I don't think it was the money. He has plenty, and donates most of it to education anyway. I think he has always know the torch will pass someday, and would rather do it himself than have it done without his input. I wasn't expecting it this soon, but eventually more movies would have been made.
Respectfully I disagree with you on all counts. I see the difference and so do others. These releases need to be kept "archival grade" IMHO, you can never get back what is lost.
Then it should be released as a 1080p 40gb mpeg2, or even some lossless codec. Pretending a 720p 15gb mp4 is archival grade is silly.
You being able to see the difference is more placebo than anything. You really do need comparison software to see the difference. The "tiny faction" is people who can actually see a difference, although plenty claim to.
If an archival grade copy is important Harmy should release a HUGE lossless encode into the wild. It is overkill for 99.99% of use cases, but just having access to it benefits many people. If it were 1080p, then yes, 15 gigs would be necessary, but since 720p is half the resolution, 8 is plenty.
My votes: L8wrtr for 1 & 3, Q2 for 2.
@Frink http://labs.echonest.com/Uploader/index.html?trid=TRORQWV13762CDDF4C
Your posts are hard to understand because you have not made a case why mkv is better other than "but I dont want to remux after I download." I understand, and Harmy is right, ISO may confuse a couple people. That is what the README is for. aka "This is an iso, it must be burned, mounted or busted. Burn with IMGBURN, mount or bust with Virtual Clone Drive." Mounting and remuxing does add an additional step if for some reason you want an mkv over an m2ts file (hint if you are remuxing your other releases you are probably adding an unnecessary step. There is virtually no benefit to recontainering the m2ts as an mkv unless you have one of the rare devices that supports the latter but not the former.)
ASS - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SubStation_Alpha#Advanced_SubStation_Alpha
Adywan released his final copy of A New Hope Revisited as an ISO. It played on every dvd player in the world. Had he released an mpeg2 file and expected people to build their own DVD structure, I don't think it would be something that Peter Mayhew would have viewed. The beauty of an ISO is the ability to burn a universal disc that works everywhere. If you gave your Uncle an mkv on a DVD and he stuck it in his DVD player and it didn't play, he would throw it away. AVCHD is far and away the better format when it comes to sharing physical media with friends, relatives, and people who watch movies on their home theater television.
shutting up for real this time.
To play devils advocate, the benefit to MKV is being able to include odd audio types not allowed by avchd such as flac, and strange subtitle formats such as .ass. Again, if you want a flac mkv, it is extremely easy to mux yourself. MKV is a kitchen sink, it supports everything. AVCHD is a common denominator supported by every device natively, but it is more restrictive as to what audio/video is allowed. Since Harmy is releasing 1280x720 h.264 video and ac3 audio (which is bd compliant), he is not using any of the additional features mkv offers that avchd does not. There is almost no benefit to using mkv over m2ts (a slightly smaller container overhead, a benefit which would be negated by forcing harmy to upload two of the same file) because virtually any device that supports mkv also supports m2ts, but not the other way around. AVCHD is the more standardized format, supported by more devices, natively. It makes sense to only release in one format instead of uploading two of the same file. It would even make more sense to release in MP4 than MKV (then even browsers like chrome and safari could play the file) except that MP4 subtitle support is iffy. AVCHD is better supported when it comes to subtitles. I am just repeating myself now, so I will shut up. If you have any questions reread the thread, everything has been explained multiple times.
And you have the choice to type "mkvmerge 00000.m2ts -o deed21.mkv" and end up with an mkv file. My problem isnt with the format, it is releasing two of the exact same file in different containers. Harmy agrees with me.
Wabid's argument about releasing an MKV with the same streams as the BD at the same time being pointless is very legitimate.
For my computer if I prefer an MKV, I will make it myself with the AVCHD. HTPC's, Smart TVs, streaming devices all support M2TS files.
You are advocating pro-redundancy. I am advocating efficiency. More devices support avchd than mkv. You have yet to explain a benefit to mkv other than you have heard of it before and it will match your other filetypes. Some of my movies are avi's, some are mp4, some are mkv. Once I open them with a media player it makes no difference.
If your distribution of BSD comes with iso mounting software (it does) and a media player (likely) it will work too.
and to quote me
AVCHD is natively supported by all major operating systems and set top hardware
Sure there is a chance your variant of BSD is stripped of fundamental software such as a media player or ffmpeg, but at that point you should probably install a media player or an mkv would be worthless anyway.
To quote http://www.kucher.org/projects/avchd/
After compiling the latest version of FFmpeg, I found that AVCHD just works on Linux.
and this was written in 2008 or 2009.
I am not bickering, I am offering Harmy a recommendation and a persuasive argument as to which container allows the widest audience to view his work, without two nearly identical/fragmented copies of his work floating around. If he cares about reaching the widest audience even if it takes him a tiny bit more time (which it looks like he does by liking my suggestion to include mkvmerge) he will release an avchd.
Look, if you want to watch isos on your computer instead of burning them, all you need to do is have virtual clone drive and mount the file (OSX/Windows 8 have native iso mounting), which takes one click. Windows Media Player 11 will then automatically launch the video once it is mounted. It doesn't get easier than that. (Alternatively, you could right click on the file and uniso it with 7zip or your zipping software.) AVCHD has NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT on Windows and OSX AND all set top boxes. MKV is not a universal standard like AVCHD is.
Harmy if you want to cater to laptops release an MKV. If you want to cater to Home Theaters release an AVCHD. It makes no sense in the world to release the exact same audio/video stream twice in two different containers just because a couple stubborn users refuse to remux a file.
No, it's easier to download a file and play it in a media player on your computer than to wait for your computer to remux.
It takes minutes to remux the file. You only have to do it ONCE and then you will have an mkv file forever. We are talking about adding 5 minutes to your download time. The entire premise of this project is patients and getting it right. Saving you five minutes of remuxing does not justify creating twice the workload for harmy to maintain every time he releases something. I am talking about a long term policy here. If he releases an avchd and mkv he would be doing so for the 8gb and 25gb copies, for all three movies. You are now asking him to upload 200 gigs to the internet every time he updates his trilogy instead of 100.
Nonsense. I know NOBODY who is not a member of this forum and knows what an AVCHD is, and all of them know how to play mkv files.
It doesn't matter if you know what an avchd is. It is an iso file that you burn to a disc that plays in all bluray players. AVCHD is basically the same thing as BD5. Everyone knows what a bluray is. "Here is a disc, it plays in your bluray player" is much simpler than "here greg, you will need a laptop, vlc, an hdmi cable and optical out to your stereo."
AVHCD isn't some standard invented by this community. MKV being more popular in piracy circles is irrelevant. Is it fair for me to assume that all your friends who know what MKV is, are pirates? That isn't the only audience this project should cater to. The fact of the matter is, its easier to release the more complicated file and remux it to the simpler one.
Sorry, but mkv is the standard for "releasing" HD "unofficial" movies, it has many advantages and no disadvantages.
Good luck getting it to play on sony blu-ray players. Pleae explain to me the advantage of MKV over M2TS other than you recognize one extension and not the other. BLURAY is a more popular standard than MKV. AVCHD is a Bluray file structure that fits on a 8 gig disc. If Harmy want's this release to be watched primarly on laptops an MKV would be fine. But the intent is to be compatible with Home Theater Systems. What is one of the most popular Blu-ray player? PS3. What doesn't play MKV? PS3. Go ask Grandma if she knows what MKV is. Go ask her if she has heard of Blu-ray. Harmy, you have a polling bias here. Everyone here knows how to play MKV files and thinks it is easier. You need to think about the bigger picture and giving friends and tech illiterate adults discs that have never heard of OT.com. If you want a universal standard that will play with every HDTV and PC, AVCHD/BD5 is the correct choice. OS X Mountain Lion has native support for AVCHD in Quicktime, as does Windows 7 with Media Player 11(except starter/homebasic) Does Windows 7 natively support mkv? The people telling you MKV is a better standard are completely ignoring the fact that AVCHD is natively supported by all major operating systems and set top hardware, and MKV often requires third party software.
The people that would vote for avchd over mkv are precisely the people that would never wander into OT.com, but absolutely the crowd you want to cater to. The primary goal should be complete home theater compatibility, something mkv does not offer. Furthermore it makes NO SENSE to upload the same file to the community twice in two slightly different containers, when you can just run a single command to convert (remux is a better word because it is copying the audio/video stream not transcoding/reencoding it) from m2ts to mkv.
Also I can't agree with a TRILOGY BLU-RAY, I think it's a very stupid idea.
Why couldn't there be a TRILOGY BLU-RAY and a Trilogy Set of 3 blurays? I don't see how one idea invalidates the other. The ideas are not mutually exclusive. I think there would be a huge benefit to a 25GB iso with all three movies.
So, in essence, you just want to hand creation of the most popular format over to unofficial actions. Got it.
If you think doubleclicking a .bat file and having it automatically remux a file for you is hand creation, then yes.
As for bitrate, the AVCHD release shouldn't have a crazy amount of languages. Save that for the BD.
Everyone advocating MKV is still missing the point. It doesnt matter what container the streams are in. MKV/M2TS are just containers around video/audio streams, and the audio video streams are identical. Remuxing is the equivelant of unzipping something and rarring it. MKV being popular in piracy circles is a stupid reason to vote for it. If you can play MKV files you can play M2TS files the exact same way. By clicking on them.
Just for the sake of hearing all the sides to this conversation, I would like to ask one time that an MKV NOT be released. There is just no reason for it, and in the long run it will hurt the project by dividing the pool of sharers between virtually identical files.
The problem I see is that you would be releasing two identical video/audio streams. That means instead of having 100 seeds sharing the file on a torrent, you will have two files with 50 seeds. For the health of the project and its longevity I think a single unified release is the best option. VLC plays .m2ts files. To remux a .m2ts to .mkv takes a single command (mkvmerge 00000.m2ts -o deed21.mkv) and a couple minutes. I don't see a situation where a person would be able to play the mkv but not be able to work with the avchd. I do see situations where a person could play the avchd but not the mkv. If the audio and video feeds are identical, and there are no menus, there is no reason to release the exact same file twice in two different containers. Why not release it as an .mp4? Why not ogg? At some point you just have to say it doesn't make sense to release the same file in every container. If people want .mkv, just add 3 lines to the readme explaining how to remux .m2ts to .mkv. No sane person would release a work as .rar, .zip, tar.gz, and .7zip.
That is the equivalent of what people are asking of you. "I like rar better than zip. Release as rar because I already have winrar installed." "No, release as zip, windows has native zip support." It is a silly debate, and I think it is perfectly clear why you would not release something as both a rar and zip.
Everyone has to understand that this project serves a much larger audience than the tech literate. If you only release one file type, half the community will complain that they want the other one. I think an ISO is a more understood filetype than MKV for people who don't understand technology. Any computer with burning software knows what to do with an ISO. IMHO it is more "idiot proof." To the person that does not know what they are doing "insert blank disc, double click file, press burn, stick disc in blu-ray player" is as about as simple as it can get. Trying to get grandma to use tsmuxer or multiavchd is an uphill battle. If you are using MKV, presumably you are already a tiny bit tech literate. Unpacking an iso and copy/pasting a command into the command prompt should be easy as pie. Heck you could even include mkvmerge, and 7zip, and a batch file and have a one click avchd2mkv converter.
I vote for now to JUST release the AVCHD and keep the community united instead of fragmented. It will allow the file being passed around the web to remain healthier. Hold off on the blu-ray until whenever you like, as it will be nearly identical video quality anyway.
If I could make a request, it would be for a TRILOGY BLU-RAY once you are done. Since each avchd .m2ts file is 7gb, that means you could get ALL THREE on a single 25GB BD. That would mean simple menus and no bonus features, but I think it would be awesome to have a single disc with all three movies. It would also be the easiest way to share physical copies with people and not overwhelm them. One disc, one case, one trilogy.
noooooooooo, Bird was on my shortlist, why would he do this? Let's hope 1952 is good. Hopefully Matthew Vaughn, Alfonso Cuarón, Ron Howard, Michel Gondry, Marc Foster, Joe Cornish, Antoine Fuqua, Michael Mann and Guillermo Del Toro all still have a shot. I know Joe Johnston and Jon Favreau actually want to do it. And with Tom Hiddleston saying he wants to be in it... there is still hope.
Is there any proof Fox still owned SW and not Lucasfilms?
This guy seems pretty convinced fox sold it to lucas in exchange for the right to distribute the prequel trilogy.
You might as well bring in the original actors and do ADR work. Rerecord bad lines, use cgi to get lips to sync up.
When I registered for OT, I got an email with my password. This should be changed, and they should be stored as a salted hash of some sorts.
Don't worry, I won't submit you to http://plaintextoffenders.com/
cbaka said:
Matthew Vaughn directed 8 movies, a good movies, but he has his 'touch' like the ones cited above...you're right about Stardust, it's his the best one.
What 8 movies has he directed? Stardust isn't his "Best" movie, for that I would go to Layer Cake. Stardust shows he can direct epic adventure fantasy.
You think Matthew Vaughn is too big? He has only directed 4 movies.
I think Stardust is the reason he should be a Top 3 contender for a Star Wars movie.
That biography came out in '99. Who knows if the treatments are even the same or if disney even ends up using them.
Leia
Cast Archetypes
The Robots
Jimmy Fallon - C3P0 Character
Nick Offerman - R2D2 Character
Ty Burrell - Jar Jar Character
The Kids
Emile Hirsch - Luke Character
Gemma Arterton - Leia Character
Amber Lancaster - Padme Character
Zac Efron -Anakin Character
The Pirates
Ryan Gosling - Han Character
Nick Frost - Chewie Character
Nicole Taylor - Mrs Han Character
Alison Brie - Mrs Lando Character
Rufus Sewell - Lando Character
Jedi Rebellion
Ralph Fiennes - Yoda Character
Vincent Cassell - Obi Character
Kevin McKidd - Qui Gon Character
Brad Pitt - Mace Character
Annabella Sciorra - Mon Mothma Character
Gemma Atkinson - Admiral Ackbar Character
Kevin Costner - Oragana Character
The Bad Guys
Cliff Curtis - Darth Maul Character
Ben Foster - Vader Character
James Spader - Tarkin Character
Billy Bob Thorton - Emperor Character
Ray Winstone - Grievous Character
Alan Rickman - Dooku Character
Richard Armitage - Boba Fett Character
Harvey Keitel - Gunray Character
Lots of characters die. Women have much bigger role, they lead.
Executive Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Ron Howard & Mitchell Hurwitz
EPVII: Written by Neil Gaiman, John Logan, Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio | Directed by Matthew Vaughn
EPVIII: Written by Nicholas Pileggi, Frank Darabont, Anthony & Joe Russo | Directed by Terry Gilliam & Michel Gondry
EPIX: Written by Shane Black, Tom Stoppard, Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish | Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Star Wars has always been about pushing the limits of visually stunning.
These directors have all demonstrated the ability to output state of the art and cutting edge visuals.
The writing teams offer a balance of darkness and humor.
Music: Howard Shore, James Horner, James Newton Howard, Danny Elfman, Alan Silvestri, Ennio Morricone, Michael Giacchino
The composers divide up the Characters so each character has its own theme and variant for different moods.
Shore scores the movies with each persons contribution.
Cast Archetypes
The Robots
Jimmy Fallon - C3P0 Character
Nick Offerman - R2D2 Character
Ty Burrell - Jar Jar Character
The Kids
Emile Hirsch - Luke Character
Gemma Arterton - Leia Character
Amber Lancaster - Padme Character
Zac Efron -Anakin Character
The Pirates
Ryan Gosling - Han Character
Nick Frost - Chewie Character
Nicole Taylor - Mrs Han Character
Alison Brie - Mrs Lando Character
Rufus Sewell - Lando Character
Jedi Rebellion
Ralph Fiennes - Yoda Character
Vincent Cassell - Obi Character
Kevin McKidd - Qui Gon Character
Brad Pitt - Mace Character
Annabella Sciorra - Mon Mothma Character
Gemma Atkinson - Admiral Ackbar Character
Kevin Costner - Oragana Character
The Bad Guys
Cliff Curtis - Darth Maul Character
Ben Foster - Vader Character
James Spader - Tarkin Character
Billy Bob Thorton - Emperor Character
Ray Winstone - Grievous Character
Alan Rickman - Dooku Character
Richard Armitage - Boba Fett Character
Harvey Keitel - Gunray Character
Lots of characters die. Women have much bigger role, they lead.
_____________________________________
NO Nolan, no Whedon, no Abrams. I would also be fine with Brad Bird, David Yates, Joel Cohen & Ethan Coen, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, Cameron Crowe, Marc Foster, Andrew Niccol, Antoine Fuqua and Michael Mann, Guillermo del Toro, Joe Cornish, Gore Verbinski, Guy Ritchie, Edgar Wright, Shane Black or the Russo brothers. Star Wars doesn't need Nolan, Abrams, Singer, Raimi, or Ratner with all these other great directors available.