Season TWO OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Discussion Thread

[Tosk]

Or it looks blurry because it's far away?

[Salinga]

No, it looks upscaled because while the edges have been sharpened, there is no more actual detail visible. Its 1:1 the SD version regarding details.

[Tosk]

Well, I'll grant you that it looks like a touched up photo*, but I still prefer it blurrier than the Enterprise considering the distance.

*Like they took the original shot and then manually fixed it to remove all the telltale artifacts of it being low-res. Smoothing out textures and re-doing lights.

Edited to add: A manual clean-up on it would also explain why the interior bay now has a solid green background instead of the X shape that is actually there on the shooting model. Someone who didn't know any better done goofed?

[Salinga]

Tosk wrote:

---

Well, I'll grant you that it looks like a touched up photo*, but I still prefer it blurrier than the Enterprise considering the distance.

Since they sharpened the edges, they didnt want it do be blurry. If something is intended to be blurry in the background, the edges are blurry too.

[BillJ]

More and more disappointed by the day with the apparent quality of season two. I'm going to the season two event, if it doesn't look better in motion I may not be picking this up.

[NewHorizon]

Salinga wrote:

---

Is it me, or does the space station look upscaled from SD?

Heck, even the stars look upscaled.

[M]

Salinga wrote:

---

Is it me, or does the space station look upscaled from SD?

It's just you. Because upscaled means just that: upscaled. As you can see in the image below, when you change the scale of the original SD material (practically zooming in on it, with some rendering applied by Photoshop), the result looks nothing like the new shot. The station is just farther away and hence out of focus.

People, please stop looking at these stills more critically than necessary.

[Reeborg]

I would hope that they would also upscale the menu text for season 2. Especially, the episode names and the text/data below them, are too small to be read with ease. I have shown it to my family and nobody of us could (really)read this text on our 32" HD-TV from 3m away. I think there is still much space on the menu screen available for that.

Funnily enough, the copyright warnings and interview disclaimer, we really CAN read them with any problem.

[mswood]

roliver wrote:

---

You're already not happy with something you haven't bought and haven't seen?

Actually, first we have seen some materials from it. In fact we have material from it that were also in episodes of the first season. Even taking away quality from a still shot from the first season you have to degrade the image considerably to match the still from the 2nd season. And the images are compressed when they are released, but does the compression done from using a shot with the same ILM footage produce the same look as the stills released for season two? Not to my eyes. It' still falter, with more grays, less solid blacks, softer edges.

Early in posts I did try to use if, as a qualifier just in case the general quality of the stills was of a level significantly higher in compression then what was done for the bulk of materials released for season one.

But once we got a shot that had footage from ILM, you can use that for a direct reference point to then compare the how that compression compares to the compression on the stills released with ILM footage from season one.

With the audio issues of last season you could still get a normal quality level of sound, just not for your better sound systems, as it had multiple audio tracks of which only the higher end ones had errors on them.

If these hold, the special fx will be of a level of quality that while superior to the DVD or VHS releases or the original broadcast, still be a lower level then what was produced for the season 1 set.

That doesn't make me happy. Thus my statement that I wouldn't be happy about it, makes perfect logical sense.

Just be glad I didn't state I would be unhappy with it, it leaves me fairly ambivalent about the release (I only like 7 out of 22 episodes).

But I desperately want the rest of TNG released (as I love season 3, 4, and 5 and really like 6. Let alone other series down the road.

So I will purchase the set, even if In my opinion the quality of certain elements don't match those of the earlier release.

That leaves really only two possible options.

1. The quality of the stills is inferior to that of all the HD release materials put out for season one.

or

2. The actual quality produced by the different company is different then that of the company that did the fx of the first season.

Since I don't have any knowledge if Paramount is using a different agency to promote the release (which could explain the change in shots).

I will stick with the option 2, where we are aware of a difference in companies. Where we are aware of a different person overseeing the material. And where we know that person does have a style that actually is closer to the released materials then the style of the shots done for season one.

Does that explain it better to you? Or would you like a larger rationale?

I find nothing wrong with using all available data comparing it to all other data from the last set and seeing if there is a difference.

[bullethead]

Seems like the TNG-R team aren't aware of the ruckus caused by the released screencaps:

[URL wrote:

---

https://twitter.com/MikeOkuda/statuses/271643560586145793[/URL]]
Visual FX in TNG yr 2 by HTV are excellent, very faithful to original, with a hint of extra polish thx to topnotch team. Watch Blus and see!

[Reeborg]

bullethead wrote:

---

Seems like the TNG-R team aren't aware of the ruckus caused by the released screencaps:

I wouldn't expect him to say "it's bad work", even if it was true. Would you?

[davejames]

bullethead wrote:

---

Seems like the TNG-R team aren't aware of the ruckus caused by the released screencaps:

Sounds to me like Okuda HAS heard some of the complaints. Otherwise it's doubtful he would have named HTV in his tweet.

And he does say they're "faithful to the original," not "better than the original," so I don't think he's overreaching at all.

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Reeborg wrote:

---

I wouldn't expect him to say "it's bad work", even if it was true. Would you?

Yup, nobody officially connected with this project is going to hold their hands up during the initial months of release. Also, if sales figures hold steady or even increase over those of season one there is absolutely zero incentive for TPTB to improve things in the future.

[NewHorizon]

[QUOTE=davejames;7290841]

bullethead wrote:

---

And he does say they're "faithful to the original," not "better than the original," so I don't think he's overreaching at all.

I tweeted to him about the ruckus on Trekcore and that there were some very unhappy fans. Coincidentally, the comments were shut down around the same time he tweeted his response. Personally, I wish he had said nothing at all as he is basically spinning it and saying we're day dreaming. Yup, if I wasn't buying S2 before I'm definitely not buying it now. If that is what he calls excellent, then I have no hope for the rest of the HTV produced seasons. What a complete cuss up.

[Jaro Stun]

hmmmmmm

looks like TrekCore has closed comments section to the article about screencaps.
If I should be paranoid I would say TPTB have now learned about all the fuzz and are trying to hide it (hence Okuda's comment).

I understand TrekCore needs to be pretty compliant to be able to keep getting the promo / review material in advance.

Ferengis in CBS found their way, to produce less for more, even in this highly enthusiastic project. What a pitty.

EDIT: OMG that picture about my post tells it ALL.