Matt_Stevens

You_Too said:

TylerDurden389 said:

Clu42 said:

Also if you're a member of Tehparadox, kingkong650 is also doing a regrading project on the latest remastering of The Terminator: tehparadox.com

Thanks for the link!! That project looks very titillating.

I checked it out and in that project, there's only been a curve added to balance the colors, but the teal (which is then turned into strong blue) isn't toned down and balanced like in our version.

Not saying this to compete with anyone, just saying it so you guys know that our version will still be worth getting.

Sorry, may I ask when your version is due? I guess i have not been paying attention. My bad. :)

Just another update. The laserdisc set is here and in far better condition than described, so hopefully playback will be perfect. I'll be using the audio from this and combining it with the only watchable video source around (a PAL release from Europe, which has been converted to NTSC).

I would not be doing any matting. 

And there has to be a better recording out there. God how I wish I kept mine. It did not have some of the issues being talked about here. It was recorded back when digital bit rates were robust for satellite.

Are we clinically insane? Suffering from obsession? It seems so, lol!  

CatBus said:

Matt_Stevens said:

Will an actual Blu-Ray version be uploaded at some point?

Yes, a Blu-ray is planned.  It may include lossless 85 and 93 tracks--they were just (IIRC) not available to Harmy when the MKV was released.  Not to argue your point about lossless (my attitude is, even if you can't hear the difference, why not go lossless?), but high-bitrate DD also has dialnorm, so the volume difference alone may be enough to seem different than lossless.

Even when you factor in and compensate for that, it's a striking difference. I have now captured a number of PCM tracks from laserdisc to mux in with Blu-Ray. It's a pain to go through with it, but the differences are astounding. 

I'd be happy to provide PCM sound for the STAR WARS films.

I've tried to skim as much of this thread as I can, but it's longer than a Tom Clancy novel now so, let me ask...

Will an actual Blu-Ray version be uploaded at some point? I only ask because I really dislike streaming content to my TV. I love physical media. But I also suck at converting MKV's to BD's and suffer epic failures. So I gave up long ago. 

I wonder why the 85 and 93 Laserdisc soundtracks could not be included in an unaltered PCM form? No matter what anyone wants to say, compressing laserdisc PCM down to DD, even at 384kbps (or 640), results in a noticeable loss in quality. It's just not the same. I would much prefer the PCM unmolested. 

No doubt the video work on this thing is mind boggling. 

Thanks. 

I think he's asking who would help purchase it. 

I just secured the Project S Hong Kong laserdisc. Dirt cheap, but listed as "worn." Hopefully no issues.

I had it on DVHS for years and years and unfortunately I gave it away when the Blu-Rays were announced. I naturally regretted it once I saw how green they were. 

Same thing happened with BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA. I wanted to kill someone!

Anyone here remember the open matted (super35) transfer that was shown on HBO years and years ago when HBO first went High Def? I had it on DVHS for years and do not recall it being green. 

It would seem that would be a great transfer to source video from. 

Not yet. Soon. :) I myself am on location and have a bandwidth challenged connection at the moment. My editing partners will need to take the lead. 

I'll be happy to provide a separate upload of just the audio to sync to the Japanese Extended cut, for anyone crazy enough to have bought the expensive Japanese BD.

POLICE STORY is finished! 

Extended Japanese version with the PCM Laserdisc sound, perfectly synced, plus English subtitles. 

Shorter Hong Kong version, reconstructed using the Extended cut, as well as the Hong Kong upconvert. PCM sound, plus the crappy 5.1 remix, plus the silly English dub, plus to commentary tracks. 

Some extras as well. 

And no, I cannot take all the credit. Not even half. It was a team effort so anyone involved, speak up and take a bow!

This was on HDNet Movies last night (or the night before). It sure was grain scrubbed. But if all the releases are grain scrubbed, there is nothing we can do to fix it. Like with PATTON we will have to hope and pray for a new release.

He did. But whatever. It's all marketing.

It's a conversion that will be performed by a friend of mine on equipment and software I do not have access to. I am not sure of how exactly it works, but it's the only way I know of to properly convert the frame rate and pitch without generating artifacts, ghosting, etc. 

Yes it will need to be re-encoded. But NTSC is preferable to sped up PAL with a higher pitch to the sound. Not to mention adding the PCM laserdisc sound will really increase the quality of the final product. 

It seems there is a Euro PAL release of the film with screwed up video (a bad 16X9 flag) but decent video and compression quality (for DVD) and minus the horrendous DNR and ghosting that ruined the Brit release.

I now have this release and will (properly) convert to NTSC, with pitch corrected audio and English subtitles included.

Also, I am going to capture the Hong Kong laserdisc’s PCM audio track so that we have the absolute best audio quality possible. It’s a shame the film was sync sound mono and not stereo, but such is life.

This will take some time, but it is the pipeline.

I would kill to have a Blu-Ray with the 1999 THX color timing.

Has anyone ever created an Ultimate THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY? From what I understand one of the foreign releases is not grain-raped (unlike the craptola U.S. release). Obviously laserdisc PCM audio added in would be great, though audio for the extended scenes would have to be spliced in from the remixed track. 

DVD-BOY said:

Quite common on music DVDs and BFI titles will include PCM is space allows it, otherwise 320Kbps AC3.

Mono on DVD is 192kbps about 99% of the time. Only with music and specialty releases will you find more than that. It's a shame. 

DVD mono cannot possibly compare to PCM from a laserdisc. The difference is astounding. 

I do not believe my HBO recording has any issues. I recorded it myself long ago. It's in storage so I'd have to check to be certain.

So I downloaded this and while I am amazed at the video and audio results, the Blu-Ray is a problem for me. I cannot chapter forward, nor ff or rw. It just locks up and crashes the player. Before I burned my final disc I burned it on a BD-RE just to test and when I ran into trouble with this issue i decided to take the mt2s stream and using tsMUXer GUI I created my own Blu Ray, deleting the foreign language audio tracks. 

No difference with this once burned. I can stick it in the player but I cannot use chapter forward or back, ff or rewind, etc. I have to watch the film straight through. 

Audio track switching isn't a problem and I found myself preferring the PCM. 

The TRUE LIES DTheater release was filtered/DNR'd and looks inferior to the HBO High Def broadcasts, which presented the film in an open matted 1.78:1 aspect ratio (there was some cropping during a few vfx shots). While it's soundtrack blasted the HBO version all to hell, in my view the video is far too compromised to use. 

Considering there will be a TRUE LIES Blu-Ray released in the future I don't think this is worth Team Blu's time.

drngr said:

Possible, yes, with some big clunky hardware. Are you willing to send hundreds of dollars to a random guy overseas? I can try to dig up the info, I think he charges $300-400.

Uh no. :) I'm not rich. I just know that some people have successfully captured DTheater releases, which not only have 5C but additional copy protection. Therefore it would seem by now that crack should have leaked out to others. 

I have a great deal of terrific DVHS recordings of films that have never been released onto Blu-Ray and some of films that have been released on Blu, but the grain raped by DNR (like NO WAY OUT, U-571). No doubt these are titles that would be perfect for rescuing. 

The one that is most on my mind is PEKING OPERA BLUES. It has a terrific HD transfer, decent subtitles and would only need the soundtrack captured from laserdisc and synced up (the DVD's are bad remixes). Of course we would need to find someone with the laserdisc. :(

dark_jedi said:

Matt_Stevens said:

Just to be clear... I'm not referring to the DVHS DTheater releases but recordings made from cable and satellite. 

How I wish I had kept my Bram Stoker's Dracula DVHS tape! The BluRay is an abomination.

Is this available anywhere? great movie!

No clue. It's a real solid HD transfer and looks like the theatrical prints. Unlike the official Blu Ray! I was so so upset that I had sold my DVHS recording. But how was I supposed to know they would go completely revisionist and ruin the look of the film? So sad.

This is the perfect candidate for Team Blue. Earlier broadcasts of this have a healthy bitrate. Mine was recorded from DISH long before they clamped down on their bitrates.