Star Trek films on Blu-Ray... what we know so far (1 Viewer)

[Cinescott]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au
And how could I forget the question of how Space: 1999 is doing on blu in comparison as well. My guess is that it's behind Trek and Twilight Zone, but could be doing very well on it's own.

I have all three Classic sci-fi fan who grew up in the 70s watching these shows in a 13" black and white with rabbit ears. How times have changed.

 

[Chuck Anstey]

If they redo TNG in HD, then great for those who want to buy it. I just can't see the economics of it if Blu-ray is the main reason. TOS actually had the advantage of only being 3 seasons so the cost of owning the complete set was $200-$250, not a small amount but reasonable for many. TNG on the other hand is going to be probably >$500 to own and that may put off more than a few people.

The only way HD TNG makes economic sense to me is if the studio expects a significantly improved revenue stream from true HD syndication over SD up-conversion and the Blu-ray is more like "free" money. I haven't seen any significant syndication of any Star Trek series in years except for maybe SyFy channel so maybe we are due and TNG HD is part of that plan. I mean I can watch some version of Law and Order in syndication pretty much 24/7 so how about a restart of Star Trek syndication?

 

[Cinescott]

Originally Posted by Chuck Anstey
If they redo TNG in HD, then great for those who want to buy it. I just can't see the economics of it if Blu-ray is the main reason. TOS actually had the advantage of only being 3 seasons so the cost of owning the complete set was $200-$250, not a small amount but reasonable for many. TNG on the other hand is going to be probably >$500 to own and that may put off more than a few people.

The only way HD TNG makes economic sense to me is if the studio expects a significantly improved revenue stream from true HD syndication over SD up-conversion and the Blu-ray is more like "free" money. I haven't seen any significant syndication of any Star Trek series in years except for maybe SyFy channel so maybe we are due and TNG HD is part of that plan. I mean I can watch some version of Law and Order in syndication pretty much 24/7 so how about a restart of Star Trek syndication?

Blu-ray probably wouldn't be the main reason. I don't see the economics working either, but I think the only way the studio would even consider it would be for the HD streaming revenue and possible HD syndication rights. Once in HD, Blu-ray would be a bonus. The entertainment business is all about the numbers and I can't see a way for the numbers to add up on this one. Maybe I'm wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Doug Otte]

Originally Posted by Mark_TB
I have to say that I'm skeptical about the whole thing. As detailed by the posters above, the entire visual side of the post-production process would have to be recreated, at great expense, and I just don't see that happening.

I hope I'm wrong, though.

- Mark

It's not just visual work, but audio as well. They'd have to redo all the ADR (would they still have those raw tapes?), and remix all the dialogue, SFX, and music.
Doug

 

[Cinescott]

Regarding TMP, when the DE does finally come out on Blu, I hope they go back to the poster artwork for the packaging, similar to the DVD edition. I always liked it:

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Chuck Anstey
The only way HD TNG makes economic sense to me is if the studio expects a significantly improved revenue stream from true HD syndication over SD up-conversion and the Blu-ray is more like "free" money. I haven't seen any significant syndication of any Star Trek series in years except for maybe SyFy channel so maybe we are due and TNG HD is part of that plan. I mean I can watch some version of Law and Order in syndication pretty much 24/7 so how about a restart of Star Trek syndication?

I think the issue is larger than blu-ray or syndication or streaming. It's about the future of these shows (TNG, DS9 and Voyager) that make up the bulk of the Star Trek franchise. If CBS wants audiences to continue to look at and discover these shows in the years and decades to come, they simply have to be transferred to high definition, because the day is going to come that a young person, faced with dozens of sci-fi programs to choose from, is going to balk at a show that looks dull and bleary compared with everything else. Keep in mind, in the late 80s and early 90s, TNG might not have had a lot of competition - but now, it competes against the other Treks, Babylon 5 (also in need of HD), Battlestar, Farscape, the Stargates, Firefly and so on.

This isn't about selling blu-rays; it's about continuing the Star Trek franchise and keeping alive what has been a source of revenue for the company.

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by Worth
It was shot 4:3. They could always leave it as is, or reframe it without too much trouble. It would have been shttp://www.hometheaterforum.com/image/id/565076/width/1000/height/500hot with TV-safe in mind, which gives you a fair amount of extra room at the top and bottom to play with.

Thanks!!!

So probably not?

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by Sam Favate
I think the issue is larger than blu-ray or syndication or streaming. It's about the future of these shows (TNG, DS9 and Voyager) that make up the bulk of the Star Trek franchise. If CBS wants audiences to continue to look at and discover these shows in the years and decades to come, they simply have to be transferred to high definition, because the day is going to come that a young person, faced with dozens of sci-fi programs to choose from, is going to balk at a show that looks dull and bleary compared with everything else.

This isn't about selling blu-rays; it's about continuing the Star Trek franchise and keeping alive what has been a source of revenue for the company.

Very good point!!!

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by Cinescott
Regarding TMP, when the DE does finally come out on Blu, I hope they go back to the poster artwork for the packaging, similar to the DVD edition. I always liked it:

Agreed. I really love the TMP poster.

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Cinescott
Regarding TMP, when the DE does finally come out on Blu, I hope they go back to the poster artwork for the packaging, similar to the DVD edition. I always liked it:

Perhaps my favorite, iconic Star Trek image, and one of the best movie posters of all time.

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by SilverWook
Some TNG stock footage was apparently scanned in for Enterprise's final episode.
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/ent_vs_tng.htm

If they rebuilt "essential" episodes like Best of Both Worlds and All Good Things in HD, those would probably sell on their own.

I found this article in a search as well. Pretty interesting, but I would appreciate more technical input on whether it is really possible for TNG, Voyager and DS9.

From the other post in this thread I'm thinking it could kind of be done? But the results may not look that great due to the softness on the edges of the picture / film?

 

[Cinescott]

Originally Posted by Sam Favate
I think the issue is larger than blu-ray or syndication or streaming. It's about the future of these shows (TNG, DS9 and Voyager) that make up the bulk of the Star Trek franchise. If CBS wants audiences to continue to look at and discover these shows in the years and decades to come, they simply have to be transferred to high definition, because the day is going to come that a young person, faced with dozens of sci-fi programs to choose from, is going to balk at a show that looks dull and bleary compared with everything else. Keep in mind, in the late 80s and early 90s, TNG might not have had a lot of competition - but now, it competes against the other Treks, Babylon 5 (also in need of HD), Battlestar, Farscape, the Stargates, Firefly and so on.

This isn't about selling blu-rays; it's about continuing the Star Trek franchise and keeping alive what has been a source of revenue for the company.

I think studios have demonstrated time and time again that if they can push a cost down the road for any reason, they'll do it. Not unlike most businesses that way. No studio is going to "invest" huge sums of money for which there would be no chance of a short-term profit. They're not the harbingers of cultural mystique that people make them out to be. They're in this business to make money and if the profit is not there, I've yet to see an example of where they would spend anything.

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Cinescott
I think studios have demonstrated time and time again that if they can push a cost down the road for any reason, they'll do it. Not unlike most businesses that way. No studio is going to "invest" huge sums of money for which there would be no chance of a short-term profit. They're not the harbingers of cultural mystique that people make them out to be. They're in this business to make money and if the profit is not there, I've yet to see an example of where they would spend anything.

I wasn't suggesting that was the reason they were upgrading TNG, but the reason that they should do it. Paramount has been a notoriously cheap studio over the years, but Star Trek has helped keep money coming in. Pretty soon you begin to realize that if you don't give your car a tune up, it's going to stop taking you places.

 

[Cinescott]

Originally Posted by Sam Favate
I wasn't suggesting that was the reason they were upgrading TNG, but the reason that they should do it. Paramount has been a notoriously cheap studio over the years, but Star Trek has helped keep money coming in. Pretty soon you begin to realize that if you don't give your car a tune up, it's going to stop taking you places.

I totally agree with you. I think they should do it, I just don't happen to think they will.

 

[Joel Fontenot]

Originally Posted by Tim Haxton

Thanks!!!

So probably not?

I don't know if you can catch it, but BBC America regularly airs TNG. On the HD feed, they like to do that partial zoom of material originally framed for 4x3 (and I hate when they, and other channels, do that). They do the same with "The X-Files". I'd say that they framed the majority of the show with a fair amount of head room, but occasionally things get a bit cramped looking from the partial zooming. Only a few scenes might really suffer if they were zoomed all the way to fit the sides to 16x9

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I can't imagine this show being cropped to 16x9; even if there's headroom to spare in some of the shots, I think it would just look off. One of the reasons they blew up the Enterprise in the Generations movie was so that they could redesign and rebuild a ship that was meant to be filmed in widescreen. I always liked the sense of "height" that TNG had, in its master shots; the multi-level bridge, with Data closest to the screen, Picard in the middle, and Worf at the back was always a great show, and really conveyed just how big this thing was supposed to be. One of their more inventive designs, I think. (The same for engineering, where you could almost always see stuff going on on multiple levels.)

 

[Osato]

Originally Posted by Josh Steinberg
I can't imagine this show being cropped to 16x9; even if there's headroom to spare in some of the shots, I think it would just look off. One of the reasons they blew up the Enterprise in the Generations movie was so that they could redesign and rebuild a ship that was meant to be filmed in widescreen. I always liked the sense of "height" that TNG had, in its master shots; the multi-level bridge, with Data closest to the screen, Picard in the middle, and Worf at the back was always a great show, and really conveyed just how big this thing was supposed to be. One of their more inventive designs, I think. (The same for engineering, where you could almost always see stuff going on on multiple levels.)

I wouldn't want them to just crop the existing 4:3 image either.

I was just curious if there is enough picture to the sides to make possible a wide screen version.

Anyway. I'm fine with 4:3.

My interest in TNG has really been peaked by this announcement. I've started to read the TNG Companion book by Larry Nemecek.

 

[Kevin EK]

Knowing Paramount, I'd say it's most likely that they'll put more money into the new Abrams movies than into the older materials.

Since it won't cost much to do Blus of the directors' editions of TMP and TWOK, those are easy to see happening. And I could see them upconverting the existing materials of the various TV shows up to Enterprise, which already exists in HD.

This may not be what many fans would prefer, but it's the cheaper way, and experience tells us that's the motivator.

 

[Nelson Au]

Sam: And to your point, if you'll excuse the term, the Prime Directive for the TOS remaster was for preservation of the series for future generation to enjoy. It was not about redoing the effects with CGI. By cleaning up the film elements, they felt the optical effects didn't hold up to the added resolution. So the CGI was a delightful bonus.

I"m sure the TNG will be great looking once remastered, if they can sort out the editing of the film elements. But I gather the motives for a TNG remaster is less about preservation and more about how TOS set a standard and perhaps they think a buying public would go for TNG blu rays.

Keep it at 4:3 please, but I'd be open to 16x9.

As for TMP cover art, I agree, the original film poster version for the blu ray DE!

If they want to test the waters, I'd buy Enterprise on BD. It's easier to transfer from what I hear.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I would never buy a box of simple upconverts on Blu-ray, but as far as broadcasts go, when Syfy (still hate that spelling) shows TNG, the HD upconvert doesn't look all that bad. Obviously, not what a true HD version would look like, but totally watchable. And unlike BBC America, Syfy shows it correctly pillarboxed at 4:3.