Select Remastering

[Zaiver]

Hello Folks,

This is my first time posting here, but I've been a lurker for quite a while.

Last night, as I was drifting into sleep, I had a thought. What if WB created a Blu-ray sampler of select B5 episodes to see whether it is feasible and, more importantly, profitable to release full seasons of B5 in Blu-ray? Paramount did this prior to remastering full seasons of TNG and it seemed to have gone down well (seasons 1-5 are in Blu-ray now).

TNG sampler: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Star-Trek-The-Next-Generation-Blu-ray/30189/

The idea of a sampler also got me thinking about which 4-5 episodes I would like to see remastered. Of course, unlike TNG, most of the best and most notable episodes in B5 dealt with the story arcs.

Here are my choices:

Example sampler 1:
Signs and Portent
Coming of Shadows
In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum
The Long Twilight Struggle
Fall of Night

Example sampler 2:
Chrysallis
Points of Departure
Messages from Earth
Point of No Return
Severed Dreams

So let's say, for a millisecond, that the folks at WB know what they are doing and are planning on releasing a Blu-ray sampler. Which 4-5 episodes would you like to see in that sampler?

Z

 

[KoshN]

Hello Folks,

This is my first time posting here, but I've been a lurker for quite a while.

Last night, as I was drifting into sleep, I had a thought. What if WB created a Blu-ray sampler of select B5 episodes to see whether it is feasible and, more importantly, profitable to release full seasons of B5 in Blu-ray? Paramount did this prior to remastering full seasons of TNG and it seemed to have gone down well (seasons 1-5 are in Blu-ray now).

TNG sampler: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Star-Trek-The-Next-Generation-Blu-ray/30189/

The idea of a sampler also got me thinking about which 4-5 episodes I would like to see remastered. Of course, unlike TNG, most of the best and most notable episodes in B5 dealt with the story arcs.

Here are my choices:

Example sampler 1:
Signs and Portent
Coming of Shadows
In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum
The Long Twilight Struggle
Fall of Night

Example sampler 2:
Chrysallis
Points of Departure
Messages from Earth
Point of No Return
Severed Dreams

So let's say, for a millisecond, that the folks at WB know what they are doing and are planning on releasing a Blu-ray sampler. Which 4-5 episodes would you like to see in that sampler?

Z

Good idea. However, picking four or five episodes is really tough. Because I think the Shadows are THE big threat, I'd go wirh your sample set #1. I just wish there was a way to wedge "Messages from Earth" in there. The reveal of the Shadow Battlecrab on Mars is epic.

 

[Elric]

Hi, and welcome. I've not posted here for a while so thought it time to emerge from the shadows again.

Nice idea and I like your choices. Another good one would be the 'The Mystery of Babylon 4' collection (Babylon Squared and War Without End). Although that might be a little strange featuring B4 instead of B5, if no more blu-rays were made, at least it works as a self-contained story.

Alternatively, In the Beginning would be a good choice. Not only is it the best of the movies (IMO), but it would be a logical choice for getting new people into the show (even if it does contain spoilers).

 

[Psi Cop]

I don't think a blu ray release is necessary or will happen. A good idea would be to re-do the sfx on a new dvd release as they don't fit the widescreen well.

 

[Springer]

The quality of the DVDs is appalling with the transfers coming from video tape rather than the film it was shot on. The entire series needs completely remastering.

A sampler probably wouldn't have the most FX-heavy episodes; Warners probably wouldn't want to make that big an investment until they could see how well sampler sold. So we'd probably get the pilot and select first season episodes. So on that basis they might go with something like:

The Gathering
Midnight on the Firing Line
Mind War
And the Sky Full of Stars (and this time get the CGI to match the live action, rather than be done in that 'dreamy' fashion)
Deathwalker
Signs and Portents

Just as a reminder, here is a recent (Nov 13) quote from Warners about the topic: https://www.facebook.com/B5Scrolls/posts/554074721347592

I would hope they'd get Ron Thornton back to supervise the new FX – he and Foundation seemed to 'get' how these ships should move.

 

[Jan]

Just as a reminder, here is a recent (Nov 13) quote from Warners about the topic: https://www.facebook.com/B5Scrolls/posts/554074721347592

I would hope they'd get Ron Thornton back to supervise the new FX – he and Foundation seemed to 'get' how these ships should move.

I know it's a downer but I'm pretty sure that JMS is in a position to know what's really going on and this was his response to that very thing yesterday:

No, not happening, not gonna happen.

Jan

 

[Springer]

I know it's a downer but I'm pretty sure that JMS is in a position to know what's really going on and this was his response to that very thing yesterday:

No, not happening, not gonna happen.

Jan

Can't say I am too surprised; I think one of the problems is that space SF just isn't the 'in' thing at the moment, so there is no market. When that type of show becomes popular again, as it was in the 90s, Warners have a ready-made franchise there to compete in the market and then maybe they'll plough money into it.

But we can dream.

 

[KoshN]

By the time Warner Brothers puts any significant amount of money into any Babylon 5 project, IF that EVER happens, everybody involved with Babylon 5 and Crusade will likely have passed beyond the Rim, including the fans.

 

[Zaiver]

By the time Warner Brothers puts any significant amount of money into any Babylon 5 project, IF that EVER happens, everybody involved with Babylon 5 and Crusade will likely have passed beyond the Rim, including the fans.

Perhaps...but then again, I still feel pretty young. I might be around 100 years from now.

Considering the profit they made from the original DVD release, I wonder why the WB folks haven't released these DVDs again with new features...and maybe a better transfer. That would seem like another good way to assess whether there is still a profit to be made from B5.

 

[Psi Cop]

By the time Warner Brothers puts any significant amount of money into any Babylon 5 project, IF that EVER happens, everybody involved with Babylon 5 and Crusade will likely have passed beyond the Rim, including the fans.

Perhaps...but then again, I still feel pretty young. I might be around 100 years from now.

Considering the profit they made from the original DVD release, I wonder why the WB folks haven't released these DVDs again with new features...and maybe a better transfer. That would seem like another good way to assess whether there is still a profit to be made from B5.

B5 is no longer for sale in Australian shops so hopefully a re-release will have extras and updated sfx. The show was popular here so it's disappointing that it seems to have vanished from sci-fi ( i will NEVER spell it syfy!) consciousness.

 

[KoshN]

By the time Warner Brothers puts any significant amount of money into any Babylon 5 project, IF that EVER happens, everybody involved with Babylon 5 and Crusade will likely have passed beyond the Rim, including the fans.

Perhaps...but then again, I still feel pretty young. I might be around 100 years from now.

Considering the profit they made from the original DVD release, I wonder why the WB folks haven't released these DVDs again with new features...and maybe a better transfer. That would seem like another good way to assess whether there is still a profit to be made from B5.

If somebody altruistically donated 100% of the money to pay for a complete, perfectionist Blu-Ray remastering of 100% of Babylon 5 and Crusade, with new, state-of-the-art effects in 16:9, with all the extras any fan could ever want, so that Warners wouldn't have to risk even one US cent, AND Warners was guaranteed 100% of the money made from sales of those Blu-Rays, Warners would still want more. It's as if the more they think the fans want those discs, the more they'd delight in saying no, and wanting 20% more to make it happen. By 20% more, I mean 20% more than whatever they're offered, such that their requirement could never be reached.

IMHO, Warners = :evil:

The only way would be to buy Babylon 5 and Crusade away from them, and then their asking price would be 20% more than every offer they got, ....again unreachable.

 

[Jan]

The only way would be to buy Babylon 5 and Crusade away from them...

JMS already tried that and it stalled out.

Jan

 

[KoshN]

The only way would be to buy Babylon 5 and Crusade away from them...

JMS already tried that and it stalled out.

Jan

The entire world (minus Warners) would need to try that and it would STILL stall out.

Like I said, IMHO Warners = :evil: .

 

[Lyta's Shadow]

Is Warners HQ a Drahk foothold?

 

[Jan]

No, but the Shadows may have designed their corporate structure. Basically, every division is in competition with every other division so if a project might possibly require cooperation, it's probably never gonna happen.

Jan

 

[KoshN]

No, but the Shadows may have designed their corporate structure. Basically, every division is in competition with every other division so if a project might possibly require cooperation, it's probably never gonna happen.

Jan

I wouldn't doubt that their corporate structure is headed by Lucifer (from "Brimstone") and all other key leadership positions are occupied by other fallen angels and demons (from "Supernatural").