Star Trek:TNG - The Next Level

I thought it was said that TNG was shot on video and therefore BR wasn't really possible?

Apparently not. Huge level of difference.
 
I thought it was said that TNG was shot on video and therefore BR wasn't really possible?

Apparently not. Huge level of difference.

Thats a misconception as the original episodes were only edited and saved onto video not filmed onto video.They've re-cut the episodes shot by shot from the original film negatives so the detail is all there.

They look awesome.

Ben
 
Keep an eye open during the clip show moment where Riker watches a video showcasing the events with Q. The shot of Q saying "Go back, or thou shall most certainly die" is in standard definition.

Also the first shot of the town being blasted by the alien UFO, while in High Definition, is different.
 
There were a number of effects elements that were shot on video, that will have to be upscaled or replaced. All animation effects, stars and planets, were also done on video and will be replaced.

There is also a short live action scene that they are missing the original film for, so they will upscale the video.

I've said for years that this will never happen, because of the cost of redoing all the video work. But it looks like they're spending the money to do it :) This sampler disc is a test to see how it will sell, so if you want more go buy it now!
 
There were a number of effects elements that were shot on video, that will have to be upscaled or replaced. All animation effects, stars and planets, were also done on video and will be replaced.

There is also a short live action scene that they are missing the original film for, so they will upscale the video.

I've said for years that this will never happen, because of the cost of redoing all the video work. But it looks like they're spending the money to do it :) This sampler disc is a test to see how it will sell, so if you want more go buy it now!

They've already announced the seasons will start later this year. I believe the goal is two seasons a year if I remember. So you can hold off on the sampler if you want to save up for later this year.
 
I know it's a minor nitpick, but I wish it was widescreen. I know WHY it's not but IMHO, it's really kinda lame that the onscreen menus etc are widescreen and awesome, and the episodes themselves are not.

That being said, the effects and remastering are awesome.
 
From the hi-def digest review:

The Blu-ray's 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer is an astounding improvement over any previous broadcast or video release of the series. Until now, the circumstances of the show's production limited it to very poor picture quality. DVD editions were a blurry mess, even by DVD standards. Although the episodes were photographed on 35mm film, that footage was originally transferred to standard-definition video for all editing and post-production work. Therefore, the final masters for the episodes were locked to late-'80s/early-'90s standard-def video. In order to restore the show to high-def quality, CBS had to dig through its archives to locate every original reel of film, re-transfer it all in new high-def quality, and reconstruct each episode from scratch using the original editing logs. This was a massive undertaking, much more work even than the restoration of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' (which had the benefit of being edited on film back in the '60s).

The results are a revelation. The episodes on this disc are crisply detailed, with rich contrasts (the blacks of space are truly inky) and vibrant colors for the most part. As explained in the disc menus, 13 seconds of footage from episode 'Sins of the Father' could not be located on film and had to be upconverted from SD video. You'll know the scene immediately when you see it. It looks like absolute garbage in comparison to the rest of the show. Fortunately, the problem is very brief.

Unlike 'The Original Series', very few of the show's special effects have been replaced with new CGI substitutes. (Some upgraded phaser blasts and transporter beam effects look very true to the original intent.) The majority of special effects are the original models and miniatures as photographed during production, seen here for the first time with greatly improved clarity never before possible. For example, a flyby shot of the Enterprise passing a planet would have been shot in several passes: one background plate of the star field in the distance, one layer with the planet, one pass with the Enterprise model lit by external lights, and one pass with the model in the dark, lit from within to illuminate the windows. These were all combined on standard-def analog video the first time around, which left the final composite rather fuzzy. Here, the original layers have been digitally recomposited in high definition, and reveal an impressive level of detail that was always hidden from view.

That's not to say that the image quality is perfect eye candy material. The episodes can be quite grainy, especially 'The Inner Light'. I personally wasn't too impressed with the digitization of the grain, which often has the texture of video noise. Some specks on the source material haven't entirely been cleaned up, and shadows occasionally exhibit a crushing of black details. The reds of the Starfleet uniforms tend to fluctuate in vibrancy from scene to scene, and episode 'Sins of the Father' has a yellowish tinge in flesh tones. I can't be certain whether that's an issue with the photography or a color-grading problem with the restoration. The enhanced clarity is also sometimes too revealing of focus errors, matte painting backgrounds, chintzy sets and less-than-impressive old-age makeup. However, all of these flaws are relatively minor and well worth the tradeoff for everything gained. Once you see these episodes, you'll never be able to go back to watching the show on DVD again.
 
I know it's a minor nitpick, but I wish it was widescreen. I know WHY it's not but IMHO, it's really kinda lame that the onscreen menus etc are widescreen and awesome, and the episodes themselves are not.

That being said, the effects and remastering are awesome.
Many old "shot on film" shows are being shown on HDTV, and some have been cropped to fit the widescreen. The top and bottom of the frame is cut off, and the enlarged frame has heavier grain as a result. I saw a few episodes of Hogan's Heroes on HDTV, and close ups were cut off at the forehead and chin. It looks like very bad framing. I'm so glad they didn't do this to TNG.


...a flyby shot of the Enterprise passing a planet would have been shot in several passes: one background plate of the star field in the distance, one layer with the planet, one pass with the Enterprise model lit by external lights, and one pass with the model in the dark, lit from within to illuminate the windows. These were all combined on standard-def analog video the first time around, which left the final composite rather fuzzy...
Actually it was a digital disc format, just in standard resolution.
 
Wow, those enhancements look great, although I'm not sure I can stand sitting through "Encounter at Farpoint" again. :lol
 
I have the full set of DVD and have yet to make it past Season 3. And have had it for a few years now. So I'm stuck - watch all the DVDs, THEN buy the BR and watch it all again? Or dump the DVDs?
 
The real question here is why are you stuck on Season 3 and you have had them for years? :D

I have the full set of DVD and have yet to make it past Season 3. And have had it for a few years now. So I'm stuck - watch all the DVDs, THEN buy the BR and watch it all again? Or dump the DVDs?
 
I have the full set of DVD and have yet to make it past Season 3. And have had it for a few years now. So I'm stuck - watch all the DVDs, THEN buy the BR and watch it all again? Or dump the DVDs?

First off, are you a "casual" Trek fan or avid? This isn't a loaded question, just asking to get a better idea.

If you are just a casual fan I would just keep your dvd set. Avid, dump the dvds and get the BR set.

If you are going to buy the BR no matter what, still dump the dvds. TNG hit its stride midway through the 3rd season and was rolling with the season cliffhanger The Best of Both Worlds (it set the bar VERY high for cliffhangers). The series got a little better with each subsequent season (although EVERY season had its share of stinker/boring episodes). Seasons 1 and 2 were easily the worst.


Kevin
 
Seasons 1 and 2 were easily the worst.

There are still 'some' gems to be found.

"The Naked Now"
Wesley reveals his strange fetish about how he secretly captures Picard's voice over the intercom and mixes it to pretend Picard is ordering Wesley around..... And this is before he gets infected with drunk.

"Code of Honor"
The perfect showcase in positive human progression by being the most racist and sexist episode in the history of the franchise.

"Hide and Q"
We get Wesley getting stabbed through the back by a pigman, and Picard giving Riker a pat on the back for letting a young girl wearing pink die a horrible death.

"Justice"
We get a race of almost totally naked people wanting to kill Wesley. Sure, he may have damaged a garden, but I think they wanted to kill him for uttering "I'm with Starfleet; we don't lie."

"The Neutral Zone"
Come on. Those Romulans looked awesome. Also foreshadows....

"Q Who"
Great introduction to not only the Borg, but also good writing. Bonus points for exploring the dangers that the "to seek out new life" motto can have. Ron Jones delivers one of the best scores to.

"Where science has lease"
This ship has one bridge. One bridge! One Riker, ONE BRIDGE! ARAHGANAWNAWBARGHAGARGH!
*NOTE* What about the battle bridge?

I cannot wait to see all of these in HD!
 
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