Star Wars - The Digital Movie Collection

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by MemoInPR, Apr 6, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    There are other ways to do it anonymously and quickly. Without the pop ups and weird sites.
     
  2. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    These are supposed to be comparison between BR set and 4k scans.

    People are raving about them, I see some shots that have a little improvement, but some have too much contrast and lack the detail compared to the BD shots.

    Even some have some artifacts in the scenes on the 4k where the BD has detail and grain. I don't see what some people are raving about.

    Sure improvement in color and blacks are there, but definition and contrast is sacrificed. Look at the stormtroopers, they lost all reflection and detail in the 4k scan.

    http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/83709/picture:0
     
  3. Encuentro

    Encuentro Forum Resident

    Do tell. I tried one of the weird sites with porn ads lurking on the sides, downloaded A New Hope, but wasn't able to play it. I had to spend some time uninstalling uninvited programs from my computer. This is the issue I face every time I travel down the dark path of creepy downloading.
     
  4. malcolm reynolds

    malcolm reynolds Handsome, Humble, Genius

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    When the Death Star explodes in Jedi there is clipping in the surrounds on the BD release. The crackling is annoying.
     
  5. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Agreed here. There is another 4K restoration, much more worthwhile, which puts to shame the BDs:

    https://vimeo.com/channels/877597
     
    Robert C likes this.
  6. Jason Manley

    Jason Manley Senior Member

    Location:
    O-H-I-O
    Is that 4K restoration a fan project or something officially sanctioned?
     
  7. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    I seen that, yes that was more impressive.
     
  8. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    A fan project. Restored frame by frame by hand from a professionnal 4K scan of a 70mm Technicolor print (and a mixture of other prints).
     
    Simon A likes this.
  9. FVDnz

    FVDnz Forum Resident

    Yes, speaking of the Mono Mix (or it might actually be the Radio Drama), Adywan added a little subtle track when Biggs got killed with a recorded track of Luke's reaction "Biggs, Biggs!" and cleverly added it playing in the background during a shot in the Control Room in Yavin with Leia etc. He's going to redo ANH in HD after he's finished Empire while also deciding to remove the Battle of the Heroes theme which he inserted into the final Vader Kenobi duel. He actually realised it was better without it lol.

    But everything else I do agree with you. The transfer from the 2004 DVD and 2011 Bluray is appalling!
     
  10. FVDnz

    FVDnz Forum Resident

    I'd love to see some kinda Ultimate Set complete with every version, kinda like the Blade Runner set with the Director's and Final Cuts but for now, that would be a dream.
     
  11. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Wow, pink lights and reflections? No thanks. No BD for me.

    Hire this guy Disney.
     
    Solaris likes this.
  12. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Somewhere, one of the fan sites has a list of every variation of every version, but I would bet they didn't include all the sound mixes. I'm not sure if even Lucas himself remembers all the changes or could remember why the changes were done. While we were doing the 2004 remasters, I got new fixes and replacements on a day-by-day basis; there were literally 50-60 versions of certain shots, particularly Jabba the Hut (who was completely replaced from the 1997 version).

    I would be totally cool with just the original theatrical version and then the final version Lucas himself did. But... it might also be interesting to have a longer version with all the outtakes cut back in. The big expense there is not the picture but the sound.
     
  13. balzac

    balzac Senior Member

    The interesting thing about these films is that, normally, even a popular film with so many large and nitpicky variations in picture and soundtrack would be a case where the studio might not care about a truly small group of hardcore/niche fanatics.

    But in the case of “Star Wars”, the changes Lucas made are so ubiquitous that they have become a pop culture reference in and of themselves. (They did a pretty funny joke on “Big Bang Theory” once where they’re all getting ready to watch one of the SW films and keep getting delayed, and one of them says something like “we have to watch it now, before George Lucas changes it again.”)

    Disney (and Fox) have to know that *if* they ever do put the “original theatrical” versions of the films out, they’ll still get s**t from fans if something is off. If they use some sound effect from the 1980 theatrical re-release by mistake or something, a relatively small but still significant number of hardcore fans will complain. I say this only to point out that these films would seem to have an above-average chance of getting a truly nerdy treatment like the “DeSpecialized” versions which appear to come with about 37 different soundtracks (1977 6-channel 70mm, 1977 2-channel mixdown or whatever, 1977 mono, 1980 stereo, 1993 laserdisc mix, 1985 VHS mix, and a million others).

    Hopefully they would err on the side of making it look and sound just like what people saw and heard in 1977 (and 80 and 83). That would at least minimize but still not eliminate variant versions.

    I just watched the ’77 film on blu-ray again, and I have to say the CGI just doesn’t mix well. It’s not even about a purist thing. I have no emotional attachment, no experience as a kid seeing it in the theaters. But the CGI just doesn’t mesh well with the live-action footage. And good lord, I’m sure it’s already been discussed to death, but that awful photoshop-looking smeary thing that happens when Harrison Ford walks behind Jabba the Hut? If that was the best they could do, that alone would be reason to drop the whole idea of adding that scene.

    Here’s another interesting question that isn’t discussed as often: They replaced the puppet Yoda in “The Phantom Menace” with a CGI version for the blu-ray. I don’t have the DVD versions of those prequels anymore, only the complete BD set. Will they at some point offer the “Original Theatrical” version of that film too on BD?
     
    DeeThomaz and bru87tr like this.
  14. Bryan

    Bryan Starman Jr.

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    I know there were some very slight changes made to Episode II as well. Not sure about Episode III. But yeah, I wonder if there's another group of fans out there that is outraged that we can't get the original theatrical version of the prequels. Me, I don't really care because at this point I think I'd rather pretend the prequels never happened. However I do seem to remember the puppet Yoda in Phantom Menace somehow looking worse than the puppet Yoda in ESB and RotJ.
     
  15. captainsolo

    captainsolo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Murfreesboro, TN
    Actually, some of us fans have talked endlessly about the different mixes--so much so that there are attempts to preserve them from whatever sources we can.

    It breaks down like this basically:
    SW: 4 track original master, mixed into 70mm Dolby Stereo with two baby booms and 4 channel matrixed Dolby Stereo. Then Lucas and Burtt did a dedicated Academy mono mix for the mass release which had all the fixes, extra lines from both versions, and some different voices.
    In 1985 a home video remix was done in Dolby matrixed stereo for the Japanese Special Collection. This is virtually identical to the '77 stereo except the dynamic range is slightly changed and it add 3P0's tractor beam line. This was used on all releases from 1985-1993.
    The 1993 Definitive Collection (also on the Bonus DVD reissue of the same transfer) used the 70mm track as a base but added new sound effects on top of it in many places before remixing for home systems of the time.
    The 1997 SE mix went back to the 4 track original and adds in many things from the mono and 70mm mixes. Despite the additions it sounds great in 2.0 matrixed or 5.1.
    ESB: The 1980 theatrical stereo and 70mm Dolby had some differences that have been documented. It is still unknown if the 1980 theatrical stereo and 1985 mix are the same or not. The mix differences crop up at certain points in the '97 remix (For example: "You were lucky to get out of there" vs. "You're lucky you don't taste very good"). Also of note is that some 16mm prints have a mono mix that seems like a hybrid of the 35mm and 70mm tracks, making it a dedicated mix for these identified prints.
    ROTJ: Same virtual situation as with ESB, the 35mm and 70mm versions are reputed to have some differences, and there is no definite knowledge as to whether or not the 1985 or other home mixes are theatrical or not. The 1997 mix again does a great job at bringing the film into the modern sound age.

    Everything up to 1997 sounds great, and despite the original SE adding all the changes, the sound mixes are quite stellar and retain healthy dynamic range. The 1993 Definitive Collection tracks sound great but no one knows exactly how much was done in post in redoing them for 1993 era equipment.

    Basically what I'm saying is, if you have any of the films on LD with digital tracks, give them another spin. You'll be really surprised at how good they sound. And the SE ac-3 5.1 is a bit hot believe me.
     
    Plan9 likes this.
  16. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    A short "documentary" explaining the work required for the Harmy "despecialized edition" to bring back the original theatrical cut in HD:



    Start at 9:47 for the explaination of the sources used.
     
    mikeyt likes this.
  17. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I'd like to see this to compare to Harmy's version, which is pretty damn good. The best version of Star Wars I've seen so far.
     
  18. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    The changes in sources, even in Harmy's latest 2.5 version, were sometimes jarring and distracting to me.
    I know he can't really do better with what he had to work with, but the good 4K restoration posted above will not have these changes, will be at a much higher resolution, and should then look even better.
     
    Solaris and mpayan like this.
  19. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I watched all the videos on this 4K restoration project last night and I'm mightily impressed. It's stunning what he's been able to pull out of the 70mm prints, so I can only imagine what he could do with the negative and/or original work parts. He says this is premiering in a theatre in September in L.A. I'm tempted to visit friends out there and catch this if possible, but I'd also love to have a copy of my very own for home viewing. That seems unlikely, however.
     
    Plan9 and FVDnz like this.
  20. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Is it not "online" somewhere?
     
  21. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Harmy's "despecialized editions", yes. This 4K restoration, no.
     
  22. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    I keep going back to this guys videos. He isnt impressed (and neither am I) with the demo reel of the 4k restoration that will possibly be released. Im not completely clear on who is in the running to possibly release the 4k. Im supposing its Reliance Media Works?

    If thats who is doing the restoration and who Mike is referencing in his vimeo vid comparisons, then Im not very hopeful that they know what they are doing.
     
    Plan9 likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine