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Moth3r

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Join date
26-Oct-2004
Last activity
16-Jul-2017
Posts
4,892

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Post
#78353
Topic
.: The Zion DVD Project :. (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/78353/action/topic#78353
Time
Originally posted by: Karyudo
Still, US NTSC came in lookin' washed out, while the JPN NTSC came in lookin' nice. No crushing of the blacks, I don't think, and neither are the whites blown out.
I'm no expert in this, but I do know that the NTSC system used in the US has the "black" voltage set above zero, at 7.5 IRE, because of early problems with NTSC broadcasts. The Japanese system has black set to 0 IRE (as does the PAL system). Therefore you would expect that a Japanese disc played on a system properly calibrated to the US system would be too dark.

I don't know why the Japanese discs seem to be showing better colour saturation, unless it's just because the manufacturer of those discs was producing better pressings.
Post
#78257
Topic
<strong>The &quot;Dr. Gonzo&quot; Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread</strong> (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/78257/action/topic#78257
Time
It's against the rules of this forum to post torrent files, however if you use torrentspy to check the file information in the torrents you get from suprnova, the directory structure will say something like DRG_ANH (i.e. DrGonzo - A New Hope).

:: Edit - OK, I've just had a look, and it's not that simple to identify the correct torrent. Maybe someone else could help this guy out?
Post
#78230
Topic
***The MeBeJedi feedback thread ***
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/78230/action/topic#78230
Time
Hmm... some strong opinions here.

I think it's important to keep in mind that those of us doing these captures are doing it primarily for ourselves. OK so some of us are happy to share our finished projects with the wider fan community, that makes it fair game for constructive criticism regarding the quality of transfer, but you cannot criticise someone for their personal preferences.

If MeBe and Zion will be happier sitting down to watch their DVDs knowing that they have fixed some of the shots, then that's completely acceptable.

Personally, I fall into the DanielB "purist" category. I will limit my transfers to noise filtering only, I will not be fixing dodgy effects shots, creating a remastered 5.1 soundtrack or changing the Death Star scene so the stormtrooper no longer hits his head on the door
Post
#78225
Topic
Clear up the too dark/too bright debate
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/78225/action/topic#78225
Time
(Sorry if this has been mentioned before)

Get one of the calibration laserdiscs by Joe Kane Productions, "A Video Standard" or "Video Essentials".
Navigate to a frame that looks like this:

http://img98.exs.cx/img98/7215/230.png

Find the capture card driver settings, normally a tab in your cap program called "device properties" or similar. Adjust the brightness first; the frame background is black, the thin vertical dark grey strip in the left half of the image is 4% above black (you should just be able to see this if your monitor is set properly). When converted to RGB, the background should be R=G=B=0, and the dark grey strip should be ~10.

The top rectangle in the scale on the right hand side is peak white. Now adjust the contrast until this square's RGB value just reaches 255.

Check the brightness level again and re-adjust if necessary.

Now everything should be set up for optimal capture quality from your LD player; to test, capture one of the grey scale test patterns on that disc - all levels should be distinct and graduated in intensity:

http://img98.exs.cx/img98/7016/231.png
Post
#77844
Topic
Recording from the VHS tapes
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/77844/action/topic#77844
Time
I have the same 1995 VHS set - THX, widescreen, Dolby Surround - and I was originally planning to copy them onto DVD. After doing a bit of research, I found that the recommended device for playback of VHS tapes is an SVHS VCR with built-in TBC. In the UK, brand new VCRs of this type by Panasonic or JVC go for around 140GBP. You can now get a top of the range laserdisc player, that used to sell for 800GBP, for less than 100 on eBay, which leaves you 40GBP to try to get the discs. So I decided to go the laserdisc route.

I can't really say anything about DVD recorders because I've never used one, I know they have built-in circuits for picture enhancement - noise reduction (do they have TBCs as well?) but it takes all the fun out of it! If you want a quick fix, get the recorder, but if you want to take your time and start learning, get a capture card for your PC (it is also a lot cheaper!)
Post
#77360
Topic
PCM to 5.1
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/77360/action/topic#77360
Time
A 2.0 Surround AC-3 track would be about 57% smaller than a 5.1 AC-3.
The uncompressed 2.0 PCM, as MeBe said, is much larger.

But you have to put it into perspective that the 5.1 mix takes up only about, say 10%, of the total disc space. So in reality there's not much gain.
Post
#77333
Topic
PCM to 5.1
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/77333/action/topic#77333
Time
@MeBeJedi: During your research, did you read this:
It is best to transmit two-channel matrix-encoded material as such to the consumer, and
not decode it in the studio to derive an "artificial" discrete multichannel mix. For one
thing, the results can vary from the intent of the original producer/director, especially if
extra processing has been added on top of the surround decoding in the studio. Also, the
sound will fail to meet listener expectations for true 5.1-channel material.

In addition, many consumers do not yet have a full 5.1-channel Dolby Digital playback
systems, and connect their DVD players' two-channel outputs to a stereo or Dolby
Surround Pro Logic system. Under these circumstances, the Dolby Digital decoders in the
players "downmix" multichannel soundtracks "on the fly" to mono, stereo, or Dolby
Surround matrix-encoded stereo. If the multichannel soundtrack was derived from a
matrix-encoded two-track master, there may be downmix quality problems due to phase
effects from the original matrix encoding. In nearly every case the original Lt/Rt mix will
give the best results.
I read this and decided to just have the plain 2-channel Dolby Surround mix on the DVDs I am making.

Of course if you are happy with your mix, and it sounds like you have put a lot of work into it, then this might not be relevant. I'd be interested to see people's comments if you post links to some samples.
Post
#77322
Topic
Star Wars - The Edits and DVDr releases thread
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/77322/action/topic#77322
Time
Originally posted by: Rikter
The KNOWN *Audio differences:

...

1) Alarms and klaxons are different.

2) Added panel sound effects aboard the Falcon, including a descending whine as they come out of hyperspace.

3) The communications to Tarkin via comlink are completely different.

4) When Threepio and Artoo are hiding from the Imperials on Tatooine, the stormtroopers dubbed voice is different, and so is the line:

Laserdisc:
"All right, check this side of the street. The doors locked. Move on to the next one."

Pre-ANH video:
"All right, check that side of the street. It's secure. Move on to the next one."

5) A different actress dubs for Aunt Beru. Neither version features the real voice of actress Shelagh Fraser, who has a thick British accent.

6) Some Threepio dialogue uses different takes. The additional lines ("The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave....") are missing from the laserdisc version.

7) The echo in the core shaft ("I think we took a wrong turn...") is present in both versions. However, the echo is more pronounced in the laserdisc version--probably because the video is missing the surround channels.

8) The laserdisc is missing the now-famous "Close the blast doors!" line.

9) Intership voices during the final battle are not synthesized.

10) During the final battle, "countdown" voices on the Death Star and at the Massassi base on Yavin IV are completely different.

11) Luke's line on the laserdisc, "Blast it, Biggs. Where are you?" is different on the pre-ANH video: "Blast it, Wedge. Where are you?" (from the collection of Peter Poulakakos).

- SOURCE: Ryan Silva - He has also compiled the Star Wars Compendium of Lost Footage in 1995.

UPDATE - Magnolia Fan is doing a DVD restoration/remastering of this true 'O.G.' version of the film!
So can I infer from this that Magnoliafan has a good copy of this audio mix? If you've read my other post you will see that I managed to get hold of this soundtrack, but quality unfortunately is lacking. What was his source, i.e. the 1986 home video release, or something else? Any update on progress with this restoration?

(Sorry for all the questions! Just one more - what does 'O.G.' stand for?)
Post
#77141
Topic
Info: ANH mono soundtrack
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/77141/action/topic#77141
Time

I’ve got hold of a copy of ANH on VHS that has the mono soundtrack, but it’s very poor quality. The tape must be 20 years old; it’s a recording off TV. The first few seconds of title music are missing, there are frequent dropouts where the tape is worn, and interruptions where the tape was paused for the ad breaks.

I don’t think the quality is good enough for use on a DVD project, but I’ll sample and post to a.b.starwars if anyone is interested.

Some of the differences, e.g. Beru’s voice, the blast door line, are detailed Here.

Condensed from http://in70mm.com/news/2003/star_wars/star_wars_1977.htm:

After completing the multi-channel versions, the soundtrack crew created a
monaural mix for versions prepared for ancillary markets. A new dedicated mono
mix was created from scratch, and the filmmakers seized opportunities to revise
and enhance selected portions of the soundtrack. Sound designer Ben Burtt
recalls: “Because we were always trying to make the film better and better and
fix things that were not right, there was some ‘sweetening’ done; things like
different Stormtrooper or C-3PO lines, additional sound effects, or some
different ADR.”

At the time, some members of the production felt the mono mix represented the
definitive soundtrack of the movie (not in terms of a sonic experience but,
rather, in terms of audio content). “George put a lot of effort in that mono
mix,” Burtt remembers, “and he even said several times, ‘Well, this is the real
mix. This is the definitive mix of the film.’”

Knowing that multiple mixes were made that contained subtle yet detectable
differences may help explain any conflicting or confusing memories of moviegoers
who remember hearing a certain sound effect or line of dialogue in one
presentation but not in another (a Stormtrooper calling out “Close the blast
doors” while chasing Han Solo and Chewbacca through a Death Star corridor, for
example).

Post
#77137
Topic
***The &quot;official&quot; Screenshots feedback thread ***
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/77137/action/topic#77137
Time
Originally posted by: tellan
I had to laugh when someone pointed out that my projects screencaps. that corridor shot, one of the ribs in the door frame is nearly invisible, then I looked at my original capture which is untouched and it's virtually not there either so it's a source issue rather than my efforts.
The original capture may be untouched; but if the brightness/contrast were set wrong when the capture was recorded, it won't truly represent the source laserdisc. If you play the disc itself on a properly calibrated TV, are these lines visible then? Some adjustment may be required to get a good "grey scale" - if the contrast is set too high then you lose the division between very light grey and white.
Post
#76968
Topic
CCE or TMPEenc
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/76968/action/topic#76968
Time
CCE is generally regarded as better quality, but there's not a huge quality difference, certainly not enough to justify the price difference. (If however you are using the "trial" version...)

CCE is definitely faster.

TMPGEnc's interface is more newbie friendly, but I prefer the minimal design of the CCE interface.
Post
#76455
Topic
Dark Empire Collection - OT LD to DVD set (* unfinished project *)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/76455/action/topic#76455
Time
Originally posted by: zion
Clean them off like you would a CD or DVD. Get some cleaner spray or even windex and wipe them off with a lint-free cloth (I use a t-shirt). Heh, that site that khamul02 posted says that Windex is bad for laserdiscs!
Originally posted by: khamul02
Do you guys think the composite out or s-video or will be best for this player. (I'll test both)
With a high-end player, you'll probably find that s-video is better in terms of less dot-crawl, colour bleed, etc. But I'd be interested to see the results of your test, I did the same thing myself (see here).
Post
#75865
Topic
***The MeBeJedi feedback thread ***
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/75865/action/topic#75865
Time
Originally posted by: MeBeJedi
So, how does it look (other than the brightness, of course.) No one has compared the 16x9 version to the 4x3 yet.
It's only possible to make a fair comparison of the 4:3 and 16:9 versions when playing on a TV, IMO. From what I see on the PC monitor they look pretty good.

Talking about the brightness (sorry) have you thought about changing it before capture rather than apply filters afterwards? (I have the opposite with my caps in that they're too dark.) VirtualVCR gives me the following options tab that might be able to help:
http://img123.exs.cx/img123/6929/settings.png
Post
#75852
Topic
Some screenshots to compare composite and s-video
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/75852/action/topic#75852
Time
I'm still in the testing phase at the moment, I'll start a proper thread on my transfers when I've actually made some decent progress.

Anyway, I made some captures to try and help me decide whether to use the composite or s-video output from my LD player.

Frame A: composite
http://img119.exs.cx/img119/9168/scene2_comp_hqoff1.png

Frame A: s-video
http://img119.exs.cx/img119/3705/scene2_svid_hqoff.png

OK so these shots are way too dark; this is something I'll have to fix in the capture card driver settings. But look at the two pics; the difference is only subtle but the composite one is slightly sharper. It's also got more noise on it; but a decent AVISynth denoiser should be able to filter this without losing too much of the detail.

So it looks like composite is better? Well, take a look at this shot:

Frame B: composite
http://img119.exs.cx/img119/4030/scene3_comp_hqoff.png

In the magnified area you can see awful combing artefacts. This is much better on the s-video capture:

Frame B: s-video
http://img119.exs.cx/img119/220/scene3_svid_hqoff.png

I'm quite pleased with the level of detail this shot is showing, and I would be interested to see the same frame from an NTSC capture, to see if it demonstates the advantage of using the PAL resolution.

Just for the record, this is what it looks like with th HQ noise reduction circuit turned on:

Frame B: s-video HQ on
http://img119.exs.cx/img119/3818/scene3_svid_hqon.png

Bloody awful!
Post
#75836
Topic
PAL + NTSC size query
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/75836/action/topic#75836
Time
I don't know where you got that information from. Presumably then, Aliens played back 4% too slow in all theaters (which have 24 fps projectors)?

Actually my answer was probably confusing when you asked if it was stored as "film" - anything that was shot to film in the first place should be stored on a DVD as progressive, either at 23.976 fps for NTSC or 25 fps for PAL.

But NTSC framerate is actually 29.97 -- 23.976 fps is called "NTSC - film" and 3:2 pulldown is used to display at 29.97 fps. So you could say if the 3:2 pulldown flag is present, then the material is stored as "film".