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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm coming to Blu-ray next month.

A

A-V-B

Member
MooMilk2929 said:
Too bad I already bought the dvd. This would have been good news.
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P

Psykoboy2

Member
dan2026 said:
What we really need is the Animated Series on Bluray.
The quality on the dvds is crummy.
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You're not going to get any better quality than those DVDs. The benefit of having the series on BR would likely just end up being fewer discs to hold it all.
 
B

Beer Monkey

Member
Psykoboy2 said:
You're not going to get any better quality than those DVDs. The benefit of having the series on BR would likely just end up being fewer discs to hold it all.
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The show was produced on 35mm, a fresh scan of the original negative for each episode would look way, way better than the DVDs which were produced from the 480i Betacam broadcast masters.
 
N

Nerdkiller

Membeur
Psykoboy2 said:
You're not going to get any better quality than those DVDs. The benefit of having the series on BR would likely just end up being fewer discs to hold it all.
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Uhhh...no? The series was produced on film, so if they were to ever release it on HD BD, it would be a matter of scanning the celuloid and maybe some digital tweaking depending on the condition the film is in.

And it's not BR, it's BD.
 
D

dan2026

Member
Beer Monkey said:
The show was produced on 35mm, a fresh scan of the original negative for each episode would look way, way better than the DVDs which were produced from the 480i Betacam broadcast masters.
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Exactly. Well put sir.
The increase in quality could be huge.

Assuming they haven't lost the masters of course.
 
N

Nerdkiller

Membeur
dan2026 said:
Exactly. Well put sir.
The increase in quality could be huge.

Assuming they haven't lost the masters of course.
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I actually watched the Grey Ghost episode recently, and I like how they've been unable to release the TV show centred around the episode because the negatives were destroyed in the fire, and wouldn't you know it, the actor who played the character just so happened to have perfectly preserved film reels of the show. And in the end, we see the Grey Ghost's popularity revitalised after that.
 
A

A-V-B

Member
Nerdkiller said:
I actually watched the Grey Ghost episode recently, and I like how they've been unable to release the TV show centred around the episode because the negatives were destroyed in the fire, and wouldn't you know it, the actor who played the character just so happened to have perfectly preserved film reels of the show. And in the end, we see the Grey Ghost's popularity revitalised after that.
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Boy, I sure wish Zach Tyler Eisen had all the cels for Avatar.
 
S

Scavenger

Member
Beer Monkey said:
The show was produced on 35mm, a fresh scan of the original negative for each episode would look way, way better than the DVDs which were produced from the 480i Betacam broadcast masters.
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I doubt TAS was filmed on 35mm film stock. Most animation productions for television at the time were filmed on 16mm film stock because it was a lot cheaper than 35mm. Regardless, a scan from the original 16mm negative or interpositive would still yield good results.
 
S

Sir_Crocodile

Member
Beer Monkey said:
The show was produced on 35mm, a fresh scan of the original negative for each episode would look way, way better than the DVDs which were produced from the 480i Betacam broadcast masters.
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I remember once reading they were finished on video.

If true, dunno how much it would cost to redo that work from the negatives. May be too much to do the work.
 
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Beer Monkey

Member
Sir_Crocodile said:
I remember once reading they were finished on video.
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I doubt that. The credits include:

Mary Nelson-Duerrstein .... negative cutter (85 episodes, 1992-1995)
Stephen Nakamura .... film transfer (51 episodes, 1992-1993)
P.J. Marsiglia .... film transfer (16 episodes, 1993)
Stephen Nakamura .... film transfer (51 episodes, 1992-1993)
Jay Weinman .... videotape supervisor / videotape supervision (85 episodes, 1992-1995)
Scott Williams .... videotape supervisor / videotape supervision (85 episodes, 1992-1995)
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This would be typical of an animated show that was shot and edited on film and then transferred to analog Betacam video for broadcast.

Scavenger said:
I doubt TAS was filmed on 35mm film stock. Most animation productions for television at the time were filmed on 16mm film stock because it was a lot cheaper than 35mm. Regardless, a scan from the original 16mm negative or interpositive would still yield good results.
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IMDB says 35mm. Tech specs on IMDB are fairly reliable, though not guaranteed. Incorrect tech specs usually get corrected, especially when a lot of people worked on the production and are likely to notice.

Even if it were shot on 16mm, a fresh digital telecine from the film negative for each episode would be far better than DVDs made from the analog standard definition video tapes that were mastered for broadcast!
 
kunonabi

kunonabi

Member
Man, this going to be a great month for blurays for me. Grabbing this, Sea Prince and the Fire Child, Joe vs the Volcano, and Fatal Fury.
 
B

Beer Monkey

Member
So I tried watching the TOS episodes on the Batman: Under the Red Hood Blu-ray.

They didn't even deinterlace them properly (they are transfers from video, not film). Looks worse than the DVDs as long as your DVD player or TV can handle 3:2 pulldown properly.

They almost certainly still have the 35mm film elements for TOS. Everybody buy this to send a message! Buy two!
 
L

LordOfLore

Banned
SDCC panel.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Warner Archive Collection is releasing the film on Blu-ray, remastered. Alan Burnett, Bruce Timm, Kevin Conroy, and Eric Randomski were on hand to wax nostalgic about, what some argue, is the best Batman film.

The project began as a direct-to-video venture straight off the heels of Batman: The Animated Series’s first season. At the time, Bat-mania was a worldwide contagion, thanks to the success of the Tim Burton films. The creative teams decided to leverage this fervor with a theatrical release of this direct to video project. This boon necessitated major changes. Ratio aspects are a funny thing. At the time, video was mostly released in television aspect ratio. Letterbox was something reserved for high art film and laserdisk. What works well on a TV screen won’t necessarily translate to a letterbox format and when you’ve already storyboarded a feature length animated production, adjustments must be made. Timm and co took a 4:3 ratio stencil and placed it over every storyboard panel, ensuring that the crucial diegetic elements of each scene remained intact.
The decision to move from a DTV to theatrical release proved both creatively restrictive and liberating. The film could venture into PG-13 territory, something impossible in early 90’s children’s programming. However, studio execs suggested edits that, if implemented, would have made the film unwatchable. This included eliminating the use of flashbacks and instead editing the film in a linear fashion. In addition to removing the narrative suspense through transitions between past and present, Batman wouldn’t have appeared until past the halfway point. Not a smart thing to do with your title character.
The film ultimately was not supported by the studio in a manner befitting a theatrical release. Theaters only showed it during the day and little was done to promote it. It found its audience upon home video release, including Siskel and Ebert, who gave it two thumbs up and expressed regret that they didn’t review it during its original theatrical run.
The panel gave way to a seven minute preview of the remastered film. The film was a masterpiece when I saw it in the theaters 25 years ago. With the restoration work, I feel like that same kid all over again. The lines were crisp, the cell complexion neater, and the audio clearer than ever. This film has really stood the test of time. The Blu-ray will release on July 25. A worthwhile addition to any home movie collection.
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E

Extra Sauce

Member
entremet said:
Streaming has been killing home video, specifically TV series. Some series haven't even gotten Bluray releases, while getting DVD releases. I know some Fox TV shows do this.
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It's weird how it has slowed down remastering of older TV shows because they would still benefit from it in streaming form, and likely be easier to sell to streaming companies. See: The X-Files and Star Trek: TNG.
 
S

Scavenger

Member
jack_package_200 said:
Releases on Tuesday.

Wish they would release a small sample of film so we can get an idea on how this looks in HD
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http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=13878280&postcount=591
bfett9 said:
am still waiting for my Amazon copy to ship, but I did d2d my dvd on Tuesday here are some screenshots for those who were asking.

Again this is VUDU HDX not the bluray but remaster is suppose to be from same source, but of course blu ray will have better look. I tried to make sure it was fully buffered to 1080p video before taking each shot but not 100% sure.

Spoiler warning for those watching for first time, I tried to take these out of context but still might be spoilery for some.


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Scavenger

Member
Beer Monkey said:
I have to assume someone asked about possible TAS remastering at the panel?
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See: https://youtu.be/DMlRXE6iWDo?t=2m57s (from 2:57) They're looking into Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero and there are always lots of discussions going on.


HStallion said:
Looks pretty crisp from those images.

Maybe I missed it but did they say what special features this will have?
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Trailer only. It's a Warner Archive release which always have a tight production budget. All of the budget went into creating the new master. See: https://youtu.be/DMlRXE6iWDo?t=7m (from 7:00)
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
D

Darrenf

Member
HStallion said:
Looks pretty crisp from those images.

Maybe I missed it but did they say what special features this will have?
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The only special feature on it is the trailer.

So excited for this, I never thought it would happen. My copy shipped a few days ago. Can't wait for it to arrive.
 
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Beer Monkey

Member
Scavenger said:
See: https://youtu.be/DMlRXE6iWDo?t=2m57s (from 2:57) They're looking into Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero and there are always lots of discussions going on.
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That's actually somewhat encouraging, especially the way he said nothing to announce at this time.

I'm stubbornly going to keep believing that the whole series is getting remastered at some point.

FWIW those VUDU captures look mostly great.

Make every batfan you know buy this, it'll certainly boost the chances of more content down the road.
 
M

manzoman96

Member
TheSkullPrince said:
If it doesn't arrive on time, use their customer chat feature. Every time Amazon is late on an order I always get at least a $5 credit.
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Wish I knew about this earlier. my copy of ffxii zodiac age came 2 days late and I tried calling their phone number for sn explanation, didn't really get one :/
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Was a huge TAS fan(as many of you) in the early 90's. Went to see this in the theater when it came out, but literally recall almost nothing about it. The internet now tells me it is one of the best pieces of visual media featuring the Batman character.

Blu-Ray on the way.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Brandon F said:
Was a huge TAS fan(as many of you) in the early 90's. Went to see this in the theater when it came out, but literally recall almost nothing about it. The internet now tells me it is one of the best pieces of visual media featuring the Batman character.

Blu-Ray on the way.
Click to expand...

Its not just a good Batman movie, its a good Bruce Wayne film as well and actually takes on an angle you never see in the films or many Batman stories.
 
I

Inferno313

Banned
Any chance that if this does well that we'll see a full TAS remaster? I've heard that it's impossible, but I've also heard the opposite...
 
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