Blu-ray Review HTF Blu-ray Review: Star Trek: The Original Series Season One (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

I've been wondering about the sets for Season 2 and 3.
When these sets were being prepared originally in 2007 for HD-DVD, I understand that they had prepared the Starfleet Access materials and other additional bonus materials for the Second Season set, or was nearly done with them when they had the plug pulled. So I am assuming that the level of extras will be similar to the First Season Set.
However, I don't think anything had been done for the Third Season Starfleet Access materials. I hope they'll be able to fund and prepare the final season at the same high level they've done for the first.
Of course the other materials are straight porting over from the SD discs.
I can't wait for the next 2! Perhaps they'll be on a 3 or 4 month schedule. After the HD-DVD set came out in November of 2007, there was a 9 month gap till S2 came out on SD format in August 2008. No doubt regrouping after the demise of HD-DVD. The Third season came out 3 months later.
Of course, if the BD of the new Star Trek film is out in 3 or 4 months, it could be coincidental.

 

[troy evans]

Andrew -- no way I'm buying a new BD player after all the money I spent just last summer on my high end Pioneer model!
Starship Captain Nelson Au -- thank you for your assistance. I finally was able to turn off the commentary.
Any instructions, Captain Au, on how to get rid of that annoying camera icon which pops up every time you're allowed to toggle between the original and enhanced version of the episode?
(Don't get me wrong, I love Star Trek in Blu-Ray -- the show looks like it was shot yesterday and I can make out every pockmark on the faces of Sulu and Spock.

But the technical blips are less than thrilling.)

One thing that might help is to go into the blu-ray player's set-up menu and disable "on screen messages".

 

[Edwin-S]

Pretty decent set so far. This is the best the original series has looked in all of the times I have seen it. At the risk of being accused of sacrilege I admit preferring to watch the shows with the updated VFX.

 

[Dan Keliikoa]

Pretty decent set so far. This is the best the original series has looked in all of the times I have seen it. At the risk of being accused of sacrilege I admit preferring to watch the shows with the updated VFX.

Got mine yesterday and stayed up WAY too late watching many episodes! Just one more....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. LOL
I agree...they look remarkable! So colorful. And I'm a big fan of the new VFX in almost every case. Really updates the show nicely while keeping the vibe the same. I really like the touch of having the sublight engines glow red on the back of the saucer when they are in use like in the films.

 

[Dave H]

I watched the first four episodes on disc 1. All in all, I am extremely impressed with how these look and sound. I probably prefer originals, but I don't mind the new effects. However, I wish they put more work into the CG of the Enterprise...it just looks too artificial.

 

[Chris Atkins]

Also very impressed with this set. I prefer the original VFX because they stay true to the original effects, and aren't just adding for "whiz bang" effect.

I also have to crank the audio up, and also find that even with the master volume level turned up I still have to turn the center channel up a few DBs.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm surprised how much I like the new effects - I had seen a couple of the episodes on television and thought they looked pretty terrible, but on a whim I figured I'd try watching them the new discs with the new effects at least the first time through. Some of them, particularly certain shots of the Enterprise, have a very fake, cartoon-y look to them which draws far more attention to the shots than it should, but for the most part, it's very solid work. A lot of them look very natural, as if they belonged there all along. It was the right decision, I think, to avoid replacing effects mixed with live action (like the transporter effect) and to just "tweak" the exteriors.
It's like a whole new Star Trek... this week, the Enterprise arrives at a different planet! That actually looks different!

 

[Hamilton72]

UH-OH I'm starting to hear about some issues with this set that the reviewers appear to have missed. I'm more than a little disappointed since my set is still en-route...

So are these true?

1. Wrong main titles for the first 13 episodes

2. No original version theme for "Balance of Terror"

 

[PaulaJ]

Troy, thanks for the suggestion. I went into the home menu and yes, there was an option to turn off the angle indicator. So off it went.
Being a curmudgeonly purist when it comes to Star Trek, I have no interest in watching the updated CGI effects so I don't miss the angle indicator at all.
So, when is season 2 being released on Blu-Ray?

 

[Nelson Au]

UH-OH I'm starting to hear about some issues with this set that the reviewers appear to have missed. I'm more than a little disappointed since my set is still en-route...
So are these true?
1. Wrong main titles for the first 13 episodes
2. No original version theme for "Balance of Terror"

You won't be disappointed.
I have not checked those particular issues, but I checked others and they were intact on the original mono soundtracks and with the original optical effects shots too. I can check, what specifically is different? It's been so long, I forget!

 

[Hamilton72]

You won't be disappointed.
I have not checked those particular issues, but I checked others and they were intact on the original mono soundtracks and with the original optical effects shots too. I can check, what specifically is different? It's been so long, I forget!

Well in terms of the first 13 episodes, the DVD opening titles show "Star Trek" and then the title is pushed back and "Created by Gene Roddenberry" appears underneath. This is NOT how the opening episodes were supposed to be. The Roddenberry credit was not added there until later in the series. There were also issues if I recall with the "Starring" and "Also Starring" credits missing on some of the old DVDs. I was hoping they'd finally corrected all this for this "definitive" set...??
With Balance Of Terror, presumably even if you put on the mono soundtrack the re-recorded theme is played? (I can't confirm because my set hasn't quite finished its trip across the Atlantic, this is just what I've heard from somebody who's already received it)

 

[Nelson Au]

Well in terms of the first 13 episodes, the DVD opening titles show "Star Trek" and then the title is pushed back and "Created by Gene Roddenberry" appears underneath. This is NOT how the opening episodes were supposed to be. The Roddenberry credit was not added there until later in the series. There were also issues if I recall with the "Starring" and "Also Starring" credits missing on some of the old DVDs. I was hoping they'd finally corrected all this for this "definitive" set...??
With Balance Of Terror, presumably even if you put on the mono soundtrack the re-recorded theme is played? (I can't confirm because my set hasn't quite finished its trip across the Atlantic, this is just what I've heard from somebody who's already received it)

The titles having Gene Roddenberry was a second season thing as I recall. The remastering team was quite good in recreating the titles down to the position of the stars.
Never the less, I checked the Blu Ray of Balance of Terror with mono sound and the original broadcast version. The titles only show Star Trek, no push back and Gene Roddenberry added. The mono sound is the original music.
The only other thing that I've seen discussed for the past DVD versions, is the music was not the correct titles music for the early episodes. I have not checked for that yet. And I haven't checked Where No Man Has Gone Before yet to see if the "Space, The Final Frontier" monologue is removed. I will later this evening.

 

[Heinz W]

And I haven't checked Where No Man Has Gone Before yet to see if the "Space, The Final Frontier" monologue is removed. I will later this evening.

The monologue is absent. I saw that episode yesterday and remember thinking it odd. I haven't seen TOS in many years so I didn't know if it was correct or not. I'm assuming that the omission is right, that it's never been there for this episode?
This set has been a real revelation and a real treat.

 

[Nelson Au]

I did check WNMHGB and the absence is correct! Even the swoosh of the ship fly-by is not there as it should not be.

And the theme is another version, different from the production episodes. So it looks like we got the originals.

 

[ScottR]

I noticed in The Squire of Gothos that there is an audio glitch with the mono sound. In Chapter 2 when Kirk is introducing his crew, the sound level suddenly drops for a couple of minutes. It's not like this in 5.1 nor on the old dvd 5.1. Could this be how it originally was before a remix?

 

[Charles_Y]

I got the set recently and just started on the first disc. I had the previous DVD set with the lame "tricorder" like box sets. I thought the menu design on that set was great. However, the one on this BD set is rather weak in my opinion but BOY! that image is something to sing about!

I noted the same issue with the sound as others and had to crank it WAY up (-4 db or something like that). Most of my discs pan out at -15 to -25 db. I forget what reference level I set my system at.

Why did Paramount master the volume so blasted low! What stupidity! What is gained here for them I wonder? The only real problem is to remember to turn the level back to a safe level when you are done with a ST disc.

A question, can anyone tell me how to access the secondary audio on the "Star Fleet Access" pop-up interviews? I can't get the sound. I have the Panasonic DMP-BD30. Would I have to go into the player's Audio settings and switch the Secondary Audio to ON? What a pain. You would have to go in and out of the player's menu every time. I'm not sure if this is the proper solution.

Hoping for the best...

 

[Vinprakash]

I have spent three days searching for some common reason for this.its help me

 

[ATimson]

A question, can anyone tell me how to access the secondary audio on the "Star Fleet Access" pop-up interviews? I can't get the sound. I have the Panasonic DMP-BD30. Would I have to go into the player's Audio settings and switch the Secondary Audio to ON? What a pain. You would have to go in and out of the player's menu every time. I'm not sure if this is the proper solution.

I don't know about your specific player. But you have to make sure that it's set to reencode the audio, not bitstream it.

 

[ScottR]

Anyone?

 

[Nelson Au]

Scott-
Your question caught my eye and I was curious.
I pulled out the laserdiscs of TOS and cued up the Blu ray using the mono audio track. At 13m:15s in, on the blu ray, I did hear a slight drop in the audio as Kirk introduces Karl Jaeger and goes on for about 30 seconds. I also noticed the audio go slightly flat as Kirk introduces DeSalle, but the range comes back right after that. I didn't try to get too precise as to when the audio levels come back.
The laserdisc is the oldest source I have of TOS as a comparison. I also have the first and second edition DVD's. I played the very first DVD release from 1999. The LD is from 1985, but I bought them in 1988. The LD has no audio drop at that sequence. The DVD of course is fine, but I don't trust that as it's been cooked for 5.1 audio. So the LD is the closest to broadcast sound.
That's a good catch Scott and sort of revealing. So perhaps the audio is dropping there as it did in 1967 and the LD audio has been slightly tweaked to compensate for the drop.
I think that Paramount probably made tweaks to all the audio on the LD masters and it's probably in stereo, though it doesn't say so on the LD jacket. The first DVD's were remixed for 5.1.