Season TWO OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Discussion Thread

[Jefferies]

What this whole thing comes down to me for, is a major problem that this project seems to have with quality control. The audio issue from season 1 seems like a trifle by comparison.

What I don't understand is how HTV-Illuminate was allowed to continue with this kind of performance. Most of us here are lay people when it comes to the technical aspects of the remastring but most of us are able to see immediatly that the work this company has delivered when compared to what is possible through CBS-D is lack-luster at best. Now if we can see that right away, why didn't someone at CBS overseeing the work from HTV-Illuminate? They should have cought this months ago and told them do a better job and if they weren't capable then some more drastic action should have been taken. Now it's at a point as many people have said where these mistakes cannot be corrected any more. What a shame and what a waste of an opportunity.

CBS should let some of us pre-screen some of the work. We would do it for free and we would not miss these gaffes. This would save everyone a lot of trouble and in this day and age should be easy to do.

 

[NewHorizon]

What this whole thing comes down to me for, is a major problem that this project seems to have with quality control. The audio issue from season 1 seems like a trifle by comparison.

Yup, and in part it all comes down to the parent company CBS wanting to rush and push it out as quickly as possible. I know they need to make a return on their investment, but to take an amazing opportunity like this and screw it up with haphazard quality is such a huge disappointment. The folks at CBS-Digital are the right folks to be handling the work. They have a very strong vision and the talent to pull it off. HTV-Illuminate has a very different vision that clashes with the beautiful efforts CBS-Digital put into Season 1. I would really like to know if CBS is listening and that they will make every effort to prevent this from happening to Season 4 and 6.

 

[BillJ]

Have we seen Mike Okuda comment on any of these concerns? I don't think he ever commented on the audio issues with season one.

 

[Ghostface1701]

Have we seen Mike Okuda comment on any of these concerns? I don't think he ever commented on the audio issues with season one.

If he values continued employment, you won't hear anything from him until the blu-ray releases are in the distant past. From personal experience, I know you can't be seen to be biting the hand that feeds you.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

I would really like to know if CBS is listening and that they will make every effort to prevent this from happening to Season 4 and 6.

I rather doubt we'll get an official statement from CBS on this as it would be an "admission of guilt" as it were. Presumably, this could potentially damage sales.

 

[BillJ]

I would really like to know if CBS is listening and that they will make every effort to prevent this from happening to Season 4 and 6.

I rather doubt we'll get an official statement from CBS on this as it would be an "admission of guilt" as it were. Presumably, this could potentially damage sales.

Unfortunately, the average consumer probably won't care about the downgrade in quality. Plus, we don't know what's going on behind the scenes. HTV-Illuminate could have a lesser budget for season two than CBS-Digital had for season one. If CBS cut the budgets for this project the rest of the seasons could be in line to look much different than season one, regardless of whose producing them.

 

[NewHorizon]

If CBS cut the budgets for this project the rest of the seasons could be in line to look much different than season one, regardless of whose producing them.

I'm doubtful this is a case of budget cuts. HTV-Illuminate took the same stock shots from Season 1 and changed them to their 'vision' rather than try to match the look established by CBS. This was artistic choice on their part. Again, I have my suspicions that this comes down to Dan Curry guiding the team to do make things look the way he feels they should look. I know he worked on the show back in the day, but just because it looked blurry and soft in the 90's due to the tech doesn't mean it has to look blurry and soft in HD with matte lines intact.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

I've already said it, but all this is just so terribly disappointing. It's not the end of the world as others have stated, but nevertheless... [sigh]

 

[NewHorizon]

I've already said it, but all this is just so terribly disappointing. It's not the end of the world as others have stated, but nevertheless... [sigh]

No, certainly not the end of the world...there are far more important things going on in my life than a botched blu-ray release. It's a major disappointment for me personally though. I don't have a huge disposable income, so when something special like this comes along...something we've essentially been waiting 20 years to see happen...I take the time to squirrel away some money.

When TOS:R was announced, I put money away for that but as soon as I saw how inconsistent the quality of the CGI was from episode to episode, I quickly diverted that money back to life and never bothered buying TOS:R. The way I see it is, I'm working hard for a paltry 10 dollars and hour. If CBS or whoever expects me to part with that money, essentially 8 to 10 hours of work for me...then the product HAS to be of consistent quality to earn the money I have worked so hard to earn. I guess I'm not their target audience, the type who will buy anything with Trek on it, and that saddens me. I always hold the faintest hope that there are companies who still exist that have greater respect for the consumers.

Oh well. If we get no reassurance that Seasons 4 and 6 will be up to the standards of Season 1, then I guess I'll wait another 20 years for the next upgrade.

 

[Flake]

Well I am looking forward to the season 3 thread where we will be back to normal

Some really juicy VFX work to look forward to in season 3

If anyone can make the 4ft model look good, its CBS-D. I wonder what the 4ft model will look like in season 4?

Ultimately outside of this thread and Trekcore comments I feel these VFX issues will go unnoticed.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Well I am looking forward to the season 3 thread where we will be back to normal

Oh boy, the phrase "famous last words" springs to mind!

 

[TheSeeker]

If anyone can make the 4ft model look good, its CBS-D. I wonder what the 4ft model will look like in season 4?

Like this?

 

[NewHorizon]

If anyone can make the 4ft model look good, its CBS-D. I wonder what the 4ft model will look like in season 4?

Like this?

Not likely. CBS-D isn't the effects house for season 4, that would be HTV-Illuminate of the soon to be released Season 2. So yeah, if CBS-D doesn't come to find some way of managing the quality being produced by HTV-Illuminate, I'm guessing that the effects will once again be the step down we're seeing with Season 2.

 

[Rarewolf]

Well I am looking forward to the season 3 thread where we will be back to normal

Be interesting to see how they handle the season cliffhanging two parters.

Do BOFW2 with season 3, Redemption 2 with 4?

 

[Salinga]

Have we seen Mike Okuda comment on any of these concerns? I don't think he ever commented on the audio issues with season one.

Maybe he will comment here?
http://www.facebook.com/Michael.Denise.Okuda

 

[mswood]

This issue between the differing styles of work produced by Legato and Curry should be irrelevant. The work CBS D did for season 1 set the tone for the remastering process and that's what should be looked at as the benchmark for quality and continuity.

If the Enterprise doesn't look like this, Its being done wrong.
http://tng.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x01/farpoint_hd_050.jpg

Actually though should it. The people working on this have stated more then a few times that they wished to respect the artistic choices of the people working on the show, there shop was just to put the material they created in the best possible light.

Now I freely admit, as the person who long ago mentioned that they were dreading Curry's influence (sorry but I really don't care for his motion control work), but it is his artistic style to do shots lite flat, and far less sharp then what can be done. Its his style.

The only problem is that if Curry is to blame (and we don't know if he is, it could easily be some combination, or the other company just sucking), I could honestly see them doing that style on his episodes, and then doing a sharper more Legato style on his episodes,a s that would in fact respect the artistic style done originally.

Now saying that I would always, always prefer Legato's style in every single damn episode that they work on. And CBS digital's first season does seem to favor that style, but that was also the style of ILM which did far more work for season one then either Legato or Curry. Or even both together.

I was very upset when Legato left Trek to became a major player with Digital Domain.

 

[davejames]

Ultimately outside of this thread and Trekcore comments I feel these VFX issues will go unnoticed.

Most likely.

I'll grant you the still shot of the green planet looks overly washed out, but watching the two recent trailers again I don't see any sign of this problem. The effects shots all look perfectly fine, with bold colors, lots of contrast and no obvious matte lines that I can see.

 

[NewHorizon]

I'll grant you the still shot of the green planet looks overly washed out, but watching the two recent trailers again I don't see any sign of this problem. The effects shots all look perfectly fine, with bold colors, lots of contrast and no obvious matte lines that I can see.

The footage in the trailers have often been doctored up, have they not? I wouldn't trust them to be an accurate representation of what the blurays will actually look like.

There seems to be a lot of 'the actual blurays will look better than the screen shots' talk, yet any of the still screen shots from Season 1 looked just as good as the actual blurays. I get it, people are trying to be hopeful...but there comes a time when you have to face the reality of the situation. It just doesn't look as good.

 

[trekker670]

More screencaps: http://tng.trekcore.com/bluray/15112012_ssn2stills3.html#nov19

 

[tomalak301]

More screencaps: http://tng.trekcore.com/bluray/15112012_ssn2stills3.html#nov19

I was trying not to believe it and thought a lot of the talk lately was people overreacting, but there are some photos in there where it looks like the DVD version is better than the Blu-Ray version, such as the first two sets of photos. That is concerning.

I was going to ask for Season 2 for Christmas (And probably will still do that) but I do wonder if anything is going to be done about this or if this is what we're getting.