Babylon 5 Review - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

newt · 10-31-2002, 04:36 PM

BABYLON 5 FIRST SEASON REVIEW IS UP AT THECINEMALASER.COM!

C Roberts · 11-01-2002, 03:09 AM

After reading that one and the review on this site I have to wonder about one thing. Does the CGI look worse than it would on VHS taped off television? That will be the deal breaker for me.

**aintnosin** · 11-01-2002, 05:49 PM

If the DVD file review is accurate, then it kind of what I feared. Because the effects couldn't be re-rendered for 16x9, the conversion process degraded the quality noticeably.

I know that B5 was originally shot with 16x9 in mind, but because of the limitations of the CGI effects, I think they should have released the DVD's in the OAR of the series, that being 4x3.

**aintnosin** · 11-01-2002, 07:34 PM

The effects on the "In the Beginning" DVD did not look all that bad. I have a feeling that the quality of effects on DVD will get better, because the qaulity of the effects got better every year the series was on.

C Roberts · 11-01-2002, 08:26 PM

Are these the same widescreen transfers they used on the Sci-Fi channel or did they do them over for the DVD's?

samuelk · 11-01-2002, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by C Roberts
Are these the same widescreen transfers they used on the Sci-Fi channel or did they do them over for the DVD's?

I think they're different. I'm pretty sure WB redid the entire series with a completely new anamorphic transfer.

JDeMartino · 11-01-2002, 10:03 PM

I believe that Warner Bros. did new hi-def transfers of the entire series when Sci-Fi decided to air the show in widescreen. The NTSC broadcast masters, the NTSC DVDs and the PAL DVDs are all derived from these new masters. Given that every widescreen version of the show probably comes from the same source, there is no chance that the DVDs are going to look worse than off-air VHS - or even commercial VHS. Even with the CGI shots zoomed and cropped they're going to have more clarity and resolution than the 250 or so lines you're going to end up with on VHS. The CGI looked as good as or better on DVD when I compared my copies of In the Beginning on DVD and (4:3) laserdisc, so there's no way the episodes are going to look worse than they did on VHS.

Regards,

Joe

**aintnosin** · 11-01-2002, 10:28 PM

Joe,

Have you seen the Season 1 DVDs yourself yet?

JDeMartino · 11-02-2002, 03:43 AM

Sadly, no, I haven't seen them. (Am not a critic and don't have an "in" anywhere to get a set. Also, since I ordered from a Canadian dealer to save money, I'll probably have to wait at least an extra week since I'm told the Canadian release date has been moved to November 14th.

)

Regards,

Joe

CCKyle · 11-03-2002, 03:21 AM

Beware the review of the DVDs on this site (dvdfile.com). There were a few major factual errors (saying there were three live action ST spin-offs when there were four, saying JMS wrote every episode of B5 when he clearly did not).

Just a heads up, I always keep those kind of mistakes in mind when reading and piece of journalism, because it shows a lack of effort that might leak over into the rest of the work. If they screw up something that simple, imagine what happens with the bigger details.

j-bone · 11-03-2002, 11:27 PM

...there have been only three live action spin-offs of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Enterprise is a prequel, much like The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Episode III are prequels to A New Hope. It's sequels were The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

black__omega · 11-04-2002, 02:10 AM

a prequel is a kind of spin off.

and it really bugged me when I read it in the review, btw

C Roberts · 11-04-2002, 02:31 PM

I can't really say I care if a reviewer knows the history of a show or even its plot points. That doesn't affect the sound and video reviews of the disc they are playing. Quality of a transfer is an entirely different subject then who wrote each episode. One can be seen right in front of you, the other has to be researched.

redshifter · 11-04-2002, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by C Roberts
I can't really say I care if a reviewer knows the history of a show or even its plot points. That doesn't affect the sound and video reviews of the disc they are playing. Quality of a transfer is an entirely different subject then who wrote each episode. One can be seen right in front of you, the other has to be researched.

if a reviewer is too lazy to get simple facts right about what he is reviewing, then there is a good chance he cut corners in the a/v section of the review. for all we know he only watched parts of a few episodes and some extras.

poor quality in one area almost always points to poor quality in other areas; where there's smoke there's fire. i would much more trust a review that has the facts straight. i mean, what would you think of a reviewer that claimed james cameron directed all the "alien" movies?

i've been reading up on this on the home theater forum and i'm not worried about the a/v quality of this set. i am optimistic that this will be a great looking and sounding set, including the space scenes--which from what i read were shot with 16:9 in mind.

i really hope people who are fans or are curious will pick this up. i don't know if sales of season 1 will influence the studio to release or put more money into the next season, but they may.

CCKyle · 11-04-2002, 09:35 PM

Sales of the first season might effect if they do seaons 2. It could end up like the videos where they quit half way through do to lack of interest. I don't think that will happen this time.

I can't wait to pick up my copy tomorrow. I'd go to walmart to see if it is out at midnight tonight, but I doubt it is a big enough release for them to have it. I did see an ad the other day on tv which surprised me.

I loved B5, I recommend it to everyone. The first season wasn't the best, but the middle three make up for it in spades.

C Roberts · 11-04-2002, 10:29 PM

The first season may not have been the best, but it did have some really great episodes in it. And I think there are worthwhile scenes in every single episode even if the episode as a whole isn't great. Especially any scene with Londo and G'Kar in it.

wilber · 11-05-2002, 11:47 AM

The reviewers opinion on the video quality is fair. There are all manner of streaks and marks.

BUT compared to the VHS set its blooming brilliant

Had a quick flick through the commentary for Chrysalis and that sounds interesting but any newbies to B5 might want to stear clear for the time being 'cos there may be spoilers for the subsequent series in there.

As a B5 nut, all I can say is that I am soooooooo happy that this is out and please can we have the other seasons soon?

Oh and 1 more thing - If I can get 20+ episodes of B5 (with extras) for $35 why does 10 episodes of Band of Brothers (with extras) cost $60+ ?

samuelk · 11-05-2002, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wilber

Oh and 1 more thing - If I can get 20+ episodes of B5 (with extras) for $35 why does 10 episodes of Band of Brothers (with extras) cost $60+ ?

Where'd you get it for $35?

wilber · 11-05-2002, 02:36 PM

Amazon Germany Ok so the cover art text is in German but the rest of it is the same as the UK release (so its region 2 PAL)

Is there the same mentality in the states as there is here in the UK - namely to hunt down DVDs as cheap as possible no matter where they come from? My most recent purchases have come from Germany (B5 $35), Australia (Snatch SE ($15), Hong Kong (Fight Club SE $16), Hong Kong (Insomnia $12) - I haven't bought any UK disks for over a month now!

**aintnosin** · 11-05-2002, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wilber
Oh and 1 more thing - If I can get 20+ episodes of B5 (with extras) for $35 why does 10 episodes of Band of Brothers (with extras) cost $60+ ?

Probably because they could have made 20 seasons of B5 for what it cost to make Band of Brothers.

samuelk · 11-05-2002, 06:31 PM

What I want to know is, why does Amazon.ca list the box set for around $50 US, when Amazon.COM lists it for about $75 US?

Does amazon.ca accept US orders? I know the box set isn't available in Canada until next Tuesday, but for an extra $25 savings, I'll wait.

CCKyle · 11-05-2002, 08:21 PM

BTW, movies have sequels and prequels, but all television shows are considered spin-offs. If TOS hadn't existed they wouldn't be able to do a prequel, so the show is a spin-off, no matter what time period it is set in. So there have been FIVE spinoffs, Animated, Next Gen, DS9, Voyage and Enterprise.

dvdjedi · 11-05-2002, 08:25 PM

Yes, you can order from Amazon.ca even if you live in the US.

In fact, if you have an account with Amazon.com, you can use it to order from .ca

**aintnosin** · 11-05-2002, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CCKyle
BTW, movies have sequels and prequels, but all television shows are considered spin-offs. If TOS hadn't existed they wouldn't be able to do a prequel, so the show is a spin-off, no matter what time period it is set in. So there have been FIVE spinoffs, Animated, Next Gen, DS9, Voyage and Enterprise.

I think it's almost impossible to a sequel to a TV series, because sequel implies you're taking the same characters and telling more stories. There's another word for that in TV: it's called "Next season."

CCKyle · 11-05-2002, 10:59 PM

No doubt, that was kind of my point. The only one that I could think of that might be sequel-like would be After M*A*S*H.

Hollow Man · 11-06-2002, 02:39 AM

I'm getting my set from Amazon.ca. That savings is worth the extra waiting the extra week for the discs to street in Canada.

Anyone else care to comment on the quality of the CGI, which has gotten a bashing in recent reviews?

-HM

UFO · 11-06-2002, 06:38 PM

I am SO happy this day has arrived. I picked mine up last night. If sales are any indication then WB should be happy. The Suncoast I reserved mine at said they would sell out, and it's ranked #10 at Amazon.com in sales.

A couple of observations....

I checked out one episode real quick (Signs & Portents) and noticed quite a bit of grain and pixelation on low light scenes. I wish the transfer were a little clearer, but I doubt we're going to get a better version than this...ever.

The FX shots looked fine to me. After reading the review on this site I was afraid all the FX would look completely hideous, deformed, and unwholesome to my eye. Didn't see it. Perhaps it's because I don't have a 1000" HDTV.

Packaging = brilliant. Some of the best season packaging I've seen. Simple, compact, fits on a shelf, functional, no endless foldouts to get to a disk...just open it like a book.

redshifter · 11-06-2002, 11:02 PM

good to hear, ufo. damn bn.com won't ship mine until friday (gift cert), and i can't wait! oh well, hopefully my sacd player will arrive before then so i'll have something to play with.

sbenezet · 11-10-2002, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by samuelk
What I want to know is, why does Amazon.ca list the box set for around $50 US, when Amazon.COM lists it for about $75 US?

I don't see that it does list the box set for $50 US. Unless it's common knowledge that "CDN$ 75" (or whatever I saw it listed as) translates into $50.

Does the Canadian site have some feature I don't know about that tells it to display the prices in US currency?

Because if I can see *where* the listing says that the box is only $50, I will gladly return my box set (when it arrives) to Amazon US under the "I Found A Better Price Eleswhere" clause, and then turn around and re-order it from Amazon CA.

Hmm... I wonder if Amazon would notice what I was doing...

-sam

mrcoaster · 11-12-2002, 06:25 AM

picked up my set at NorthAmericanDVD.com for $50. Got it Friday after release.

As far as sales are concerned, my understanding is that the demand has far exceeded the initial pressing (100,00 copies?) and that has slowed the shipping from places like Amazon as they try to replenish their stock. Based on the early reports of sales of B5 season one, I'd say the rest of the series on DVD is pretty likely.

10-31-2002, 04:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
newt Actor Join Date: Sep 2000	Babylon 5 Review BABYLON 5 FIRST SEASON REVIEW IS UP AT THECINEMALASER.COM! __________________ Friend of Dawn Davenport

11-01-2002, 05:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
aintnosin Director/Moderator Not a fancy tickler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: People's Republik of Kalifornia	If the DVD file review is accurate, then it kind of what I feared. Because the effects couldn't be re-rendered for 16x9, the conversion process degraded the quality noticeably. I know that B5 was originally shot with 16x9 in mind, but because of the limitations of the CGI effects, I think they should have released the DVD's in the OAR of the series, that being 4x3. __________________ "The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them." - Eowyn, The Two Towers DVD Profiler \| DVD Aficianado \| DVD Spot \| Movie Reviews \| Facebook

11-01-2002, 07:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
aintnosin Director/Moderator Not a fancy tickler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: People's Republik of Kalifornia	On the other hand: The effects on the "In the Beginning" DVD did not look all that bad. I have a feeling that the quality of effects on DVD will get better, because the qaulity of the effects got better every year the series was on. __________________ "The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them." - Eowyn, The Two Towers DVD Profiler \| DVD Aficianado \| DVD Spot \| Movie Reviews \| Facebook

11-01-2002, 10:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
JDeMartino Actor Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida	I believe that Warner Bros. did new hi-def transfers of the entire series when Sci-Fi decided to air the show in widescreen. The NTSC broadcast masters, the NTSC DVDs and the PAL DVDs are all derived from these new masters. Given that every widescreen version of the show probably comes from the same source, there is no chance that the DVDs are going to look worse than off-air VHS - or even commercial VHS. Even with the CGI shots zoomed and cropped they're going to have more clarity and resolution than the 250 or so lines you're going to end up with on VHS. The CGI looked as good as or better on DVD when I compared my copies of In the Beginning on DVD and (4:3) laserdisc, so there's no way the episodes are going to look worse than they did on VHS. Regards, Joe __________________ Joseph DeMartino Sigh Corps: Pat Tallman Division

11-01-2002, 10:28 PM	#8 (permalink)
aintnosin Director/Moderator Not a fancy tickler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: People's Republik of Kalifornia	Joe, Have you seen the Season 1 DVDs yourself yet? __________________ "The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them." - Eowyn, The Two Towers DVD Profiler \| DVD Aficianado \| DVD Spot \| Movie Reviews \| Facebook

11-01-2002, 03:09 AM	#2 (permalink)
C Roberts Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Multiple Account Ban	After reading that one and the review on this site I have to wonder about one thing. Does the CGI look worse than it would on VHS taped off television? That will be the deal breaker for me.

11-01-2002, 08:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
C Roberts Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Multiple Account Ban	Are these the same widescreen transfers they used on the Sci-Fi channel or did they do them over for the DVD's?

11-02-2002, 03:43 AM	#9 (permalink)
JDeMartino Actor Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida	Sadly, no, I haven't seen them. (Am not a critic and don't have an "in" anywhere to get a set. Also, since I ordered from a Canadian dealer to save money, I'll probably have to wait at least an extra week since I'm told the Canadian release date has been moved to November 14th. ) Regards, Joe __________________ Joseph DeMartino Sigh Corps: Pat Tallman Division

11-03-2002, 03:21 AM	#10 (permalink)
CCKyle Actor Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Paul, Mn	Beware the review of the DVDs on this site (dvdfile.com). There were a few major factual errors (saying there were three live action ST spin-offs when there were four, saying JMS wrote every episode of B5 when he clearly did not). Just a heads up, I always keep those kind of mistakes in mind when reading and piece of journalism, because it shows a lack of effort that might leak over into the rest of the work. If they screw up something that simple, imagine what happens with the bigger details. __________________ Capital City Kyle My DVDs

11-03-2002, 11:27 PM	#11 (permalink)
j-bone Actor Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: east lansing, mi, usa	To be completely technical... ...there have been only three live action spin-offs of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Enterprise is a prequel, much like The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Episode III are prequels to A New Hope. It's sequels were The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. __________________ My Movie Collection

11-04-2002, 02:10 AM	#12 (permalink)
black__omega Actor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Harrisonburg, VA	a prequel is a kind of spin off. and it really bugged me when I read it in the review, btw __________________ Black__Omega http://www.blackomega.org My DVD Collection

11-04-2002, 02:31 PM	#13 (permalink)
C Roberts Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Multiple Account Ban	I can't really say I care if a reviewer knows the history of a show or even its plot points. That doesn't affect the sound and video reviews of the disc they are playing. Quality of a transfer is an entirely different subject then who wrote each episode. One can be seen right in front of you, the other has to be researched.

11-04-2002, 09:35 PM	#15 (permalink)
CCKyle Actor Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Paul, Mn	Sales of the first season might effect if they do seaons 2. It could end up like the videos where they quit half way through do to lack of interest. I don't think that will happen this time. I can't wait to pick up my copy tomorrow. I'd go to walmart to see if it is out at midnight tonight, but I doubt it is a big enough release for them to have it. I did see an ad the other day on tv which surprised me. I loved B5, I recommend it to everyone. The first season wasn't the best, but the middle three make up for it in spades. __________________ Capital City Kyle My DVDs

11-04-2002, 10:29 PM	#16 (permalink)
C Roberts Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Multiple Account Ban	The first season may not have been the best, but it did have some really great episodes in it. And I think there are worthwhile scenes in every single episode even if the episode as a whole isn't great. Especially any scene with Londo and G'Kar in it.

11-05-2002, 11:47 AM	#17 (permalink)
wilber Supporting Actor Join Date: Jul 2002	Well I have the set and .... The reviewers opinion on the video quality is fair. There are all manner of streaks and marks. BUT compared to the VHS set its blooming brilliant Had a quick flick through the commentary for Chrysalis and that sounds interesting but any newbies to B5 might want to stear clear for the time being 'cos there may be spoilers for the subsequent series in there. As a B5 nut, all I can say is that I am soooooooo happy that this is out and please can we have the other seasons soon? Oh and 1 more thing - If I can get 20+ episodes of B5 (with extras) for $35 why does 10 episodes of Band of Brothers (with extras) cost $60+ ?

11-05-2002, 02:36 PM	#19 (permalink)
wilber Supporting Actor Join Date: Jul 2002	Amazon Germany Ok so the cover art text is in German but the rest of it is the same as the UK release (so its region 2 PAL) Is there the same mentality in the states as there is here in the UK - namely to hunt down DVDs as cheap as possible no matter where they come from? My most recent purchases have come from Germany (B5 $35), Australia (Snatch SE ($15), Hong Kong (Fight Club SE $16), Hong Kong (Insomnia $12) - I haven't bought any UK disks for over a month now!

11-05-2002, 06:31 PM	#21 (permalink)
samuelk Actor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Raleigh, NC, USA	What I want to know is, why does Amazon.ca list the box set for around $50 US, when Amazon.COM lists it for about $75 US? Does amazon.ca accept US orders? I know the box set isn't available in Canada until next Tuesday, but for an extra $25 savings, I'll wait.

11-05-2002, 08:21 PM	#22 (permalink)
CCKyle Actor Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Paul, Mn	BTW, movies have sequels and prequels, but all television shows are considered spin-offs. If TOS hadn't existed they wouldn't be able to do a prequel, so the show is a spin-off, no matter what time period it is set in. So there have been FIVE spinoffs, Animated, Next Gen, DS9, Voyage and Enterprise. __________________ Capital City Kyle My DVDs

11-05-2002, 08:25 PM	#23 (permalink)
dvdjedi Actor Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: In The Grotto at The Mansion	Yes, you can order from Amazon.ca even if you live in the US. In fact, if you have an account with Amazon.com, you can use it to order from .ca __________________ WELL I SPEAK LOUD! AND I CARRY A BIGGER STICK! AND I USE IT TOO! - Yosemite Sam

11-05-2002, 10:59 PM	#25 (permalink)
CCKyle Actor Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Paul, Mn	No doubt, that was kind of my point. The only one that I could think of that might be sequel-like would be After MAS*H. __________________ Capital City Kyle My DVDs

11-06-2002, 02:39 AM	#26 (permalink)
Hollow Man Not Kevin Bacon Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Connecticut	I'm getting my set from Amazon.ca. That savings is worth the extra waiting the extra week for the discs to street in Canada. Anyone else care to comment on the quality of the CGI, which has gotten a bashing in recent reviews? -HM __________________ "I see a Hollow Man, gun in hand, it points my way." - The Cult Band Chat

11-06-2002, 06:38 PM	#27 (permalink)
UFO Actor Join Date: Feb 2002	I am SO happy this day has arrived. I picked mine up last night. If sales are any indication then WB should be happy. The Suncoast I reserved mine at said they would sell out, and it's ranked #10 at Amazon.com in sales. A couple of observations.... I checked out one episode real quick (Signs & Portents) and noticed quite a bit of grain and pixelation on low light scenes. I wish the transfer were a little clearer, but I doubt we're going to get a better version than this...ever. The FX shots looked fine to me. After reading the review on this site I was afraid all the FX would look completely hideous, deformed, and unwholesome to my eye. Didn't see it. Perhaps it's because I don't have a 1000" HDTV. Packaging = brilliant. Some of the best season packaging I've seen. Simple, compact, fits on a shelf, functional, no endless foldouts to get to a disk...just open it like a book.

11-06-2002, 11:02 PM	#28 (permalink)
redshifter Actor Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: the emerald city	good to hear, ufo. damn bn.com won't ship mine until friday (gift cert), and i can't wait! oh well, hopefully my sacd player will arrive before then so i'll have something to play with. __________________ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Did you ever hear of "The Seattle Seven"? That was me... and six other guys.

11-12-2002, 06:25 AM	#30 (permalink)
mrcoaster Actor Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: NC	picked up my set at NorthAmericanDVD.com for $50. Got it Friday after release. As far as sales are concerned, my understanding is that the demand has far exceeded the initial pressing (100,00 copies?) and that has slowed the shipping from places like Amazon as they try to replenish their stock. Based on the early reports of sales of B5 season one, I'd say the rest of the series on DVD is pretty likely. __________________ My Collection

11-12-2002, 03:11 PM	#31 (permalink)
Hollow Man Not Kevin Bacon