B5 coming to Amazon Prime in June!

[Jan]

Look what somebody just posted on FB:

In addition to Prime Originals, licensed TV series coming to the service next month include season seven of USA Network’s hit series Suits and complete collections of Babylon 5 and The Waltons.
Read more at http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/new...kZaVk3jEsJF.99

Now the question is whether it will be global or only in the US.

Jan

[Ubik]

Look what somebody just posted on FB:



Now the question is whether it will be global or only in the US.

Jan

That's cool! Prime is definitely a good home for people to discover the show.

[Jan]

Interesting series of posts from JMS overnight. That the conformed negatives existed has been fairly common knowledge. But now there's the possibility something could be done with them to create the best possible image of the show in the original 4:3 aspect ratio:

[Ubik]

Gawd.... that would really be something. I seriously doubt it will happen, but it would be very cool. I'd happily join prime for a while to watch that. Guess it's up to Amazon if they feel it's worth the extra hassle. If enough fans were to re-tweet tagging Amazon they might get the message?

[Jan]

A fan came up with a possible wrinkle:

http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-9540

From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Subject: Re: Atten George - film?
To: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Date: 3/7/1997 2:42:00 AM
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(2 messages)


David-

A complete film print is never made.........yet. (I have learned that
never is a very bad word used in this forum:-))

The international (read PAL/SECAM) and archival (read 16:9) versions are
from a conformed negative, that has black placed where the effects shots
are. Those shots are converted or remade from the digital source, and
cut into the show in the WB resolution independent post environment.

We have done tests (early on and recently) to prove that the CG and
composites can hold up to film transfer, so who knows what the future
will bring? BUT... there is no complete film prints of any episode at
this time.

George Johnsen
CoProducer, B5

[Looney]

Okay such a mixed bag of info here. The one stable positive is that I will be able to stream my re-watch on my TV. SOOOO glad Amazon picked it up. I hope it will be available globally for the sake of streaming numbers. If we can get those numbers cranked up maybe Amazon will take notice and get interested. Spread the Word!!!!!

FYI: If you don't have Prime and you are planning to subscribe, two Prime Shows I really enjoy are Bosch and The Tick. Also Alpha House is EXCELLENT, but there were only two seasons and it has been a few years so I doubt there will ever be more.

[Lope de Aguirre]

That's awesome!

I didn't think this would happen.
I hope it will be viewed a lot and it will eventually lead to more B5 (or a HD remaster).
One can dream...

[Looney]

I hope it will be viewed a lot and it will eventually lead to more B5 (or a HD remaster).
One can dream...

Can anyone say Babylon 5 Amazon ReBoot Series?!

(Has JMS ever said he wouldn't reboot the series with WB - especially if he has Amazon on his side?)

Or maybe it becomes an Amazon Original Movie event. Netflix does it all the time.

[sense8ional]

Interesting series of posts from JMS overnight. That the conformed negatives existed has been fairly common knowledge. But now there's the possibility something could be done with them to create the best possible image of the show in the original 4:3 aspect ratio:

I don't see how the cost would be "minimal" to transfer 100+ TV-hours from film. I don't see Amazon paying for this. I can only see WB themselves doing this (if they ever feel like it, which currently it doesn't look like they do, but who knows what the future holds).

[Ubik]

I don't see how the cost would be "minimal" to transfer 100+ TV-hours from film. I don't see Amazon paying for this. I can only see WB themselves doing this (if they ever feel like it, which currently it doesn't look like they do, but who knows what the future holds).

I think it's JMS trying to drum up interest / fanfare. There have been a number of people that have pointed out technical issues with his statements. It's a more complex bag than he's suggested. Plus, I doubt Amazon would be willing as it's not exactly a high profile acquisition.

[Jan]

JMS answered my question about George Johnsen's post:



I think the point JMS was making was that, compared to the cost of re-renderring all the CGI, the idea of an upscaled 4:3 product is far more affordable.

As for what we might 'see' Amazon paying for - well, remember that nobody ever thought that we'd get the re-edited pilot, either (including JMS) but we did. One never knows what a corporation might decide or be convinced to do.

[Triple F]

I think it's JMS trying to drum up interest / fanfare. There have been a number of people that have pointed out technical issues with his statements. It's a more complex bag than he's suggested. Plus, I doubt Amazon would be willing as it's not exactly a high profile acquisition.

What he said - and to be frank I really don't understand why jms is putting easily disproved stuff out there like the FX were created at 2K resolutions - they simply weren't, not even close.

[sense8ional]

I couldn't believe that he would have said that, but I looked at his tweets and it's true!!

https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/997081692543172610

The vfx elements were rendered st 2k per frame to match the film.

LOL WUT. I don't know what to think about him now.

Even Firefly was rendered at just 480p, and BSG in just 720p. How can he possibly think B5 was rendered at 2K???!!!

[Jan]

LOL WUT. I don't know what to think about him now.

Why would you think of him as anything other than a writer? My think is that he's referring to the transfer rather than the original rendering. When I want to know something, I ask. Suggest others do the same.

[sense8ional]

He wasn't just a writer. And this isn't something overly technical that the EP of any VFX heavy show back in the day wouldn't probably know. It goes without saying that in an era where all TV shows were made for SD resolution, that's also the resolution that the CG was being rendered at. Who would pay for 8x higher resolutions that no one would be able to resolve until decades later!! That would be an extremely poor investment of money.

*Filming* in high resolution to make use of the footage one day comes for free (bar new transfer costs). *Rendering* in high resolution it doesn't. (Not to mention I highly doubt a workflow for 2K could be seriously used back in the day by a TV VFX studio, but that is a bit more technical.)

And since he followed with "even so" once he was corrected, this means he wasn't talking about anything else, he really did think the CG was in 2K.