TV News Thread

[The Lurker]

RIP Bob's Burgers animator Bob Creek.

[The Lurker]

So during the football game that was simulcast on CBS and Nickelodeon today, someone dropped an F bomb... and it aired on Nickelodeon uncensored and without a tape delay.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

So during the football game that was simulcast on CBS and Nickelodeon today, someone dropped an F bomb... and it aired on Nickelodeon uncensored and without a tape delay.

I've heard a few F bombs and other swear words watching games this year, with no crowd noise you can hear all the stuff the players yell at each other.  Funny that when I'm watching an Eagles game and have the local radio guys on I don't hear them because the field noise is turned way down.

[The Lurker]

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/mira-furlan-dead-babylon-5-lost-1234890117/

[LucasM]

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/mira-furlan-dead-babylon-5-lost-1234890117/

Damn.  So many of the wonderful actors from this series are gone now.  (Shit - she was only two years older than I am!)

[The Lurker]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/A-C9hfwvLDc" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/A-C9hfwvLDc</a>

[MartyS (Gromit)]

The 6 year project to remaster Babylon 5 is done, but you can only get the remastered series streaming, no word on a blu-ray release.  It's on HBO-MAX, and you can buy it on Amazon and iTunes.

$30 a season X 5 seasons = $150...

I may buy one episode just to see how it looks, then see if I feel like spending that much for the series, the DVDs do look kind of terrible on a 55 inch TV.   

Edit:  $30 a season not $40, and I did some digging and Vudu has a bundle of all 5 seasons in HDX for $70.  That is much better, probably about the same cost if a blu-ray set ever comes out.

[RVR II]

The 6 year project to remaster Babylon 5 is done, but you can only get the remastered series streaming, no word on a blu-ray release.  It's on HBO-MAX, and you can buy it on Amazon and iTunes.

$30 a season X 5 seasons = $150...

I may buy one episode just to see how it looks, then see if I feel like spending that much for the series, the DVDs do look kind of terrible on a 55 inch TV.   

Edit:  $30 a season not $40, and I did some digging and Vudu has a bundle of all 5 seasons in HDX for $70.  That is much better, probably about the same cost if a blu-ray set ever comes out.

Yeah it's worse on a 75" HDTV..
I might wait to see if they do produce a Blu-Ray set

[LucasM]

The 6 year project to remaster Babylon 5 is done, but you can only get the remastered series streaming, no word on a blu-ray release.  It's on HBO-MAX, and you can buy it on Amazon and iTunes.

$30 a season X 5 seasons = $150...

I may buy one episode just to see how it looks, then see if I feel like spending that much for the series, the DVDs do look kind of terrible on a 55 inch TV.   

Edit:  $30 a season not $40, and I did some digging and Vudu has a bundle of all 5 seasons in HDX for $70.  That is much better, probably about the same cost if a blu-ray set ever comes out.

Thank you for the info, MartyS! 

That it has been restored is incredible!  Time after time I was reading about how screwed they were because at the time it was being created the producers didn't want to kick in an extra something like $200 an episode to get the special effects done widescreen, when they knew widescreen TVs were coming.  So that when they made the widescreen DVDs in Europe, they actually cropped the 1.33:1 SD special effects scenes (making them, effectively, ~320p), then with the conversion from PAL back to NTSC (because WB wasn't going to pay to have the DVD prep done twice) the images for US releases got even worse.  And then they said that it would cost too much to restore for HD, given how (compared to things like Star Trek) they didn't feel the market would support the expense of redoing the special effects scenes in HD.  I'm REALLY glad they changed their minds!

And, yeah, the DVDs don't look all that good on a 65" screen.  For me, however, the story is so much more important than the visuals I've overlooked it (because I had no choice).

I still feel this is the best filmed science fiction I've seen.  The depth of the story and characterizations (and the actual progress of characters' journeys) far exceed those of any other TV SF, and because they had time for it, far exceeds movie SF.  I still think that way, even with seasons 4+5 being teased apart, leaving them uneven, because at the start of season 4 Straczynski was told there was unlikely to BE another season (as UPN was going under, I think), so he tried to wrap up the core story by the end of season 4.  Because I enjoy it so much, I've watched it through in its entirety around 10 times since it first aired, despite it being about 100 hours to do so.

But like RVRII, I'll hold off on plunking down my $70 for a while, hoping that they'll release it on Blu-ray.

Thanks again for the great news, MartyS!

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Because I enjoy it so much, I've watched it through in its entirety around 10 times since it first aired, despite it being about 100 hours to do so.

Wow, I think I've watched all of it about 3 times, certain chunks of episodes I may have seen 10 times. 

I may splurge and go for the Vudu bundle, in case the bundle goes away.  There are quite a few shows that have been remastered for streaming and live TV that have not come out on Blu-Ray, so it is possible they won't do a physical release.  Colombo comes to mind, it looks great in HD streaming, only Blu-Ray set that I could ever find was a crazy expensive one from Japan.

[LucasM]

Because I enjoy it so much, I've watched it through in its entirety around 10 times since it first aired, despite it being about 100 hours to do so.

Wow, I think I've watched all of it about 3 times, certain chunks of episodes I may have seen 10 times. 

I may splurge and go for the Vudu bundle, in case the bundle goes away.  There are quite a few shows that have been remastered for streaming and live TV that have not come out on Blu-Ray, so it is possible they won't do a physical release.  Colombo comes to mind, it looks great in HD streaming, only Blu-Ray set that I could ever find was a crazy expensive one from Japan.

Yeah, there's things i'd like on Blu that have been remastered but left digital only.  But I'm hoping that the fan base for B5 makes it a more likely Blu-ray candidate.  Because regardless how good the show might have been, there aren't worldwide rabid Columbo fans having ever-increasing-size conventions year after year where they continue to buy lots of new merch each time, but there are for B5! 

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Because I enjoy it so much, I've watched it through in its entirety around 10 times since it first aired, despite it being about 100 hours to do so.

Wow, I think I've watched all of it about 3 times, certain chunks of episodes I may have seen 10 times. 

I may splurge and go for the Vudu bundle, in case the bundle goes away.  There are quite a few shows that have been remastered for streaming and live TV that have not come out on Blu-Ray, so it is possible they won't do a physical release.  Colombo comes to mind, it looks great in HD streaming, only Blu-Ray set that I could ever find was a crazy expensive one from Japan.

Yeah, there's things i'd like on Blu that have been remastered but left digital only.  But I'm hoping that the fan base for B5 makes it a more likely Blu-ray candidate.  Because regardless how good the show might have been, there aren't worldwide rabid Columbo fans having ever-increasing-size conventions year after year where they continue to buy lots of new merch each time, but there are for B5! 

I read in a few blogs that the rumor is that there may be a Blu-Ray release in March.  So I guess I'll wait and see.

I have looked at some of the clips people have posted comparing the HBO Max HD version to the DVDs and it is a very nice improvement.

[The Lurker]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Q1GACqFt34U" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Q1GACqFt34U</a>

[Edward J Grug III]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Q1GACqFt34U" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Q1GACqFt34U</a>

I'm getting a video not available message

[The Lurker]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Q1GACqFt34U" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Q1GACqFt34U</a>

I'm getting a video not available message

Weird.  It's working fine on my end