Babylon 5 series viewing prelim

[gchance]

There's a discussion going on in a Battlestar Galactica thread that I've been meaning to have for a long time, regarding Babylon 5.

Like many older series, a lot of people have wanted to watch it, have the DVD's, but just haven't gotten around to it. Here's your chance. I'm going to start posting threads for each episode for discussion like we do for first-run series. Anyone interested can join in, whether you're actively viewing or not.

One interesting thing with Babylon 5 is if you're a new viewer and want to at least try without buying DVD's, you can stream the first season for free from various sources.

Anyway, I'm posting this thread as a preliminary measure so people can gather their sources to go through the series.

The only rule is the same one we follow with other TV show discussions... no spoilers for the rest of the series without spoiler tags.

One suggestion I always make with Babylon 5 is after watching an episode, look at it's entry in the Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 (http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/lurker.html). It was created on the fly as the series aired, and is extremely comprehensive.

I'll post the first thread tomorrow. If you need more time, let me know. I think one thread a week is a bit too slow, it'd take us way too long to cycle through the series. Perhaps one thread every few days would be good.

Finally, I hope this will spark some other whole-series discussions. Some already have a series of threads (like Firefly) but others, who knows? Star Trek: TNG anyone? :)

Greg

[doom1701]

I'd never be able to get through more than one a week...but I'd still be interested.

[Trent Bates]

I'd be interested in reading along (and possibly viewing along) as well. I watched when it first came out but it kind of fell by the wayside back then. I have to admit, I wasn't entirely comfortable with the show back then either.

Hearing everyone talk about it and it's 5 year planned story has interested me for a while now. :)

[gchance]

We'll see how it goes, Tim. I watch the episodes when I do my cardio in the evenings, but I don't do it EVERY night, and lately have been sidelined by this persistent congestive cough.

Greg

[Sirius Black]

I know the series. I've seen it. I loved it but I'm not familiar enough with it to know whether or not <insert something here> happened in episode 3 of season 1 or episode 6 of season 2.

[doom1701]

I know the series. I've seen it. I loved it but I'm not familiar enough with it to know whether or not <insert something here> happened in episode 3 of season 1 or episode 6 of season 2.

That's why the suggestion (from what I understand) is that we all agree to watch one episode per (some regular basis), as if it were a brand new show. Then we discuss that one episode, with no "spoilers" for anything coming in the future.

[gchance]

More than *just* discussion, the idea is to re-watch the show. The discussion part comes later.

Greg

[Sirius Black]

I guess I could Netflix seasons 1-4 again. That might be rather fun. Season 5 is already in my queue. I've not seen them yet.

[Magister]

Umm, I would like to have a copy of the series, but wife wont' let me. I was lucky enough to watch seasons 1-4 on TBS, when they were shown nightly in order. Then season 5. So I saw everything in 1 year.

Very enjoyable show.

[lawilson2]

Umm, I would like to have a copy of the series, but wife wont' let me. I was lucky enough to watch seasons 1-4 on TBS, when they were shown nightly in order. Then season 5. So I saw everything in 1 year.

Very enjoyable show.

How is it that your "wife won't let you?" Are wives really that dominating? If so, I'm staying single!

[Sirius Black]

Babylon 5 isn't Star Trek (any flavor). They aren't +$100 per season (way, way, overpriced). Amazon has them for about $36 a season. If that makes a difference.

[rhuntington3]

Good show. I've got all 5 seasons on DVD plus the movie collection.

[brettatk]

Do they offer some sort of collector's set that contains all 5 seasons as well as all the made for TV movies?

[bicker]

I purchased the entire set of DVDs for some insanely low price a few years ago. However, I'm wondering if there are different masters. I ask because, quite frankly, (and I don't think this is a spoiler since it has nothing to do with the story, but I'll spoilerize this anyway...) the video quality was really quite poor -- very low resolution. I'll be happy to go into details if folks are interested.

Are there newer/better masters? If so, folks interested in following this thread may want to aim specifically for the newer/better masters, and so the question is "How does one tell the difference?"

[rhuntington3]

Do they offer some sort of collector's set that contains all 5 seasons as well as all the made for TV movies?

Not quite.

The entire series:
http://www.amazon.com/Babylon-5-Complete-Television-5-Pack/dp/B0001M3MXY/ref=pd_bbs_7?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1210879631&sr=8-7

The movie collection:
http://www.amazon.com/Babylon-Movie-Collection-Bruce-Boxleitner/dp/B0002B15UQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1210879631&sr=8-5

The Lost Tales:
http://www.amazon.com/Babylon-5-Tales-Bruce-Boxleitner/dp/B000PHX8RA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1210879631&sr=8-3

[Sirius Black]

Amazon.co.uk has a collection that has the movies but this is what I was able to find:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2590473

It's rather expensive.

[gchance]

Are there newer/better masters? If so, folks interested in following this thread may want to aim specifically for the newer/better masters, and so the question is "How does one tell the difference?"

There are no different transfers. Here's the problem (as I understand it).

Originally the show was filmed in widescreen. Super 35, actually, then shown fullscreen on TV. The thought at the time was that when HDTV came along, they could just crop and away you'd go.

The CGI was different. Again, the thought was it could be re-rendered later. As we all know, computers advance very quickly, and the amount of $ WB was willing to put into B5 after the fact wasn't enough to convert all the models to newer versions of the software and go through the hassles of re-rendering some 100 hours of TV.

So what they did was make new hi-def masters of the live-action stuff, but anything that has CGI, or a blend of CGI and live action is all lower-res. They cropped the releases, which looks good for the live action, but much of the CGI gets cut off as a result. Also, there's a tendency for the actors to clump together in the center of the screen.

NOW... that's all minor. It's still a great show, and fun to watch. :)

Greg

[gchance]

Amazon.co.uk has a collection that has the movies but this is what I was able to find:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2590473

It's rather expensive.

That's way too much. I routinely see season box-sets at Sam's Club for like $20 a pop.

Greg

[Rob Helmerichs]

I purchased the entire set of DVDs for some insanely low price a few years ago. However, I'm wondering if there are different masters. I ask because, quite frankly, the video quality was really quite poor -- very low resolution. I'll be happy to go into details if folks are interested.

Are there newer/better masters? If so, folks interested in following this thread may want to aim specifically for the newer/better masters, and so the question is "How does one tell the difference?"
Sounds like bootlegs to me. The official DVDs are perfectly decent-looking (considering it was always a low-rent operation, it looks pretty good).

There are framing issues throughout, but that's just because some of the directors didn't understand the concept of framing an open-matte image to be seen both 4:3 and 16:9. They just framed it 4:3, so a lot of the episodes have cropped chins and the like.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Originally the show was filmed in widescreen. Super 35, actually, then shown fullscreen on TV. The thought at the time was that when HDTV came along, they could just crop and away you'd go.
Not widescreen, but as you say Super 35, shot open-matte. I don't know the exact ratio [edit: 1.65:1], but it's between 4:3 and 16:9. The idea was that they could crop the sides to make it 4:3, or crop the top and bottom to make it 16:9. Either way, you'd lose a little image, although not as much as going from 4:3 to 16:9. They should have left a thin safe zone all around the image so that whichever way it was cropped, nothing important would be lost. The problem I mentioned in the last post was that some of the directors just framed it purely 4:3 and didn't keep a safe zone for 16:9.

[alyssa]

More than *just* discussion, the idea is to re-watch the show. The discussion part comes later.

Greg

I was *just* thinking it was time for a B5 re-watch!
I'm in
:D

Anyone else tempted by this? Or am I getting too wonky?
http://www.cafepress.com/b5OtherVoices

[gchance]

I was *just* thinking it was time for a B5 re-watch!
I'm in
:D

Anyone else tempted by this? Or am I getting too wonky?
http://www.cafepress.com/b5OtherVoices

That's the latest volume of scripts mentioned in the Galactica thread. It may be volume 1, but that's volume 1 of scripts not written by JMS. There are 15 volumes of scripts by JMS, all $40 apiece. They'd be great to have but it's a LOT of $. :)

Greg

[alyssa]

yeah, I've been tempted by all of the books but haven't plunked down the $ for any of them. I'd love to look at one prior to buying just so I could thumb through it & see what I'm getting for the price.

BTW, Best buy has each season of DVD's for $19.95 with $9 for shipping. Someone could get season 1-5 for $109 delivered.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=280359&skuId=4813429&type=product&ref=39&loc=01&srccode=cii_11138&cpncode=12-49700196-2

[steve614]

I was wowed by this show when it originally aired.
I should have the DVDs around here somewhere. :p

I just finished watching Crusade. Sad that it only lasted one (half?) season.

[JMikeD]

yeah, I've been tempted by all of the books but haven't plunked down the $ for any of them. I'd love to look at one prior to buying just so I could thumb through it & see what I'm getting for the price.



I'm not sure any of the previous volumes are available from Cafe Press any more. The last one is for sale for a few more weeks, then it's gone. Volume 15 was never for sale, it was a bonus for those who bought all the books as they were printed. I imagine any volumes available from other sources such as eBay and the like will be more than the initial cost.

[danterner]

I'm in! Can someone in the know confirm proper viewing order? This is what I found on-line:

BLOCK 1: SERIES RUN + MOVIES AIRED DURING SERIES RUN
(internal chronological order)

(2257) The Gathering
(2258) Season 1
(2259) Season 2
(2260) Season 3
(2261) Season 4 # 1 - 8
(2261) Thirdspace
(2261) Season 4 # 9 - 22
(2262) Season 5 # 1 - 21
(2263) River Of Souls
(2278) In the Beginning
(2281) Season 5 # 22

BLOCK 2: POST-SERIES FILMS & SPINOFFS
(order of airdate)

(2266) A Call To Arms [jan 99]
(2267) Crusade (creator JMS's recommended order) [jun - sep 99]
(2265) Legend Of The Rangers [jan 02]
(2271) Lost Tales [july 07]

Are we going to start with The Gathering, or with S01E01?

[bicker]

So what they did was make new hi-def masters of the live-action stuff, but anything that has CGI, or a blend of CGI and live action is all lower-res. Yes, that's what I saw. It was very distracting to us, but other folks may not notice it as much.

Sounds like bootlegs to me. No, not from Best Buy.

The official DVDs are perfectly decent-looking (considering it was always a low-rent operation, it looks pretty good).Very low-rent... that's what I was referring to.

[gchance]

I'm in! Can someone in the know confirm proper viewing order?
Are we going to start with The Gathering, or with S01E01?

That's CHRONOLOGICAL order. We're just doing the series proper here, which DOES include The Gathering 2-hour movie. It originally aired a year before the series actually started but is part of the series arc. In syndication it ran as Part 1 & Part 2.

Think of it like Star Wars. Yes, Episodes I, II, & III take place chronologically before the first trilogy, but it's better to watch IV to VI first.

We can do the movies later, and perhaps Crusade. You also shouldn't watch In the Beginning before anything else. Would you believe I've still only seen a few episodes of Crusade?

I don't own the movie set although after this viewing of the series I just might buy it. I used to have them all on VHS, but there was an "accident". I told my wife that she could tape over Babylon 5 if she wanted since I had the DVD's... so she started with the movies.

That was early in our marriage. I'm more specific now. At least you can't erase DVD's, hehe.

Greg

[Bettamojo5]

B5 is a great series. Miss an episode, miss alot. I will try to rewatch it and keep track of this thread.

[BeanMeScot]

I've been wanting to watch the series. I got the DVD that has The Gathering and In the Beginning on it. I haven't watched either yet.

[alyssa]

start with season 1! Huge amount of ground work laid in the first season.
Best buys' got 'um for $20 bucks a season.

[windracer]

So is this like a modern geek's book club? :cool:

[Mars Rocket]

I'd love to participate, but I'm afraid I'd be hard pressed to get through more than 1 episode each week. I can try, but might fall too far behind to keep up with the group. It's also going to take me a few days to get the first DVD from netflix...

So when do we start, and what with?

[gchance]

Oh man, look at all the people coming out of the woodwork! I'm getting excited, maybe I'll have to just watch S1 again as you guys do it.

B5 is a great series. Miss an episode, miss alot. I will try to rewatch it and keep track of this thread.

Yup, although you're fairly safe for most of the first season. Problem is, you really don't know what you're safe missing. ;)

I've been wanting to watch the series. I got the DVD that has The Gathering and In the Beginning on it. I haven't watched either yet.

HEATHEN!!!! Now's your chance.

start with season 1! Huge amount of ground work laid in the first season.
Best buys' got 'um for $20 bucks a season.

Are you not following along? (hehe) We're starting with The Gathering.

So is this like a modern geek's book club? :cool:

Hop on and enjoy the ride, man.

I'd love to participate, but I'm afraid I'd be hard pressed to get through more than 1 episode each week. I can try, but might fall too far behind to keep up with the group. It's also going to take me a few days to get the first DVD from netflix...

So when do we start, and what with?

I think we'll just feel it out. One episode a week wouldn't be the end of the world, it'll just take so long to get through the series. Vacations are coming up, but barring that, if we do one episode per week without stopping it'll take almost 2 1/2 years to get through.

Another option would be if we coordinate our viewings we could watch 4 episodes per week (basically one disc), in a row, once a week. Like sometime during the weekend we all watch one disc.

Greg

[gchance]

So when do we start, and what with?

I forgot to answer this one. I'm posting the first thread for The Gathering tomorrow. I'll watch it tomorrow evening.

Greg

[gchance]

Someone posted in Happy Hour about Hulu...

Sure enough, S1 of B5 is there (http://www.hulu.com/babylon-5).

It's also on Joost.

Greg

[gchance]

Ooh! Ooh!

The version of The Gathering that's on Hulu is its original air presentation, not the Special Edition JMS edited together later! This includes the Stewart Copeland score, and doesn't include the spoilers I mentioned earlier. :) Awesome.

Greg

[bicker]

B5 is a great series. Miss an episode, miss alot. I will try to rewatch it and keep track of this thread.That's not necessarily true. There are I think two or three episodes which you can miss, and not miss much of anything. (One, in particular, comes to mind.) However, that's it -- one or two episodes. Other than that, you really need to watch every episode, in order.

[Hunter Green]

My wife and I watched B5 live when it first aired, and several times since, but not for quite a few years. We're thinking of joining in.

[alyssa]

Are you not following along? (hehe) We're starting with The Gathering.
Greg

you mean it didn't start with season 1?
:eek:

I actually don't think I've ever watched the gathering:o

(using up my weekly quota of smiles in one post)

[gchance]

you mean it didn't start with season 1?
:eek:

I actually don't think I've ever watched the gathering:o

(using up my weekly quota of smiles in one post)

The Gathering is considered the first two episodes of Season 1.

Don't get me wrong. If you miss it, it won't affect your enjoyment of the rest of the series, and they built a lot into the first few episodes of S1 so that they could bring viewers up to speed. The events of The Gathering are mentioned a few times at the beginning of the season, and as the season unfolds. It doesn't really set up the overall arc for the series.

HOWEVER, it does set up the arc for S1. The way B5 is set up, there's an arc for the entire series, with smaller arcs for each season. Season 1's arc is set up majorly in The Gathering.

Greg

[Craigbob]

Actually In the Beginning should be watched sometime in Season 4.

My question is do we want to watch them in airing order or JMS' preferred order. Really only applies to S1. There are a few minor changes, but not much is affected.

I'm in! Can someone in the know confirm proper viewing order? This is what I found on-line:

BLOCK 1: SERIES RUN + MOVIES AIRED DURING SERIES RUN
(internal chronological order)

(2257) The Gathering
(2258) Season 1
(2259) Season 2
(2260) Season 3
(2261) Season 4 # 1 - 8
(2261) Thirdspace
(2261) Season 4 # 9 - 22
(2262) Season 5 # 1 - 21
(2263) River Of Souls
(2278) In the Beginning
(2281) Season 5 # 22

BLOCK 2: POST-SERIES FILMS & SPINOFFS
(order of airdate)

(2266) A Call To Arms [jan 99]
(2267) Crusade (creator JMS's recommended order) [jun - sep 99]
(2265) Legend Of The Rangers [jan 02]
(2271) Lost Tales [july 07]

Are we going to start with The Gathering, or with S01E01?

[wedgecon]

You could skip The Gathering, it was not very well done and turned many off to the show when it aired a year later. If you do watch just remember that the series does get much better. Even much of the first season seems to be a little slow and going astray but keep watching it is setting up stuff that will be very important later on. Well except for maybe a couple of throw away episodes.

[gchance]

You guys are hilarious. For someone who hasn't seen it, why not just let them watch and make up their own minds? You're just about turning them off before they even get a chance.

When The Gathering first aired I think I watched it 3 or 4 times. At the time the only sci-fi to speak of on TV was Trek, and this was VERY different. It's also why many Trek fans dismissed it. In fact early on, there was a tendency of Trek fans to hate it for some reason, simply because it wasn't Star Trek. There was this strange block where they felt that you were either a Trek fan or a Babylon 5 fan but couldn't be both. Some are the same way to this day.

My question is do we want to watch them in airing order or JMS' preferred order. Really only applies to S1. There are a few minor changes, but not much is affected.

I'm planning on going with the order the series aired (which is also the order it's presented on the DVD set). That said, you can view it in any order you want, this is just the order I'm going to post the threads. :)

Greg

[Rob Helmerichs]

The Gathering is considered the first two episodes of Season 1.
No it's not. It's an entirely separate deal.

(You may be confused by the fact that the first episode of Season 1 is 103, but that's because they shot out of sequence. 101 and 102 came later.)

[gchance]

Rob you're right in the sense that it doesn't have a production number.

OK let me say this... the Lurker's Guide considers it part of S1. ;)

Greg

[Craigbob]

I'm planning on going with the order the series aired (which is also the order it's presented on the DVD set). That said, you can view it in any order you want, this is just the order I'm going to post the threads. :)


Why not do it in the order JMS intended? Things will make a bit more sense and it is not a great jump from the DVD/airing order.

Here is the Season 1 master list from the Lurker's Guide:

2. The Gathering

Season One ("Signs and Portents")

1. Midnight on the Firing Line
2. Soul Hunter
3. Born to the Purple
4. Infection
5. The Parliament of Dreams
6. Mind War
7. The War Prayer
8. And The Sky Full Of Stars
9. Deathwalker
10. Believers
11. Survivors
12. By Any Means Necessary
13. Signs and Portents
14. Grail
15. Eyes
16. A Voice in the Wilderness part 1
17. A Voice in the Wilderness part 2
18. Babylon Squared
19. The Quality of Mercy
20. TKO
21. Legacies
22. Chrysalis

[gchance]

Why not do it in the order JMS intended?

I do believe that's the order they're in on the DVD set. I'm going in the order the DVD's are presented, it'll be too complicated otherwise. As I said, you can watch in whatever order you want.

Greg

[DLiquid]

I think I'll give this a shot. I tried to watch B5 a few times when it first aired, but it always seemed so cheesy and the acting was not so great. Since then I've heard great things about it. I'll be getting the DVDs from Blockbuster, so I won't be able to get started for a few days. I also might have trouble keeping up with the pace of the threads. I'll try to give it a chance and stay with it even if the acting and cheese factor bug me. All these people that love this show can't be wrong, can they?

[Rob Helmerichs]

I think I'll give this a shot. I tried to watch B5 a few times when it first aired, but it always seemed so cheesy and the acting was not so great.
That was my problem, too. The pilot was so bad I had no interest. Then I heard some interesting things about it and tried again (still in Season 1), and had the same problem. Finally, when I was writing my dissertation, bored out of my skull, and desperate for any excuse to, well, not write my dissertation, a friend loaned me a Betamax player and his tapes of the series to date (this was around the break during Season 3 IIRC). I toughed my way through the early episodes, and towards the end of the first season the arc started really coming to the surface (it's there all along, even in the pilot, but you don't understand that until later). The second season it kicked into gear, and the third season was astonishing.

Bear in mind, however, that the sets and such are always pretty cheesy, the acting pretty B-level (especially the human characters; some of the aliens are great), and the writing, while magnificent on a big-picture level, is often cheesy and sophomoric at the scene level (in particular, JMS's view of romantic relationships seems to come straight from Junior High). It's not a perfect show by any means, but what it does right it does so well, I'd still put it in the ranks of the best television ever.

[Mars Rocket]

I should have The Gathering DVD from Netflix tomorrow. I'm getting excited now because I'm one of those who gave up on the show early on, although I couldn't tell you why. I moved in the summer and then started business school in the fall of '94 and moved to another state in '96 so maybe I was just too busy at the time.

[DLiquid]

That was my problem, too. The pilot was so bad I had no interest. Then I heard some interesting things about it and tried again (still in Season 1), and had the same problem. Finally, when I was writing my dissertation, bored out of my skull, and desperate for any excuse to, well, not write my dissertation, a friend loaned me a Betamax player and his tapes of the series to date (this was around the break during Season 3 IIRC). I toughed my way through the early episodes, and towards the end of the first season the arc started really coming to the surface (it's there all along, even in the pilot, but you don't understand that until later). The second season it kicked into gear, and the third season was astonishing.

Bear in mind, however, that the sets and such are always pretty cheesy, the acting pretty B-level (especially the human characters; some of the aliens are great), and the writing, while magnificent on a big-picture level, is often cheesy and sophomoric at the scene level (in particular, JMS's view of romantic relationships seems to come straight from Junior High). It's not a perfect show by any means, but what it does right it does so well, I'd still put it in the ranks of the best television ever.Thanks. I think your post will provide motivation to make it through the first season. BTW, part of my interest in B5 comes from posts you've made in the past, comparing B5 to other shows' story arcs and continuity (or lack thereof).

[gchance]

Thanks. I think your post will provide motivation to make it through the first season. BTW, part of my interest in B5 comes from posts you've made in the past, comparing B5 to other shows' story arcs and continuity (or lack thereof).

Right, and the biggest things we have to compare with B5 right now are Battlestar Galactica and Lost.

BG, the producers acknowledge they really didn't have a clue where they were taking the series and it shows.

Lost, people are slowly coming to realize that yes, they've had it planned out all along. And as I said in one of the Lost threads, they just needed to ask Vir what he wanted. Plot points early on in the series that seem small that later come up to be huge at the end of the series, pointing to the fact that yes, it was planned all along.

I love it. :)

Greg

[danm628]

yeah, I've been tempted by all of the books but haven't plunked down the $ for any of them. I'd love to look at one prior to buying just so I could thumb through it & see what I'm getting for the price.

I have all 15 of the JMS books, I ordered them as they were released. I just ordered the first of the 3 books of other scripts.

The books are high quality trade paperbacks. I would have preferred hard backs but most people probably wouldn't have been willing to pay that much. Limited volume hard backs are usually expensive.

I found the notes JMS put in the books more interesting than the scripts. He explains why things were done the way they were, the issues with the networks, how his vision for the show changed when needed. He also talks a lot about the various actors in the series.

You can still order the 14 books and receive the 15th free book. JMS signed the 15th book, which is very nice. They are available till June 30th. You should have time to order 1 book to look at before ordering the others.

NOTE: You have to go though a couple of hoops to get the 15th book, be sure to read and follow the directions.

I am a book nut, so for me this made great sense. Adding 15 more books to the thousands I have now seemed normal. I even hunted down the horror novels JMS wrote years ago and picked them up even though I'm not a big horror fan.

-- Dan

[gchance]

FYI: Season 2 is now on Hulu in its entirety. For those who don't want to spend the outrageous $19.99 for season box sets. ;)

Greg

[JYoung]

Sounds like bootlegs to me. The official DVDs are perfectly decent-looking (considering it was always a low-rent operation, it looks pretty good).

There are framing issues throughout, but that's just because some of the directors didn't understand the concept of framing an open-matte image to be seen both 4:3 and 16:9. They just framed it 4:3, so a lot of the episodes have cropped chins and the like.

I have the official DVDs.
I haven't watched them since I got an HDTV but the video quality of Season 1 appears to be poorer than most other DVDs.
(I started Midnight on the Firing Line last night.)
The CGI in Midnight is almost unwatchable on HDTV.

Since The Gathering DVD was acceptable quality wise, I'm going to hope that the video quality improves by Season 2.

[DLiquid]

I have the official DVDs.
I haven't watched them since I got an HDTV but the video quality of Season 1 appears to be poorer than most other DVDs.
(I started Midnight on the Firing Line last night.)
The CGI in Midnight is almost unwatchable on HDTV.

Since The Gathering DVD was acceptable quality wise, I'm going to hope that the video quality improves by Season 2.The DVD I watched of The Gathering was 4:3, whereas season one is 16:9. I've been watching the Star Trek: TNG DVDs, which are 4:3, and in some ways the B5 DVDs (I've only watched Midnight and Soul Hunters) are better. Someone else here probably knows better than me, but I think the TNG DVDs come from a video master and the B5 DVDs come from a film master. Still, the B5 transfer is sloppy at times, with scratches or specks of dirt that flash momentarily, and also some bizzare shots where they seem to have zoomed in the 16:9 frame to avoid getting some unwanted stuff on the left or right edge (e.g., maybe a member of the crew). Yeah, the CGI is almost unwatchable, but I thought that back in '94 too. ;)

[JYoung]

TNG was shot on film for the live action. The effects were done on video master and that's the problem in translating them to HD.

Even on an upconverting player, the CGI for Midnight had poor resolution.

[DLiquid]

TNG was shot on film for the live action. The effects were done on video master and that's the problem in translating them to HD.So everything you see on the DVDs is from the video master, right, even live action shots where there are no effects?

Even on an upconverting player, the CGI for Midnight had poor resolution.Yeah, the jaggies are distracting. So far I find that some of the CGI shots look decent, like close-ups of the Starfuries, but others, like wide shots of B5 itself, make me want to blur my vision because of the poor resolution.

I assume the CGI scenes weren't done in 16:9 originally, so are the top and bottom cropped off on all these space scenes?

[Jonathan_S]

I assume the CGI scenes weren't done in 16:9 originally, so are the top and bottom cropped off on all these space scenes?That's my understanding. (I think their original plan back when they filmed the show was simply to re-render all the FX in 16:9 if/when they eventually did a widescreen release. But instead they ended up just cropping off the top & bottom of the existing 4:3 fx footage:()

[JYoung]

So everything you see on the DVDs is from the video master, right, even live action shots where there are no effects?



I can't answer that. I don't have the TNG DVDs.

[Mr_Bester]

That's my understanding. (I think their original plan back when they filmed the show was simply to re-render all the FX in 16:9 if/when they eventually did a widescreen release. But instead they ended up just cropping off the top & bottom of the existing 4:3 fx footage:()
Part of the reason is that WB/Netter digital lost a lot of the archives when the CG switched to Netter from Foundation between seasons 3 and 4. One of the original vfx guys, who now works on Galactica, has a blog that he promises some old B5 stuff. He currently has in progress shots of the set being built.
darthmojo.wordpress.com

Dug

[Fl_Gulfer]

The wife won't let me blow a 100 bucks so If anyone wants to sell a set let me know.

[Rob Helmerichs]

The wife won't let me blow a 100 bucks so If anyone wants to sell a set let me know.
I got two words for you:

Trophy wife.

:D

[alyssa]

The wife won't let me blow a 100 bucks so If anyone wants to sell a set let me know.

Try amortizing the sets over a few months. Can your house afford $20/month? The first season will take us 11 weeks so there's time to buy as we go along.

The second selling point to your wife might be, Value. If you like the series you most likely will rewatch the dvd's every few years. Buy & watch the first season, see where it takes you. If it doesn't work out then sell it on ebay.