Charles Threepio

Put simply, an open home video standard allows for creative freedom in designing releases for your restorations; why settle for few choices in resolutions when you can run the whole gamut of them at whatever framerate and/or aspect ratio you think will best fit your presentation? Indeed, I’d use MKV files for the video content of GVS modules if Godot Game Engine supported them, as MKV is already a decidedly open container format as it is; with an open container format, we might as well hope for an open home video format as well, which is what GVS is intended to be. It’s not perfect, but hey, we all gotta start somewhere.

ChainsawAsh said:

Do you just really want to be able to make, say, a 1.5K, 1.66:1 movie with a full menu and extras without having to conform to a BR or UHD-BR standard with letterboxing and upscaling/downscaling to a set resolution for some reason?

Yes.

It’s basically an executable file designed to resemble, in its style, a DVD or Blu-ray. Don’t worry, I intend to make sure these files are safe for viewing. In fact, if I didn’t believe the video files generated in Godot Game Engine were safe, I wouldn’t have even proposed it in the first place.

As for the EDL potential, that’s one of the things I’ll look into after I prove the concept. Also, I’m thinking of standardizing the format, so that people will have a better understanding of what GVS modules are supposed to be. One thing I’m researching is the resolution of film, so I can work out standard resolutions for each original medium (e.g. 35mm Academy format, 5/70 Todd-AO, 15/70 IMAX, 16mm, even certain videotape stocks) and ensure that every film will be made available in its original theoretical resolution. The sooner standards, including the code, video, audio, subtitles, and export format, are reached for open home media, the better.

Which is why I do not recommend releasing GVS modules by themselves. There should be a DVD or Blu-ray to accompany it as well. One day, someone will find a way to improve on my GVS concept to eliminate the compatibility issue altogether. Whether it will be an evolution of GVS or another format entirely, I don’t know. All I know is, for now GVS is the best possible solution I could think of for PC and Mac users.

At any rate, once I produce a proof of concept, I’ll release the source code with comments on how each function works, in the hopes that one day my dream of a truly open home media format will be fulfilled.

For your consideration, the Godot Video System, or GVS for short.

Theoretically, you can make a universal video module simply by converting your finished video files to OGV or WEBM, creating a Godot Game Engine project, and uploading your video files into the project. Then, it’d be about as simple as programming menus and such. Best of all, you’re not limited in your choice of aspect ratio or resolution! You can make GVS modules in 1.5K or 2K, even 4K if you desire, and you’re not even limited to multiples of 512 horizontal pixels, either. Plus, you can choose between aspect ratios even in the same GVS module, with black bars appearing depending on your choice of aspect ratio–for example, a 1.33:1 GVS module will be viewable in 1.33:1, and may also have options for 1.66:1, 1.75:1, and/or 1.85:1.

Of course, at present, I’m only certain this theory will work with simple videos. Later, I plan to explore how this theory might work with more complex forms of interactivity and presentation, such as seamless branching and even non-anaglyphic forms of 3D. I will post in this thread again when I have updates on my end regarding GVS presentation.

When restoring the original logos for my 3D version, I’m using the UK R2 DVD as my source, for maximum possible quality.

I just ordered a German VHS of Toy Story for just $7.77, including S&H, and I’ll be comparing it to the German version of my 3D restoration source when it comes in.

At present, I have or am about to have videocassettes of Toy Story in the following languages:

• English
• French (Canadian)
• German
• Japanese (subtitled)
• Spanish (Latino)

Each tape will be used to help me prepare the matting to 1.85:1, the international titles, the subtitle tracks, and/or the special features. I’ve yet to acquire tapes in the following languages:

• French (European)
• Italian
• Spanish (Castellano)

And I might not be able to collect either of those three for about a month or two, as just preparing for the international 3D versions has drained my meager finances a quite bit.

OK, the following subtitle tracks are confirmed:

• English SDH
• English with titles
• English (titles only)
• French
• French (titles only)
• German
• German (titles only)
• Italian
• Italian (titles only)
• Japanese (based on the subtitles on the VHS release)
• Spanish (Castellano)
• Spanish (Castellano) (titles only)
• Spanish (Latino)
• Spanish (Latino) (titles only)

Some of the subtitles for each version may hew closer to dubtitles than to the official subtitle tracks, depending on what I’m able to decipher from each dub track. For example, “To infinity and beyond!” will be translated in the subtitles as “¡Al infinito y más allá!” in the Spanish (Latino) subtitle track and as “¡Hasta el infinito y más allá!” in the Spanish (Castellano) subtitle track. Also, I’m considering the use of other foreign English-language sources, including from Italy (yes, Disney released some of their films there on VHS in the original English language, believe it or not), as sources for foreign language subtitles, but only if those sources are what I think they are.

If it’s the Lumiere/Republic release, I’m pretty certain it was NTSC.

That, and the way home media works in the UK. If they were to relicense that track, they couldn’t simply readd it onto the DVD—they’d first have to resubmit it to the BBFC for classification, and we all know how much of a hassle that can be, especially when home media classification was first implemented by the moral watchdogs in 1985.

Open All Hours Series 2 is one. Most DVD prints remove a scene from one episode where Granville parodies Singin’ in the Rain. I happen to have an early R2 DVD release which retains the scene, and my PBS station’s print also retains it.

BTW for the 3D version, should I use the 3D closing credits or the 2D closing credits? And if I should use the latter, should I apply 3D enhancements or leave them as they are?

I think that would be splendid!

Those who requested the preliminary stereo zooming-out Disney logo should have the WeTransfer link in their inboxes soon. It’s essentially the right eye view thereof (we all know what the left eye view looks like from those old prints).

Sure.

Oh, if you have any 35mm Odeon snipes, could you send me scans?

Interesting… how were the Dolby and THX bumpers placed, if at all?

Great idea! BTW what trailers do you remember from that print?

I can’t help you there, but I can help you with recreations of logos and bumpers from the first season, including the funding slide at the end and the NET logo(s).

With Jonno’s help, I’ll soon be able to make a list of things that will appear in the UK version preshow. The one thing I already knew for sure is that Roller Coaster Rabbit might have been the short subject that preceded the feature in the UK.

Just got the Mexican Spanish VHS in the mail, and it looks thus far like only the “Walt Disney Pictures presents” and “a Pixar production” cards got translated into Spanish there. I’ll have to watch further to get a better idea of what the Mexican Spanish print looks like (I’m not even ten minutes into the feature presentation at present), but I suspect it uses the same print as that released later in the decade in anticipation of its sequel (which I don’t have, I only have any hint of what the 1999 VHS print looks like because of YouTube videos).

ETA: They also translated the Buzz Lightyear spaceship text, the Magic 8-Ball (“No cuentes con ello”), and the commercial, and there are also dubbing credits at the start and end of the closing credits.

I think Toy Story may have had alternate language titles on its 3D Blu-ray release, but right now the only release where I’m 100% positive about that is the Spanish release, which has English, German, and Castilian Spanish titles. I might need some help creating clean (textless) versions of the opening credits, the message on Buzz Lightyear’s spaceship, the Magic 8-Ball, and the Buzz Lightyear commercial (all in 3D, remember, so textless frames need to be created for each eye), but that depends on the translation instances I can verify.

For example, the French Canadian version has its credits subfont replaced by a serif font, and when Woody is pulled offscreen to reveal the film’s logo behind him it’s just the background for a split second before “Histoire de jouets” appears onscreen. However, at present I’m not sure if the French Canadian text appears on the American and/or Canadian 3D Blu-ray as well.

In addition to sourcing from any 3D Blu-ray release around the world as necessary, I’m also going to need to hunt for the following tapes to verify the extent of the translation work that needs to be done for each language:

• Castilian Spanish VHS
• European French VHS
• German VHS
• Italian VHS

Please do.

Planned preshow program (US version):

• “Coming Soon” snipe
• Jumanji final theatrical trailer
• Muppet Treasure Island theatrical trailer
• James and the Giant Peach theatrical trailer
• Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco theatrical trailer
• Flipper teaser trailer
• Sailor Moon SuperS: The Black Dream Hole theatrical trailer
• Policy trailer
• “Feature Presentation” snipe
• Dolby Train
• THX Cimarron (Dolby Digital variant)
• The Adventures of André and Wally B.

Correct me if I got any positions flip-flopped, and I want to try to include the Pacific Theatres snipe(s) if at all possible, preferably from a 35mm scan.

Yeah.