Spearhead From Space - 15th July 2013 (classic Doctor Who)

[HotRats]

Originally Posted by Mister Snoops

I will be honest and say I have not enjoyed any TV stuff since survival. The eighth dr books I read, as I said, I loved and so I may look into the audio stories. Are they Big Finish?

They are. First one is Blood Of The Daleks. If you just want to sample one episode try Horror Of Glam Rock. The scripts are all excellent as are the performances, McGann and Smith are brilliant together, in my opinion some of the very best Who.

[AP2009]

Is there any pictures of the release i.e. front and back, disc art and any inserts? I'm looking forward to seeing some screen grabs.

[Gaz10]

Originally Posted by AP2009

Is there any pictures of the release i.e. front and back, disc art and any inserts? I'm looking forward to seeing some screen grabs.

Doctor Who, Spearhead From Space Blu-Ray Release Review - YouTube

It comes with a booklet.

[Lew Zealand]

I watched episode 1 earlier and it looks really great. The short restoration process feature is well worth a watch. The reversable sleeve with the 'classic' DVD style cover on the other side is a nice touch too!

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by Mister Snoops

I will be honest and say I have not enjoyed any TV stuff since survival. The eighth dr books I read, as I said, I loved and so I may look into the audio stories. Are they Big Finish?

I'll chime in on the Big Finish support. There are so many releases now that it can be overwhelming, but the 8th Doctor/Lucie Miller stories are a good jumping on point.

That said, if you want to dip your toe into some McGann with a single story, Chimes of Midnight is one of the best standalone episodes of Doctor Who ever. It is with a different, earlier companion (Charley) and is as spooky Christmastime, Sapphire & Steel-esque romp into darkness.

[lemonhead118]

Reversable artwork!!!!!!!!!!

Sold!

[BluBonnet]

I just watched it and I thought it looked and sounded superb!

Of course it would be silly to compare it to other series from the 60s or 70s shot on 35mm, like ST TOS or The Prisoner.

But it is a nice enough improvement over a SD DVD release, regardless of how well restored they made it. (According to the short doc on the restoration that's included here, earlier SD transfers were made from 16mm prints, at best, rather than from the 16mm negatives).

[mymythos]

Some people are saying that this story and the McGann movie will be the only classic Doctor Who to be ever released in HD, but this might not be the case. It all depends on technology. Proof of that is that the first four series of the current Doctor Who have been announced to be released on Blu-ray in the US and Canada (https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=11666). The fact is that new upconverting algorithms are constantly being developed, and it's quite probable that very soon the technology to upconvert classic Who stories to HD, or at least near-HD quality will exist (if it doesn't already), and we all know quite well that if the picture quality improves significantly, even if it's not real HD, most fans will jump on this bandwagon.

[malcy30]

Originally Posted by Gaz10

It comes with a booklet.

There is an error in the booklet as it says the extras include the production subtitles (production trivia track which is on the DVD). This is NOT included and it has been confirmed whoever wrote the booklet made a mistake. The only subtitles on the BD are the normal spoken language ones.

[The Fallen Deity]

Originally Posted by mymythos

Some people are saying that this story and the McGann movie will be the only classic Doctor Who to be ever released in HD, but this might not be the case. It all depends on technology. Proof of that is that the first four series of the current Doctor Who have been announced to be released on Blu-ray in the US and Canada (https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=11666). The fact is that new upconverting algorithms are constantly being developed, and it's quite probable that very soon the technology to upconvert classic Who stories to HD, or at least near-HD quality will exist (if it doesn't already), and we all know quite well that if the picture quality improves significantly, even if it's not real HD, most fans will jump on this bandwagon.

The problem though is that most of the classic series was shot on video tape, which would still look like crap even with the extremely advance Upconverted technology. It's not just the resolution that's the issue, there's also ghosting, blooming etc.

The only benefits they would get from being released on Blu-Ray is lossless audio and all the extras compiled onto fewer discs due to more storage space on the discs.

[The Fallen Deity]

Is there any comparison shots anywhere for the new transfer and the DVD transfer?

[mymythos]

Originally Posted by The Fallen Deity

The problem though is that most of the classic series was shot on video tape, which would still look like crap even with the extremely advance Upconverted technology. It's not just the resolution that's the issue, there's also ghosting, blooming etc.

What you say is of course true, today. A very short time ago, the digital technology to clean film damages didn't exist, but now it does. Even the recent re-releases of classic Doctor Who stories with improved picture quality made possible by new technologies developed just a few years since the original releases. My point is that technology marches on, and its motto appears to be: "where there's a will there's a way". I have no doubt that eventually someone will develop a means to make even classic Doctor Who look like (or even better) than the current show. I just hope it happens in my lifetime.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by The Fallen Deity

The problem though is that most of the classic series was shot on video tape, which would still look like crap even with the extremely advance Upconverted technology. It's not just the resolution that's the issue, there's also ghosting, blooming etc.

The only benefits they would get from being released on Blu-Ray is lossless audio and all the extras compiled onto fewer discs due to more storage space on the discs.

Actually Syfy showed some Baker's upscaled to HD and they looked amazing in places

[HDmark]

Can anyone confirm that this disc is Region Free? The North American version is, so I can't imagine this version is locked, even though Amazon UK says it is. (yeah, I know: don't trust Amazon's specs...) Thanks.

[Geoff D]

Just got this, and I'm not bowled over by the PQ. I don't mean from a source point of view, i.e. "it's just an old TV show!", I mean the remastering. It was done by the same gentleman who did the Professionals, and both shows look remarkably similar, over and above the 16mm origination. They both have the same filtered, slightly smudgy look to the grain and they both have the same sallow-looking skin tones.

What's interesting is the restoration comparison on the disc, which shows how much yellow has been added to the HD transfer compared to the older masters. Hmmmm.

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Just got this, and I'm not bowled over by the PQ. I don't mean from a source point of view, i.e. "it's just an old TV show!", I mean the remastering. It was done by the same gentleman who did the Professionals, and both shows look remarkably similar, over and above the 16mm origination. They both have the same filtered, slightly smudgy look to the grain and they both have the same sallow-looking skin tones.

What's interesting is the restoration comparison on the disc, which shows how much yellow has been added to the HD transfer compared to the older masters. Hmmmm.

Yeah, I've followed the Restoration Team since their early releases and I think they understand what works for DVD really, really well. However, HD is a whole different thing, and I think this disc makes that clear.

I was surprised the review was sooooo positive, because this really doesn't feel much like film, watching it in motion, let alone 1970's BBC 16mm.

[Geoff D]

I agree. Jonathan Wood and co. have done sterling work in the SD realm for Who, they really have, but there's something missing with their HD presentations. Funny thing is, when they wipe between the old old master, the 2010 master and then the 2013, there really isn't a great deal between them, i.e. those old transfers were either very good or the HD one is fairly mediocre.

It pains me to see the words "grain reduction", and yet there they are when they show the unrestored/restored HD images. Get rid of the negative dirt, the sparklies and so on, great, but leave the ****ing grain alone. Manage it if need be, i.e. degrain and regrain if you must, but reducing it for the sake of it does the image no favours. I don't get where the yellow tint is coming from, either.

[Jason One]

Can anyone clarify whether the UK BD is 1080i/50 or 1080p/24? Everywhere I look on the web, I get conflicting info.

(I'm hoping it's 1080i/50, to match the original 25fps frame rate.)

[MrChristoph]

Originally Posted by Jason One

Can anyone clarify whether the UK BD is 1080i/50 or 1080p/24?

The Restoration Team bring this up on their website; the UK version is 50i, whereas the US version is 24p (with pitch corrected audio). They also have a nice DVD/BD comparison, the added detail looks great but I'm defiantly seeing that yellow tint.

[Deciazulado]

But is this confirmed from an actual BD disc? Not that I doubt the Restoration team , but in the translation to actual product things happen


(And since we're touching on that, Torchwood Miracle Day UK BD, 50i actual stream or standards converted?)