Release v0.1 is available. Please PM me (again... sorry!) if you'd like the links.
Update: I'm currently encoding Release v0.1 and I've decided to leave Release v0.0 up for now. Enjoy!
I'll be in IRC until ~12AM EST if anyone wants to chat.
frank678 said:
Well I suggest youre going to want to redo it if you desire top class preservation! I really think this tape deserves it (historical importance and all that) but if you are going to go for a second attempt don't burn out on this - better to take your time and not get sick of it - just as long as you keep the tape inside a shoe box filled with cotton wool and sleep with one eye open and a gun - it shouldnt go anywhere - it must be a lucky tape anyway to have lasted 34 years.
I agree 100% that this VHS needs to be properly preserved. Unfortunately, I don't have the money for a Panasonic AG-1980 and a good capture-card. I hope an OTer with such a setup can help me out in the near-future (any takers?).
The flicker IS caused by my capturing device! I just found the following thread on this issue with the Toshiba DVR620: http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/330282-Toshiba-DVR620-false-Macrovision
Can this guide be useful in determining if it was from a 35mm or a 70mm? Please update this thread with any findings!
frank678 said:
I'm finding it hard to tell - the slight flickering keeps making it look like a tv broadcast. (but that same effect was in the technicolor clips) - but my sense is this is a 35mm print because it feels so rich and detailed, but maybe the capture device it was made with make it look a bit soft in comparison to the technicolor clips. Otherwise they feel similar.
The flickering has to be from the capturing device. I can't see it when I'm watching the VHS on my CRT TV. none seems to think it has something to do with overloading and resetting, but I don't know anything about that.
The VHS is definitely from 1978, as I had my coworker verify it with his father. When did they first broadcast SW on TV?
Release Legend
Release v0.0 (one full-length AVI/DivX w/out-of-sync audio past ~1hr3min) is being taken down tonight at 5PM EST.
Release v0.1 (two half-length AVI/DivX w/in-sync audio) is going up after that. This'll be made available to Release v0.0 PMers only.
Release v0.2 will be full-length without audio sync issues. I think I know what I did wrong; that is, I need to delete duplicates, re-encode, and then join. Both DivX and lossless (Huffyuv) versions will be made available via Myspleen and Usenet (alt.bin.starwars) to everyone.
Release v1.0, if it ever happens, will be the raw Panasonic AG-1980 capture.
Everyone: In haste, I caused a slight out-of-sync audio error (it shows up past the ~1hr3min mark) when I joined the two halves of the capture. I'll be posting AVIs of the two separate DVD captures tonight as a temporary correction for this error. Sorry!
Edit 1: I forgot to mention that it does not show up on the VHS and is not present on the original DVD captures.
Edit 2: I also forgot to mention that the audio is not out-of-sync until ~1hr3min, so the current link's fine if you just want to examine or preview the video.
Reminders
To anyone with the links: Type Ctrl+S or click File->Download in GoogleDrive's interface to properly download the AVI. It's not preview-only.
To anyone without the links: PM me if you want 'em.
I also urge everyone to drop-in on IRC. Even if nobody's chatting, please try to contribute error findings (with frame numbers, of course!). Reaching a consensus quickly will give more time for someone with a Panasonic AG-1980 to step up and do a proper capture. How amazing would that be?
Edit: I forgot to mention that if you don't want to install an IRC client, try using Mibbit.
Again, the information is:
Server: irc.scifi-fans.net
Ports: 6660-6668,7000 (I use 6667.)
/join #OriginalTrilogy
Specifics: The first reel change over is short. Missing the second set of dots. The Reel 3-4 change over is long. Extended black screen. As previously reported, it's the mono mix and has the John Williams tight credit and the switch to scrolling credits has an overlap with John Barry, as seen in mthr and PuggoGrande.
none: Is it the mono mix? I heard "Blast it, Biggs! Where are you?" and Porkins' scream(s).
PMs sent. Please let me know if I forgot about you!
I'm joining the two losslessly-compressed AVIs into a single one right now. Let me tell you: the quality of this recording does not do the VHS justice.
EDIT: Sorry, I misunderstood your question. It's probably an IP in bad shape that is the reason for some of it if I would make a guess.
What does IP stand for in this context?
frank678 said:
The Baltimore Boot or BB?
You ought to pick a name because if someone's deep in some heavy anaylsis later on they're going to need a handy nickname
I think I may just go with something boring: Star Wars -- The PS78 (Porn Shop 1978) Edition.
Minor update: The porn store was (is?) in downtown Baltimore, MD.
frank678 said:
AntcuFaalb said:
I'm just amazed we have a bootleg of this high a generation.
Me too! Even if it's from a 16mm source, I'd really like to record this with a Panasonic AG-1980, as I think it'd be useful for color-correction. Do you agree?
As long as none of the skin tones make a person look like they had an accident inside a tanning bed it should be useful/informative I think.
The colors are very nice. I don't see any lobsters :-)
msycamore said:
AntcuFaalb said:
You_Too said:
msycamore said:
This cap was done with a Pioneer CLD-D790, would be nice to see this pressing captured by someone with a top of the line player such as a X9 or a X0 player. Right know I plan to just reupload a contrast corrected version of my original capture.
Ok, I'm still interested in seeing this. The samples you posted looked great. They somehow looked clearer than the old version.
I'm still interested as well. Count me in!
Thanks for showing interest.
What you guys are seeing is also the result of some light sharpening. (don't worry, no additional haloing will be present)
You're welcome! Lazy question: did the color inconsistency originate on the LD itself?
You_Too said:
msycamore said:
This cap was done with a Pioneer CLD-D790, would be nice to see this pressing captured by someone with a top of the line player such as a X9 or a X0 player. Right know I plan to just reupload a contrast corrected version of my original capture.
Ok, I'm still interested in seeing this. The samples you posted looked great. They somehow looked clearer than the old version.
I'm still interested as well. Count me in!
The adjusted pic bears this out, it has an AR of about 2.63:1.
So are you saying that the adjusted image is consistent with what you were talking about?
Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda said:
You mention "flicker". Do you mean the type of flicker that happens when you videotape a screen and the frame rates don't match?
No, I mean variation in the brightness; e.g., more bright, less bright, more bright, less bright, and so on. It's inconsistent, but tends to happen more during bright scenes, such as when C-3PO is walking in the desert in the beginning.
I've seen plenty of what you're asking about and it doesn't look like that at all.
I'm just amazed we have a bootleg of this high a generation.
Me too! Even if it's from a 16mm source, I'd really like to record this with a Panasonic AG-1980, as I think it'd be useful for color-correction. Do you agree?
How did the discussion go when your cohort mentioned he had this recording?
We were talking about Star Wars and he offhandedly mentioned that he may or may not have a bootleg from 1977-78.
Is it a hard cut or is there some VCR static. That's one of the problems of using this as an identification method, as tapes are just over 2 hours long, so is it cut because the original tape ran out or was it cut because it was part of the bootleg market and shortened reproduction time helped crank out the copies.
It's a hard cut. I forgot to mention: it has the tight (i.e., close together) JW credit.
16mm has not been ruled out. Both stereo and mono mixes were available in 16mm prints sold in the late 70s. As the vertical cropping is more then the 16mm, that's a factor which leans us in that direction. But not definitively.
I wasn't ruling out 16mm. I was trying to say: "Assume it's not 16mm for a second, what else can it be?"
Finding a flaw which could give us a sense of scale of the original print is an aspect to look out for at this point. For instance if a hair shows up, how much of the screen does it takes up will give us a sense of how large the original frame was. Another place to look for these flaws are at leaders, reel changes or where pieces of the film are missing. These pieces of the film may have been marked up by someone and the size of the pencil or pen may provide a clue.
I plan to post Parts 1 and 2 tonight to Dropbox. It'll be done no later than 8PM EST.
frank678 said:
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.
I agree. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I think we may now have a full-length original '77-78 color source for color-correction!
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?