UPDATE: HD Version Of Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray Preview

Last week we showed off a preview trailer for the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation Bluray sampler pack. CBS has now provided us with an HD version of this trailer, which you can check out below in up to 1080p!.

 

HD promo for Star Trek TNG Bluray

CBS has provided TrekMovie with HD version of the preview showing off the old vs. new Bluray transfer of the Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot "Encounter at Farpoint."


[Select HD and go full screen to get the full effect]

The "Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level" sampler disc will be released on January 31, 2012 with a suggested retail price of $21.99. The disc will include the feature-length pilot – “Encounter at Farpoint” – as well as two more “fan favorite” episodes, “The Inner Light” (Season 5) and “Sins of the Father” (Season 3).

You can pre-order it on Amazon for $14.99.

All seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation will follow, with the first season coming later this year. TrekMovie will continue to track this project as further news is announced.

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Our new HDTV is on the way! Just have to pick up a basic bluray player to watch this sucker.

Whatever you do, don’t get Samsung!!!!

Yesss :-)

Pre-ordered it weeks ago-can’t wait to see it!

Oh My God… DNR’S BACK…

Can’t get into it without some new visuals.

Is the old version really this bad or has the difference been exaggerated by Paramount in this video clip? I mean there is absolutely no definition to the creature in the older version and the background just looks like cloudiness or fuzziness to the eye! I mean really I am a lover of Hi-Def but if we were really watching this Crap all along wouldn’t we have thought it was crap while watching it? I never thought it looked bad while watching previously. Is the difference this monumental or have they slightly exaggerated to peak our interest once again?

#2

Weird, Samsung is one of the only brands I feel comfortable recommending!

#7 I agree with you. I just watched the same clips on both Netflix and Amazon Prime (Farpoint turns into jellyfish, Picard & Q facing Zorn, etc.)

The “old” bridge footage they used in the sample looks far more faded than the Netflix/Amazon versions, which had closer-to-the-HD colors than this comparison suggests.

The SFX look about the same–that is, the “old” sample looks like the current streaming footage–except that there is more detail in the streaming versions than this old footage. The ground around Farscape, for example, has more detail in the current streaming vids than in this sample “old” clip.

That said, there is no doubt that this is a HUGE improvement in resolution overall. Sadly, it’s still “Encounter at Farpoint.” HD doggy poo is still doggy poo!

#7

Actually not too surprising; the “OLD” on the clip appear to be from the actual video mastertapes from Paramount’s vault. Well, the DVD transfers from those tapes were done about a decade ago(?), and the video tapes they were transferred from have undoubtedly aged (pull out a VHS tape in your house from the early 2000s and see how it looks :p) Meanwhile, the Netflix/Amazon versions were probably copies of the same digital transfers done for the DVD sets, so they would retain the quality of the Paramount mastertapes circa 2000-2002.

I think.

/speculation

Folks,

I can honestly say the difference in the TNG blu ray is absolutely one of the most drastic differences I’ve EVER seen in an HD upgrade of any film or television show. Just STUNNING. Even the viewscreen during the Saucer Sep in FARPOINT…WOW.

CBS has set a standard so high I don’t think it can ever be surpassed.

Just AB the disc with the standard DVD when you get it…you’ll be blown away.

RMB

#2. It’s an LG smart TV, with newer LED lighting tech.

What’s up with Patrick Stewart’s face looking so wet when in HD. It is very distracting — he looks like his face just went through a car wash???

Samsung has excellent quality but if you need service of any kind – you’re cooked

This BL makes me really curious…

I think the old side only looks worse than usual because it has to compete with the new scans. On it’s own, it’s okay. The HD side is way better, but I totally have no problem with the old SD.

Honestly, I think the “Old” side looks like it came from a VHS or one of the 3/4″ tapes they used to use for syndication distribution. Personally, I doubt the actual “master tapes” look this bad. Otherwise, I don’t think any level of restoration would have given the results as seen on the “New” side.

All that said, the improvement is still noticeable. I think I agree that if you compared this side-by-side with a DVD copy (which has been the highest quality available up until now), you would still be blown away. Just can’t wait to see some of the other transfers from later season – especially “Best of Both Worlds”!

16 and 17 You are actually wrong. The HD side is, does in fact, have THAT much more actual picture information if you do the math. It’s not a sales pitch or a distortion to say that what we saw broadcast or even on the DVD’s was a blurry messy.

It is beyond noticeable, the HD remaster gives people a chance to see the true work that the TNG and ILM team did.

19 Sorry about the tone and typos guys, not awake just yet.

Pre ordered it myself, cant wait to see it.

Is CBS redoing the FX shots like with TOS remastered? If so I wish they would have put Best of Both Worlds on the sample Bluray.

Mongo say “Hello” to Mike Ten mans .

Mongo also say no. FX shots original. Remaster peoples use original elements and recomposite when necessary. Some improvement to old shot done. Mongo say look at warp effect from opening credit. Window and nacelle light is on. But it original model shot.

it’s going to be fun reading all the small print on displays and doors ;-)

Mike and Denise, you Rock!

#12 – Ah, Lucky Goldstar (that’s what LG actually stands for BTW).

If it’s not a full-array LED LCD then it’s inferior to the standard CCFL LCDs.

I’ve also found LG sets with poor black reproduction (the space scenes in TNG HD will look more like dark grey) and wonky fleshtones that range from sunburned red to orange to greenish. And I’m talking on the humans! Trying to calibrate them can be a nightmare.

Sony/Samsung/Panasonic/Sharp (in that order) is what I recommend.

I have a Samsung 40 inch LCD. 1080p. Great for Blu Ray watching. Movies like “Star Trek”, and “The Lion King” look really great on it.

I’d love to get these, but I just KNOW they’ll be set at some god-forsaken price that I simply can’t afford now. I’m sure it’ll be at least $100 a season. At that price, there’s no way I can get these.

It looks great, and I’d love to see TNG look that good. I just can’t get around the cost.

http://cornersofchaos.blogspot.com/

The only downside to the improvements to the remastered “Encounter at Farpoint”? It’s still the same script…. (hee, hee!)

I’m teasing. Just because TNG isn’t my thing doesn’t mean it isn’t someone else’s. Actually, the remastering work is very well done. Should look great.

@28 Fortunately, “All Good Things” retconned some of E@F for the better. I’d have loved to see them edit appropriate parts of AGT into E@F, such as the early scenes before the initial encounter with Q.

If that’s what the Enterprise-D model looks like in HD, why did they feel the need to destroy it in Generations again?

28

Next Gen is still one of my all time fav shows. I cannot wait for this.

Does anyone know why Picard’s face look so “wet” in the HD upgrade? It looks like his is sweating profusely for some reason? In the original version his face appears “dry” and normal.

Is this an after-effect of them using too much Dolby noise reduction on the original video to upgrade it to HD? This is very noticeable and tends to ruin the HD upgrade for me.

It looks like Picard just did ad hour on a StairMaster.

#25

The model we’re getting is the lg42LV5400. The majority of the reviews I’ve read have been extremely positive about the picture quality. It comes with wifi built in and everything else I need it to do. (Netflix) :)

DAD! WE’RE HERE TO RESCUE YOU!!!

I mean, yeah, it looks awesome. I can’t wait to see it.

@ 32 It was probably the heat from the Ten Thousand watts of light they were using to light the bridge.

32. People sweat, mannequins don’t!

@32 Red Shirt

It was confirmed weeks ago that they are NOT uprezzing old video to create HD. Unbelievably, they were allowed to go back to the original live action film elements and basically recreate/re-edit the episodes back together. I thought that the complete re-cutting would be way beyond Paramounts willingness to spend. I guess we’ll see if there’s any follow-through depending on sales. Trek is a perpetual asset for the company, so permanent hi-def preservation is in their long term interest regardless of initial sales of the Blu-Ray set. For all we know, selling the set may just be “gravy” for a corporate asset preservation project.

Anyway, because they went straight back to the film, there would therefore be no digital resolution tricks or artifacts from conversion. Maybe Picards’ makeup was just too shint that day. It’s also possible there are some things we will see that the creators thought would be invisible, or toned-down to correct levels, in the original lo-res broadcast and VCR incarnations.

I don’t know…but I kind of like the lower definition version of the creature…it seems more natural to me, while the HD version looks like a model being pulled by strings; the lower quality one obscures this in its blurriness. But besides that, interior bridge scenes and the stars in the viewscreen look great in HD!

The reason why Picard looks sweaty may have to do with the tightass jumpsuit he had to wear. Patrick Stewart has said the early uniforms were highly uncomfortable to wear, and very hot.

I think too, though I could be wrong, that the sets were not air conditioned for the first few seasons.

Some of the other tv brands include Vizio, Curtis, Dynex, Toshiba, and VisionQuest.

But I’d recommend staying away from those.

Vizio’s getting decent reviews for their equipment, and Toshiba’s probably the lowest of the low, but not TOTALLY out of the running. Agreed on the rest, though.

Yeah, I previously had a 32 inch 1080i Samsung. It was really good, but after four years, I upgraded to a 40 inch 1080p Samsung. “Avatar” is jaw-dropping on my new telly.

Let’s not forget that E@F was the very first episode shot. They don’t have the makeup quite finalized on Data, there are skorts/skants and other costumes rarely seen again, and it was the first time through on this show for the entire production team. So you’ll spot things that aren’t quite right yet as both the shooting process and elements of production haven’t been refined yet. You’ll even see changes from the first to second episode, never mind as this season and the series as a whole moves forward.

Well to me the first half of “Encounter at Farpoint” I think is great. I love the whole first 35 mins with Q appearing on then putting the crew on trial for the crimes of humanity. I think it sags in the second half with the Farpoint mission and because it was originally meant to be an hour long pilot it does feel slow in places.

It is still a good watch to see how it began. Loved the courtroom and the saucer separation.

Why does everyone hate encounter at farpoint so much? I love it, except for the lame part with jellyfish holding hands (which even in CG will still look lame).

45. Allen Williams –

They are not being remade in CG. The show is being re-scanned and “RE-COMPOSITED” from the original negatives. Anything that exists on film will be re-composited with modern technology. The only items done in CG will be missing model work footage and things like phaser blasts, transporter beams, etc.

For example:
Here is the original composite from Encounter at Farpoint. Zorn is in front of a blue screen with the stars added in later.

http://tng.trekcore.com/bluray/compare/farpoint5_sd.jpg

Here is that same scene composited with modern techniques. Note all of the wisps of hair that are now visible that got masked out before? :)

http://tng.trekcore.com/bluray/compare/farpoint5_hd.jpg

Here is an explanation for anyone who isn’t sure what compositing is. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compositing

I’m not a huge fan of TNG, but this is great news to see attention placed on this instead of only on the abominable new movie series.
I look forward to seeing the restoration.

“Encounter at Farpoint” is probably the hokiest of all the Star Trek pilot episodes. Just imagine “Emissary” – Wolf 359, the Cardassian attack on DS9, Sisko’s encounters with the Prophets. It would be brilliant.

“I’m not a huge fan of TNG, but this is great news to see attention placed on this instead of only on the abominable new movie series.”

LOL WTF?

@25 “Sony/Samsung/Panasonic/Sharp (in that order) is what I recommend.”

You’ve go to be kidding. Panasonic is hands-down #1, and Sony is no longer in the Top 5.