- Post
- #164101
- Topic
- <strong>The Moth3r PAL DVD Set Info and Feedback Thread</strong> (Released)
- Link
- https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/164101/action/topic#164101
- Time
Review equipment:
Pioneer DV656A DVD player
Philips 32" Blackline S CRT TV
Yamaha AX-570 amplifier and JBL speakers.
Episode IV
Video: Looks incredibly sharp and the extra PAL resolution makes all the difference from the NTSC transfers I've seen, like TR47 and Cowclops V2. It's also unbelievable how good the anamorphic encoding is, it still has the sharpness and I hardly noticed any compression artifacts or other video bugs. Ok, there's a bit of videonoise but it is very tame and didn't bug me at all - I prefer the extra sharpness overall. Other problems here include the color ofcourse, which is way too desaturated. You can hardly tell the opening Star Wars logo and intro text are yellow, they seem almost white. Skin color is also unnatural. This could really do with a little dose of colortweaking, but not much. I think a middleground between this desaturated look and the cartoony looking official DVD's might be the way to go. I also kinda missed the screenwipe where Luke and Obi-Wan lift C3PO. It's a screenwipe we've come to know very well, and not having it looks strange. Finally there's the low resolution static screen straight after that screenwipe where we see Luke's speeder outside Obi-Wan's house. It looks so ugly, sticks out like a sore thumb.
Audio: First thing you notice about the audio is the low level. You really have to crank up your system "all the way up", so far that the amplifier begins to struggle a bit. This really needed a higher audiolevel. And being from a VHS source I noticed various dropouts, audionoise and clicks. Overall though the VHS audio is surprisingly good, with a good bass and mostly low on noise. But it is obvious that a soundtrack from a laserdisc is a much better prospect, so let's hope Moth3r will upgrade the VHS sound to laserdisc sound if he does a "Version 2.0".
Overall: A great transfer, easily the best I've seen and I suspect we won't see anything significantly better (maybe the X0 Project will imrove upon it). Huge repect to Moth3r for doing this great project, I absolutely love watching the OOT in this quality.
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Episode V
Video: The same pretty much applies here as in EPIV. This is just as good looking. It suffers from the same flaws also, so you can expect desaturated colors here but it's not as bad as on EPIV. Those sharpening filters really have done wonders here, there's very little noise and the picture is so smooth and stable. I really think those hardly noticable "halos" justify the video's sharpness. I guess different DVD players process the video signal in different ways, but my Pioneer player handles it well. This looks absolutely amazing, incredible! Blacks are black, the contrast is spot on and the colors are much more accurate than the fucked up official Lucas DVD's. This is ESB as I remember it from the theaters.
Audio: The audiolevel is also too low here, which is a shame. This movie has such a powerful soundtrack so I was really bummed out not being able to blast it properly on my system. As on EPIV there are the occasional audio gremlins which would have been totally avoided with the use of laserdisc soundtrack. I really think this is one of the biggest flaws of this project, having VHS audio with laserdisc video. With this good video, you really want to pair it with the best possible audio source wouldn't you?
Overall: It's a joy to watch this transfer. It really is so close to the official DVD's sharpness wise and resolution wise. Comparing this transfer to for example the TR47 is like you've just had the mud washed from your eyes when watching the PAL goodness. This is great!
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Episode VI
Video: This one actually looks the worst of the trilogy. It is more blurry or muddy looking. Not nearly as sharp as the other two, that was immediately noticable. As has now been revealed Moth3r used another filter process on this one to reduce halos. I would rather have the slight haloing and the extra sharpness, rather than no halos and this slightly blurry looking image. It hits you hard after watching the incredibly sweet looking EPIV & V transfers. On a good note this one has much better color than the other two.
Audio: The VHS sound here is a bit damaged, with plenty of little clicks and cuts throughout the beginning of the movie and on various other parts of the movie. Sometimes it sounds a bit like you're listening to a vinyl record. The audiolevel is higher though and that is good. Again, I would absolutely love to have the laserdisc audio here, with it's clarity and pristine goodness. The VSH sound on here is easily the worst of the three movies.
Overall: A bit of a dissapointment actually, as I thought this one would be the best looking one of them all (as that's how it is with the other transfers I've seen). Coupled with the damaged VHS sound this is a step below the excellent EPIV and V transfers. The best thing about this transfer is the color, which is rich.
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Trilogy overall: As I've said before this is the best I've seen of the OOT "laserdisc to DVD" projects. The extra resolution and extra sharpness from the PAL source, coupled with Moth3r's great efforts have given us a truly brilliant project and I'm most impressed. But things can be improved upon, as I guess Moth3r is fully aware of. EPIV needs more color and a higher audiolevel (prefarably from a laserdisc source). EPV needs a bit more color as well as a better and higher audio and EPVI needs better sharpness and better audio. My two cents on that whole "halo" thing is simple. If I ought to choose between the extra sharpness and slight haloing or no halos and a more blurry image I'd go for the former, no doubt about it. I also think if Moth3r has plans to do a "Version 2.0" project, then all three movies should be proecessed in the same way, to make the viewing experience complete. Also for this new version it would be great to get the laserdisc audio. With all these things considered this would probably be the absolutely best OOT project possible. Here's hoping Moth3r will give it another go. Massive respect to Moth3r for this project!
the set also included the Casting Auditions plus The Forgotten Scenes (pal)- If you look my list over you could create HUGE making of collection