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Doctor M

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Join date
1-Feb-2005
Last activity
6-Jul-2025
Posts
2,544

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Post
#256799
Topic
Terminator 3 T-HOPE Edition (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/256799/action/topic#256799
Time
The 25 to 29.97 trick is really pretty sweet, but I only use it on video that is natively 25 frames/sec.
If they pitchshifted the audio, it's really your only way to go (since correcting that rarely sounds good).

If they didn't pitchshift, that method will preserve the 4% speed up, which I consider the biggest flaw in most PAL conversions.
Which since you have to re-encode the video to 480 lines anyway, re-encoding the audio as well doesn't seem a huge effort.


To sum up:
If the audio is pitchshifted (that is the tonal quality lowered so people don't sound like they're sucking helium)
-Resize/reencode to 720x480 @ 25fps
-DGPulldown 25 to 29.97

If the whole thing was just sped up:
-Resize/reencode to 720x480 @ 23.976
-DGPulldown 23.976 to 29.97
-Re-encode audio 25 to 23.976

And yes, BeSweet can convert DD5.1. If you use the command line it's "-ac3enc( -b 448 -6ch ) -ota( -r 25000 23976 )".
You can find the option on most BeSweet GUIs too.
Post
#256721
Topic
Terminator 3 T-HOPE Edition (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/256721/action/topic#256721
Time
TYPICALLY the best way to convert PAL to NTSC is slowing the video down to 23.976 and using pulldown flags to 29.97. (The audio must be slowed down as well).

The problem is NTSC DVDs take up more space on a DVD (4% more). If you are near the limit of the DVD's capacity it may not fit.
Also, there is currently no automated software to do a complete DVD for you, only the movie (and quality will be questionable).

An important question is, is there speed up in the audio or did they pitch shift it?
If they pitch shifted it, when you slow the audio to match the video you will butch everyone up.

If you want to build the full DVD using your raw menus and converting to NTSC, doing it all manually is still your best way to go for the movie as well.

Don't be fooled by the few saying "I have a PAL player", PAL DVD players are damn hard to lay your hands on in the U.S.
Short of playing on a PC those of us over here will have difficulty watching your edit.

The steps:
Encode video with frame rate of 23.976 at 720x480.
Apply 23.976 -> 29.97 pulldown using DGPulldown.
Re-encode audio in BeSweet using the 25 -> 23,976 conversion option. (Assuming the audio was sped up and not shifted, this will bring the pitch back to it's original)
Rebuild the DVD.

You will need to do this for all video and audio content and re-author the DVD. You will not have sync problems doing this, I guarantee.



On another note, I'm curious if you've seen ADM's T3 edit and if that will influence any of your work.
Post
#256659
Topic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - THE MOVIE - Finally finished
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/256659/action/topic#256659
Time
I can't wait to see this.
KotOR has been called the best recent Star Wars movie rivaling the prequels.
I do not enjoy RPGs so I couldn't get into it even though I very much wanted to.

Cheers on an awesome project.

Computer Gaming World:
Knights is wisely set a full 4,000 years before Anakin Skywalker began stinking up the galaxy's movie screens, thus freeing the developers from the shackles of the movies' over-familiar story line and characters. Ironically, by doing so, BioWare has created a story closer in spirit to the original Star Wars film than any game actually featuring Luke, Chewie, and the gang.



Edit: If I recall correctly there are 2 different endings to this game. How are you dealing with that?
Post
#256119
Topic
Idea: a possible Red Dwarf fan film...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/256119/action/topic#256119
Time
Actually I just got around to seeing the Series 8 DVD with the extended episodes and the separate hour (!) of deleted footage.
Some of the deleted footage explain plot points much better (to the point of "Oh, that's what that was about.") or are have alternate shots that are much better.

A good edit would be:
The end of the last episode of series 7 (to explain getting back to Red Dwarf)
Most if not all of series 8 edited into one looong film. (Which can make the cross episode gag of Kryton's homemade penis work.)
Most of the deleted footage (trimming some less funny moments, trimming the timing of the jokes (there are some pauses during banter))
The ORIGINAL ending to series 8 which is a lot better and ends with our cast of leads back in charge and alone on the Dwarf.

It would be a good way of improving the crap that is series 8 and actually having a satisfying ending to the series.

Some effects shots might have to be completed unfortunately.
Post
#255374
Topic
L. A. Story - The Extended Zell Edition (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/255374/action/topic#255374
Time

(Updated 1-8-06)

L. A. Story Extended Edition
(Zell Edition? Zell A Story? Los Angeles Story? 16th Anniversary Edition? Still working on a subtitle.)

This has been a dream edit of mine for awhile. Ok, I will admit that’s weird.
I’ve been preserving a EP VHS copy of the Harry Zell scene from the Showtime premiere for over 10 years.
I’ve never been able to make it look good enough to match even the poor quality of the original DVD’s footage.

Finally there is now an official DVD (15th Anniversary) with that scene and more.
(The new DVD is also anamorphic with DD 5.1 audio.) I don’t know how I missed the release of this earlier this year, but I got a sweet deal at Costco.)

Expect:
*More Wacky Weather
*Moral Fiber Health Food Store
*A Walk In L.A. (from the trailer)
*Kazoo Church
*Cemetery Talk
*More Freeway Sign (Parts I & II)
*When Harris Met Harry (this scene is the whole reason for this edit)
*(2 pieces of) The alternate ending
*Harris Skipping to the Bank (another scene in the trailer only)
*Zell Skipping

This accounts for 13 additional minutes.

Scenes not added:
*Scott Bakula as the Boxer (4 parts) - These scenes are not good, which is a shame.
*Harris Skating Argument (out of character for everyone.)
*Harris goes Commercial (sort of funny… sort of, also annoying.)
*Zell Drops In (Abrupt, and without coherent dialog)

}Bonus Features{
*John Lithgow Presents: “Harry Zell Lives Again”. Showtime premiere introduction clip. It includes the reading of Steve Martin’s letter of apology for cutting him from the film.

If you haven’t been reading the thread this is going to be more work print-ish. All of the deleted video is letterboxed and has scratches, hairs, deinterlace artifacts, jitter, warping and is just plain ugly. All of the deleted audio is mono.

Video has had some mild noise reduction and converted to anamorphic. Audio sound fields are expanded whenever possible (and appropriate) to either all 3 front speakers or the full surround experience. This includes some newly added 5.1 sound effects and music.
For the few scenes, this has become a major undertaking.

Currently being seeded on Demonoid.com. This will also be available on RapidShare.com.

Post
#253429
Topic
Idea: a possible Red Dwarf fan film...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253429/action/topic#253429
Time
You absolutely need to pick up the new DVD releases if you don't have them.
Series 7 has extended/remastered episodes of Tikka to Ride, Ouroboros and Duct Soup, there's also lots of deleted scenes.
In fact all the seasons have a good deal of material that are perfectly good (not screwed up lines) but clips deleted mostly for time or pacing.
Series 8 of the new discs has extended/tv movie length versions of Back in the Red and Pete (the multipart episodes extended and cut together as single long ones).

You'd have a lot more to work with.
Post
#252765
Topic
Request: a 'Serenity' movie fan edit? - ADM??
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/252765/action/topic#252765
Time
It also sounds like this edit will have to utilize PAL and NTSC source (as well as anamorphic/non-anamorphic material). That can start to get pain-in-the-assy for a n00b.

But then again my first true edit was the Matrix and I can't imagine a deeper end to jump into.

I always wondered why Joss killed two leads in what most considered the start of a new franchise. I considered doing an edit with TV material to have a slightly different ending. But I'm a sucker for a happy ending as most of you know.
Post
#251357
Topic
Info: Hold onto your old Little Mermaid discs!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/251357/action/topic#251357
Time
Hmm, just a thought, but here's a second go at it.
This time I brightened the whites slightly (so the shirts and dog are more white), and added a sharpening filter.
Standard Edition:
http://adventureclub.postrock.net/lm/standard.jpg
Platinum:
http://adventureclub.postrock.net/lm/se.jpg
Standard Luma, Platinum Chroma:
http://adventureclub.postrock.net/lm/test2.jpg

A little better, but I still don't think any sort of work we can do at this point will make the original release look good enough to compete with the new one. It's just that the new one is sub-optimal.

Things of note: The sailors on the far right are slightly soft compared to the rest of the frame. That's even after sharpening.
Also check out the color change of the hair ribbon? Someone really went to town on the color.
And again, there is the odd rotation.

Funny thing. I watched the extras on disc 2 tonight. The "Story about the Story" featurette shows the clip of the Bishop-y guy with his knees.
It's not anamorphic, but the quality is pretty good.
Guess that slipped by someone.
Post
#251304
Topic
Info: Hold onto your old Little Mermaid discs!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/251304/action/topic#251304
Time
Ok, I will now recant what I've said.
If the screenshots I'm looking at are anything to go on, there may be some loss of quality in the new release, but compared to what the original DVD looked like it's still an improvement.
Now take this with a grain of salt since I cannot get the frames to merge correctly. Why? Well it seems besides different aspect ratios, the frame appears ROTATED! The Platinum disc is rotated slightly counterclockwise in the frame below. I have no idea why. BUT as a result the merge isn't perfect, but you should get the idea.
Standard Edition:
http://adventureclub.postrock.net/lm/standard.jpg
Platinum:
http://adventureclub.postrock.net/lm/se.jpg
Standard Luma, Platinum Chroma:
http://adventureclub.postrock.net/lm/test.jpg

There is just less detail in the original release. Period.
I am floored that the Platinum has brighter whites in many places, but the eyes are whiter on the Standard. Strange.

Anyway, I think just the audio and the knees are all that's really needed to be fixed...
Post
#251223
Topic
Info: Hold onto your old Little Mermaid discs!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/251223/action/topic#251223
Time

Ok, no-one is providing a definitive list of what needs to be done, or in fact even talking about doing this project...

My understanding is the last release has more mute colors, ringing artifacts and is non-anamorphic.
The new release is by and large improved on the above, yet has bad softening and artifacting (from poor digital clean up (They didn't use Lowry).)
Home Theater Forum has a great review: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/showthread.php?t=243216 Giving the video a 3/5 and the audio a 2.5/5.
None of the reviews I read take issue with the new colors, and you know, I really do like them.

Reviews uniformly thrash Little Mermaid's DEHT audio Mix as much as the prior DEHT mixes.

And of course we have this:http://adventureclub.postrock.net/lm/noknee.jpg
(Image missing)

What to do?

1) I suppose the ideal disc would use the sharper (but possibly more flawed) original DVD for the Luma channel (made anamorphic (and possibly properly digitally cleaned). Edit: As long as we're going for the ideal set, let's say we use the PAL DVD's Luma.
2) The new release for the Chroma channel.
3) The original 5.1 audio mix.
4) Bishop's got knee.
->Be aware vertical and horizontal lines will be lost because of different aspect ratios.

Will I be doing it? Sigh, I don't THINK so. Is anyone capable of doing this well?

Post
#250642
Topic
Idea: The Quiet Man - laserdisc to DVD preservation?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250642/action/topic#250642
Time

Looking at the DVD release of the Quiet Man today, I am again struck by the fact that it is terribly inferior to the Laserdisc edition (even though they’re suppose to be from the same source).

I’ve been toying with a clean up of the DVD (reducing some of the red blooming, chroma artifacts, etc.) and I still hate what I’m seeing.
Heck there’s even interlace artifacts in the thing.

I can’t imagine that there won’t be a restored release… eventually.
In the mean time has anyone kicking around the idea of a laserdisc preservation?