Knightmessenger

User Group: Members
Join date: 1-Nov-2005
Last activity: 23-Oct-2017
Posts: 819
Web Site: http://www.youtube.com/user/Knightmessenger

Post History

Post: #253910
Topic: The Princess Bride (1987) - The Criterion Collection (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253910/action/topic#253910
Time: 28-Oct-2006 9:42 PM

The 4:3 version isn't pan n scan, Princess Bride is an open matte film. You actually see more on the top and bottom in the full screen version.

Post: #253909
Topic: Info Wanted: Harry Potter & Prisoner of Azkaban - extended version on ABC?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253909/action/topic#253909
Time: 28-Oct-2006 9:37 PM

If it's on regular ABC free channel, it will likely be shortened for running time. ABC family showed extended versions but I don't know how you could extend the third film. There were only 5 deleted scenes and I really think the Shrieking Shack scene should not have left out so much and felt so hurried.

Post: #253381
Topic: What's better...Plasma or LCD?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253381/action/topic#253381
Time: 25-Oct-2006 5:59 PM

My family got a new Sony wega LCD tv and I think it's terrible. What good is all that extra resolution (that really isn't that necessary) when it's offset by pixelization, artifacting, video noise and atrocious contrast ratio. So much for improved overall clarity with HD. Our older CRT had a better overall picture because it actually could display the color black.
As bad as our new tv is, it's light years ahead of the flat screen tv at my friends house which was bought about 6 years ago. You may just want to wait for them to further improve and drop in price.
Try watching the same thing on both tv's you're comparing. I suggest the first scene in ET. The remastered Blade Runner dvd might be worth trying too.
Can people think of other movies that would be a good reference for color or contrast?

Post: #253301
Topic: The Lord of the Rings (Films vs. the Books)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253301/action/topic#253301
Time: 25-Oct-2006 2:41 AM

What exactly was it for in your English class? Which version did you see (US, European or Director's Cut)?

Post: #253283
Topic: The Lord of the Rings (Films vs. the Books)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253283/action/topic#253283
Time: 25-Oct-2006 12:18 AM

I'm usually a big fan of fantasy which I belive ought to be colorful and breathtaking. Legend (1985) is one of my favorite movies. But screwing with the colors on any movie pretty much makes shooting on 35mm film pointless. You go to great length to capture the most vivid, vibrant colors possible and then throw it all away.
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http://www.uploadfile.info/uploads/35a122a542.jpg

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vs.
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http://www.uploadfile.info/uploads/b48aad361f.jpg

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Post: #253278
Topic: Song Of The South - many projects, much info & discussion thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253278/action/topic#253278
Time: 24-Oct-2006 11:48 PM

Would someone be able to convert it to NTSC?

Post: #253276
Topic: Letterbox looks like CRAP on a widescreen HDTV :(
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253276/action/topic#253276
Time: 24-Oct-2006 11:36 PM

Sony Wega LCD. I looked at a tv store and the Pioneer plasma's looked pretty good, about 80% there to CRT contrast. Very little video noise too. Panasonic looked alright too but when you got in to the sharp and LG, it was cloudy. They had the same wega tv on display and it looked pretty mediocre. The projection tv is from Mitsubishi.

Post: #253076
Topic: The Lord of the Rings (Films vs. the Books)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253076/action/topic#253076
Time: 23-Oct-2006 11:48 PM

I never read the books but what bothered me tremendously about the movies was the mucked up colors and digital grading. It looked so unnatural that it took me out of the movie. It was like having a different one of the component RGB cables not connected every 10 minutes.
Some scenes (usually overbrightened and having that painful Enya singing) were way overdramaticized.
The camera work during the fight scenes was atrocious. Don't give me this crap about trying to convey chaos, watch the battle scenes in slow motion. Notice how rarely the camera shows anything in frame much less in focus.

Post: #253070
Topic: Your first reaction to Hayden is ROTJ
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253070/action/topic#253070
Time: 23-Oct-2006 11:05 PM

If I hadn't seen the Ep III preview, I would have had no idea who that kid with the ugly make up and hair was.

Joe Williams who wrote Lapti Nek was removed from the credits in '97. It said so on the star wars site but couldn't Lucas get in a lot of trouble from erasing someone's name from the film. Isn't there a rule against that which is why many full-screen dvd's (including star wars) have the credits in letterbox widescreen?

Anakin's ghost appears at the age he was last alive. With Hayden, that means Luke was NOT right and basically destroys everthing Lucas supposedly wants with Anakin's redemption.

"I've learned that we can do just about anything under the sun with computers. So the question becomes, should we? ...But now, we have technology that can replace actors, or an entire performance in an already existing movie. We could cut out Humphrey Bogart and replace him with Vin Diesel, if somebody wanted. Who would want to? Well, there might be people who would. That's why we have to be careful. Movies reflect our cultural heritage from the period in time in which they were made. Therefore, altering them can destroy that historical perspective. That's disrespectful of history, which is a big issue for me. The situation is like walking a tightrope - we have to move forward, but we have to be careful."
-Steven Spielberg

Post: #253061
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/253061/action/topic#253061
Time: 23-Oct-2006 10:28 PM

I was wondering if any of you has had a look at the new dvd's. How do they compare to your X0 raw uncorrected capture of the Definitive Collection?

Post: #252926
Topic: Letterbox looks like CRAP on a widescreen HDTV :(
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/252926/action/topic#252926
Time: 23-Oct-2006 3:33 AM

Believe me, I play around with the settings on the LCD all the time and it never looks good. "Picture" I assume that means contrast is at 100% too. I can use an auto exposure setting which helps but that makes the brightness flicker up and down at times. It does give more detail in blacks with that setting but the gain (brightness of the whites, right?) is muted.
The thing is, CRT and projection look decent at factory setting. They can look great when I adjust them. The LCD tv looks TERRIBLE out of the box and with a ton of adjusting and fooling around, might look ok.
As for pixelization and artifacting, I think it has both. Standard channels also being broadcast in HD tend to look bad, particularly ESPN which is equivalent to the 4 hour setting on a dvd recorder. Some videos on youtube look better. What should have been solid red colors showed tiny moving black dots during the Arizona Cardinals Monday night football game. I want a tv to display a moving picture, not a bunch of tiny flashing dots.
Does HD really have more clarity? It has more resolution but clarity I think should mean lack of anything that makes a picture less than pristine. Digital compression means less clarity.

Post: #252923
Topic: Is Lucas Remaking The PT?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/252923/action/topic#252923
Time: 23-Oct-2006 3:07 AM

"Lucas hasn't dropped the ball yet on any of the movies, be they O-OT, SE or PT, so if he wants to add in scenes of abortive, gender-altering surgery and simian infestations of the lower colon, then I think we should all be open-minded enough to see it from his point of view, that's all."

Is he serious? Even Lucas wouldn't put such a depraved scene that would require a new rating from the MPAA. And so what if Lucas made films everyone still loves. Anakin was a good friend to Obi Wan. But did that mean Ben had to accept him (as the master) in Star Wars? Of course not.

Post: #252920
Topic: Anyone Hi8 Experts
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/252920/action/topic#252920
Time: 23-Oct-2006 2:47 AM

I did use a s-video connection for all captures (NTSC). I noticed a definite improvement in color vibrancy and contrast. I was hoping the Zelda screenshot would be a good reference. By Hi8 broadcast decks, do you mean just the vcr's that were only sold in Japan? I've seen them on Ebay. Do they have an "Edit" function like the camcorders did. It reduced generation loss when copying to vhs. When capturing, it reduced color bleeding and haloing.
What is DScaler software? Do you think most computer stores would know how to help set something up with all these things ready to go?
Composite capture. (Ignore the tracking line)

http://www.uploadfile.info/uploads/c03862b379.jpg

Post: #252614
Topic: Letterbox looks like CRAP on a widescreen HDTV :(
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/252614/action/topic#252614
Time: 20-Oct-2006 11:06 PM

Just take a good looking anamorphic dvd and try that out on the widescreen tv for comparison. Some of these new tv's are really bad with atrocious black levels, pixelization and motion smearing/video noise. I zoomed in on Star Wars on my family's lcd tv and I thought it looked good on a tv I think is crap. I couldn't see a thing in the opening scene of ET (night in the forest). The same scene on my analog projection tv only looked as washed out if I turned the contrast down to roughly 25%.

Post: #252599
Topic: Anyone Hi8 Experts
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/252599/action/topic#252599
Time: 20-Oct-2006 9:43 PM

I would think using a device that also functions as a video recorder to convert analog to digital would not work as well as a box that was made solely for that purpose, a converter. Some backward compatible machines may not play the "backward" format as well. For example, I've heard Playstation 1 games look worse on the PS2 than on the orginal Playstation.
I just wish people knew more about this stuff like they do with laserdisc players. It's amazing how much people know about the internal mechanics of those devices.
Oh and is there a better free image hosting site that places the images all the way to the left margin? It's annoying having them start above "Order" on my signature.

Post: #251908
Topic: Anyone Hi8 Experts
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/251908/action/topic#251908
Time: 18-Oct-2006 2:12 AM

Is there anyone who knows a lot about the Hi8 video format? Or any sites that have a lot of coverage of it? I'm not talking development history or basic info here. I mean like what will yield the best playback, will a Hi8 vcr look a lot better than a camcorder?
I was also looking through the threads about capture cards and I'm more confused than ever. The best cards are the external ones because they can handle the data rate but then those use dv compression? And the really cheap ones get better quality because they use avi instead of mpeg?
http://www.originaltrilogy.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=12&threadid=6194&highlight_key=y&keyword1=capture%20card
http://www.originaltrilogy.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=12&threadid=5411&highlight_key=y&keyword1=capture%20card
http://www.originaltrilogy.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=12&threadid=4231&highlight_key=y&keyword1=capture%20card
http://www.originaltrilogy.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=12&threadid=1688&highlight_key=y&keyword1=capture%20card
http://www.originaltrilogy.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=12&threadid=1700&highlight_key=y&keyword1=capture%20card

Do these captures look any good?
It's at half size so that it doesn't show the interlace.
Camera: Sony 8mm TRV-32 Card: Pyro AV converter

http://www.uploadfile.info/uploads/a747e44724.jpg

Full size example. Image is interlaced but lack of movement means few jaggies. Same camera and settings.

http://www.uploadfile.info/uploads/9c8a425504.jpg

Using monster s-video cable from Nintendo Gamecube. It was an n64 game but I have the GCN bonus disc with the old games.

http://www.uploadfile.info/uploads/54b550fb0f.jpg

Post: #251680
Topic: The Best DVD-R's
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/251680/action/topic#251680
Time: 17-Oct-2006 12:34 AM

What I've found is that dvd's that played fine are now freezing. Usually it's stuff at the edge of the disc. I think my player may generate too much heat to play a burned dvd. Can dvd players get worse over time? What exactly happens with the discs?

Post: #250849
Topic: Song Of The South - many projects, much info & discussion thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250849/action/topic#250849
Time: 11-Oct-2006 11:49 PM

I'd be interested in a dvd copy but would anyone be able to make it play in on NTSC tv's? I do have THX 1138 the original version. It was made on a dvd recorder sourced from the widescreen laserdisc.

Can dvd recorders make direct dvd to dvd copies? Of non copy protected stuff, off course. I've been thinking about getting one but I want it to be really good and I'm unsure how long before blu-ray or HD dvd will be available as blank media.

Post: #250848
Topic: Info: Hold onto your old Little Mermaid discs!
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250848/action/topic#250848
Time: 11-Oct-2006 11:38 PM

Where has Disney been sued in the past over such silly stuff? On that logic, couldn't they be just as liable for changing the film, especially if they advertised it as the original version?
Snow White, Bambi, Cinderella and Lady and the Tramp weren't altered, were they?

They're not going to sue Disney for releasing Miyazaki's films with all their "offensive" parts intact too, are they?

Post: #250843
Topic: How do You Play USF files
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250843/action/topic#250843
Time: 11-Oct-2006 11:18 PM

Operation Timed Out... Again.
Maybe it doesn't like downloads from remote internet connections. I don't know. If anyone downloaded the same files, would it be possible for someone to convert the files to .wma format and send them to me?

Post: #250504
Topic: What do you think of the <strong>Prequel Trilogy</strong>? a general discussion thread
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250504/action/topic#250504
Time: 10-Oct-2006 2:50 AM

I actually think the prequels are pretty good. They may not be up to the level of the original films but few are. The new films are better than a lot of the remakes and other crap that comes from Hollywood these days. At the very least, they showed great ideas and imagination which has been sorely lacking in a lot of other movies. The prequels are very different from the original movies, pretty much in every aspect. But that itself is not a bad thing. I think it's good they wern't rehashes of the old films. Ep II was dissapointing because I couldn't understand what Lucas was trying to do. It's very confusing and a lot of the questions essential to understanding the plot are never answered.

The prequels needed another person to oversee them because in some areas they resembled a great first draft that was never peer critiqued. I think Rick McCallum is a lot to blame for this. Lucas has always and still does have great ideas but he needed someone to push him to excel. McCallum as evidenced by his ep III commentary was nothing but a yes-man who fell in love with whatever Lucas did. There's a big danger because that creates complacency and takes away a burning desire to get it right, replacing it with good enough.

Post: #250502
Topic: "If you leave now, help them you could..."
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250502/action/topic#250502
Time: 10-Oct-2006 2:25 AM

I've read 3po was programmed not to tell a stranger (Luke) who the princess was because it could betray the rebellion.

Post: #250498
Topic: Death Star Attack Power Point
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/250498/action/topic#250498
Time: 10-Oct-2006 2:12 AM

So funny. My college class has been taught by the teacher's assistant the last few times while the professor was away. The TA used power point while the professor used the blackboard. How appropriate

Post: #249939
Topic: Lord of the Rings by George Lucas
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249939/action/topic#249939
Time: 6-Oct-2006 1:40 AM

I just came here to post a link about this really funny video on youtube, only to be beaten to it.
We all know how much McCallum thinks Lucas "is a total genius with his vision, ohh my god." But has casting director Robin Gurland ever kissed up in an interview on the dvds?

Post: #249732
Topic: How do You Play USF files
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/249732/action/topic#249732
Time: 5-Oct-2006 11:57 AM

The download won't work. In the download window the time remaining and transfer rate have no numbers after them and there is no progress on the status bar. I don't understand why I've had so much trouble with winamp when I've downloaded larger files before.