Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 (US BD) in April
Blu-Ray News
Blu-Ray News
16-02-2009 22:31 | 3678 views
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James Gray
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CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment have announced the US Blu-ray Disc release of Star Trek: The Original Series - Season One on 28th April 2009. All 29 episodes from the first season are included in 1080p high-definition, with a choice of audio tracks, with both the original English mono and English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio available. Both versions of the episodes, those with the original SFX and the so-called remastered versions, are included, with the option to switch between them at any point if you wish to compare. Naturally, the episodes will be in their original 4x3 ratios.
Extras are largely the same as those in the HD-DVD set reviewed here. However, there are a couple of absences - there's no Trekker Connections (no great loss), History Channel documentary Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier (ditto), Red Shirt Diary Easter Eggs (meh), the text commentaries from the SD season sets, or the preview of Star Trek: Online (nooooooo!). The full list of features is as follows:
And, if all that wasn't incentive enough, there will also be an "exclusive collectible Sulu figure" from Diamond Select Toys available with purchase of the Blu-ray set; fans pay only shipping and handling charges (there is a good chance this will only be redeemable within the USA and Canada).
The set will retail at $118 and the sleeve carries no region coding information suggesting this release will be region free.
Finally, The Digital Bits also says that it's very likely Seasons Two and Three will swiftly follow, possibly as early as May to coincide with the release of the new film. The six TOS films are also coming to BD, details of which can be found here.
Extras are largely the same as those in the HD-DVD set reviewed here. However, there are a couple of absences - there's no Trekker Connections (no great loss), History Channel documentary Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier (ditto), Red Shirt Diary Easter Eggs (meh), the text commentaries from the SD season sets, or the preview of Star Trek: Online (nooooooo!). The full list of features is as follows:
- Original and Enhanced versions of the episodes
- 1080P 4:3 Full Screen
- English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- English, French and Spanish DD2.0 Mono
- English SDH, French, Brazilian Portguese and Spanish subtitles
- Preview Trailers for each Episode
- Starfleet Access - On-screen graphical interface allows viewers to access Picture in Picture video commentaries, comparisons of re-mastered vs. original effects, encyclopedic information (science, life forms, technology), episode trivia and more on the following episodes: Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Menagerie, Parts 1 and 2, Balance of Terror, Space Seed and Errand of Mercy.
- Spacelift: Transporting Trek into the 21st Century
- Reflections on Spock
- Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner
- To Boldly Go...Season One
- The Birth of a Timeless Legacy
- Interactive Enterprise Inspection
- Sci-Fi Visionaries
- Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories
- Kiss ‘N’ Tell: Romance in the 23rd Century
And, if all that wasn't incentive enough, there will also be an "exclusive collectible Sulu figure" from Diamond Select Toys available with purchase of the Blu-ray set; fans pay only shipping and handling charges (there is a good chance this will only be redeemable within the USA and Canada).
The set will retail at $118 and the sleeve carries no region coding information suggesting this release will be region free.
Finally, The Digital Bits also says that it's very likely Seasons Two and Three will swiftly follow, possibly as early as May to coincide with the release of the new film. The six TOS films are also coming to BD, details of which can be found here.
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However I am looking forward to getting seasons 2 and 3 as I never got around to picking them up on DVD.
The PQ is very good on the HD-DVD set(I suspect it will be the same transfer/encode used here) and I urge people who think that HD can't do anything for a 60s TV show to think again. This show was shot on film so there is a point to it being released in HD(where as there is no point releasing the likes of TNG in HD as they were shot on video).
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where as there is no point releasing the likes of TNG in HD as they were shot on video
TNG etc were not shot on video. They were shot on film but converted to video for post production editing, effects, etc.
While it's true that there are no HD suitable masters of the completed episodes it doesn't mean it's not possible to make them.
As far as I understand it, to make a version suitable for HD would require going back to the original film elements then re-editing the episodes and remaking effects, etc from scratch. Obviously this would be time (and money) consuming and would raise lots of issues, ranging from changing original editing choices producers weren't happy with, to the even more contentious issue of whether to remake effects as they were or use the latest effects technology to desecrate/improve the series.
So you're right that the shows as transmitted won't benefit from the greater resolution of HD but I can see Paramount doing The Next Generation: Remastered some time in the future.
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TNG etc were not shot on video. They were shot on film but converted to video for post production editing, effects, etc.
Thanks for the info. I didn't know that.
Hopefully Paramount will spend money on a remaster then but they are a bit tight so im not expecting anything.
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Annoying if so as that's really what I wanted out of the HD DVD set. I'm not remotely interested in new CGI that looks out of place (and it does look out of place. It's jarring to see a 60s show suddenly launch into a 00s show for those scenes and back again. Even if it's CGI of the original models, it still looks far too pristine CGI).
Still, I got the HD DVD set for £18 so hardly much to complain about. Not likely to fork out the asking price on Blu-Ray though!!!!
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