ENT in HD only picture quality discussion

[jefferiestubes8]

I don't have HDNET or SciFiHD and haven't seen ENT in HD at all.

White looking at a season 3 episode "Chosen Realm" today I wondered how does the ENT interior sets hold up in HD compared to the TOS season 1-3 in HD (on Blu-ray)? Obviously 40 years of television the standards are raised but can you tell this show was made for with HD quality in mind as far as the set and wardrobe while watching in HD?

in another old ENT HD thread:

The picture quality on this show never looks the same twice to me. Take early Season 1 episodes in 16:9 Widescreen on DVD... the colours are muted, kind of greyish. That's a common complaint about the show's look, I've noticed down the years. Now, they're showing the same ones at the moment... on UK TV, Virgin 1. 4:3 letterbox unfortunately but the picture is better, with more background colour and contrast.

Yes many people have seen the show in standard definition and letterboxed and other things but
in this thread we are only concerned with the HD image the people who have seen ENT in HD would you please comment on the technical picture quality and if you can compare it to TOS in HD at all?

Obviously the circa early-to-mid-2000s have much lower key and softer lighting (compared to 1960s TOS lighting style) but the sets and wardrobe I'm wondering about technically in HD.
As most of us know in season 4 they changed to Sony HD cameras instead of 35mm film. Can you notice an increase in depth of field and any 'fakeness' with regards to the sets built for ENT specifically due to being shot in HD?
Have you guys felt different about the bridge or Engineering sets between seasons 3 & 4 when they switched over?
Have you guys felt different about the wardrobe between seasons 3 & 4 when they switched over?

 

[shadowedgalaxy]

I have a question that is slightly related to this topic; if ENT was done in widescreen, why does SiffyHD show it as a 4:3 picture with letterboxes? Wouldn't widescreen (nearly) fill up an HD television screen?

 

[jefferiestubes8]

why does SiffyHD show it as a 4:3 picture with letterboxes?

I think your answer regarding SyFy channel broadcast is here:
http://trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=2474830&postcount=7

and from 06-15-2008 here:
http://trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=1752031&postcount=9

 

[shadowedgalaxy]

why does SiffyHD show it as a 4:3 picture with letterboxes?

I think your answer regarding SyFy channel broadcast is here:
http://trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=2474830&postcount=7

and from 06-15-2008 here:
http://trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=1752031&postcount=9

wat

 

[Noname Given]

I have a question that is slightly related to this topic; if ENT was done in widescreen, why does SiffyHD show it as a 4:3 picture with letterboxes? Wouldn't widescreen (nearly) fill up an HD television screen?

SyFy doesn't briadcast ENT is native HD (because it seems the ONLY cable outlet with native HD broadcast rightsd is HDNet). All ENT episode broadcasts on SyFy are at stadard definition TV resolution. I have HDNet and a nice HD TV and I will also agree that I'm not too impressed with the HD of seasons 1 and 2, but they got their act together for season 3, and Season 4 (where they stopped using film and went to a native digital HD medium)looks imo amazing in HD.

 

[StarshipDefiant]

Didn't they actually start HD with season four? True HD?

 

[jefferiestubes8]

ENT 4th season

Didn't they actually start HD with season four? True HD?

Since you asked.

the first episode produced entirely with digital video equipment, "Storm Front".

Episode 4x01 , Production number: 077 First aired: 8 October 2004

This and the rest of the run of Star Trek: Enterprise [season 4] were filmed using a Sony 900 Digital Camera. [Sony HDW-F900]

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Storm_Front_%28episode%29
The tech specs :
HDW-F900 CineAlta cameras record onto HDCAM tapes at 1440x1080 8-bit/24p.

HDCAM records 1440 x1080, not 1920x1080.

The F-900 starts with 1920 pixels per line, and filters down to 1440 in luma (1920 divided by 1.33 = 1440).

http://www.petergray.org/riddles.html
[1440x1080 recorded to tape at 144 Mb/s]
Since the term "Full HD" has taken on a use in marketing as 1920x1080 StarshipDefiant technically no ENT 4th season was not shot with "full HD" as the image did not stay 1920x1080 throughout the process although some may debate that point since the F-900 camera's CCD sensors themselves are 1920x1080.

Once it was edited and effects composited after color correction ENT was Mastered on D5 HD format at 1920x1080 in 2001-2002 season 1 which was shot on film. Also no confirmation if it was mastered in 60i or 24p in HD for season 1-3. One would hope it was 24p.

I haven't found any articles after that season that shows the post production pipeline
In the film and TV world this is technically not full HD as this camera is not a "full raster" camera does not record the full image to its medium but it downsamples it before recording it.

The 7.15.2004 press release

Fourth Season Production Commences Sans Film
"This is a third-generation camera, and it's very new — I think this is only a few months old — and they've done some real improvements." Some of the improvements that compelled Rush to make the switch were the new camera's ability to capture detail in the extreme bright areas of a shot, such as when pyrotechnics are used. And it's actually superior to film in some respects, such as in low-light situations. It has better depth of field,

...there are some aspects to the HD look that are superior — you see a little more detail in the shadows. My personal taste is, why not keep them — it's just more fidelity, you know."

This is why I'm looking forward to seeing ENT on Blu-ray as more depth to the shadows in season 4.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

SyFy doesn't briadcast ENT is native HD (because it seems the ONLY cable outlet with native HD broadcast rightsd is HDNet).

Really? That's odd. Why would they do that?

 

[shadowedgalaxy]

SyFy doesn't briadcast ENT is native HD (because it seems the ONLY cable outlet with native HD broadcast rightsd is HDNet).

Really? That's odd. Why would they do that?

Because Siffy sucks.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

SyFy doesn't briadcast ENT is native HD (because it seems the ONLY cable outlet with native HD broadcast rightsd is HDNet).

Really? That's odd. Why would they do that?

A contract with HDNet, presumably.

ENT was taken off HDNet for several months as HDNet and whoever (CBS? Viacom? Paramount? I lose track of who owns ENT) squabbled over a new contract.

It would make good business sense for HDNet to contractually lock up the HD broadcast rights. They show the episodes uncut, without commercial interruption, no ads mucking up the bottom half of the screen during the show. That makes it the most attractive place to watch ENT on TV.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

This is weird. I never heard of a show that's locked into one network for HD broadcasts but can be shown in SD on others.

Fucking HDNet won't get carried on my cable system, that's the problem.