ThePJzer

yotsuya said:

When you downmix, you are at the whim of your hardware. Ideally, the sound coming from the left and right speakers would be the correct mix of left, right, and center channels and it would just dump the surround (I don’t know if any of them rematrix it).

I believe that the rear channels are included when downmixing to stereo. If they weren’t, then you would be missing audio that is completely/mostly absent from the front channels in a discrete 5.1 or 7.1 mix, but are intended to be heard.

An example I guess would be something like a plane approaching from behind. You hear the plane approaching in primarily the rear channels first, then it fills all channels, then as it leaves it is mostly in the front channels. If the rears were just dumped entirely, then you would be missing most of the audio from the approach and only really start hearing it at the point that it fills all speakers and then leaves the scene. I’ll stand to be corrected on that though. 😃

I believe that’s where the problem of downmixing the upmixed restorted track comes into play. The upmixed rear channels are being downmixed back into the front channels.

joefavs said:

Why wouldn’t you use the stereo mix on a stereo setup regardless of whether or not downmixed 5.1 is kosher? Is there some advantage to downmixing a surround mix?

If all I had was a stereo setup then I would most definitely use the 2.0 track as I did before when one was available on a DVD/BD.

In my situation though, it looks like I’m going to be stuck with a 3.1 (L,C,R,LFE) for the foreseeable future. I’d like to have that LFE channel if possible, I’m less concerned about the center channel, but I was curious where the latest versions of the restored 5.1 tracks stand in regards to downmixing. It was mentioned early on that this was not a good idea with these upmixed tracks, which makes perfect sense, but I believe they have been updated since that remark was made so I was curious if anything had changed in this regard.

As far as I’m aware, the only benefit to downmixing 5.1 or 7.1 comes from not having a 2.0 track available on your BD/DVD, and all you have is a stereo setup. Otherwise you’d be missing audio, obviously. 😃

hairy_hen said:

CatBus said:

Supposedly, h_h got access to Pro DPL decoder software for the latest DeEd’s. So ROTJ 2.5 may sound better (or not).

Correct. The most recent 5.1 versions for all three films were created using official Dolby software, so they will sound quite close to what comes out of a Prologic II equipped receiver, aside from the minor modifications I made for the handling of low frequency content.

Actually, I’ve given some thought to using the original Prologic for a possible new version, since the surrounds would then be more fully mono, and front-channel crosstalk greatly reduced. This may not be an improvement to everyone’s ears, but it would be a rather more authentic presentation. I’ve done some tests and I like the way it sounds for these movies quite a lot. Combine that with a new approach to the LFE track and it could turn out very well indeed . . . assuming, of course, that I have the time to do it. With a Disney release of the original versions not looking likely any time soon, my motivation to revisit them seems to once again be on the rise (based as much on my annoyance with them as a company as anything).

That sounds fantastic hairy hen, looking forward to it!

I read through your audio thread when you were first working on SW, and it was stated then that those with stereo setups should use the stereo track and not downmix the 5.1 track since it’s an upmix. Does that still hold true these days with the latest DTS-HD versions available on the official Despecialized releases? I’m currently using njvc’s fantastic BD ISOs which I believe use the your 5.1 track as the default audio.

The reason I ask is that our living room in our new home does not really allow for proper placement of my surround channels. At least not without the living room being in an unacceptable configuration as far as the old lady is concerned. So when I get a chance to set everything up I’m probably going to be stuck with 3.1 (L,C,R,LFE).

I know I can compare the two to see how they sound myself. I was just curious if, on a technical level, it’s still advisable to use the stereo mix in your latest versions unless you have a full 5.1 setup?

Thanks for taking the time to reply Bluto and dahmage!

I appreciate all the info. I am aware that most/all torrent software has built in file integrity checks. In fact, as you said Bluto, I always stop a torrent after completion and run the recheck before seeding again to verify the download. There’s just something about getting checksums from the file provider that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside, but I’m sure everything is fine.

I’m trying to get a couple of sets together as gifts to give on the 4th to a couple co-workers. No worries, they buy anything Star Wars related they can get their hands on. They have never heard of Despecialized, and when I brought it up to them their eyes glazed over like they were in shock. They have payed for these movies many times over so they deserve to have what they’ve always wanted.

I noticed the link to the 12 page booklet is down. Any kind souls out there able to point me in the direction of a working link for that? I’ve read the whole thread from beginning to end over the last week or so, maybe there is a working link that I overlooked. I’m gonna try to re-read the whole thread later tonight if I can find the free time. Thanks in advance, you all are wonderful.

Jedit: Is there a .pdf anywhere for the “Variant Booklet covers with doco/fanedit info (by njvc, adapted from Phildesfr)” for the 2 disc version of SW? The link in the OP has one for ESB and ROTJ, but the SW one is not there. There is a .psd for the 3 disc set of SW, but that’s it. It’s a shame because I would really like to use those since they look amazing and I love the extra info on the back.

Return of the Jedit: God everyone, sorry for all the questions. 99% of the time I have no need to print anything, so I was just going to take these case cover .pdf files to my local print shop. Are they already set to print at the appropriate size for blu ray cases, or are there special instructions I need to give them?

Anyone by chance have a list of checksums for all of these ISOs that they can post here or PM me? I don’t see any in the OP or on MySpleen.

Sorry for asking, I’m kind of a stickler when it comes to verifying file integrity.

njvc said:

Can everyone here please follow me in reporting this asshole to EBAY?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-Wars-Blu-Ray-ORIGINAL-THEATRICAL-VERSION-Despecialized-Edition-Box-Set-/262953391703

Hey everyone, I’m new here but have been following along for the last month or so. I have no words to describe how infuriating something like this is.

All the hard work by everyone involved with Despecialized. The valuable input and effort from all of you during the construction of these wonderful BD sets and amazing covers. And here is someone just cashing in on it. What a POS.

By the way thanks for putting these BDs together, they’re fantastic. And thanks to everyone who contributed to the creation of these fantastic case slips, simply wonderful!

Edit: Definitely will be reporting these ebay clowns mentioned in previous posts.