scotactor

User Group: Members
Join date: 26-Jun-2006
Last activity: 12-Jan-2007
Posts: 11

Post History

Post: #280509
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/280509/action/topic#280509
Time: 3-Apr-2007 4:57 AM

I certainly hope that it's not for real. I've been reading the posts on this site for two years now, and it'd be a shame for it to end this way. However to whom it may concern, would it be possible to ship the equipment used along with any finished footage to another group of people who have more time on their hands? I know that the X0 Project guys have lives, and that takes first priority for them. It would be better for them to keep things up on the home front than to be occupied with the project 24/7. That said, I just think that if another group volunteers to take over the project, that could possibly work out.

I wish the X0 guys well in all their future endeavors.

Post: #272642
Topic: Howard The Duck - special edition (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/272642/action/topic#272642
Time: 19-Feb-2007 5:06 AM

Originally posted by: dcfcfan
If I sent a disc and paid for postage. could someone put this all on a DVD for me? I'm useless with torrenting.

Same here.

Post: #265523
Topic: 'The Monster Squad' widescreen preservation? (Released)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/265523/action/topic#265523
Time: 12-Jan-2007 8:28 PM

For those interested, Don May Jr. of Synapse Films mentioned on the DEADPIT radio show yesterday (1/11/2007) that "The Monster Squad" will be released officially to DVD sometime this year. He mentioned that the studio that is releasing it (presumably Paramount - he didn't say) is shooting for April/May.

Post: #246654
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246654/action/topic#246654
Time: 21-Sep-2006 12:50 AM

Zion, MeBeJedi, et. al.:

I was just wondering, do you guys know how you're going to present the audio on these three films? I'm curious to hear the theatrical soundtracks: 70mm 6-track, 35mm Dolby Stereo, 35mm mono*. Are you thinking of making DD 4.1/2.0/1.0 mixes, or perhaps a PCM "complete" mix with every missing bit reinserted, like C-3PO's tractor beam dialogue, Stormtrooper blast door line, etc.?

From what I've read, the Dolby Stereo mix was used for the 1985 CAV pan-and-scan laserdisc. I know there's a mono mix (taken from a 1977 bootleg tape) floating around somewhere; not sure about the 6-track. I've heard it was folded down to 2.0 Dolby Surround for 1993 Definitive/1995 Faces LDs. Others have said it was PCM.

I'm not too worried about the picture quality; looks GREAT thus far.

* - Applicable to Ep. IV.

Post: #230854
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/230854/action/topic#230854
Time: 31-Jul-2006 4:03 AM

Zion:

I think PCM would sound fantastic, and a mono track on ANH would be a treat as well. My question concerns the extra dialogue in ANH (C3PO's tractor beam info, Stormtrooper's "Close the blast door" line, etc.). Considering most, if not all, of those bits of dialogue are found on the SE laserdiscs, would it be possible to splice them into the audio you're working on? As far as mono goes, what about taking that completed track and remixing it to a single channel? I'm intently curious about this.

GREAT X0 starfield recovery comparison photo in that other thread, BTW.

Post: #227562
Topic: Info: DC & Faces - Original audio sources (lots of information)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/227562/action/topic#227562
Time: 20-Jul-2006 5:40 AM

Check this page out:

http://www.headwize.com/tech/dolby1_tech.htm

"Dolby analog movies and Dolby Surround video and television programs ..... are made using a Dolby MP (Motion Picture) Matrix encoder, which encodes four channels of audio into a standard two-channel format, suitable for recording and transmission in the same manner as regular stereo programs."

"In the theatre, a professional decoder is part of the Dolby Stereo cinema processor used to play 35mm stereo optical prints. The decoder recovers the left, center, and right signals for playback over three front speakers, and extracts the surround signal for distribution over an array of speakers wrapped around the sides and back of the theatre. (These same speakers may also be driven from four discrete tracks on 70mm Dolby Stereo magnetic prints, but in this case no decoder is needed.)"

"One of the original goals of the MP Matrix was to enable Dolby Stereo soundtracks to be successfully played in theatres equipped for mono or two-channel stereo sound. ..... Since the three front channels of the MP Matrix are assembled in virtually the same way as a conventional stereo mix - left in left, center equally in left and right, and right in right - playing a Dolby Stereo mix over two speakers reproduces the entire encoded soundtrack. There is only one thing missing: the surround signal is not reproduced in its proper spatial perspective. When the first home decoder was developed in 1982, its goal was to recover this missing spatial dimension."

Dolby Surround (the 1982 development) was devised to emulate the effect of Dolby Stereo in a home environment by recovering the extra surround sound effects.

I've seen DVDs in stores [case in point: Chaplin's Essanay Comedies Vol. 1-3 released by Image Entertainment] that state 2.0 "Dolby Stereo" soundtracks listed on the back of the case. Would it be possible to simply run the 4-track master through a new unlimited Lt-Rt Dolby Stereo soundtrack master like they did for the laserdiscs (without the "sweetening") and tout it as an actual 2-track Dolby Stereo mix on the back case of the DVD? It doesn't necessarily have to be "limited", although they could still do that if they wanted to. Just a thought.

Post: #225500
Topic: Info Wanted: Charlie Chaplin shorts - where can I find them?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/225500/action/topic#225500
Time: 10-Jul-2006 5:28 PM

Byakko:

The infamous "lost" Chaplin Keystone short is entitled: "Her Friend The Bandit". It apparently has been lost for many decades now and has yet to be unearthed. Perhaps the BFI will luck out and find a copy during the restoration of Chaplin's 34 surviving Keystone films (all shorts plus the feature "Tillie's Punctured Romance"), but I seriously doubt it.

Glad to see there's another burgeoning Chaplin fan on this site besides me. I recommend the 3-disc Essanay collection from Image Entertainment, and the multi-disc "white" sets by mK2 (which have "The Gold Rush", etc.). I'm looking forward to the restored Mutual sets as well.

Post: #222669
Topic: Info: DC & Faces - Original audio sources (lots of information)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/222669/action/topic#222669
Time: 28-Jun-2006 3:18 AM

THX:

I agree about folding the "baby boom" tracks into one; I forgot about that one. That would definitely work. Agree also about Empire's 6-track master; I now remember there were audio differences between that and the 35mm presentation.

Out of curiosity, does Dolby still use noise-reduction capability for DVD soundtracks? If so, then it would probably be pretty easy to present an original-sounding 2-track print on disc, albeit w/ the limitations mentioned. Still, I'd be fine with it; I'm a huge fan of these films (the originals, that is), and I've always wanted to hear how they "originally" sounded like, especially ANH's mono mix.

Although I've only recently begun posting here, I've been reading posts on this site for months, and I'm impressed with everyone's insight.

Post: #222339
Topic: Info: DC & Faces - Original audio sources (lots of information)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/222339/action/topic#222339
Time: 27-Jun-2006 4:50 AM

On "Star Wars" and "Empire Strikes Back" I think, in order to present the two multichannel soundtracks (apiece) as closely as possible to the theatrical originals, they should use the 4-track master mixes. The article didn't mention if the 4-track for ANH still exists, but I would assume it's a major possibility.

Check it out: Both ANH and Empire originally had a 6-track magnetic 70mm Dolby mix and a 2-track matrixed (Lt/Rt) optical 35mm Dolby Stereo mix. The 70mm mix contained 4 discrete channels (Left-Center-Right-Surround transfered from the 4-track) plus "baby boom" (i.e. low frequency effects) on the 2 extra magnetic tracks derived by filtering the bass out from the 4 channels. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like using the 4-track plus the effects-only master (since home theater setups only use one LFE channel ".1"), both 70mm soundtracks for ANH and Empire can be presented on DVD as a Dolby Digital 4.1 mix. Keep in mind that ANH's and Empire's baby boom content had only mono surround information; "Superman: The Movie" was the first to use split-surrounds (stereo).

Presenting a near-exact copy of the 2-track Dolby Stereo mix would be a bit easier. The 4-track master can simply be matrixed into a new Lt/Rt print as a 2.0 Dolby Surround mix, which upon playback decodes to recreate the 4 channels. During the 80s/90s, "Dolby Surround" was the home consumer marketing name for Dolby Stereo.

Assuming that the 35mm monaural mix (1 optical track) still exists, even easier: simply transfer to a Dolby Digital 1.0 mix. The standard-definition DVD format is well capable of having all 3 soundtracks included. Of course, they would all have to be digitally remastered during these processes as well.

As far as Jedi goes, the article does mention that the 13-track "stems" are available, which can be used to make 2.0, 4.1, or possibly 5.1 mixes.

Post: #221991
Topic: .: The XØ Project - Laserdisc on Steroids :. (SEE FIRST POST FOR UPDATES) (* unfinished project *)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/221991/action/topic#221991
Time: 26-Jun-2006 5:54 PM

One question: how will these be made available (if at all)? Only to Paypal contributors, or through torrents, blank discs, etc.? Just curious.

Post: #221990
Topic: OK, the DVDs are coming...so how bad are they going to look?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/221990/action/topic#221990
Time: 26-Jun-2006 5:51 PM

I have some 4x3-mastered DVDs as well, most notably "The Doors" (1991 movie), and viewed on my 4:3 TV, they looked pretty good. For the record, I read online that "The Doors" DVD is taken from a laserdisc master, but I saw no problems on the disc.