spoRv

Beauty and the Beast [spoRv] has been just released!

Now, as this thread is so looong, my memory lacks and I'm tired 'cause it's almost 3 a.m., may I ask what do you think about the following preservation? (maybe I asked before, but you know...)

• 20,000 leagues under the sea - HDTV (OK, not animated, but still Disney, so...)
• Aristocats - HDTV + LD audio track
• Aladdin - HDTV + LD audio track
• The Black Cauldron - HDTV
• The Lion King - LD
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - LD 1.66:1
• Sword in the Stone - HDTV + LD audio track

I'm thinking about doing some, but with this I do no promises, just threw here few ideas to know IF each one worth a restoration project or not.

Now that you outlined the problem, I could clearly see it... probably a de-interlacing problem; just to be sure, make a fast test with NO added filters or tweaking, just de-interlacing; if the problem will persist, it's not due to the sharpening filter.

About grain: just make, let's say, grain 20% stronger and see what it does like; at the end, this is YOUR project and, even if advice is ever appreciated, YOU should decide which one to follow... (-^,)

Jerry, good job! Color adjustment is subtle, like grain, but definitely improve the quality - as mush as could be possible with a so low bitrate source IMHO; maybe I'll try to make the grain just a bit more evident.

May you post the not well de-interlaced frame(s)?

There are German and French PAL laserdisc of the 97se trilogy (as well as English), plus Italian PAL VHS Hi-Fi Stereo; I used them for my SET project.

I knew it was just a rhetorical question... (-^,)

US BD Vs CoiourMatch'ed:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/83701

US BD Vs Merged:

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/83702

bigrob said:

after seeing your comments in the Last of the Mohicans thread about 'merging' the two transfers, i was wondering if this was a possibility

It is not possible to merge the US and DE BDs, as they are not pixel identical... however, is it possible to merge their respective color grading, using the US luma, as it has more details and its image size is larger; I did a fast test, and it's possible to raise a bit the brightness of the US BD, as there blacks are not crushed.

Do you want to see the test comparison screenshots?

kk650, I did this comparison some time ago; here you are the link to the post:

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Movies-with-wrong-color-grading-UPDATED/post/658885/#TopicPost658885

bigrob, if you think about using the DE color grading applied to the US most detailed image, I think it could be possible to do it; stereo soundtrack could be added, too; is the laserdisc track the theatrical version?

Didn't I make one? Or not? Or... well, I still have to decide if I forget to remember, or I remember to forget! (^^,)

Very happy about this project, in particular for the fact you are applying so high level techniques to increase final video quality!

I'd like to watch it with the italian audio track, and maybe also with the laserdisc english track as well - but it will take you other sync work to do, though...

Jetrell Fo said:

_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

Jetrell Fo said:

SilverWook said:

Has the soundtrack from this LD release ever been captured?

http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/06718/8760-85/Alien-%281979%29

I believe Jonno did this one as I believe it's source is the 70mm.  Funny, I just watched my copy of this today on the 55inch.  Jonno did a 70mm recreation and a DD from the soundtrack.  I have both put since it isn't the DC it may not synch.

We do have a special surprise coming for this release but I won't say anything about it until I get it myself.

;)

IIRC I did it... but my memory doesn't serve me so well lately, so maybe I'm wrong... or not?!? (^^,)

I was confused then because I have Jonno's version of it, LOL.

Jetrell Fo said:

SilverWook said:

Has the soundtrack from this LD release ever been captured?

http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/06718/8760-85/Alien-%281979%29

I believe Jonno did this one as I believe it's source is the 70mm.  Funny, I just watched my copy of this today on the 55inch.  Jonno did a 70mm recreation and a DD from the soundtrack.  I have both put since it isn't the DC it may not synch.

We do have a special surprise coming for this release but I won't say anything about it until I get it myself.

;)

IIRC I did it... but my memory doesn't serve me so well lately, so maybe I'm wrong... or not?!? (^^,)

Molly, I use Lagarith since two years ago and, apart the fact that VLC doesn't like to play files encoded with it - while MPC has not problem - I'm quite happy with it; FFVHUFF should be almost the same, but, because I'm an old dinosaur, I stick with things that works until they don't work anymore... "if ain't broken, don't fix it!"

But I must admit I'm curious to test this new losslees coded, to see if it's faster and less CPU demanding than lagarith: http://magicyuv.com

Jetrell, DoomBot, I'll suggest you to do your own spoRv edition (this is not my trademark, so you could use it as well!): just include english, german, french, italian and spanish audio and sub tracks, and it's done! (^^,) I could always provide the latter three languages immediately, and find the german one in few time... just my 2c!

Search in the whole forum (replace term1 term2 with your terms):

https://www.google.it/search?q=site%3Aoriginaltrilogy.com%2Fforum+term1+term2

Search only in thread titles (replace term1 term2 with your terms):

https://www.google.it/search?q=site%3Aoriginaltrilogy.com%2Fforum+allintitle%3Aterm1+term2

Project lists (not comprehensive, but a very good start point):

Star Wars
http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Project-Index-Star-Wars-Preservation-and-Other-Projects/topic/2450/

other projects
http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Project-Index-Other-Preservations-and-Fan-Projects/topic/11159/

I thought to use TSmuxer to do that, but don't know if cutting files without knowing which kind of frame is the first and last of each piece, the result will be compression-artifact free... probably yes, but as I still I need to know is WHAT is making it wrong, and because I tomorrow I will work, sleep, and few things more, I'll be not enough concentrated to work onto other projects, so let's work this ol'PC of mine! (^^,)

I have a lossless "digital intermediate", and it's perfect, so I suspect the problem was arisen when I tried to open a file encoded with lagarith, the same codec used in the "DI"...

So, to whom it may concern, if you need to make a perfect x264 encoding, this is what I have learned so far:

• use a lossless "digital intermediate" whenever possible, it will spare you a lot of encoding time (up to 30/40% in my case) - sometime, it's the only way to avoid problems
• if you make a two pass encoding (strongly suggested), leave the .stats and .stats.mbtree files alone, until you are 110% sure the final encode is right; it will spare time if you will be forced to re-encode, as you could do only the second pass
• never open a video file that uses the same codec of the "digital intermediate" - if possible, try to avoid to open ANY audio/video file
• if you encode using an avisynth script, do not use any software that will use an avisynth script - like virtualdub, but also VLC, MPC etc.
• if you need your final file is BD compliant, be sure to use all the right settings

"That's all, folks!" Hope this will help someone!

Agreed... but I think I'm cursed, are you too?

I watched them all with my wife - our eyes hurts, by the way (^^,) and I discovered another badly encoded frame just five minutes before the end... it's a curse, or simply some software has problems...

So, I will re-do the encode a third (and I hope for the last) time - but this time I'll switch off EVERY other software, and avoid to open ANY video file; I'm going to download the last version of both AviSynth and x264... maybe the browser will be the only software I'll leave opened, because AFAIR I had no problems with previous project encoding leaving it opened... and, if I will forced to do a 4th encoding, I'll do it using a completely clean and with fresh OS reinstall.

Wish me luck again!

I use postimage.org

Last idea: if you could find another, different HDTV version, you could always "merge" them, to obtain a final version with more details and less noise and compression artifacts.

Brazilian R4 NTSC DVD? Really interesting, and a good find!

Happy you are considering MultiAVCHD; it sit in my HDD for literally years, before I decided to use it extensively - read: make my own custom menu - and now I use it for every project.

Well, it is not the first BD regrading, and sadly I think will be not the last... personally, I like most the original one, with no so crushed blacks as the BD, and without teal skies... maybe I'll increase a bit saturation and decrease brightness, but just a little bit.

You have two choices, if you want to retain the DVD/HDTV grading (as I think you would):

1. use only the HDTV as source, and apply the grain plate over it, with a lower overall quality, but perfect color grading
2. regrade the BD using the HDTV as color reference, with a better quality but probably a not perfect color grading match.

Your choice, but I'll try the second; if the difference in color grading will be too much, then I'll try the first; to be sure, just make some fast tests using the most offending (color wise) shots - let's say, three shots of thirty seconds each, to save time; they will be the ones to base your initial choice (that could be changed later if needed, of course).

Jerry, first of all congratulations for this project; because it's interesting, and you needed it to distract a bit from the other one - you know it, I know it!

One thing: do you mean the R2 DVD, right? Because R4 (usually from Australia) is PAL... or is your R4 NTSC? If so, from which country is it?

Well, I will be very interested in it, and happy you decided to use a grain plate to improve the quality of the HDTV parts; also, it is a good idea to stick with the audio track as reference, so you have to not re-encode it; even if it will be 10 frames lost, I bet they are all at scene change, and so not too important.

I have both AC3 and DS laserdisc versions, but frankly I don't know if they are different from the DVD...

BD authoring: you know my "policy" (^^,) I like to release BD compliant discs, so if you have some spare time, I strongly suggest to use MultiAVCHD; it's free, and could make also menus; if few days you will be able to discover all its functions, and it worth the time!

Chewtobacca, it is right the image I had into my mind since my youth!!!

Chewtobacca said:

_,,,^..^,,,_ said:maybe due to a blink of my eyes...

 And I thought you never blinked. :D

Well, it happens to me, too... usually, once or twice during a whole movie, so this was an unfortunate event... (^^,)

Tomorrow morning encoding will be finished; I'll mux it, watch it (with two toothpicks that will take my eyes wide shut during the whole film) with my wife (who will be applied the same technique, even against her will) to be sure no frame is bad encoded, and finally I hope to re-release it tomorrow afternoon...  wish me luck, I'll need it (in particular with the toothpicks affaire)!

Jonno, you call, I answer! (^^,)

Well, with the latest ColourMatch version, I think there is a good chance to obtain a very good result with Mad Max 2...