Older TV series (shot in lower resolution) on BD?

[USF Bull]

I was wondering about older t.v. shows that were shot in SD (like Cheers, The Simpsons, Friends, ect...) If there would be any improvement what so ever if released on blu? Would it be worth waiting for, or is upconverting going to be the same with these shows?

[WickyWoo]

Cheers was shot on film, there is already HD masters of the show

Simpsons is not, Friends was shot on film and supposedly they've already made HD masters of it

There can be an improvement, but I seriously doubt any SD-only programming will ever be released bya major studio on Blu

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

Cheers was shot on film, there is already HD masters of the show

Simpsons is not, Friends was shot on film and supposedly they've already made HD masters of it

There can be an improvement, but I seriously doubt any SD-only programming will ever be released bya major studio on Blu

and like hes said b4 other shows that are out on dvd doubt they would reinvest to do blu-ray unless its really worth it for them...

[Blubaru]

I want me some Miami Vice in HD

[Blu Haze]

Its Blu not Blue...

[Lucy Diamond]

I made peace with that fact that I will never Get Suddenly Susan on video...ever.

The odds of it going Blu are slim to none.

[tron3]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

...
There can be an improvement, but I seriously doubt any SD-only programming will ever be released bya major studio on Blu

Hold on there a moment Wicky. Some of the standard def extras on BD look pretty good and sometimes even tops the 10mbit playback. Not to mention it should have better color, and saturation, contrast, etc.

They could upconvert the early Simpsons stuff and who can tell the difference? Most of the stuff is flat with little texture. Up conversion shouldn't hurt it.

[WickyWoo]

They could upconvert the early Simpsons stuff and who can tell the difference? Most of the stuff is flat with little texture. Up conversion shouldn't hurt it.

I've got the Yukikaze blu-ray form Bandai Visual, which is a 1080 upconvert from the digital source(CG and full digital ink and paint) with totally maxed out bitrates.

It really doesn't look that great. Better? Yes.

The cost of recompresssing/authoring vs the benefit is simply not worth the time and effort compared to the job that the regular upconversion circuitry would handle

Hold on there a moment Wicky. Some of the standard def extras on BD look pretty good and sometimes even tops the 10mbit playback. Not to mention it should have better color, and saturation, contrast, etc.

Since it was mastered to for NTSC broadcast, no it probably won't.

[USF Bull]

hold on a sec, if these older shows are on film, a new hd master could be a big selling. just imagine the slogan "as you've never seen before" and might entice a new audience that never bought the dvd version.

[WickyWoo]

hold on a sec, if these older shows are on film, a new hd master could be a big selling. just imagine the slogan "as you've never seen before" and might entice a new audience that never bought the dvd version.

No it really won't. The number of "new" customers for 25+ year old TV shows is very small

The best thing it'll do is entice people to rebuy who already did

[Marcusarilius]

The T Zone and The Outer Limits.

[jibucha]

Hello


Expect everything in due time!

Having already seen several old movies from the 30's & 40's in High Definition that are breathtaking; you can easily expect remarkable picture quality irrespective of the age of either movies or television shows.

I am confidant that any content currently available on DVD or otherwise, will eventually become available on Blu-ray in High Quality High Definition, representing the best possible with today's improved, and constantly improving technology..

It's like the CD Collection of Caruso, that I purchased some twenty years ago; so much mostly unavailable for many decades, probably something like sixty years, and then with a remarkable audio format coming available, suddenly everything known to be available by Caruso, is collected together and released in one collection at one time.

Some very early television shows on DVD are already far better in picture quality than most would expect today from a Blu-ray release, which is simply an insight into what either is already possible or will be coming soon as High Definition transfers become available replacing the already remarkable Standard Definition Quality of DVD.

There are developments happening regularly in telecine that can remarkably improve old film, which again, lends itself to insight into what is to be expected. As special algorithms specific to issues of improving the quality of older content, are recognized, developed and implemented in the transfer process; remarkable improvements can be expected, and of course, released on Blu-ray.

It really is a matter of how good of a job that the content provider wishes to do. The Hollywood Film Industry has a lot to gain by making the best possible quality available on Blu-ray, and will recognize this as time goes on.

Of course, the transfer quality depends on many factors, but ultimately, I expect great things for many years to come.

The perception that only recent film is to be expected to be high quality is simply not so.

Thank You

[Marcusarilius]

Originally Posted by jibucha

Hello


Expect everything in due time!

Having already seen several old movies from the 30's & 40's in High Definition that are breathtaking; you can easily expect remarkable picture quality irrespective of the age of either movies or television shows.

I am confidant that any content currently available on DVD or otherwise, will eventually become available on Blu-ray in High Quality High Definition, representing the best possible with today's improved, and constantly improving technology..

It's like the CD Collection of Caruso, that I purchased some twenty years ago; so much mostly unavailable for many decades, probably something like sixty years, and then with a remarkable audio format coming available, suddenly everything known to be available by Caruso, is collected together and released in one collection at one time.

Some very early television shows on DVD are already far better in picture quality than most would expect today from a Blu-ray release, which is simply an insight into what either is already possible or will be coming soon as High Definition transfers become available replacing the already remarkable Standard Definition Quality of DVD.

There are developments happening regularly in telecine that can remarkably improve old film, which again, lends itself to insight into what is to be expected. As special algorithms specific to issues of improving the quality of older content, are recognized, developed and implemented in the transfer process; remarkable improvements can be expected, and of course, released on Blu-ray.

It really is a matter of how good of a job that the content provider wishes to do. The Hollywood Film Industry has a lot to gain by making the best possible quality available on Blu-ray, and will recognize this as time goes on.

Of course, the transfer quality depends on many factors, but ultimately, I expect great things for many years to come.

The perception that only recent film is to be expected to be high quality is simply not so.

Thank You

Absolutely! I will up-grade anything I am interested in getting on BD. I know every movie or TV show will be an improvement. I'm not much for being diswaded by someone's technical facts on a given show shot on this or that. Everything will be better on BD!

[USF Bull]

but how much of an improvement would we see on t.v. shows not ment for the theatres??? Wickiy pointed out some shows on film, i did not know that film was also used on television programs. So is it the norm or the exception?? and Thanks to all for your replies.

[jibucha]

Hello

Regardless whether film or video; substantial improvement should be expected in television shows released on Blu-ray.

Regarding film in television shows; CBS specifically, to the best of my knowledge, has been using film since the early 1990's, fully aware early on of the benefits for the future, to having High Quality High Definition Content extensively available in their Television Show Archives; certainly, this results today, in having a considerable library for broadcast, and specifically today, for release easily on Blu-ray.

Personally, I am looking forward to obtaining the series Nash Bridges on Blu-ray when it is available.

Regarding video in television shows; while I do not have any specific information; I do think that to expect that video quality is not worthy of HD Quality would be erroneous.

I am expecting television shows, whether film or video, from the beginning of television, to be commonly available on Blu-ray, and certainly of the quality to be expected; no less so than both availabilty and quality transitioning from VHS to DVD; just DVD to Blu-ray now.

For myself, I am currently contemplating acquiring several television shows already available on Blu-ray, to begin an insight into what quality is already available, and specifically, what quality to expect as compared to the original broadcast quality, which I find to be outstanding by any measure; this having daily watched HD Content on a simple roof antenna for over eight years.

For myself; if any movie or television show series is available on Blu-ray, at the highest quality possible; I will happily acquire the series of interest to me and enjoy them, knowing that they will be representative of the best possible. Why else would any series be released on Blu-ray? If poor quality is available on Blu-ray, it will simply result in a loss of support of the format, which certainly makes no sense by any measure.

This may be of some interest; especially referencing the quality available from older series; the television series The Prisoner, from the mid-sixties, has already been indicated as being available in 2008/2009; this series is forty years old already, so it already indicates what we can expect, as the decisions of release are made in coming years. I intend to immediately acquire this television series, which given it's age already, will certainly be a reliable measurement of what can be expected.

Knowing the balance of film & video in television series is beyond my current knowledge, but certainly, both have been available, with film most likely dominant in recent years. I will have to pursue information in this regard, now that you have focused my attention on it.

Thank You

Originally Posted by USF Bull

but how much of an improvement would we see on t.v. shows not ment for the theatres??? Wickiy pointed out some shows on film, i did not know that film was also used on television programs. So is it the norm or the exception?? and Thanks to all for your replies.

[Squozen]

Originally Posted by USF Bull

but how much of an improvement would we see on t.v. shows not ment for the theatres??? Wickiy pointed out some shows on film, i did not know that film was also used on television programs. So is it the norm or the exception?? and Thanks to all for your replies.

It was the norm for older shows. If you can't tell the difference between film stock and video footage on your set, you should probably think about calibrating it. Film stock looks far smoother and more natural, whereas video tended to have poor black levels, harsh whites and very unnatural colours.

Things are changing with the latest HD cameras and post-processing - you can get a lot closer (but not exactly the same) to the look of film with digital technology.