In that regard, Harmy's Despecialized Edition is a masterpiece, made out of love by a real artisan. It really made me feel like the 8 years old boy I was back in 1978, when I discovered STAR WARS for the first time. I didn't know about Team Negative One though. When fans become librarians of the big cultural biomass out there... Poetic and brilliant.
*When fans become librarians of the big cultural biomass out there... Poetic and brilliant.* Yup! And have i every version of these fan restored remastered efforts of the original Star Wars trilogy in some capacity on my hard drives and on DVD/Blu-ray so i'm happy to be an admirer of many of these endeavors! - *Star Wars The Hyperspace Collection* (by OmegaMattman) - *Star Wars: Harmy's Despecialized Edition* - *Star Wars Silver Screen Edition* (by Team Negative One) - *Star Wars 4K77 trilogy* (by Team Negative One) 😎😀
It's a scary shame that the original "Star Wars" is in the Library of Congress, but there is no actual print of it in the Library of Congress, as George Lucas wanted to give them a Special Edition version instead.
Library of Congress did have the original movies. But the versions they had were sent for Copyright reasons in 77, 80 and 83 and thus were unawaible for viewings and research. Also Empire Strikes Back was in bad shape. A later report says that Library of Congress screened The Original Trilogy in 2018 "Star Wars Under The Stars" so it seems they eventually did managed to get George to send them the real versions.
@Mammoth Supremacy 55 Correction, those are the laser disc scans of the pre-special edition rerelease versions. They are midling quality between VHS and DVD, but at least they are letterboxed.
I’ve just watched and listened to a guy talking to camera for 25 minutes about the film used for Star Wars and fan attempts to preserve the original prints - I’m not even a hardcore Star Wars fan! You kept my attention. 👍🏼
@@nicholasdickens2801 Not completely true, George cared about presentation. It was the content IN the presentation that was the issue. He wrongly assumed the fans would be happy to see additional special effects added, just because he wished the special editions were the films he had made in the first place, doesn't mean anyone else does. He should have understood this and had the theatrical versions re-scanned, remastered and released.
I remember when I first watched many old films on digital TV, then HD when it first came out and was surprised by how much better and cleaner they all looked than it did in grainy analogue. Now I know why, and I wouldn't go back.
"You're watching the LASERDISC!" Thank you! You will not believe how many people I've had this argument with in the past few years. Trying to explain video lines of resolution, and film resolution and watching people's eyes glaze over... I'll just send them the link to this video from now on!
I suspect the Laserdisc master tape was at least a digital tape. By 1990, it was common to master Laserdisc using digital video tape. I don' know the source or how it was scanned. It would be interesting to learn about the origin of the LD master.
Harmy Despecialized is the closest thing I’ve yet to see to an “Original Trilogy Theatrical Release,” based on his amount of work on vintage sources, and the level of mastery of his frame by frame corrections. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to see Team -1’s version, but if it’s as intensive a project as what Harmy has accomplished, I’m sure it’s a quality original theatrical experience. (And yes, I was in line on May 25th, 1977 and Star Wars has been a huge part of my life since I was 14 years old.)
Very different idea, as Michael mentions. TN1 is actually doing it off original prints, so it's a matter of cleaning those up (to put it too simply). They look beautiful, I gotta get a 4k TV! Whereas Harmy's magnificent work is taking all the different versions available to the public and doing what he can to HD from there. Tiresome work, but what a job he did.
@wannabchomsky By original experience I mean the original theatre experience. Harmy's main source for the despec is the blu-ray which is sourced from the original negative, people weren't watching the original 35mm negative in cinemas in '77 they were watching prints. That's why I said the original experience. Have you tried the recent colour regrade of 4K77 it's way better than the 1st version and gets rid of a lot of the green tint.
Harmy takes the flawed 2011 bluray releases, made from the 1080p scans talked about in this video and painstakingly removes "special edition" stuff. The colors are just as fucked as the bluray. It is an edit of a compressed version of a poor-color edit of an old scan of the original (or as original as they could get since the original negative degraded too far from 1977-1995 to be useful). 4K77 scanned multiple theatrical prints in 4K and restored them. These prints are copies of copies and lose information but are as good as a consumer can acquire. 4K77 is the closest to the original you will see as of this post BUT the level of work is that of a hobbyist. Lots of scratches and dust remain, despite their best efforts. And although the color correction isn't fucked like the bluray, it wasn't done all that much. And it was an overall correction. That's why the desert scenes look so overexposed in 4K77 and there's green fringing in multiple scenes. But at least the details remain. The DNR version turned out too yellow and has more green where it doesn't belong but retains higher contrast in most scenes. The non-DNR version turned out too dull in many scenes but looks better overall. There's another fellow (Mike Verta) who has released demos of his own restoration project. He pays far more detail to colour correction than 4K77 - even getting in touch with people who worked on models and painting props in 1977 - and from his demos, he's also created an excellent process for combining the best of multiple film sources to retain detail. He has no current intent to release but has been attempting to pitch his restoration project to Disney. If they don't go with it, I just hope he has a release plan in place for if he dies.
I found your channel when you teamed up with WCBS and subbed, but YT never recommended any of your vids. I'm glad I checked out your channel a second time. I like how you're doing videos on what interests you rather than keeping the channel on just one topic. It's inspiring, because I have a lot of random things I would like to say and make videos on, but I don't want to make separate channels for every topic. It's cool to see someone pulling it off.
Michael, you are the man. On behalf of cinema fanatics everywhere - THANK YOU. The best way I ever heard the negative vs print issue explained is - the negative is the score, the print is the performance. If the print is bad, that does not inherently mean the film was poorly made, just that the people making the print weren't doing their best.
I want a 4K version on physical media and not just Disney plus. If Disney doesn’t want to preserve the movies on physical media they should let Shout Factory or Criterion do it.
Heard they are putting out 4k discs next year but they might not use the higher data discs to save money like in Endgame fingers crossed they treat it right.
@@Tr0nzoid Disney knows they can make a ton of money by releasing the pre-1997 versions. However Lucas likely had stipulations in his contract that prevent it from happening.
Michael always seems to have a bit of an edge in these 'unplugged' episodes. Like he's been waiting in line at the DMV for about six hours prior to getting in front of the camera.
Thank you. Thank you for reminding everyone that film is a higher resolution than Blu-ray. I constantly have this argument (usually with the same people that hated letterbox). Thanks for bringing the 4K77 version to our attention. I have to go searching. I have to say, you and I are identical in collecting films. I'm constantly in search of the best, clearest version of specific films. I think I have the same versions you do, of Star Wars. Great video.
Thank GOD for Team Negative 1! When I didn't have a job and I saw the original trilogy on discount, I just couldn't miss it, I gave my last money for it. Then I saw the ending of Return of the Jedi and saw Hayden Christensen's face I could not believe it. I gave my money for... this.
Star Wars was completely restored by Mike Verta. He works in the industry and showed Lucasfilm his work. It is beyond anything Lucasfilm or Lowry had done or attempted to restore the film. It is an unlikely possibility that they may release his restoration. He has documented some of what he did on his vimeo channel.
Verta's work is stunning. He's actually pulled together a cleaner image from frame stacking of IDENTICAL frames using multiple film prints rather than the lesser method of temporal frame stacking using before and after frames. The other guys are using digital techniques to repair damage and reverse color fading.
@@dasooperb1371 Nope, he's created these best version in the world, but refuses to share it. He's too scared of getting in trouble (even though none of the other fan edit people ever got in trouble).
@@DerekMoore82 it's a shame but I understand his fears. Theyre valid worries. Also, he should get paid for his hard work, but he can't if he just releases it for free somewhere. If he does charge people for copies that's where the Lucas film lawyers come in.
@@dasooperb1371 Since he works in the industry, he doesn't want to make waves. I hope his work sees the light of day, eventually, either as an official release, or as an underground release.
A while ago I took the originals from the DVD, removed the pillar bars and letterboxing, and put it on a new disc so it would fill a 16:9 TV a little better. Not only were they taken from the laser discs, but they kept the 4:3 image formatting. Lucasfilm put no effort at all into them and it’s a tragedy. I checked out the 1080p versions that OT put out years ago, they were pretty good. I wish Disney would put out a set with all 4 major cuts (unaltered, 1997 SE, 2004 DVD, 2011 BD) so everyone can experience all the versions.
Seriously - thank you for this video. Back when those DVD’s with the laser-disc rips were released I remember some voices screeching how “well, if you wanted the original unaltered trilogy this is what it looks like” and that asking for a good DVD quality version was like crying for a sliver of the special edition without the other alterations. Thanks for doing your part at setting the record straight.
Thanks for the educational video Michael! I didn't know how 4K worked. It's an eye opener. I have the Harmy despecialized editions and was already mindblown by those. It's awesome team negative 1 is going all the way for 4K Star Wars. It's sad how Lucasfilm refuses to release the original cuts. Long live the fandom!
Love these restorations- Take me right back to the cinema - I also really miss my "Lapti Nek" sleazy space funk! - You know the kind of music a sleazy space slug gangster WOULD actually be jamming in his domain! 🤟
Yeah, of all things, the music never needed changes! GL is BS'ing all of us when he says these changes were to fulfill his original vision. If he had that vision for the music, then that's the music he should have originally asked for. (It would have sucked, but whatever.) Same thing with Han shooting only (I refuse to say Han shot first, b/c in the theatrical only he fired and it was great!). If GL wanted both characters to shoot each other, he should have directed it that way on set.
Thank goodness- the title of this video gave me eye twitch. Glad to find you actually knew what you were talking about. The 4KXX restorations are incredible.
I finally watched 4K77 for the first time today... Before, I'd rely on the Despecialized Editions, but this version feels so much more authentic and genuine even looking like a film from the era it came out in. Needless to say, it will be my go-to now.
Its cool to have both. 4K77 is like owning a copy from the 70’s while the Despecialized is like having the same film on modern-day Blu-ray (without the awful changes)
Great video. And it is real refreshing to listen to someone from my generation and not a millenial bombastic twenty-something talking head that sounds like a neurotic bubblegum commercial like 90% of current youtubers. Thanks for this man. Yes, the guys at TeamNegative1 are heroes.
Just found this on a whim. Great video and explanation. I pretty much knew everything you were saying but always love a good SW home video /versions video. I have 4K77 and 4K83. They are indeed doing the lords work on those prints.
I'm really glad you mentioned lens technology. The highest resolution lens I own produces an image that looks soft to the eye because there's no lens coating, which reduces light scattering. Also, it was common for directors of photography to INTENTIONALLY soften the image for artistic purposes, especially for closeup shots. Lucas himself originally wanted SW to be rather soft looking, almost like a 16mm documentary.
That was very informative. Love TN1's releases. They already have reel 1 done of empire. The ANH and ROTJ 4k projects are really special. I really have to get a 4k TV now!
I think it was a cinemassacre video where I learned this, but apparently there was some really old movie that was filmed on two cameras simultaneously for some reason, and now somebody is looking into making a 3D version of it using the feed from both cameras. It's not exactly relevant here, but it's neat.
I have the 4K77 Star Wars film in 4K it’s about 80GB. It is definitely the best it’s ever looked. I work in the home theatre industry an I demo a lot of older films on 4K HDR or Dolby vision Blu-ray because they look amazing. For example the original 1979 superman or blade runner an Close in counters of the third kind I use a lot because there shot on film. Basically any film done before the year 2000 was recorded on film and if it gets a 4k remaster you know it’s gonna look amazing on your 4k tv.
I used to love as a kid when any of the OG Star Wars would run on network television. It would blow me away how clear it looked only because I wore my VHS tapes down so much from watching a thousand times lol.
Film is inherently high definition resolution if not effectively infinite. I've never thought something recorded on actual film "wasn't filmed in HD" nor have I heard anyone say that. We don't have the originals in HD because George Lucas didn't want the original versions to be available. He's basically tried to erase them from history in favor of the special editions. I am thankful for the special editions in one way, because I was born a year after Jedi came out, so seeing the special editions in theaters was the only chance I got to see the original trilogy in the theater. And I have to say, that is what they are made for. It was a revelation seeing them like that. The ships fill the giant screen at what feels like almost to real life scale, the engines roar around you. It's amazing. Back then, I even thought the special editions were pretty cool, because I had already watched the movies many times, and the special editions were just more Star Wars. You can watch those movies over and over and see some new background character or detail every time, and these versions added to and refreshed that experience. But I had no idea George Lucas would make it so we wouldn't even have the option to watch the originals. I wish I would have bought those DVDs you showed, but after hearing it was just a laserdisc copy some time ago, I'm not so sad about missing out on them. So it's very upsetting to not be able to watch them. When I got the DVD set and George had changed Boba Fett's voice, that was the last straw for me. It pissed me the hell off and I never watched those DVDs or any version of the special edition ever again. The only way I had before was the remastered VHS tapes, which apparently didn't come in a wide screen? Now I watch the Despecialized Editions. It's good to hear about this work on preserving the original prints to release the films by the fans. Though I don't own a 4K TV or player and won't be able to afford one any time soon, so this probably doesn't help me much. I've also heard that the human eye can't even tell the difference between 4K and HD unless you have a REALLY big screen and are sitting at a certain distance. But don't know if that is true or not. In any case it would be nice to have just 1080 versions so more people could watch the movies, but I understand it's an endeavor by the fans, so they can only do so much, and they are gearing it towards the best resolution possible. My only last hope is that Lucasfilm releases the theatrical versions after episode 9 comes out and they make the inevitable 9 movie box set. Every other milestone has come and gone and still no theatrical releases so that's probably our last best shot at it happening. I thought after Disney bought Lucasfilm and George was no longer in control that they would come out. Then I thought they'd come out for the 40th anniversary of Star Wars and they didn't. Now that I think about it putting them on Disney Plus would have been a good selling point. So now all we have is for after 9 comes out. I REALLY hope it wasn't part of the deal with George that Disney/Lucasfilm can't release the original versions.
Decent 4k displays are not expensive. Even then, Handbrake is free and can resample the 4k versions to 1080p or even 720p. I did a 720o version for streaming as I can't upload fast enough for 4k.
I hope a lot of the people that are looking for the 4K77, 4K83, and the future 4K80 will donate to the team. The funds are for hardware to preserve the copies. Look at the data storage requirement alone. Add modern computers to handle working in 4K and the cost become quite staggering for most people.
The 6 Channel Audio was also remastered to the sound like the original Dynamic Range and Vinyl like cinematic sound they had in Cinemas Originally. Its apparent on the 4K77 and I’m sure the 4K83 as well. 👏👌
Thank you for this clarification, I already understood this, but I know many people do not and this was very informative. Another point would be, if older film movies are not HD quality, then why does Criterion Collection's older movies look so good? Better than 4K UHD in some cases. Film is UHD quality and this video explains that point very well , thank you.
Checked out your referenced video. See no reference to "dubious 4K." Looks fine to me? Can't find anything negative online. I'm looking at two different colour grades of 4K77, DNR and non-DNR and the 2011 bluray as comparison. Detail is there (I mean, as best as you can get with DNR but that has nothing to do with resolution). So what do you mean by "dubious 4K?"
As usual, a great , fun interesting and informative video from RB, I learned quite a bit, the most surprising of all is that there are Special Edition fans!
Excellent, Overview on how these movies have different cuts; not only between the originals vs S.E., But also the different S.E. cuts. I'm glad you mentioned fan preservation and fan-edits of these films.
You’ve said everything magnificently. I’ve been popping in with these guys from time to time. I love seeing the flaws of older films in HD/4K. I love the flicker, the scratches, the ever so slightly misaligned colors of technicolor movies (with three strips of color film stuck together it’s a miracle they didn’t jam up). The upside to Star Wars prints is that they weren’t on nitrate. Not only could they have been decayed but dangerously flammable.
The best thing about the despecialised editions is that you dont get taken out of the film each time a special edition thing is missing, you just watch it as Star Wars you've always known. The opposite is true for the special editions (for our generation) - the film's going along normally then something really obtrusive takes you out of the film altogether.
It's because of Star Wars that I learned about how movies were filmed using special negative cameras that would make them look HD for those big screens in cinemas, and that was a thing even since earlier in movies history, so that made a lot of sense for me about how older movies were released in HD format.
Wow, just the other day I asked my brother in law if he knew what the maximum resolution was of a 35mm source material. We both felt it had to exceed 1080p (current standard of HD), but neither of us knew if it hit 2160p (4k). This was very educational and clarified a bunch of things we were discussing. Thanks for another fabulous video.
35mm film is closer to 6K. At higher resolutions you won't get any more "information" out of it. But higher resolution would make it a little easier to clean up the scanned film. Also, 4K is bigger than 2160p. 1 142 784 pixels bigger, to be more precise(16:9 aspect ratio).
Emotive subject...how to appreciate STAR WARS the most at home ?... Hello Michael, i'm French, 53 and had the chance to watch STAR WARS in a good and comfortable theatre in Brussel ( Belgium ) in 1978...a life time experience Believe me !....to me, the last Blue Ray version is Ok and my brand new 4K TV is perfect enough to recreate something near to 90 % of my original memory...with new scènes of course...so what ? Lucas's decision and i accept it…( ? )... I'am a STAR WARS's fan and forever will be ! I love your channel !
Well, considering that 35mm films were projected on 40-foot wide screens, I would say that old films were DEFINITELY HD quality. Kodak says 35mm is equivalent to 16K, not just 4K.
That was a very well made and concise explanation of digital formatting. Personally, my first vhs tape that I bought 30 years ago, with a tracking error right when Chewie growls after Threepio suggests to let the Wookiee win is my favorite to watch. It is much like my parents old records, it is unique to itself which you’ll never find on any other copy.
I'm one of those people who, very much, want to see that original '77 theatrical release made available to buy, but I also enjoy the Updated versions. I want to original simply for my own personal nostalgia. I'm 49 year old. When I was 6(almost 7), my parents took me to the local movie theater, a 100+ year old theater, converted into a Movie theater after Vaudeville and stage performances had died away, and still remember vividly the initial reaction in the room when they ships came racing in across the top of the screen. I like and appreciate the majority of the "updates" made by Mr Lucas as time went on. He made improvements to get it closer to what he originally envisioned. I can't fault the creator for improving what they created. It would be like someone castigating Ford for changing the 2020 Mustang because it isn't like the 1964 1/2 model year production.
I want to add on to this that apart from resolution that we also have to take into account bit rate also. You can have a 4k video look blocky if it has a low bit rate. A good example can be a water fountain scene in a 1080p formatted movie on tv but on bluray you won't see the water get blocky or on bad/low bit rate movie rips. Bluray is high bit rate but movie rips are lower to save storage. So save in high bit rate to preserve in digital if it's a film.
Found the YIFY torrenter. Things shouldn't get blocky unless you have a REALLY bad connection or are torrenting a shitty re-encode - or streaming from a sketchy, illegal website. Streaming might have some quality loss in action as you mentioned but it shouldn't come out as blocks with today's encoding methods at the bitrates used by streaming services on the high-end. At worst it will come out as some localized smearing or sometimes contrast/colour being off. But in the case of the video you are replying to, no he does not have to take into account bitrate. He is talking entirely about equivalent media (DVD, Bluray, 4K77, etc. all of which have enough bitrate for all detail present).
I just checked and saw that Harmy's version of the first movie included a 6-track audio from some 70-mm prints. Perhaps its picture is too degraded or something, but you'd think that a 70-mm print could be scanned to give you an 8K source.
I was under the impression that 4K77 was mostly from a 1977 Technicolor print. Technicolor should not be faded; it should still look very vibrant. BTW I saw Star Wars 23 times in the theater in 1977, and 4K77 looks even better than I remember!
The film stocks used in the 1970s were notoriously prone to fading and degradation despite the thought at the time being they were superior to previous celluloid technology. They were wrong. Why do you think the negative for Star Wars in 1997 had to go through such immense restoration after only 20 years?
@@retroblasting 4K77 was done mostly from a 1977 Technicolor IB print, which does not undergo color fading or shifting. I don't think they had access to the camera negatives.
I don't see why anyone wouldn't want the theatrical releases. We already have a phenomenal version of the SE with the new UHD releases. SE fans wouldn't be hurt by a theatrical release.
All the HD and 4k stuff, now I get it thanks to this vid. I ws also fixn to ask about Gregory Peck and then you referanced 12 O' Clock High and answered my question.
Michael, great video as always. Glad to hear that you are a fan of the Adventures of Robin Hood. My grandmother was friends with Errol Flynn and was present on set while they were filming the film. Supposedly she is setting at the end of the table during the Sherwood Forest feast scene out of camera range but unfortunately I cannot find any photos to back up her claim. Recently I was given a notebook she kept on set with autographs in it. I have it locked up safely but if you are ever in LA, let me know and I will dig it out to show you.
The first Blu-Ray to use seamless branching was from 1977 too “ Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. I hope the house of mouse eventually gives us a definitive version of the original trilogy that allows us to pick out which version we want to watch. Film stock (35mm and 70mm) has a much higher resolution than just 4K. Proper viewing distance recommended BY TV manufacturers is twice to 2.5 times size of the TV, so if you have a 60” TVs proper viewing distance is 120” to 150” away. For resolution at proper viewing distance you need 50” TV or larger to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. For resolution at proper viewing distance you need 80” TV or larger to tell the difference between 1080p and 4K. While you may be able to identify more colors on a smaller 4K set (remembering that 8% of men are colorblind) you are not able to see the resolution difference at proper viewing distance, no matter how many people on Reddit swear that they can. By the way when the TV manufacturers get done with this 4K revolution, there’s going to be an 8K revolution and then they’ll be 21 x 9 TV sets so that we won’t have black bars when we watch our movies, as a Star Wars fan can you identify what may be the problem with that? Could it maybe be that on the Home video releases that the subtitles are in that space...😱 While dealing with the movie studios you also have to know how your movies and/or your favorite TV shows were archived. For example if you want Star Trek in HD or 4K I hope you like the original series, theatrical movies and Enterprise, because the next generation, deep space nine and voyager while shot on film and then were archived on Betamax. Not so good for HD, 4K or 8K transfers.
I have a copy of 4k77 and loved it. Just ordered 4k83 copy of Jedi. I'd like an HD version with polished effects ( like Obi Wan's lightsaber not being a white stick) but none of the extra scenes or CGI creatures. Is that the Despecialized version?
Just a minor point of clarification: There are a lot of older films that were originally shot on 35mm film (or larger formats like 70mm) but for which the materials from which all modern prints/video transfers are struck come from lower quality video sources, the original film prints having been lost or degraded over the years, so it is possible that some older films will never have the ability to get a true HD transfer (and more that could with a proper restoration, won't.), so the assumption that everything shot on film has the potential for hi-def assumes there's a good quality print to work from to begin with. As you point out here, even the best restoration is going to be limited by the elements you have to work with.
6:04 WTF are you talking about I don't think there's a single person alive that thinks that the special editions are better than the original theatrical cuts of the movie.
We were so lucky these old formats were so detailed - it's amazing that tvs are only now catching up with what film can do.... there are people who prefer the special editions?
Excellent video from start to finish. I have the 1080p version of 4K77 and it’s fantastic! I saw the original in the theater back in ‘77 so, yes, I’m a theatrical release snob. To those interested enough to seek out and find the Team Negative 1 versions, please donate for their efforts. I thought I’d never see the original again as it was released especially since uncle George refused to admit it even exists but thanks to TN1 I finally have it.
Thanks Mike. Just bought all three from eBay. I cannot wait to watch these movies as intended and in high quality. I may even charity shop the 'improved' blu ray trilogy I currently own. Brilliant....
exactly. This isn't about which version you prefer. This is about the restoration and preservation of ALL versions for future generations to enjoy in the greatest quality possible. Why Disney is not doing this themselves continues to completely baffle me.
I really wonder if part of the deal purchasing Lucasfilm was agreeing not to. Seems like Lucas really did not want the older versions out there anymore.
Great message. I particularly like your defusing of the what is best argument. Nothing has irritated me more and turned me off wanting to consider myself a part of the wider Star Wars community than the divisions within it of people wanting to be right. It pains me to say, divisions that were created by the very man that gave us these great movies in the first place. I'm of the OT generation. These are the movies I love and want to see preserved. We can only hope that one day, maybe, the original theatrical presentations will be given the care and attention they deserve and be an option for all fans to enjoy. In the meantime, I've just joined Rob's group and will support his rebel effort to preserve the original experience.😃👍
I think we were used to seeing films on tv and video. Now they go back to the original prints and remastered movies we see much more detail. I see some older movies now and they look brand new. The Adventures of Robin Hood was on sky movies hd looked fantastic.
My brother is one person who thinks every remaster is an upscale and I have to roll my eyes real hard inside my head everytime he says that. It's like, dude look it up.
I had many arguments and online from friends who collect movies on blu ray and DVD and in 4K and the great restoration and dedication that many have been doing since before our digital revolution and fantastic restorations done by so many studios that I adore but I love how fanatical others can have for changes a director wanted
I love that this is being brought up. Great video Michael! Does anyone know if anything like this is being done for The Phantom Menace, since that film has been heavily altered?
I just watched Project 4K77 and 4K83 and they are so damn beautiful!! Mad respect to TeamNegative1 for doing this. Also watched the Grindhouse Empire version and thought that was beautiful as well with all of the imperfections. Look forward to 4K80 in the near future.
@bigevilworldwide1 I wouldn't doubt that in the least. I was under the impression they didn't necessarily need the negatives, and could scan the actual prints though. So if they could find some reels of the original theatrical release preserved in good enough condition we have some kind of chance to get a 4k transfer. Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno. I watched a thing about a Bond film where they had to go through this process.
Excellent points that really hit the nail on the head in regards to the difference between film and digital. In 1997 I worked on a number of IMAX films that were shot on 15 perf 70mm 4k film. The company I worked for (Xaos Inc. in San Francisco, CA) created all of our CGI special effects which, when approved, were rendered in 4K and “filmed out” to 15perf 70mm 4K film. At the time, the image files were so enormous that storage was a constant issue. My thought about the 1920x1080 HD Star Wars Special Edition scans was that they probably assumed that home video would top out at 720P HD so why bother with an 4K archival scan. At the time, home video was a resolution of 240x360 for VHS and 720×480 for standard DVD. So, in a way it does make some sense that they assumed that they had their bases covered. But from personal experience, the capability of creating a true 4K digital scan of a film definitely did exist at that time.
The Original Trilogy was scanned to 4K! Before disney! one year after thr Blu-Ray releases, Lucas was preparing the 6 stsr wars films for 3D release. and he had all 6 films scanned in 4K in preparation. Disney+ uses those original 4K scans if I'm not mistaken (i dont think they rescanned recently). so the blu-releases of the pre disney lusasfilm stopped at the 1080 scans, while right beforr Lucas sold the company, he had 6 4K scans just waiting p.s. if i'm not mistaken, george lucas' team spliced the new special edition additions to the original movie reels. they are permanately physically altered.
@RetroBlasting This is one of the best videos you have ever done and I admire your passion. I am one of those people that wants all classic movies to look as close as they can to original 35MM prints. However due to the ego of the studios, they will offer you awful color correction, bad revisionist sound effects cough cough Batman 89 cough, loads of DVNR, artificial sharpening and edge enhancement. And also no original audio mixes quite often. What is so great about something like 4K77 is that it is also color corrected to look exactly like 35MM and the audio mixes are based on the original Mono, Stereo and 70MM six track mixes. in uncompressed quality mind you. Even studios don't put this much effort in trying to recapture the theatrical release. But anyways, awesome video.
Thank you Michael for ONCE AGAIN making a video that explains it all! Shout out to the fans that are REALLY trying to do a TRUE HD version of the original cut! And your opinion is exactly that! YOUR OPINION! Star Wars like all cinematic works is art and art is objective! Everyone has a different way of seeing it in some parts in particular and/or as a whole! Keep up the wonderful work and I’m looking forward to the next video! 🤘🏻
"The fans are using the technology these films created to save these movies." That's not weird. That's poetic.
Because it rhymes
Its like poetry so it rhymes
To do a rescan, not another rescam.
In that regard, Harmy's Despecialized Edition is a masterpiece, made out of love by a real artisan. It really made me feel like the 8 years old boy I was back in 1978, when I discovered STAR WARS for the first time. I didn't know about Team Negative One though. When fans become librarians of the big cultural biomass out there... Poetic and brilliant.
*When fans become librarians of the big cultural biomass out there... Poetic and brilliant.*
Yup! And have i every version of these fan restored remastered efforts of the original Star Wars trilogy in some capacity on my hard drives and on DVD/Blu-ray so i'm happy to be an admirer of many of these endeavors!
- *Star Wars The Hyperspace Collection* (by OmegaMattman)
- *Star Wars: Harmy's Despecialized Edition*
- *Star Wars Silver Screen Edition* (by Team Negative One)
- *Star Wars 4K77 trilogy* (by Team Negative One)
😎😀
Watched 4K77 for the first time today. Wow, it’s like I’m a kid watching Star Wars at the theater in 1977 again. What a great day to now have this!
It's a scary shame that the original "Star Wars" is in the Library of Congress, but there is no actual print of it in the Library of Congress, as George Lucas wanted to give them a Special Edition version instead.
Library of Congress did have the original movies. But the versions they had were sent for Copyright reasons in 77, 80 and 83 and thus were unawaible for viewings and research. Also Empire Strikes Back was in bad shape. A later report says that Library of Congress screened The Original Trilogy in 2018 "Star Wars Under The Stars" so it seems they eventually did managed to get George to send them the real versions.
@Mammoth Supremacy 55 Correction, those are the laser disc scans of the pre-special edition rerelease versions. They are midling quality between VHS and DVD, but at least they are letterboxed.
@Mammoth Supremacy 55 but they are letterboxed 4:3 😭
69 likes dont change that
Now if only the viewing public could buy the original versions of these historic films.
I’ve just watched and listened to a guy talking to camera for 25 minutes about the film used for Star Wars and fan attempts to preserve the original prints - I’m not even a hardcore Star Wars fan! You kept my attention. 👍🏼
Yeh
I have to admit I was ignorant of how the different formats worked. This video was an education and I thank you for enlightening me.
We all can learn from each other let's all grow together unity
I think old films in HD look *amazing* especially black and white. The contrasting colors are so sharp and beautiful.
@@nicholasdickens2801 Not completely true, George cared about presentation. It was the content IN the presentation that was the issue. He wrongly assumed the fans would be happy to see additional special effects added, just because he wished the special editions were the films he had made in the first place, doesn't mean anyone else does. He should have understood this and had the theatrical versions re-scanned, remastered and released.
Grab a high quality copy of Mad Max: Fury Road (Shiny and Chrome Edition) - you wont be sorry it looks absolutely superb
I remember when I first watched many old films on digital TV, then HD when it first came out and was surprised by how much better and cleaner they all looked than it did in grainy analogue. Now I know why, and I wouldn't go back.
Black and white colors??
@ebinrock The old movies from the early to mid 20th century that were not filmed in color.
"You're watching the LASERDISC!" Thank you! You will not believe how many people I've had this argument with in the past few years. Trying to explain video lines of resolution, and film resolution and watching people's eyes glaze over... I'll just send them the link to this video from now on!
I suspect the Laserdisc master tape was at least a digital tape. By 1990, it was common to master Laserdisc using digital video tape. I don' know the source or how it was scanned. It would be interesting to learn about the origin of the LD master.
Harmy Despecialized is the closest thing I’ve yet to see to an “Original Trilogy Theatrical Release,” based on his amount of work on vintage sources, and the level of mastery of his frame by frame corrections. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to see Team -1’s version, but if it’s as intensive a project as what Harmy has accomplished, I’m sure it’s a quality original theatrical experience.
(And yes, I was in line on May 25th, 1977 and Star Wars has been a huge part of my life since I was 14 years old.)
Very different idea, as Michael mentions. TN1 is actually doing it off original prints, so it's a matter of cleaning those up (to put it too simply). They look beautiful, I gotta get a 4k TV!
Whereas Harmy's magnificent work is taking all the different versions available to the public and doing what he can to HD from there. Tiresome work, but what a job he did.
Harmy's is a simulation, TN1's 4k77 is significantly closer to the original experience than Despecialised is.
@wannabchomsky By original experience I mean the original theatre experience. Harmy's main source for the despec is the blu-ray which is sourced from the original negative, people weren't watching the original 35mm negative in cinemas in '77 they were watching prints. That's why I said the original experience.
Have you tried the recent colour regrade of 4K77 it's way better than the 1st version and gets rid of a lot of the green tint.
It is incredible
Harmy takes the flawed 2011 bluray releases, made from the 1080p scans talked about in this video and painstakingly removes "special edition" stuff. The colors are just as fucked as the bluray. It is an edit of a compressed version of a poor-color edit of an old scan of the original (or as original as they could get since the original negative degraded too far from 1977-1995 to be useful).
4K77 scanned multiple theatrical prints in 4K and restored them. These prints are copies of copies and lose information but are as good as a consumer can acquire.
4K77 is the closest to the original you will see as of this post BUT the level of work is that of a hobbyist. Lots of scratches and dust remain, despite their best efforts. And although the color correction isn't fucked like the bluray, it wasn't done all that much. And it was an overall correction. That's why the desert scenes look so overexposed in 4K77 and there's green fringing in multiple scenes. But at least the details remain. The DNR version turned out too yellow and has more green where it doesn't belong but retains higher contrast in most scenes. The non-DNR version turned out too dull in many scenes but looks better overall.
There's another fellow (Mike Verta) who has released demos of his own restoration project. He pays far more detail to colour correction than 4K77 - even getting in touch with people who worked on models and painting props in 1977 - and from his demos, he's also created an excellent process for combining the best of multiple film sources to retain detail. He has no current intent to release but has been attempting to pitch his restoration project to Disney. If they don't go with it, I just hope he has a release plan in place for if he dies.
I found your channel when you teamed up with WCBS and subbed, but YT never recommended any of your vids. I'm glad I checked out your channel a second time.
I like how you're doing videos on what interests you rather than keeping the channel on just one topic. It's inspiring, because I have a lot of random things I would like to say and make videos on, but I don't want to make separate channels for every topic. It's cool to see someone pulling it off.
thank you for clarifying film resolution. Silent and old films if restored will look amazing on blu-ray, I own many from that era.
True!! But all old films should be restored..including the silent adult films..all adult films really
Michael, you are the man. On behalf of cinema fanatics everywhere - THANK YOU.
The best way I ever heard the negative vs print issue explained is - the negative is the score, the print is the performance. If the print is bad, that does not inherently mean the film was poorly made, just that the people making the print weren't doing their best.
I want a 4K version on physical media and not just Disney plus. If Disney doesn’t want to preserve the movies on physical media they should let Shout Factory or Criterion do it.
Heard they are putting out 4k discs next year but they might not use the higher data discs to save money like in Endgame fingers crossed they treat it right.
Luminous movies are these, not this crude matter.
@@pskarts20, at this point there is no reason to expect pre-Special Editions of the movies.
@@Tr0nzoid Disney knows they can make a ton of money by releasing the pre-1997 versions. However Lucas likely had stipulations in his contract that prevent it from happening.
where do you buy 4k 77 and 4k 1983 not on ebay that's foe sure!
Michael always seems to have a bit of an edge in these 'unplugged' episodes. Like he's been waiting in line at the DMV for about six hours prior to getting in front of the camera.
He looks like a Star Wars bounty hunter to me, after removing his armor.
This is quickly becoming my favorite RUclips channel (period) as a gen X'er myself I applaud your work Michael and thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for reminding everyone that film is a higher resolution than Blu-ray. I constantly have this argument (usually with the same people that hated letterbox).
Thanks for bringing the 4K77 version to our attention. I have to go searching.
I have to say, you and I are identical in collecting films. I'm constantly in search of the best, clearest version of specific films. I think I have the same versions you do, of Star Wars. Great video.
Michael: "So don't bark."
My Dog: (proceeds to bark)
Thank GOD for Team Negative 1! When I didn't have a job and I saw the original trilogy on discount, I just couldn't miss it, I gave my last money for it. Then I saw the ending of Return of the Jedi and saw Hayden Christensen's face I could not believe it. I gave my money for... this.
Star Wars was completely restored by Mike Verta. He works in the industry and showed Lucasfilm his work. It is beyond anything Lucasfilm or Lowry had done or attempted to restore the film. It is an unlikely possibility that they may release his restoration. He has documented some of what he did on his vimeo channel.
Verta's work is stunning. He's actually pulled together a cleaner image from frame stacking of IDENTICAL frames using multiple film prints rather than the lesser method of temporal frame stacking using before and after frames. The other guys are using digital techniques to repair damage and reverse color fading.
has verta ever released this on the interwebs? did he leak it? he was also married to winnie cooper
@@dasooperb1371 Nope, he's created these best version in the world, but refuses to share it. He's too scared of getting in trouble (even though none of the other fan edit people ever got in trouble).
@@DerekMoore82 it's a shame but I understand his fears. Theyre valid worries. Also, he should get paid for his hard work, but he can't if he just releases it for free somewhere. If he does charge people for copies that's where the Lucas film lawyers come in.
@@dasooperb1371 Since he works in the industry, he doesn't want to make waves. I hope his work sees the light of day, eventually, either as an official release, or as an underground release.
A while ago I took the originals from the DVD, removed the pillar bars and letterboxing, and put it on a new disc so it would fill a 16:9 TV a little better. Not only were they taken from the laser discs, but they kept the 4:3 image formatting. Lucasfilm put no effort at all into them and it’s a tragedy. I checked out the 1080p versions that OT put out years ago, they were pretty good. I wish Disney would put out a set with all 4 major cuts (unaltered, 1997 SE, 2004 DVD, 2011 BD) so everyone can experience all the versions.
Mammoth Supremacy 55 I have a saga fullset from 2008 that also has GOUT
Seriously - thank you for this video. Back when those DVD’s with the laser-disc rips were released I remember some voices screeching how “well, if you wanted the original unaltered trilogy this is what it looks like” and that asking for a good DVD quality version was like crying for a sliver of the special edition without the other alterations. Thanks for doing your part at setting the record straight.
Thanks for the educational video Michael! I didn't know how 4K worked. It's an eye opener.
I have the Harmy despecialized editions and was already mindblown by those. It's awesome team negative 1 is going all the way for 4K Star Wars.
It's sad how Lucasfilm refuses to release the original cuts. Long live the fandom!
Love these restorations- Take me right back to the cinema - I also really miss my "Lapti Nek" sleazy space funk! - You know the kind of music a sleazy space slug gangster WOULD actually be jamming in his domain! 🤟
Yeah, of all things, the music never needed changes! GL is BS'ing all of us when he says these changes were to fulfill his original vision. If he had that vision for the music, then that's the music he should have originally asked for. (It would have sucked, but whatever.) Same thing with Han shooting only (I refuse to say Han shot first, b/c in the theatrical only he fired and it was great!). If GL wanted both characters to shoot each other, he should have directed it that way on set.
I have learnt so much from this video, and now I need to get me a copy of 4k77. Great work
Thank goodness- the title of this video gave me eye twitch. Glad to find you actually knew what you were talking about.
The 4KXX restorations are incredible.
I finally watched 4K77 for the first time today... Before, I'd rely on the Despecialized Editions, but this version feels so much more authentic and genuine even looking like a film from the era it came out in. Needless to say, it will be my go-to now.
I've had Harmy's for years, but the 4K Project intrigues me.
Its cool to have both. 4K77 is like owning a copy from the 70’s while the Despecialized is like having the same film on modern-day Blu-ray (without the awful changes)
Great video. And it is real refreshing to listen to someone from my generation and not a millenial bombastic twenty-something talking head that sounds like a neurotic bubblegum commercial like 90% of current youtubers.
Thanks for this man. Yes, the guys at TeamNegative1 are heroes.
Please update this when 4K80 comes out early next year!
4K Empire is complete now!
Just found this on a whim. Great video and explanation. I pretty much knew everything you were saying but always love a good SW home video /versions video.
I have 4K77 and 4K83. They are indeed doing the lords work on those prints.
4K80 is out now!
@@MrAvenger1975 Yes! I got it a couple months ago. Looks incredible! Thanks for the heads up friend! 👍🏻
@@MrAvenger1975it looks amazing 🕺😎
I'm really glad you mentioned lens technology. The highest resolution lens I own produces an image that looks soft to the eye because there's no lens coating, which reduces light scattering. Also, it was common for directors of photography to INTENTIONALLY soften the image for artistic purposes, especially for closeup shots. Lucas himself originally wanted SW to be rather soft looking, almost like a 16mm documentary.
That was very informative.
Love TN1's releases. They already have reel 1 done of empire. The ANH and ROTJ 4k projects are really special. I really have to get a 4k TV now!
Thank you for posting this! So many people just don't get it.
Great video, was fun to watch tonight after work. I love my Harmy's Despecialized Editions.
That last part really got thought provoking. Very well done. Thank you, Michael!
I think it was a cinemassacre video where I learned this, but apparently there was some really old movie that was filmed on two cameras simultaneously for some reason, and now somebody is looking into making a 3D version of it using the feed from both cameras. It's not exactly relevant here, but it's neat.
I believe you're referring to Phantom of the Opera (1925)?
I always like when you do videos like this talking about current problems with movies.
It's mind blowing you needed to point any of this out. 35mm film is not HD? These are staggeringly ignorant people.
I have the 4K77 Star Wars film in 4K it’s about 80GB. It is definitely the best it’s ever looked. I work in the home theatre industry an I demo a lot of older films on 4K HDR or Dolby vision Blu-ray because they look amazing. For example the original 1979 superman or blade runner an Close in counters of the third kind I use a lot because there shot on film. Basically any film done before the year 2000 was recorded on film and if it gets a 4k remaster you know it’s gonna look amazing on your 4k tv.
Depending on how they do the transfer and especially how they color grade it.
I used to love as a kid when any of the OG Star Wars would run on network television. It would blow me away how clear it looked only because I wore my VHS tapes down so much from watching a thousand times lol.
Film is inherently high definition resolution if not effectively infinite. I've never thought something recorded on actual film "wasn't filmed in HD" nor have I heard anyone say that.
We don't have the originals in HD because George Lucas didn't want the original versions to be available. He's basically tried to erase them from history in favor of the special editions.
I am thankful for the special editions in one way, because I was born a year after Jedi came out, so seeing the special editions in theaters was the only chance I got to see the original trilogy in the theater. And I have to say, that is what they are made for. It was a revelation seeing them like that. The ships fill the giant screen at what feels like almost to real life scale, the engines roar around you. It's amazing.
Back then, I even thought the special editions were pretty cool, because I had already watched the movies many times, and the special editions were just more Star Wars. You can watch those movies over and over and see some new background character or detail every time, and these versions added to and refreshed that experience.
But I had no idea George Lucas would make it so we wouldn't even have the option to watch the originals. I wish I would have bought those DVDs you showed, but after hearing it was just a laserdisc copy some time ago, I'm not so sad about missing out on them. So it's very upsetting to not be able to watch them.
When I got the DVD set and George had changed Boba Fett's voice, that was the last straw for me. It pissed me the hell off and I never watched those DVDs or any version of the special edition ever again.
The only way I had before was the remastered VHS tapes, which apparently didn't come in a wide screen? Now I watch the Despecialized Editions.
It's good to hear about this work on preserving the original prints to release the films by the fans. Though I don't own a 4K TV or player and won't be able to afford one any time soon, so this probably doesn't help me much.
I've also heard that the human eye can't even tell the difference between 4K and HD unless you have a REALLY big screen and are sitting at a certain distance. But don't know if that is true or not. In any case it would be nice to have just 1080 versions so more people could watch the movies, but I understand it's an endeavor by the fans, so they can only do so much, and they are gearing it towards the best resolution possible.
My only last hope is that Lucasfilm releases the theatrical versions after episode 9 comes out and they make the inevitable 9 movie box set. Every other milestone has come and gone and still no theatrical releases so that's probably our last best shot at it happening. I thought after Disney bought Lucasfilm and George was no longer in control that they would come out. Then I thought they'd come out for the 40th anniversary of Star Wars and they didn't. Now that I think about it putting them on Disney Plus would have been a good selling point. So now all we have is for after 9 comes out. I REALLY hope it wasn't part of the deal with George that Disney/Lucasfilm can't release the original versions.
Decent 4k displays are not expensive.
Even then, Handbrake is free and can resample the 4k versions to 1080p or even 720p. I did a 720o version for streaming as I can't upload fast enough for 4k.
Benjamin0119 they do come in 1080p also
I hope a lot of the people that are looking for the 4K77, 4K83, and the future 4K80 will donate to the team. The funds are for hardware to preserve the copies. Look at the data storage requirement alone. Add modern computers to handle working in 4K and the cost become quite staggering for most people.
Oh God! This is going over my head! But love how passionate you are! Go, Micheal!
The 6 Channel Audio was also remastered to the sound like the original Dynamic Range and Vinyl like cinematic sound they had in Cinemas Originally. Its apparent on the 4K77 and I’m sure the 4K83 as well. 👏👌
*_“Again, it’s like poetry, so that they rhyme.”_*
😌
Thank you for this clarification, I already understood this, but I know many people do not and this was very informative. Another point would be, if older film movies are not HD quality, then why does Criterion Collection's older movies look so good? Better than 4K UHD in some cases. Film is UHD quality and this video explains that point very well , thank you.
Your excellent video is still valid. The OT on Disney plus is dubious 4K and definitely not HDR (check out hdtvtest video) Macklunky indeed.
Checked out your referenced video. See no reference to "dubious 4K." Looks fine to me? Can't find anything negative online. I'm looking at two different colour grades of 4K77, DNR and non-DNR and the 2011 bluray as comparison. Detail is there (I mean, as best as you can get with DNR but that has nothing to do with resolution). So what do you mean by "dubious 4K?"
As usual, a great , fun interesting and informative video from RB, I learned quite a bit, the most surprising of all is that there are Special Edition fans!
Excellent, Overview on how these movies have different cuts; not only between the originals vs S.E., But also the different S.E. cuts. I'm glad you mentioned fan preservation and fan-edits of these films.
Excellent and highly informative. I love the occasional tech education you guys serve up!
You’ve said everything magnificently. I’ve been popping in with these guys from time to time. I love seeing the flaws of older films in HD/4K. I love the flicker, the scratches, the ever so slightly misaligned colors of technicolor movies (with three strips of color film stuck together it’s a miracle they didn’t jam up). The upside to Star Wars prints is that they weren’t on nitrate. Not only could they have been decayed but dangerously flammable.
Thank you, Michael, now I understand so much.
The best thing about the despecialised editions is that you dont get taken out of the film each time a special edition thing is missing, you just watch it as Star Wars you've always known. The opposite is true for the special editions (for our generation) - the film's going along normally then something really obtrusive takes you out of the film altogether.
It's because of Star Wars that I learned about how movies were filmed using special negative cameras that would make them look HD for those big screens in cinemas, and that was a thing even since earlier in movies history, so that made a lot of sense for me about how older movies were released in HD format.
This video isn't what I was expecting, it's even better. Excellent insights
Just watched the 4K77 edition yesterday and I was blown away. Absolutely amazing.
Very interesting video, thanks Michael.
Wow, just the other day I asked my brother in law if he knew what the maximum resolution was of a 35mm source material. We both felt it had to exceed 1080p (current standard of HD), but neither of us knew if it hit 2160p (4k). This was very educational and clarified a bunch of things we were discussing. Thanks for another fabulous video.
35mm film is closer to 6K. At higher resolutions you won't get any more "information" out of it. But higher resolution would make it a little easier to clean up the scanned film.
Also, 4K is bigger than 2160p. 1 142 784 pixels bigger, to be more precise(16:9 aspect ratio).
Hmmm. I learned something new today! Thanks Retroblasting!
Emotive subject...how to appreciate STAR WARS the most at home ?...
Hello Michael, i'm French, 53 and had the chance to watch STAR WARS in a good and comfortable theatre in Brussel ( Belgium ) in 1978...a life time experience Believe me !....to me, the last Blue Ray version is Ok and my brand new 4K TV is perfect enough to recreate something near to 90 % of my original memory...with new scènes of course...so what ? Lucas's decision and i accept it…( ? )...
I'am a STAR WARS's fan and forever will be !
I love your channel !
hope you figured out how to download 4K77
Well, considering that 35mm films were projected on 40-foot wide screens, I would say that old films were DEFINITELY HD quality. Kodak says 35mm is equivalent to 16K, not just 4K.
That was a very well made and concise explanation of digital formatting. Personally, my first vhs tape that I bought 30 years ago, with a tracking error right when Chewie growls after Threepio suggests to let the Wookiee win is my favorite to watch. It is much like my parents old records, it is unique to itself which you’ll never find on any other copy.
Outstanding job on this one! Thank you!!!
I'm one of those people who, very much, want to see that original '77 theatrical release made available to buy, but I also enjoy the Updated versions. I want to original simply for my own personal nostalgia. I'm 49 year old. When I was 6(almost 7), my parents took me to the local movie theater, a 100+ year old theater, converted into a Movie theater after Vaudeville and stage performances had died away, and still remember vividly the initial reaction in the room when they ships came racing in across the top of the screen. I like and appreciate the majority of the "updates" made by Mr Lucas as time went on. He made improvements to get it closer to what he originally envisioned. I can't fault the creator for improving what they created. It would be like someone castigating Ford for changing the 2020 Mustang because it isn't like the 1964 1/2 model year production.
I want to add on to this that apart from resolution that we also have to take into account bit rate also. You can have a 4k video look blocky if it has a low bit rate. A good example can be a water fountain scene in a 1080p formatted movie on tv but on bluray you won't see the water get blocky or on bad/low bit rate movie rips.
Bluray is high bit rate but movie rips are lower to save storage. So save in high bit rate to preserve in digital if it's a film.
Found the YIFY torrenter.
Things shouldn't get blocky unless you have a REALLY bad connection or are torrenting a shitty re-encode - or streaming from a sketchy, illegal website.
Streaming might have some quality loss in action as you mentioned but it shouldn't come out as blocks with today's encoding methods at the bitrates used by streaming services on the high-end. At worst it will come out as some localized smearing or sometimes contrast/colour being off.
But in the case of the video you are replying to, no he does not have to take into account bitrate. He is talking entirely about equivalent media (DVD, Bluray, 4K77, etc. all of which have enough bitrate for all detail present).
I just checked and saw that Harmy's version of the first movie included a 6-track audio from some 70-mm prints.
Perhaps its picture is too degraded or something, but you'd think that a 70-mm print could be scanned to give you an 8K source.
I was under the impression that 4K77 was mostly from a 1977 Technicolor print. Technicolor should not be faded; it should still look very vibrant. BTW I saw Star Wars 23 times in the theater in 1977, and 4K77 looks even better than I remember!
The film stocks used in the 1970s were notoriously prone to fading and degradation despite the thought at the time being they were superior to previous celluloid technology. They were wrong. Why do you think the negative for Star Wars in 1997 had to go through such immense restoration after only 20 years?
@@retroblasting 4K77 was done mostly from a 1977 Technicolor IB print, which does not undergo color fading or shifting. I don't think they had access to the camera negatives.
I don't see why anyone wouldn't want the theatrical releases. We already have a phenomenal version of the SE with the new UHD releases. SE fans wouldn't be hurt by a theatrical release.
unfortunately, "anyone" in Lucas. Unlikely we will ever see them released until he passes, which is a shame...
All the HD and 4k stuff, now I get it thanks to this vid. I ws also fixn to ask about Gregory Peck and then you referanced 12 O' Clock High and answered my question.
Michael, great video as always. Glad to hear that you are a fan of the Adventures of Robin Hood. My grandmother was friends with Errol Flynn and was present on set while they were filming the film. Supposedly she is setting at the end of the table during the Sherwood Forest feast scene out of camera range but unfortunately I cannot find any photos to back up her claim. Recently I was given a notebook she kept on set with autographs in it. I have it locked up safely but if you are ever in LA, let me know and I will dig it out to show you.
Very interesting, thanks for clarifying something that I’ve been wondering about for years 👍🏻
The first Blu-Ray to use seamless branching was from 1977 too “ Close Encounters of the Third Kind”.
I hope the house of mouse eventually gives us a definitive version of the original trilogy that allows us to pick out which version we want to watch.
Film stock (35mm and 70mm) has a much higher resolution than just 4K.
Proper viewing distance recommended BY TV manufacturers is twice to 2.5 times size of the TV, so if you have a 60” TVs proper viewing distance is 120” to 150” away.
For resolution at proper viewing distance you need 50” TV or larger to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p.
For resolution at proper viewing distance you need 80” TV or larger to tell the difference between 1080p and 4K.
While you may be able to identify more colors on a smaller 4K set (remembering that 8% of men are colorblind) you are not able to see the resolution difference at proper viewing distance, no matter how many people on Reddit swear that they can.
By the way when the TV manufacturers get done with this 4K revolution, there’s going to be an 8K revolution and then they’ll be 21 x 9 TV sets so that we won’t have black bars when we watch our movies, as a Star Wars fan can you identify what may be the problem with that? Could it maybe be that on the Home video releases that the subtitles are in that space...😱
While dealing with the movie studios you also have to know how your movies and/or your favorite TV shows were archived. For example if you want Star Trek in HD or 4K I hope you like the original series, theatrical movies and Enterprise, because the next generation, deep space nine and voyager while shot on film and then were archived on Betamax. Not so good for HD, 4K or 8K transfers.
Yeah but they re-edited and remade the Next Gen episodes in HD, though I really wish they would do DS9 :( (not bothered about Voyager)
I have a copy of 4k77 and loved it. Just ordered 4k83 copy of Jedi. I'd like an HD version with polished effects ( like Obi Wan's lightsaber not being a white stick) but none of the extra scenes or CGI creatures. Is that the Despecialized version?
Thanx pard ....this is very interesting and educational 👍
Just a minor point of clarification: There are a lot of older films that were originally shot on 35mm film (or larger formats like 70mm) but for which the materials from which all modern prints/video transfers are struck come from lower quality video sources, the original film prints having been lost or degraded over the years, so it is possible that some older films will never have the ability to get a true HD transfer (and more that could with a proper restoration, won't.), so the assumption that everything shot on film has the potential for hi-def assumes there's a good quality print to work from to begin with. As you point out here, even the best restoration is going to be limited by the elements you have to work with.
Can’t wait until 4k80 is finished! 4k77 and 83 are simply amazing and the people that are doing the work to bring us them should be applauded.
I have been screaming at my monitor for the last ten minutes, "YES, MICHAEL! LOUDER! SAY IT AGAIN! L O U D E R !"
6:04 WTF are you talking about I don't think there's a single person alive that thinks that the special editions are better than the original theatrical cuts of the movie.
You really didn't pay attention to that part you even credited via a time link did you? (sigh) thats not what he said, Jesus Christ!
We were so lucky these old formats were so detailed - it's amazing that tvs are only now catching up with what film can do.... there are people who prefer the special editions?
Excellent video from start to finish. I have the 1080p version of 4K77 and it’s fantastic! I saw the original in the theater back in ‘77 so, yes, I’m a theatrical release snob. To those interested enough to seek out and find the Team Negative 1 versions, please donate for their efforts. I thought I’d never see the original again as it was released especially since uncle George refused to admit it even exists but thanks to TN1 I finally have it.
Thanks Mike. Just bought all three from eBay. I cannot wait to watch these movies as intended and in high quality. I may even charity shop the 'improved' blu ray trilogy I currently own. Brilliant....
Are they the Special Editions?
Another awesome video!
@RetroBlasting, your videos are like poetry in motion. Very Zen like and tranquil. Very non-judge mental and fair lenient yet massive.
Love your passion, man 👌
exactly. This isn't about which version you prefer. This is about the restoration and preservation of ALL versions for future generations to enjoy in the greatest quality possible. Why Disney is not doing this themselves continues to completely baffle me.
I really wonder if part of the deal purchasing Lucasfilm was agreeing not to. Seems like Lucas really did not want the older versions out there anymore.
Great message. I particularly like your defusing of the what is best argument. Nothing has irritated me more and turned me off wanting to consider myself a part of the wider Star Wars community than the divisions within it of people wanting to be right. It pains me to say, divisions that were created by the very man that gave us these great movies in the first place. I'm of the OT generation. These are the movies I love and want to see preserved. We can only hope that one day, maybe, the original theatrical presentations will be given the care and attention they deserve and be an option for all fans to enjoy. In the meantime, I've just joined Rob's group and will support his rebel effort to preserve the original experience.😃👍
Great clarification about film and home video translation, and also another example of "fans doing the best work".
I think we were used to seeing films on tv and video. Now they go back to the original prints and remastered movies we see much more detail. I see some older movies now and they look brand new. The Adventures of Robin Hood was on sky movies hd looked fantastic.
My brother is one person who thinks every remaster is an upscale and I have to roll my eyes real hard inside my head everytime he says that. It's like, dude look it up.
Great video Michael. Very informative
I had many arguments and online from friends who collect movies on blu ray and DVD and in 4K and the great restoration and dedication that many have been doing since before our digital revolution and fantastic restorations done by so many studios that I adore but I love how fanatical others can have for changes a director wanted
12 o'clock high mention. You just made it up a notch 👏👏👏
Ironically, the two Star Wars movies that were shot in HD were shot in 1080p. Those two have to be 'uprezed' to 4k.
I have the despecialized trilogy edition, they are 720p if I remember. But I really love them.
LuisTheImpaler there’s 720p and 1080p versions iirc
I love that this is being brought up. Great video Michael!
Does anyone know if anything like this is being done for The Phantom Menace, since that film has been heavily altered?
Yes, 4K99
I just watched Project 4K77 and 4K83 and they are so damn beautiful!! Mad respect to TeamNegative1 for doing this. Also watched the Grindhouse Empire version and thought that was beautiful as well with all of the imperfections. Look forward to 4K80 in the near future.
I hope Disney will give us the despecialized original trilogy in 4K
@bigevilworldwide1 I wouldn't doubt that in the least. I was under the impression they didn't necessarily need the negatives, and could scan the actual prints though. So if they could find some reels of the original theatrical release preserved in good enough condition we have some kind of chance to get a 4k transfer. Maybe I'm wrong, I dunno. I watched a thing about a Bond film where they had to go through this process.
Excellent points that really hit the nail on the head in regards to the difference between film and digital.
In 1997 I worked on a number of IMAX films that were shot on 15 perf 70mm 4k film. The company I worked for (Xaos Inc. in San Francisco, CA) created all of our CGI special effects which, when approved, were rendered in 4K and “filmed out” to 15perf 70mm 4K film. At the time, the image files were so enormous that storage was a constant issue. My thought about the 1920x1080 HD Star Wars Special Edition scans was that they probably assumed that home video would top out at 720P HD so why bother with an 4K archival scan. At the time, home video was a resolution of 240x360 for VHS and 720×480 for standard DVD. So, in a way it does make some sense that they assumed that they had their bases covered.
But from personal experience, the capability of creating a true 4K digital scan of a film definitely did exist at that time.
The Original Trilogy was scanned to 4K! Before disney!
one year after thr Blu-Ray releases, Lucas was preparing the 6 stsr wars films for 3D release. and he had all 6 films scanned in 4K in preparation.
Disney+ uses those original 4K scans if I'm not mistaken (i dont think they rescanned recently). so the blu-releases of the pre disney lusasfilm stopped at the 1080 scans, while right beforr Lucas sold the company, he had 6 4K scans just waiting
p.s. if i'm not mistaken, george lucas' team spliced the new special edition additions to the original movie reels. they are permanately physically altered.
@RetroBlasting This is one of the best videos you have ever done and I admire your passion. I am one of those people that wants all classic movies to look as close as they can to original 35MM prints. However due to the ego of the studios, they will offer you awful color correction, bad revisionist sound effects cough cough Batman 89 cough, loads of DVNR, artificial sharpening and edge enhancement. And also no original audio mixes quite often. What is so great about something like 4K77 is that it is also color corrected to look exactly like 35MM and the audio mixes are based on the original Mono, Stereo and 70MM six track mixes. in uncompressed quality mind you. Even studios don't put this much effort in trying to recapture the theatrical release. But anyways, awesome video.
Thank you Michael for ONCE AGAIN making a video that explains it all! Shout out to the fans that are REALLY trying to do a TRUE HD version of the original cut! And your opinion is exactly that! YOUR OPINION! Star Wars like all cinematic works is art and art is objective! Everyone has a different way of seeing it in some parts in particular and/or as a whole! Keep up the wonderful work and I’m looking forward to the next video! 🤘🏻