Posted by Jeff Rife on 05/27/06 14:10

Subject: Re: May 25, 1977: Star Wars released
From: Jeff Rife <wevsr@nabs.net>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.starwars

J. Clarke (jclarke.usenet@snet.net.invalid) wrote in alt.video.dvd:
> > I hate to bring this up, but the laserdiscs from which the masters were
> > made were THX-certified. It was a requirement for THX-certification for
> > laserdiscs that the original telecine be done in high-def, and then the
> > laserdisc master be created from a down-conversion of that telecine.
>
> There was not even a _standard_ for high definition television when the THX
> Laserdisc requirements were established.

Actually, the first THX laserdisc showed up in 1993, and Japan already
had HDTV at that time, *and* Hi-Vision laserdiscs had already been
released. Then, by 1995 when the "Faces" THX-certified discs came
along, HDTV *was* firmly established, and the THX laserdisc certification
program required the use of high-definition masters.

Just because HDTV is just beginning to really take off with the consumer
in the US doesn't mean it hasn't been around for a *long* time. Heck,
it's nine years old in the US.

> There might be "good quality"
> masters somewhere but that doesn't mean that they contain 1920x1080
> recordings.

It doesn't really matter. If they are at least 853x480 (in the 16x9
area), they can be used for full-resolution creation of anamorphic DVDs.
It may not be as good as a full HD source, but it will be 25% more
vertical resolution, and somewhat more horizontal.

> > This is also true for THX-certifed DVDs, so if the DVDs released this
> > fall are THX-certified, then there *must* be high-def masters somewhere.
>
> Would you be kind enough to state a source for that. What I'm seeing is
> that high definition masters can be certified but there is no requirement
> that they be used for SD DVD production.

Now that I read current requirements, there may not be any more, with
the continued slacking off of the THX standard. There was at the
inception of the program, to keep it in line with the laserdisc standard.

But, the wording of even the current standard would require Lucas to
go get some of those prints that are out there and clean them up and
do a new telecine, if he wants them THX-certified:

"THX's parameters define that film transfers used must come from the
highest possible resolution digital medium available to the client,
and stresses that high definition transfers should be used
throughout"
-- http://www.dvdreview.com/html/how_dvd_gets_thx_certified.html

--
Jeff Rife | "Ahhh, what an awful dream! Ones and zeroes
| everywhere...and I thought I saw a two!"
| -- Bender, "Futurama"

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