B5 coming to Amazon Prime in June!

[Triple F]

The transfers to film – if there was a transfer to film which I don’t think there was (but I could be very wrong in that) – certainly wasn’t at 2K either. jms has stretched the truth to get a point across more than once – we’ve argued about some of them in the past – but that whole series of tweets was pretty ridiculous. Felt more like winding (the less technically knowledgeable) fans up and to encourage them to go hassle someone about an HD release.

There’s one other thing that gives me that impression. For years he’s been asked countless times about an HD release, remasters or CGI, etc., and he’s never once suggested what amounts to a hi-def copy is sitting in Warner’s vaults . . . What, he just forgot about that. . . . . Sorry, but it doesn’t exist. The 4:3 version would be better, there's no deying that and have been arguing that for years - but his attempted manipulation of the facts (and fans perceptions) reached a new low with that series of tweets when read together. But that's just a personal opinion, obviously.

[edit]

And so it begins. Folks believing Warner is holding onto a hi-def version of the show (and Amazon should access it) have started signing a petition. lol.

https://www.change.org/p/warner-brot...ster-negatives

Well meaning, but will do little other than maybe give some “news” site or blog something to point at showing how motivated the fans are, and how nasty Warner is . . . . . Though they’ll be lucky to get 1,000 button presses (or the intial 500 figure for that matter). Anyway.

[Ubik]

Ah well... just glad it's going to be on Prime. I've got my digital copy so no real interest in streaming it, but will be nice to perhaps dip into it when I do occasionally have prime via a free trial.

[Ubik]

At this point, I'm reading through all the twitter exchanges on the 4:3 version, and I'm just fairly confused.

Looks like we COULD get a far superior version of the show if WB were to co-operate? At this point my technical knowledge fails me, and JMS doesn't seem 100% sure of himself as those conversations unfold.

The non-funding of a proper ref monitor for Foundation comes up, and he doesn't seem to know either way, which is totally fair. But, I'd love a proper definite answer on what we COULD get and what exactly it is that WB have in the vaults. Come to think of it, there must still be someone around who was involved on the technical end of B5 who could clarify this!

Anyone?

[sense8ional]

I don't know what material is available, but we can absolutely get better versions than the DVDs made with early 00s technology and with embarrassingly wrongly mastered CGI, I can tell you that. Now the end result might be closer to 720p than 1080p, but still a good deal better than the awful DVDs.

[Looney]

Quick side note question that has been discussed in the passed. I believe someone pointed out that if you buy the series through iTunes it is in the original 4:3. Am I wrong? And wasn't there another place mentioned that had the 4:3 version, like Amazon or Vudu?

AND I hope everyone signs the petition. Even if it is for something that doesn't exist, the more names on that petition the more likely it gets noticed. The more likely it gets noticed the better chances we have for reminding the world (WB) we are out here.

[Ubik]

Quick side note question that has been discussed in the passed. I believe someone pointed out that if you buy the series through iTunes it is in the original 4:3. Am I wrong? And wasn't there another place mentioned that had the 4:3 version, like Amazon or Vudu?

AND I hope everyone signs the petition. Even if it is for something that doesn't exist, the more names on that petition the more likely it gets noticed. The more likely it gets noticed the better chances we have for reminding the world (WB) we are out here.

488 signatures. We are really smashing it. Hashtag fandom fail. Sometimes I wonder if there are really that many fans left out there to mobilize. Hoping that the Prime streaming may improve that.

[Jan]

488 signatures. We are really smashing it. Hashtag fandom fail. Sometimes I wonder if there are really that many fans left out there to mobilize. Hoping that the Prime streaming may improve that.

Are those petitions worth a darn? It's not as if they ever actually go anywhere, is it?

[Looney]

:That is weird! When I signed it said 504, so I should have been 505. When I just went back it said 491, but then slowly counted up past 505.

WOW! Jan being the voice of negativity on a petition?!?!?!?!?! Now I've read everything!!!!! LOL (Actually I shouldn't laugh at that. If Jan is discouraged by petitions we might be in trouble. Of course she might just be enjoying the thrill of being the voice of dissent. )

Seriously though, I paid to spread the word on that puppy so people better sign it. LOL I think the point is that we get enough signatures just to be noticed. What can it hurt? I say sign away despite the fact that the point of the petition might not be possible.

As far as the fans go I don't think there are really enough active fans to make a difference. Maybe that will pick up again with it streaming on Prime. Maybe fans will come back to B5. The key is that it be available world-wide because that is B5's base. There has never been a big enough fan base in the U.S. to make a difference, but world-wide we could be a force that gets noticed.

I never really go there, but is the petition in any Facebook groups?

[sense8ional]

Are those petitions worth a darn? It's not as if they ever actually go anywhere, is it?

Sense8

[Jan]

:That is weird! When I signed it said 504, so I should have been 505. When I just went back it said 491, but then slowly counted up past 505.

WOW! Jan being the voice of negativity on a petition?!?!?!?!?! Now I've read everything!!!!! LOL (Actually I shouldn't laugh at that. If Jan is discouraged by petitions we might be in trouble. Of course she might just be enjoying the thrill of being the voice of dissent. )

Seriously though, I paid to spread the word on that puppy so people better sign it. LOL I think the point is that we get enough signatures just to be noticed. What can it hurt? I say sign away despite the fact that the point of the petition might not be possible.

As far as the fans go I don't think there are really enough active fans to make a difference. Maybe that will pick up again with it streaming on Prime. Maybe fans will come back to B5. The key is that it be available world-wide because that is B5's base. There has never been a big enough fan base in the U.S. to make a difference, but world-wide we could be a force that gets noticed.

I never really go there, but is the petition in any Facebook groups?

I think the main issue right now - and the reason I'm not particularly talking it up - is that there's some doubt as to whether the full (including effects) film transfer even exists as JMS thinks. If we could find out that it does, I'd be the first to bang the drum. But JMS himself posted a note from George Johnsen back in the day that they don't.

Which isn't to say that I didn't sign, I did. I'm just not sure of the effectiveness.

Sense8

Wasn't that mostly direct harassment, though?

[sense8ional]

Here's another I know of: https://www.gamesradar.com/dark-soul...e-come-august/

The admin of the Namco Bandai forums posted that if fans really want Dark Souls to release on PC as they claimed why not make a petition for it? And if there was a lot of interest the company might look into it. A lot of people said "lol, petitions never work" and "the Japanese releasing a game on the PC.. not going to happen"... but they signed it anyway, because why not? And after gathering an unexpectedly high amount of signatures all things considered, Namco announced the game for PC surprising many.

[Ubik]

Are those petitions worth a darn? It's not as if they ever actually go anywhere, is it?

Agree, largely pointless, but if numbers are massive it sends a signal for sure.

[Triple F]

From Adam Buckner (assistant editor in first season).

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that S1, and I believe S2, the VFX never reached film. The original domestic distribution was in D1. We did a NEG cut for foreign distribution, but we left black for all of the VFX shots, as rattlesnake didn't want to pay for converting and scanning the VFX, so when the PAL ( and, who knows? SECAM?? ) digital was taken from the film, the VFX shots were added as a digital conversions and dropped in to fill the holes - with obvious changes of resolution and tone.

Basically, as Ron mentioned when bringing up the widescreen monitor thing – Doug Netter was penny wise but pound foolish. It was an executive decision to do everything in 4:3, which is why when Netter took over the CGI and FX for seasons 4,5, the movies and Crusade, he continued to produce them in 4:3. Can't comment on what happened in the later seasons,as he wasn't involved. But I don't think much changed.


From Kevin Kutchaver – did all the ppgs blasts and visual fx for the first couple.

And all my live action composites were interlaced D1, not progressive. So the early stuff (Season 1 at least) could not easily be processed into progressive, much like the Star Trek issues... Interlaced elements don't have to have the 3:2 pulldown in sync to play correctly, but it's necessary to pull the 3:2 interlace out and get back to progressive. After Effects, at first, didn't handle that correctly.

So it boils down to that even if they were on film (which they weren’t), it would be basically impossible to use them anyway . . . again highlighting that while the live action was future proofed due to John Copeland asking Warner to film the show using 35mm stock, the CGI and FX most certainly were not (even though the likes of Thornton offered to do it but Netter declined) . . . jms is way off the mark in what he’s telling folks – and bugger knows why he's doing it - there is no master film negative holding the FX and CGI that just needs to be rescanned for a 2K release.

With all due respect, maybe he should stick to writting and stay well clear from commenting on even the remotedly technical stuff, because now some fans are all excited at the thought there's a real chance of seeing B5 in near hi-def - and when it doesn't happen they'll start laying blame at the wrong doors.

[Ubik]

Seems to have died down on Twitter, so perhaps someone has hipped JMS to the reality of the situation. I am tempted to say that those involved in the technical end have a better overview of what was and wasn't done. I really don't understand what JMS is going for here apart from perhaps driving some extra promotion for B5 coming to Amazon in a bit of a strange way.

[Jan]

I really don't understand what JMS is going for here apart from perhaps driving some extra promotion for B5 coming to Amazon in a bit of a strange way.

Offhand I'd say he may have wanted fans to get a decent looking cut of the show?