I was wondering if anyone possibly has and could share the laserdisc PCM stereo track for Disney's The Little Mermaid. I have also heard rumors of a cinema track and would be interested too, if it's available.

I absolutely hate the new DEHT mix on the newer DVDs and the 7.1 track on the new blu-ray sounds very different too. The "best" older audio was found on the 1999 NTSC DVD that had a decent sounding 5.1 mix but the odd thing about it is that all of the sfx are in the front center channel.

Thanx

As I did on originaltrilogy.com, I thought I'd propose a preservation project for some classic Hitchcock movies, which are considered among the best of all time. The BDs released by Universal in their Masterpiece set and subsequently stand-alone were nice but occasionally imperfect.

1. Vertigo (1958), while good looking, pales in comparison to a vintage IB print. I would propose timing the BD master, which has a healthy amount of detail from a 4K scan, to the look of an IB print. Scenes that are in particularly need of retiming are the final bell tower scenes and some of the night scenes. In general, the Blu lacks color and contrast. To this end, I can provide references from a 1958 dye-transfer print for a BD-based project.
   
   
2. Rear Window (1954) is also flawed. For their BD release, Universal chose to forego the wonderful 2000 Harris/Katz restoration. As a result, the BD's colors are somewhat weaker. A preservation project of this would be based on the 1080i HDTV-TS file that was floating around a few years ago. Based off a scan of the 2000 restoration, it should be quite presentable without much tweaking.
   
   
3. Frenzy (1972) was DNR'ed to death. Like Rear Window, a preservation of this would be based on the 1080i HDTV-TS file that was floating around a few years ago. Despite being a dated master and 25 fps, it doesn't have the grain reduction of the BD. I've been trying to get it off of RuTracker but am stuck at 37.59%.
   
   
4. The Man who Knew Too Much (1956) has garnered a decent amount of controversy, particularly from Robert Harris, who, due to budget issues, never got an appropriate crack at this title. The BD stems from a badly faded film element; as a result, the color flickers, clearly unstable. Interestingly enough, though, the first DVD release uses a different master, presumably a film print struck when the "Lost Hitchcocks" were reissued in the 1980s. It's quite an old/rough transfer, but the color seems consistent, no doubt because the (badly stored?) elements further deteriorated over the last thirty years.
   
   In lieu of the official restoration, which Harris demands must happen, an ideal fan preservation could use the chroma (color) of the old DVD and the luma of the BD master, which has sufficient detail. Please excuse me my technical ignorance, but I believe this is the technology made famous with projects, such as Andrea's The Thing and Halloween. Officially, it's also been used to restore some Doctor Who episodes. Were it to work, such a project would preserve the film in high quality if all else fails.
   

(WHICH WOULD BE WONDERFUL )

Anyone who has seen my composite sets* on KG, MySpleen, CG, Cinematik, etc., may sense where this is going, but I'm still not sure what it is I'm after. I've collected all of the commentaries and extras that would be remotely relevant to the film and/or Sid Vicious. That includes the Criterion DVD (commentary and lots of other extras), the US Blu-ray (some topical featurettes), the Momentum R2 DVD (commentary, interview w/Alex Cox), and clips from Who Killed Nancy?, The Filth and the Fury, DOA: A Right of Passage, The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle, and Who Killed Bill?, and a chapter from a book about director Alex Cox. I've also collected the soundtracks for all of the movies above, as well as Sid Vicious' solo album, and a live version of his solo stuff.

It all adds up to just over 2 DVD9s and lots of false starts in organizing it. None of this is helped by using DVDStyler, the promising, but wildly buggy software that is simply less intimidating than DVDLab Pro. Since I have more than 2 audio tracks on the main movie, TMPGENC DVD Author 4 is out, but no other software that I've tried has as much flexibility as Styler has. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and start over with DVDLab Pro? At least that way, the notion of audio titles would work far better than adding the music as audio streams, or trying something tricky with Styler that makes me add 20 menu pages. Not to mention the blurry slideshows Styler puts out.

So, I'm listening. I've put too much work into this set to just throw it out, but there's only a slight thematic connection to all of the material, with it mostly being about Vicious in real life, Vicious in the movie, and the music by The Sex Pistols. Maybe this was all meant to be an incomplete mess, seeing as Sid Vicious is famous not for his talent, but his attitude and his inevitable early death, and the fact that such a popular band burned out after just one album and 70% of a tour.






*This is Spinal Tap: Supertorrent
The Magnificent Ambersons: Criterion Laserdisc and everything else
Wyatt Earp: Expanded Edition
Hawaii: Roadshow Version
The Lawnmower Man: Director's Cut w/Laserdisc extras
She's Gotta Have It: Criterion Laserdisc
City of Hope (with a slew of original extras)
What Happened Was...
Texasville: Director's Cut
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?: Special Edition
The Run of the Country: Laserdisc Preservation
The New Age: Special Edition
Boxing Helena: Laserdisc Box Set
Slaughter of the Innocents: LD extras
Dead Poets Society: Extended Cut
And a bunch of others I can't remember...

_,,,^..^,,,_ presents The Ice Pirates [spoRv]



| PROJECTS: Released | In progress | Future | Mission & Setup |

Mission: to release The Ice Pirates on BD
Video source: HDTV, WEB download
Audio sources: HDTV, WEB download, DVD
Subtitles sources: Various.

Project info:
The Ice Pirates iis not available on BD; the only HD version found is a 1080i HDTV, but it has a quite big logo, plus some broken/missing frames... so I took a 720p WEB download, used it to wipe out the logo, and replace the broken/missing frames;audio is taken from the WEB download, and various HDTV andl DVD.

Source Material

Video:

• The Ice Pirates - HDTV 1080i 25fps
  
• The Ice Pirates - WEB download 720p 23.976fps
  

• The Ice Pirates - HDTV
  
• The Ice Pirates - WEB download
  
• The Ice Pirates - DVD
  

• English, French, German, Italian, Spanish.
  

To everyone!

List of Blu-ray different from other media (last update: 2015/04/04)

Title                               Media      Difference from BD        HD Fan Projects

2001: A Space Odyssey               DVD,LD     color grading
A Clockwork Orange                  DVD,LD     color grading
A Nightmare on Elm Street           DVD,LD     color grading
A.I. Artificial Intelligence        DVD        color grading
Abyss, The                          LD         1.90:1 AR – open matte?
Abyss, The                          HDTV       not on BD                 Docsap
Ace Ventura                         DVD        color grading
Ace Ventura 2                       DVD        color grading
Alien                               DVD        color grading
Alien Resurrection                  DVD        color grading
Aliens                              D-VHS,LD   color grading
Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (UR)   DVD        missing two shots         [spoRv]
Apocalypse Now                      DVD,LD,VHS 1.90:1 AR – DoP approved
Apollo 13                           HDTV       open matte
Arrival, The                        DVD        color grading             [spoRv]
Back To The Future                  DCP        no DNR, no EE             remux
Batman                              DVD        color grading
Batman Returns                      DVD        color grading
Beauty and the Beast                LD         color grading             [spoRv]
Big Trouble In Little China         DVD,LD     color grading
Bravehearth                         DVD,LD     color grading
Charley Varrick                     BD         color grading
Cheers (TV series)                  HDTV       open matte?
Collateral                          HDTV       open matte
Contact                             DVD        color grading
Curse of Frankenstein               DVD        color grading
Deep, The                           DVD        color grading
Do the Right Thing                  DVD,LD     color grading
Duck You Sucker                     DVD        color grading
Edward Scissorhands                 LD         open matte
Escape From New York                HDTV       color grading, framing    [spoRv]
Evil Dead                           DVD,LD     color grading
Exorcist, The                       DVD,LD     color grading             Docsap
Eyes Wide Shut                      DVD        color grading
Fellowship of the Rings (EE)        DVD        color grading             kk650
Fog, The                            DVD        color grading
Gladiator                           HDTV       open matte
Great Escape, The                   DVD        color grading             Dvdmike
Halloween                           DVD THX    color grading             [spoRv]
Horror of Dracula                   DVD        color grading
Independence Day (EE)               DVD        not on BD
Jurassic Park                       DVD,LD     color grading             [ruLes]
Labyrinth                           DVD,LD     color grading
Léon - The Professional             DVD,LD     color grading
Mad Max 2                           DVD,LD     color grading
Mask, The                           DVD,LD     color grading
Matrix, The                         HDTV       open matte, color grading
Matrix, The                         DVD        color grading             kk650, [spoRv]
Minority Report                     DVD        color grading             [spoRv] WIP
Mission: Impossible                 DVD,LD     color grading
Night of the Living Dead (1990)     DVD,LD     color grading
Raiders of the Lost Ark (WOWOW)     HDTV       color grading
Ransom (EE)                         LD         not on BD
Ring, The                           D-VHS      color grading
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves       HDTV       theatrical cut            [spoRv] WIP
Robocop                             DVD,LD     color grading
Searchers, The                      DVD,LD     color grading
Se7en                               DVD,LD     color grading, framing
Shining, The                        DVD,LD     color grading
Silence of the Lambs, The           DVD,LD     color grading
Soylent Green                       DVD,LD     color grading
Superman I                          DVD,LD     color grading
Superman II                         DVD,LD     color grading
Superman III                        DVD,LD     color grading
Superman IV                         DVD,LD     color grading
Superman V                          DVD,LD     color grading
Suspiria                            DVD,LD     color grading             Docsap
Ten Commandments, The               DVD,LD     color grading
Terminator 2: Judgement Day         DVD,LD     color grading
Terminator 2: Judgement Day         DVD        pan&scan – DoP approved
Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines  HDTV       open matte
Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines  DVD        color grading
Thing, The                          HD-DVD     no DNR                    [spoRv]
Titanic                             DVD        color grading             kk650
Top Gun                             LD,VHS     2.10:1 AR
Total Recall                        DVD,LD     color grading             [spoRv] WIP
True Lies                           D-VHS      not on BD                 Team Blu WIP
True Lies (HDNET)                   HDTV       not on BD
Waterworld                          HD-DVD     no DNR                    [spoRv] WIP
Waterworld (EE)                     DVD        not on BD
Wyatt Earp (EE)                     DVD        not on BD

Notes:

Latest additions in bold. All titles are US broadcasting unless noted otherwise; may be also worldwide valid.

Hello everyone,

I'm registered on OT.com.

List of Blu-ray with altered aspect ratios (last update: 2014/03/11)

OAR        BD AR         Title

2.39:1     1.78:1        50 Dead Men Walking
1.33:1     1.78:1        Angel in the Family
2.39:1     1.78:1        Baaria
Variable A/R             Biutiful
2.39:1     1.78:1 cr     Blade (CA)
2.39:1     1.78:1        Bloodrayne (DE)
Variable A/R             Brainstorm
2.39:1     1.85:1        Brooklyn's Finest (CA)
Variable A/R             Brother Bear
2.39:1     1.78:1        Camille
2.39:1     1.78:1        Cellular (CA)
2.39:1     1.78:1 DA     Chronicles of Narnia, The: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
1.66:1     1.78:1        Cruel Game
2.39:1     1.78:1        Cursed (Echo Bridge)
Variable A/R             Dark Knight, The
2.39:1     1.78:1        Darkness (Echo Bridge)
2.39:1     1.78:1 cr     Dr. Giggles
2.39:1     1.78:1        Dracula 2000
1.66:1     1.33:1 om     Elena and Her Men (FR)
Variable A/R             Enchanted
2.39:1     1.78:1 om     Equilibrium (CA)
2.39:1     1.78:1 cr     Equilibrium (US, UK)
1.66:1     1.78:1        Excalibur
1.85:1     1.78:1 cr     Faculty, The (CA)
1.75:1     1.66:1        Fox and the Hound, The
1.66:1     1.33:1 om     French Cancan (UK) (FR)
Variable A/R             Galaxy Quest (3 ARs in theaters, 2 ARs in BD)
Variable A/R             Grand Budapest Hotel
1.37:1     1.78:1        Gulliver's Travels (1939)
2.39:1     1.78:1 om     Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (US, CA)
Variable A/R             Hunger Games: Catching Fire 
2.39:1     1.78:1        Icy Killers
2.39:1     1.78:1        Ink
1.33:1     1.78:1        Invisible Man, The: The Complete Series (1975-76)
1.66:1     1.37:1 om     Ladykillers, The (1955)
2.39:1     2.02:1 cr     Last Emperor, The
Variable A/R             Life of Pi
1.85.1     1.33:1 om     Little Shop of Horrors, The (1960)
2.39:1     1.78:1        Lookout, The (Echo Bridge)
1.33:1     1.78:1        Lucky Luke: les Dalton en Cavale (CA)
Variable A/R             Mad Max 2 (a.k.a. The Road Warrior)
1.33:1     1.78:1        Man Who Saved Christmas, The
Variable A/R             Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol (theater)
2.39:1     1.78:1        Money for Nothing
1.85:1     1.67:1        Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Variable A/R             More American Graffiti
2.20:1     2.38:1        My Fair Lady
1.85:1     1.33:1 cr     Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Optimum UK)
1.85:1     1.67:1        Nightmare Before Christmas, The
2.39:1     1.78:1 DA     Once Upon a Time in Mexico
1.66:1     1.33:1 om     One + One / Sympathy for the Devil (UK) (FR)
2.39:1     1.78:1        Outcasts: Season One
2.39:1     1.78:1        Outlander (CA)
Variable A/R             Oz The Great and Powerful 
1.85:1     1.33:1 om     Plan 9 From Outer Space
2.39:1     1.78:1 DA     Planet Terror (Unrated)
1.66:1     1.78:1        Pride & Prejudice (1995)
Variable A/R             Prometheus (IMAX Edition)
1.33:1     1.78:1        Roadracers
2.39:1     1.78:1        Running Scared (CA)
2.39:1     1.78:1        Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage
Variable A/R             Scott Pilgrim vs The World
2.39:1     1.78:1        Se7en (CA)
1.37:1     1.33:1        Seven Samurai
2.39:1     1.78:1        Shadows and Lies
2.39:1     2.28:1        Shaun of the Dead
Variable A/R             Star Trek - Into Darkness (theater)
2.39:1     1.78:1        Supercop (Echo Bridge)
2.39:1     1.78:1        Sympathy for Delicious (US, CA)
1.33:1     1.78:1 om     That '70s Show: Season 1
Variable A/R             The Amazing Spider-Man (IMAX Edition)
1.37:1     1.78:1        Tintin: The Calculus Affair (CA)
Variable A/R             Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen (IMAX Edition)
Variable A/R             Tron: Legacy
2.39:1     1.78:1        Venom
2.39:1     1.78:1        Versus
1.66:1     1.58:1 om     Virgin Witch
1.66:1     1.78:1        White Christmas
2.39:1     1.78:1        Witches of Oz, The
1.37:1     1.78:1        World at War, The
2.39:1     1.78:1 DA     World’s Fastest Indian, The
2.39:1     1.78:1        Yards, The

Notes:
om = open matte
cr = cropped
DA = Director Approved
Latest additions in bold. DVD will be added only as "exception that proves the rule". NO 1.85:1 to 1.78:1 will be listed. All titles are US releases unless noted otherwise; may be also worldwide valid.

[Image: 03449.jpg]

This took no time at all - editing by picture revealed the laserdisc and BD masters to be an almost perfect match. Hopefully this simply means that the same film print was used, rather than the same video master (17 years apart!)

A couple of points:

This sync is designed for the original 2008 BD release (MPEG-2 video, no excessive DNR). I have no idea how well it will work with the 2010 edition, since I don't own it - if anyone tries it out perhaps they can let the rest of us know!

This laserdisc track was unfortunately mastered to peak at -6dB, so the volume and dynamic range aren't what they could have been. I've resisted the urge to normalise, but your amp/receiver will have to work a little harder. At least it has plenty of punch when you do crank it up

Does anyone have screen cap comparisons of this? I'm interested in knowing if it's worth getting.

Thanks