I’ll be researching this footage, and when I find out more about it, I’ll update this entry.

Enjoy!

ALL IS REVEALED AS THE
SCI FI CHANNEL’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED HIT
COMES TO A SPECTACULAR CLOSE
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SEASON 4.5
&
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:
THE COMPLETE SERIES

 

Universal City, California, April 20, 2009 – The epic story of survival that redefined science-fiction television for a new generation comes to a breathtaking finish when Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 arrives on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD on July 28, 2009 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The must-own home entertainment release of the year, Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 features over 13 hours of explosive extras, including three extended episodes of the series finale that never aired on television, never-before-seen deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and commentary and podcast interviews with Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.  The Blu-ray™ Hi-Def edition also includes Universal’s acclaimed U-Control and BD-Live features, providing the ultimate way to enjoy this thrilling, contemporary classic television series. 

 
And if just one season isn’t enough, fans can also relive all the drama, intensity and action with Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series. The ambitious 20-disc Blu-ray™ Hi-Def set and a 25-disc standard DVD set contains every episode of television’s most original, thought-provoking series, together with extensive bonus materials delving deep into the richly imagined world of the hit SCI FI Channel original show.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON 4.5 BONUS FEATURES

EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM HI-DEF:
• U-CONTROL:  Universal’s exclusive signature feature puts viewers one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever leaving the movie.
• THE ORACLE: An interactive guide including ships and characters.
• BATTLESTAR ACTUAL: A glossary of all the unique Battlestar Galactica terms. 
• WHAT THE FRAK HAPPENED TO YOU?  Explore the history and connections of your favorite characters through video clips and relevant facts.
• BD-LIVE™: Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers, and more!
• BATTLESTAR GALACTICA ULTIMATE BATTLE: Players can battle their friends as Colonials or Cylons using strategy and luck to achieve victory.
• MY SCENES:  Pick your favorite scenes from the film to create your own video montage.
• THE MUSICIANS BEHIND DAYBREAK: Composer Bear McCreary interviews and explains how many unique musicians have contributed the show and specifically the series finale, Daybreak.
BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF and DVD): 
• EXTRAS
• EVOLUTION OF A CUE: Composer, Bear McCreary takes us step by step through his process of creating the music of Battlestar Galactica.
• WHAT THE FRAK IS GOING ON WITH BATTLESTAR GALACTICA?: A recap of Battlestar Galactica’s first three thrilling seasons – in only eight minutes!
• …AND THEY HAVE A PLAN: What do they mean every episode when the opening sequence on the Cylons states “And They Have A Plan?”  All will be revealed in the upcoming movie The Plan.
• THE JOURNEY ENDS:  THE ARRIVAL: Battlestar Galactica has traveled full circle.  The journey has concluded never to be revisited.  But how did we arrive at the end?
• A LOOK BACK
• SO SAY WE ALL: Executive Producer Ron Moore and the cast and crew reveal their personal insights on Battlestar Galactica.
• MANIFESTO DESTINY: It all began with this manifesto.  Why was it written and what was the response?
• BATTLE-STYLE GALACTICA: Those behind the camera delve into their approach to visual style of Battlestar Galactica.
• MARTYR TO A CAUSE: As the only actor to appear in both the original and reimagined series, Richard Hatch offers his unique perspective on Battlestar Galactica.
• THE SINS OF THE FORGIVEN: Insights on the curious religious aspects of Battlestar Galactica.
• BATTLESTAR REVELATIONS: Firsthand accounts from those on the Battlestar for the past five years.
• AUDIO COMMENTARIES BY RONALD D. MOORE, DAVID EICK, AND EDWARD JAMES OLMOS
• RONALD D. MOORE’S PODCAST COMMENTARIES
• DAVID EICK’S VIDEO BLOGS
• DELETED SCENES
 
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE COMPLETE SERIES BONUS FEATURES:
For detailed information on Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series on Blu-rayTM Hi-Def and DVD including episodes, bonus content, box art, stills and more, please visit www.ushepublicity.com.
 
Battlestar Galactica has riveted audiences for four seasons with its gripping tale of the last remnants of humankind’s struggle to find safe haven. An inspired, visually stunning reimagining of the 1978 series of the same name, Battlestar Galactica captured the imaginations of a new generation of fans with its gritty realism, compelling storylines and commanding performances. The show garnered numerous awards, including two Emmys® and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the most outstanding television programs of the year for two years running. In March 2009, Battlestar Galactica’s impassioned explorations of today’s hot-button issues, including politics, terrorism, treatment of prisoners and religion, even inspired the United Nations to host a special panel to discuss the questions it has raised.
The show’s outstanding ensemble cast is led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. The series is from Universal Cable Productions and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.

SYNOPSIS
The Battlestar Galactica saga began on one devastating day, when the human population of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol was annihilated in a series of surprise attacks by their own creation—the Cylons, a race of sentient robotic clones. The few survivors huddled together on space ships, facing almost certain death at the hands of their ruthless enemies. In Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5, Commander William Adama (Emmy Award®-winner Edward James Olmos), the hawkish military leader of the last surviving battleship, searches for a habitable planet as the murderous Cylons follow relentlessly. As mysterious premonitions help Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) the President of the Twelve Colonies, guide the ship to the fabled Thirteenth Colony, Earth, treacherous double agents, Cylon spies and internal dissent plague the Galactica. The ship’s crew and passengers battle for their lives—and the survival of the human race—armed with only cunning and determination against the military might of the Cylon Empire.

Final thoughts…

Hopefully soon I’ll have a complete review of the Blu-ray series for your enjoyment!

(Thank you TheHDRoom.com for the usage of your image.)

Monsters Inc. and A Bug’s Life were rendered for film at 1536×922. HD’s 1080p resolution is 1920×1080. So how can these films be released on BluRay in true, native 1080p resolution? The answer? ONLY if they re-render the films over again at the higher resolution.

A short time ago Pixar and Disney announced that both Toy Story I & II are being re-rendered in actual 3D for re-release in October 2009, as a prelude to March 2010′s release of Toy Story III also in 3D. These would have to be re-rendered in higher quality to insure a native 1080p BluRay release as well.

For the latest DVD releases of Toy Story I & II, Pixar/Disney raised the technological bar by transferring the film directly from the digital frames instead of going to film, then back into a video transfer. The results were stunning. However, standard DVD has a resolution of 720×486 (with rectangular pixels for those ‘technical’), and that resolution is clearly lower than the master files.

However… Both films were created at 1536×922, and are far below the 1900×1080 resolution of 1080p HD (however higher than the 1280×720 of 720p HD), and therefore if they were transferred to 1080p HD, they would look soft and low resolution. (Take a look at the new compilation of Pixar’s shorts recently released on BluRay disc to view some of these lower resolution files on your 1080p quality system.)

It’s my understanding that all of the earlier pixar films were rendered at 1.5k (1526×922); whereas Pixar/Disney’s Cars was their first film to be rendered at 2048×1080; commonly referred to as 2k.

When you consider that the highest resolution of hidef video is 1920×1080, you can clearly see why both Cars and Rattatouie are available in 1080p HD, and none of the previous Pixar/Disney films are as of yet.

So, in order to have nice 1080p HD releases of the previous Pixar/Disney films (in this case Monsters Inc. and A Bug’s Life), it’s going to REQUIRE a re-render of the entire film in a higher resolution to accomodate a new release.

What also excites me about the idea that Pixar/Disney is re-rendering the films, is the fact that rendering/shading technology has improved so dramatically since those films were originally made, and I hope that the original sources can be ‘plugged-into’ the new software and higher and more natural results will be rendered. I’m sure it will be amazing…

Personally, I can’t want for a my 1080p BluRay of Monsters Inc. I only hope that they aren’t just transferring the film in it’s original rendered resolution and calling it 1080p. When I find out, I’ll update the story.

For those who may not know, The Flintstones was originally a prime time animated show like ‘The Simpsons’ today… and was just as ‘adult’. It’s amazing what we now consider kid-friendly…

Anyway, here’s the photos… Enjoy!

Here’s a link to the original story at www.tvshowsondvd.com.

One Frame of Lowry Digital Images breathtaking restoration of “North by Northwest”.

As per Variety today:

Demos joins Lowry Digital Images
Exec named senior algorithm scientist
By DAVID S. COHEN

Gary Demos has joined Lowry Digital Images. Demos will be a senior algorithm scientist at Lowry, which is an industry leader in digital film restoration and image enhancement.

Demos received the Gordon E. Sawyer Oscar in 2006 and has received scientific & technical awards from the Academy in 1985, 1995 and 1996. Lowry was acquired in April by Indian-owned Reliance Big Entertainment.

(Click here for the original Variety Story Link.)

I’ve written about the amazing work of John Lowry and Lowry Digital Images for years (See this post about the James Bond remasters). John’s company remarkably enhances and restores image quality that has never been visible before. Using computer algorithms, John has been able to pull out image information that was previously invisible to the naked eye, and actually deliver new masters (and now negatives) of classic motion pictures that are SUPERIOR to the original NEGATIVE of the movie. AMAZING.

A number of years ago I produced a documentary entitled “Crossing the Frontier: Making ‘The Last Starfighter’”on the groundbreaking work of Gary Demos and his then company “Digital Productions” as they pioneered the use of computers to replace models in visual effects. The innovations at the time ignited the computer generated imagery (CGI) effects work of today. I’m exceptionally proud of that documentary, and I’ve always been inspired by his pioneering spirit.

Gary invited me to his office years ago, and shortly before the hidef standard was declared, he had brilliant proposals that were fresh and revolutionary. He was also working on remarkable compression technology that actually improved image quality by dropping dirt and noise information from a source instead of image quality. So in essence, his compression would actually reduce the size of the source material while IMPROVING THE QUALITY! I left his office amazed by the possibilities, and remarkably impressed by his passion and talent.

When I heard today that these to pioneers had teamed up, I needed to blog to truly report that this is a special day… a day that I believe is going to change the way we enjoy movies forever. There’s a long list of films that Lowry Digital Images has already processed, and Gary’s innovations have already been influential to the industry as a whole.

(Lowry Digital Images has processed, the Star Wars Original Trilogy, The Indiana Jones Trilogy, All of the James Bond films prior to Casino Royale, North by Northwest, and so many more…)

I’ll be updating and adding to this post over the next few days, so come back and learn more about this amazing union!

This announcement has made my year!

Coming soon…. a blog speculating about why ONLY ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’ is the only Indiana Jones film coming to BluRay, and what Lowry Digital Images has to do with this.

Toy Story Series Gets 3D Digital Makeover

Pixar and Disney have just announced that both Toy Story I & II are being re-rendered in actual 3D for re-release in October 2009, as a prelude to March 2010′s release of Toy Story III–also in 3D. But Why would they go through all of the effort re-rendering both I & II when so much is being converted to 3D from an original 2D format. Why? The answer after the break….

For the latest DVD releases of Toy Story I & II, Pixar•Disney raised the technological bar by transferring the film directly from the digital frames instead of going to film, then back into a video transfer. The results were stunning. However, standard DVD has a resolution of 720×486 (with rectangular pixels for those ‘technical’), and that resolution is clearly lower than the master files.

However… Both films were created at 1536 × 922, and are far below the 1900×1080 resolution of 1080p HD (however higher than the 1280×720 of 720p HD), and therefore if they were transferred to 1080p HD, they would look soft and low resolution. (Take a look at the new compilation of Pixar’s shorts recently released on BluRay disc to view some of these lower resolution files on your 1080p quality system.)

It’s my understanding that all of the earlier pixar films were rendered at 1.5k (1526×922); whereas Pixar•Disney’s Cars was their first film to be rendered at 2048×1080; commonly referred to as 2k.

When you consider that the highest resolution of hidef video is 1920×1080, you can clearly see why both Cars and Rattatouie are available in 1080p HD, and none of the previous Pixar•Disney films are as of yet.

So, in order to have nice 1080p HD releases of the previous Pixar•Disney films, it’s going to REQUIRE a re-render of the entire film in a higher resolution to accomodate a new release. Thankfully, a new 3D release will not only impress and satisfy audiences, but will also give the financial support to the motivation to upres these films for HD.

What also excites me about the idea that Pixar•Disney is re-rendering the films, is the fact that rendering/shading technology has improved so dramatically since those films were originally made, and I hope that the original sources can be ‘plugged-into’ the new software and higher and more natural results will be rendered. I’m sure it will be amazing…

Personally, I can’t want for a nice 1080p copy of Monsters Inc. (My bet is that this film will be next for the re-render/3D treatment.)

This is your good friend Sully… signing out.

December 4th, 2007 – Burbank, CA

Today, the soundtrack CD to the 1960′s classic television show ‘My Favorite Martian’ was released by La La Land Records. This CD was Produced by 2 Live Fools co-host David C. Fein, and has almost 80 minutes of classic music by the late George Greeley.

For more information and samples from a number of tracks, visit www.lalalandrecords.com.

Last night I went to log in to Netflix to watch a streaming episode of Masters of Horror only to find their website down with a promise of restoration by 8PM. I came back at 8, and it said 11PM, I came back at 11, it said 2AM. This morning I returned to the site, at 8AM, and it wait ‘be back up at 9AM… 9 AM said 11AM, and now it simply reads “temporarily unavailable.

It’s reported that Netflix shares are now at an all time low, and that the company recently reduced the price of all of their plans by roughly $1. What they didn’t expect was the site to go down.

The Boston Herald reports that Netflix claims that they will be back online by 4PM but doesn’t state the reason for the outtage.

You can be sure that some hacker at Blockbuster is getting a huge bonus today. Amazing when you consider the power of a intelligent nerd in a closet… Hail nerds!

Cheers!