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Neil S. Bulk

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Join date
10-Mar-2003
Last activity
7-Nov-2023
Posts
316

Post History

Post
#210749
Topic
New DVDs NOT 16x9
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/210749/action/topic#210749
Time
Originally posted by: The Bizzle
Jim Ward
VP of Marketing,
Lucasfilm
P.O. Box 29901,
San Francisco, CA 94129.

or:

Jim Ward, VP of Marketing,
Lucasfilm Ltd.
5858 Lucas Valley Rd.
Nicasio, CA 94946
Phone: 415-662-1800
Fax: 415-448-2495

According to this, Jim Ward is now the President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd.

Neil
Post
#210605
Topic
New DVDs NOT 16x9
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/210605/action/topic#210605
Time
Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Coming into this heavily populated thread, I feel rather stupid, but if one never asks, one never learns. What is the difference between it being anamorphic and it simply being letterboxed?

Anamorphic has a 33% sharper picture, since more lines are devoted to the actual image and not wasted on the big black bars. When encoded, anamorphic images are squeezed and then when played back on a 16x9 monitor they are unsqueezed, giving you the highest resolution possible.

Neil - not sure why people are shocked at this announcement
Post
#209421
Topic
It Scares Me, Mommy!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/209421/action/topic#209421
Time
Originally posted by: Jagdlieter
What are garbage mattes?

Read this.

http://www.x0project.com/graphics/tie.gif

Also, if your television is calibrated to the correct standard, you should not see the mattes at all on the discs. One reviewer mentioned using the above shot from "The Film Formerly Known as Star Wars" to set your "Brightness" or "Black Level" control. Once the matte disappears, you have the correct setting.

Neil
Post
#208572
Topic
Info: The "OFFICIAL" audio mixes of the Original Trilogy - Help needed.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/208572/action/topic#208572
Time
The WookieGroomer set lets you compare the 2004 mix with the 1993 mix. There is no comparison. The 2004 blows.

I watched the mono track the other day. It's still awesome, even if it does have the .44 Magnum sounds when Leia fires the blaster during the chasm crossfire.

The 1997 SE mix seemed to be a concious effort to expand the mono mix. A lot of elements of that are there. It has the 3PO tractor beam line and "Close the blast doors". It has the .44 Magnum gunshots. It has all the various beeps inside the Falcon. I'm going to have to re-watch the 1997 SE (oh heaven forbid!) and see how close it really is to the mono track. I know it leaves out the faint sounds of the cantina just before Ben and Luke and the droids walk in (which I always liked in the mono track).

Originally posted by: hairy_hen
As the Star Destroyer flies about halfway overhead there is a bright flash of light that on the old stereo is not accompanied by any sort of explosive sound effect. On the '93 THX one was added; the '97 special edition supercedes it with a longer, higher-pitched and more "stereo-ized" explosion sound. I don't know if the mono had any sound there or not...

No effect there on the mono mix.

As for which is my favorite, it's tough to say. I grew up on the 1977 Dolby Stereo mix on video, so that's what I know best. To this day when I hear the tractor beam line, it sounds out of place. The mono sounds the most polished and complete. The 1985 is a very faithful but higher quality version of the 1977 Dolby mix. The 1993 is a rockin' track that could be the best, but new sound effects creep in at times and that distracts.

Neil
Post
#207044
Topic
The Official 2006 Discs Will Be No Better Than What We Have!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/207044/action/topic#207044
Time
Without going into any detail, the Jim Ward comment, "It is state of the art, as of 1993, and that's not as good as state of the art 2006," confirmed something that I had been told just a few days prior to the announcement.

I would be thrilled if my info is wrong and we get new 16x9 transfers. If what I'm posting is wrong and we do get something that isn't sourced from a 13 year old video master I'll admit I was wrong and will happily buy this set.

Neil
Post
#207035
Topic
The Official 2006 Discs Will Be No Better Than What We Have!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/207035/action/topic#207035
Time
I'll concede that the 1985 mix would be an acceptable substitute. Nothing was really added to the 1977 Dolby Stereo mix (except the 3PO line about the tractor beam, which was present in 1977, but inexplicably left out of the Dolby Stereo mix) and it does have great clarity. But I bet we're not even getting that. We'll get the 1993 mix (which again, inexplicably leaves out the 3PO line) but does have new elements added to it. That mix, as strong and clear as it is, is not how the film was seen in 1977, which is how this bonus disc is being marketed.

Just like the "Ultimate Edition" soundtrack of The Phantom Menace is every note composed by John Williams for that score and just like the mixing mistake on the current Star Wars DVD represents a "deliberate creative decision".

Originally posted by: 20th Century Mark
Please elaborate. What do you know?

I've told you what I know.

Neil
Post
#207023
Topic
The Official 2006 Discs Will Be No Better Than What We Have!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/207023/action/topic#207023
Time
Originally posted by: joe
what more could you want?

They're touting this as the original film. Is that the case? The "state of the art" 1993 releases had new sound mixes. They're very good, but they are not the originals. The original 1977 Dolby Stereo mix for Star Wars was on all of the early video releases, up to 1985. Then things started to change. If this is truly the way we saw it in 1977, then it needs to include the original 6 track mix that was on the 70mm prints, which has never been on video. It needs the original mono mix, which has also never been on video. And it needs the original Dolby Stereo mix. If this has the 1993 or the 1985 mixes, then it's not the original. It's that simple.

I want a beautiful new 16x9 transfer of the original edit of Star Wars with all of the original mixes available at the touch of a button. Not a 13 year old D2 master designed for obsolete formats, dusted off and thrown to us as a bone, because that's all this is going to be unless things change soon. They won't change with complacency.

I'm bringing this all up now because I'm tired of getting burned by Lucasfilm. Lucasfilm botched the release of the "complete" score to The Phantom Menace. They fouled up the mix to Star Wars for the DVD release and have never fixed it (nor will they for this release). September 13 is not the time to bring up any issues we may have with this release. The time is now. If I'm wrong about the old D2 masters or any of the other information I've shared in this thread I'll gladly and humbly take the whole thing back, but with all of the information I have on this (which may be more than you realize) I know that this is exactly what we are getting.

Neil
Post
#206874
Topic
Info: OriginalTrilogy.com to shut down
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/206874/action/topic#206874
Time
Originally posted by: ocpmovie
My mood is fluctuating. Sorry. It's just that I've been dealt a few insults of late for speaking my mind. (Off this board I'm talking about.)

Apparently I'm not a true Star Wars fan for actually wanting the original trilogy on DVD and not laserdisc, and recognizing that there is a quality difference between the two.

According to one post, I'm suffering from downs syndrome so I can understand your frustration.

Neil
Post
#206859
Topic
The Official 2006 Discs Will Be No Better Than What We Have!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/206859/action/topic#206859
Time
Originally posted by: Mr Bungle
I dont believe with such a high profile release now of possibly what is the "holy grail" of DVD they are gonna just give people a laserdisc rip, as they would probably come under such critism from the media if they did.

If it's such a high profile release, why is it being referred to as "bonus material" in the official literature?

Neil
Post
#206469
Topic
The Official 2006 Discs Will Be No Better Than What We Have!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/206469/action/topic#206469
Time
Originally posted by: GundarkHunter
I think you're on the right track, zombie84. I don't think Fox would distribute the product at this stage of the game if it was simply going to be a port of an LD transfer.

Except for the fact that this is being included as a bonus disc. The actual release is the 2004 version with this little bonus disc of that original version included, if anybody wants to even see that.

My prediction is that this little bonus item will be the old 1993 4x3 video transfer on a single layer disc.

Neil
Post
#206372
Topic
ORIGINAL STAR WARS TRILOGY OUT 09/2006 BY LUCASFILM
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/206372/action/topic#206372
Time
Originally posted by: ocpmovie
Will Tasker writes:

heres the problem. These brand new DVDs will be using ancient video masters. Jim Ward, of Lucasfilms, comments: "The original films' video quality will not match up to that of the restored versions. 'It is state of the art, as of 1993, and that's not as good as state of the art 2006,' Ward says." That quote can be found in this article from USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-05-03-star-wars_x.htm


Who is "Will Tasker" and why is he ripping off word-for-word what I wrote in this thread?

And not to rain on everyones parade but I've written some more about this news here.

Neil