Remastered Space: 1999 S1 (1 Viewer)

Cool - new remastered versions of Space: 1999

http://www.networkdvd.co.uk/space1999series1.htm

* Dolby 5.1 remix, original mono audio and separate music-only tracks for each episode
* Alien Attack – Trailer
* Journey Through the Black Sun – Trailer
* Space: 1999 Series One – Barry Gray’s theme demo
* Space: 1999 Series One Alternative opening and closing titles
* Martin Landau and Barbara Bain Series One US Premier intro and outro
* SFX plates and deleted SFX scenes – with music track
* Concept and Creation Featurette
* Special Effects & Design Featurette

“These Episodes” Featurettes (selected individual episode analysis)
* Barry Gray's demo for the main theme
* text commentaries on The Last Sunset and Space Brain
* Clapperboard two-part special on the work of Gerry Anderson from 1975
* Selected script PDFs

It looks to be the first season, all in one box, and the remastering is done by some of the Doctor Who Restoration Team, so you know the work will be good. Price is a wee bit steep (around 80 pounds), so I shant be double dipping on this one. Still, if you dont have the show, sounds like this is the set to go with!

Still it's hard to say no when you get restoration like this:

apparently some of the same folks on the Doctor Who Restoration Team have a finger in this.. so expect quality.

Hate to nitpick, but this should be in the Regional DVD area as there has been no confirmation that this cleaned-up version will ever be released in North America (or in NTSC, for that matter).

I sure hope so, though!

wow....

Wow, that's amazing. I've had the complete S:99 first on VHS, then on the A&E DVD's, but that's such a huge difference in picture quality that I'm going to have to get it when it comes out. According to the discussion groups I belong to, the "rumor is" that we will see this in R1. However, if by some reason we don't, it looks like this is worth getting a code free player for.

Dan

How dod the "restored" episodes that came on that Best Buy bonus disc, and later sold through A&E, compare with this one. I'd be up for getting a remastered version for sure, the first one was pretty lacking.

Funnily enough i bought seasons 1 & 2 of Space 1999 here in Australia a week or so ago. Each season is a boxset with 6 discs and cases.
I presume these are unrestored prints, but what suprised me was how clean and crisp the prints were to begin with.
Currently they're selling here in Australia for only $12 US a season which is an absolute bargain!!

Well, for starters this is ALL the season 1 episodes remastered. As for what was on the bonus discs - well, Carlton gave A&E F'ed up master prints on 3 episodes - bad color correction and other source flaws. The 3 included on the disc are simply from beter source material. No actual "remastering" was done - and certanly nothing on THIS scale.

I mean if you doubt the quality of the new masters - just check out the pictures on that page from the first message. The new version is like night and day from the old. And if you doubt their chops - check out the Restoration Team's webpage for some of their work on Doctor Who.

The original Carlton DVD releases (same as what you got Down Under) were remastered, but from 16mm prints. These new discs will be the first-ever home video release (VHS, DVD, Laser or otherwise) to have been taken from the original 35mm elements. The show wasn't even broadcast from 35mm (again, 16mm prints for broadcast), so this release should be the best that 1999 has appeared on any television. To my knowledge, the show was only seen in 35mm a couple of times: at a special cast/crew screening during production and at a recent UK convention.

The Carlton remasters also weren't given as thorough a clean-up job as BBC Resources have done this time out. No idea who did the remastering first time around.

The original DVDs were good for their day (I think these were released around 1999). The few sample pictures I've seen show tremendous advances in both colour and resolution. Unfortunately, that will also probably have the unintended effect of making the special effects look more "fake" (we'll probably see more wires, etc. that would've never shown up on 1970s broadcasts).

Mustn't forget we'll be getting some pretty neat extras, too. I just hope these episodes make their way across the pond to the US in an officially-sanctioned NTSC edition (and at a reasonable price).

I believe when Ch 11 WPIX in New York screened the series originally they used the 35mm version

Hello!



Don't know about the US but the original UK transmissions and BBC2's network screening of Yr 1/2 in 1998/9 were all 35mm. With the exception of some repeats in the 80's UK viewers have always seen the show in 35mm.

For anyone interested here's a link to some higher-res pics of the images on the Network site. These are the old Carlton DVD masters contrasted with Standard Definition downconversions of the HD master. As a new member I can only post part of the link but just add the usual httpwww bit to the front and it should take you straight there. It's:

purpleville.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rtwebsite/1999_comparison.htm

For a really striking example of how zoomed in the originals were check out the last image (the one of Main Mission seen from the balcony). Pretty amazing ...

*Btw, although not yet officially confirmed the set will feature commentaries.

Unfortunately that Java rollover trick isn't working here....

The java rollover works for me.... Quite a difference!

This box has been released today in the UK. What screencaps I've seen of it have convinced me to buy it.

Let me ask two questions to clarify things:

1) Was the original American dvd release taken from unrestored 16mm prints?

2) Will this new version make its way to the U.S.? (Once again, Britain gets all the good stuff first! Bah! Let's throw some tea into the harbor!!!)

The original US set was a faily expensive Proposition at the time they came out since they only released two disks in a set. Even with the cleaned up picture the original was not bad just that these sourced from 35mm elements I'm sure looked better. I remember when WPIX In newyork showed the 35mm they looked great. But even so I can't justify another purchase unless the entire season's were released for $35 or Less.

Moderators:
Don't want to be a party pooper, but shouldn't this topic be in the regional DVD area, as this is an R2-PAL release and has not been announced for R1?


I can't vouch for the original airings, I just know that when I saw the episodes on WPIX via satellite (around 1985-1986), the prints were extremely poor, scratched, dirty, etc. Looked like 16mm at the time, but who knows?

Sadly the poor timing of the DDD sale has scuttled any chance of getting this set right away. Of course the DDD sale has scuttled any chance of eating anything but Ramen and Mac & Cheese for a month, too.

Word is that the packaging is horrible. Scanavo cases with overlapping discs.