The Saint
Moderator
Swinging London - 1967
Posts: 5,418
Online Status:
|
Post by The Saint on Jun 14, 2020 21:30:04 GMT
I’ve come to the conclusion after many years of watching the Sweeney and after changing my mind previously on a few occasions lol- what is my favourite episode! And I’ve now decided to stick firmly, with Ringer! For various reasons one being due to Ian Hendry’s part in the episode, but what really bugs is the picture quality of this episode. I know it’s probably been mentioned before, but I really can’t understand, from a novices point of view, why, with all this techno we have today, they simply can’t make the picture qual as good as the other 52 episodes! If I recall correctly, unlike the other 52 episodes, Network didn’t have access to the original negatives for Ringer so they couldn’t restore it to the same standard as the rest of the series. The Saint
|
|
Sparky
Producer
Status? Would that be Credit or in Society?
Posts: 2,784
Online Status:
|
Post by Sparky on Jun 15, 2020 8:51:55 GMT
I’ve come to the conclusion after many years of watching the Sweeney and after changing my mind previously on a few occasions lol- what is my favourite episode! And I’ve now decided to stick firmly, with Ringer! For various reasons one being due to Ian Hendry’s part in the episode, but what really bugs is the picture quality of this episode. I know it’s probably been mentioned before, but I really can’t understand, from a novices point of view, why, with all this techno we have today, they simply can’t make the picture qual as good as the other 52 episodes! My favourite episodes seem to keep changing.
Though Abduction and Thou Shalt Not... have always been amongst them.
On the Picture quality thing... The quality put out is only as good as the quality put in, in the first place.
For the ITV4 repeats, to improve the quality - they'd need to return to the negatives; they would need to be cleaned, checked/repaired. Bearing in mind these "Negatives" will be the edited episode Negative. The original camera Neg would be long gone I'd think. This would need to take place for each of the 52 episodes; and then either a positive 16mm print "struck" from the negative, or it be laser scanned (frame by frame) to a digital form- so it could be tweaked, cleaned, balanced.
All this is a very expensive process; especially the laser scanning, as it isn't "realtime" as with Telecine. With lazer scan - EACH individual frame is scanned.
A 50min episode at 25frames per-second would have about 75,000 individual frames to scan. The process would take much more than 50minutes.
ITV4s view would be that there is no use spending time and effort doing this for a few repeats - when they already have something on tape.
My view is this - ITV should care a little more about it's "archive" and spend the time restoring classic series to preserve the material for showing and also if newer improved tech comes available.
I wasn't aware until recently that the Restoration/Upscaling for the Box Sets - ITV didn't have the broadcast rights to. The restoration "rights" were only for the DVD releases.... (Wha???)!
Why couldn't they just make one master for each episode - and use that in digital form to broadcast, or provide raw material for DVD releases? A digital master doesn't degrade.
The Sweeney episodes were very well made, to movie studio standards and spec. (They were actually dubbed in stereo, long before Stereo TV came along). So the quality is present in the material available - and explains why the DVD releases are so high quality.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Online Status:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2020 9:06:10 GMT
So I presume, the status for Ringer will always stay the same then ? How bloody annoying lol! Surely the quality would be the same as the others on the Blu-ray version then!!! Either way the other 3 series need to be released on Blu-ray! This is the most infuriating case of injustice I’ve ever come across in regards dvd realises!! But on these matters I guess if in doubt consult the Spark’
|
|
Sparky
Producer
Status? Would that be Credit or in Society?
Posts: 2,784
Online Status:
|
Post by Sparky on Jun 15, 2020 15:47:05 GMT
So I presume, the status for Ringer will always stay the same then ? How bloody annoying lol! Surely the quality would be the same as the others on the Blu-ray version then!!! Either way the other 3 series need to be released on Blu-ray! This is the most infuriating case of injustice I’ve ever come across in regards dvd realises!! But on these matters I guess if in doubt consult the Spark’ I'd guess so. Unless they have a brainwave and remaster them which is doubtful, as they'd just say "The show is over 40 years old, it's repeated to a minimal audience, if it's quality you want, buy the Box Sets". Which is really a shame.
I was going to write to ITV4 to see if they could clarify, properly, why they are showing programmes that have poor technical quality - and why someone hasn't cleaned them up, even a little. Might do that and see what response I get. (If any).
If I was a Director of any "Sweeney" episode, I'd be shouting about the quality - and edits. I know the late great Tom Clegg had a few opinions on the matter too.
|
|
|
Post by Dirty Epic on Jun 16, 2020 10:19:33 GMT
Some good insights into things Sparky once again!
Never knew the originals were recorded in Stereo and probably the fresh copy was the one run out on it's first airing too.
Sadly my tapes are long gone but IIRC the Channel 5 repeats weren't overly edited and did have a fairly decent picture quality... shame C5's transmission quality back then wasn't so hot but I do remember them looking much better than the bulk of the ones that go on ITV4.
Suppose it's cheap and nasty for ITV4 to show the poor quality copies although I've seen snide uploads to YouTube - which get taken down, which have much, much better quality than what they show... even in 480p!
|
|
|
Post by Dirty Epic on Jun 16, 2020 10:24:07 GMT
Yes, Harry Callaghan's idea of good police work is very accurate shooting with a large calibre weapon. Dirty Harry is a good film though, Magnum Force also, beyond that a bit rubbish. To me, I'm not keen on the location. It would have been better in the shopping centre but they couldn't do that as Sparky mentions. Saw a bit of Dirty Harry years back - and didn't think much to it - just couldn't get in to it. I watched it again more recently, and really got into it - and was left thinking "what the hell was I thinking..." it is a great film. Strange you should say this Sparky and as bad as this sounds I watched Get Carter on BBC1 once around '94/'95-ish and didn't really get into it... straight up!
I watched it about a decade later and was totally hooked and got it completely, similarly with things like Villain and a change of pace The Likely Lads etc. which I didn't really get for a while. Certainly do now!
Yep I know!
|
|
Sparky
Producer
Status? Would that be Credit or in Society?
Posts: 2,784
Online Status:
|
Post by Sparky on Jun 16, 2020 12:49:56 GMT
Saw a bit of Dirty Harry years back - and didn't think much to it - just couldn't get in to it. I watched it again more recently, and really got into it - and was left thinking "what the hell was I thinking..." it is a great film. Strange you should say this Sparky and as bad as this sounds I watched Get Carter on BBC1 once around '94/'95-ish and didn't really get into it... straight up!
I watched it about a decade later and was totally hooked and got it completely, similarly with things like Villain and a change of pace The Likely Lads etc. which I didn't really get for a while. Certainly do now!
Yep I know! Get Carter did exactly the same for me years and years ago. Then I saw it on Channel 5 - and thought blimey - I'll get the VHS (that long ago) and then DVD!
Funnily enough - I went through the same with the "Sweeney" series - there were episodes that I couldn't get in to at all. Later down the line - I've watched them again and they are in fact good episodes and got quite well in to them.
"Thou shalt not..." was one such episode - simply because it was all set around one location and therefore quite slower paced than many of the other episodes I had seen beforehand.
After re- watching it - properly, I discovered there was much more going on in the Sweeney plotlines than the usual Car Chases and Punchups - that episode alone presented the series in different light (to me anyway!)
Though - I later discovered that the core team of writers used each episode as a writing exercise in style - for instance, Trevor Preston famous for his quite tense family related tales - tried his hand at comedy ("Messenger from the Gods"). Troy Kennedy Martin seemed more geared towards the quirky and amusing side of criminality. Roger Marshall - the clever side of it all - showing that Criminals aren't all dim wits.
Ranald Graham (I think who wrote Thou Shalt...) was more interested in character based stuff - the character of "Wands" was based on someone he knew, and that that situation called Stockholm Syndrome he'd read in a newspaper - about a robbery in - Stockholm. His episode "Trust Red" (another thread of course) was a classic Regan character study - shown against a criminal of similar age. Both getting too old for they respective careers!!
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Online Status:
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2020 14:08:07 GMT
Maybe in regards retro films, as an example Get Carter, that when we get older we appreciate old films even more, and become more nostalgic! I do remember, myself watching GC for the first time in about 1997 on tv, I’d probably missed most of it, after just turning over from another channel, and still thought yeah I’m into this! With the 60s feel to it and everything. So I guess the buzz and appreciation was similar to today, But the ending when he got shot did totally annoy me lol
|
|
Three Litre
Producer
Oscar 24
Posts: 3,414
Online Status:
|
Post by Three Litre on Jun 20, 2020 10:25:27 GMT
Ranald Graham (I think who wrote Thou Shalt...) was more interested in character based stuff - the character of "Wands" was based on someone he knew, and that that situation called Stockholm Syndrome he'd read in a newspaper - about a robbery in - Stockholm. His episode "Trust Red" (another thread of course) was a classic Regan character study - shown against a criminal of similar age. Both getting too old for they respective careers!! Steady on, I'm 61 and not intending on retiring for many years!
|
|
Albert Riddle
Cameraman
Retired washer upper
Posts: 250
Online Status:
|
Post by Albert Riddle on Jul 6, 2020 18:28:53 GMT
Yes and I’m 51 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
|
|