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Originally Posted by The Digital Bits
Multiple sources I spoke with at Comic-Con have also confirmed our report from earlier this year that CBS is hard at work on Star Trek: The Next Generation - Remastered for Blu-ray release starting sometime in 2012. The latest word is that 4 test episodes are currently being worked on for release as a sampler/demo BD disc of the project, and that sampler disc will somehow be available to fans by the end of this year. Watch for additional news in the months ahead.
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http://www.digitalbits.com/#mytwocents
As some of you may already know, Star Trek: The Next Generation was mastered only on video tape. This means all the special FX, green screen, and matte work were only done in standard definition. In order for the series to make the transition to HD, they would have to go back to raw film footage, do all the editing from scratch. It's like producing the show all over again.
Things that I'm expecting to happen if TNG goes HD:
- The original SFX done with miniature model work will be replaced with CGI
- The aspect ratio will be re-framed (not necessarily cropped) into 16:9, just like Seinfeld
- Some of the repetitive ship models that kept re-appearing every 4 episodes may be replaced with newer designs
The TOS series was mastered in film, which made it easy for Paramount to offer the unaltered and CGI-enhanced versions both in HD. TNG unfortunately was mastered in video. There's literally no way they can offer the original versions in HD, unless they settle for merely upscaling the standard definition FX and peddling those as HD. I'm pretty sure that TNG in HD will not offer the original versions.
I wonder if Star Trek fans will be ok with all those changes. Will they treat the original source material like it was handed down from God, and go bonkers like some crazy Star Wars fans do with the Special Editions?