russs15

Ripplin said:

Simple task, huh? ;) I suppose there is a guide around here somewhere...

Trust me, it is simple.........

Not sure about a guide but I am more than willing to point you in the right direction.

Once you have your US NTSC DVD files backed in on your HDD and the GOUT project DVD files you want to add the French soundtrack to also backed up on your HDD, I can talk you through it.

The software I use is PGCDemux and IFOEdit which are both very small and free.

The positives are that I still have a house to put a new PC in!!! 

I have lost a bit of stuff but most of what I want to keep is on a 2tb external drive that was not plugged in at the time.

Until I get sorted, can others feedback here how they get on with this new script. In my opinion, this Standard Play ANH is our only hope for a decent Fullscreen preservation. When I get back to normal, I will be adding all the varieties of GOUT synced audio mixes to my copy.....

EDIT - I tried the 3 HDD's as externals on my laptop and they will not even spin!! Now trying to get the laptop set up for trying out the Darth Mallwalker script

Been looking forward to this.

Unfortunately I will not be able to try for a while as main PC power supply went supernova this AM, burned all the wiring, fried 3 HDD's and the motherboard. Thankfully I was in the room at the time and stopped it before it did any more damage.

None that I am aware of? The US NTSC Special Edition and GOUT DVD's both have a French track. 

If you have the US NTSC GOUT, it is a simple task to demux the French track from that and add it to one of the US NTSC GOUT based projects out there. ie Dark Jedi V3

EDIT. Try the Reivax ANH SE with a French track....

Great news. All we need now is a few gaps filling in with the early US NTSC VHS releases.........

I now have the ANH Fullscreen US NTSC DVD with ESB on the way and will put up a few comparison shots shortly.

Oh well. It is a shame that many in the US still have difficulty with PAL DVD's. How about avi's instead? Could you play those?

TServo2049 said:

So if your digitized versions don't look very good, anybody else want to attempt preservations of the 1995 UK fullscreen tapes then?

For any other films, I would never want to see P&S versions, but for the OUT I'd be interesting in seeing the '95 PAL fullscreens / any PAL fullscreens due to the high level of detail in the starfields...

If you were really want to see some PAL Fullscreen action, drop me a PM and we can see if we can arrange a loan or something....  However, trust me, they are not very good quality!!

Also, expanding this even further, are there any preservations of any more 1983 to 1992 ANH, 1984 to 1992 ESB and 1986 to 1992 ROTJ US NTSC Fullscreen VHS/Beta tapes out there - even just for screen shot comparison purposes against the LD's, THX VHS, SE VHS, DVD and various PAL VHS??

dark_jedi said:

OK, I am going ahead and putting the files I have in sync, 1130-85 side1 is finished and I should have 1130-85 side2 done some time this afternoon, then I need a break LOL, as I have said several times like a busted record LOL, this type of work is extremely boring and time consuming, but worth it in the end.

Just wondering how that extremely boring and time consuming job is going?????

TServo2049 said:

How many preservations are there of the fullscreen PAL versions? And not just of the original film, but of Empire and Jedi as well? The 1995 PAL VHS versions would be interesting, they're probably the highest-quality cropped transfers. (And here's a question - is the DVNR different on the P&S versions? Since this is before HD, I'm guessing they had to transfer it two times, because they couldn't derive the P&S version from a higher-resolution source.)

I believe that the answer is zero. In fact VHS/Beta has rarely been preserved and I am only aware of the 82 ANH by Starkiller and the Faces and SE by Dark Jedi. There was the 1994 Widescreen ANH VHS on the newsgroups about a year ago but I have never seen that release or heard anything about it.

I did a total "hack-job" of my VHS collection just to get them into a digital format so that I could do comparisons such as this thread. Trust me, the quality sucks!!

Read about that here    http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/PAL-VHS-Archive-Collection/topic/3829/

and here   (another "hack-job")   http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/laservhsvcd/vhs/palvhs.html

The biggest things I found out at that time was as follows

Firstly, it is well known that the PAL movies are shorter than the NTSC movies by 4% due to the different framerate.

For some bizarre reason, the 1991 Trilogy Special Widescreen Edition films are approx 4% longer than the other releases I have.

Star Wars 118 mins and 122 mins

Empire 119 mins and 125 mins

Jedi 126 mins and 132 mins

It is almost as if there is some type of framerate compensation to make the films play for the same length of time as the same as the theatrical and NTSC versions.

Has anyone got any ideas on this one??

Secondly, on the 1995 Trilogy - One Last Time - Fullscreen and Widescreen release, Empire and Jedi only, there is no Fox logo and fanfare. Instead there is the crappy blue CBS FOX logo. This is very wrong!!!

Another reminder NOT to take anything for granted when dealing with all things Star Wars......

We now have proof that the "squeezed" macrobinocular shot was in fact used on the early HBO broadcasts as well as on the 1982 NTSC LaserDisc. That same shot also appears on the UK PAL 1982 to 1989 Fullscreen releases. Therefore, you would assume (I did) that the 1982 NTSC LaserDisc and the UK PAL 1982 to 1989 Fullscreen releases are exactly the same. You would in fact be wrong as the two crawl shots from my original post show!!!

1982 LaserDisc crawl

1982 UK VHS crawl

My source of the ITV broadcast is out on loan so I cannot confirm anything at this time exept the single screenshot on my flyover comparison page. I do however know that that broadcast had a third, different, bantha macribinocular shot as the right and part of the screen was shown.

Once I get it back, I can answer your questions in full and post any shots you want.

SilverWook said:

russs15 said:

They were in a US gold box set in 2004 and released as individual films with the GOUT in 2006. I have been looking on ebay for all 3 2006 versions but only have ANH so far. Most sellers will not mail outside the US so getting them is a struggle.....

 

EDIT. The same problem exists with some Amazon.com sellers too!!

Are you willing to settle for used copies of these? I'm hunting down the prequels in full frame, and I might be able to get Empire and Jedi from the same seller dirt cheap.

Too right I am. I have never had a problem with used DVD's yet and any help is appreciated.

For those non-US citizens amongst us not familiar with the Fullscreen DVD's, all six Fullscreen Star Wars films on US NTSC DVD have the blue band at the top and bottom of the box in place of the usual gold.

There was a UK PAL LD transfer years ago, I think by Grinder and only as an AVI file. I used a shot from the file here.  

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/gtf/swfull.html

I read on another part of OT.com that a script fot the best P&S LD is being worked on as well as syncing to GOUT. Personally I cannot wait.....

SKot said:

I picked up these discs from the source way back when they first came out.  At the time they were the best versions of the trilogy/Special Edition, but they also were the first discs I ever had go bad.  I was never able to copy them due to CRC errors, but I still have them, covers and all.  I doubt they play anymore.

--SKot

I had problems backing my DVD5 versions to HDD and ended up using 3 DVD drives over 2 computers to back up the files individually. Each drive had problems with different files but between the 3, all files could read OK and be backed up. It was a pain but worth the extra work...

I do agree with all the negative sentiments regarding the P&S format but this is the format I grew up with.

I saw Star Wars in the local cinema in 77 or 78 but it never came to town again. I next saw the film on it's ITV premier in 82/83 and recorded that broadcast which was of course in Fullscreen. That tape eventually got chewed up and spat out by the recorder so various other broadcasts - all Fullscreen - were all recorded. In 1991 I bought the first widescreen release but on a 14" portable TV that looked horrible so I bought a Fullscreen version to watch instead. That was my most watched version till I bought a 42" plasma in 2005.

If the GOUT was in Fullscreen, I would have the best copy available but as it is, I only have transfers of lesser quality which is annoying.

It was the discussion in the "HBO" thread that got me thinking about doing a comparison piece. I might even have done some of the differences you highlighted. In doing more research, I realised that the 2006 Fullscreen DVD was the last ever.

I agree it is a shame that the GOUT was never available as Fullscreen but as the comments above show, even the 2004 Fullscreen seems to have slipped under the radar....

They were in a US gold box set in 2004 and released as individual films with the GOUT in 2006. I have been looking on ebay for all 3 2006 versions but only have ANH so far. Most sellers will not mail outside the US so getting them is a struggle.....

EDIT. The same problem exists with some Amazon.com sellers too!!

May 1982 to September 2011

After only a very short life, the version of the original Star Wars film that most people grew up with outside of theatres and cinemas - is no more. This is a brief breakdown of the rise and fall of this very important format from a US/UK point of view.

With the release of the Blu Ray version of Star Wars, the DVD versions have been gradually leaving the shelves and we are told that they are no longer being made. One of those DVD versions that was available in the US is the Fullscreen/Pan and Scan - but sadly no more....

From the original release in May 1977 to the first version that we could actually play in our own homes in 1982 was a very long 5 years. All of these releases were Fullscreen/Pan and Scan and no other version was available. The US NTSC LaserDisc and CED discs were time compressed to under two hours to meet the constraints of the formats, the UK VHS releases ran 4% faster so were a few minutes shorter so the US NTSC VHS/Betamax tapes were the nearest way to get the theatrical Star Wars experience. This was supposed to be a rental only release but $120 bought you your own copy!!

Other VHS/Betamax releases followed as did a re-release of the original LaserDisc but nothing really changed until the second brand new LaserDisc was released in 1985 which was not time compressed. Later that year, a brand new audio mix was released with "Digitally Mastered" Sound was made available on the 1985 VHS release as well as subsequent US and US VHS releases.

This new audio mix came out at a turning point for the Fullscreen/Pan and Scan format. In 1986 and 1989, Japan and then the US got their Widescreen releases and put the first nail in the Fullscreen/Pan and Scan coffin. In 1989 there was one final LaserDisc release with the new audio but this was back to the time compressed format of the first release.

1993 saw yet another (THX) re-master of video and sound released on Widescreen LaserDisc but we had to wait a year in the UK and another year in the US for a Fullscreen/Pan and Scan VHS only release. This was the famous "One last time......." release. We all thought that was the last time we would ever see Star Wars and we were proven to be half right as this was the last time we could buy and own the film in its "original" form.

In 1997, the 20th Anniversary year of Star Wars, the films were treated to a clean up, another re-mastering, the inclusion of deleted scenes and lots of CGI graphics. These were released in Fullscreen/Pan and Scan as VHS only, later that year and re-released in 2000 for one final time for the VHS format.

For the UK, Fullscreen/Pan and Scan died with that release but when the rest of the world finally got Widescreen DVD's in 2004 - albeit even more modified - the US also got Fullscreen/Pan and Scan versions. The 2006 release with a "Bonus" 1993 widescreen version disc was the final Fullscreen/Pan and Scan released and it is this version that has recently stopped production.

As we all know, Star Wars has never stayed the same and has been changing from Day One. Three different audio mixes were available in 1977 and Episode IV - A New Hope was added in 1981. Consequently, the home releases were no different and there are differences in the numerous avalable releases. Even as far back as 1982 with the first LaserDisc and VHS/Betamax releases there were different FOX logo's as well as versions of the same scenes. A few differences are shown below...

1982 LaserDisc FOX logo

1982 US VHS FOX logo

1982 LaserDisc crawl

1982 UK VHS crawl

1982 US VHS first scene

1982 UK VHS first scene

1995 US Faces VHS first scene

1982 LaserDisc Bantha-macrobinocular scene

1982 US VHS Bantha-macrobinocular scene

1982 LaserDisc missing stormtrooper

1995 US Faces VHS with stormtrooper

1982 LaserDisc entering the Death Star

1982 US VHS entering the Death Star

1995 US Faces VHS entering the Death Star

1982 UK VHS final scene 

1995 US Faces VHS final scene 

1995 UK THX VHS final scene (yes this is from the Fullscreen tape!!)

My suggestion is make sure that your LaserDisc and VHS players still work OK. Also, get the DVD's while you can before they start demanding silly prices on certain auction sites. My (2006) copy is on the way so my collection of this one film is complete.

Thanks for the reply. I read your script but that was before I had ever looked at a script. It scared me to death!!!

However, I will have another look to see how you did it and how I can convert to clips a, b, c, d etc

My initial experiment is with the 1982 Ntsc LD and VHS but now I can do that, I intend to incorporate many other versions. The Faces VHS is already time synced as is the SE (up to the CGI). I am currently preparing the 85 Standard Play LD, the 92 time compressed pan and scan and the widescreen DC as a comparison shot. Also planned are one of my early PAL tapes (squeezed bantha shot), a PAL THX tape and my PAL SE just in case they are different. once I get my early 80's ITV copy back, that will be checked out as well.

Have I missed any out???

It all started with this page I did........  http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/gtf/swfull.html

......and I simply want to see the same thing but as a moving image

EDIT-   I have just compared the last scene of the NTSC THX Faces to the UK PAL equivalent. The NTSC version has the worst ever jump scan across the screen where the PAL suddenly changes to a widescreen version which it carries on right through the credits. All these little things that would not be seen unless shown side-by-side...........

russs15 said:

Question 4

Is there a way to pause or add blank frames to either clip1 or clip2 throughout the film to allow the other clip to "catch up". With both files running side by side in different programs, the video syncs fairly well then drops out of sync at the end of certain scenes.

I assume I need to have the frame numbers for each file on screen and write some sort of pause or add script at certain frame numbers. I expect to need dozens of these and be able to do it to either clip.

Thanks again......

 

I have answered my own question 3 but am now stuck on Question 4.

The ANH 1982 LD v 1982 VHS v 1995 Faces VHS are now perfectly alligned at the beginning and end of the film and go out of synch by up to a second during the film. I have also added the SE which is perfect up to the new CGI shots. The 2004 DVD will be added when it arrives in the post next week.

Now I have come this far, I would love to find a way to pause frames or add blanks to either version to make a 100% perfectly synced 5 way comparison.

Also, I have THX-1138 ready and waiting in split screen format awaiting the same "How to" information.

Thanks

msycamore said:

Was the VCD in pan & scan format?

Fullscreen and very fixed shots. I can see no sign of any scanning going on......

Apologies for going very slightly off-topic but Belbucus did a comparison 70mm in theatre recording in one channel vs the 93 THX audio in the other GOUT synced audio mix posted many years ago in a.b.sw. I believe this particular 70mm recording was used for that comparison mix.

Forget that. Got it wrong.......

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Star-Wars-1977-70mm-sound-mix-recreation-stereo-and-51-versions-now-available/post/549479/#TopicPost549479

alt.binaries.starwars @ 281 days old.......

Try here......... Not sure if this will work!!

DoutorHouse said:

Hello everyone. I'm new to the foruns here. Been looking everywhere for the Dark Jedi Star Wars Trilogy '97 dvds set (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/gtf/dvd/SE/dj.html) or the Jedi/Feta Star Wars Trilogy dvds set (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/gtf/dvd/SE/jedifeta.html). I have no access to usenet, so i was wondering if someone could help me out. I also checked on myspleen but had no luck.

Thanks a lot for any help on this!

Also, a huge thank you to all the incredible people here and their amazing work! Cheers!

Versions of the SE from much better sources are currently being discussed in this thread.  http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/1997-SE-DV-Broadcast-Info-Discussion/topic/10964/

I suggest you join in there and see what is available.

SilverWook said:

russs15 said:

I am a bit late to the party with this but if anybody has any use for a 1991 dated FOR PHILIPPINE HOMEVIEWING ONLY fullscreen VCD over two discs, let me know.

For what it is worth, I have always thought that the LD vs DC DVD versions as a splitscreen comparison would be brilliant. If I ever learn the skillz, I will give it a shot.

I was beginning to think I hallucinated seeing this on Ebay several years ago!

Could you take some pics of it or post some screen caps?

A bit more info. The VCD box is dated 1991 but the files on the disc are dated July 2003. Runtime is 84 mins and 54 seconds. Some random site I found says that the Phillipines are NTSC M. If someone can tell me the time frame of the screenshot on post 947, I will try and do the same shot from the VCD.