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Doctor Who

asterixsmeagol

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That's right. The only classic serial filmed was Spearhead from Space which already has been released on Blu-ray. Everything else was taped.
 

TM2YC

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bionicbob said:
I need some advice....

Tom Baker's first series comes out on region 1 Blu-ray in June, but is it worth buying?
I already own it on dvd, and I was under the impression, and please correct me if I am wrong, that the reason the original DW episodes have not been released on BR before now was because they were not shot on film?

So would I be just buying DVD quality video (with slight up conversion?) on Blu Ray?  Would the only real difference be rather than all the bonus features being on a seperate disc they would all be on a single BR????

:huh:

It was standard BBC practice at that time to record all the studio stuff on to tape but film all the location material on 16mm, so it's possible that half of each episode could get a boost being on blu-ray. However, I'm not sure if by Tom Baker's time they hadn't started doing the location stuff on tape too. I bought the recent Tom Baker 'Shada' blu-ray and I thought the studio tape looked great, so I'll probably be purchasing this set. Then again I've only got 7 out of 40-ish Tom Baker DVDs, so this set is a good deal for me. If you already own them all on DVD I wouldn't bother.
 

matrixgrindhouse

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It should be noted that, in theory, the Blu-Ray versions of the standard definition material will look a bit better than any Region 1 DVD release.  Doctor Who's SD stuff was in PAL resolution 576i, which gets reduced to 480i for NTSC releases.  Should be less compression, etc.

However.  I'm a little worried they might screw up the field rate.  Ideally, the best way to do it is in 1080i/30 with field repeats.  In other words, it'd allow all 50 fields of the tape stuff to be preserved, with only a slight hit to quality for the film portions.  But if they go for a progressive scan version, we're looking at some serious compromises that could wind up screwing with the tape material.  1080p/30 would mean a loss of up to 2/5 of every field, or some serious blending/blurring artifacts.  1080p/24 would mean losting half of every frame, or bluring, and on top of that, PAL to NTSC speed changes, to boot.  I'm gonna wait until the set is released and reviewed by tech-savvy sources before investing.  Having film material in HD quality is awesome, but if it results in SD stuff that looks worse than the PAL DVD releases, it isn't worth it to me.
 

TM2YC

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Blu-ray can do 1080/50i right? I think Shada is encoded like that.
 

matrixgrindhouse

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Yes, but not in NTSC regions.  Spearhead from Space was in that format in the UK, but the US release was 1080p/24 with speed conversion.
 

bionicbob

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Thanks for all the info my Whovian friends.

I think instead of pre-ordering, I will wait for the official release and for the reviews to roll in before double dipping.  :)
 

matrixgrindhouse

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Reading some posts over here  seem to suggest that all the film footage is sourced from the PAL SD telecine, with no true HD film scans present whatsoever.  If so, that really makes me wonder why they're bothering with a Blu-Ray release at all.
 

bionicbob

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matrixgrindhouse said:
Reading some posts over here  seem to suggest that all the film footage is sourced from the PAL SD telecine, with no true HD film scans present whatsoever.  If so, that really makes me wonder why they're bothering with a Blu-Ray release at all.

The main reason for me to buy it, it is waaaaay cheaper in this new configuration (not to mention less shelf space) than in their original separate region 1 dvd releases.  I mean many of the classic episodes are out of print in North America and would require me to re-mortage my house to collect them LOL.  :p
 

TM2YC

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^ Yep it's a great space saver and money saver if you want to own these. I'm just waiting to hear about the mastering before buying.  Looks like the Region-A release will be labelled as "DW Tom Baker Season 1", while the Region-B release will be labelled as "DW The Collection Season 12":

hqdefault.jpg


11706501-1664564379319408.jpg


I prefer the latter and am imagining how good it'll look on a shelf if/when they do future releases of the other classic Doctors.
 

Zarius

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There's been a leaked clip of Jodie interacting with her companions and it's a blast

she channels a bit of Eccelston in one moment, and asks if being a woman suits her
 

bionicbob

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A nice summary review of the upcoming Tom Baker blu-ray.....

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3TGfBVkZcI[/video]
 

bionicbob

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New CGI FX comparison for the upcoming Blu-ray for the Cyberman episode....

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjEPmGKaaW0[/video]
 

ThrowgnCpr

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very cool that there is the option to watch the original or the new VFX version on the upcoming blu-ray!
 

slekyr

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bionicbob said:
New CGI FX comparison for the upcoming Blu-ray for the Cyberman episode....

It may just be me but I much prefer the original.  Part of the charm, at least for me, of older TV shows are the sets, wardrobe, effects, etc.  They did something similar to this for Star Trek The Original Series and I didn't like it then either.  Even though that ship was a model, I think it holds up much more than that questionable CG.  Not only that, but that CG will be even more dated than it already is in just a few years.
 

slekyr

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ThrowgnCpr said:
very cool that there is the option to watch the original or the new VFX version on the upcoming blu-ray!

My apologies, I didn't see this comment before making my own.  If you do indeed have the option to watch either one, I'm more for that.  I'm sure there are many people who don't share my opinion and like the updated graphics.
 

ThrowgnCpr

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I agree that the originals have a lot of charm and should always be preserved. The update is just a fun "what-if" in my opinion. It's like an updated Star Wars - I'd be okay with George Lucas' fuckery as long as he made the theatrical version available.
 

slekyr

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Valid point @"ThrowgnCpr" , once I saw your comment about being able to choose either option I was on board with the updates.  As for Star Wars, I'll share that same opinion if Disney ever releases the unaltered trilogy which seems more of an option if their purchase of Fox is ever finalized.  Nevertheless, enough about Star Wars and back to The Doctor  :)
 

TM2YC

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Unboxing of the UK blu-ray set and the packaging looks so nice:


The earlier US set has apparently got an audio issue with one episode but I'm yet to hear if they've fixed it for the UK release next week.
 

matrixgrindhouse

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I'm glad they took a Star Trek TOS approach for re-touching the effects - that is, making them optional.  Clean, detailed CGI renders simply don't work when intercut with the vintage costume/set/production design of shows like this.
 

bionicbob

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TM2YC said:
Unboxing of the UK blu-ray set and the packaging looks so nice:


I am so jelly.  The UK release looks gorgeous.

The North American blu-ray appears to lack all the cool niffy packaging.  On the flip side, it is thinner than the UK release and will fit on the Blu ray shelf nicely.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw5fJAVY684[/video]

When I get mine, I will probably redo the cover so it says Season 12 instead of Season 1.   Why do they feel they need to dumb it down for us across the pond?   :p
 
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