Quick question: Which is better to buy as a Star Trek fan? The DVD box set with the double discs from like 2002 or something, or the Blu Ray set? Are the special features from the originals worth it? I'll buy both if necessary
Star Trek Box Sets
- Thread starter trekkie4ever
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I've been debating getting the Blu-ray set myself but decided against the current version. Here's what I have gathered:
The Original Cast:
I only have the 2 disc sets from 2002/2003. The special features here are really well made and extensive. They are not the usual compilation of interviews that too often pass for special features in the industry, and I'm big on special features.
Those DVD sets have the Director's Cut of TMP, and the slightly extended director's cuts of both TWOK and TUC. The Blu-rays only have the theatrical cuts. The other three films are unaltered.
The DVD of TUC is in 1:85:1 aspect ratio while all the other movies are 2:35:1 (rough numbers), but the Blu-ray presents TUC in 2:35:1 as well, although it may be that the director intended the movie to be 1:85:1.
There has been some fuss about the Blu-rays being noticeably tinted towards the blue end of the spectrum, but there is some debate as to whether this is an alteration or a return to original hue.
The blu-rays add additional commentaries, but (as far as I can tell) import over all the features from those DVDs - I'm not sure if the Okudas' text commentaries, which are quite good, made it over. With the exception of the additional commentaries the new special features on the blu-rays all seem quite superfluous and sometimes just silly from what I've read, but again I don't have these.
There is a seventh disc which features a discussion with Shatner, Nimoy, Stewart, and Frakes, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg that is quite good but only available with the box set. I managed to find the whole thing online somewhere, though I have no idea where anymore. It's enjoyable watching them interact, but I don't know if I'd watch it again.
The biggest reason I have NOT upgraded is that TWOK was the only one in the set to have gotten a proper Blu-ray treatment, meaning it was scanned at high resolution from an original film. The rest are what I call "fake-ray" meaning they ran the file from the DVD through a sharpening software. Fans say they are sharper but there is obvious software involvement and not the usual Blu-ray quality. So I'm going to wait for a proper Blu-ray quality scan from film and director's cuts for the super-mega-signature-ultra editions, which we all know are inevitably coming. The 2-disc DVDs are fine until then.
The Next Generation:
I only have the blu-rays. I never bought the DVDs for these out of silent protest: clearly Paramount didn't put much time and money into these movies (IMHO) so why should I? But I caved and bought the blu-rays for TNG because the entire set was $22 on amazon for a couple of days. The special features are mostly the kind that take a long time to tell you nothing, but the commentaries that I've heard so far are good and honest. As I recall the Okudas' text commentaries did not carry over.
Obviously someone with the Blu-rays for all will be better qualified to answer, but that's how I decided.
The Original Cast:
I only have the 2 disc sets from 2002/2003. The special features here are really well made and extensive. They are not the usual compilation of interviews that too often pass for special features in the industry, and I'm big on special features.
Those DVD sets have the Director's Cut of TMP, and the slightly extended director's cuts of both TWOK and TUC. The Blu-rays only have the theatrical cuts. The other three films are unaltered.
The DVD of TUC is in 1:85:1 aspect ratio while all the other movies are 2:35:1 (rough numbers), but the Blu-ray presents TUC in 2:35:1 as well, although it may be that the director intended the movie to be 1:85:1.
There has been some fuss about the Blu-rays being noticeably tinted towards the blue end of the spectrum, but there is some debate as to whether this is an alteration or a return to original hue.
The blu-rays add additional commentaries, but (as far as I can tell) import over all the features from those DVDs - I'm not sure if the Okudas' text commentaries, which are quite good, made it over. With the exception of the additional commentaries the new special features on the blu-rays all seem quite superfluous and sometimes just silly from what I've read, but again I don't have these.
There is a seventh disc which features a discussion with Shatner, Nimoy, Stewart, and Frakes, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg that is quite good but only available with the box set. I managed to find the whole thing online somewhere, though I have no idea where anymore. It's enjoyable watching them interact, but I don't know if I'd watch it again.
The biggest reason I have NOT upgraded is that TWOK was the only one in the set to have gotten a proper Blu-ray treatment, meaning it was scanned at high resolution from an original film. The rest are what I call "fake-ray" meaning they ran the file from the DVD through a sharpening software. Fans say they are sharper but there is obvious software involvement and not the usual Blu-ray quality. So I'm going to wait for a proper Blu-ray quality scan from film and director's cuts for the super-mega-signature-ultra editions, which we all know are inevitably coming. The 2-disc DVDs are fine until then.
The Next Generation:
I only have the blu-rays. I never bought the DVDs for these out of silent protest: clearly Paramount didn't put much time and money into these movies (IMHO) so why should I? But I caved and bought the blu-rays for TNG because the entire set was $22 on amazon for a couple of days. The special features are mostly the kind that take a long time to tell you nothing, but the commentaries that I've heard so far are good and honest. As I recall the Okudas' text commentaries did not carry over.
Obviously someone with the Blu-rays for all will be better qualified to answer, but that's how I decided.
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Cool! Thanks! I'll keep that in mind
This is pretty much my situation as well. I don't own any of the Trek movies on Blu-Ray, but the only one I have been tempted to pick up is TWOK for that very reason. I have no doubt that the other movies all do still look spectacular on Blu-Ray, very likely much better than the DVDs... but they aren't real HD upgrades, they've all been done on the cheap. And the latest individual releases of TMP, TSFS etc are the same transfers. I also have no doubt that 'true' HD rescans of the original film prints (ala TWOK) will be done for all the movies at some point in the future, so I'm more than happy to save my cash until then.
All the Star Trek movie Blu-ray's are considerably better than their DVD counterparts in terms of pure picture quality. They are not standard definition upscales. TUC was released theatrically in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Nicholas Meyer elected to open the matte to appox. 2:1 for home video. YMMV, but the 2:1 ratio looked too "loose" to my eye - I was gratified the original was chosen for the BD.
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The fact that we got theatrical cuts of both The Motion Picture and The Undiscovered Country made the TOS box well worth the purchase.
100% agreed, Bill.
except for STII:TWOK [4k scan] all the others were mastered from older 1080 scans and have too much DNR (Digital Noise Removal) applied to remove the grain but gives flesh tones a waxy look and also edge enhancement.
We can surely expect after 2016 a 4k mastering of all Trek films for archival and 4k releases in 5 years and a future Blu-ray re-release deluxe edition (in HD from the new 4k master).
It's your choice but $22. is a real deal for 6 films!
No, the TNG movies went to $22 for a few days, and I had never bothered getting them on DVD, so it was worth it. The original cast movies are $55 on Blu-ray, and I don't particularly feel like rewarding Paramount for a half-hearted effort. And again we all know the home video game by now, they'll be re-released the day after you buy the current version.
Hmm, I guess it depends on how you define "half-hearted". I think the sets are well thought out with a decent raft of bonus features. The transfers are not on a par with with reference releases like Avatar, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall etc., but as I said, they leave the DVD's standing. Some of the early hysterical overreactions were pretty ridiculous IMO, but they have nevertheless hung around like a bad stench.
The TOS movies Blu-ray box is only $22.49 on amazon for today only.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Ori..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1QXSD96C994BWCW9G2V4
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Ori..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1QXSD96C994BWCW9G2V4
Just snagged a copy of the dvd set from Wal-Mart. Wanted to get them for years, but haven't been able to find them that often.
trevanian
Rear Admiral
That's why I ordered it this morning, for TMP. I'll flinch during a couple of shots, but I think I can adjust the brightness and contrast so the occasional bad painting doesn't wreck things. "neg-a-tive con-trol at helm" is back!
Plus I'm really excited to see the live-action component of TFF in BR. I found the laserdisc had a really lousy flat transfer and was astounded by the improvement on the DVD, and think the BR will finally get it back toward what I remember of it as screened at the long-lost great Palo Alto Square cinema in 89.
In fact, TFF is the last Trek movie -- practically the only Trek movie outside of TMP -- I remember thinking looked good in a theater. GEN was so dark that everybody's pantlegs disappeared into the floor and TUC wasn't much better, though admittedly I saw those at lousier Century theaters ... plus TUC was further sabotaged by being a 70mm blowup (which was supposed to be the screen next door), which was grain on top of grain given its Super35 origins and made the Kirk/McCoy bunk/prison scene register as just drive-in-movie black-grey nothingness.
RE: The "Fake Ray".
This is factually incorrect. They did not expand DVD masters or anything of the sort.
They likely worked from 2K masters from the studio, and did a 4K restoration for Star Trek II, that may have needed more work.
This is factually incorrect. They did not expand DVD masters or anything of the sort.
They likely worked from 2K masters from the studio, and did a 4K restoration for Star Trek II, that may have needed more work.
I grabbed the 2-disc package of TMP and STII last night, from Wal-Mart as well. The fact that TMP was the theatrical version sold me; now I have both it and the DE on DVD.
I put it in the player when I got home this evening and just let it run without sound while putzing around doing things, and I think that the picture quality is far better than the DE from 2000. Could just be an illusion, as I haven't take the time to switch the DVDs out for a true comparison. But it does seem that some minor clean-up work was done on this version, IMO.
I saw the TOS boxed set at Walmart last week for $35, along with several sets (various two-pack of the movies), it makes me wonder in Paramount is clearing out stock to make room for something new?
Perhaps they are releasing a box set of all the films combined?
If they redo the work for the TMP Directors Edition, I'd be really happy.
If they redo the work for the TMP Directors Edition, I'd be really happy.
They will be releasing a new box set called "Stardate Collection" at the end of April. Nothing new, though ... just the same stuff repackaged.
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