What is wrong with BUFFY in HD?

The Terminator

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Wanted to spread the word to any other possible Buffy buffs on the board :)


A nice little video that summarises most issues that arises when amateurs try and "remaster" a tv show.
gilesseason1buffy.PNG
 
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This kind of "correcting" and "enhancing" seems to be happening more and more. :facepalm So what's the release to watch if you want to see Buffy as it was on tv in 1997? Are the dvd's untouched?
 
I've seen good rematers and bad, but this..? Going widescreen just created too many problems. No wonder the uber-fans are annoyed. I'm irked, and that's only from what I saw in that one video, was there no-one in charge of colour balance and contrast? It's like they ran the whole thing though auto-filters on default settings.
 
This kind of "correcting" and "enhancing" seems to be happening more and more. :facepalm So what's the release to watch if you want to see Buffy as it was on tv in 1997? Are the dvd's untouched?

The DVDs are the original episodes as intended. This issue exists because the original episodes were only created for SD, so the only way to create a true HD version is to go back to the original film negatives and redo the entire editing process from scratch. The DVD releases don't require this, because the original versions are sufficient resolution.

And I absolutely hate seeing 4:3 shows forced to 16:9. I want to see shows as they were originally shot and framed, whatever aspect ratio that happens to be. When I see shows like Seinfeld and Cheers in widescreen on TV, I could make a drinking game out of every time there's a cropped off head.
 
This kind of "correcting" and "enhancing" seems to be happening more and more. :facepalm So what's the release to watch if you want to see Buffy as it was on tv in 1997? Are the dvd's untouched?

The DVDs are the way to go, unless you can find recordings of actual broadcasts, I suppose.

I've seen good rematers and bad, but this..? Going widescreen just created too many problems. No wonder the uber-fans are annoyed. I'm irked, and that's only from what I saw in that one video, was there no-one in charge of colour balance and contrast? It's like they ran the whole thing though auto-filters on default settings.

The DVDs are the original episodes as intended. This issue exists because the original episodes were only created for SD, so the only way to create a true HD version is to go back to the original film negatives and redo the entire editing process from scratch. The DVD releases don't require this, because the original versions are sufficient resolution.

And I absolutely hate seeing 4:3 shows forced to 16:9. I want to see shows as they were originally shot and framed, whatever aspect ratio that happens to be. When I see shows like Seinfeld and Cheers in widescreen on TV, I could make a drinking game out of every time there's a cropped off head.

Actually, Joss Whedon is on record as saying that the DVDs are "as good as it gets" but that even those aren't perfect because they stretch at the edges. If you pop your DVD into a modern system and watch it on a 16:9 scree -- like many have nowadays -- what you're going to see is the picture taking up the whole frame. And that's as the raw feed, too. It's not your TV or your player stretching or zooming anything.

Buffy was shot in 4:3, the way the bulk of TV shows in the 90s were. Some were shot in widescreen and in some cases in HD (e.g. Babylon 5), but most weren't. (And Babylon 5 has its own problems with f/x that never made the leap to HD, but that's a separate story.) Put simply, the "true" version of the show is a 4:3, non-zoomed, non-stretched, non-cropped version.

At this point, the old DVDs are about as close as you can get to that. The Complete Series set runs for about $100 on Amazon (and Amazon also has them on Prime, though I haven't watched 'em). Same story with Angel, by the way.


Also, one thing I've noticed is that color timing in the 90s was just...different from what it is nowadays. Things tended to be shot much more "warm," I think, or at least "natural." It's interesting to see how color timing can be affected by the era.
 
That show was originally created in HD, and has already been released on Bluray, so you're all good there.

I'm talking about the original series. It's coming out on Blu later this year and they're reframing it for 16:9. Fortunately they're also releasing it in its original ratio, but that set cost extra money.
 
I'm talking about the original series. It's coming out on Blu later this year and they're reframing it for 16:9. Fortunately they're also releasing it in its original ratio, but that set cost extra money.

My bad! I considered you meant the original, but I figured you mean the new series because of the additional screwing around necessary for remastering many newer scif/fantasy shows for HD.

Broadcasting old shows on TV at 16:9 is one thing, but if I'm buying it on Bluray, I want the proper thing. Movies and shows should be preserved for posterity as intended, and then they can go and release an alternate version as an extra.
 
I've been very happy with my Chosen Collection box set. Forget what year it came out. Shortly after the series ended. It's the one in the white box with the blood dripping down it, not the all-red box. Then again, I don't watch them often. They've probably all gotten watched once with a few watched once or twice additionally, so I haven't really analyzed them or looked for anything different. Yet. I sense another viewing coming on once I finish La Femme Nikita.
 
I've been very happy with my Chosen Collection box set. Forget what year it came out. Shortly after the series ended. It's the one in the white box with the blood dripping down it, not the all-red box. Then again, I don't watch them often. They've probably all gotten watched once with a few watched once or twice additionally, so I haven't really analyzed them or looked for anything different. Yet. I sense another viewing coming on once I finish La Femme Nikita.

That's the one I have. Picked it up on discount from a Barnes and Noble about 8 years ago or so. It still holds up pretty well even on modern systems. I was watching some with my fiancee a few months ago. The Angel set holds up well, too.

The only problems are the construction for the individual seasons within the set (they're kinda flimsy), and the fact that the discs are literally what was on the individual season releases -- meaning annoying animated menus (and cheap mid-90s menus otherwise). The only major difference is the extra disc of extras.

But like I said, good boxed sets overall.
 
I'm not even a Buffy fan and i think Fox should fire the editors who did this HD set, i doubt you'd even find film school students making so many mistakes.
 
Same here. I never got around to watching the show back in the day, but I am a purist when it comes to director's intent (or creator's intent, in this case), and in proper preservation and presentation of material of any kind. The video producer in the OP said it right, it's heartbreaking when a show like this (that I know has a HUGE following) gets treated so disrespectfully, and that it clearly didn't get the time and effort that the fans deserve.
 
Maybe I should at least check these out. Never seen an episode in my life, not sure why. Was it on Fridays or Saturdays? Back in the day those nights were reserved for beer and music. I'm sure I missed a lot of stuff.
 
Same here. I never got around to watching the show back in the day, but I am a purist when it comes to director's intent (or creator's intent, in this case), and in proper preservation and presentation of material of any kind. The video producer in the OP said it right, it's heartbreaking when a show like this (that I know has a HUGE following) gets treated so disrespectfully, and that it clearly didn't get the time and effort that the fans deserve.

I've you've never gotten around to watching it, I really recommend you give it a go (via Netflix, Amazon, or the DVDs). Here's a video on the subject by the same narrator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYPF0hgPjzY

 
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