Star Wars Blu Ray Complete Set
Star Trek Remastered Reviewed
At a time when Star Trek had been aired so many times that images were scratched, hazy and dull, Paramount/CBS figured it was time to remaster the original series (TOS) by cleaning up the original master prints, increasing the picture quality and re-recording the background music. Then they decided to go one better and replace the aging FX shots with digital CGI effects.
All this was driven by the arrival of High Definition DVDs in the consumer marketplace. Only a year ago (late 2007), there was an arms escalation between the two competing High-Def formats: Blu-Ray and HDDVD. Neither side seemed to appeal more than the other to the consumer. All that changed early this year when Warner Bros. finally decided to exclusively support the Blu-ray format.
One of HDDVD’s weapons, though, was the release of the remastered series one of Star Trek: The Original Series. Toshiba, who were investing heavily in HDDVD, invested a sizeable amount of money into the Star Trek project and the release of the remastered Star Trek series was heavily advertised.
All the original series of Star Trek were shot on film which is inherently a high-contrast, high-definition medium. It was also shot using filmatic techniques. More recent series of Star Trek such as Deep Space Nine, Next Generation and Voyager were all shot using video, an inherently non-high-definition, low contrast medium. As well, Next Generation in particular, was shot using a flat lighting that was in vogue at the time. What this means is that it’s [very that any of these series will ever appear in high definition on Blu-Ray. I wouldn't be surprised if Star Trek: The Original Series does make an appearance on Blu-Ray at some point in the future.
Does Star Trek Remastered Live Up To Expectations?
To begin with, it looks gorgeous in High Def. The 4:3 aspect ratio has been kept and the prints are exceptionally clean and crisp. Images have more punch due to the somewhat boosted contrast. The only downside I can see is the common criticism levelled at high-def: you can see too much detail. As an example, on the HDDVD you can see the zippers on the cast's shirts.
The HDDVD release was what's called a Combo - Standard Definition version on one side (so it plays in a normal DVD player) and a High-Definition version on the other side. Both sides have a good set of extras with little material being repeated.
Now the rest of this review will look at the standard definition DVD releases of the remastered series.
A few months back, the first series of the Remastered Star Trek was released in a standard DVD edition. in the meantime, series two has been released and series three will be available in November. If you already have a copy of the previously released version of the series on DVD (without remastered special effects and music), is there a good reason to buy yet another edition of TOS?
For me, having grown up watching the series, I just had to get the HDDVD version. I was more interested in image quality and the show looking as clean and pristine as it did straight out of the camera in the 1960s. I was somewhat dubious about the new CGI replacing old ship and other FX shots and whether they'd detract from the show. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The FX do add to the show, giving it a more immersive quality and lending a more realistic feel to the alien landscapes.
All the effects shots were done inhouse by CBS (who now own the TV rights). While, for the most part, they've done an outstanding job, some ship FX look less realistic than others. FX for Enterprise~I believe the company that created the effects for Enterprise} were originally slated to create the Star Trek effects but they turned out to be too expensive and so CBS did the FX inhouse instead.
What makes the Star Trek Remastered so enjoyable is that they aren't trying to alter or re-imagine the episodes (for better or worse). There's no showing off here. Instead what they've done is clean the show up and presented it exactly as it was originally meant to be, musical note for note, shot for shot. The musical score has been completely re-recorded, but aside from the fact that it's now crystal clear (and in 5.1 Dolby Digital) you'd never know it. Effects shots of the ship have been rendered with CGI, but it's hard to tell any difference (except on rare occassions), and it now looks brilliant instead of worn out, washed out and incredibly grainy. The new FX fit seamlessly amongst the original live-action footage. Remember those black matte lines, especially around ships orbiting planets? They're gone. And Fuzzy images? They're a thing of the past. The colors are brighter, the shadows are deeper and Star Trek has never looked so beautiful.
As I mentioned earlier, I was dubious about a version of Star Trek that replaced spacecraft models with CGI or tampered with the originally recorded musical score. But what they've done here is so faithful, that there's nothing that you can do but applaud their efforts. It's obvious that the work has been carried out by people who love the series. It's just a shame it's not being put to better use. Paramount has decided not to air this new version in High Definition, even though they now have the ability and technology to do it. Combine that with how difficult they're making it to see it on satellite and cable, and it's hard to find a reason for bothering with it on television.
Better to beam this pristine version of one of TV's most loved and classic shows onto DVD at warp speed. And if you bought into HDDVD and don't have the Remastered HDDVD, pick that one up instead. You won't be disappointed.
Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray at CES 2011
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