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2021-10-10, 01:40 AM
(This post was last modified: 2021-10-10, 01:42 AM by CaveDoctor.)
Alright, so I'm curious about combining the recent remaster of Babylon 5 with an upscaled DVD.
I've seen both and did a little test.
https://ibb.co/LzzJ9qG
I wanted to see exactly what the two would look like together, and did a very crude stack of two screenshots.
One is an upscale of the DVDs, the other is from a rip of the remaster.
I'd need to color time both, and add grain.
I know Topaz can denoise them, and I tried to tint the screenshots to match, with no luck.
They also seem to be at different exposures, which is good.
But I'm also curious, how well can I hide the border between the 4:3 image, and the 16:9 image, If I wanted this to be palatable in 16:9.
Also, what frame stacking tools are available?
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You should activate your copy of Windows 
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(2021-10-10, 02:10 AM)stwd4nder2 Wrote: You should activate your copy of Windows
If Windows 10 wasn't an abomination I would.
I'll build a gaming PC if Windows 11 is worth a shit.
Otherwise, I'm holding out for a copy of Windows 7.
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Haha. Windows 7 over Windows 10 any day of the week.
I saw the title of this thread and thought you were considering upscaling the CGI space shots from the DVD, as they're uncropped, unlike the recent remaster. That would be something I'd definitely be keen on.
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(2021-10-10, 03:03 PM)Kreeep Wrote: Haha. Windows 7 over Windows 10 any day of the week.
I saw the title of this thread and thought you were considering upscaling the CGI space shots from the DVD, as they're uncropped, unlike the recent remaster. That would be something I'd definitely be keen on.
It appears someone else has started a project.
But the upscaling of CG shots is part of their project.
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(2021-10-10, 03:03 PM)Kreeep Wrote: the CGI space shots from the DVD, as they're uncropped
No, the CGI space shots were only ever rendered at 4:3, the original broadcast aspect ratio. For the DVDs, they were cropped and then they had to be enlarged as well, and there is a whole mess of explanations about all of this that you can find elsewhere online. And not only the space CGI shots, but any effects shot, including PPG shots, as well as any regular footage that has a crossfade from an effects shot.
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(2021-10-26, 03:39 PM)Preserve Wrote: (2021-10-10, 03:03 PM)Kreeep Wrote: the CGI space shots from the DVD, as they're uncropped
No, the CGI space shots were only ever rendered at 4:3, the original broadcast aspect ratio. For the DVDs, they were cropped and then they had to be enlarged as well, and there is a whole mess of explanations about all of this that you can find elsewhere online. And not only the space CGI shots, but any effects shot, including PPG shots, as well as any regular footage that has a crossfade from an effects shot.
The VFX assets survived past the 1990s.
There are several people who have remastered and rerendered them in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
So, it's also possible to recover them.
Warner never took the time to do that.
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CaveDoctor is right - Tom Smith did a remaster (a re-render) of the original vfx assets. They still look astounding.
Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtNtUIb..._MA/videos
But the assets are in-complete, he only has bits and peaces, but if all do exist, a re-rendering is not nearly as expensive as creating them from scratch (obviously).
The fanbase (and I think even JMS himself) thought that all assets were lost (they were rendered on an Amiga for the first few seasons IIRC) .
@ CaveDoctor: do you have more information on that matter?
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(2022-01-11, 12:29 AM)Dominus Wrote: CaveDoctor is right
I don't dispute that some assets have survived! And that they could be re-rendered at least in part, which would be interesting, although personally I'd prefer to see the show as originally broadcast, 4:3 with the original effects rendered at the time with the original software. Strangely enough, seaQuest DSV on Blu-ray is actually the best example of that, where the CGI looks as good and is as authentic as it can be (nothing was redone) just like any feature film with CGI, because it was actually output to film. Anyway, I was just correcting the assertion that the DVDs contained "uncropped" versions of the original CGI shots, which they don't. The DVDs take the original 4:3 shots (again, including any shot with any composite effect, such as everything from simple cross-fades to PPG effects) and extract a 16:9 portion, which then went through additional processing. Hopefully with the HD masters they'll at least get the show on Blu-ray, even if they don't go to any trouble to do something with the effects.
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