You mean they will be Simpsons Season in Special Editon for Blu Ray?Daniel wrote:Nothing is confirmed, but season 1 is rumored for a Blu-ray release.
The Simpsons
I thought the original Simpsons Seasons WEREN'T in hi-def.
I thought they were just lousy broadcast-quality (standard-def) video.
I mean the first season of Simpsons looks AWFUL on DVD! The tapes are just worn out.
(This is a huge problem for a lot of TV shows produced after the 1970s. Final versions of TV episodes are available on tape but in many cases there isn't existing 35mm or 16mm film to work from for hi-def. I know something's being done with Star Trek: TNG but that show still has live-action material on film somewhere. Other shows didn't save the film after final editing as far as I"m aware.)
Since then, some of the Simpsons first season stuff probably has been restored (sure looked like it on one of the Simpsons Christmas DVD compilations) but I didn't think they could upscale it or anything like that and make it look decent on Blu-Ray.
That's been done a few times with some recent Japanese animated series that were digitally produced for standard-def but in every case that I'm aware of the upscaling has been less than terrific. It's always resulted in color changes and loss of fine line detail. It's a bit like blowing up an image in Photoshop that was scanned in at low resolution. Bitmap images do NOT blow up very well at all...
That's why I haven't bothered getting Blu-Rays of a lot of recent Japanese shows. They weren't made for hi-def in the first place! That, and the Blu-Ray sets are outrageously priced when the original standard-def DVD sets are half, or even a quarter of the Blu-Ray price!
I thought they were just lousy broadcast-quality (standard-def) video.
I mean the first season of Simpsons looks AWFUL on DVD! The tapes are just worn out.
(This is a huge problem for a lot of TV shows produced after the 1970s. Final versions of TV episodes are available on tape but in many cases there isn't existing 35mm or 16mm film to work from for hi-def. I know something's being done with Star Trek: TNG but that show still has live-action material on film somewhere. Other shows didn't save the film after final editing as far as I"m aware.)
Since then, some of the Simpsons first season stuff probably has been restored (sure looked like it on one of the Simpsons Christmas DVD compilations) but I didn't think they could upscale it or anything like that and make it look decent on Blu-Ray.
That's been done a few times with some recent Japanese animated series that were digitally produced for standard-def but in every case that I'm aware of the upscaling has been less than terrific. It's always resulted in color changes and loss of fine line detail. It's a bit like blowing up an image in Photoshop that was scanned in at low resolution. Bitmap images do NOT blow up very well at all...
That's why I haven't bothered getting Blu-Rays of a lot of recent Japanese shows. They weren't made for hi-def in the first place! That, and the Blu-Ray sets are outrageously priced when the original standard-def DVD sets are half, or even a quarter of the Blu-Ray price!
Not really...
What I was pointing out was that I'm surprised they could upscale anything well from Beta or VHS! It just hasn't been done at all to my knowledge.
What has been upscaled are shows that were produced digitally -- no cel animation, pure ink and paint. That's what has been released in Japan on Blu-Ray. Again, what wasn't hi-def in the first place doesn't look that great when it was upscaled.
I thought the best that could be done with earlier Simpsons seasons was restoration of the video. That could be decent and that's what I think I saw on one of the Christmas DVDs.
Now how a show as simply designed as Simpsons would look much better in hi-def is beyond me. I can see it for older theatrical shorts and the Disney classics but, again, it just doesn't mean it will do a darn for most of the animation produced on television for the past 50-odd years. The detail just isn't there in The Simpsons or The Flintstones.
Sure, there are going to be showed altered or upscaled just to nickel-and-dime people. It's already been done with the "remastered and high-definition" original Star Trek episodes with (un)spectacular reimagined CGI effects!
Uggh. Give me a physical model with real presence to it over a flat-looking, plastic CGI model any day of the week.
Pass!
What I was pointing out was that I'm surprised they could upscale anything well from Beta or VHS! It just hasn't been done at all to my knowledge.
What has been upscaled are shows that were produced digitally -- no cel animation, pure ink and paint. That's what has been released in Japan on Blu-Ray. Again, what wasn't hi-def in the first place doesn't look that great when it was upscaled.
I thought the best that could be done with earlier Simpsons seasons was restoration of the video. That could be decent and that's what I think I saw on one of the Christmas DVDs.
Now how a show as simply designed as Simpsons would look much better in hi-def is beyond me. I can see it for older theatrical shorts and the Disney classics but, again, it just doesn't mean it will do a darn for most of the animation produced on television for the past 50-odd years. The detail just isn't there in The Simpsons or The Flintstones.
Sure, there are going to be showed altered or upscaled just to nickel-and-dime people. It's already been done with the "remastered and high-definition" original Star Trek episodes with (un)spectacular reimagined CGI effects!
Uggh. Give me a physical model with real presence to it over a flat-looking, plastic CGI model any day of the week.
Pass!
Why not?
The sixth or seventh optical disc release of Casablanca is coming out pretty soon. It'll be a dual DVD and Blu-Ray release the same day. (Those would count as releases eight and nine/number one for Blu-Ray.)
(Casablanca has to be up to seven releases at least counting the releases in Bogie box sets are separate releases from the individual disc releases.)
Milk, milk, milk all the way!
That's what Hollywood does best...
At least with Casablanca, WB can be honest and do an actual hi-def remaster. There's an original negative/film to work with there.
The sixth or seventh optical disc release of Casablanca is coming out pretty soon. It'll be a dual DVD and Blu-Ray release the same day. (Those would count as releases eight and nine/number one for Blu-Ray.)
(Casablanca has to be up to seven releases at least counting the releases in Bogie box sets are separate releases from the individual disc releases.)
Milk, milk, milk all the way!
That's what Hollywood does best...
At least with Casablanca, WB can be honest and do an actual hi-def remaster. There's an original negative/film to work with there.
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Yep, what I meant was that surely most of the people that already really, really want or need The Simpsons would have been collecting the SD sets out now.
So...with the majority of sales already done, and the sets remaining available, what I'm asking is if there is really an audience that would go out and buy the exact same sets again, if only in HD.
Essentially, I think many will find that 1) they're just not watching the sets they already own enough to warrant buying them again, and 2) most will find that some stuff (flat colored yellow people especially) aren't going to look ten times better.
My guess is, if this happens, the first couple of seasons may sell moderately well, before they drop off. Just can't see 20-25 full seasons of the stuff flying off shelves for a second time.
Casablanca is a different kind of title really. Granted it's been milked, but no more than any major classic movie title, and this time isn't really a new release...it's basically a Blu update version of the HD-DVD that came out last year and a re-packing of the SE DVD. Yep, there's the new UE box, but that's not going to shift a lot either, especially as you can't buy the darned Blu-ray version in that packaging, which I would do given the chance. So I'll just keep my SE SD DVD for now.
So...with the majority of sales already done, and the sets remaining available, what I'm asking is if there is really an audience that would go out and buy the exact same sets again, if only in HD.
Essentially, I think many will find that 1) they're just not watching the sets they already own enough to warrant buying them again, and 2) most will find that some stuff (flat colored yellow people especially) aren't going to look ten times better.
My guess is, if this happens, the first couple of seasons may sell moderately well, before they drop off. Just can't see 20-25 full seasons of the stuff flying off shelves for a second time.
Casablanca is a different kind of title really. Granted it's been milked, but no more than any major classic movie title, and this time isn't really a new release...it's basically a Blu update version of the HD-DVD that came out last year and a re-packing of the SE DVD. Yep, there's the new UE box, but that's not going to shift a lot either, especially as you can't buy the darned Blu-ray version in that packaging, which I would do given the chance. So I'll just keep my SE SD DVD for now.
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I can't believe I neglected to mention this here, but TSoD has a great write up on the packaging for season 11. I could not agree more, what were they thinking!? Now I really don't want the season. You think that having us wait more than a year would result in something better. Lazy, lazy. David nailed it perfectly, and I couldn't have said it better myself.
"Worst. Packaging. Ever." Indeed.
I hope something is done, or at the very least not let this trend continue over onto season 12. Please!
"Worst. Packaging. Ever." Indeed.
I hope something is done, or at the very least not let this trend continue over onto season 12. Please!
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The Simpsons are going HD this Sunday and needless to say I'm exited! Here's an article that discusses this and shows a preview of the new updated opening. Bittersweet, but I'm not bothered. I always wondered why they never changed it after all these years. I'll miss it to be sure, but with the move to HD it would've looked tacky. As for the pics, they look real stunning. Very close to the movies appearance. I know the opening by hard, and by just looking at the preview it's like WOW, look how everything is all touched up and no one is off-model or discolored.
Now starting with this episode, THESE are the ones that will look significantly better on Blu-ray! Season 14-19 would probably look somewhat better, but seeing as these are produced in HD, there will be a noticeable difference.
Now starting with this episode, THESE are the ones that will look significantly better on Blu-ray! Season 14-19 would probably look somewhat better, but seeing as these are produced in HD, there will be a noticeable difference.