alloneword

Didn’t know such a thing existed. Would like to see that.

Someone has captured an HDTV version of the extended cut and uploaded the additional scenes here;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kEDIjamLUc

They appear to be cropped at the top and bottom but with slightly more image on the sides. I haven’t been able to find an HD copy of the Extended TV Version myself.

UncutIsSuperior said:

alloneword said:

I’m sorry to report that Michael Angelis, the narrator of Thomas & Friends from 1991-2012, has passed away aged 68;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-michael-angelis-dead-thomas-22114357

I might include a little tribute to him in my Series 3 preservation.

Oh, no. Well, I’m sure every Thomas fan will miss him. Myself included.

He was great. I will always prefer Ringo as narrator as that was who I grew up with coupled with Series 1 and 2 being my favourites, but Angelis also did an amazing job and did it for so long. In many ways he was better than Ringo as I felt his narrations were more lively and he put more enthusiasm into the role and the voices of each of the characters.

For my tribute to him in my Series 3 VHS preservation, I’m thinking of putting it toward the beginning just before this screen;

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/2/20/TimeforTroubleandotherstoriestitlecard.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120226132103

I initially thought about placing it at the end so as not to alter how the original VHS tapes play out but then I thought it would seem redundant doing it like that. Therefore I think placing it just before the “Time for Trouble” title card would be best and have it fade in/out in a similar manner.

I’d love to do the text in the exact same font so if anyone could please confirm what font that is I would appreciate it.

Sources differ regarding his year of birth. Some say he was born in 1944 and others say 1952.

I’m sorry to report that Michael Angelis, the narrator of Thomas & Friends from 1991-2012, has passed away aged 68;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-michael-angelis-dead-thomas-22114357

I might include a little tribute to him in my Series 3 preservation.

marioxb said:

Someone put together a hybrid of blu ray and film footage of the complete Coca Cola version of Charlie Brown Christmas on myspleen.

Is that the same version that’s on archive?

EDIT - It is the same version but has been removed from Archive.

Did the Laserdisc 1.0 PCM ever get preserved?

Swift S. Lawliet said:

There are also some specials released on iTunes in HD and some HDTV airings in torrent sites, I’m not sure about the quality of them, though.

The HDTV 1080p version of “Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown” is 4:3 open matte, unlike the Amazon Prime version which is cropped to 16:9. The HDTV however does have a logo in the bottom-right corner at certain points.

There’s some great work going on here;

ThomasVHSRecreation
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF8g1WyCD3eA1k6YqA7ruXQ

Thomas & Friends: Home Video Rips
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZzqRyNsbhBhp0UyYDFDyvw

I’m still going ahead with my project as I want mine to be more acturate, rather than using “remade” versions of the opening titles and effects.

Channel 4 (UK) are still using the longer ending version of “The Telltale Head” on their reruns;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX_3GQtyMsU&list=LLq4bxYsYAGMKExiobhYTRVA&index=2&t=0s

I’m guessing they’re still using the same masters the BBC were given in 1996.

EGOvoruhk said:

The best way to figure out the proper framerate is to compare to the soundtrack/score, if it exists officially anywhere. You would check the pitch and length against the video audio. One might be the same pitch, but longer or shorter

I don’t think the soundtrack was ever officially released on CD or digital for the TV specials. Only “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” had an official release.

All I can find on YouTube are Blu Ray rips.

There is this, which is apparently a rare promo CD but I can’t find any more info anywhere else;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VimZfYsDHkc&list=PLCE33B3B271AF3544

The theatrical cut has been released on Blu Ray in Australia and Germany but apparently the quality is rather poor, yet still the best official release thus far.

Australian - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Robin-Hood-Prince-of-Thieves-Blu-ray/244531/

German - https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Robin-Hood-Prince-of-Thieves-Blu-ray/254151/

I’ve just completed a reconstruction of “Percy Runs Away” & “Coal” from Series 1 with a nameboard sequence included, just as it appeared when it was originally broadcast and on the “Further Adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends” 1985 VHS. It’s not perfect, but considering this version has not been aired/released since 1985, it’s better than what’s out there.

PM me if you want to have a look.

Dek Rollins said:

According to the very next post, Prime does not. I hope someone can confirm itunes though.

My bad, sorry for not reading the whole thing.

According to this, Amazon Prime and iTunes have the 3 shorts available in correct speed/pitch.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=107665&page=9

I’ve just purchased “Thomas & Friends: Cranky Bugs & Other Thomas Stories” 2002 US NTSC DVD (which is Region-free by the way) as it includes the Series 2 nameboards, which are MUCH better quality than my VHS copies and syncs up with the PAL VHS which I’m overlaying it on. I really wanted to avoid using NTSC sources for this but this seems to be the only option for now, unless someone knows of any DVD/digital PAL sources anywhere.

One drawback with this disc is, like the “Truckloads of Fun” AUS DVD, the nameboard shots are framed differently and is slightly zoomed in compared to the PAL VHS so I don’t know how I’m going to get around that.

I’m also using Dr Dre’s colour matching program for any still shots I need.

This is taking me way longer than I thought so I’ve no idea when it’ll all be finished. I’ve made the mistake of attemting all 8 VHS restorations in one go so I’m losing track of where I am half the time and thinking of new ideas along the way. Hopefully it’ll be worth it when it’s finished.

UPDATE - I have overlayed the nameboards from “Cranky Bugs” DVD as they are, minus the BoCo, Harold and Trevor shots and those shots have the episode titles on the VHS. I not ideal, but the best I can do given the sources I have.

I’ve also, reconstructed the “Next Story Cuming Up!” still shot with a snap of “Duck Takes Charge” from the Series 2 DVD and the text taken from the VHS overlayed on top. It’s not perfect, but again, it’s the best I can do fow now.

I’ve just ordered “Thomas Gets Tricked/Percy’s Ghostly Trick” US DVD double feature (Region 1 locked) which has more useful material for this project.

rwinger24 said:

James and the Express, and the entirety of Series 2-3 do not include a remastered stereo soundtrack.

Thanks for pointing that out. I wasn’t aware of “James and the Express”, but I knew about Series 2 and 3. Still the best versions available sadly.

Blackadder: Back & Forth. The only entry in the Blackadder saga to be shot entirely on film. Only available in SD.

thatguamguy said:

There are other small discrepancies here and there, such as the “Tourette’s Syndrome” joke,

I have The UK PAL DVD “Risky Business” which includes the episode “Marge Gets a Job” and retains this joke, unlike the R1 Season 4 DVD Box Set. I’ve just edited that portion of the audio into the NTSC version. I just slowed down the audio by 4% and pasted it over. The Smithers dream sequence of Mr Burns is still edited on this disc though.

This disc also uses the stereo track rather than the 5.1 track.

If anyone wants this for now, PM me.

VintageMan94 said:

Obviously, I’ve missed the 35th Anniversary deadline.

If you’ve missed the 35th Anniversary, Maybe I hope you’ll restore it for the 40th Anniversary in 2024.

Hopefully I’ll be well and truly done by then!

Found this just now. It’s a cam-capture of “Percy Runs Away" & "Coal” taken from different VHS releases;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEqlkJIo4jo&t=14s

The first is taken from the 1988/1992 release which I have and the second is from “Further Adventures Of Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends” 1985 VHS(https://films.discogs.com/release/358471-further-adventures-of-thomas-the-tank-engine-friends) which was the first time the original Series was released. “FAoTtTE&F” is really hard to find but I would much appreciate a capture of this for my project. Until then I’ll see what I can do with the 1988/1992 version. I don’t know if this confirms how the two episodes originally aired though.

I am still working on this gradually but Series 1 is proving to be a bit more hassle than Series 2. I yellow line transitions from VHS to DVD footage is frustrating so I’ve decided to save that until last, maybe ‘release’ a version without them redone and just have the episode footage inserted in and the nameboards completed with what’s available. Obviously, I’ve missed the 35th Anniversary deadline.

The nameboards themselves are proving to be an unexpected problem as well. The footage on the “Truckloads of Fun” AUS DVD are framed slightly differently compared to the VHS versions, in that they’re shifted to the right, so I’m having to line the frames up properly as I’m overlaying them over the VHS. As the frames are shifted over, they do have more image on the left-hand side but less on the right and idealy I’d like to have the more complete, widest frames. This in turn is proving difficult as the settings I’m using on Sony MSP won’t allow this as I’m using DVD/MPEG2-complient settings. It’s a little hard to explain without seeing it for yourselves but there are black bars on the sides and I just can’t get rid of them without losing the extra left-hand-side image, so I may have to sacrifice this and just match the frames as they appear on VHS.

On a positive note, I have decided to include the Ringo Starr US dubs of Series 1 and 2 as a 2nd audio track (high-quality ones sourced from YouTube) and for Series 2 they synced up really well. Only “Saved from Scrap” had to be altered to match the UK timing.

Like I say, I’m still working on this but its all proving to be more challenging and time-consuming that I thought. There’s no telling when I’ll be finished and with the sources I have, it’ll be as “finshed” as it can possibly get. I’ve wanted to see a project like this for a long time and there’s almost no chance of an official release so that’s why I want to complete this.

Seeing as it’s Christmas;

Raymond Briggs’ “The Snowman” (1982) with original intro, 4:3 aspect ratio and instrumental “Walking in the Air”.

The Blu Ray, which is still great quality, is cropped to 16:9 and lacks any of the three intros. It does however include all 3 intros by Raymond Briggs, David Bowie and Mel Smith’s Father Christmas as a bonus feature in 1080i 4:3.

The original Briggs intro version has never been release in PAL on DVD or VHS, let alone Blu Ray, in the UK. It was released Australia in 2004 in it’s original form but the quality is not great, though still very watchable. This is the only PAL version I’ve been able to find.

It was released in the US on DVD (NTSC) in 1998 (along with the William Dennis Hunt re-voiced “Father Christmas”) and much better quality than the Australian DVD, but it is in NTSC and speed/pitch is slowed down.

“The Snowman” was repeated on Channel 4 in 1991 (first time I saw the film) and again in 1992.

The instrumental “Walking in the Air” was soon replaced with a vocal version by St Paul’s Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty. This version is most commonly used in any version you watch (Brigg’s/Bowie/Smith Intro version) and is the version included on the 1998 R1 NTSC DVD.

An Australian VHS recording of the original broadcast version has been uploaded here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgcZAv4HAHM

Original Raymond Briggs Intro repeat broadcast from 1992;
https://tvark.org/?page=media&mediaid=112976
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNTMLM3yu4s

Apart from that, nearly every year between 1983 and 2002 it’s been the Bowie version. Then there was the 2002 16:9 version with the Mel Smith Father Christmas intro, but since Smiths passing in 2013, Channel 4 have reverted back to airing the 4:3 Bowie version. There’s always a chance the original will be shown again or even a 40th Anniversary 4K release in 2022.

Raymond Briggs’ “Father Christmas” (1991)

Only DVD exists, either stand-alone or double feature with “The Snowman” (1983 David Bowie Version). There’s a cropped 16:9 HD version available digitally, but no 4:3 HD version. The iTunes version does have an ac3 5.1 track however, and the picture zooms out back to 4:3 during the end credits.

Both films have aired in Channel 4 HD but they look like upscales to me.

Back to the Future trilogy coming to 4K in 2020.

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=25899

No word of it being a remaster or rescan but worth a mention.

UncutIsSuperior said:

alloneword said:

After an extended break, I decided to pick up Series 1 again which is requiring more work than Series 2 and 3. This is mainly due to the VHS yellow line transition effects which merge into the DVD episode footage which has to be done frame-by-frame and recently deciding to remaster the audio separately with Audacity just like I did with S2 & 3.

I’ve just finished Episodes 1-8 (Thomas & Gordon AoS) and will begin the remaining episodes as soon as, then my project will be done. If I can get these done by the 35th Anniversary (9th October) that would be nice.

I’m also still open to any better sources anyone can offer me to use, such as higher quality original masters from from DVD sources, etc.

If anyone wants to see what I’ve done so far, PM me.

Hope there will be a nameboard sequence in between “Percy Runs Away” and “Coal”, but still, can’t wait to see this.

Not in the “main” project as it’s all about restoring the original VHS releases but I will do a separate “Percy Runs Away & Coal” video with the nameboard sequence. I honestly can’t find any confirmation either way as to how those two episodes originally aired. I know they aired back-to-back but from what I’ve researched there was no nameboard sequence between them in this instance.

There is this however;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTQi8A1E2Hg&t=362s

The nameboard sequence is the same as what’s used in the 1988/1992 VHS with no Fat Controller “Next Story Coming Up” still shot. Just a very lousy jump-cut. When the time comes, I will restore it properly with said still shot.

I’m also in the process of adding the redone “final” version of Michael Angelis’ narration for Series 3 to my early narration VHS preservation so you’ll have the option to watch them with either narration.

After an extended break, I decided to pick up Series 1 again which is requiring more work than Series 2 and 3. This is mainly due to the VHS yellow line transition effects which merge into the DVD episode footage which has to be done frame-by-frame and recently deciding to remaster the audio separately with Audacity just like I did with S2 & 3.

I’ve just finished Episodes 1-8 (Thomas & Gordon AoS) and will begin the remaining episodes as soon as, then my project will be done. If I can get these done by the 35th Anniversary (9th October) that would be nice.

I’m also still open to any better sources anyone can offer me to use, such as higher quality original masters from from DVD sources, etc.

If anyone wants to see what I’ve done so far, PM me.

“The Fast Show” (British Sketch show from the 90’s) has a hand full of edits due to music.

Mainly these segments cut from Series 2, Episode 3;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYks29_oxUA

…and this one from S02E04 for some bizarre reason;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXxgxXiqZZw

Series 2 was repeated on BBC2 in 2015 (except episode 7) in their untouched form. Here’s a great article about the changes made to home releases.

http://www.dirtyfeed.org/2015/11/the-fast-show-series-2-dvd-edits/

There are some more edits listed on the wiki page;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_Show

I’m currently doing a restoration project for this series by restoring the DVD versions back to their original broadcast versions on this thread;
https://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Help-looking-for-The-Fast-Show-UK-TV-series-unedited-episodes/id/77195

I vaguely remember Central logo from TV airings but it’s been so long I can’t confirm. My project is more about preserving the original VHS releases but for the OP this might be useful. I’d love a higher quality “Screen Legends” and “The Video Collection” idents but there’s next to no hope of that.