WB considering HD update

[Lyta's Shadow]

Remastered in this day and age suggests an upgrade to HD and clearly this isn't what has been going on. I think there have been a few annoyed reviews from people expecting highe image resolution and just finding a 4:3 image instead.

 

[Looney]

Remastered in this day and age suggests an upgrade to HD and clearly this isn't what has been going on. I think there have been a few annoyed reviews from people expecting highe image resolution and just finding a 4:3 image instead.

Yes I think you hit the nail squarely on the head there. Only once has Amazon displayed the term "Re-Mastered" when I have gone to watch an episode, so they can't even get the graphic right.

POST 780!!!!!

Are you all planning something for my 800TH post when I get there?

 

[Lyta's Shadow]

POST 780!!!!!

Are you all planning something for my 800TH post when I get there?

I shall send you a priceless Drakh antique box which may or may not contain a cuddly Keeper for you xxx

 

[Bester]

So, I'm left wondering if Amazon is still rolling-out the original 4:3 editions or not. The most recent user review for Season 1 says that the episodes are still 16:9, the same as the DVD release.

I'm so confused. I'm tempted to get them on iTunes, but I'm just not an Apple guy.

 

[Springer]

So, I'm left wondering if Amazon is still rolling-out the original 4:3 editions or not. The most recent user review for Season 1 says that the episodes are still 16:9, the same as the DVD release.

I'm so confused. I'm tempted to get them on iTunes, but I'm just not an Apple guy.

You might be able to get them on Blu-Ray soon – someone on Trek.bbs posted about a report of a set coming in March:

https://thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/113020-1400

"Also, we’re starting to hear rumors that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is cooking up a Blu-ray release of the classic Babylon 5 TV series, which would presumably involve some kind of upsampling and remastering. But a number of European retailers have set a Babylon 5: Complete Collection for tentative Blu-ray release in March. We’ll keep our eyes on this and post as we learn more."

I'm assuming they are the 'remastered' versions, which will do for me – so long as the errors are fixed! Hope the extras are going to be good. Does anyone have any preferences on what extras they should include?

PS. for what it's worth, they still say 'remastered' on Apple and they are still the 4:3 versions. I'd better download them to my hard drive in case they vanish like on Amazon!

 

[Bester]

Don't be getting my hopes up like this, Springer!!!

 

[Looney]

Don't be getting my hopes up like this, Springer!!!

Oh that news did the opposite for me because of all of these "Re-Mastering" issues we are hearing about. I can't believe we might actually get a Blu-Ray release and that we already know it will likely be messed up.

 

[Bester]

Don't be getting my hopes up like this, Springer!!!

Oh that news did the opposite for me because of all of these "Re-Mastering" issues we are hearing about. I can't believe we might actually get a Blu-Ray release and that we already know it will likely be messed up.

Yeah, I have that fear too. I may hold off buying any new release until the reviews come in.

 

[Springer]

I remember when they released season 5 on DVD. It was missing the entire teaser on The Fall of Centauri Prime, but apparently WB went back and fixed it for later releases. Hopefully they'll do the same here before issuing the Blu-Ray. From what I can gather it's just Babylon Squared and Hour of the Wolf that are affected?

 

[Bester]

Some interesting details listed on www.discshop.se:

Release Date: 2021-03-19
Country of origin: England
Distributor: Warner UK
EAN code: 5051892231879

Price: 1,290kr (around £113)

 

[Springer]

Some interesting details listed on www.discshop.se:

Release Date: 2021-03-19
Country of origin: England
Distributor: Warner UK
EAN code: 5051892231879

Price: 1,290kr (around £113)

Seems a little pricy, considering I got my TNG blu-ray boxset last year for £49. For ~£113 I'd hope for not just all five seasons, but the pilot, 4 TV movies, Crusade, LOTR, Lost Tales, 5.1 surround sound and a ton of new special features!

I've always found blu-ray boxsets to be a little overpriced. For example I was looking at the Miami Vice blu-ray box set but just wasn't willing to pay £70-80 for a 35-year old show, so settled for the DVDs instead. B5 is different though, and I'll buy it regardless. And it's still about the same price as getting just one season on VHS, so I guess it's not that bad in hindsight.

 

[Bester]

Some interesting details listed on www.discshop.se:

Release Date: 2021-03-19
Country of origin: England
Distributor: Warner UK
EAN code: 5051892231879

Price: 1,290kr (around £113)

Seems a little pricy, considering I got my TNG blu-ray boxset last year for £49. For ~£113 I'd hope for not just all five seasons, but the pilot, 4 TV movies, Crusade, LOTR, Lost Tales, 5.1 surround sound and a ton of new special features!

I've always found blu-ray boxsets to be a little overpriced. For example I was looking at the Miami Vice blu-ray box set but just wasn't willing to pay £70-80 for a 35-year old show, so settled for the DVDs instead. B5 is different though, and I'll buy it regardless. And it's still about the same price as getting just one season on VHS, so I guess it's not that bad in hindsight.

Yes, it is a little on the pricey side. I would assume it would be cheaper in the UK, as is being distributed by Warner UK.

I feel your pain. I recently paid £75 for the Miami Vice bluray boxset (one of my fav shows). However, it was produced by a lesser-known company ('Fabulous') and, presumably, not in the quantities you would expect from a mass-produced boxset from someone like Warners. I'm sure this played a significant factor in the price.

EDIT: Just carried out a bit of investigative work on EAN code 5051892231879. Turns out was recently issued in the UK. No title has been assigned to it yet, but I will keep my eye on it.

 

[Looney]

EDIT: Just carried out a bit of investigative work on EAN code 5051892231879. Turns out was recently issued in the UK. No title has been assigned to it yet, but I will keep my eye on it.

Just give me an ALL REGION Blu-Ray Release. I have no problem getting it shipped to me from the U.K. I can wait.

 

[EnochTheProphet]

Just give me an ALL REGION Blu-Ray Release. I have no problem getting it shipped to me from the U.K. I can wait.

Yeah same, I feel you. I am just now realizing these "gremlins" present in DVD releases, as well as digital streaming sites that use edits and out of order episodes that present a real problem to the show.


These reddit AI machine-learning upscales look great, which gives me hope about the future of AI.



However I worry about copyright, so ALL REGION may not be feasible? Hey I'm not a lawyer, I just like to portray one on television :thumbsup:


Fair use is very much reliable. However, we've been struggling with these issues for quite some time it seems (see DMCA takedowns on the streaming site twitch).

Only time will tell how such issues may resolve themselves. We know the nature of WB, especially in 2020, so the results remain to be seen.

 

[Springer]

Just give me an ALL REGION Blu-Ray Release. I have no problem getting it shipped to me from the U.K. I can wait.

Yeah same, I feel you. I am just now realizing these "gremlins" present in DVD releases, as well as digital streaming sites that use edits and out of order episodes that present a real problem to the show.


These reddit AI machine-learning upscales look great, which gives me hope about the future of AI.



However I worry about copyright, so ALL REGION may not be feasible? Hey I'm not a lawyer, I just like to portray one on television :thumbsup:


Fair use is very much reliable. However, we've been struggling with these issues for quite some time it seems (see DMCA takedowns on the streaming site twitch).

Only time will tell how such issues may resolve themselves. We know the nature of WB, especially in 2020, so the results remain to be seen.

Welcome to the forum!

I don't know the ins and outs of it, and it will depend on the labyrinthine workings of Warner Bros, but if there's to be a separate European edition as seems the case, it'll be multi-lingual and this might not necessarily carry over onto the extras, so it might be the European version won't get all the extras the US version gets (I hope that's not the case). I think on the DVDs we did get all the extras, except on the TV movies boxset. There's also the packaging to think about that might be multilingual. I don't think the lack of an all region boxset will be down to copyright – I can't think of any source music or anything that WB doesn't own that's in the show that could prove a copyright issue in different countries.

 

[Looney]

I've not heard any mention of a U.S. release. I might have missed something, but so far I've only heard rumors of a WB U.K. release. Please tell me I am wrong?

 

[Lyta's Shadow]

Just noticed Amazon have slashed the price of each steaming season to £7.99, they were £14.99 yesterday. Might get myself one or two as an early Christmas present...!

 

[Psi Cop]

I have just started watching the iTunes versions because they have changed from their awful widescreen version to the original 4:3. Very happy with it because there is no more cropping and picture loss when showing scenes with SFX. Someone has obviously decided it was a mistake to try and present the show in widescreen because of these issues (20 years too late of course). Not worried about missing the pot plants from Sheridan's office as all scenes had to be shot with 4:3 in mind so cast had to congregate in the middle of the screen! Apple version is still SD but I'm not fussed.

 

[Jan]

The colors are much better, too. I'm really glad they finally did this.

 

[Looney]

Yes so far everything I've seen has looks pretty great. I mean by comparison it looks noticeably better than it did. So by the word "great" I just mean it makes me happy that it has looked better than it did.