CBS Brings Trek Online – Paramount Goes Blu-ray February 21, 2008
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: DVD/Blu-ray,TOS,TOS Remastered , trackback
Today the shared owners of Star Trek are making moves in the digital world. First up is CBS who announced they are offering ‘classics’ from their television library to a new “CBS Audience Network” of sites. The initial programming consists of The Twilight Zone, Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver, Melrose Place and (most importantly) Star Trek (TOS). Shows are streamed in their entirety for free, with advertising.
All three seasons of Star Trek The Original Series (non- remastered) is being made available to the Network. Star Trek is the only one of the five initial shows to get the entire series made available, with the rest only offering one or two seasons. The ‘CBS Audience Network’ consist of over 300 websites and social networks, such as AOL, CNET, Microsoft, and Ning. However not all members will carry all shows. So far the following sites already have the entire TOS series available:
CBS.com, AOL, Joost, Fancast
It appears that this is currently limited to the USA only. TrekMovie.com will update this list as more sites are identified. We are also looking into the digital future for other Trek series, paid downloads (iTunes, unBox, etc) and international distribution. So stay tuned for a follow up article, hopefully in the near future.
Star Trek and CBS Classics go online
Paramount makes it official – they are Blu
Two days ago Toshiba threw in the towel and announced it had ended production on HD DVD products, ending the HD format war. At the time the only two studios left in the HD DVD exclusive camp were Universal and Paramount (who distribute Star Trek films and TV series). As of now both have announced their adoption of Blu Ray. However, unlike Univeral’s, Paramount’s announcement was limited to a simple statement with no details on timing or titles. Here is the statement given only oo The Hollywood Reporter:
We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer. As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly
Although Paramount are now Blu, they still have a number of HD DVD titles (but not Trek) in their line-up for the next three months. In fact they announced two new HD DVD titles yesterday (Sweeney Todd and There Will Be Blood). The future of Star Trek on HD DVD and Blu-ray is still unknown. TrekMovie.com will continue to monitor the story and provide any updates.
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Comments
Wow. Don’t think I’ve ever managed to be first before. Assuming some enterprising person doesn’t beat me to it…
As for the HD/Blu Ray thing, I was just sosrt of sitting back and letting the two combatants fight it out, and see which one lost before I decided which format to throw my money at. Looks like I’ll just HAVE to go get that PS3 now, won’t I, for a certain movie that’s sure to hit BR-DVD sometime next fall….
Meaning, Fall ’09, of course.
It doesn´t work
technology is a wonderful thing. The more there is of it, the less I have. :(
Wow, it’s been a long road getting from there to here
In their entirety for free!!!! FINALLY!!!!
I don’t care how many ads they put in, as long as they’re in the right places and don’t chop into the story.
Now THIS is smart. Finally.
I still think the old early 1980′s RCA video record was the best format to watch movies. It used an old fashioned needle & the fun was even more enchanced by flipping the LP after an hour!
TO CBS, Paramount:
Bring Star Trek The Original Series Remastered to BLU-RAY by the end of 2008! PLEASE. I will be in line to purchase as I’m sure will many, many others.
Just watched part of “Arena”.
I LOVE YOU, CBS! Uncut original Trek. I’m in heaven. I’m going to lose my job watching this!
Well, I went HD-DVD early specifically because of Trek. Paramount said the 10 movies as well as TOS-R would be released on the format. Now it’ll make a nice cd player in the bedroom!
We should start a pool to figure out how long it’s gonna take Paramount to get TOS out on Blu. I’m thinking September/October.
I also hope they reauthor the whole thing to take advantage of 50GB discs.
I think if you live outside of the USA, you won’t get the videos. I just tried from Stockholm, and got “This content is currently unavailable.”
Bring out TOS-R on Blu-Ray!
CBS and TOS rock!
NICE!
I’m watching “A Piece of the Action” right now!
I’ve also found that ‘Fancast.’com has been offering TOS free (with advertising) for a little while now. I originally found it as a link from the ‘Comcast.net’ hompage, but you can go there directly, also.
However, they have some bugs to work out…the name of the episode is listed next to a picture from an episode — but the Ep name and pic don’t match. When you click the episode name, you get the one that is pictured. Luckily most of us fans can tell the episode from the picture (and that’s pathetic, in a way)
TOS has been on Joost for a couple of weeks now, I was dissapointed it wasn’t the remastered version. Maybe I should have tipped off TrekMovie to that when I first saw it =/
I do not appear to be receiving the footage. “The content is unavailable” according to the site.
Is anyone else having this problem?
I see the CBS Star Trek page has a series of links, one to Trektoday. But none to here, Trekmovie. How dare they!!
This is great and yes it will be hard to get anything done at work now…thanks to the minds behind this!
#12
I am also having problems trying to watch from scotland.
That Enterprise sihlouette is the movie era version, not the tv version! Are they out of their Vulcan minds??
11.
I would think it would come out this year, around the holidays, november perhaps….
unless they hold off to release it with the new film, which would be lame, but not suprising.
I don’t have HD yet, and got the season 1 set for the standard side only. I hope a standard def version is availible. as a poor college student, there’s no way I can afford an HDTV and player, lol
It’s not working for me. I get the episode title, with “click to play”, but nothing happens when I click. The Flash control goes black and stays block. Given I’m in Canada, I wonder if this is a US-only thing?
Again, guess I’m going to have to buy a new player. It seems inevitable.
it doesn’t work anymore …
# 22: “That Enterprise sihlouette is the movie era version, not the tv version! Are they out of their Vulcan minds??”
This is why we need strict canon on all things Trek!
#22 That is the first thing I noticed too. I bet the meeting went a little something like this…. “Hey bill, can you make me a banner for the new start tr”A”k thing we’re doing?” Bill…. “I love star tr”A”k. I’ll put it together right now!
I’m really enjoying Fancast!
I’ve been watching it for a few weeks now, watching classics shows like Hawaii 5-0, Twilight Zone, Lou Grant, Bob Newhart. I found some of the shows can be watched full screen and commercial free (like Hawaii 5-0), and others aren’t (like Bob Newhart). I wonder why the difference.
In any case, I’m hoping this is only the beginning. I would love for all shows to be available in this manner. It really is convenient and enjoyable (especially with the shoes being uncut and limited commercials!)
That would be shows….not shoes
Officially. Cool. News.
News Flash:
The Internet has been temporarily shut down from being overloaded by all the Trekkies simultaneously streaming free episodes of Star Trek.
Bandwidth consumption, almost like Napalm in the morning.
Smells like…………..victory!
Online presentation is the way to go.
I’m surprised CBS online hasn’t contacted James Cawley about going “formal” with NV and PII.
Can we get TOS remastered on regular ole friggin DVD please? Sheesh!
I’m still not paying any $125 per remastered season, no matter what the format. The same ol’ standard dvds and effects will do me just fine until paramount’s prices become reasonable.
Also in scotland having trouble viewing trek… Got sooooo excited there for a minute! DARN IT!
It amazes me how the crew behind the remastered original Star Trek series have stated again and again that they weren’t doing this to replace the effects like Lucas does on Star Wars, but good gosh. Where are the re-mastered episodes without the effects changes?
#37…
They didn’t remaster any episodes “without the effects changes.” This doesn’t mean the original versions shows have been “replaced.” It just means that they haven’t been remastered in high-def. (You wouldn’t want a high-def version of the original effects anyway… trust me. They’d look terrible.)
Clearly the original versions are still readily available, on DVD, on iTunes, and now on websites like CBS.com. So how does this mean they’ve been “replaced,” again? I kind of missed the logic you were using…
Star Trek and Twilight Zone, free, online….. two of the best Sci-Fi series of all time for free, online. This is a historic day.
Although it is sad that they only have the first two seasons of Twilight Zone….
This could be really great news if the material was also available in other parts of Earth. What upsets me most is that there is no notice it is only available to the US — for the rest of us it will just not play.
so..maybe i don’t really understand… since they’re not releasing anymore right now on HD-DVD, what’s my next step, buy a blue ray? will it play the HD season 1 that I have now?
I hope when TOS R is out on Blu Ray it’ll be the combo with standard dvd like the HD DVD of season 1…
I’m in Europe and I can’t watch it! CBS you suck!
Paramount had better offer a trade in program for the TOS-R on HD DVD to Blu Ray. $200 for season one was a lot of clams. I think, an even season one for a season one on Blu Ray sounds fair. Otherwise, Paramount executives might find themselves or their families in peril. One doesn’t know just how many crack pots are out their, willing to kill.
#38.
It’s not so much that they’re being replaced. I personally don’t care if the effects look terrible in High Definition. At least most of them would look 10x better than what we actually have in the remastered episodes. If Paramount is not replacing the episodes, than why not give them the same amount of re-mastering attention?
I live in the UK, so im pretty Donald Ducked arn’t I???
:(
Oh c’mon. LOL!!!
Well, I said here at the time that those paying $200 a pop for those sets would regret it…and paying that for an unproven format at that!
To me, that’s just nuts.
But…the chickens are coming home to roost now, eh?
LOL!!!! I hate to say “I told you so…but…I TOLD you so!”
CBS and Paramount totally SUCK for stopping the production of Trek HD-season two.
But bringing Twilight Zone to me via the information highway is a darn good step towards getting back into my good graces again!
Now more than ever it’s easy to fall in love with what started it all! This is great…
Anthony, can you keep us Europeans posted on whether this becomes available to us??
may have to keep watching trek illegally *does shifty eyes*… i didnt say that out loud
sniff, sniff. Apparently, we ‘Canadians’ are being left out again.
… nice female computer voice that says ‘ …*crackle* this content is currently unavailable…’
hmm does not seem to work for me perhaps cause im in the UK?
Same here no 53 typical the UK gets sod all! just like the lack of itunes rentals!
i sympathise with the Canadians on this one… THIS BLOWS!! this is like the worst Star Trek week in history, not only do they push back the films release date, but when they finally release free series of star trek, which ive been waiting for for like… ever I CANT WATCH IT!!! ARGGHHH Im British, we invented the damned internet!!!
Sorry for that rant… and for flooding… im just annoyed
:(
Since they’ve claimed to sell 100,000 of the first season remastered, it would be nice if they would release the next two seasons in blu-ray and hd-dvd for the people who went out and bought the players. But I can see I’ll have to pony up for a blu-ray player, too. But this time I’m going to wait for the hardware to become a little more advanced because I’ve heard about ‘issues’ which I didn’t have with my toshiba player.
Also, these people at toshiba haven’t yet come across with my 5 free dvds. Now they cancel their support for the remastering project. This whole thing is a joke.
My favorite TZ is now online. “Walking Distance.”
You can go back in time, but you still can’t go home and relive your youth.
A wonderful, melancholy semi-autographical piece by Rod Serling.
Starring Gig Young and featuring Frank Overton from “This Side of Paradise.”
Also featuring a tremendous soundtrack by Bernard Hermann.
This online version is slightly edited but it doesn’t detract.
http://www.cbs.com/classics/the_twilight_zone/video/video.php?cid=621774886&pid=AmYRuvSZ73DKNiB5i1_V8ZCpIGSGk9be&play=true&cc=0
Simple solution. Buy the dual-format machine.
42. Kobayashi Maru…
“so..maybe i don’t really understand… since they’re not releasing anymore right now on HD-DVD, what’s my next step, buy a blue ray? will it play the HD season 1 that I have now?”
No, a Blu-Ray player will not play HD-DVD discs. You might consider one of the combined HD players (that plays both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, I think LG makes them) but they’re more expensive. The Blu-Ray player will still play standard DVDs, so you can watch the TOS-R Season 1 discs on the non-HD side.
I do hope Paramount/CBS offers a trade-in plan for those of us who bought the HD-DVD release. Even half-price for the Blu-Ray replacement would be appreciated. But pigs will fly first, I think.
Kobayashi,
I think someone posted yesterday in the older thread that Blu-Ray machines will play standard DVDs.
Peace. Live long and prosper
The Vulcanista }:-|
I thought it would be TOS-R on CBS.com, not the originals. I missed the first 20 mins of “The Ultimate Computer” and didn’t watch the excerpt videos. Oh, well, I guess I’ll have to wait until I either get a repeat or the BD versions.
This is awesome! All the episodes online! TOS was before my time, and I’ve never been able to see the whole series. (I’d love to buy it, but money is sorta necessary :P) I’m slowly catching it on tv, but this is really great. :D
With the 50 GB storage isn’t possible to fit at least
one entire season with all of the visual and audio
enhancements included?
Perhaps even two season per disk? Is that possible?
I’m not certain as to the size of each episode or I
would figure it myself – somehow.
Could someone look into the math behind
this all?
Thanks for your time and effort1
64 – “With the 50 GB storage isn’t possible to fit at least
one entire season with all of the visual and audio
enhancements included?”
Nope. TOS in *standard* was 8 gigs for 4 episodes.
Blu-ray does not use the low-resolution DivX codec for compression. The codecs: MPEG2, MPEG4 AVC, VC-1, are designed for huge screen viewing and require a large amount of data. A 50GB disc would hold about 5 episodes. The HD DVD version is *10* discs (at 30GB a pop).
65: Thank you Simon for the quick reply.
As a just and timely reward I offer a
moon-pie to you. Take Care.
#46:
“I personally don’t care if the effects look terrible in High Definition.
At least most of them would look 10x better than what we actually have in the remastered episodes. If Paramount is not replacing the episodes, than why not give them the same amount of re-mastering attention?”
You have to do something that most fans, unfortunately, are either unable or unwilling to do: look at this from Paramount’s point of view. Just forget, for ten minutes, that Star Trek is the end-all and be-all of creative achievement in the history of mankind (Irony Alert) and pretend you’re a studio whose continued existence depends on its profitability.
Remastering is expensive, even if you’re not also creating brand-new special effects. Now, given that remastering is expensive, a studio that embarks on such a project will want to be certain that its investment will return a profit. That’s what they’re in business for. In the real world, that is in fact what “being in business” *means*.
As we know, Star Trek fans will lay down money for practically anything as long as it’s got something to do with our beloved franchise. (I’m not excluding myself from this: as I type, I’m looking at a battery-operated piece of metal and plastic that I paid 300 dollars for because it happens to be in the shape of a TOS phaser, so it’s not like I’m doing the Dance of Superiority here.)
The point is, yes — many of US would pony up money for high-definition remasters of the original episodes WITHOUT brand-new special effects. The trouble is, Paramount is fairly convinced, and with good reason I should say, that there aren’t enough of us. (I actually should say “not enough of THEM,” because I personally wouldn’t buy them, and I suspect I’m not alone even in the Trek community).
Now take the average person, who may like Star Trek well enough to want to have them in his collection, but who certainly doesn’t give a fart in a windstorm about the pristine preservation of every teeny little flaw in a 40-year old TV series. That average person has just plunked down 400 bucks for a Blu-Ray player and possibly another thousand for a high-def plasma TV the size of Bozeman, Montana. When the pop a disc in the player and fire up the tube, they DON’T want to see dust, scratches, bad matte lines, or planet surfaces that look like day-glo beach balls. What they want is the highest video quality they can get throughout the discs they’ve bought — and they have every right to expect that.
THAT’s Paramount’s target market, boys and girls. THAT’s where they need to target their products. That, in fact, is why TOS-R was created in the first place.
#58
You are so right. IMHO, “Walking Distance” was not only the best TZ, it was also is one of the finest half-hours in televison history.
I’m just going to wait for HVD (Holographic Video Discs), already in research and development. One HVD can hold 160 Blu Ray disc or 889 standard DVD’s, and Paramount can kiss my white, pimpled hairy ass.
Yeah, but when HVD comes out, you’ll still be waiting for UHVD (Ultra Hyper Video Disk) players.
I have both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players, and love them both, along with my beautiful TOS-R set.
Bullshit translator:
“We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer. As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly”
=
“We are very pleased to have received a shitload of money from Toshiba for supporting their loser format, and from the idiot early adopters who paid for it, as we believe it is in the best interest of our shareholders. As we look to release our titles on Blu-ray again after VHS, laser-disc, DVD and HD-DVD, we will monitor consumer willingness to pay for the same shit yet another time, and rub our hands accordingly.”
this is wonderful
I love CBS for doing this. I’ve been watching episodes on Joost for a few weeks and LOVE having them in their original form. Honestly, I had no idea what I was missing in the syndicated runs. Whole scenes have been cut out it seems- nearly every episode I’ve seen something new. It’s really cool! It can be laggy, though, so maybe I”ll check out CBS.com or one the others to see if it’s any easier there. But really, even with a screwy computer this way totally beats fighting over the TV all the time. :P
I work at a computer screen all day so I don’t thrill too much at the idea of hunching over my home computer screen to watch TV, but it is cool that so many titles are there when and if you want to see them.
Trek is the unremastered version I see…
And yeah Walking Distance is a great TZ episode
#63
Wait’ll you see it *uncut*! For a lot of episodes, it makes all the diff in the world. :-)
Peace. Live long and prosper.
The Vulcanista }:-|
#58
You are so right. IMHO, “Walking Distance” was not only the best TZ, it was also is one of the finest half-hours in televison history.
and 10 later #68 You are both right that is some damn good TV. It also tugs at my emotions. Man funny for a guy to say that.;) It is cool to think I am from the same state as Rod Serling. Kind of sad/bittersweet he passed on in the same town that I entered this world in. Funny how through the years those classic TZ episodes hold up so will in showing the human condition. Sure there can be plenty of crap on TV, but man shows like classic TREK and TZ can really show quality is out there!
Oh COME ON! I can’t buy the shows on Itunes in Canada and now I can’t even watch them for free on the net? Give me a freaking break! I seriously HATE this crap.
I am still hoping to have all of The Original Series Remastered on DVD. If they do go onto Blu-ray, hope it will still be double-sided.
56: Sir Timothy Berners-Lee invented the web. The Internet was created by universities and the federal government in the United States.
56: Or, possibly, a little old lady in Leningrad. Perhaps you are familiar with Russian epic of Cinderella! :)
1. crazybeach – February 21, 2008
Looks like I’ll just HAVE to go get that PS3 now, won’t I, for a certain movie that’s sure to hit BR-DVD sometime next fall….
Actually the blue ray player in the ps3 is crap. Spend the $399 on buying a quality player rather than ps3.
PS3 for games is great
PS3 for blue ray will burn out the player quickly
so is the orginal DVD TOS uncut? the color coordinated season sets, that is.
SWEET! MacGuyver and TOS? this is what i needed after today, thanks!
#81 LMAO!! “if shoe fits!”
What I’d REALLY like to see is a bit MORE effort and ‘enhancing’ of effects on the TOS-’remastered’ project BEFORE it’s rushed out on Blu-ray now…
#86
Yeah, me too. I would like to see Paramount take their time and do this project right. Go back and give all the prior episodes a ‘proper’ fit and finish. The way the project is currently going….the list of shots are tacked into the show, but they’re often far from finished. So much of the work in this remastering project requires another pass.
Glad I’m not the only one who considers “Walking Distance” to be one of the most stunning half-hours of TV ever :) !
Frank Overton is absolutely great when he realizes who the elder Martin really is (his son grown to adulthood) and then tells him to go back because:
“I guess because we only get one chance. Maybe there’s only one summer to every customer. That little boy, the one I know – the one who belongs here – this is his summer, just as it was yours once. Don’t make him share it.”
Powerful and personal stuff that so many of us can relate to I imagine…we yearn to “go back” to our childhood and the things we enjoyed so completely then, but adulthood inevitably changes us so that even if we were somehow given this chance, it would not work for us (well, except for oddballs like Michael Jackson maybe )…
Oh yeah…and to keep on topic…I will probably buy HD Trek when they finally release it on Blu-Ray…I seriously doubt that I will be able to resist anymore (i.e. Resistance is Futile! :) ) …
Glad I didn’t take the plunge yet…the price was way too high and now I’d be out some bucks with a soon-to-be obsolete product…
Jon
Jon
#37 (etc.): Assuming that this info is still correct, according to this article, http://trekmovie.com/2006/10/25/cbs-is-future-proofing-original-star-trek/, they actually create a remastered version of the original episode without the effects upgrades. Perhaps, some day, these will see the light of day. “Star Trek: Unaltered.”
Corrected link for #89 (sorry; it added my comma in as part of the address):
http://trekmovie.com/2006/10/25/cbs-is-future-proofing-original-star-trek/
Is there any drawback to the dual format hd dvd/blu ray players? I seem to remember hearing something about how they couldn’t handle all of the features of hd dvd discs. Is this true?
I join fellow Canadians, and international fans in saying having these shows blocked for us sucks in a big way.
Frustrating for me, because I can look 30 miles and SEE Washington State across the water from where I sit.
Just out of reach….
And the MTV Yelchin interview shows “video not available”
That’s blocked, too.
Would love to share in the joy, folks. Would love to.
Yay! I’m a bit disappointed in HD-DVD, I thought they would not surrender so soon.
But the good news is that we can finally get Trek on Blu-ray!
I haven’t been able to download more than a few minutes, and even then it typically plays a few seconds, stops, then plays a few seconds again. But it keeps ending up playing lots of commercials instead.
It looks great and it’s wonderful to get them uncut, but literally it’s 5 seconds of play, 15-20 seconds of nothing, then 5 seconds of play again.
Is anyone not pissed off? I purchased the Remastered Season One – TOS on HD DVD, and bought the player specifically for this…. what do I do now, buy Season One on Blu Ray now?????? Talk about a cash grab… all I can say this is the end of me purchasing Star Trek Video…. what a waste of money….
Has anyone else noticed that the 2nd season episode, “Assignment Earth” is not listed among the episodes to watch at CBS.com?
I wonder if this is just an oversight, or whether they left that episode out on purpose…although I can’t imagine why.
What’s weird is that you can go to veoh.com (http://www.veoh.com/videos/v6258054r7PfQ5cN) and watch it, which seems to be feeding from the CBS site. Go figure.
Paramount,
I would like the DVD set for Star Trek TOS to be in BluRay. And have side A be the original un-doctored-up full edition and side B be the super-duper-all-the-bells-and-whistles-cool-new-special-effects edition.
I will buy two complete series.
Thank you.