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Patrick R.

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

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Post
#51730
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/51730/action/topic#51730
Time
I'm planning on waiting for one that does dual layered (+) and (-) since I know my DVD Player can handle (-). Unfortunately, the (-) camp is a little behind in getting their dual layer specification to market even though a dual layered (-) Pioneer was demonstrated at CES this year. I believe it was a Pioneer A106 with some special firmware, but I'm not sure.

Also, the current dual layered (+) burner does single layered (-) discs. In addition to that, dual layered media is a pain to find right now and I haven't heard how well these dual layered burners work as far as being compliant and so forth. I'm not knocking dual layer though as that is what I plan to use when I redo my project.

Patrick
Post
#51251
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/51251/action/topic#51251
Time
With or without the shipping included, that is a great deal.

As far as capturing goes, it depends on your capturing card. I have a Canopus ADVC-100 which is a DV capturing bridge and I use a free program called WinDV. For $40.00, there is a good program called Scenalyzer which can be used with it. I was using Virtual Dub to capture when I was using my GeForce4 Ti4200 as a capture card, but I was having audio sync issues. I believe that may have been due to my built in soundcard. I have since bought a soundcard, but I haven't tested my GeForce card with it to see the sync issue has been resolved. I have no sync issues using the ADVC-100, but there is a lot of debate about how good DV capturing is as it compresses 4:1:1.

I would really check out Video Help (formerly DVDRHelp). for more information on what to use.

Patrick
Post
#51245
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/51245/action/topic#51245
Time
Originally posted by: Jashun44
Hey, thanks for the info Patrick and Nan Tucket. I guess I'll check on ebay and such to see what I find. I would just like to have a good copy of the Laserdisc...it would make me feel better! Well, so what is a decent price range for these. I just don't want to get ripped off. I know there are a lot of people out there way over-pricing them. What would be the maximum you guys would reccomend paying for a set? Thanks again for the help

Jashun


I paid $88.00 for my Definitive Collection set including FedEx shipping back in November 2002. So, I would probably pay up to $100.00 for the set, but I wouldn't go as high as $150.00 unless I was really desperate to have it. Also, when I bought mine, I didn't know about the missing 17 seconds of Leia welding in ESB, so I was really lucky when my set came and turned out okay.

As far as the Faces laserdiscs go, I probably wouldn't pay more than $30.00 each if they are sold separately or $90.00 for all 3.

Patrick

Post
#51209
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/51209/action/topic#51209
Time
Originally posted by: Jashun44
Hey guys. I just had a couple of quick questions.

1. I know this has probably been answered before, so I apologize for the repeat, but what is the best Laserdisc copy to have. I'm specifically refering to one that is Pre-Sp-Ed., has the missing C3P0 dialogue and the Princess Leia wielding scene, and is good quality. (I'm not even sure about CLV vs CAV).

2. Also, I wanted to know if anybody here was doing a transfer on a Mac...if so, I'm curious to see what hardware/software they are using to capture, encode, clean-up, etc.

3. Also, what have been the bitrates people are using for their encoding...like if it's variable, what are your min. and max.? Also, for anyone preparing to do a dual-layer transfer, like Laserman, what bitrate are you going to use?

Thanks for the help and info!

Jashun


If you want to get the 3PO line where he says, "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.", you will have to either buy the 1989 Widescreen LD or the SE Boxed set. I would definitely buy either the Faces or The Definitive Collection LD's in addition. If you don't care about the extras, I would just get the Faces discs. Only the first pressing of The Definitive Collection had the problem with the missing Leia welding scene. It was corrected in the 2nd pressing and people were able to exchange them I believe. If you go after that set, I would ask the seller if the set has that footage or not. I was fortunate that mine was not the first pressing.

Also, if you want a history of the Star Wars video releases, check this link.

Hope that helps. I really wish I had some of those documentaries listed on the miscellaneous page.

Patrick
Post
#50840
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/50840/action/topic#50840
Time
I agree about all of the fighting. I myself probably sound harsh, but that is not my intent at all. I'm big on 16:9 as I see no disadvantage to it, but I do not have a DLP projector to test with, so I could see how upconverting to 16:9 would have degradation when viewed on a very large screen like 12 foot. Man that must be awesome though to have that setup.

As far as the widescreen TV's go. I don't know if it is a problem for most of them. I was only able to test out 3 myself. However, most of the people with 16:9 TV's on that huge Star Wars thread at DVDRHelp said they didn't like the way their 4:3 encodes came out on their 16:9 sets, but they were happier when they went back and did 16:9 encodes and played them back.

I stopped calling the 16:9 encodes we do Anamorphic since it is a different process done with different equipment than Hollywood. I could be mistaken, but IIRC, they scan the film image frame by frame at the highest possible resolution into something and the shape is changed at that point. So they create a digital master that is truly Anamorphic. I don't know where they do color correction and cleanup. I guess they do it to their digital master, but I have no idea. Anyway, Anamorphic actually has to do with the shape of a camera lens.

Also, Laserman is right that you do not gain any extra resolution doing 16:9 encodes from 4:3 sources, but Hollywood does when they do their process.

I'm not trying to top anyone elses project at all. I would be happy with the Torrent Files instead of redoing my own project if they had two things. If they were redone on dual layered discs and if ESB wasn't missing 17 seconds (that's a result of the first pressing of the Definitive Collection LD's). I'm glad I have a later pressing. I actually didn't know about that flaw when I got mine, so I panicked when I found out about it and was relieved when I saw mine were okay.

I can't wait until dual layered burners come out and someone writes a guide on how to use them or how they work as I have questions.
1.) Do you split the movies in half like I did on my 2 disc versions and have the authoring software join the two halves together?
2.) Do you keep the movie as one big file and let the authoring software split it?
3.) Can you tell the authoring software where to make the layer break?

All of my questions are basically about the same thing. I'll probably have to upgrade my encoder as well as it looks like it only supports single layer which is understandable since it is a couple years old.

Maybe Laserman can fill me in on how the dual layered burners work since he has access to one. I'm very curious as going dual layer is going to be a big revolution.

Also, mine have very simple menus with no THX logo. I didn't want a THX logo on my discs or covers as THX wasn't involved in creating the DVD's. I'm not knocking them, but I think they would be insulted to have their logo displayed on something homemade.

I hate to make a correction, but all of the Star Wars films are 2.35:1 instead of 1.78:1.

Patrick
Post
#50797
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/50797/action/topic#50797
Time
Originally posted by: vince_the_destroyer
the "faces" set comes in 2 discs, while the definitive edition comes in 3. I assume that the def ed has better image quality since it is on more data


As far as I know, the only difference between the two transfers is that the Definitive Collection LD's are CAV and the Faces LD's are CLV. The picture quality should be the same. The only difference is that you can have smooth slow motion, frame by frame, and such with CAV but not with CLV. The only reason I bought the Definitive set was for the extras.

Patrick

Post
#50619
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/50619/action/topic#50619
Time
Originally posted by: Laserman
I am in two minds about converting to Anamorphic.
The only real advantage to Anamorphic is when it is shot in Anamorph as you get more resolution on screen.
By converting a non-anamorphic source to anamorphic, you are not increasing the resolution, in fact you are adding a level of processing that can only degrade the image, so I will do some testing, but I can't see an adavantage to it at this stage.


I didn't notice any quality degradation when I did test comparing 4:3 to 16:9 encodes. There may be a slight loss of quality, but it wasn't enough for me to notice. The advantage to doing 16:9 is that the image will be displayed properly on a 16:9 TV. Some 16:9 TV's are better than others at doing the image conversion. My menus are 4:3 on my current discs because there was no way I knew of to make a 16:9 menu that would display correctly on my 4:3 TV. I went to a couple of stores and tried out my disc on a few 16:9 TV's. The image of the video was displayed correctly on all three since my video was encoded 16:9. However, only one TV displayed my menu automatically without bars on the sides and without stretching it out of proportion. One showed the menu with bars on the sides and the last one stretched the image out of proportion.

Check out the huge Star Wars thread at DVDrHelp. Just about everyone there is doing 16:9. There was a huge discussion and debate going on at one time which was better. Those who had 16:9 TV's were not happy with the way their 4:3 encodes turned out, but they were happy when they went back and redid them in 16:9.

Notice I didn't say Anamorphic. I sometimes refer to 16:9 as Anamorphic, but we are not doing true Anamorphic here since we do not have the equipment to do that with. You are right that you do not gain vertical resolution, but I believe the degradation is also so tiny because you are not blowing up the image that much.

I also wouldn't be doing 16:9 if I hadn't already tried doing 4:3 and comparing the two to see which I liked better. I noticed no difference between the two on my 4:3 TV, so I'm sticking with 16:9 since I will eventually own a 16:9 TV.

Finally, if you are seriously considering taking footage from the upcoming DVD's, they are 16:9.

Patrick
Post
#50566
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/50566/action/topic#50566
Time
I seriously doubt this will happen, but if the Originals are not included in the DVD release, it would be at least be nice if all of the original scenes that had been changed were included in the extras with cleaned up audio and digital. Then it would only be a matter of editing to once again have the Original versions.

Patrick
Post
#50509
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/50509/action/topic#50509
Time
Originally posted by: Jashun44
Originally posted by: Laserman

Hey Laserman, do you plan on converting these to anamorphic? That's my question about the current anamorphic ones. Does anybody know how these were done? I know to convert them you can just delete the "black bars", but these look better than to have just done that.


It's a little more complicated than just cutting off the black bars. Your encoder has to support 16:9 conversion. What I do with mine is tell my encoder (TMPNGEnc Plus) my original source is 4:3 525 Line (NTSC 704x480) and that it is interlaced. Next, I set the Video Arrange Method to Full Screen (Keep Aspect Ratio). The video arrange method tells how the video should be displayed. The setting I use tells it to Maximize the window and keep the aspect ratio. Next I use a filter called Clip Frame to crop the black bars. The image size is 720x approximately 276 (this varies depending on how thick the bars are). Finally, I go to another tab where you specify output. I tell my encoder to convert the video to 16:9 and tell it to output the size to 720 x 480. All of that together stretches the image and adds new black bars which look better than the LD's original black bars. The picture still looks correct because of the Video Arrange Method setting telling it to keep the aspect ratio. In addition, the color of the new bars is also set by the user. I don't know why anyone would want to, but you could have purple bars if you choose to.

The torrent file choose a method similar to this because the subtitles for Greedo are on the video image instead of in the bottom black bar like they are on the LD. My subtitles are also overlayed on the video image. I say similar because I don't know what encoder was used to convert from AVI or DV to MPEG-2. I guess you could have the subtitles in the bottom black bar if you have a script that says to generate subtitles after the resizing is done.

Finally, once encoded, there is a flag somewhere in the video that tells your DVD Player how to display the image. This flag is overridden by your DVD Player's setting. So, if your DVD Player is set to 4:3, it will convert the image to 4:3 by removing some of the vertical lines and the image will look correct on a 4:3 TV. This is undetectable by our eyes if done properly. Likewise, if your DVD Player is set to 16:9, it will take the read the flag from the video and correctly display it at 16:9 if you are playing it on a 16:9 TV.

I hope this information helps explain it a little. I didn't go into IVTC which is a process of making the video appear progressive instead of interlace by converting the framerate to that of film instead of video, but that is something for another time.


Patrick
Post
#50417
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/50417/action/topic#50417
Time
Oops. I had my private messages turned off as well. Sorry about that.

I'm going to compare the Torrent ANH with the one I made. As far as I can tell, the picture quality is about the same. Mine are 16x9 as well. I just don't know if my colors are as nice, but I'll do some sort of comparison to find out.

My LD's are not missing the 17 seconds of Leia welding, so I may try to piece that part into the Torrent download and see if I can match it up. It isn't impossible to do, but it is a pain nonetheless.

Patrick
Post
#48888
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/48888/action/topic#48888
Time
That's too bad the Anamorphic DVD's are missing some of the welding footage. I know of that flaw. Thankfully, my LD's have that scene. I also know of the missing C3PO line. That line is missing on my LD's, but it doesn't concern me as it is not in many versions of the film. IIRC, that line is not in the original 1977 version of the film.

I just wish I knew what equipment and software the people used to make the Anamorphic set. I would like to see if I can match the quality on my own. It's a fun hobby.

Patrick
Post
#48439
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/48439/action/topic#48439
Time
That really sucks. If those who threatened you ever ask why you could tell them in so many words what Lucas is and that he said those versions no longer exist. I would love to see so many high quality bootlegs get into people hands before Sept. and cripple the sales of that Official SE only DVD crap. I know that won't happen, but if it did, maybe then Lucas will get the idea people do not care for his revisionist filmmaking being the only thing people can see on DVD.

Patrick
Post
#48323
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/48323/action/topic#48323
Time
I'm wondering if it would be possible to modify an LD Player by installing component RGB outputs and installing component RGB inputs on a capturing device. I love my ADVC-100 (capture device), but it only has S-Video and Composite inputs and outputs. There are probably some capturing devices that have RGB inputs, but I imagine that they are quite expensive. The ADVC-100 alone was nearly $300.00 US. I believe it can be bought for around $250.00 now or maybe a little less.

Now as far as component RGB goes, I believe that is digital. Not sure. If it is digital, you could capture digitally from the LD Player. LD's are analog, but at least you could have a digital stream coming from the LD Player and into your PC. A lot of this is theory on my part though. I just wish I had the money to try it out.


Patrick
Post
#48174
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/48174/action/topic#48174
Time
Jedi Master,

Check your private messages.

Master Sifo-Dyas,

Is there a way to copy the files on the laserdisc directly onto the harddrive? I would like to know if there is hardware that could achieve this (or if it can be built, theoretically). I was thinking on something along the lines of a LD player rigged into some sort of "LD-Drive" that you can hook up directly to the IDE port.


I don't think so. However, I have seen some LD Players that have some type of serial port on the back. Many of you may already know about this website already, but I figured it may come in handy. It is the most definitive archive of LD Player information that I have seen. It is here: LaserDisc UK Website

Mythos
Post
#47251
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/47251/action/topic#47251
Time
Originally posted by: vince_the_destroyer
one quick question. If these are sourced from laserdiscs, and were made anamorphic simply by deleting the black bars on the bottom, how can they look any better than the original LD's?


They won't. However, they will look better when you play them on a 16:9 TV because you won't have grey bars on the left and right hand sides of the image. Contrary to some statements, it doesn't look as good when you take a non 16:9 image and use the zoom feature on a 16:9 TV to blow it up. If you look at the Star Wars thread at [l]www.dvdrhelp.com[/l] , someone posted a link to a few pictures where a 4:3 image has been zoomed in on on a 16:9 TV. However, when you encode Anamorphically, the way the way I described, the image quality remains the same.

Also, deleting the black bars alone does not make something Anamorphic. That is only part of it. If you get a chance, delve into the forums at the link I gave above. There is a wealth of information there that could answer it better than I could at the moment.

Patrick
Post
#47085
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/47085/action/topic#47085
Time
Originally posted by: vince_the_destroyer
Since the sources (Laserdisc) aren't anamorphic, how the bootlegs based on them be? btw, has anyone considered taking scenes from the SE that weren't altered, but were cleaned up in the restoration, and stiching them together with the pre-SE laserdiscs? would be nice



The first part is easy. An encoder will allow you to convert 4:3 to 16:9 while retaining it's aspect ratio. I did this by cropping the black bars off and replacing them with my own which are true black and look better than the black bars of the source. Since I did that, I had to recreate the alien subtitles. When I recreated the subtitles, I stuck them in the image instead of the bottom black bar since they were in the image in the theater.

I wouldn't even attempt to do any stitching. It would be too noticeable every time it switched from SE to Original because there is a huge difference in quality between those two sources. The only way you could do it without noticing it would be to have some very expensive equipment and color correct each frame so that it matches the colors of the SE versions. Too much trouble.

Patrick
Post
#47004
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/47004/action/topic#47004
Time
Ok. I have a way to tell if it is Anamorphic or not. Could you go into your DVD Player's setup menu and choose 16:9? After that, play the disc. If the image appears tall and skinny (or squished), the disc is Anamorphic. If it doesn't change, it is not Anamorphic. That information is courtesy or this link:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/page2.html

I hope this information will clear up a lot of confusion as to whether a source is Anamorphic Widescreen (16:9) or just Letterbox Widescreen (4:3).

Thanks.

Patrick
Post
#46255
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/46255/action/topic#46255
Time
If I didn't already have my own project going with my LD's, I would probably buy one from TR47. I would rather give him $200.00 instead of giving Lucas $50.00 for that s^%! he's putting out in September (SE only crap). I hope everything settles down on this matter soon. The only person to blame for all of this George Lucas himself. If he wasn't so stuck on his SE only policy, there wouldn't be a need for bootlegs.

I know this isn't going to happen, but I would love to see sales his set in Sept. be far less than expected (if he doesn't throw in the Original Versions). Maybe that will finally send it home to Lucas that we don't want his revisionist cinema.



Patrick
Post
#46110
Topic
Info: OT Bootleg DVDs
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/46110/action/topic#46110
Time
I'm actually making my own from my LD's. I was pretty happy with my first attempt, but I know I can do better. I'm actually thankful for TR47 being around because they have helped fans get these films where I could not. I'm sorry to those who PM'ed me asking for copies of mine. Time hasn't been on my side. But at least, TR47 was able to come through.

To be honest, I never thought of selling mine. I just was doing it so that I could have the versions I want on DVD. I'll probably buy a dual layered burner after they come out and are proven to work well. I want a dual layered burner that does both + and -. I'm partial to - because I know my player plays though.

As far as prices go. I don't know what I would sell my copies for once I finished and was satisfied with them. Maybe $30-$40. It really would depend. Again I apologize to those asking for a copy from me. It is going to be a while before I finish mine. Mine has menus, but they are just static instead of being fancy with motion and music and such.

I know the risk TR47 is talking about. That is pretty much all I will say on that. I think we should all be civil here. If one doesn't like his prices, they do not have to buy. They can either buy bootlegs from Ebay, buy the Official release, or spend the money to buy an LD Player, the LD's, PC equipment powerful enough to capture and encode video, software, etc and make their own. Not to mention the research involved in doing this properly. I would actually encourage everyone who wants the Original Versions, but doesn't want to buy bootlegs to make their own.

There is also one last option I didn't mention. Wait until 9/21/04 to see if the Original Versions are really not going to be included. I'm not holding my breath, but you never know with Lucas' ever fickle mind. Anything could happen. This last option is one factor that has slowed me a little. I have the LD's, so I won't be too upset if he doesn't include the Original Versions, as I can then begin work on my own. I probably won't wait that long, but I'm going to take my time when I do this.

Patrick
Post
#41557
Topic
For Sale: Star Wars PC Games
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/41557/action/topic#41557
Time

Hello,

I’m cleaning house and want to get rid of most of my Star Wars PC Games. I’m still debating on whether I want to keep Dark Forces and Dark Forces II (with expansion). I’m going to be trading in a lot of games I don’t play at Electronics Boutique and figured I would see if someone here may want the Star Wars games before I did that.

Here is what I am getting rid of.
Rebel Assault
Rebel Assault II
Rogue Squadron
X-Wing Alliance
X-Wing Collection (includes X-Wing, TIE Fighter, and X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter Flight School)
X-Wing Vs. TIE Fighter (with Balance of Power expansion pack)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Eposode I: Insider’s Guide (Similar to the Behind The Magic CD-Rom).

I’m thinking of selling these all together for around $25.00. I checked EB’s web site and they sell each game for $4.99 except for the Insider’s Guide which they only have for the MAC for $9.87. So, these would be considerably cheaper. Please PM me and if you are interested. Thanks.

Patrick

Update.
Oh well. I was able to sell all but the Rebel Assaults and the Episode I game at EB. I’ll probably Ebay the rest of them.

Patrick