark: much obliged!

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 (Edited)

Away from home at the moment so give me a few days and I’ll provide some grabs of the 576i UK PAL recording.

“Logic is the battlefield of adulthood.”

  • Howard Berk
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 (Edited)

Sweet! Your 544x576i recording could be superior and the way to go. From what I gather, NTSC laserdisc resolution maxes out around 425x480 compared to VHS at 333x480. So as long as there isn’t some ugly NTSC to PAL conversion going on, and the video compression is decent - well, we shall see 😉

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SpookyDollhouse said:

Jetrell Fo said:

TheHutt said:

Why do a composite of LD and 2 tape VHS? The LD is the uncut version (192 min). No need to compose it with VHS.

It was merely a suggestion, not a direction.

The VHS is uncut as far as I can tell too. At least the 2 tape version.

There’s literally no need to do that though since the Laserdisc is uncut. Ideally, editing the cut footage from LD into the Bluray transfer would be best.

I thought there was no need for a composite yet here we are discussing a different option for a composite. I’ll never understand why people want to dismiss suggestions so easily but it’s all good, as long as the project is done in a way that everyone enjoys, that is what counts.