Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
Can someone refresh my memory: when Sliders was airing on the hub, didn't we determine they did something to get it better looking for HD tv?
Also, does anyone know if there's any quality difference in the newest releases of the dvds vs. the original releases?
- Jim_Hall
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Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
Not sure about the hub but I can answer your second question though. All of the releases look the same even compared to the complete series set.
Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
You think Universal would take the time and energy to actually remaster the series? They couldn't even be bothered to remove all of the act stingers and flat out clipped the opening credits from one season two episode. 
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Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
It did look better than Netflix...it was not remastered, they just put black bars on the left and right of the screen since HUB is an HD network and Sliders was a standard definition show.
Universal took almost 10 years to release all 5 seasons with the finale release being the re-release of Season 1 and season 2 separately(for some reason, I'm guessing Jerry's Funny or Die skit generated some interest or maybe it is doing better on Netflix than I think.)
I'm guessing it sold good enough because last year they released the complete series on DVD.
It has been said up converting would cost money because of all those glamorous special effects would have to be redone for blu ray
6 2015-11-17 11:16:44 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2015-11-17 12:34:22)
Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
sliders5125 wrote:
It did look better than Netflix...it was not remastered, they just put black bars on the left and right of the screen since HUB is an HD network and Sliders was a standard definition show.
Universal took almost 10 years to release all 5 seasons with the finale release being the re-release of Season 1 and season 2 separately(for some reason, I'm guessing Jerry's Funny or Die skit generated some interest or maybe it is doing better on Netflix than I think.)
I'm guessing it sold good enough because last year they released the complete series on DVD.
It has been said up converting would cost money because of all those glamorous special effects would have to be redone for blu ray
I have been trying to create an HD version of the pilot. What a pain in the ass it has been. For some reason the speed of the video is having lots of issues. But, it's clear that with some of the tools out there, the quality of the picture can be made much better than the dvd.
- Cyrokin
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Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
maybe it is doing better on Netflix than I think.
I found Sliders through Netflix, so it may just be doing better than you think it is there. 
It certainly caught my interest. I wonder how many other people have found the show through Netflix...
Author, artist, sci-fi nerd, rebel against the world, and self-proclaimed eccentric.
Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
true my friends son said the same thing, hard to believe that a 20 year old show, is getting new life through Netflix...but mu love of Star Trek was from reruns on my local independent station that later became FOX, they had Star Trek, Batman, BJ and The Bear, CHIPS and MASH and I became a fan of all these shows nearly a decade later.
Re: Hub Network Sliders schedule by TemporalFlux
I honestly don't know how creating a semi-HD version of SLIDERS on blu-ray could be in any way challenging, costly, difficult or time consuming, and I especially don't understand how the Pilot could be a challenge for anybody with even a cursory knowledge of free video software. The Season 1 - 2 DVD was released with a ghastly transfer. An extremely low bit rate for every episode -- except the Pilot, the only episode on the Season 1 - 2 box set not covered in hideous scanlines from deinterlacing errors. There are plenty of open-source tools available to upscale it to near HD. First, a good transfer from the master tapes is needed. This was done for the Pilot; it should be done for every episode and blu-ray could handle the large file sizes with ease.
Second, the episodes need to be converted from 4:3 to 16:9. This is again, very easily done. Smart-stretch algorithms from any open-source codec pack can be set to stretch the sides of the video while zooming in on the center. This expands the video to letterbox with distortion so minimal it's unnoticeable. The result is a detailed standard definition image playing on an HDTV, so there'd be a lack of detail and fuzziness.
To compensate, a low level of grain should be added to the footage in order to give the illusion of detail and texture where none exist. The final step should be a slight adjusting of the brightness-contrast ratio. The image needs to be subtly contrast-reduced and brightened; this will obscure the lack of sharpness and detail. The result will be a suitable video image for HDTVs when watched at a reasonable distance from the screen. It won't look good projected to a cineplex theatre; it'll be good enough for home. This isn't difficult; I already do this with every episode of SLIDERS just from playing it off the DVD via my HTPC.
That said, if Universal can't even get the episode order right on the DVDs, they're not going to do any of the above.