Doctor Who: The Complete Matt Smith Years (16-discs) November 4th, 2014

[simonynwa]

Can I just ask to those in the know since Im a recent convert to watching Who, is it possible for the Tennant and Eccleston series to be eventually be given an HD remaster like Star Trek - The Next Generation. By that I mean is it possible yet prohibitively expensive at present, rather than absolutely impossible due to the way it was produced ?

Thanks

[seannyd]

Originally Posted by simonynwa

Can I just ask to those in the know since Im a recent convert to watching Who, is it possible for the Tennant and Eccleston series to be eventually be given an HD remaster like Star Trek - The Next Generation. By that I mean is it possible yet prohibitively expensive at present, rather than absolutely impossible due to the way it was produced ?

Thanks

Unfortunately not because it was all filmed on video. The reason Star Trek could be remastered was because all the standard elements were on film. And given how incredible film can look, they were able to re-scan the film, create new effects in HD and recomposite everything.

Who on the other hand was filmed on video those four seasons. As a result, the way it currently looks on Blu Ray is the maximum that it can look in terms of visual quality unfortunately. Short of getting all the actors together and recreating the scenes on HD video, it's not happening.

[StingingVelvet]

It's pretty incredible the BBC shot four seasons in a row of a hit show on SD video in 2005-9. If anything puts a spotlight on the BBC's budget issues it's that.

[simonynwa]

Thanks for that - it doesn't surprise me with the BBC. They aren't the most forward thinking sometimes when it comes to their shows.

[Jezza]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

It's pretty incredible the BBC shot four seasons in a row of a hit show on SD video in 2005-9. If anything puts a spotlight on the BBC's budget issues it's that.

Originally Posted by simonynwa

Thanks for that - it doesn't surprise me with the BBC. They aren't the most forward thinking sometimes when it comes to their shows.

Bear in mind though at the time HD cameras were very expensive. They were offered when the show began production in 2004 but turned them down due to impacting on budget of both the production and visual effects, added to that they weren't sure the show would be a success.

It's also worth considering the UK has a very different model to the US for TV and more often than not it all comes down to budget, which often is quite low, unlike US shows which a very large ones. This is why HD only became mainstream for UK shows about 4-5 years ago and why so few episodes are produced at any one time.

In hindsight it's a frustration, but in context it's understandable.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Jezza

Bear in mind though at the time HD cameras were very expensive. They were offered when the show began production in 2004 but turned them down due to impacting on budget of both the production and visual effects, added to that they weren't sure the show would be a success.

It's also worth considering the UK has a very different model to the US for TV and more often than not it all comes down to budget, which often is quite low, unlike US shows which a very large ones. This is why HD only became mainstream for UK shows about 4-5 years ago and why so few episodes are produced at any one time.

In hindsight it's a frustration, but in context it's understandable.

Like I said, it shines a light on the BBC's budget issues. You're saying the exact same thing but in a more forgivable tone. It's "understandable" in the sense that I understand the BBC has massive budget issues with its more expensive shows.

[oddbox83]

Part of the reason was that then producer RTD wasn't that fussed about HD, another is the rendering of the effects. HD broadcasting was also in it's infancy in the UK then.

Why they couldn't have done what several US shows from around the same time had done and shoot HD compatible and just upscale the effects with possible remastering later, I have no idea. Wasn't stuff like Stargate Atlantis even still at the end of last decade doing full HD shooting but rendering effects at 720p to cut down on rendering costs?