Mentasm

User Group: Members
Join date: 3-Sep-2004
Last activity: 11-Apr-2013
Posts: 94

Post History

Post: #235762
Topic: So Who Killed Palpatine, Anyway? (This thread is made from 100% post-poster recycled bandwidth)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/235762/action/topic#235762
Time: 16-Aug-2006 3:01 PM

They 'mostly' come at night... 'mostly'

Post: #234134
Topic: Star Wars Saga to be shown on Sky in UK
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/234134/action/topic#234134
Time: 11-Aug-2006 5:04 AM

Not entirely sure which versions they are showing, but the trailer definitely looked like the original version of ANH. Perhaps they'll also show the original theatrical version of AOTC. Anyway, thought I'd mention it so those with the equipment and desire to grab them can keep an eye out. Might make for a good source for a DVD project...

Oh, they start on the 26th of August.

Post: #232945
Topic: Star Wars film versions and best DVD sources
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/232945/action/topic#232945
Time: 7-Aug-2006 2:23 AM

Ah right, you mean this:

http://www.dvdactive.com/misc/chris/scratch/palpsofficesmall.jpg

Never noticed it, but then I don;t have a copy of the theatrical release of TPM myself. I'm still waiting ont he TB release of that and the 97 SEs. I'll add it when I get five minutes.

Post: #232884
Topic: Star Wars film versions and best DVD sources
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/232884/action/topic#232884
Time: 6-Aug-2006 7:57 PM

Originally posted by: zombie84
I like that that site included the PT, although they neglected to include the original establishing shot of Palpatine's office (which was a very beautiful shot); interesting that they noticed the deletion of BG traffic from AOTC--apparently there are over a hundred such minor edits, which were included on the digital version of the film but not the 35mm version (hence these are not actually DVD changes).

If anyone knows of stuff that I haven't listed in those articles then just let me know and I'll try to include it in a future update. I included most of the major changes, but I never really expected the articles to get as big as they have, so the little things didn't make it. What establishing shot are you referring to, and in which film is it in?

Post: #231066
Topic: Anyone got the original 'theatrical' release of TPM or AOTC?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/231066/action/topic#231066
Time: 31-Jul-2006 9:21 PM

Good spot. That has to rank as one of the most useless changes of the lot! I'll add that into the article when I get five minutes to do proper caps, although the Ep 2 theatrical DVD leaves a lot to be desired...

Post: #231064
Topic: POLL: Are you buying the Star Wars DVDs released on September 12, 2006?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/231064/action/topic#231064
Time: 31-Jul-2006 9:05 PM

I voted no, but then again I’m getting them for free.

Post: #230927
Topic: Anyone got the original 'theatrical' release of TPM or AOTC?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/230927/action/topic#230927
Time: 31-Jul-2006 12:59 PM

I didn't mean to imply that he's not in the DVD release, just that he's not in that particular scene any more (as the scene itself is gone).

Post: #230757
Topic: Original trilogy DVD reverse covers
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/230757/action/topic#230757
Time: 30-Jul-2006 10:35 PM

You can find the back covers of the new DVDs here. Nice to see the original poster art somewhere...

Post: #230737
Topic: Anyone got the original 'theatrical' release of TPM or AOTC?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/230737/action/topic#230737
Time: 30-Jul-2006 9:41 PM

Thanks to Russ the article is now live. As soon as I have the TB releases of the original trilogy I'm going to begin updating the older comparisons in anticipation of the new DVDs.

Post: #230351
Topic: This guy claims he has never heard of Episodes 4,5, and 6.
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/230351/action/topic#230351
Time: 29-Jul-2006 2:32 AM

You guys are easily amused

Post: #229751
Topic: OOT DVDs - interlaced or progressive?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/229751/action/topic#229751
Time: 27-Jul-2006 4:49 AM

That was always my understanding of it until I read a number of articles that said it's 'always encoded interlaced', such as that article by the bloke with the porn moustache (linked above). I know a fair amount about DVD, but I've never done any video editing so the misinformation is a pain in the arse. It's good to hear it from someone who does know a bit about video editing.

It really bugs me when film sourced material is given an interlaced transfer though. One that sticks in the mind is Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which is the most recent Viewaskew film on DVD, but is interlaced! It's not really an issue with most PAL material, unless of course we get the horrible standards conversions from the likes of Tartan Video. They ruin most of their discs by doing NTSC>PAL transfers...

Anyway, I'm sure we'll be getting dodgy interlaced transfers for the OT DVDs. Everything about this release has been a sham. You wouldn't believe the run around Fox UK gave me when I tried to get info on the anamorphic status of the discs a few months back. Ah well, at least I'm getting mine for free...

Post: #229744
Topic: OOT DVDs - interlaced or progressive?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/229744/action/topic#229744
Time: 27-Jul-2006 4:03 AM

I've read a lot of contradicting stuff about this. The DVD FAQ says that all video is encoded as interlaced fields:

To make film content work in interlaced form, the video from each film frame is split into two video fields —240 lines in one field, and 240 lines in the other— and encoded as separate fields in the MPEG-2 stream.

So basically, does that mean that all progressive film sourced material is encoded as interlaced field pairs to save on space, then flags tell the player to repeat fields to allow for playback on interlaced displays? Presumably when the progressive flag is set (as it should be for film sourced material) the player realises that the fields come from the same frame and ignores the 2-3 sequence, thereby reconstructing the progressive frame?

I guess what I'm really asking is this: is film sourced material stored as interlaced field pairs of 240 lines, or as a whole 480 lines? Everything I read contradicts something else, but you'd expect the DVD FAQ to be right...

Post: #229616
Topic: Anyone got the original 'theatrical' release of TPM or AOTC?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/229616/action/topic#229616
Time: 26-Jul-2006 8:13 PM

We have a winner! This is what I love about the Internet. Total strangers helping each other out. Thanks for these Russ, that first clip was exactly what I was looking for. I've been after the TB releases of TPM and the 97 SE versions of the OT for a while to allow me to update my comparisons on DVDActive, but I've not been able to find them. Be nice to have them for posterity's sake as well. I guess there isn't a decent copy of the theatrical AOTC lurking around???

Anyway, how do you want to be credited in the article? Drop me a PM if you like.

Cheers,

Chris

Post: #229549
Topic: Anyone got the original 'theatrical' release of TPM or AOTC?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/229549/action/topic#229549
Time: 26-Jul-2006 5:51 PM

Cheers Sluggo, that would be a great help. All I have is the VHS, and no way to capture it. Taking photos does not yield good results

Could I have the full res image with boarders please (I'll do all the cropping and compressing myself)?

Post: #229535
Topic: Anyone got the original 'theatrical' release of TPM or AOTC?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/229535/action/topic#229535
Time: 26-Jul-2006 4:22 PM

As per header, if anyone has a DVD version of the Japanese LD, or maybe even the Phantom Edit (don't know if the scene I want is in there), could I ask a favour? I'm after a screen cap of Orn Free Taa's human aides. They were replaced by Twi'leks for the DVD, and I'm doing a comparison article. I'll credit whoever can send me a screen cap. This is the scene I need (although obviously I need the theatrical version).

http://www.dvdactive.com/misc/chris/scratch/ornfreetaanew.jpg

Also, if anyone has the theatrical version of AOTC and can do me a better version of the following pic, I'll credit them as well.

http://www.dvdactive.com/misc/chris/scratch/anakinshandold.jpg

Thanks

Post: #229104
Topic: The "original crawl" on the new DVD is NOT the original crawl! Screenshot inside!
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/229104/action/topic#229104
Time: 25-Jul-2006 5:18 PM

I never said they couldn't, but we're dealing with Lucasfilm/Fox here. They've proved time and again that they couldn't give a stuff about quality when it comes to the original Star Wars trilogy.

Post: #229084
Topic: The "original crawl" on the new DVD is NOT the original crawl! Screenshot inside!
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/229084/action/topic#229084
Time: 25-Jul-2006 4:25 PM

Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape

Originally posted by: Shimraa
omg you cant be serious your mad cause they removed teh starwars title and had it move at a different speed... wow...

Yeah, I am. Is that a problem for you?

Think about it this way, Shim. What if, on Return of the Jedi, they decided to use the '04 DVD elements in the last scene. But to make it the "original" version, they took the Hayden Force ghost scene and pasted Sebastian Shaw's head on top of Hayden's head. Would you consider that to be original?

Not the best example, seeing as they did the reverse to put Hayden there in the first place (his head pasted onto Shaw's body). They'd just be restoring the scene to its original state

I'm assuming you weren't being facetious. The reason for the digital crawl is probably to cater for multiple language options, nothing else.

Post: #228842
Topic: Do you think they'll fix the sound issues?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/228842/action/topic#228842
Time: 24-Jul-2006 9:03 PM

If they fix any of the innumerable technical errors with the 2004 versions they'll be opening themselves up for a lot of criticism. They made such a song and dance about it being a 'creative choice' that any changes would leave them with a huge amount of egg on their face.

There are loads of technical errors on the 2004 editions: incorrectly mixed audio, damaged audio elements, inconsistent colour timing, incorrectly coloured lightsabers, garbage mattes... the list goes on. Of course of none of that is taking into consideration the terrible changes hacked in there to try and make the originals fit the prequels - Lucas apparently failed to realise that it should have been the other way around.

Post: #228482
Topic: Can anyone help me get hold of the 'TB' 97 SE release?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/228482/action/topic#228482
Time: 23-Jul-2006 9:05 PM

Cheers. I'm hoping someone local will see this post and be able to sort me out, but I'll keep you in mind. I was planning to do a consolidated article on the prequel changes, as I have access to unaltered versions of Clones and Sith, but I only have the original Phantom Menace on VHS (spit).

Post: #228248
Topic: Can anyone help me get hold of the 'TB' 97 SE release?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/228248/action/topic#228248
Time: 22-Jul-2006 10:30 PM

I'm hoping to update the images in the comparisons I did for DVDActive when the new OT DVDs come out (assuming even the non-anamorphic transfers will be marginally better than the discs I currently have), but I need a decent set of transfers for the 97 SEs. The 'LOOK' DVDs I have are very blurry, and I heard that the 'TB' release is pretty good. I'm not bothered about the 5.1 audio as found on the German GKAR set; I'd rather have the English opening crawl etc.

If anyone can help me out/point me in the right direction I'd be most appreciative (and I'll give you a credit in the articles).

Post: #228205
Topic: Good comparison website
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/228205/action/topic#228205
Time: 22-Jul-2006 4:37 PM

Originally posted by: Star Wars Fanatic
One improvement he seemed to miss was the changes to the Rancor...

Do you mean I missed it, or Lucas? There aren't any changes to the Rancor per se, it's just been cleaned up. It's still the same puppet they used in the 80s (not CGI as some have suggested).

Thanks for the comments anyway. I'm planning to update them a bit when I get hold of the new original trilogy discs, as they should at least be a little better than the boots that are flying about. If anyone can help me get my hands on a copy of the DVB transfers of the '97 SEs I'd be grateful. I'd like to update the size of all of the images, but can't do it unless I have access to a better quality version of the '97 release. The boots I have are non-anamorphic and very blurry...

Post: #209289
Topic: What to do with the SE discs from the OT DVD sets...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/209289/action/topic#209289
Time: 13-May-2006 10:08 PM

Thanks for the pics. Now I just have to find somewhere to get them (or the TB releases).

Post: #208701
Topic: What to do with the SE discs from the OT DVD sets...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/208701/action/topic#208701
Time: 11-May-2006 5:17 PM

Originally posted by: THX
I hear the TB and GKar versions are good - check out galactictradefederation.com for more info.

Cheers. Just had a look at the site; it's a pity there are no screen caps and that the German set has the opening crawl in, well, german. Might see if I can get hold of the Dolby Surround English versions somewhere so I can redo the caps.

Post: #208432
Topic: What to do with the SE discs from the OT DVD sets...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/208432/action/topic#208432
Time: 11-May-2006 12:07 AM

I'm sure they'll be below the standard I'd expect (for video at least), but it will be nice just to have them on DVD from a film source, rather than the LD bootlegs. It still remains to be seen exactly what versions we'll be getting though (lines of dialogue, opening crawls etc).

If nothing else it will allow me to redo the caps on my Star Wars articles on DVDActive. I was toying with the idea of redoing them a while ago to beter fit our new layout, but didn't bother as I only have access to quality versions of the 2004 release. With the OT coming out in September all I need to do now is find a fairly good quality release of the '97 versions to enable me to do a complete overhaul, if such a thing exists...

Post: #206361
Topic: We won!
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/206361/action/topic#206361
Time: 4-May-2006 2:55 PM

I hate to point it out, but this set is timed to coincide with the release of a new line of toys and the Lego Star Wars 2 video game. They have product to sell, so they bang out a shoddy release with no supplemental features and (possibly) sub-standard transfers. I'm confused by Ward's "state of the art in '93' comments, as they went back to the original negatives and cleaned them up in '97 before messing around with them. Surely they must have those unaltered versions available?

It'll be nice to have them, but I'm not anticipating a high quality release. They didn't do this for the fans or because of a petition, they did it because they wanted to squeeze more cash out of a franchise that has effectively run its course. I did find this interesting though:

This new set of DVDs does not constitute "George changing his mind," says Lucasfilm's Jim Ward. "What we've always said is George viewed the revised versions of the films as the definitive versions."

Strange, I must have imagined all the quotes where Lucas said the 'original' versions no longer exist...