Babylon 5

[Jedman67]

Any scene containing CGI would still be SD, although if it isn't cropped from 4:3 to 16:9, the amount of blurriness should be reduced. However, I can't see Amazon stumping up the cash for this if they don't think the return on their investment will be worthwhile. Warners might just flat out say no, of course.

The CGI wasn't even done in progressive. It was done in 480 interlace. So any film transfers would've been from 480i tapes.

According to JMS, who was the producer of the show, at the end of each season each episode was reprinted to the broadcast cuts on a new negative reel, with the CGI rendered directly to film and comped into the negs automatically ("i.e. a conformed cut").
This would mean that there is a 4:3 SD print of the show on 35mm negatives, which can be upscaled to HD fairly easily with very little loss of fidelity. Since these reels are already conformed and are essentially 35mm backups of the show as it aired, they can be transferred and upscaled for dirt cheap.
The current transfers in existence were scanned from the telecine or laserdiscs, which means broadcast quality.

 

[tomswift2002]

He maybe been the producer, but I’ve got to wonder why he is bringing this up now and never mentioned over the last 20 years. Or why no one else, like John Copeland knew about these film copies. It makes me wonder if JMS is thinking of another show he was a producer on and is getting the details mixed up.

 

[David cgc]

I've heard this is why Monogram's model kit of the Star Fury was inaccurate - they used a squished image to create the master.

Do you have a link with more detail? I'm just starting a Starfury 3D model, and I never heard anything about proportional problems with the Monogram kit. Not that I'm using it for a primary reference (I'm aligning up the SSM and B5SM renders/schematics right now), but it'd be interesting to know more.

 

[tomalak301]

I forgot how awesome The Coming of Shadows was. It certainly deserved that Hugo award. It’s not as good as Long Twilight Struggle, but it was another example of JMS being an expert at pay off.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

According to JMS, who was the producer of the show, at the end of each season each episode was reprinted to the broadcast cuts on a new negative reel, with the CGI rendered directly to film and comped into the negs automatically ("i.e. a conformed cut").
This would mean that there is a 4:3 SD print of the show on 35mm negatives, which can be upscaled to HD fairly easily with very little loss of fidelity. Since these reels are already conformed and are essentially 35mm backups of the show as it aired, they can be transferred and upscaled for dirt cheap.
The current transfers in existence were scanned from the telecine or laserdiscs, which means broadcast quality.

Even if all that were true, I think it's unlikely that anyone will invest the money to make it happen.

 

[Guy Gardener]

In just 5 years, JMS will be able to render SFX on par with Legends of the Rangers, with his Iphone.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

In just 5 years, JMS will be able to render SFX on par with Legends of the Rangers, with his Iphone.

Most of the effort is in creating the 3D models and their textures. I guess some fan-made ones exist but the originals were lost in a fire. For composites, I'm not sure the live-action elements still exist on either film or VT.

A few years ago I had a go at digitising some B5 episodes from PAL VHS and I thought the results were better than the PAL DVDs.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Just as long as they replace all the damn puppets, when they spend millions on upscoring the space battles in the special edition.

I'm pretty sure that the Shawdows are going to be redesigned too, because 1996 CGI is already like finger-painting compared to the present day tech available today.

 

[Jedman67]

I'd love to see a B5 reboot, done right. Doing a "special edition" with replacing puppets with cgi is what killed Star Wars. You can't do that. Ideally, if the original files could be located, and re-rendered in HD and digitally re-comped with the original live action conforms, that would be great. That's also never going to happen.
Re: rescanning film negatives, if the Super 35 reels are indeed SD conforms of the show, even if its only the telecine masters, you're talking a few hundred thousand dollars tops for the whole project

 

[Forbin]

He maybe been the producer, but I’ve got to wonder why he is bringing this up now and never mentioned over the last 20 years. Or why no one else, like John Copeland knew about these film copies. It makes me wonder if JMS is thinking of another show he was a producer on and is getting the details mixed up.

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future?

 

[Forbin]

Do you have a link with more detail? I'm just starting a Starfury 3D model, and I never heard anything about proportional problems with the Monogram kit. Not that I'm using it for a primary reference (I'm aligning up the SSM and B5SM renders/schematics right now), but it'd be interesting to know more.

No, I'm going off a 20-year-old memory of a statement I read somewhere, probably in a model magazine.

 

[Jayson1]

I only recall one puppet. That insect criminal guy who was in a few season 1 episodes and none ever again.


Jason

 

[Butters]

I'd love to see a B5 reboot, done right. Doing a "special edition" with replacing puppets with cgi is what killed Star Wars. You can't do that. Ideally, if the original files could be located, and re-rendered in HD and digitally re-comped with the original live action conforms, that would be great. That's also never going to happen.
Re: rescanning film negatives, if the Super 35 reels are indeed SD conforms of the show, even if its only the telecine masters, you're talking a few hundred thousand dollars tops for the whole project

It wouldn’t be impossible to reboot B5, but it would be hard. We already know about the shadow/vorlon war of ideology, where telepaths came from, why the minbari surrendered, what happened to Babylon 4.

A reboot would have to diverge so far from the original that it might as well be something else altogether.

A continuation though, set during the telepath war and the drakh war. That could work. The visuals could be updated to current standards without upsetting the originals.

A new C&C set, bigger, brighter, up graded. Earth ships look different with minbari tech. It can all fit continuity, and be new and intriguing.

 

[Booji]

I would love to see a movie or TV adaption of the telepath trilogy of books. They are disconnected enough from the main B5 story that you don't need a doctorate in B5 lore to follow them and simply stand well on their own

 

[DonIago]

If it was up to me I'd rather see the Centauri Prime Trilogy, but I admit the telepath trilogy is more newbie-accessible.

 

[Jan]

In case anybody missed it, B5 seasons 1-5 are now available in the US includefd in Amazon Prime membership. The original cut (with Copeland score) of 'The Gathering' is included as episode 0/bonus in season one.

I also discovered that 'Jeremiah' season two is included in Prime. No season one, but that's still available on DVD. I liked season two much better than one.

 

[Marsden]

In case anybody missed it, B5 seasons 1-5 are now available in the US includefd in Amazon Prime membership. The original cut (with Copeland score) of 'The Gathering' is included as episode 0/bonus in season one.

I also discovered that 'Jeremiah' season two is included in Prime. No season one, but that's still available on DVD. I liked season two much better than one.

Probably stupid to ask this of you, but, do you know how long this will last, I still feel like Lucy is about to pull the football out from in front of me again.

 

[BillJ]

Probably stupid to ask this of you, but, do you know how long this will last, I still feel like Lucy is about to pull the football out from in front of me again.

I would imagine a year. But you could always shoot Amazon an email...

 

[MacLeod]

It wouldn’t be impossible to reboot B5, but it would be hard. We already know about the shadow/vorlon war of ideology, where telepaths came from, why the minbari surrendered, what happened to Babylon 4.

A reboot would have to diverge so far from the original that it might as well be something else altogether.

A continuation though, set during the telepath war and the drakh war. That could work. The visuals could be updated to current standards without upsetting the originals.

A new C&C set, bigger, brighter, up graded. Earth ships look different with minbari tech. It can all fit continuity, and be new and intriguing.

Well we know that several of the trap doors where used during the series with regards to characters leaving at various points i.e. Sinclair so I suppose there are possibilities of what wold have seeing what would have happened had those trap doors not been used.

But as you say where would the suspense be in knowing what will happen.

 

[tomalak301]

I only recall one puppet. That insect criminal guy who was in a few season 1 episodes and none ever again.


Jason

If they do a reboot, I hope he has a bigger part. It seemed like Nagrath was supposed to symbolize the black market but nothing materialized after.