'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1' - High-Def Digest Review

[Attebery]

Josh Zyber has reviewed the Blu-ray edition of 'Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1.' He says these tastefully updated episodes put most of his concerns to rest. This Blu-ray set is absolutely worth the expense for the 'Star Trek' fans out there. Highly recommended.

Full review here:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/675/startrektos_s1.html

[Arkadin]

simply put--the greatest home video release of the original Star Trek series EVER.
and it will most likely will NEVER be surpassed.
THIS is the ESSENTIAL Star Trek hd release, NOT the HD DVD, and boy has it been a long time coming.
the fact that this set offers FOR THE FIRST TIME in hd the REAL original episodes is reason enough to make an instant purchase.
god bless Paramount for FINALLY getting it right--the "new" effects are interesting filler but nothing more;
stay in the 60's and watch the series the way it was originally made without the "new" bs cgi crapola.
cannot wait for seasons 2 and 3.
btw: how the best season of the most seminal sci-fi series of all time doesn't get 5 stars (under "the movie itself"), I won't even bother trying to figure out.
if this isn't 5 star material my man JZ, NOTHING is.

[Arkadin]

this blows the old dvd sets out of the water.
I have them, and compared to this they look terrible.
remember that those episodes without the "new" effects are in this package.
there is absolutely NO comparison.
this is the SAME as that package because all of that material in included here--just in HD.
imo people shouldn't even waste their time with the "new" shit.
the new cgi "enterprise" looks ridiculously out of place.
I mean gimme a break.
For fans that have been waiting for TOS in hd , THIS is the set.
fuck all that revisionist bullshit.
just buy this set, choose the original episodes, and enjoy the "real" series in hd.
anything else is simply superfluous.

[joeags]

For the review, in the past, there was almost always a comment on these Blu-ray re-releases that gives grounds for upgrading or not upgrading from the HD DVD version. There were a few mentions about differences, but no straight-up advice. I'd like this to be included in all re-release reviews. The loss of a 90 minute documentary in the Blu-ray, is that offset by the PiP ease? That info would be great in the Final Thoughts category.

Unlike the previous posters, I enjoyed the new CGI work that has been added. I do find it funny that any time ANYTHING comes out, there is a vocal group that doesn't like the changes. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Watchmen, BSG, Star Trek TOS, etc, it always seems people are pissed that the way they believe it should be shown is changed. Heck, my sister-in-law was complaining yesterday about the Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice!!!

[Arkadin]

well the grounds for updating are beyond obvious--with this set you get the original episodes.
the HD DVD did not offer that.
pretty clear cut advantage imo.

[Super-VHS]

Originally Posted by CaptainArcher

.....The show is still 'full screen' so you have the black bars...

And?

Aspect ratio has very little to do with HD. It may have black bars on the side — pfftt, whatever — but that doesn't mean that Star Trek TOS is not somehow HD. It's still 1080p.

Originally Posted by CaptainArcher

...if you're looking to blow some cash get this, if your a real fan you already have the hardshell dvd set gold, blue, and red that came out sometime ago, to me that is the definitive set and nothing else is really necessary.

Ummm, this set? Cause those look absolutely terrible in comparison to the new HD (and restored SD DVD) sets. Horribly print damaged.... faded and tattered.

Originally Posted by CaptainArcher

Statements like this "Most obviously, almost every single space shot involving grainy stock footage of the Enterprise model dangling on wires in front of plastic schoolroom globes has been replaced with a fresh digital rendering that orbits credible-looking planets." I find silly and exaggerated....

Why? It's a true statement. Nearly all the old effects have been replaced by CG and the new CG as well as originals do looks as described.

[Super-VHS]

Originally Posted by CaptainArcher

Yea, those, the ones that have 59 five stars and 4 one stars (because of the old prices). Faded and tattered is beyond exaggerating, it's lying. They are remastered and look fine.

In comparison to the new discs — which have not one instance of damage over the 24+ hours of programming — the old sets are noticeably inferior in this regard. Numerous episodes have spots of damage through out at various points and colors aren't as pronounced.

Do the old sets look good? Sure, for DVD. But the new sets look better. And those 4 and 5 star reviews are fine. At the time of that release, they were the best Trek had ever looked. And until this new blu-ray they remained the only way to see the original effects (something I'm sure inflated the reviews for a bit).

And the resolution upgrade via high def — not talking about effects here for a minute — offers a big (noticable) increase in detail. The regular non-effects heavy sequences look very good for the vintage.

[eastx]

Great review! This line needs fixin' though:

The Cutting Room Floor: What Didn't Make the HD DVD?


And Archer, you need to give it up. Suggesting that this new set is unecessary because the old DVDs were good is nuts. It looks way, way better on Blu-Ray whether you watch the enhanced versions or not.
I much prefer the enhanced visuals and remixed sound, myself.

...

Anyway, I posted this in the other thread, but I want to make sure everybody sees it. If anyone is interested, I've prepared both a .Docx (Word 07) and PDF file which lists the episodes in their chronological order rather than by production or air date. (They're presented by air date on the actual discs.) They are included in this post's Zip file attachment.

[ronnie_barzel]

Originally Posted by CaptainArcher

Ummm, this set? Cause those look absolutely terrible in comparison to the new HD (and restored SD DVD) sets. Horribly print damaged.... faded and tattered.

Yea, those, the ones that have 59 five stars and 4 one stars (because of the old prices). Faded and tattered is beyond exaggerating, it's lying. They are remastered and look fine.

I just glanced through the five-star reviews, and two things struck me...

a) Few of the reviews actually talk about the picture quality, which somewhat negates your response. They seem to be giving five stars for other reasons.

b) Most of the five-star reviews were written prior to the release of the first season on HD DVD. Prior to that release, I would agree that the episodes had never looked better than they did in the red/yellow/blue cases. At that time, I wouldn't have any objection to giving the video a 4 1/2 or 5 stars. However, the release of the HD sets raised the bar significantly. Those old sets now look bad in comparison to the HD DVD/Blu-ray sets..

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by CaptainArcher

I was 'suggesting' it's not necessary for me. Give me Transporter 3 on Blu Ray.. X Men, Quantum of Solace.. etc
a TV show from '66 while an 'upgrade' is best left for people who see the term 'Blu ray' as 'must buy because it's new'. I'm just more selective.. I still prefer to watch my TV boxsets on my SD TV they look good enough..

ummm, no offense, I don't buy Blu ray cuz it's "new" or "shiny" I buy it because I want the BEST there is in PQ/AQ for ALL of my movies. There is no exception. Just because I want all of my shows/movies in the highest possible echelon's of quality doesn't make me someone who has to buy it because It's "new". I am very selective about what I buy. If I think it's worth watching It's worth owning in the best possible format available (hell I double and triple dipped my DVD's a ton too just to get that better audio track or remastered video so what's one more time). That's fine that you don't think the upgrade is worthwhile but let us who actually want the best in PQ/AQ to actually appreciate it

[SlaughterX]

Who is this guy you all are quoting, did his post get deleted or something? Anyway I have had the HD-DVD set for almost a year now and still have only watched the first episode. If I can sell that set to my uncle I might double dip, but right now I can't really warrant buying it again. Also I for one actually liked the packaging on the HD-DVD version.

[project-blu]

Originally Posted by SlaughterX

Who is this guy you all are quoting, did his post get deleted or something? Anyway I have had the HD-DVD set for almost a year now and still have only watched the first episode. If I can sell that set to my uncle I might double dip, but right now I can't really warrant buying it again. Also I for one actually liked the packaging on the HD-DVD version.

he deleted his posts himself (a mod can see if a post is done by another mod, or if by the user who created them). This is exactly why it's better to quote someone and then refute, as it shows the trail and if they delete it, it won't make you look completely crazy. I had a user do the very same thing to me, to try to make me look bad in someone's trade thread. didn't make me happy in the least.

Slaughter, the HD DVD release actually has a very solid resale value, as it has hovered around the 50 buck mark on amazon 3rd party for some time. you can get most of the blu-ray financed easily that way, if you are to upgrade. if you have only watched a single episode, though, spending any more money on the release may be a waste.

[scc]

In the review , there are comparison pictures of the old and new Star Trek. Each time I prefer the look of the old.

[jetthead]

This set may be my favorite yet. I absolutely love it (and I'm not even that big of a Trek fan.)

[iDarren]

Originally Posted by scc

In the review , there are comparison pictures of the old and new Star Trek. Each time I prefer the look of the old.

Please explain why?