A&E to release THE PRISONER on Blu-Ray

I don't have a Blu-Ray player and am waiting for a release to make it worthwhile. A 4:3 of UFO and Space:1999 would do it but widescreen would not. I can see the need for new audiences to have their widescreen and cleaned up material. I for one don't mind if they repaired a few mistakes here andthere (Doctor Who DVD releases do it all the time and they repair minor issues). I don't want to have major changes.

For example of possible fixes for UFO - You know the shot when the three UFOs pass the camera and a bright dot appears in the middle of the screen. That shot is used over a over again and usually cuts away. The dot is actually something that is dropped off and is from one particular episode. (I amsure most know which one). I would not mind if they 'fixed that' stock shot as we all know where that dot comes from and it is annoying - at least for me. It is a minor thing to fix.

KP









--- In [hidden email], "David Richards" <dcr_au@...> wrote:

True, although even HDTV's still crop all edges by default.
Some HDTV's allow you to override that and show the
complete picture, though. My set allows me to see the complete
picture, but there is no new information on the left/right
sides of the HDTV versions of UFO compared to the DVDs. And
the cropping of top/bottom can still be too severe
in close ups.

Examples are here:

http://ufoseries.com/hdtv/

Marc

They did colorize Casablanca :) I did hear they were going to colorize the beginning and ending of the Wizard of Oz, but the workers went on strike :)

Bruce
----- Original Message -----
From: David Richards
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 6:23 AM
Subject: RE: [SHADO] Re: A&E to release THE PRISONER on Blu-Ray





What next? Fully colourised and lipsynched via voice over artistes
versions of silent greats like Metropolis?

From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
richard curzon
Sent: 09 June 2009 19:04
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [SHADO] Re: A&E to release THE PRISONER on Blu-Ray

Any TV series that was shot on 35mm film from the dawn of such things to the
present ought to look great on BR/HD broadcasts, especially if taken from
the master negative. Certainly from the pre-video era. What I mean by that
is, TV shows (particularly from the USA) made since the late 1980s are shot
on film, then transfered to video for post production where all optical
effects work is completed. In the case of the Trek series post 1987 all
model work was also completed on 35mm film and then transfered to video for
optical work as well. The problem with this method is that the shows never
exist in a finished state on film like the ITC classics do (all all
film-shot US series prior to the late 1980s). So video masters have to be
used unless the copyright holder pays to have all the film material
remastered from the negatives and then postproduced with modern technology.
This is naturally massively time consuming and expensive, so the
programme has to warrent the time and expence in the eyes of the money men.

This is why such series as The War of the Worlds and Friday the 13th look so
poor on DVD because they are of cult interest and have been transfered with
minimum effort using ancient video masters. The newer Trek series look
better because they are worth spending money on, but they still are sourced
from video masters. When Paramount remastered the 1960s Trek, they had
master negatives to start with and redid the effects using CGI all mastered
for 1080i HD. Apparently, they are having problems with the Next Generation
due to the reasons I highlighted above. There were only 80 1960s episodes,
all sourced in their complete state from 35mm negtives. TNG has 178
episodes with all of the raw film elements not easily sourced.

The ITC shows like UFO will be stunning on HD (ala. the 1960s Trek), but the
worrying thing here is that Granada Ventures insists on the HD masters being
cropped from 1.37:1 to 1.77:1 (the native HD ratio). Paramount have
pillarboxed classic Trek so the raw HD versions have permanent black bars on
either side of the 1.77:1 frame to preserve the original 1.37:1 ratio - they
way it ought to be. The BR of Thunderbirds recently released here in the UK
is a basterdised cropped version, as are the HD broadcasts of UFO and Space
1999 (and others). The other worrying development is the potential
colourisation of B&W shows like Supercar and Fireball XL5 (the new Network
DVD makes a selling point of a complete colourised episode). It will be a
sad day indeed when all B&W shows will be colourised, cropped to m1.77:1 and
(in the case of shows made on video like classic Doctor Who) filmised.

The other worrying element are the less concerned or aware fans and viewers
who demand such "improvements" as if programmes were so many out of date
journals to be "updated". Many folks on the Rhubarb/Zeta Minor forums
embraced the cropping of Thunderbirds, and the colourisation of Fireball XL5
- it beggers belief. Why folks can't just accept things they way they were
made and enjoy them as much as newer shows sporting newer technology, I'll
never know. We are in real trouble if the only versions available are the
altered "improved" versions. When DVD finally dies off, and is replaced by
HD downloads and/or BR, then the cropped version of Thunderbirds will be all
that is shown.

Rick

--- On Mon, 8/6/09, john_nhojuk <[hidden email]
<mailto:jks%40johnkennethstewart.com> > wrote:

From: john_nhojuk <[hidden email]
<mailto:jks%40johnkennethstewart.com> >
Subject: [SHADO] Re: A&E to release THE PRISONER on Blu-Ray
To: [hidden email] <mailto:SHADO%40yahoogroups.com>
Date: Monday, 8 June, 2009, 8:47 PM

Bruce Sherman

>

> John, what you say makes sense, but what about the FX??

That's part of a much bigger question about the limits on restoration and
beyond.

There's a continuum. At one end is the repairing, digitally or otherwise, of
a damaged, scratched original. At the other far end are things like
"colorizing" a film or programme which was originally b/w. Somewhere, near
the "colorizing" end is applying modern effects to make seamless FX which
were not originally seamless.

I don't think many people would think that repairing damage which was done
after the film was struck is a problem, as long as it is done in a way which
unarguably replicates how the film looked originally. The debate probably
starts pretty close to that point.

For what it's worth, I would prefer that restoration generally aims to
replicate the film/programme as it originally appeared, warts and all.

Admittedly this is slightly more of a problem with a TV show in that it was
only intended to be watched on a lowish definition 16" TV screen but UFO was
made to a higher standard than most anyway. And where do you stop? A painted
backdrop out of a window - do you tart that up? A wig line? A TV arial in
the far background of a period show? A set which wobbles?

Many such defects are apparent on DVD on a large screen TV anyway.

You can't pretend that UFO was a series made today and anyone watching it
will have to accept that anyway. A kid watching UFO is going to have to see
it from the perspective of a series made four decades ago regardless, with
or without the odd wire showing.

Trying to tinker round the edges isn't going to make much difference and
merely falsifies history.

Personally, I want to see the film that it's makers made, with the
technology available, not airbrushed - usually by other hands - with
hindsight.

Regards

John

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On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 13:57:42 +0000 (GMT)
richard curzon <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I can't stand the panoramic mode; why do people feel the need to fill
> their TV screens at all costs?  Did you never watch letterboxed films
> on old 4:3 TVs?

It's hardly "at all costs". It costs a press of a button, and a small
quantity of the original image. Yes, I did watch letterboxed films on
an old telly, but I also watched films that had been cropped by the
broadcaster as well ("pan and scan", I believe it's called). I
personally find 4:3 images on a widescreen TV jarring, and the
'panoramic' mode - (also known by other names depending on TV
manufacturer) is more comfortable and pleasant to watch. I also crop
4:3 content to 15:9 to watch on my Nokia media player as well, and
don't normally miss the detail from the top & bottom.

> I refuse to watch things in anything other than the correct ratio;
> can't stand to see people squashed or stretched etc.
>

No-one will make you, of course. It's a question of personal taste.

James

On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 19:53:53 +0930
"David Richards" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> What next? Fully colourised and lipsynched via voice
> over artistes versions of silent greats like Metropolis?
>

Metropolis was colourised in the late '70s or early '80s.

Not fully - it was colour tinted and had a disco soundtrack by georgio
moroder



It's not been colourised in the frame by frame paintboxing of all the
elements in the scene in "correct" colours (ie - wood looks like wood -
actor's clothing in different colours etc.).



From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of
James Gibbon
Sent: 10 June 2009 16:36
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [SHADO] Re: A&E to release THE PRISONER on Blu-Ray








On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 19:53:53 +0930
"David Richards" <[hidden email]
<mailto:dcr_au%40virginbroadband.com.au> > wrote:

> What next? Fully colourised and lipsynched via voice
> over artistes versions of silent greats like Metropolis?
>

Metropolis was colourised in the late '70s or early '80s.





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--- In [hidden email], James Gibbon <jg@...> wrote: adding my thoughts to this
we have a saying (if it aint broke dont fix it)
thanks
pete s (USA)

Which was typical for silent movies during the Teens and
Twenties. Scenes were tinted according to time of day
(blue or lavender for nighttime; amber for day outside)
and mood (red for scenes of anger or catastrophe). Also,
major pictures often had musical scores composed for them.
 
Evelyn Duncan
[hidden email]

"All work and no play pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?"
-- Tim Hunter





In a message dated 6/10/2009 9:04:50 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
[hidden email] writes:

Not fully - it was colour tinted


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