I Spy - Remastered? - Page 2

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

This show holds up remarkably well, which is why I went ahead and ordered all three season sets. Unlike The Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Spy originally ran in the 10 o'clock hour and was more adult-themed and oriented. It didn't rely on gizmos, gadgets or toys for merchandising like TMFU, but pretty much on the charisma of the two leads, Robert Culp and Bill Cosby, and their great chemistry onscreen together. The show was actually shot on real locations around the world including Hong Kong, Athens, Tokyo, Mexico City, Cairo, etc. This added an authenticity to the series that no other show could touch (except Route 66 domestically).

The plots were often minimalistic - protect an important ambassador from assassination, or get a philandering diplomat to an important meeting on time, but featured great character actors playing the parts and, again, explored grown-up themes. Plus, it was just pure fun. You could tell the leads had a great time making the show and enjoyed each other's company. I think Bill Cosby won Emmys two years in a row for his performance here; his first series ever. Check it out!

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

I anxiously await word as to the PQ/AQ as well because I'm still unsure whether to purchase or not. If image/audio has not improved since the release of the original sets, I'll know I needn't bother. Someone please chime in on how the season sets look visually...thanks.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

I'll do a comparison tonight. I have some of the original disks and will spot check the same episode from the last release with this release. I just bought a Panasonic Blu-ray player, so I'll be using that (DMP BD30).

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Thanks for the insight into the show and taking the time. Look forward to your comparisons.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

My apologies. I realilized after posting that this thread was remastered specific and not about content. Oh well, my bad.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

I don't think an apology is necessary; the topic is I Spy and the new re-issues and everything is fair game.
I will now confuse the remastering question even further.

I spot-check compared three episodes from previous releases with this new release and my conclusion ... my previous releases were already remastered, and these are the same. They look good. I think Image had remastered them along the way and perhaps early buyers of the show got shafted, but the single disks I bought within the last year already looked good, sounded okay and the storage cases had even changed from the original issues.

Disclaimer: I'm not a video technician; I don't obsess about minor halos, a little dirt and minutae, but I work in the industry, work with video editors and I'm very picky. For reference, I think The Twilight Zone definitive re-issues look great, but I think the original The Outer Limits still looks like crap. I've thrown away Lonesome Dove for looking like crap, Bob Newhart looks hideous, and many others. I can't stand something that doesn't look sharp. But this new set of I Spy, to my eye, looks better than Northern Exposure, looks better than Rockford Files and looks better than I ever saw it when it originally aired. The colors are vivid (there is some dirt and the opening title sequence was never properly cleaned), but it looks great. The stock footage shots that establish locations always look funky, but that's undoubtedly 16 mm. There's also always a little dirt or color fade during some of the dissolves where the film was overlapped. But considering how much of this show was shot using a mobile lab, it's remarkable.

I can only conclude from people that complained about the picture quality of the earlier releases that they came aboard before the show was re-mastered, or they have expectations way beyond the original elements. Image usually does a pretty good job and this set is no exception. They've cut corners on the packaging and disk art this time around, but I would hold this set up against any other color show of that era, and it's far superior to many subsequent releases of other more recent shows. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this presentation of the series.

FURTHER CLARIFICATION!!!!!!

In your assessment you make two references to the "early buyers" and "early sets" which are both quoted above.

I am not quite sure what it is you are saying. Are these (so-called) early sets in the current Image Entertainment rereleased complete season issue of the I SPY tv series a better quality or not? You don't specifically mention their actual quality beyond when they were originally issued.

What I (and a good many other people no doubt) am primarily interested is to know whether the quality in the current release is consistently good (or even excellent)...and that includes the (formerly) early sets, the middle sets and the later sets!

In other words...everything!

Jeff T.

Re: FURTHER CLARIFICATION!!!!!!

I was merely speculating that perhaps there was an inferior previous release others are complaining about, but if so, I don't have it to compare. When I was checking the new release against MY previous releases, they both looked great for color and sharpness. I can't vouch that all the dirt and scratches have been cleaned up from every episode or that there has been any significant remastering between the previous releases I have and these (I'm sure we'll get some more technical comparisons from people who have more time and expertise than I), but to my subjective eye, the new set looks great.

I bought the set to complete my seasons. I previously had about 8 of the single disk 4-episode releases. If you already own the complete three seasons, perhaps you don't want to double dip on these if you're expecting a significant upgrade. But for a mere $12.99 each in slim, shelf-sparing packaging, these were a no-brainer for me.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

The poor-quality disc I'm referring to is, specifically, this one:

Amazon.com: I Spy - A Few Miles West of Nowhere / The Trouble with Temple: Bill Cosby,Robert Culp,Earl Bellamy,Richard Benedict,Robert Butler,Hal Cooper,David Friedkin,Alf Kjellin,Anton Leader,Sheldon Leonard,Arthur Marks,Christian Nyby,Leo Penn,Alle

Note the release date, 1999. It had only two episodes, was expensive at $20, and the transfers were incredibly fuzzy. I don't remember seeing any other 2-episode releases around that time, and it looks like the single-disc 4-episode releases started coming out around 2001.

I warily bought one of the first 4-episode releases, and was pleased to see that the transfers were much better. I bought several of the single-disc releases and thought the quality was pretty good throughout (considering likely source material), and did not see a shift in quality when they came out in the original, episodes-out-of-order box sets. I now have the whole series in a mix of these single discs and box sets and have very much enjoyed them; I'd have been very happy to pay only $12.99 for a complete season!

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Thanks, Wayne for the valuable input you provided on the "I Spy" sets--looking forward to getting these. And for the record, I agree with you on "The Outer Limits".

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

are these single sided DVDs?

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Hey dont feel too bad your not the first person Mr Hankie gone off on for minor reason, but you do have a valid question, atleast in my books . Yes I think I Spy holds up very well, it a high quality show with excellent stories, great leading actors (robert clup and bill cosby) and does a nice job drama with some comic relief mixed in for good watch. I currently own all three seasons Image's first dvd printing of the show, While it true they could have done a better job cleaning up the prints and used a higher resolution video and sound capture, it still very watchable set, and by far not my worst dvd set (Crime Story S2 by far the worst set I own). At the online price of 12.99 a season it a insane deal and I think you be glad you pick one of TV greatest buddy drama's. Thats my to cents. Oh BTW I serious doubt a Blurry ray oops Blue ray release would help much on the video quality because most of the show was shot with small 16mm cameras primary used by tv news crews and much of that was done with hand held cameras using techiques devolped by the show's Cinematographers Fouad Said and Fleet Southcott . But I Spy is so much fun I can live with it

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Single-sided. There are as many as 6 episodes on some of the disks. Season 1's 28 episodes are on 5 disks.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Six episodes of a show made for an hour-long timeframe on a single side? That gives me a little cause for concern. I have seen five hour long episodes on a few DVD releases from Sony (1970s Greatest Cop Shows, Best of Charlie's Angels) and those looked OK, but the addition of a sixth episode, I don't know. Have you watched any of the six episode discs yet, Wayne? Just curious if there is any marked decrease in the a/v on those. Three to four episodes on a side is pretty much the norm for hour long shows.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Yeah, when I first saw that, I was concerned, but I spot-watched a couple episodes on the first 6-episode disk and the quality was quite good - at least as good or better than the previous 4-episode disks, which I thought looked good. There was definitely no drop-off.

I think compression ability has changed on disks and the limits of what can be put on one disk and still maintain good quality. Somebody else may confirm or refute this, but that's my understanding.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Thanks, Wayne, that's a bit more reassuring and, frankly, given the selling price, I shouldn't be complaining. Under $40 for all three seasons of the series is pretty much a no brainer; I'll pick this up at DD's semi-annual sale if they have it (hopefully, next month).

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Wayne, what size and kind od display are you watching these on and from how far back? I can't remember the ep I saw from the old set ( it may have had Barbara Steele in it) but color fading and print damage such wasn't the problem, compression artifacting was. There was very little stability in the image- backgrounds especially would crawl and flicker along with severe aliasing on fine patterns like car grills, stairs, clothing patterns. I was viewing on an XGA projector(1024 x 768) @ about a 53" size from 6 feet back. Had I been watching this on a 32" crt tv from the same distance, they would have likely been acceptable.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Picked up all three season today at Best Buy for 12.99 per season. To my untrained eye, the quality is excellent with my Upconvert DVD player on 37" HDTV.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

I have an older HD set, 46 inch Mitsubishi (WT-46807) CRT Rear Screen that I watch from about 8 feet away. I'm playing disks on a Panasonic blu-ray (DMK-BD30), but it's hooked up via component not HDMI so there's probably no upconversion (like I said, it's an old HD set), and I have the video input set at 480p (when I want to watch a blu-ray disk, I actually have to switch the input to the DTV 1080i input since I only have one HD input - this set was before HD DVDs were even on the horizon).

I'm noticing a little aliasing on seersucker suits in the new Perry Mason set, but not with the I Spy set. That could be the limitations of my presentation, but I still think Image did a good job with this show and am quite happy with it. Like I said, there are many color TV series sets I have from show 10-20-30 years later that don't look as good.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

I pick up the I spy sets at best buy yesterday for 12.99 too. Honestly the only real differences are packaging, disk menus and that the episodes now are broken down into chapters (but no scene selection menus). Is it a remaster of series (video and audio) the answer is no, the quality is basically the same as the original printing of I Spy. So honestly if you have the whole series though Imagine's original print there no real reason to pick up this new re printing of the I Spy series. But if you never pick up I Spy on it original dvd printing, at 12.99 a season, this is a insane deal to pick up one of tvs best buddy/action adventure -spy series ever made .


P.S. I think I'm going to return seasons 2 and 3 to best buy(save the $ for jag s6 lol), because Ive got all three seasons of the orginal image release and honestly after watching radom episodes of s1 I see NO noticable difference in the capture quality in the new re printed season sets. If your like me and have s1, s2 and s3 on images orginal release, you can pass on the reprint, but if you dont get reprinted season sets at the great deal of 12.99.

EDITS?!!!!!

Once again I am not certain whether the previous Image Entertainment I SPY single disc releases are being discussed or the current complete season sets edition.

Are the episodes in this latest I SPY DVD release edited or are they complete (50 minutes)? While I realize we are talking about a $12 to $15 (bargain) proposition but this could (definitely) be enough to discourage me on the deal entirely.

Thanks!

Jeff T.

Re: EDITS?!!!!!

They're not cut. I just watched episode 1 of season 1, and it's intact (and running 50 min or so). The picture quality is okay - I wouldn't put it on a par with the original Star Trek DVDs or even the Get Smart DVDs, but the picture is pretty damn good for a 40 year old show.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

My sets arrived today. I like the packaging, the artwork is stylish but I would have liked a listing of what each episode is about. I had to return the season 3 set because disc 3 was cracked from the center hole to the outer edge. The discs are very tight in the disc holder.

As for the series itself, I've only watched the first 2 episodes so far but I am really enjoying it. The episodes look pretty good, except for some vertical lines running through "A Cup of Kindness"

Re: EDITS?!!!!!

Well honestly if I didnt have the first print of the series I would buy all three seasons at 12.99 price Best Buy selling them for. Yes, I agree the prints and captures are nowhere as good as Hawaii 5-0's, but they are still very serviceable great way to enjoy one of tv's best action adventure dramas of all time at your convenience and leisure. BTW Ive watch some of s1 episodes on both my panasonic upscaler and 480p though component on my old toshiba vcr/dvd combo and honestly I think it looks better on the toshiba at 480p , but I also think WWW and the Man from U.N.C.L.E. look better on the toshiba at 480p then upscaled to 720p go figure LOL. Look Jeff T get the seasons you wont regret it I Spy is a hell of allot of fun and you'll be happy you bought it.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

One episode that is known to be cut on the single releases is:
One Thousand Fine
My syndicated tape was 50' 31" (Teaser: 1' 34"; Theme: 53"; Act I: 12' 26";Act II: 9' 09";Act III: 14' 48"; Act IV: 8' 05"; Tag: 3' 05"; Credits: 26" (stopped early by TV station)).

On the DVD it's 50' 12" (Teaser: 1' 38"; Theme: 56"; Chapter 2: 12' 31"; Chapter 3: 22' 49"; Chapter 4: 8' 10"; Chapter 5: 3' 09"; Chapter 6 - End Credits: 1' 01")

Act III (Chapter 3) is missing 1' 15" which would bring the total running time to 51' 27"

The film is quite clearly damaged just as the cut happens, which removes most (all?) of the fight scene in the jungle.

Note: Timing differences between same sequences on Tape & DVD can be down to: tape speed, amount of black space between scenes, rounding to nearest second when calculating length. It's fairly obvious when there's something missing/extra, though.

I would like someone to post the length of One Thousand Fine on the new set.

Re: I Spy - Remastered?

Still 50'12" on the new set. And Kelly STILL doesn't go away with Susan Oliver, dummy.