JMS CIS Digest: 24-Nov-99 22:36 through 24-Nov-99 22:36 (3 msgs)

[John D. Hardin]

RFC 1153 Digest of messages from
J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
24-Nov-99 22:36 through 24-Nov-99 22:36 (3 messages)

WARNING: This digest may contain information about shows
         you haven't seen yet ("spoilers"). Proceed with caution.

Subjects in digest:
        Crusade's Future
        B5 on home video

Administrivia:
  South Park fans may wish to visit:
    http://www.infinicorp.com/babylonpark/

  With the end of Crusade and the great reduction in the volume of
  posts by JMS, I have decided the time has come to discontinue
  production of the Digest. I will continue to collect and repost any
  JMS traffic through at least the end of September, but unless SciFi
  (or somebody) picks up Crusade and the message volume increases the
  Digest will end no later than the end of this year. What a ride it
  has been!

  The administrivia for this digest may be read at
  http://www.wolfenet.com/~jhardin/JMS-Digest-Administrivia.txt
  It was last updated Sat Feb 13 10:21:30 1999

  Replies to this digest go to John Hardin.

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Date: 24 Nov 1999 22:36:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
To: Jamichie > [jamichie] 
Subject: Crusade's Future
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.72677 at compuserve.com>
References: <forum.babylon5.72639 at compuserve.com>

      No, I know where the story was going to go, that ain't the
point; the point is in spending that much emotional time going over
something that somebody canceled.

                                                                  jms

------------------------------

Date: 22 Nov 1999 21:04:03 -0700
From: (blocked)
To: JMS <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
Subject: B5 on home video
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.72647 at compuserve.com>

Dave's Laser in Studio City hosted its annual "studio day", where reps
from the studios, the DVD and laser industries and "jess plain folks"
can mingle last week.  Peter M. Bracke of "The DVD File.com" covered
the event, and here is his report on the status of "B5":

"...no definitive word on Babylon 5 still. It is "under
consideration", as is the use of any widescreen transfers."

So much for DVDs in the States in the first quarter of 2000.

BTW, you once mentioned widescreen releases in the U.K., but were
unsure if they would be DVD or VHS.  WB has released a boxed set of all
five TV movies including 4 "widescreen" releases, but it turns out that
only two of them are truly widescreen transfers ("Thirdspace" and "A
Call to Arms.")  "In the Beginning" and "River of Souls" are merely the
4:3 frame cropped down to 1.77:1 (or thereabouts.)  So they are missing
material at the top and bottom, and add nothing to the sides.  (You can
see actual screen caps comparing the widescreen and standard releases
at http://www.paul.harper.net/widescreen/index.htm)

It appears to me from these screen images that you shot "B5" on
Super35 using the "common topline" method of simultaneously framing for
4:3 and widescreen. If this is the case than the new VHS versions of
"ItB" and "RoS" are WORSE than full-frame version since they actually
crop NECESSARY information from the top of the picture while adding
nothing to the sides.

Does anyone at WB know what they're doing?  Who is in charge over
there?

Any comments or insights would be appreciated.

Regards,

Joe (Who is starting to think the Time-Warner business plan was written
by Kafka.)

------------------------------

Date: 24 Nov 1999 22:36:14 -0700
From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644 at compuserve.com>
To: (blocked)
Subject: B5 on home video
Message-ID: <forum.babylon5.72676 at compuserve.com>
References: <forum.babylon5.72647 at compuserve.com>

      I'm astouned that they would do that to the two movies...there
was no reason to do so unless they just didn't want to spend the
additonal money on two more transfers.  I'm afraid the ways of WB
utterly defy explanation....

                                                                  jms


------------------------------


End of JMS CIS Digest 24-Nov-99 22:36 through 24-Nov-99 22:36
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