Cimarron Strip (1 Viewer)

[WaveCrest]

I've done a HTF forum search and can not find an existing thread for the 60's western TV series Cimarron Strip. Have checked on TVShowsOnDVD, and the series has not been released on Region 1. It has been released in the UK by Pegasus Entertainment, and I was wondering if anyone here has purchased any of the episodes (all 23 episodes (around 71 minutes in length) have been released separately), as I was wondering how the episodes look, in terms of picture/print quality.

 

[silverking]

Also out in the Netherlands as a complete set I believe.


Stuart Whitman,who apparently has the rights to the series, did release some individual episodes in R1 but they were way overpriced.


The Pegasus releases are OK, claim to be from 35mm masters but look very average. I doubt any remastering has taken place. Perfectly watchable but don't expect anything spectacular. They appear to be uncut. Silliest menus ever. No extras.

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by silverking

Also out in the Netherlands as a complete set I believe.


Stuart Whitman,who apparently has the rights to the series, did release some individual episodes in R1 but they were way overpriced.


The Pegasus releases are OK, claim to be from 35mm masters but look very average. I doubt any remastering has taken place. Perfectly watchable but don't expect anything spectacular. They appear to be uncut. Silliest menus ever. No extras.

Regarding the Pegasus releases: Are they similar quality-wise to the episodes currently showing on Encore Westerns?

 

[silverking]

I'm in the UK so don't get to see the Encore westerns.


I would think they are pretty much the same.

 

[ChrisALM]

Originally Posted by silverking

I'm in the UK so don't get to see the Encore westerns.


I would think they are pretty much the same.

Thanks Chris. I keep hoping to find a better quality release for Cimarron Strip than those showing on Encore Westerns, which are average in quality. I thought maybe the Netherlands release might be something different than the UK release. Oh well, at least I have my recordings from Encore and can watch the series again.

 

[benbess]

Good show! Most eps are available streaming at netflix.

 

[Executive]

I recorded all of them from Encore Westerns on DVD+R discs for my collection.


3 to a disc in LP speed. That's the most practical way to do it, since Stuart Whitman doesn't see fit

to remaster them.

 

[HenryDuBrow]

The LP mode doesn't look very good though, SP obviously is preferable for best picture quality.

 

[ChrisALM]

I am not an expert at this, but I recorded Cimarron Strip in FR, one to a disc. I do not see a difference between FR and LP, but I am not doing a side by side comparison. However, anything I record at less than LP, I begin to notice a degradation in the picture quality. The picture quality of Cimarron Strip needs all the help it can get and a full restoration would be great.


Another concern I have is the running time. If I remember correctly, these episodes on Encore Westerns ran about 72 minutes, which seems a little short for full episodes. I remember first seeing Cimarron Strip when it ran as a summer replacement in a 90 minute time slot, but I am not sure how it originally ran.

 

[smithb]

I'm not an expert either, but I will throw in my 2 cents. When you select a mode such as LP or SP (which are old analog concepts) you are setting a quality mode for how the recording is saved digitally based on a bitrate. But this has nothing to do with the quality of the transmission itself. The device I use to capture recordings off my DVR using my computer supposedly determines a storage bitrate based on the transmission rate. After having checked these bitrates across different channels I have noticed that not all are equivalent. I have captures that are in the low 3 Mbit/s up to the mid 4 Mbits. Encore happens to on on the lower end in my measurements, which may have to do with conserving bandwidth across multiple channels. While RTV and THIS are always a little higher,


So using SP over LP ensures you are maintaining the highest quality storage, but it does not ensure it will look any better then LP. It all depends on the quality of the source and the transmission. Quality can not be added after the fact (compression artifacts generated during transmission will still be there when saved at a higher bitrate). The best situation is to save the content at exactly the same bitrate it was transmitted at so you maintain quality while maximizing disk storage capabilities. In many cases, I would imagine LP to be enough, but it doesn't hurt going SP to be safe if you don't mind needing to use more blank disks.

 

[Executive]

I wasn't expecting this to go into a full discussion on recording speeds.

Nonetheless we can agree that with DVD-R recorrding XP is the best of the 4 speeds, however my decision to use LP is a logisitical one:

It's more affordable to get 3 shows to a disc instead of two on all but one of the discs for this particular series.


Wagon Train, on the other hand, recorded at LP from Encore Westerns looks impressive regardless. The same also applies to The Virginian.

LP on a DVD recording deck is far superior to LP on a VHS tape deck.


However, both Wagon Train and The Virginian have all come out inDVD tins and I do plan to start buying the series as they're released soon now that the first 3 years are all available of one and first 4 of the other.

 

[DeWilson]

I've personally found the make/model of the recorder can also be a quality factor - Panasonic for instance gives much better quality at LP.

 

[Executive]

Originally Posted by DeWilson

I've personally found the make/model of the recorder can also be a quality factor - Panasonic for instance gives much better quality at LP.

Both of my DVD recorders have been Panasonic. The reason I respect that brand so much is because

Panasonic decks can still use DVD-RAM. I've recorded over programming I don't save literally 300+ times on the same disc.
I've gone through maybe four or five RAM discs in the past 6 years.

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by DeWilson
I've personally found the make/model of the recorder can also be a quality factor - Panasonic for instance gives much better quality at LP.

I can see that. Even though it would seem most are probably dealing with a straight digital signal from their cable/satellite to their TV (if using HDMI), this doesn't appear to be true when it comes to using a DVD recorder. It looks like the best option available for a DVD recorder is to connect using an s-video cable. That means the digital source is being converted and output as an analog signal from the box, and converted back to digital again by the DVD recorder for playback. So the better the converters and decoders employed in the cable/satellite box and recorder the better the result can be. Now if we could connect using HDMI between the cable/satellite and the DVD recorder I would think we would get better and more consistent results in general and across recorders. Unfortunately, this is not an allowable option. At least that is my understanding.

 

[Richard V]

 

 

I can see that. Even though it would seem most are probably dealing with a straight digital signal from their cable/satellite to their TV (if using HDMI), this doesn't appear to be true when it comes to using a DVD recorder. It looks like the best option available for a DVD recorder is to connect using an s-video cable. That means the digital source is being converted and output as an analog signal from the box, and converted back to digital again by the DVD recorder for playback. So the better the converters and decoders employed in the cable/satellite box and recorder the better the result can be. Now if we could connect using HDMI between the cable/satellite and the DVD recorder I would think we would get better and more consistent results in general and across recorders. Unfortunately, this is not an allowable option. At least that is my understanding.

That is exactly my setup, using S video cable. A few years ago, you could use HDMI cables, but something was done to the transmission that effectively took HDMI cables out of the equation, leaving only S video as a viable option to record and burn with.

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by Richard V

That is exactly my setup, using S video cable. A few years ago, you could use HDMI cables, but something was done to the transmission that effectively took HDMI cables out of the equation, leaving only S video as a viable option to record and burn with.

You can blame this on the High Definition Copy Protection (HDCP) aspect of the HDMI spec. While most output devices now contain HDMI connections, the only input devices that contain them are display only (e.g., TV's, Projectors) and pass-through devices (e.g., Receivers, HDMI switchers). This all in an attempt to prevent you from copying protected content. Unfortunately, it probably does little in this instance to curb piracy but does prevent our ability to obtain the highest quality from legitimate sources.