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Mielr

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15-Jun-2006
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27-Dec-2024
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Post
#243761
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/243761/action/topic#243761
Time
I've watched SW and ESB so far, and I don't see any additional grain. If there is any additional grain visible, I'm pretty sure it's because these DVDs are so much sharper than the LDs. I own both the DC and the Faces LDs, and they are much fuzzier than the DVDs. I think the softer picture of the LDs hides a multitude of sins- including film grain and some of the aliasing.

I think that so many people here are so used to watching the 2004 DVDs, that these new DVDs look grainy in comparison. You have to remember that the images were not digitally composited in 1977/1980/1983, so a lot of grain built up due to optical printing. This is not a fault of the master tapes- the grain was present on the original prints.

I never watch the '04 DVDs, so the OOT DVDs look fantastic to me. I would rather have the extra film grain than all of the crap that was added to the SEs.


Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
Ran across this. Anyone else ever hear of this?



As dilineated in the classic VIDEO WATCHDOG article, Lucasfilm, when
making these transfers, were apparently SO exasperated in the
pre-digital age by the appearance of ONE LOUSY HAIR at the VERY
beginning, in the top center of the screen, which can be seen for a
few frames superimposed onto part of the Star Destroyer... that they
RE-COMPED the entire film, lopping off a dozen or so scan lines and
cropping it down to about a 2.20:1 image.

Of course that same article mentions it could have been done
independently by the telecine operator...but still....every version of
JEDI since then, including the one used as the basis for the 1997
special editions, has also been re-comped... .

I've heard about the hair in the gate on Jedi, supposedly it was cropped off for the DC set, but fixed for the Faces disc. I really don't know if there's any truth to that- I see no evidence of the cropping on the DC disc.

If they were so worried about hair- why didn't they fix the huge one that hangs down on the Fox logo on all 3 movies?!



Post
#243561
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/243561/action/topic#243561
Time
I REALLY have to to to bed now (it's after 3AM!!) but I just finished watching the ESB DVD and I couldn't go to sleep without a brief review. I was hoping to watch Jedi tonght, but that will have to wait 'till tomorrow evening.

The sound for ESB was also excellent, and I'd say the picture was at least as good if not better than SW. Again, I saw almost no evidence of garbage mattes, and the clarity and detail in the picture was far better than the LDs. I was totally engrossed in the film- it was like I was seeing it again for the first time.

One thing I noticed in both films is the improvement in the stars. The starfields look far better than in the LD versions. The skies are inky black, and the stars are sharp and clear, unlike the fuzzy blobs on the LDs. There is still the aliasing/flickering when the camera moves, but otherwise I see a huge improvement in that respect.

Fantastic. I'm speechless. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight.
Post
#243450
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/243450/action/topic#243450
Time
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape

I, too, had the layer change. I knew it was there, because it was there on the '04 DVDs as well. It makes me sad that I'm almost used to it by now, and when I don't get a slight pause, it throws me off.
Did you get a 'pop' at the layer change, or just a pause?

Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Something else I noticed was how a lot of lines in the picture ended up very jagged-y. I'm not sure of the terminology for that. And as long as I'm on the subject, what is aliasing?
Yup, the jagged-y lines are aliasing.

Post
#243414
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/243414/action/topic#243414
Time
Originally posted by: casualimp
The only problem I found and wonder if it's due to a disc layer change or chapter change, but just at the end of the scene were Tarkin says to execute Leia and then it cuts to the Falcon in hyperspace, I get a sound pop. Has anyone else experience this? Should I return it for a new disc?
Sorry I didn't see your post earlier. Yes, I noticed it as well. You're right, that does seem to be the point of the layer change. It seems to depend upon your DVD player, because it did it in one of my players, but not the other.
Post
#243407
Topic
2006 OT DVD: the deal with the Best Buy tin ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/243407/action/topic#243407
Time
Originally posted by: Darth_Evil

So someone please answer me this:

Is it truly worth upgrading at this point from my bootlegs? My bootlegs are taken directly from the laserdiscs on DVD+R discs. They look fairly nice, the only one that I'm not entierly satisfied with is A New Hope.


It's worth it. See my review of SW in the 'first impressions' thread:
click here
Post
#243400
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/243400/action/topic#243400
Time
Ok- I just finished watching Star Wars (haven't gotten to ESB or Jedi yet- I'll give you my impressions as soon as I have). Keep in mind that I have a small 4:3 TV (a 20" Sony Wega, & I have it hooked up via component cables to my Sony RDR-GX7 DVD player/recorder with no external receiver or speakers).

Here's what I think:
I think the sound is great. I assume it's the '93 mix, and it sounded wonderful, even from my TV's built-in speakers. I noticed a slight "pop" at the layer change (which is right after Tarkin says "terminate her...immediately!", BTW). I suspected this was generated by my DVD player, so I tested it later on my Sister's RCA DVD player, and there was no detectable pop, just a second or 2 of silence.

Now for the picture.....I was expecting the picture to be better than the DC and Faces laserdiscs, and it was. In fact, I think there is a HUGE improvement in the picture quality. (I haven't done an A/B test with a LD yet, I just wanted to sit and enjoy the film without any interruptions). But just sitting there watching, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this DVD blows the LD away. However, I did notice quite a bit of aliasing, which I expected- due to the fact that there's aliasing on the LDs, and I think some of the LD's relative fuzziness masked some of the aliasing, so it seems a bit more obvious on the DVD.

That being said, the DVD has a level of crispness and clarity that is simply not present on the laserdisc. I have a good LD player, not as good as the X0 or the X9, but it's a Pioneer cld-d703 and it supposedly has a picture that's as good as some of Pioneer's mid-level ELITE players.

Honestly, on my little TV, I don't think I would really notice a difference between the SW SE DVD and the OOT DVD, aside from the fact that on the OOT DVD the colors look more like the Star Wars I remember (and I don't think it looked 'washed-out', either), and the SE DVD is darker and has the ever-present 'blueish' tint. There are some film speckles here and there, but none that aren't on the LDs that I'm used to watching. I didn't notice any additional grain or film 'weave' either.

One thing that I realised after the film was over, is that I didn't notice ANY garbage mattes. Maybe it's the way my TV is adjusted- but I didn't see any at all.

All in all, I'm extremely pleased with my first viewing. I really don't think that the screen caps I've seen posted are indicative of the DVD's quality. My only gripe (aside from the non-anamorphic issue) is that they made the Huttese sub-titles in 2-lines (instead of one line, like they are on the LDs) which is sure to screw up people trying to zoom in on this disc on their 16:9 TVs. The DVD probably won't look as good on a larger TV, but I'm really pleasantly surprised at how good it looked on my little TV, and I hope the other 2 movies look as good.

I found myself getting a little teary during the last part of the film when Luke turns off his targeting computer, even though I have seen this film so many hundreds of times over the last 24 years that I've lost count. Maybe it was just a bit of left-over emotion from yesterday's 9/11 anniversary....whatever it was, it was really great to watch the un-f**ked-up version of Star Wars, looking better than it ever has on my TV. Yes, I wish it was anamorphic, but I can safely say that I'm never watching the SE DVDs again, nor do I think will I ever find the need to watch my LDs again.

Anybody want to buy a nice, used LD player?? I'll throw in the laserdiscs free.
Post
#243248
Topic
2006 OT DVD: the deal with the Best Buy tin ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/243248/action/topic#243248
Time
I just bought the Best Buy tin, and it's very nice. It does hold all 3 DVD cases (it's much thicker than in the photo) and it opens on both sides. $59.99 vs. $16.99 for each DVD, so the case ends up being $9.00. I haven't watched the discs yet....I went out at lunchtime to get it and I was worried they'd all be gone, but the store had plenty, and they weren't very busy. I think they'll be busier tonight when people get off work. They have a 4-sided display right as you walk in with the tins, the DVD singles and the new Lego game.
Post
#242754
Topic
DVD WRITING CAMPAIGN - WEEK TWO - "Sound & Vision" Magazine
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/242754/action/topic#242754
Time
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Thought you guys would like to see this:

Home Cinema Choice, Issue 134 (October 2006)

This issue's Star Letter:

Letter from: Graham Parker, Cirencester UK
Having read Anton van Beek's bi-monthly rant about Star Wars in HCC #132's DVD Collector, I find myself agreeing with him. I've also been suckered into buying a box set in the last two years that's about to be replaced. As a Star Wars fan, the prospect of owning transfers of the original, untouched trilogy is almost too good to resist but, as unbelievable as it may be to my wife and children, I'm not going to line George Lucas' pockets any further. Not only am I annoyed that the set's discs are being released individually with the original theatrical versions added, I'm also at a loss as to why the movies haven't been 'cleaned up' or rendered anamorphic.
I'm not even convinced that Lucas won't re-re-release the un-tampered original trilogy over the next few years. I already have them on VHS (first release and Special Edition) and DVD and that'll do for now. It's probably better to wait until they clean up the original trilogy for the Blu-ray or HD DVD releases anyway. In the meantime, I'm more than happy to make do with LEGO Star Wars II on the Xbox 360, at least that's been produced with some tender loving care.

Reply from: Anton van Beek, HCC
Well said, Mr Parker. This latest release now makes it three times in three years that Lucas has trotted out the Star Wars cash-cow on DVD, safe in the knowledge that there is a fan base out there happy to keep shelling out for essentially the same old films. Given how much has been written on the internet about how elements exist that would allow the original versions to be restored for DVD, the miserable treatment of the original theatrical prints in this new release smacks of putting the least amount of effort possible into getting people to buy the remastered editions once again.
It's hard to believe Lucas' claims that there are currently no plans for Star Wars on either HD DVD or Blu-ray and I wouldn't be surprised to hear something relating to this around the time of the first film's 30th anniversary next year.

Thank you!

If anyone gets a response to their letter, please post it here.

For those of you who haven't sent in a letter yet (you know who you are!) it's still not too late.
Post
#242718
Topic
Episode IV: What Has Changed?
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/242718/action/topic#242718
Time
Originally posted by: taylorjohn21
The cassette I have is a narrated version of Star Wars but it includes many excerpts from the original sound track. Inspite of what you have said the cassette does have Dolby system printed on it so I am really not sure what to make of it. I would really appreciate anyone letting me/us know what the sound mix is like on the new Theatrical version of Star Wars when it comes out this week. In particular whether the voices on the Intercomm on the Death Star are the ones heard on the Mono Mix or the Dolby Stereo mix as per your website.
I am happy for you to listen to the sound track on my cassette, but any ideas onto how to put the recording on my cassette onto the Internet!

John
Is that "the story of Star Wars?" If so, I believe that it was the 35mm mono version of the soundtrack that was used.

The new DVD will use the 1993 sound mix, which is most similar to the 70mm mix.