Season TWO OFFICIAL TNG Blu-Ray Discussion Thread

[jimbotron]

In the bonus features, so much emphasis is placed on the VHS tape of the original longer cut of Measure of a Man that Melinda Snodgrass just happened to still have decades later, as if without it, the reconstruction would not have been possible.

I don't understand the big deal. They have the shooting script, they have all the film elements. Surely they could have figured out what went where, and approximated the first cut pretty well.

 

[BrEnDoN]

I don't understand the big deal. They have the shooting script, they have all the film elements. Surely they could have figured out what went where, and approximated the first cut pretty well.

They're lazy. They need the tape for the iConform process...

 

[Maurice]

I don't understand the big deal. They have the shooting script, they have all the film elements. Surely they could have figured out what went where, and approximated the first cut pretty well.

They're lazy. They need the tape for the iConform process...

It's not that simple. They probably documented the final cut of the episode, but may not have had the edit logs for the rough assembly.

 

[Reeborg]

1) So you're calling people liars now? I can make out the damned backwards NCC on the saucer when they run it on reverse angle. At ten feet, I have no issues making out the menu details including the episode titles.

2) You and your friends have some shitty vision if you can't make it out or your sitting a hell of a lot farther away from the TV than three meters. It's one or the other...

1) Ok Liars or having above average eye sight.

2) Sorry, but anyone who finds it normal to have these small menu on a otherwise EMPTY screen does either just not care about this bad menu design or is misleading people on purpose about it.

Or, as you seem to be the only person I've seen complain about it (relentlessly), maybe the issue is with you. Calling others liars is rather immature. Really, WHY would someone lie about this?

I've seen a graph somewhere on the web that highlights the best viewing distances, depending on the size of your screen. I can't remember, but I think 3 meters is a bit too far for a 32" screen. I'm that far from my 42".

What the heck...if people are strongly and repeatedly criticizing that in "this shot the red is not red enough" etc., I will take the time to state again, that the menu design is just ridiculous (ly stupid) by leaving most of the screen empty and making the menu text so small that a big part of (average eye sighted) viewers may have difficulties to read it. This is a basic mistake (to me) less forgivable than a (slightly) wrong mixture of colors.

 

[Trekker4747]

In the bonus features, so much emphasis is placed on the VHS tape of the original longer cut of Measure of a Man that Melinda Snodgrass just happened to still have decades later, as if without it, the reconstruction would not have been possible.

I don't understand the big deal. They have the shooting script, they have all the film elements. Surely they could have figured out what went where, and approximated the first cut pretty well.

A LOT happens between the script and the screen. "Approximating the first cut" is a whole lot different than getting it right. Having the shooting script is basically having a Google Maps (or worse an Apple Maps) set of directions to a location. Yeah it'll get you there.... Sort of. But it's not going to be pretty, easy, or accurate.

Having an actual, physical, set of precise directions from Point A to Point B complete with landmarks and knowledge of traffic/road conditions? Something entirely different.

 

[MikeS]

What the heck...if people are strongly and repeatedly criticizing that in "this shot the red is not red enough" etc., I will take the time to state again, that the menu design is just ridiculous (ly stupid) by leaving most of the screen empty and making the menu text so small that a big part of (average eye sighted) viewers may have difficulties to read it. This is a basic mistake (to me) less forgivable than a (slightly) wrong mixture of colors.

We hear you! You're not happy! You've put your point across (several times)!

People disagree with you. You're not going to change anyones opinion now so we don't need you to bleet on about it ad infinitum.

 

[BillJ]

What the heck...if people are strongly and repeatedly criticizing that in "this shot the red is not red enough" etc., I will take the time to state again, that the menu design is just ridiculous (ly stupid) by leaving most of the screen empty and making the menu text so small that a big part of (average eye sighted) viewers may have difficulties to read it. This is a basic mistake (to me) less forgivable than a (slightly) wrong mixture of colors.

We hear you! You're not happy! You've put your point across (several times)!

People disagree with you. You're not going to change anyones opinion now so we don't need you to bleet on about it ad infinitum.

I really wish he'd quit speaking for all people of average eyesight. I have average eyesight (blind in one eye/average vision in the other) and have no issues reading the menus on a 32" TV at the distance he describes. My 32" is roughly the same distance from where I sit as his is

I wonder if he actually has a 32" set or if its a 22" or 26"?

 

[Beta-Z]

I [...] have no issues reading the menus on a 32" TV at the distance he describes. My 32" is roughly the same distance from where I sit as his is

Same here.

I wonder if he actually has a 32" set or if its a 22" or 26"?

Maybe he has set the BD-Output to 480p?
Or maybe the sharpness on the TV to -20

 

[BillJ]

I [...] have no issues reading the menus on a 32" TV at the distance he describes. My 32" is roughly the same distance from where I sit as his is

Same here.

I wonder if he actually has a 32" set or if its a 22" or 26"?

Maybe he has set the BD-Output to 480p?
Or maybe the sharpness on the TV to -20

I've debated setting my PS3 to output at 480p to see if it creates issues with the menus.

 

[Reeborg]

I [...] have no issues reading the menus on a 32" TV at the distance he describes. My 32" is roughly the same distance from where I sit as his is

Same here.

I wonder if he actually has a 32" set or if its a 22" or 26"?

Maybe he has set the BD-Output to 480p?
Or maybe the sharpness on the TV to -20

Absolutely LG is selling here TVs with 32" label but 22" real size or maybe it's 32 cm. Thanks now I know what is the problem.

If I would put it to 480p then the menus would become bigger not smaller (at a given point number/resolution of a letter).

What is "sharpness" to 20? Do you mean contrast? Does this affect size of the text?

If you really watch it on a 32" set (from 3m away) and you read the episode names and the stardate etc. below them, wouldn't you honestly say a bit bigger would be more comfortable to read it and it would fill the screen and bit better than now?

Let's laugh all we want, but in the end, making a menu like this with leaving 90% of screen just (practically) empty and the text small and lost as it is, it's just stupid.

 

[BillJ]

Sharpness controls the edges of images primarily. If its set too low thing can look artificially soft, too high and they can look artificially sharp.

Whether 480p or 1080p, the menus and text should be the same size since they are 16:9. But they'll look fuzzier at 480p.

 

[BillJ]

They are much tougher to read at 480p at this distance and I haven't tested at 720p. EDIT: Pretty tough to read at 720p as well.

Reeborg, you may want to check the output settings on your Blu-ray player. Also, what type of cables are you using to connect the player to your TV?

 

[LCData625]

Is it worth getting the Blu-ray edition or should i stick to getting just the regular ol' DVD set ? In a dilemma here

 

[BillJ]

Is it worth getting the Blu-ray edition or should i stick to getting just the regular ol' DVD set ? In a dilemma here

Depends on how much you like the show and how happy you are with the visual quality of the DVD's.

For me it was a no-brainer, like TOS, right from the moment the project was announced.

 

[LCData625]

Hate to say it but if it wasn't for TNG I wouldn't have gotten into Star Trek as much as I am, Netflix gave me the gift of all i can watch TNG for awhile, so never found the need to buy the DVDs, but now that there is blu-ray I'm debating on what to get. I love the show, I think I'll try out the Blu-ray so upset I missed it in theaters though !

 

[BillJ]

You can always pick up the sampler disc for relatively cheap to see it in action before ponying up for the full season sets.

Going for $16.62 on Amazon.

 

[LCData625]

Awesome I'll look into thanks so much ! Wow these boards are much more alive than startrek.com lol ! Thanks for the help ^.^

 

[Reeborg]

They are much tougher to read at 480p at this distance and I haven't tested at 720p. EDIT: Pretty tough to read at 720p as well.

Reeborg, you may want to check the output settings on your Blu-ray player. Also, what type of cables are you using to connect the player to your TV?

Thanks Bill for your good intentions. I use a HDMI cable to connect the player.

I also put resolution from automatic to 1080p, still the text has not become any bigger. I can read it without feeling comfortable in doing it.

Let's just say, I wish they had made better use of the screen "capacity" than just put the small menu text and the small episode pictures. Putting the episode picture "big" in the middle with "bigger" episode title while selecting that particular episode might just have done the trick and filled the empty "space".

Me and my family members, we are just not comfortable with the text size and would have wished it to be bigger. Usually, I don't have this issue with other blu-rays. Let's leave at that.

 

[BillJ]

I spend so little time in the menus that they can be great big or miniscule and it doesn't bother me one way or the other. But you can always drop CBS or CBS-Digital (or both) an e-mail and see if they're receptive to increasing the font size on future menu screens.

 

[MikeS]

Let's leave at that.

Purrrlease!