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Patrick R.

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Join date
10-May-2003
Last activity
10-Apr-2016
Posts
229

Post History

Post
#93668
Topic
.: The Zion DVD Project :. (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/93668/action/topic#93668
Time
I hope Pioneer catches up too. I haven't decided between the Pioneer 109 or the NEC 3520A. Both drives use the NEC chipset as stated on VideoHelp under the DVD Writers section.

Also, thanks for the information on DVD-Lab Pro Reverend Beastly. I actually still have to purchase Pro. I purchased the regular version back in Jan 04, so it should only be a $100 upgrade to Pro.

I'm hoping -R DL will be more compatible than +R DL was when it started out. The -R guys had a lot of extra time, so I hope they pretty much perfected it. As far as the burning speeds of DL drives go, it really doesn't matter to me too much when talking about the differences between 4X and even 8x. I know 8x is twice as fast, but burning doesn't really bother me since it takes so many hours to encode since I use TMPGEnc Plus. Even though that is slow, I like it for the price and quality. There are better encoders, but they also can cost a lot more.

Patrick
Post
#93386
Topic
.: The Zion DVD Project :. (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/93386/action/topic#93386
Time
I too plan on doing a dual layer version once I get a Pioneer or NEC drive that supports -R DL and -R DL media becomes available.

I have a couple of questions on how to do it.

I have DVD-Lab Pro (authoring) and TMPGEnc Plus (encoder) and both support dual layer. My questions are.

1.) Once my editing of the LD sides togther and filtering are done, would I encode the whole film with my encoder into one large file?
2.) Anyone know whether DVD-Lab Pro will let you set the point in the film you want the layer break?
3.) Where in the DVD's did they set their layer breaks? I know ANH placed it after Tarkin says, "Terminate her immediately!". That is where I broke the film in two when I did my original two disc version. I don't know where they put their's in ESB and ROTJ. On ESB, my second disc starts with Luke popping his head down into the cave of the magic tree. On ROTJ, my first disc ends with Han saying, "Hurry up will ya! We haven't got all day!".

Thanks.

Patrick
Post
#86001
Topic
HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/86001/action/topic#86001
Time
I wonder if Xbox 2 will be HD-DVD since PS3 will be Blu-Ray. I found an interesting article here that talks about it some. I also know Xbox 2 is going to be backwards compatible because of another article I read some time ago that I will have to look for. That article said that ATI is making the graphics chip for the next Xbox and that they were running into a few problems because Nvidia is reluctant to give up the code they used on the graphics chip for the current Xbox. Many of the games on the current Xbox were made to utilize advanced features of the built-in Nvidia graphics chip. The article did state that Nvidia would give up the code so that ATI could work out the problems.

I don't own an Xbox or PS2, but it does seem like the Xbox is doing a good job in catching up with PS2 in my opinion. The only things that make the PS2 more attractive to me is the ability to play PS1 games and some of the franchises like Final Fantasy.

Patrick
Post
#85953
Topic
HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/85953/action/topic#85953
Time
I think it will take a long time to gain acceptance as well for the reasons you guys mentions. A format war between two camps doesn't help. Forget about which one we think is better because of cost or storage space. Think about which one offers the movies you want.

Unfortunately, the studios are just about evenly divided between the two formats. So, most of us who are basically screwed because we would have to buy two different players to play all of the movies we want. I'll give you a good example of what I mean. As it stands now, Indiana Jones equals HD-DVD and Star Wars equals Blu-Ray. Fox hasn't comitted to Blu-Ray yet, but I feel pretty confident they will since they joined their board, panel, or whatever it is called (the same thing Disney joined).

I don't know about most of you, but the extra video and audio quality will not be worth the high cost for me. I know movies will look and sound better, but the quality difference had better be better than the difference between VHS and current DVD. I will not buy into either format until a reliable player comes along that can play DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray. It is too bad that all of the studios just didn't get behind one format and force the other one to either cooperate or disband. I think there is room for both formats as long as they are cooperating instead of competing. Some movies won't need the space Blu-Ray offers and some will. Blu-Ray would also be great for TV shows.

Who knows, this format war may kill both formats and we will have to wait for the one that comes out after that.

Patrick
Post
#81626
Topic
HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/81626/action/topic#81626
Time
Thanks for the articles. Dinsey actually signed a non-exclusive deal with Blu-Ray, so I think they will release titles on both formats.

I just think both sides should put aside their differences and make machines that play both formats and be done with it. Greed will be their downfall though.

Patrick
Post
#81252
Topic
HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/81252/action/topic#81252
Time
I wonder if some of the Blu-Ray manufacturers will also put out HD-DVD decks. Pioneer officially backs DVD-R, but they put out burners that do both - and +R/RW DVD's and +R DL. They will also put out writers that do all of those and -R DL in the coming months.

I really torn on the whole thing and will have to wait for one clear winner as others have said. I like Blu-Ray for the manufacturers involved. I really don't care about the touted extra space because that comes at a price. For one, it is more expensive to manufacture Blu-Ray discs. Secondly, Blu-Ray discs put the data layer much closer to the surface which causes their discs to be a lot more susceptible to disc errors caused from scratches. TDK is supposed to be fixing that problem with a special polymer, but I don't know all of the details. I believe they sell current blanks with that polymer at 3 times the cost of regular blanks.

I like HD-DVD because it is the official standard set by the DVD Forum of which Pioneer and many others are a part of. It is also cheaper to produce because it existing DVD making machinery can be used to manufacture the HD-DVD discs. I know HD-DVD has less space, but it is just a durable as current DVD since the data layer is at the same depth. Also, are Blu-Ray discs going to fully utilize all of that extra space or are they just going to pad the discs with dummy material?

As for Disney, they have signed a non-exclusive deal with Blu-Ray. They will probably be releasing titles on both formats to maximize profits.

We also have to wait to see what the other studios like Image, Anchor Bay, and the Anime companies go with. They may be smaller than the majors, but they do put out a lot of content. Anime has really taken off in the US and far more titles are available on DVD than there ever were on VHS.

I think they should just work out their differences and come out with players that play both. I can't guess how each will utilize their disc space, but if you start seeing movies on Blu-Ray that only use 15-20Gb of space, that really didn't need that 50Gb of space and could have easily been put on HD-DVD. If they utilize more space for the film than HD-DVD can, then I see it as a clear advantage. I also don't mind it if HD-DVD would have to use a second disc for extras if they utilize all of the space on the first disc for the feature film. Lastly, I think if both worked together, Blu-Ray would be great for TV shows and HD-DVD for movies. But again, it depends on how each is going to utilize their disc space since both formats will use the same compression codecs. DVD wouldn't have been nearly as successful had their been two formats available. I really don't count DIVX since that didn't have any clear advantages over DVD in terms of quality and content.

Patrick
Post
#79217
Topic
***The MeBeJedi feedback thread ***
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/79217/action/topic#79217
Time
That's good that the original versions of the books are also available.

MeBe,

That's cool that VirtualDub will help out even more. I really like that little program. I agree about using multiple programs concurrently. It is the best way to cover everything since I have yet to find a single program that can do it all unless you can afford 1000's of dollars. I'm really going to have to get on the ball on my project.

Patrick
Post
#79191
Topic
***The MeBeJedi feedback thread ***
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/79191/action/topic#79191
Time
It is crazy to speak of censorship here, since the Original Versions do exist on DVD from other people. Also, Picasso's are one of a kind. The LD's are not. I can't argue about the Noddy books because I agree that they should not have been censored. I've never read them or heard of them until now, but I hate the fact that they edited them after her death.

I myself am doing my own version once I get off my lazy butt. I haven't determined what I am going to do exactly yet. I do plan on putting the snowspeeder spinning out of control and crashing sound effects back in as they were omitted from the Pre SE THX LD releases. I'm also hoping to do dual layer versions once DVD Writers that can do Dual Layer -R come out. To be safe, I will probably buy one that can do Dual Layer +R and -R.

Speaking of Dual Layer, a new beta version of TMPGEnc 2.5 is available that can do 8.5Gb DVD's. I can't wait until the full version comes out as I do not like TMPGEnc Xpress (AKA 3.0).

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I like what I see so far MeBe.

Patrick
Post
#76427
Topic
Lawsuit and sales figures
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/76427/action/topic#76427
Time
I don't see any similarity between this and the McDonalds lawsuit. Even though the Star Wars DVD set doesn't say which versions are included it is still false advertising in my book. Back when McDonalds was sued, they never made a claim that their burgers were low calorie. This Star Wars DVD set says "Original Trilogy" right on the package. It doesn't say anything about changed footage anywhere. That is what I am getting it. Most other releases where changes have been made say something like, "Director's Cut",
"Extended Version", "Unrated Version", etc. Star Wars does not. At least all of the releases for the Special Editions said so on the packaging.

I'm not saying a lawsuit like this could win. However, if there was enough support, Lucas may be forced to recall these sets and put some kind of stickers on the packaging saying these are updated versions of the films. That is all I am saying.

Patrick
Post
#75491
Topic
Lawsuit and sales figures
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/75491/action/topic#75491
Time
I was wondering if anyone thought about suing Lucas because the new boxed set does not say anywhere on the packaging that these are new versions of the films and that the Originals are not included. I know it wouldn't be winnable, but if enough people became involved, it may become a slight embarrassment to Lucas.

I've also been keeping up with the sales charts and noticed that it is not selling as well as a lot of people thought. It is still in the top 10 after 9 weeks, but I still haven't heard exactly how many copies have been sold. I heard 2.5 million during its first day with $115 million in revenue, but that monetary figure included sales of the new game. Anyone have any more complete figures?

Patrick
Post
#69212
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/69212/action/topic#69212
Time
I thought of something interesting. Does anyone know of any program that will let you do a split-screen comparison of video files. That would be really neat if you could have this in a supplemental section of a DVD. What I'm getting at would be something that would allow you to play two videoclips of the same footage side by side with each taking half of the screen. One could be how the footage looked when you first started and the second could be how it looked after you figured out your filters for noise reduction, color correction, etc. I thought that was one really neat thing I saw on something like Entertainment Tonight back in 1996-97 when they were talking about the Star Wars Special Editions. They didn't show any SE changes. They just showed something like Vader walking down the hall of the Corellian Corvette. They showed what the film footage looked like originally and how it looked after it was restored and I believe they did a side by side, but I'm not entirely sure.

Anyone else think this would be neat if it could be done?

Patrick
Post
#68321
Topic
Changes in 2004 DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68321/action/topic#68321
Time
Thanks HotRod. Sorry Jimbo, I'm not interested in buying them. I just want to see how many goofs are still present in Lucas' supposed vision of how the films were meant to be. This is a separate list from the audio issues introduced by the new DVD's.

So far I know of these goofs still left in:
ANH: Lightsaber is green in one sequence.
ESB: Needa's shuttle is still a box
ROTJ: Emperor still has blobs on sides of hood.

HotRod,

Do you know if the X-Wings in ANH have also been fixed? In the Original Version, all of them had markings to signify that one was Red 5, one was Red 2, and so on. In the '97 version, they used the same CGI model, so all of them are the same (I forget which one though).

Thanks.

Patrick

Post
#68044
Topic
Changes in 2004 DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/68044/action/topic#68044
Time
Don't forget the Cantina scene on the Behind The Magic CD-Rom where Han has a girl sitting with him and I believe he even pats her on the behind when she gets up as Ben and Luke are coming over. I could be wrong about exactly what happened in that scene, but I do remember there was a girl with Han there. It's a shame that that footage was in such poor condition that it faded all the way back to black and white. I'll have to dig out that CD-Rom to check it out. I really loved the weapons test where you try weapons out on a Stormtrooper.

Patrick
Post
#67911
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67911/action/topic#67911
Time
I'm wondering how you would encode a dual layered version. My preferred encoder is TMPGEnc Plus 2.5 only because that is what I know. If you were to just encode a dual layered version, how would you do it? Would you consult a bitrate calculator like the one from Videohelp and then input the numbers in your encoder? I know there are authoring programs that support dual layer burning, but does anyone know of a dual layer encoder?

Thanks.

Patrick
Post
#67526
Topic
Changes in 2004 DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/67526/action/topic#67526
Time
I don't believe anything Lucas says. Have you ever seen the man say, "I was wrong?" No. He denies just about everything I have ever seen him say in the past. The only promise I have seen him keep so far is that 1995 would be the last time the Originals would ever be available. That statement was made on the 1995 VHS and I'm pretty sure the LD release as well.

Even though he said that, I didn't accept it. I don't know where he came up with the always saying he was "only happy with something like 35% of the films". He didn't start talking like that until recently. I remember him saying that he originally planned to do nine films and they would all be told from the eyes of the two droids. I also remember him saying back in 1982 that he was really upset how he was forced to release Star Wars on VHS and how he hated Pan&Scan. Because of that, he said he wouldn't release Empire of the upcoming Jedi on home video until some ridiculous date like 1999 or something. I don't remember the date, but that obviously didn't happen. Also remember the excuses he made for deciding to release the films on DVD before Episode III was finished.

With Lucas it is always either a denial or excuse. Never, "Well, I changed my mind." or "I was mistaken.". Hell, if I am wrong and I realize it, I will say, "I was wrong.". I really wish I could dig up all of these articles and interviews. Some are easy since they were made more recently and on the Internet. However, some will be hard to find, because they were in printed material many years ago. I'm not the only one who read this stuff though, so I know there are others my age who probably know where to find the articles.

Patrick