Space 1999 on Blu-ray

[amckinney]

The laserdiscs looked like 35mm

Here's what Scott Bosco (who was also the consultant for Image Entertainment) had to say about the laserdisc releases (I didn't have a laser player, so never knew firsthand):

Image did the most they could with what they were sent in terms of masters. At the time they were all new masters but struck from less than great elements - mostly 16mm.

So it's possible the lasers were a mix of 16mm and 35mm masters, but newly (at the time) struck.

[zacharysmith]

Here's what Scott Bosco (who was also the consultant for Image Entertainment) had to say about the laserdisc releases (I didn't have a laser player, so never knew firsthand):



So it's possible the lasers were a mix of 16mm and 35mm masters, but newly (at the time) struck.

I only saw the 1999 LD on a friends setup but the ones he showed me were 35mm.
I think I only asked to look at season two

When Bravo showed it in the mid 90's they were mostly 16mm but there was a couple at least that were 35mm and boy could you tell the difference.
My complete run from Australian broadcasts were all 16mm

[Mark C Bale]

I had all but one of the y1 laserdiscs and they looked very good indeed (not as good as the Carlton DVDs of course) - i'd stake money on them all being from 35mm

[zacharysmith]

I had all but one of the y1 laserdiscs and they looked very good indeed (not as good as the Carlton DVDs of course) - i'd stake money on them all being from 35mm

Did you have one missing? IIRC there was an issue with them not being able to release 2 of the episodes that made up the compilations .

[Edward Drexel]

Did you have one missing? IIRC there was an issue with them not being able to release 2 of the episodes that made up the compilations .

I think for the LaserDiscs the only episodes not released were "Bringers of Wonder 1 + 2" (y2).

[Mark C Bale]

I was not able to get the Breakaway/War Games disc - they were going OOP when I bought my laserdisc player, and just couldnt get that first volume. Only bought a few of the y2 discs.

[Edward Drexel]

I was not able to get the Breakaway/War Games disc - they were going OOP when I bought my laserdisc player, and just couldnt get that first volume. Only bought a few of the y2 discs.

You could probably pick one up for next to nothing now on eBay... I've been wanting to sell my (rather paltry) collection of four discs for a while now, but when they cost about £20 each I really don't want to let them all go for peanuts :-(

[Mark C Bale]

When moving 3 years ago I had to destroy my entire collection, plus all of my recorded VHS tapes (over 4000)

[zacharysmith]

When moving 3 years ago I had to destroy my entire collection, plus all of my recorded VHS tapes (over 4000)

DESTROY?
While I did bin most of my home VHS recordings I made sure that any content that was not available commercially got transferred to dvd first although prized recordings like a full run of Grange Hill and UK Gold's Doomwatch have been boxed and retained in case the dvd's die as those shows are irreplaceable.

When I got dvd in Feb 98 I knew the instant I saw it that LD was going to die swiftly.
LVS in Kings Langley where I got my dvd player reckoned LD would die within 5 years - a very generous and completely wrong estimate.
That day I scarted the dvd player in meant the LD player never got connected again.

The good guys at the Disc Emporium got me over £200 for a stack of discs they took to the NEC for me and I got another £200 for the player and the Bond discs with more cash selling the LD collection at a Watford Film Fair .
I was getting £20 for some discs and this was when R1 dvd's were already on sale .
So while I had some major gaps in the collection for some years it did mean I got a good price for most of them.

I still miss the packaging though

[nebiroth]

I collected the series on LD. They were mostly out of print at the time but a secondhand store worked hard and got me the whole series, at horrific expensve. The completed Year 1 by getting hold of the first two Japanese boxsets from Bandai.

They're absolutely gorgeously presented with superb artwork.

[Mark C Bale]

Most of my LD collection I had already transferred via DVD recordings, but owing to personal circumstances I had very little time to arrange selling or giving them away. By the time of my moving I had already bought the Carlton DVDs of 1999, so the LD were obsolete for me.

[rickcurz]

I still have about 150 laserdiscs and may player is mothballed, but one day I'll connect it back up and wallow in nostalgia.

[John Hodson]

From The Bits:

I was invited to speak at the Alpha: 2012 convention in Burbank, CA over the weekend. The event is a celebration of all things related to Space: 1999. The point of my appearance was to offer fans of the show an update on the Blu-ray Disc release of Season Two. As many of you know, Season One was released on BD (by Network in the U.K. and New Video/A&E here in the States) back in 2010, but the second season has been MIA since then. Fortunately, with the help of our friends at all three companies (a big thank you, guys!), I've finally been able to learn exactly what's going on with the release and was able to share the details at the convention.

Essentially, here's deal: When Network (which does all the production and remastering on the BDs under licence with ITV) went to produce the Season One set, they discovered that all of the mag tracks (that make up the audio on the first season episodes) had already been digitized, so the company didn't have to take on the cost of doing it themselves in order to create new 5.1 audio mixes for each episode (in addition to the original mono). However, those tracks haven't been converted yet for Season Two and the high cost of digitizing this material has caused the budget for the BD production to become quite expensive. Network has informed me that they're definitely committed to releasing the season on Blu-ray and they're talking with ITV and New Video about the best way to make it happen affordably while ensuring that the set is of the same high quality as Season One. As with that set, Network will transfer all the episode film elements in full HD for remastering and hopes to find additional film material in the archives as well (outtake material and the like) that they'll also scan in HD for inclusion on the set. Of course, they again plan for the audio to be available in both 5.1 and the original mono. That said, the time needed to work out these details and complete the work properly means that Season Two will likely not street on BD until late next year or early 2014. In any case, rest assured that it's coming... just not right away. Adjust your plans accordingly.

[Ross Gowland]

My advice: don't bother with the 5.1 track. That should save a few quid.

[MLP*]

My advice: don't bother with the 5.1 track. That should save a few quid.

Yeah. How very bizarre. The 5.1 is a nice bonus to have but if it's a dealbreaker the the original mono will do fine thanks !