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MeBeJedi

User Group
Members
Join date
10-Mar-2003
Last activity
10-Feb-2025
Posts
4,879

Post History

Post
#68272
Topic
Bowling for Coruscant
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68272/action/topic#68272
Time
"and Dual processors, They help alot if your apps are multi-threaded"

Very few apps are at this point, and those few are very expensive. It's a whole lotta dough for very little improvement at this point. Get one bad-ass processor, and use the extra money to upgrade your other components. A steel chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Post
#68177
Topic
Info Wanted: The laserdiscs vs. The best bootlegs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68177/action/topic#68177
Time
http://www.gearsoftware.com/LayerBreakPoint.cfm

"The source you're extracting from is widescreen, non-animorphic. To make your "4x3" set, have you actually zoomed in and cut the edges of the picture off to make a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, or are you calling it "4x3" rather than "non-animorphic" and still leaving it widescreen (2.35:1)?"

I think you are confusing the terms "letterbox", "widescreen", and "anamorphic".

"I believe what MeBeJedi is referring to is the fact that all WideScreen laserdiscs are letterboxed meaning that they are at the correct ration but to make them fit on the standard 4:3 screen black bars are added to the top and bottom. So, what you have in the case of Star Wars is a 2.35:1 image that has had black bars placed on the top and bottom to fill out the full 1.33:1 (4x3) TV screen. This is very unfortunate but necessary considering that we didn't have 16:9 TVs at the time."

Precisely. That being said, keep in mind that 16x9 translates to a 1.78:1 ratio. Star Wars was shot at 2.35:1, so while it will still have black bars at the top and bottom, they will be less than half the size of those found on a 4x3 (1.33:1) transfer.

"These new black bars will be solid black and much cleaner than the fuzzy grayish and pixelated black bars you will get from letterboxed video. Another great thing about cropping out the black bars is that the encoding time will be dramatically reduced."

And I was very happy to figure out how to do this to my masters in VirtualDub.

"I hope MeBeJedi is doing this (the cropping) for his non-anamorphic version. If not, MeBeJedi, please crop those bars"

See above.

"FYI, a letterboxed DVD can be made to be 16:9 Anamorphic without re-encoding the DVD..."

And still maintain the aspect ratio? (Do you post on Videohelp too! LOL!)

Also, technically speaking, "anamorphic" DVDs are not truly anamorphic. The process is are quite the opposite, actually, though it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to most people.
Post
#68156
Topic
Info Wanted: The laserdiscs vs. The best bootlegs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68156/action/topic#68156
Time
"Is it true that anamorphic offers no benefits (and in fact might make it worse) since the source isn’t anamorphic?"

"I think that greatly depends on the quality of the zoom feature on your widescreen tv. "

"The "benefits" of Anamorphic will be reaped solely by those who are in possession of 16:9 displays. If you're watching these on a standard 4:3 TV, the anamorphic will mean nothing for you really. I'm unfamiliar with the process of making the image anamorphic, so I can't really say if it will be worse or not. Making an image anamorphic artificially seems to me to have an inherent limitation built into it. Whether that limitation translates to a worse picture on a 4:3 set, or merely a somewhat less than stellar picture on a 16:9 display, I can't say."

Just to be clear: taking a 4X3 source and blowing it up to 16x9 causes you to "lose" resolution. It's like taking a JPEG of a swimsuit model and zooming in - you begin to see the pixels at a certain point.

On top of that, if you take that same image and then watch it on a 4x3 monitor, you lose even more resolution, because the DVD player has to remove every third (fourth) line of resolution to make the image fit. Obviously, these effects can be more or less noticeable depending on the equipment you are using, but the end result is the same. Watching a 4x3-to-16x9 transfer on a 4x3 tv is a double-whammy to the ultimate visual result. Depending on the quality and calibration of your television, however, this effect can range from unnoticeable to glaringly obvious. Case in point: matte lines. Some people claim to see them on the DVD, and others don't. Point of fact - they are visible on the DVD, but if you adjust your brightness/contrast beyond a certain level, they will "disappear".

If you only have a 4x3 television, then you only want the 4x3 transfer. There's no benefit to you at all to have an anamorphic version. If you have a widescreen tv, then either set is fine. (The "anamorphic" set is pretty much what you would get if you zoomed in on the 4x3 picture. The only difference would come from which device zooms better: the software used to create the anamorphic image, or the ability of the tv to zoom without creating too many artifacts. In that respect, your mileage may vary.

Hope that made sense.
Post
#68094
Topic
Info Wanted: The laserdiscs vs. The best bootlegs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68094/action/topic#68094
Time
"or just the way they were manufactured"

That is correct. Some pressing plants were more prone to creating such discs. IIRC, it involved the glue used to adhere the two sides to each other.

"Something I've recently discovered and will be doing for my DVD's is a process called TOOT, which basically compares three different sources of video to eliminate any rot spots or other noise."

I will be doing this frame-by-frame for my anamorphic version. If one frame has a "glitch" somewhere in the scene, I will copy/paste an identical glitch-free section from the previous/next frame. Vegas makes this exceptionally easy.
Post
#68087
Topic
Info Wanted: The laserdiscs vs. The best bootlegs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68087/action/topic#68087
Time
Just to set your mind at ease, Riktor, Magnoliafan and I have been discussing several possible "special" SW DVDs, including separate DVDs with their own extras. Rather than try to fit every single possible thing on one DVD, there will be different versions. For example, I'm contemplating an English/German version.) I'd also like to make a version that has the regular LD transfer, as well as seamless branching with as much original OT footage as can possibly be dug up and included.

In a perfect world, I would LOVE to make a version with as much of David Prowse's original voice as is possible (along with Yoda, etc.) That would be a hoot!
Post
#68085
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68085/action/topic#68085
Time
"and the new colorized 2004 DVDs are a real travesty."

I'll give you that. Perhaps your "Ted Turner" analogy was more correct than I thought.

Another update: I goofed on the brightness, and have to recompile (and if I keep goofing up, maybe I will have to make my own thread. )

New transfer in 24 hours. Assuming all goes well, it will be shipped to Rikter tomorrow, and subsequently put on BitTorrents as soon as possible (Thursday/Friday). Here's to hoping you guys get to enjoy my version this weekend.

[EDIT] In any case, Rik will be putting my first attempt on BT, so you guys will at least get some idea of what I've been able to do so far.
Post
#68070
Topic
Info Wanted: The laserdiscs vs. The best bootlegs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68070/action/topic#68070
Time
"Yea I kinda wonder why so many go for the definitive version just because the package looks nicer than the faces."

I think a lot of it is hype over the name and the fact that it is CAV. It's not a bad set, but I personally prefer the Faces transfer over it. There is a difference. Maybe, when I'm done with ANH, I do some comparsion captures

As for my current DVD, I botched it (it was too dark), so I'll have to send Rikter the files tomorrow or Thursday. It's not vaporware, I swear!

"then watching the Faces LDs themselves will provide the best experience. The boots are a decent substitute though."

Very true. They are also more convenient (and getting a laserdisc player fixed is very expensive now.)

Hey, Jay - did you see my suggestion yet?
Post
#68180
Topic
A laserdisc to DVD forum?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68180/action/topic#68180
Time
Actually, I'll tell you what I suggested to Rikter.

It would be nice to have:

* Individual threads for each project: The first post would be regularly updated. I would have one, Zion would have one, Magnoliafan, etc. It would be like a FAQ, so people could check the first post to see how the DVD they wanted was going. Questions that aren't answered by the FAQ would be fine, but requests for a copy (especially before the set was even done) would not be appreciated. Suggestions would go to the feedback thread.

* Materials request thread: This would be a thread where people like myself and Zion could ask people for certain materials that we needed for these projects. For example - scanned colored copies of comic book renditions of Star Wars for the radio play project. Those people who have such stuff would be put on a list for a free set, as well as having their name/username in the credits.

* Feedback thread: This would be where everyone else could chime in ("good job", "what about this", blah, blah, blah), so that they don't clutter up the other threads.
Post
#68032
Topic
A laserdisc to DVD forum?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68032/action/topic#68032
Time
I've spent several hours with Rikter, discussing various ideas about LD conversions, and an idea came up. Lately, a lot of people have been coming to these boards either asking about laserdisc conversions or submitting them. Maybe a seperate forum could be created, and each of the versions could be given a thread for discussions, comparisons and technical details about current and future projects.

Believe me, Rikter, Magnoliafan and I already have a tremendous amount of ideas that we'd like to bring to fruition. it would be nice to have a central repository of information about all this material that people could easily locate.
Post
#67995
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67995/action/topic#67995
Time
"After flipping a few pages back in this thread, looks like you don't have a burner yet."

Not quite correct. I have a single-layer burner, and hope to upgrade to a DL-burner soon.

"For us dinosaurs still using dial-up, will we be able to purchase burned copies through Rikter?"

I'll have them as well - it would help fund future versions (as well as my future DL burner. )

"Liteon DVD+R9 Dual Layer 2.4x - DVD+R 8x - Retail (SOHW-832S) $130"

That's about what I got my current Memorex for. Thanks for the info.
Post
#67961
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67961/action/topic#67961
Time
I've not yet received a copy of TR47's version (though I haven't checked mail today either.)

I am finishing the 4x3 transfer as I type. It'll be done in a few hours, and I'll send it to Rikter for BitTorrents. I am waiting for some more software to arrive before I start on the anamorphic version, just to clean up the "little things". I will say this, I was watching my old transfer on my friend's 65-inch widescreen tv, and it looked sweet, even zoomed in.