Has TNG Been Remastered?

Kamdan · February 10 2011, 01:48 PM

WGN has started the series cycle over again and I've been noticing a much sharper and cleaner video quality. It has really made it better to watch than the DVDs, where the color always looked off, a la the science uniforms looking green than blue. I hope to see another release that has this good of quality.

NX-01 · February 10 2011, 03:18 PM

Nope, it hasn't been remastered. To watch in better quality I play the DVD's in my BluRay player which is connected to mt TV through HDMI which upscales the picture slightly....doesn't make too much of a differecnce but it is noticeable.

SD70ACe · February 10 2011, 03:24 PM

There's rumors of a Blu-ray boxset, but that's a ways off.

Bishop76 · February 10 2011, 06:50 PM

Rumors and just that - it'd be too much work to redo all the effects of TNG for a blu-ray transfer.

Mr. Laser Beam · February 10 2011, 06:57 PM

NX-01 wrote:

Nope, it hasn't been remastered. To watch in better quality I play the DVD's in my BluRay player which is connected to mt TV through HDMI which upscales the picture slightly....doesn't make too much of a differecnce but it is noticeable.

When viewing SD images, ALL HDTVS upscale the picture (if they did not, all you would see was a postage stamp sized image surrounded by a foot or more of black on all sides). Many times the TV has a better upscaler than the DVD player does.

Alrik · February 10 2011, 09:38 PM

^

That, and even though TNG is SD, WGN is most likely broadcasting in HD, so that combined with an upscaler should make a bit of a difference.

LitmusDragon · February 11 2011, 12:55 AM

I may record one of the WGN episodes just to see whats up. They could be using a new upscaler or something. Either way I'm curious.

Trekker4747 · February 11 2011, 04:50 AM

One final time: (We wish)

First of all "remastering" means going back to the original filmstock, cleaning it up and then putting out there.

Secondly: TNG's special effects were done on videotape and furthermore the series was taken from film and transfered to videotape for editing. (Granted, high quality videotape.) So this means they filmed everything on film, sent it to the editor, who picked the good takes/shots, etc. and pieced the episode together onto videotape.

This means that to "remaster" TNG someone has to go back to the film and completely put the episodes back together again! This means finding all of the shots and takes and whatnot that were used and pretty much make the episode over-again from scratch. It's not impossible but it'd be a pretty huge undertaking. There's only so much resolution that you can get out of videotape and HD quality isn't in that particular deck.

"Upscaling" is over emphasized when it comes to TV and DVD/BD players as it sort of makes the presumption that the player is taking the material and "somehow" knows what's going on between two pixels and give you that added detail. It can't.

It can only make a "best guess" and make the picture fill the screen rather than being in a box. It cannot add detail and resolution that isn't there which is what HD is all about.

TNG's been rumored to get a "remastering" for sometime now but it'd be a huge, expensive, project for Paramount to take and it'd just be a question if it is worth it in the end. I'll admit I'm not sure if the effects were done on tape, but I do know it was edited on tape which really limits things.

It can be done but Paramount has to be willing to invest quite a bit into it and fans will have to be willing to pony up for another set of over-priced BD sets. (There were enough complaints about the price of the DVD sets.)

TOS it was easier to "remaster" since TOS was recorded and edited to film so there was a lot more there to work with.

Kamdan · February 11 2011, 04:50 PM

Last night's episode, Where No One Has Gone Before, was not a good example. It looked the same as the DVD, with violet and green colored uniforms. The episode prior to that one, Haven, actually had the colors look right.

Mr. Laser Beam · February 11 2011, 04:56 PM

^ Obviously this doesn't apply to *early* episodes like WNOHGB and Haven, but in general, some of that might be due to the uniforms themselves. If a uniform is worn repeatedly and washed, over and over, it will fade. This is why characters like Beverly, who wore the same blue uniform for the series run, seem to wear a much darker blue than, for example, Picard in "Tapestry". In that ep, his uniform was brighter, because it had never been worn before.

FWIW.

As for TNG-R, we will probably get a Fan Collective or two in HD, but I doubt any more than that. There's simply too many episodes. They managed with TOS because it was only three seasons (and was all shot on film from the get-go). TNG would require many more years of work.

The next Trek series to make it to Blu-Ray will be ENT. That's pretty much *already* in HD (it's been shown that way on TV).

LitmusDragon · February 11 2011, 09:40 PM

About the only thing Paramount has said is that they would like to do it but it would be a tremendous undertaking.

I personally think it's inevitable at some point. It's just a question if it will be in 2 years, or 5, or 10. By then it could be on the next-gen format (no pun intended).

Harvey · February 11 2011, 10:27 PM

Bishop76 wrote:

Rumors and just that - it'd be too much work to redo all the effects of TNG for a blu-ray transfer.

Nah, TNG is a cash cow for CBS/Paramount. If the next film is as successful as Star Trek (2009) was, I'd expect this project to move forward pretty quickly, as all parties involved attempt to cash in on the Trek namesake. It might take some time, but it'll happen.

Now, VOY and DS9, they'll probably never see proper Blu-Ray releases. Unfortunately.

Trekker4747 · February 12 2011, 04:40 AM

It really depends, re-editing all of the episodes from the original film negatives would be an enormous undertaking. Every episode would pretty much need to be redone from scratch. That's even assuming the negatives are in any condition to undergo the process and won't need fixing/reproducing themselves.

AriesIV · February 12 2011, 04:49 AM

Instead of doing the entire show why not hold a vote and remaster the all-time ten fan-favorite episodes for special release. Odds are "shades of gray" will NOT be one of them.

Hold the vote on Star Trek Online keep the voting open for six months then make it so.

BlobVanDam · February 12 2011, 04:50 AM

Trekker4747 wrote:

It really depends, re-editing all of the episodes from the original film negatives would be an enormous undertaking. Every episode would pretty much need to be redone from scratch. That's even assuming the negatives are in any condition to undergo the process and won't need fixing/reproducing themselves.

Would it be that much harder than TOS? I would think the TNG film would be in better condition than TOS, being 20 years newer (assuming it was stored well). Or did they not need to re-edit the footage together for TOS?

February 10 2011, 01:48 PM	#1
Kamdan Lieutenant Commander	Has TNG Been Remastered? WGN has started the series cycle over again and I've been noticing a much sharper and cleaner video quality. It has really made it better to watch than the DVDs, where the color always looked off, a la the science uniforms looking green than blue. I hope to see another release that has this good of quality.

February 10 2011, 03:18 PM	#2
NX-01 Lieutenant Commander Location: Gateshead, England	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? Nope, it hasn't been remastered. To watch in better quality I play the DVD's in my BluRay player which is connected to mt TV through HDMI which upscales the picture slightly....doesn't make too much of a differecnce but it is noticeable. __________________ Phlox - "I'm fine!" T'Pol - "You nearly shot the captain's dog!"

February 10 2011, 03:24 PM	#3
SD70ACe Lieutenant Commander Location: Aperture Science Enrichment Center	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? There's rumors of a Blu-ray boxset, but that's a ways off. __________________ Text and Violence // The Indigo Tribe: Green Lantern Reviews and Commentary

February 10 2011, 06:50 PM	#4
Bishop76 Fleet Captain Location: Wisconsin	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? Rumors and just that - it'd be too much work to redo all the effects of TNG for a blu-ray transfer. __________________ Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back.

February 10 2011, 09:38 PM	#6
Alrik Commodore Location: Alrik is on A deck chair, somewhere....or Iowa. Brrr.	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? ^ That, and even though TNG is SD, WGN is most likely broadcasting in HD, so that combined with an upscaler should make a bit of a difference.

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February 11 2011, 12:55 AM	#7
LitmusDragon Commodore Location: The Barmuda Triangle	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? I may record one of the WGN episodes just to see whats up. They could be using a new upscaler or something. Either way I'm curious. __________________ Check out my photos of Oregon on Facebook Linguiphiles, unite!

February 11 2011, 04:50 AM	#8
Trekker4747 To boldly go... Location: Kansas City	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? One final time: (We wish) First of all "remastering" means going back to the original filmstock, cleaning it up and then putting out there. Secondly: TNG's special effects were done on videotape and furthermore the series was taken from film and transfered to videotape for editing. (Granted, high quality videotape.) So this means they filmed everything on film, sent it to the editor, who picked the good takes/shots, etc. and pieced the episode together onto videotape. This means that to "remaster" TNG someone has to go back to the film and completely put the episodes back together again! This means finding all of the shots and takes and whatnot that were used and pretty much make the episode over-again from scratch. It's not impossible but it'd be a pretty huge undertaking. There's only so much resolution that you can get out of videotape and HD quality isn't in that particular deck. "Upscaling" is over emphasized when it comes to TV and DVD/BD players as it sort of makes the presumption that the player is taking the material and "somehow" knows what's going on between two pixels and give you that added detail. It can't. It can only make a "best guess" and make the picture fill the screen rather than being in a box. It cannot add detail and resolution that isn't there which is what HD is all about. TNG's been rumored to get a "remastering" for sometime now but it'd be a huge, expensive, project for Paramount to take and it'd just be a question if it is worth it in the end. I'll admit I'm not sure if the effects were done on tape, but I do know it was edited on tape which really limits things. It can be done but Paramount has to be willing to invest quite a bit into it and fans will have to be willing to pony up for another set of over-priced BD sets. (There were enough complaints about the price of the DVD sets.) TOS it was easier to "remaster" since TOS was recorded and edited to film so there was a lot more there to work with. __________________ Just because it's futuristic doesn't mean it's practical.

February 11 2011, 04:50 PM	#9
Kamdan Lieutenant Commander	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? Last night's episode, Where No One Has Gone Before, was not a good example. It looked the same as the DVD, with violet and green colored uniforms. The episode prior to that one, Haven, actually had the colors look right.

February 11 2011, 04:56 PM	#10
Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Location: The visitor's bullpen	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? ^ Obviously this doesn't apply to early episodes like WNOHGB and Haven, but in general, some of that might be due to the uniforms themselves. If a uniform is worn repeatedly and washed, over and over, it will fade. This is why characters like Beverly, who wore the same blue uniform for the series run, seem to wear a much darker blue than, for example, Picard in "Tapestry". In that ep, his uniform was brighter, because it had never been worn before. FWIW. As for TNG-R, we will probably get a Fan Collective or two in HD, but I doubt any more than that. There's simply too many episodes. They managed with TOS because it was only three seasons (and was all shot on film from the get-go). TNG would require many more years of work. The next Trek series to make it to Blu-Ray will be ENT. That's pretty much already in HD (it's been shown that way on TV). __________________ It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shakes, the shakes become a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion.

February 11 2011, 09:40 PM	#11
LitmusDragon Commodore Location: The Barmuda Triangle	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? About the only thing Paramount has said is that they would like to do it but it would be a tremendous undertaking. I personally think it's inevitable at some point. It's just a question if it will be in 2 years, or 5, or 10. By then it could be on the next-gen format (no pun intended). __________________ Check out my photos of Oregon on Facebook Linguiphiles, unite!

February 12 2011, 04:40 AM	#13
Trekker4747 To boldly go... Location: Kansas City	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? It really depends, re-editing all of the episodes from the original film negatives would be an enormous undertaking. Every episode would pretty much need to be redone from scratch. That's even assuming the negatives are in any condition to undergo the process and won't need fixing/reproducing themselves. __________________ Just because it's futuristic doesn't mean it's practical.

February 12 2011, 04:49 AM	#14
AriesIV Lieutenant Location: Around here...	Re: Has TNG Been Remastered? Instead of doing the entire show why not hold a vote and remaster the all-time ten fan-favorite episodes for special release. Odds are "shades of gray" will NOT be one of them. Hold the vote on Star Trek Online keep the voting open for six months then make it so.