RichKS

User Group: Members
Join date: 18-Feb-2005
Last activity: 17-Feb-2006
Posts: 54

Post History

Post: #101482
Topic: Info Wanted: a question for the pro's - which is the best OT preservation release?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101482/action/topic#101482
Time: 19-Apr-2005 8:16 AM

Originally posted by: dark_jedibecause of the above mentioned tv i would definitely like widescreen and i have this receiver Yamaha RX-V2500 and this dvd player Denon DVD-1710/DVD-555,so with this mentioned what set or sets would take advantage of my set-up?

Is your TV 16:9? If so you may want to take advantage of the fact that the Dr Gonzo set is the only one which is Anamorphic. Personally I think it looks better than any of the other sets because of this, but others disagree.

Moth3r's done what I understand is a great capture and created what sounds like an almost perfect DVD for me because it's anamorphic PAL, but if you can't play PAL video it won't be ideal for you. And he's only done ANH at the moment, and it's not widely distributed yet.

EditDroid is a better capture than Dr Gonzo, but isn't anamorphic. If you don't have a widescreen display I'd say that's the best one at the moment. Again, others disagree and this is all subjective.

I'm not aware of any pan and scan DVD transfers. Anyone know of any?

Rich

Post: #101481
Topic: Info Wanted: a question for the pro's - which is the best OT preservation release?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101481/action/topic#101481
Time: 19-Apr-2005 8:06 AM

Originally posted by: dark_jedi
and the multiple sound tracks sounds cool but i dont know how to switch between them(if someone could tell me how that would be great)

Press the button labelled "Sound" or "Audio" on your DVD remote. This usually changes between audio tracks, but your DVD player may have a weird menu when you press that button.

Post: #101370
Topic: Cover resources?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101370/action/topic#101370
Time: 18-Apr-2005 9:51 AM

Is there a central repository for Star Wars logos, posters and artwork resources for us when putting together DVD covers?

I want to put together a "3-in-1" cover for Wookiegroomers splitscreen trilogy and don't have time to search this stuff out online in decent resolutions...

Post: #101353
Topic: Info & Help Wanted: Monty Python preservation - Help!
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/101353/action/topic#101353
Time: 18-Apr-2005 5:48 AM

I can get the VHS transferred to DVD. All PAL native. I'm not promising to make a proper DVD with menus and stuff as I really don't have the time right now, but if all you want is a decent quality capture of the original VHS to DVD+R then that I can do using PAL equipment.

Post: #100044
Topic: STAR WARS: the alt.binaries.starwars thread
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/100044/action/topic#100044
Time: 6-Apr-2005 12:57 PM

All the "it's a sony" motto ever meant was "this costs 1.5 time as much as the equivalent from another brand and probably won't last as long because it's not as well made". I think Sony are the only people in the UK who still try to sell region locked DVD players.

Post: #99971
Topic: STAR WARS: the alt.binaries.starwars thread
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99971/action/topic#99971
Time: 6-Apr-2005 8:12 AM

Ah, yes, Sony's typical attitude of ignoring the fact that there is a perfectly good open standard format for something (SD/XD) and stubbornly soldiering on with their own overpriced, proprietry version.

Means I don't buy Sony versions of anything if I can avoid it. But then I wouldn't buy an iPod either, because that doesn't follow open standards (although I was given one for free recently).

Post: #99854
Topic: STAR WARS: the alt.binaries.starwars thread
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99854/action/topic#99854
Time: 5-Apr-2005 5:56 AM

I've been wondering about the whole thing with movies on a psp. How exactly do you get that to happen?

Post: #99495
Topic: Star Wars: Deleted Magic (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99495/action/topic#99495
Time: 1-Apr-2005 6:02 AM

Likewise, if only I had the time to email you about this fantastic project...

Post: #99492
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99492/action/topic#99492
Time: 1-Apr-2005 4:58 AM

Guys,

My burner is working fine. I can burn any other content to any format (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, actually I don't have any DVD-RWs at the moment). I can burn video to DVD-R as long as it's not the Editdroid ANH disk (although I haven't had a chance to try ESB yet and RotJ hasn't been on MySpleen yet so I don't have it. I can burn data to all formats. I can burn PS2 and XBox backups to DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD+R. I use Win XP and therefore there are no drivers for DVD burners unless you have Plextor hardware with it's funky Plextools thing, which I don't since I have a Pioneer drive. When I burn a movie, I use the Nero DVD Video mode and copy the required files into the VIDEO_TS directory like you're supposed to. I never, ever include any of the extraneous folders, like Content or Jacket_P since they pretty much do me no good at all and if I want to look at the DVD ROM content I can look at it from my hard drive where it's already residing. So this will be 100% DVD Video compatable.

My DVD burner is working fine. There's nothing wrong with it.

There IS something wrong with the content, which is making Nero think that it's in some way not suitable for burning to DVD-R. Nero lists all the compatable media for this compilation on my burner, and that list is DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD+RW. Basically everything except DVD-R. I have no idea how or why the content may be unsuitable for burning to DVD-R, but suitable for burning to DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD+RW. This simply doesn't make any sense.

I will perhaps try to burn this content using a different application. I could try using Alcohol120%, that might not have this weird quirk.

Post: #99267
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99267/action/topic#99267
Time: 31-Mar-2005 8:59 AM

Nope, I have a Pioneer 107 dual format thingie. I have burned many thing of many different types to all 4 formats (DVD-r, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW)

Post: #99257
Topic: Thought on de-SE'ing the DVD
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99257/action/topic#99257
Time: 31-Mar-2005 8:04 AM

Editous,

This project is really interesting to me. I haven't read your list of changes, I'd kinda like to wait until I can see the finished thing and see what I spot.

One thing about the screenshot you've posted above: Is the top strip (the one just below the dome) supposed to still be blue?

Post: #99225
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99225/action/topic#99225
Time: 31-Mar-2005 2:33 AM

As I said, Nero was happy to burn to DVD+R, but not DVD-R for some reason. I tried removing everything except the VIDEO_TS directory and still no dice. Like I say, it'll burn to DVD+R but Nero simply says it's not suitable for burning to DVD-R.

I've never seen this before in a couple of years doing stuff with DVD video.

I rarely bother to burn the Jacket_P and Content folders as they don't really do me much good and might confuse some older players.

As I say, it's not the end of the world since Editdroid isn't anamorphic and therefore isn't much use to me except as part os a collection.

Post: #99008
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/99008/action/topic#99008
Time: 30-Mar-2005 2:58 AM

I've actually had a problem burning these to DVD-R.

I use Nero for burning and have found it good. Been using it for years. When I try to use it to compile a DVD video from the EditDroid ANH files (ie, I tell Nero it's a DVD video and put all the files in the VIDEO_TS directory) it refusus to burn the image to DVD-R.

It tells me that it can be burned to DVD+R, DVD+RW or DVD-RW, but not DVD-R for some reason. It asks me to either change the content insome way so that it will burn to DVD-R or to insert a compatable disk. It I put in a DVD+R, it burns to that with no problems.

While this isn't the end of the world (as I have a Pioneer 107 dual format burner and still have some DVD+Rs from my last batch) I'd like to burn all my stuff to the nice Taiyo Yuden DVD-Rs I bought recently.

How do I change the disk so that it'll burn to DVD-R?

Post: #98833
Topic: Greetings from Wookie Groomer; Split Screen Project (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/98833/action/topic#98833
Time: 29-Mar-2005 9:43 AM

I just want to say a massive thank you to Wookiegroomer for making this set, taking the time and getting it right. Fantastic work sir!

Another big thanks to Rikter for putting these torrents up! Truly you are a friend to StarWars fans everywhere.

The ANH Split screen edition has become a favourite DVD of mine. It's hands down the geekiest, daftest, weirdest and downright COOLEST piece of StarWarsy-goodness I've ever come across. This last weekend has been a hectic one, as Easter weekend is traditionally a ridiculous 4-day bender among my friends and I. One of the overriding memories that many of my friends have is of watching the split screen movie and drinking cold Guinness at 4am on day 3. Many rather befuddled folks entering the room in various states of altered consciousness were more than a little confused by seeing the same thing twice on screen!

I salute you sirs, and anyone else involved in creating this set!

Rich

Post: #95314
Topic: Letterboxed Widescreen vs. Anamorphic Widescreen Discussion
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/95314/action/topic#95314
Time: 4-Mar-2005 11:36 AM

In any case, the few anamorphic transfers I've made from the SW LDs always show the inherent flaws much clearer than a straight letterboxed transfer I (and I've recently seen that there are many more than I originally knew of, and they actually get worse as the quality of your player improves.

)

Aint THAT the truth!

A friend recently bought a brand new 32" Sony WEGA flat CRT and I set it up for her (she basically said "My husband knows about plumbing and stuff, Rich, you know about this TVs, can you set this up for me?"). It replaced an old Philips 28" widescreen that she'd had for 5 years. I set it all up with RGB and the picture from her DVD player was amazing. When she plugged in her Sky+ (TiVo) and started watching that. Suddenly you could see all the compression and jaggies from the recorder that you just couldn't see on the Philips. I had to turn the sharpness down on the set so that it blurred the jaggies and they "disappeared".

By making the picture worse (less accurate), it appears better (more pleasing on the eye). Kinda like a woman after 8 pints of Stella.

With an anamorphic encode though, I have the choice of how much I want to "unsharpen" the picture, just like I can decide how much I want to drink when I go out on the pull

Post: #95284
Topic: Letterboxed Widescreen vs. Anamorphic Widescreen Discussion
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/95284/action/topic#95284
Time: 4-Mar-2005 8:39 AM

Moth3r:

Cheers for that. Glad to hear that you're going the anamophic route.

Rich

Post: #95203
Topic: STAR WARS: The Torrents thread
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/95203/action/topic#95203
Time: 3-Mar-2005 12:09 PM

Originally posted by: The Maker

So many DVD's and other stuff to get out still but I should do that AFTER the ESB Split-Screen and the Babyhum #2 Release

YAY! ESB Splitscreen!!! Wo0t!

Post: #95194
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/95194/action/topic#95194
Time: 3-Mar-2005 9:23 AM

Christ, I can't use this bb thing at work. Double post, just hit me with a fork and get it over with...

Post: #95193
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/95193/action/topic#95193
Time: 3-Mar-2005 9:17 AM

Originally posted by: The Dark One

Its nothing too spectacular, but I like it. HDTV is incredible to watch...sports are awesome in HD.

HDTV hasn't really caught on in the UK the same way it has in the US, mainly I suspect because digital PAL transmissions over an RGB Scart cable look damn fine. While I'm not saying that the RGB signal we get to our sets is better than HDTV, it's not enough worse to warrant changing.

100 Hz is quite common here for the last 6-7 years as well, but I didn't bother with that because I couldn't tell the difference when I saw 2 sets side by side in the store, (and also videogame light guns don't work with them, couldn't give up House Of The Dead).

Just curious: What's the "full" zoom mode, as opposed to the "wide zoom"? Is this the usual thing where one is the 16:9 mode you use for anamorphic DVDs and videogames, while the other is a stretched and distorted image where the edges of the picture get squished out?

Exactly.

I think that you just taught me something here. I don't have the 14:9, but I believe that I can actually move the image up to allow subtitles to appear. I must have brainfarted for not seeing the use in this before. Thanks!

Exactly. That why when folks ask if something is anamorphic or letterbox I have watch it on my computer. On the Sony I really can't tell the difference.

So your TV auto switches to the correct aspect ratio for a given signal without a pause? Mine's supposed to do that, but I've never got it to work reliably. Which is no great loss.

I do have Hellboy and I will try that (the wife is watching a show right now or I would have done it already). I will get back to you on this.

Hellboy's a fairly arbitrary choice. I watched it the other night because my girlfriend hadn't seen it (she loves any film with explosions, gunfights and/or chases) and I was thinking: man, this is one nice looking picture...

Glad I was helpful!

Rich

Post: #95105
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/95105/action/topic#95105
Time: 2-Mar-2005 9:42 AM

Moth3r, that's exactly what I see.

I see much the same with PAL DVDs as well.

Your explanation makes a lot of sense to me.

And the upshot (and my original point) is that I'll never be happy with any set that's not anamorphic.

Post: #95088
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/95088/action/topic#95088
Time: 2-Mar-2005 5:10 AM

D.O, that sounds like a pretty damn cool setup to me.

Just curious: What's the "full" zoom mode, as opposed to the "wide zoom"? Is this the usual thing where one is the 16:9 mode you use for anamorphic DVDs and videogames, while the other is a stretched and distorted image where the edges of the picture get squished out? It's interesting that you don't have either 14:9 or what a lot of European TVs call "subtitle zoom". 14:9 is a halfway house between 4:3 and 16:9, kinda chops a bit off at the top and bottom and doesn't fill the screen all the way horizontally. We used to have a fair amount of stuff broadcast in that ratio, but that seems to have stopped now (at least, I don't see that because I have digital TV which is broadcast in 16:9). Subtitle Zoom is the same as 16:9 zoom, but the picture is moved up so that if you're watching a 2.85:1 letterbox DVD, the top of the picture is at the top of the screen and all the black is at the bottom. That way, if there are subs in the black, you get to see them. It's telling that the whole time I had a TV that did that, the only thing I ever watched on it that benefited from that was the original trilogy. Newer TVs appear to be able to mimic this by letting you move the 16:9 image up and down, which is how I watched the Phantom Edit DVD. Neither mode really gets a lot of use these days to be honest though.

As far as I can tell, what you're saying is that an anamorphic DVD viewed on the Widescreen mode is the same aspect ratio as a non-anamorphic DVD viewed in 16:9 zoom?

That's what I would expect.

But do me a favour and try this, hopefully you'll see what I'm getting at:

1) Get any anamorphic DVD. Preferably a well mastered one (Hellboy for example)

2) With you DVD player set to 16:9 display mode, watch a couple of minutes of it in Widescreen mode, taking advantage of the anamorphic-ness (I'm assuming this is how you're usually watching anamorphic DVDs)

3) Stop the movie and set you DVD to think you only have a 4:3 display.

4) Start playing again, with the TV set to 16:9 zoom.

Tell me you genuinely don't see a difference?

Post: #94983
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/94983/action/topic#94983
Time: 1-Mar-2005 12:31 PM

Originally posted by: ApolloOne

Ah, my apologies. I inferred from your original post that the quality was much worse than you actually say it is now, so I was thinking in terms of PAL-60 possibly contributing to the issue. Sounds like you have an ideal setup (I wish our TVs and players were as flexible as ones in the UK). That being said, 16x9 TV zooms I've watched have been excellent, results which seem to differ from those of your experience. As for the reason...who can really say? <shrug>

To be honest the zoom probably isn't THAT bad, (objectively speaking) maybe I'm just spoiled by the crispness I get from anamorphic? I really do see quite a difference in picture quality. It might be related to the way RGB signals work vs the connection you guys use. I assume the majority of folks in the US use SVHS? Or has component taken off properly? My DVD player is REALLY optimised for RGB, and looks awful by comparison is I use SVHS. A friend of mine has an imported panasonic from the US, which she uses to play her Region 1 NTSC stuff. That looks great with SVHS, but does not support RGB at all. But non-anamorphic stuff (like EditDroid) still looks ropey to me on her rig. Or at least, not as good.

But then I can taste thing like if milk has been stored in plastic, glass or cardboard containers. So I'm probably just uberpicky

Post: #94978
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/94978/action/topic#94978
Time: 1-Mar-2005 11:25 AM

Originally posted by: ApolloOne

Originally posted by: RichKS
I live in the UK

Gee, that's kind of a vital piece of information you left out of your original post.

Duh, of course it won't look that great, playing a letterboxed NTSC disc on a 16x9 PAL monitor in zoom mode. Not only is the video getting scaled up from 480 lines to 576 for admittance into PAL-land, but then getting scaled up again to fill the screen.

That's not actually true.

My TV (like almost all the TVs here) runs native NTSC when it gets an NTSC signal. They're cheaper to build that way, and I wouldn't buy one that didn't work like that, since 90% of my DVDs and videogames are NTSC native. And the DVD player outputs NTSC as well. PAL DVDs look just as crap as NTSC ones when you zoom in, as do videogames, broadcast etc etc...

Post: #94974
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/94974/action/topic#94974
Time: 1-Mar-2005 11:18 AM

Originally posted by: ApolloOne
Originally posted by: RichKS
I've watched this disc on a friend's widescreen TV and it looks great. Could be the problem is with your TV. Is every non-anamorphic title you watch unacceptable?

OK, I am being melodramatic I suppose. Sorry. I don't really mean "unwatchable", I actually mean "not as good". Looking at (for example) the original release of David Fincher's Se7en in it's non-anamorphic ickyness next to the more recent release, the difference is remarkable. The Anamorphic version looks sharper, crisper and all-round better. The letterbox version looks fine until you see what you're missing. Watching Dr G's anamorphic DVDs just looks better than the zoomed EditDroid version. Watch both on a 4:3 display, and yeah. EditDroid DOES look better, but that's lost in the zoom.

Post: #94968
Topic: The "EditDroid" Trilogy DVD Info and Feedback Thread (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/94968/action/topic#94968
Time: 1-Mar-2005 10:36 AM

Originally posted by: MeBeJedi

Sounds like your TV is the problem, not the video transfer.

Yup, mine, and all the other 16:9 displays I've ever owned or used.

Hey, I'm not dissing the set, it's a great transfer. But images zoomed on a 16:9 screen look awful to me. All the 16:9 displays I've ever seen look rubbish on zoom mode, to me at least. I live in the UK, 16:9 has been common here for a long time. I've had 3 different 16:9 TVs over the last 7 years (oh god, that makes me sound really old!). The latest one looks better than the others did on zoom, but still awful by comparison. In Widescreen mode, anamorphic DVDs look fantastic. Crisp and lovely. Maybe it's something to do with PAL enabled equipment (although obviously the DVD player and the TV are operating in NTSC while watching these disks) or maybe it's the fact that the RGB output from my DVD player is so sharp, that it really notices when it's not quite right. America never really embraced RGB as far as I can tell, but don't you guys have that new thing with a whole bunch of wires that looks just as good?

So to me, on my setup (and the 3 other 16:9 setups I've watched these DVDs on), Dr Gonzo's disk just looks better, hands down. On a standard 4:3 screen, I'd say EditDroid is noticably crisper, but not on any 16:9 display I've seen it on.

Bottom line is for me: A DVD which is not anamorphic is not as watchable as one that is. Unless it's a 4:3 presentation of course. It's not a bad disk, in fact a very good one. But certain "deliberate creative decisions" (ie, making it letterboxed instead of anamorphic) have been made which render it not as good as Dr G's to me.

My problem, not EditDroids. Personal taste comes into this as well. Some of my friends don't mind the drop in quality. One guy I know watches all his DVDs on a PS2, with all the attendant sound synch issues and he claims not to notice. 2 or 3 people I know refuse to watch DVDs at his house because the synch drives then insane, but it doesn't seem to bother him one bit.

Diffren' strokes I guess...