Network's UFO Blu-ray now shipping!

And it may be awhile for me to get to the book, which is HUGE.  This easily could have been a second product, not associated with the Blu-ray.  

Marc

It's here!

I've just been dipping into the book so far which is unbelievably detailed and states on the back that it's not to be sold separately from the Blu-Rays (hah! Some will turn up on Ebay probably).

The disc holders are a bit fiddly, but you can access the discs if you just take your time. And I do like the "briefcase" design.

Unfortunately, I have to go to work tonight, but will try and catch an episode and post my opinion. I only watched "Identified" yesterday on DVD, so I have a fairly clear idea in my mind of any improvements to look for.

Yes, the Ed Straker briefcase design is a nice touch.  :-)

Let us know what you think!

Marc
 

Bearing in mind that all of us here are probably intimately familiar with UFO and have the various books and Fanderson's documentary, I think one of the not-inconsiderable attractions of this set are the things that have not previously been made available.  

At this point in time - and with so many people associated with it sadly no longer with us - a documentary which consists of stories and anecdotes from several people connected to UFO seems to be a pretty good thing to my mind.  Not least of all because most of the people here did not appear in the Fanderson one.  Probably worth remembering that 46/47 years (47!!) have passed since the series was made and I suspect that most of those involved may not have watched it since.  Also worth remembering that some people who were approached (who could have made a very worthwhile contribution) almost certainly said no.  

I am of the view that every little nugget of information - especially from a first-hand source - is all valuable and helps us to see the bigger picture.  

The photo galleries are generally good and there are definitely pictures there that I had never seen before now.  I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Joanna Lumley - now that WAS a shock!!!  And the Albino Alien - mentioned here and there but never seen... until now!  

All in all, I think there's lots here to recommend it.  

Yes, the Ed Straker briefcase design is a nice touch.  :-)

Let us know what you think!

Marc
 

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I'll be interested to hear your opinion on this new set when you receive it and watch it, Branko.

It seems that most people are thrilled with the quality.  I however tried to watch TIMELASH the other day, and personally found it unwatchable.  So much detail has been removed, that if they removed a little bit more, it would look like an animated cartoon.  I'd rather have the film grain than this.

Marc

 

However, you can tell that someone did put a lot of work into this new release.

I saw a fade out and fade in that appeared to be digitally recreated, to avoid the generational loss of using the original process shot.

Also, the opening credits for THE CAT WITH TEN LIVES have been digitally recreated, as the text in this is perfectly sharp, unlike on the other episodes.  The problem is, it actually looks worse than it did before, so they should have stuck with the original.

Also, I think they may have done stock footage replacement -- an Interceptor takeoff sequence in THE SOUND OF SILENCE didn't appear to have the generational quality loss associated with the use of stock footage.

Marc

Okay, I've finally watched "Identified" again, but this time on Blu-Ray and these are my thoughts.

Before I start, I must say that, for me, the reference for TV series Blu-Ray restoration has to be "Star Trek:TNG" - the sharpness, the clarity, the detail and the colours are simply outstanding. Does this match that standard? No. But then, Paramount assembled a big team, took years and spent millions; Network can only dream of such resources.

The picture in the episode was about a shade lighter, maybe more, which means colours are not strong. And if you've got your TV's Brightness setting set to stun mode, then it will probably look even lighter.

Also, sharpness and grain varies from scene to scene and shot to shot, it's nowhere near as uniform as "TNG".

However, there is a scene whereby Straker is talking to Lieutenant Ellis over a video link and he says something about Moonbase, "seeing some action". Ellis looks directly at the camera and smirks (in a Carry On stylee) and I can state now that with the soft DVD haze removed, Gabby Drake's stunning beauty just shines through! This is good enough reason to get the set as far as I'm concerned!

Also, the 5.1 is far, far better than the original Mono soundtrack. The iconic title sequence just BOOMED out of my system! And there's a scene involving Straker, General Henderson and a government minister (plus the iconic briefcase) in a Rolls-Royce being escorted by motorcycles on their way to Chequers. At one point, one of the motorcyclists looks up at the sky and phones though to the car as if to imply that there is an aerial threat, and the entourage subsequently speed up.

On the Mono soundtrack (both DVD and Blu-Ray), you can barely hear the distinctive sound of the lurking UFO above the whine of the police sirens and the rumble of the motorcycles. But on the 5.1 it is been mixed much more prominently and there is subsequently a much clearer sense of threat and danger. A big improvement!

Plus, you get the remarkably detailed book and the extras exclusive to this release.

So is this worth getting now? Yes, absolutely. It is rather overpriced for just six Blu-Ray discs and if you're not interested in the book, so it's worth keeping an eye out for any reductions. Around £50 makes it very good value, I think.

Yes, Marc, it is not the complete disaster that some make it out to be.

I think it all depends on your expectations. I'm glad I've got it (and I'm looking forward to Chris Bentley's reissued book too) and I really enjoyed watching "Identified" again.

Yes, if you've had the DVDs previously, this is a definite step up in quality in some ways (resolution, bitrate).

Meanwhile, it's a step back in other ways (not properly color corrected where it needs it, excessive noise reduction, washed out in some scenes, image cropped along all edges).

And it certainly has many special features that we've never seen before, while missing ones we've already seen.

So kind of a step up/back/sideways.  :-)

Marc
 

BTW, yesterday I noticed in THE LONG SLEEP, Network has sepia-tinted a scene that was never sepia tinted on any previous UFO broadcast or home video release.  It is when Straker introduces himself to Catherine, and says that he investigates unidentified flying objects.  We see her remembering a UFO taking off from a field.  This has always been in color before.  Now sepia.

It's interesting to see fan reaction to this.  Many are happy that Network "fixed" this.  I tend to think that Network shouldn't be making such alterations to the show.

Later on, we still see a full-color flashback of a UFO, so they haven't really been consistent about this.

Marc

And I just heard that the original mono track on the new UFO Blu-rays may not actually be mono in places.  Someone has reported that the opening of A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES lapses into a stereo-ized version of the 5.1 track, not the original mono track found on the DVDs.

Marc

I'm sort of glad that I stuck with DVD to be honest!
JB

Nah, don't listen to the grumblers, Johnny!

It's a big improvement over the DVD's, which look terrible in comparison, and it also sounds better too. Plus, you get a book absolutely rammed with detail.

It's only £40 on Amazon, an absolute bargain when you consider that the Australian DVD set is £38 and the US DVD Megaset a staggering £383!

No, it's not the definitive release as there are issues that haven't been fixed (as Marc has pointed out), but unless you're some sort of fanatical videophile you'll find it more than satisfying.

Personally, I'd highly recommend it, especially at that price (it was £63 on initial release).

Speaking as a fanatical videophile :-), I found the Network UFO Blu-rays to be a huge disappointment.  While one could certainly argue that they are better than the DVDs, they do have problems, and for the most part I prefer the previous Blu-rays from Japan and Germany.

I did an Blu-ray/DVD image comparison gallery here:

  http://new.ufoseries.com/video/compare/

And some episodes are exceptional cases -- for example, TIMELASH on the Network Blu-ray has a fault that I find makes it unwatchable, so the other Blu-rays are better.  And THE CAT WITH TEN LIVES has a huge amount of film dirt / grain on the previous Blu-rays, so the Network version is probably better for that.

And yes, now that the Network Blu-rays are 45% off, it's a good time to buy.  :-)

Marc
 

Speaking as a fanatical videophile :-), I found the Network UFO Blu-rays to be a huge disappointment.  While one could certainly argue that they are better than the DVDs, they do have problems, and for the most part I prefer the previous Blu-rays from Japan and Germany.

I did an Blu-ray/DVD image comparison gallery here:

  http://new.ufoseries.com/video/compare/

And some episodes are exceptional cases -- for example, TIMELASH on the Network Blu-ray has a fault that I find makes it unwatchable, so the other Blu-rays are better.  And THE CAT WITH TEN LIVES has a huge amount of film dirt / grain on the previous Blu-rays, so the Network version is probably better for that.

And yes, now that the Network Blu-rays are 45% off, it's a good time to buy.  :-)

Marc
 

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Well I have put a lot of thought into this and other Blu sets of other shows I like but I think the missus would kill me if I upgraded and started my collection all over again to be honest!
 Taping the sound off the TV, then videoing off the TV, then buying the videos and then the DVDs!!! She would throttle me without a second word believe me....
JB

Now that Network are starting to re-release The Professionals minus Andrew's books, I suspect that UFO will not be too far behind. This will bring the price down to something much more affordable.  I am also hoping that they will eventually put them into standard blu-ray boxes, although the outer box artwork doesn't need to be changed that much I don't think.  A 600+ page book (although excellent) is pretty extravagant and I can't see it remaining a permanent fixture.  

The book is worth having and so I would be inclined not to wait too much longer if you want it.  No doubt these sets will be available on ebay even after they have all sold out, but then the prices could literally go through the roof.