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Jaiman Tuckuh

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Join date
20-Oct-2005
Last activity
13-Apr-2015
Posts
409

Post History

Post
#193551
Topic
What is the deal with NFO files?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/193551/action/topic#193551
Time
Originally posted by: ThatArtGuy
I'll let the screenshots speak for themselves:

Just notepad...

{annoying image omitted}

With Damn NFO Viewer...

{impressive image omitted}



Good point.


Ah... Reminds me of the old BBS'ing days.

Doesn't seem to be as many upper-ascii-encoded nfos as there used to be though.


I got the System Information file horsecrap after I installed the M$ rtf utility. (Has anyone actually encountered a System Information file?) Took me a while to find a tip on how to make the open-with stick. But I think I like the Damn Nfo idea better. It ran well when I tested it on a ye olde Athlon 500. And I like the idea of setting the foreground & background colors - makes it easier on the eyes than black upon white.
Post
#189995
Topic
AC-3 vs. MPEG audio?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189995/action/topic#189995
Time
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
"Or does Dolby licensing set the price pretty high?"

That's a lot of it. The AC3 plug-in doesn't work out of the box - you have to register the plug-in online first, so that's not included in the overall price. Same with the MainConcept MPEG-2 encoder.
Ohhhh boy...

"Does Vegas do a lot of tricks, like doing the proper phasing when you spread your additions across channels?"

Good question. I'm not sure. I'll get back to you on that one.

Thanks!

"6-channel PCM? Do players do 6-channel PCM? I'm out of my depth, here..."

Not to my knowledge, but considering how much space such a soundtrack would take up - WOOF! In fact, if I remember correctly, when I made a 6-channel PCM soundtrack, my computer wouldn't play it (it was an intermediate step in turning a 2-ch PCM track to a 5.1 soundtrack.)

<self-inflicted forehead slap>

Errrr.. I, well, I, uhh was thinking of, um, BluRay, because by the time I finish, we'll all be using that. Yeah... BluRay, that's it, that's the ticket. That's what I was thinking of. Uh huh.

Post
#189975
Topic
Frustrated with DVD burning
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189975/action/topic#189975
Time
Originally posted by: bad_karma24
Mmmm... MythBusters. Is there anything those guys don't do?

Speaking of Hannibal, I transferred the files to my computer one by one, and got no errors. When I go to class tomorrow I'll set a burn at 4x and see if that did anything. I'll probably refrain from putting a label on it for now though, until I test some of the other discs with labels that I have (maybe I should start watching these DVDs as soon as a burn them, as opposed to months later. Damn school.).

Cool! That's great news, man!


You beat me to it! I was just about to hit the reply button. But I'll post it, anyway, in case it's ever useful to anyone.


Originally posted by: bad_karma24
Alright, I just tried copying the files to my computer just through a file transfer (which has worked in the past) and I get: "Cannot copy VTS_01_03: Data error (cyclic redundancy check)." Gaaaaah!! Maybe I'll try my roommates computer, but for now I'm just pissed.


I've been there, in various unexpected ways [Western Digital doesn't tell you a controller card is required, on Win9X, for >120-Gig, unless you buy a kit with the controller (or you find the "wraparound bug" faq at their site); Rewritable discs go blank at random; a bad hdd sector can scramble a file or directory-entry without notice; the default settings of M$ Automatic Scandisk make it impossible to recover data...].

I know how pissed you are. Maaan, I know. But there's a good chance you can recover it.

I'd start by selecting the rest of the files & seeing if they'll copy out.


Then the first rule of data recovery is try-try-again. It rarely works on HDDs, but you've got a good chance with discs.

Repeated disc error-tests always come back slightly differently, on good discs, and can fluctuate wildly on bad burns. So that same drive might work next time (or the 20th time, or...). Even the free version of ISOBuster will retry as many times as you can stand (I don't know if it'll do so automatically). Then there's the thing about other drives.

And Isobuster can ignore a read-error to copy out a complete file, with a corrupt chunk. The video would break up at the corruption, but I imagine that the video could be fixed so it'd play normally shortly after that point.

I dunno about repairing the AC3 enough to play after the bad spot, though...


Of course, look at the disc for dust, or other cleanables (it would be risky to clean before you salvage all you can - cleaning tends to scratch). Its bad practice to blow on a disc - because saliva drops can be microscopic, so you might want to buy a can of pressurised air, or something, to get dust off before you clean. When its time to clean - rinse the data side with water (to reduce dust), dab off the water, then clean with Isoprypyl alcohol (to reduce waterproof stuff). Always wipe from center towards edge. Never wipe in a circular motion. (Circular scratches confuse the drive a lot more than radial scratches). After you dry the disc, it might be helpful to let the laser dry it, too (that's advice for LDs, I doubt if its nessecary for DVDs, but its worth trying).


There's a good chance its just one bad spot, now. So if you request (and get) a seed, you might be able to get it repaired in a matter of seconds. (I'd ask if you could, then, seed me, but there's already other stuff (Demonoid) that might go seedless during that time. ).
Post
#189887
Topic
Frustrated with DVD burning
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189887/action/topic#189887
Time
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
"Hmmm... maybe heat could change the reflectivity of the dye, or something."

Now that makes sense, though I would hope it would take a tremendous amount of heat, seeing as how the dye is supposed to be "fluid" only under the direct beam of a laser. Otherwise, pit size would be all over the place.

Good point. Yeah, well, I was just spitballing. But I think its possible that properties, like that, might change slightly, long before the melting point... That could explain why error-tests come back with slightly different results each time--- but it might not explain why it fluctuates more on poor media. Yah, doesn't matter... it was just a tired mind spewing out random thoughts that I should've edited off.


"Note to self: Start watching Mythbusters."

Oh, it is one of MANY awesome episodes. They attach CDs to a router and try various speeds - faster and faster. Slow-motion photograpy shows the disc warping as it spins. Finally, they max out the router, and the discs shatter as soon as they throw the switch. GREAT STUFF!

Episode 2: Cell Phone Destruction, Silicone Breasts, CD-ROM Shattering
"In this episode, Jamie and Adam test several explosive theories. Can chatting on a cell phone while pumping gas cause the pump to blow up? Our mythbusters put themselves at risk so you don't have to. They also put silicone breast implants to the test at high altitude. Will they burst under pressure? Finally, we'll learn once and for all if high-speed CD-ROM players can really shatter a compact disc."


Aww, I missed 3 of them this afternoon... Ouch - Variable scheduling vs. my rotton memory. But it sounds wicked-cool. I'm sold, I'll just keep trying to remember to search tv.com every day. Thanks!
Post
#189633
Topic
AC-3 vs. MPEG audio?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189633/action/topic#189633
Time
Soooo... if you wanted to modify a 5.1 soundtrack, exported the AC3 to wavs, did your tweaks, got them to sound "perfect" on your 5.1-channel (disregarding that my sound system is neither representative nor perfect)... you'd still want a good encoder to handle the AC3 compression, then, right? (What with masking off "inaudible" sounds and all that, if I haven't screwed up the terminology).

Vegas seems to be the gold-standard. And kinda gold-priced. Is there anything cheaper that'll get the job done? Or does Dolby licensing set the price pretty high? Are there good bundles? Maybe a limited version? Does Vegas do a lot of tricks, like doing the proper phasing when you spread your additions across channels? Or... well, I don't know enough to ask the right questions, I suppose...

Come to think of it, that's off topic in this thread... so...

I've got plans for fan-edits of 48 minutes (perhaps a little more), on SL discs, would, say, Dolby 2.0 PCM fit, without a lot of video recompression? 6-channel PCM? Do players do 6-channel PCM? I'm out of my depth, here...
Post
#189625
Topic
Info &amp; Help Wanted: batman and robin - de-assified
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189625/action/topic#189625
Time
Originally posted by: greencapt
Originally posted by: Jaiman Tuckuh
Hey, greencapt! I was watching De-Assified, again. I gotta say: Thumbs up, man!

Thanks. Really! It seems like ages since I did it and I'm amazed and pleased by the way fan-edits have taken off since then. I have a couple more projects in the works... slloooooooowwwwwllllyyyyyyy... but I hope the end results are worth it.


Hey! You've started the next ones. Two of them. That's great news!

They'll be worth the wait.

Oh and... nope, I won't tell for now... gots to have secrets!

I can understand that. (Or I think I do). I'll be looking out for the next news.



Edited: De-assified my post.
Post
#189561
Topic
Frustrated with DVD burning
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189561/action/topic#189561
Time
Wow... it took a long time to save that last post, up there. Maybe I'd better be careful, after all... :-)

Am I overdoing it with the bold type? Yeah, probably, huh?


Originally posted by: bad_karma24
Looks like I'll be using 2x instead of 8x from now on. Bleh.

Try it and see. <shrug> Try 4X first. Firmware and good media are your best shot (yeahyahyah good media, blahblahblah). Firmware can also help with reading discs. In fact, you can update the firmware for standalone players, too. But I don't know how you would go about it.

The labels seem to be working fine, I think its more of a problem with the disc itself. Or... I tried playing Hannibal back today and it worked fine, even in scenes where it completely froze.


Intermittant problems with playback is another sign of deteriorating media and/or a bad burn - copy that sucker right away. Sometimes error-correction will kick in better than other times. But if it gave you problems once, its probably deteriorating. There could be random errors from vibration caused by the label - but there would also have to be a high error-rate on the disc, for you to ever see your computer lock up on a read-error.

I'm using the labels that adhere... would the heat generated from spinning have something to do with it? Thanks guys!


Heat might cause the adhesive to loosen... that would cause vibration, or, like MeBeJedi said, it might actually lift. Sticky bits in the machine? I don't want to think about that...

From what I've read, I'd avoid disc labels for DVDs. But I really couldn't say.

Labels actually seem to stabilize & protect CDs. But DVDs spin faster, the data is much denser - they are sensitive to vibration. A label that isn't applied inhumanly-perfectly can (theoretically) throw things off, at that speed. And you'll always get tiny bubbles. I'm not sure if its ever been a problem in the real world. But it might contribute.


By the way, I don't know if it's safe to remove a label from a DVD. But if you do, then take some Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol, and gently clean off every trace of the gum (or the gum will unbalance the disc a bit). Don't remove labels from CDs, they're built differently, the data layer is near the top & the shellac could peel right off.


Hmmm... maybe heat could change the reflectivity of the dye, or something. A very-hot machine will tend to be running a little off-spec... Also, if the disc is heated before you actually play it, the layers wll expand, physically. Stuff like that. I could see where that might trigger something, maybe. Possibly. I think. It could explain why the problem showed up later in the disc, and then on the computer. Then again, I don't know what I'm talking about there. And errors are more likely later in the disc.


Note to self: Start watching Mythbusters.
Post
#189552
Topic
Frustrated with DVD burning
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189552/action/topic#189552
Time
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
(Can't wait to see what you do at 100. )

Wow. Think about it... my 100th post... Whooah duuude... ya know, with some persistance, I bet I could reach that high...

I hope it's not marked by originaltrilogy offline for 3 days, and news stories about Jay savagely beating me.

Yeah, ok, the humor comes and then it goes. I think it just wandered off somewhere.


Hey, I think I'm going to steal... errr.. take inspiration from, the way you split up the quotes, Usenet-style.


Originally posted by: bad_karma24
I tend to just buy whatever I see first, I've been told by sales reps that brands don't matter. On the other hand, I've been given far worse advice by sales reps before... maybe its time I just stopped talking to them altogether.


Most sales reps are fuckun posers...

I chose both my burners because they can test for and count the 3 kinds of disc-errors (trivial, kinda-bad, and fatal), that show up before error-correction kicks in. I can tell you - manufacturer makes a humongous difference.


Online is great, there's reputable dealers who sell good discs in bulk, at a nice prices. I like Rima.com, myself, and there's other good ones. And, hey, no sales reps! :-)


You can use different utilities to check a thingy called the disc's MID - find out the manufacturer (if the MID is honest). I'll refer you over to CDFreaks again. Be sure to check out their media review forum.


I'll experiment with the firmaware too, though I think I updated mine when I first bought my laptop.

It usually comes out every couple of months or so. Its really worth a shot. Burner firmware updates usually do a lot more good that other device firmware updates.


Speaking of disc deterioration, is it possible to happen in a matter of months? I burned ADM's Hannibal edit a while back when it first came out on MySpleen, and burned it soon thereafter. I never actually watched the whole thing through, but checked several scenes throughout the movie and not a single problem. I played it back in full last night (well, almost in full) and 45 minutes in I got tons of errors and pixelization. I tried playing back on my computer, and it ran fine for a bit, then just locked up entirely. Copying didn't work because apparantly the disc data is in error.


Yep, months - yup, possible.

If the burn was marginal, the first blip of deterioration could send it over the edge. Every dvd-burn is loaded with correctable errors. If your drive doesn't like the media, or the media was crap, or a single disc was weak, it can be 100's of times worse. Errors like to clump together...

Music CDs don't have as much error-correction as data discs, so it's painfully obvious (earache) when there's deterioration. When an error finally leaks through the correction on a data disc, it's already in worse shape, but you might have a chance to salvage. (DVD-video is stored as data, but in a way that tells the machine that it's video). So by the time you see errors on DVDs, its time to jump into action.

Burned DVDs will self-destruct decades before retail discs - they use dyes within generic-pits instead of physically-embossed data-pits. So they're kinda like film... You may have 20~80 years on a good one, no one knows. But a low-quality disc is doomed.

Prolonged heat, humidity, and light exposure are deadly, good discs or bad.

I'd be doing the TransferRateTest on all of them, replacing any that show a slowdown. (Keep the orginals as backup). Of couse testing all of them takes forever, at maybe 8 minutes a pop, but, ya know, a few a day... And, even more impractical , it helps to do 2 copies - you have far more than double the chance of recovering everything. Another idea would be to make pars of the Video_TS of each DVD - then store collections of those on data discs. But that idea probably wont catch on.


Rather annoying, especially since it's no longer up on MySpleen (and if it was, there probably would be hardly any seeders). I've heard of DVD Rescue programs, would those work in this situation, or will I have to trouble someone into providing a copy for me? (hint, hint ).


1) Since it's not a retail disc, it's not copy-protected. Try copying the disc contents to the hard drive. You'll find out right away, if there are unreadable spots. If you copy successfully, then ya can burn again. I'd use a Dos Window to copy from. "CD D:\" (or whatever the drive letter is for your DVD) "xcopy/s *.* c:\Dvdbackup". Windows tends to lock up for a long time if it can't read something (at least Win98). A Dos process is easier to kill. Unrelated tip: A Dos copy also loses the read-only, for you, which can be handy for data.

2) If you know people with other burners or DVD-ROM drives, try your copying your disc on theirs. My BenQ (fantastic burner) saw a scuffed cheapo DVD (that I paid for, - nobody on this board, don't worry) as a blank CD! But my LiteOn (Their burners are reputedly the best readers) read every byte without pausing for breath.

3) Serious data recovery - haven't tried it yet. (I know I'll have to some day). But IsoBuster has a good rep (if you pay the $30 for the full version). Even the free version will give you files. But, even with the registered version you might have to settle for errors in them. That's where my whacky par-idea comes in. Tip: Start your recovery before you go to bed, or leave for hours. :-)


MeBeJedi, I've been told (on this forum actually) that writing speed really doesn't matter, and that a slower speed will just mean that my information will get to the disc slower :/. Though since I'm usually out to lunch when I start a burn, I'll give this method a try and see what happens.


On the chance you're thinking of something I wrote in haste, about burning below rated speed, I went back & changed it a bit, for clairty and reduced inaccuracy. :-) Here's the OhMyGawdWillHeEverShutUp version.

You always get somewhat fewer errors at lower speeds - UNTIL you burn below the rated speed. The high-speed-disc's dye is designed to respond to the laser faster - so it's hard for the manufacturer to design a strategy that burns a fast-disc slowly. So the total error-rate usually actually increases.

But it helps some folks.

A big reason it works is CAV vs CLV. When you burn 6X or above, the burner has to shift speeds, you get clusters of errors at the shift points. At 4X, and below, the drive is burning at a steadily-increasing rate of speed. So, even if you have more total errors, they are spread out. And since your player is reading at 1X... (I'll qualify that, different drives might have to start shifting before or after 6X, I can't say).

It also depends on how good the burner is at learning from past burns, or learning on-the-fly. And it depends on how good a job the manufacturer did with figuring out how to burn different media (newer firmware helps there).


Jaiman, thanks for the info about the discs.

Yer welcome.

Hey, I got to babble about technical shit. It's a good day.
Post
#189094
Topic
Frustrated with DVD burning
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/189094/action/topic#189094
Time
Originally posted by: bad_karma24
I don't know if this has been covered in another area, but the search function turned up nothing so I figured I'd just post here. A few times I'll burn a fan edited DVD and I'll get great results. Other times, it'll play fine on my computer, but on a stand-alone DVD player I have skipping issues, pixelation and so forth. Does anyone know why these errors are not apparant on a computer DVD player, but only on stand-alone? Sometimes copying the DVD and reburning it on another disc via Nero will work, but in one case (Blade Runner) I get a disc copying error, which means I have to download the whole thing over again. Ugh. This is probably more of a rant as much as it is a legitmate question. Thanks in advance guys!


Sound like a classic case of media problems. Standalone players tend to correct errors less often than burners (which seems odd).

Briefly(?):

See if you can find Made in Japan media, most brands will say on the box/spindle. Most Taiwan disc makers follow a cheaper buisness model that produces poor results. In some of the worst cases, the media can even start deteriorating in about a year. Its been a problem since the early CD burning days. Since cheaper media was more attactive to customers, most brands turned to buying from different sources and averaging out the cost. Unfortunatally, a lot of people know about this, and Made-in-Japan can be hard to find in stores.

If your disc has dips in a Nero Transfer Rate Test, toss it and try again.

You may have to experiment to find discs that your burner and player(s) like. But usually, a good burn will play in anything.

You *probably* also want to update your burner's firmware. Most brands of burners are "rebadged" units from a small pool of manufacturers, so you might be able to get very-new firmware from the manufacturer. The CDFreaks forum can be invaluable, there. (But you may be in for a lot of research before you find out).

See my post in the other thread for a lot more detail. (And don't neglect to read the other posts. I've been told that I sound more authoritative than I really am. I don't know what they're talking about, but just in case. ).

Dvd brands
Post
#188482
Topic
Info &amp; Help Wanted: batman and robin - de-assified
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188482/action/topic#188482
Time
Originally posted by: FrancesTheMute
i am still downloading it, and i will continue seeding for as long as i can when i'm done downloading.


Excellent! It's nice to be able to count on someone taking over the seeding. That's kinda rare.

Let me know when you've got it.


Uh oh. BitTornado claimed to have some I/O error with a file, a couple of times. I might have to go offline, for a couple of hours, if it reccurs. I'm running it fullscreen, so I can see the whole error-message, if it happens again.


Edit: It's doing ok, so far. The files are fine, so whatever it is, is fixable, if need be. My grammer on the other hand...


Hey, greencapt! I was watching De-Assified, again. I gotta say: Thumbs up, man!
Post
#188357
Topic
Info &amp; Help Wanted: batman and robin - de-assified
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188357/action/topic#188357
Time
Originally posted by: FrancesTheMute
i have been trying to gett his for a week now from myspleen, but i have been stuck at 24% for going on 3 days now.

i know this was available here at one point, but could someone please tell me of a place where i could get it other than myspleen? [or send it to me if that is allowed]



Hey, FrancesTheMute. If you can hang in there, I was just about to seed de-assified, within the next hour or so...

It wont be fast, but I can guarantee you'll get it (if you tell me who you are there).

I've been searching for dead torrents, and that one is primo for content and ratio (I like having a ridiculously high ratio - it goes fast when I leech a heavily-seeded torrent).


Er, I hope I'm not stepping on your toes, greencapt...

-JSudonim
Post
#188087
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: star trek the motion picture - preservation
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188087/action/topic#188087
Time
Too quick to babble back at questions...

First things second:


Originally posted by: Neil S. Bulk

I don't remember the exact shots, but I think at least one is when the Enterprise is inside V'ger while Kirk is recording the Captain's Log.

Neil

Thanks, I'll keep my eyes open. I hope its not too hard to deal with.


Originally posted by: guiltyspark
Originally posted by: Jaiman Tuckuh

And the mixed news:
As expected, once I shot off my big mouth, Real Life found a lot of ways to keep me away from the computers. (I'm a poster-child for Murphy's Law). But since that was expected, I'm sticking to it.


This I am very familar with of late.
Good luck to your working on the project.


LOL!

Thanks, man.
Post
#188062
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: star trek the motion picture - preservation
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188062/action/topic#188062
Time
Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
I'd like to see theatrical anamorphic versions of Star trek II, and VI.

I have the two disc ones and i hate the changes nick meyer made for his director's editions.

There is the bare bones earlier dvd release of the two films but are they anamorphic or are they even in the original aspect ratio?

Then there are different releases on LD of full screen versions of the films 1-6

which laserdiscs feature the stereo tracks, or digital surround sound?


To summarise: it's a hell of a mess, with very few of the cut-scenes we really want to see. (I just got a look at the Generations 2-disc's deleted scenes - are they kidding me with that timecode shit?!!!).

If I'm not mistaken, all of the first DVD sets, of the Trek-movies, are letterbox.

The HD versions, that I have, appear to be theatrical cuts (if not entirely straight-from-film?). One would have to carefully compare them to the LD's, I suppose. Unfortunately, I haven't seen ST3, 4, or 5 posted.

IMDB has information on versions & resolutions. Tho' accuracy is not guaranteed.

It shows no version variations for ST5, nor for Generations. ST6's Home Video (LD, VHS) versions had extra footage.

Star Trek (r) the Videodisc Site is a thorough, and presumably accurate, source for ALL of the Trek LD's. Just the specs & covers, rarely the content. Some VHD & CED. And the US DVD's.

The US Fullscreens LD's of TMP and TWoK are analog Dolby Stereo (2.0?). All the rest of the US are also listed as having Dolby Stereo (2.0?) on the digital tracks. Fullscreen US Generations and First Contact, add Dolby Digital, and their Widescreen boast THX (FWIW). US Insurrection has all three, as well, since it's Widescreen. Nemesis wasn't on LD, of course.

What ticks me is that you have to spend some beau coup $$$ for Japanese LD box sets, to get digital audio for the Original Series. (Considering that the DVD's have everything but cowbells and arroga-horns mixed into the bridge noise, and I've read a reference that suggested some of the music was substituted). And there's a Japanese version of a special that I... but back to your questions...

ST4 has a Director's-version LD.

IMDB claims the ST5 R2 German PAL DVD has a resolution of 1.85:1.

I haven't looked much into PAL or Japanese LD's. (My budgeting software delivers a shock through the keyboard when I try to go that far. :-)

US Widescreen DVD's of ST6 are somewhere in the range of 1.85:1, instead of the 2.35:1 listed for the theatrical. Surprisingly, the same is true of the HD that I have. There are framing variations, as well - it would not be humanly possible to crop them to match theatrical, unless one had a print and a telecine machine. IMDB claims that the US widescreen LD's (and tapes?) are 2:1. There are various claims about PAL versions.

The fullscreen NTSC VHS of ST6 has opened the matte even further - so that much more of the vertical portion of the frame is revealed. Yet, in places, the Director's Edition reveals a slice-more of the top or bottom. Some of the sides are lost, but I haven't capped it to see how much is hidden in overscan. {I was gifted a Tandy LD Player, BTW. It makes some interesting noises, but that's all. } I assume that the Fullscreen LD is from the same Telecine - it should be preserved.

Nemesis is supposed to be similar. (They were both shot in Super 35). I haven't bought the widescreen to verify (the fullscreen was a gift - yes, it works ).
Post
#187955
Topic
Greetings from Wookie Groomer; Split Screen Project (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/187955/action/topic#187955
Time
Originally posted by: droidekas


Again, I ask all of you: we need seeders at myspleen for the empire splitscreen version. Please help. (ANH and ROTJ is over 100% Thanks!)

The one I got from Usenet is almost done verifying. Looks like I got you covered. But I only have 3 kBs to spare at the moment... sooo, if anyone else wants to jump in.

- JSudonim
Post
#187919
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: star trek the motion picture - preservation
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/187919/action/topic#187919
Time
Originally posted by: Neil S. Bulk
Keep in mind the HD transfer actually contains some color fixes that were done for "The Director's Edition" relating to the deflector dish.

Neil


Any details on that?

I checked my tape (on a crappy old tv that's waiting for HD sets to drop in price) against the HD (on a not-yet-calibrated montior), for the Kirk-sees-the-new-Enterprise, and didn't notice anything. I won't be playing the tape any more until I cap it. I bought the extended LD, but no player yet. And I expect the HiFi of the tape will be better than the analog-only of the Extended LD.
Post
#187915
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: star trek the motion picture - preservation
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/187915/action/topic#187915
Time
Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
any updates?


Good news: I've got more storage, so I'm contemplating doing the TMP-extended first, as it will be a lot less complex than the fan-edits (if VideoRedoPlus will do its freakin' job!!! *ahem* pardon me). And, well, just to get something out the door.


And the mixed news:
As expected, once I shot off my big mouth, Real Life found a lot of ways to keep me away from the computers. (I'm a poster-child for Murphy's Law). But since that was expected, I'm sticking to it.

And I finally got an WinXP computer. That'll make things a *lot* simpler. It's 3-years-old, but almost-unused. Needs some updating...
Post
#182081
Topic
Need video/audio help for a fan-edit, please [SERENITY: EE]
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/182081/action/topic#182081
Time
Originally posted by: klokwerk
MeBeJedi:
It unfortunately looks like these artifacts are encoded into the video, ie. a bad NTSC->PAL transfer. I know because when I went to change the framerate of the video in VDubMod it was already 25fps. Similarly, with Womble I inserted one of the scenes and it changed to 25fps straight away.



Dunno if you need this, but just in case you checked the framerate with properties, but are still wondering how to set it in Womble...
Right-click on Timeline-Window's ruler-looking thingy (it's right above the video track). Highlight "Frame Rate". I imagine that's for the output framerate.


It freakin' figures, if they screwed up those scenes...


For making 5.1 audio, I got results from a trick, at Doom9, that MeBeJedi recommended in an earlier thread, for using WinDvd decoder. WinDvd Dolby decoder trick If that fails (or has already failed) I can help you get it to work. They could've come up a better choice of Hex Decoders, and that text editor they recommended in its place doesn't tell you the hex position. A nice, simple, old Dos-window Hex Editor worked for me. An ancient, free, Dos version of HIEW. HIEW, and others


As for getting the soundtracks to blend well, I'd have to leave that to someone else, because I ain't there, yet. But judging from the miracles we've seen around here, it should be possible.
Post
#179806
Topic
Idea: Another Star Trek Phase 2 idea
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179806/action/topic#179806
Time
Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
Although I like Trek 1's boring-ness (I find it soothing, like looking at a fish tank), an interesting compression could occur during the long drydock scene: The various expository conversations seen later ("Epsilon 9, Enterprise is the only ship, blah blah") could be condensed into a few bits talking to Kirk on a screen in the shuttle as he comes over. I love Jerry Goldsmith as much as the next guy, but that scene is just excessive.


Fish tank, LOL! Well, a whole lot of the existing visual effects have to be ditched, anyway, to make a plausible tv show.


A viewscreen, in the shuttle, would have to go on the consoles, below the windows. There's one shot where Kirk might be construed as looking that direction. It might be possible to have him see the beginning of the Epsilon call, then switch the POV to the Bridge's viewscreen. There are plenty of shots of a concerned-looking crew staring at the screen...

Yeeess, yeeessss...

I'll have to try that when I start experimenting with matteing and stuff.

The rough-cut ditches most of the grand-tour sequence, (a couple of kinks, so I'm not ready to brag about it yet) and keeps Kirk's reaction as he sees the ship from the front. I wouldn't mind losing the rest and getting rid of the lets-all-quit-fixing-the-ship-for-a-while scene, too.
Post
#179799
Topic
Idea: Another Star Trek Phase 2 idea
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179799/action/topic#179799
Time
Originally posted by: blonde_devil
{snip} ignoring that they are two different styles and such, how about combining "Space Seed" and ST2 into one movie? ST2 is 116 minutes(the original version is a little shorter) and the episode is only 50 minutes, so the whole thing would be less than 3 hours which isn't unbearable. the only thing you would need to do which might be a real pain is look at the season 2 and 3 episodes for a scene with Chekov that you could steal and use so he actually appears in the episode. It would be nice to include some of the missing scenes too, but those are hard to find and even harder to find with decent picture and sound quality.


That could be interesting...

I'm going steal your idea (with credit), if you don't mind, and adapt to Phase II, and try to make a "15-years-ago" synopsis out of Space Seed. Then make the beginning of the Kobiashi Maru into a short teaser. It'd fade out right at the end of the distress call. That would be a classic way to start any era of episode.

Engineering is the best place for Khan to meet Chekov. It might be feasible to paste his head on one of the two crewmen, there, or render/steal another jumpsuit, for him. I haven't started looking for source material. But it would have to be his 2nd-season Prince Valient Wig... (Keep in mind I have no Idea what I'm getting into with this matteing and rendering stuff... :-)


I'm aching for a decent-quality version of the "she's half-Romulan." scene. It aired in a preview on some cable showing.

And I'm looking forward to "BLAX31: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn - The Television Cut". I want to cut together both versions of the turbolift scene - so that both Kirk and Saavik flirt briefly. It's out of character for Kirk to get overt (look her up & down, in this case), without the babe giving him "the look" first (they usually do). (The exceptions are when Kirk is seducing them in the line of duty - e.g. Shahna, Kelinda...)


I hope you make your own version of TMP-as-Phase II. I'd like to see it.
Post
#179791
Topic
Idea: Another Star Trek Phase 2 idea
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179791/action/topic#179791
Time
Originally posted by: Number20
My suggestions would be the following on making the movies into Star Trek: Phase 2 Episodes.
1. I don't know if it is possible, but could one eliminate the entire cadets on a training voyage angle from Star Trek 2? I would think that by cutting out some key lines, it would be possible. Plus, it doesn't really add anything to the story.
2. Forget about ST: Generations. That movie was about the next generation, and not really about the original cast except for Kirk. I would think that any Generations edit would have to make it an episode of ST:TNG, not Star Trek Phase 2. At least don't let Kirk die for such a poor reason and in such a lousy way, if you are going to do it. I didn't think either death in Generations was fitting for him.
Good luck on this project!


Thanks!


1. Yeppers, I think editing out the training cruise is possible, to a degree. But it doesn't seem realistic to try to digitally reduce Spock in rank. And the ship would still be full of cadets. I believe that it's normal to have a classfull of cadets on a ship (20 or 30, not 400 of them). Someday I might be able to reduce the percentage of them.


2. Good point - there are only 3 of the original cast in Generations, and 2 of them were retired.
That doesn't fit very comfortably with the end of a Phase II series. OTOH, the elders could've retired in the previous episode. It'd been a better fit (and a better movie) if Nimoy hadn't turned down Generations. His lines wouldn't have been very substantial, but it would've been a whole lot better than giving them to Koenig and Doohan.

Well, maybe Generations wont work within the Phase II framework... I figured that as long as I was rewriting history, I might as well stand history on its head, and give Phase II fifteen seasons. I was looking forward to cutting it down to a Kirk-centric episode. But there's 35.5 minutes of Kirk's story, so that's out. 48 minutes wouldn't leave enough to explain Soran & stuff. 96 minutes would leave it TNG-heavy. I'm still going to try to recut Gen, with Kirk alive at the end. If not as part of the PII series, then a TNG crossover with it. A crossover would sort of keep it on topic, right? :-)


I've always felt that the way they animated the energy-arcs suggested that the Nexus had a conciousness which sought out its semi-captives. And that it took Kirk in an act of frustration. OTOH, the bolt may've been attracted to a residual charge around the dish. So, either way, Kirk may have been putting himself into danger without knowing it. If that helps...


McCoy said he was 137, in the pilot of TNG. Dunno if a person might live to 144, in that century, but nobody can say he couldn't...
Post
#179527
Topic
Idea: Another Star Trek Phase 2 idea
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179527/action/topic#179527
Time
Too bad fanedits tend to mess with the score. If the TMP restoration thing happens, perhaps that will make up for some of it.
I'd like to think that Weiss would look down on us and take it as a compliment, people don't fan-edit unless they see something outstanding in the original. At least none of us take away the originals, a'la' Lucas...



Well, I've been whittling away at TMP and Wrath of Khan. (I have to switch around, because I've seen the movies waaaay too many times).

As always, whenever I try to participate in geekdom, Real Life jumps on me with both feet.
But movie editing is fun. (More fun than editing my messages. :-)

I hope to eventually condense the first 7 movies into Phase II's.
I started by putting off most of the fancy stuff for hypothetical Versions 2 and 3.


TMP has generally been easy to edit, so far. The leisurely pace makes it easy to find a place to put the scissors.

The others have been a PITA, even at the notes stage. Plenty of stuff I want to do. But several scenes which need to be trimmed, or split for rearrangement, aren't put together in a way that makes it easy (possible?). But I've had some neat "little victories"...


I think I could use some inspirations, from you guys, for #2 through #7.


What? Edit Wrath of Khan? But it's so dang good! Yeah, I think I might be able to squeeze it down to 96 minutes. I've already cut almost 4 minutes! I have some issues with it (mostly small stuff), as with all the movies. And the pacing needs to be brisker, in the first half, to fit a television format. There's a little bit of audio, from the German dub, that should enhance a certain scene... I think I'll include spoiler lists for people to test themselves against.

I'm troubled over how to fit Wrath into a series with the whole training-vessel/Captain-Spock thing... but I might need to keep the cadets-subplot for one issue. Maybe if it was, for example, the 4th-season opener...


You'd think Search for Spock could be cut down to 48 minutes... I plan to minimize Neo-Saavik. Ideally, I'd loop in a different name, and transplant Kirstie Alley into a couple silent cameo shots on the Enterprise (I know where). But I'm not optimistic about looping words (composited syllables) into sentances. I doubt Alley would mind a fan moving her over 1 hour, but she'd charge the studios a fortune to do it in real life. Yeah, well, in any case, I probably wont take it that far anyway...


Voyage Home has me stumped. The jokes quit being funny after about 20 times. But I don't know where to start, or how much to cut it.
One could jump from the time-travel, to them plucking the whales from the ocean. But without some diversion and tension, it's going to be too blatant of a way to get the charges dropped. (OTOH, a full trial would've probably exonerated them, anyway). Perhaps I could cut Kirk & Spock's adventure out, right after they sell the glasses. The movie could concentrate on the other quests, but how do you rescue Checkov from the hospital, without Gillian in every shot? You could beam him out in time, but then the plot gets too basic, again. In any case, a Trek series wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have them experience the past to some degree...


I suspect that #5 might come very close to Marshall's edit. But I see where I want some significant differences.


I dislike quite a lot of little things in #6 . I may be in a minority there. But I think I can improve it, at least for my tastes.
I would like to insert the confrontation with Kang, at least, from Flashback. But I don't know what CBS would think about that (They now own the UPN library, at least, the rest isn't clear). Also, of course, most of the acting is Voyager-style (I wonder if I might be able to drop frames & morph to at-least get the timing closer to human speech?). And Janeway would have to be matted out of every shot. (Version 2 or 3).


I'd like to get Generations down to 48 minutes, as a Phase II episode (as my answer to "The Kirkless Generation." :-); then recut it into a TNG episode; and then trim it to a 2-hour version which would've aired as a special movie-version "which closed both series-es". But I'm not sure I can drag out the "production timeline" that far. #2, #3, and #4 have to be consecutive episodes.

Kirk's first death, in Gen, was awesome. His second death was not. So, I hope to be able to keep Kirk alive, at the end. The ideal would be to have Picard say "You have a few friends in this century." (McCoy might still be alive, Scotty should be, Spock surely is, but he's unreachable. And Demora would be glad to see him, if her heart could take the shock). Then, after the Starships leave, we'd briefly go to a little mountain cabin where the echo of the-echo-of-Kirk is chopping wood...


First Contact is an unresearched possibility. I would want to eliminate Not-Zephram-Cochrane. Ideally, I'd like to steal the real one's actor (Glenn Corbett) from something else, for the ending. I suspect it would be too choppy, though. And stealing actors's images seems like a good way to inflame Hollywood...


Insurrection? Well, I don't know, because I keep falling asleep.

Nemesis, IMO, is a Special Effects Reel interrupted by the worst horror-movie cliches.
Post
#179501
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: star trek the motion picture - preservation
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179501/action/topic#179501
Time
Well, if no one else takes it up, I might use the HD to make the theatrical version of TMP. Possibly even the tv cut, as well. It could be a very long time from now, if ever. No promises.

I'd rather get the HD's to someone who already knows what they're doing. I'd prefer reposting it to Usenet. Maybe ftp. But I expect it would end up involving the dreaded Post Office. {Grumble}.

Seems like hardly anyone who does this stuff has Usenet. Weird how that works...
It's almost as if there was a corrolation between having Usenet, and a lack of disc space...
Post
#179151
Topic
Idea: Another Star Trek Phase 2 idea
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/179151/action/topic#179151
Time
Originally posted by: THX-1138
It's looking at this time like a much faster moving movie.

THX-1138


That's two kinds of good news.

Someone who is skilled and experienced is working on the movie. (I'm looking forward to seeing it!).

And, there's only one other person known to be currrently working on a Phase-II edit of it.
If I don't take too long, there might not be a glut by the time (if) I finish mine.