Cool News
Is Official!! All 178 Episodes Of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - With All The ‘Painstakingly Recompositioned’ Visual Effects - Headed For Blu!!
The entire first season (the start of the Wesley Crusher years!) will hit Blu-ray next year:
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® TO BE AVAILABLE IN HIGH-DEFINITION FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER FOR ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY
Star Trek: The Next Generation® – The Next Level Blu-ray Disc™ Will Be Released On January 31, 2012
Complete First Season Blu-ray Available Later in 2012
LOS ANGELES – The beloved series STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® will be transferred to high definition for the first time ever and released on Blu-ray™, it was announced today by Ken Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Home Entertainment.
All 178 episodes from seven seasons will be transferred to true high-definition 1080p for release on Blu-ray and eventual runs on television and digital platforms both domestically and internationally.
“Fans have been clamoring for a high-definition release of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® for years,” said Ross. “Transferring the series to high-definition presented difficult technical challenges, but our team has come up with a process to create true 1080p HD masters with true HD visual effects. We can’t wait to show fans how pristine the series looks and sounds with our upcoming Blu-ray releases.”
Transferring STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® to high-definition presented numerous challenges – The series was originally shot on film and then transferred to videotape, which was used to edit episodes together. In order to create true HD masters, CBS is going back to the original uncut film negative – all 25,000 plus film reels of it – and cutting the episodes together exactly the way they originally aired. The visual effects were all shot on film and will be painstakingly recompositioned, not upconverted from videotape. The newly cut film will then be transferred to true high-definition with 7.1 DTS Master Audio. Denise and Mike Okuda are consulting on the project.
While the first full season won’t be available until later in 2012, CBS Home Entertainment is releasing STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® – THE NEXT LEVEL, a single Blu-ray disc to give fans a taste of the series in HD, on January 31, 2012. 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). The single disc will be available for a suggested retail price of $21.99.
One of the most popular series in the STAR TREK franchise, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2012. It premiered in first-run syndication during the week of September 28, 1987 and ran through 1994.
Set in the 24th century on the Starship Enterprise, about 100 years after the original STAR TREK series took place, the series starred Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker, LeVar Burton as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge, Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi, Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data, Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf, Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher and Wil Wheaton as her son Wesley Crusher.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION® won numerous accolades, including 18 Emmy® awards, and was the first – and only – syndicated television show to be nominated for the Emmy® for Outstanding Drama Series for its seventh season. It was also ranked #46 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time list in 2002.
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
I've already pre-ordered The Next Level, but I can't wait to be able to re-watch every episode in HD... well maybe not season 7, but the rest is great. I'm one of the weirdos who likes seasons 1 and 2, so I'll be very happy re-waching them. It would be cool to get some commentaries out of the cast and crew too...
-
I hope so. The new FX work does look beautiful in the short clip on youtube.
-
I think I like the softness the videotape gave the show. It made the cheapness easy to overlook... in most cases. After seeing props & costumes in person, I know that Hi-Def will not be kind to the show. Very distracting.
-
I'm reminded of the common claim: "the costumes read flat!" when changes have made to costumes when Trek or Spidey or what-have-you goes to film. Note to producers: it NEEDS to read flat. I don't want to be that aware of the fucking costume.
-
they were releasing it sooner? "All Good Things" will be epic in HD!!!
-
Dec. 12, 2011, 6:08 p.m. CST
daggor - The props/costumes in the TOS Blu-ray set look fine...
by Bob Loblaw Law Blog
And they were much more primitive than those used in TNG. I think you're needlessly worrying. I think these will look fantastic.
-
I bought it on the old Time/Life VHS. And again on the DVD's. Now, seeing the video of the Blu-ray and how inCREDIBLE it looks (better than it EVER looked on TV), I will have to buy it this time as well. Let's just hope they don't cost crazy, crazy sums of money. But, alas, even if still buy. Curse you CBS/Paramount!
-
Dec. 12, 2011, 6:24 p.m. CST
This info is dated back to September 28th on Startrek.com
by Stereotypical Evil Archer
And it just shows up now? On December 12th?
-
If you buy "THE NEXT LEVEL", you will get 3 episodes that you will also find on the whole series. Which I expected, but didn't think they'd actually advertise for impatient people.
-
Every goddam season of this series! Every one!
-
Dec. 12, 2011, 6:32 p.m. CST
If 4 hours of ST:NG in blu cost $22, then a full 26-hour season will amount to around $143
by gruntybear
So basically, double the amount of money you spent on the DVDs. Around $1K for the entire series, give or take the standard Amazon discount. What. A. Deal.
-
the press release just went out from Paramount Home Video today, startrek.com had just the basics that this was happening, not these details. AICN can occasionally be far behind the loop, but in this case, quit yer bellyachin'.
-
I'm not going to buy but I would definitely watch if some channel starts airing these remastered episodes.
-
Dec. 12, 2011, 6:49 p.m. CST
Did they "painfullyt recomposite" Olivia D'Abo to be naked? No? Pass!
by mdk
-
I will be there! As long as they're somewhat cheap...
-
16:9 or it's a no go. The film is there and it can be used. One might argue that it's not true to the original, but if you show a 16:9 presentation to an audience and switch it out with 4:3, which presentation will they prefer? The obvious choice is 16:9, because it fits the TV and isn't so...square. I think that the format is more cinematic, and it would add a dramatic depth to an already wonderful show. A little research on Google tells me that 16:9 is entirely possible on TNG WITHOUT placing matte over any of the shots. So it would be true 16:9. Scratch that....*could* be true 16:9. Also, just a prediction, but I bet this collection is largely pirated or ignored. And releasing the blu rays season-by-season means that production could stop if it doesn't sell. I think upping the presentation to widescreen might encourage all the DVD boxed-set buyers to buy again.
-
Joss Whedon didn't want Buffy to be presented in widescreen because he claimed it wasn't meant to be seen that way. Fire up Netflix and watch any episode of Buffy from seasons 4-7 and there they are, in widescreen. Hey! It looks better. TNG had a certain aesthetic, and it was framed in a certain way, but it *could* be adapted to 16:9 and retain its greatness! Okay, end rant.
-
damm... can;t believe its been 25 years. for a long time this was my favourite tv show.Growing up watching sttng.. i've probably watched most episodes a dozen times or more. Paramount made me finally realise what a chump i had been, they drip fed the video releases and then the dvds. It's Fricking obsolete now! I've had the whole tng/ ds9 and voy on vhs and i don't even have a video recorder!
-
For around 300 bucks I might bite. No way I am dropping 7 x 140 for this thou. When will the Hi-Def be on NetFlix? Maybe 2-3 years?
-
http://goo.gl/uiBBn
-
Dec. 12, 2011, 8:08 p.m. CST
LOST and Flux Capicators on MAD tonight were greatness.
by jimbojones123
-
Second trailer is here, with a few bits of sample footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guw66NHiExs The sets and costumes appear to fare pretty well. The makeup and effects appear to be a mixed bag. Space effects look surprisingly good, but I'll bet anything involving a planetary surface will look incredibly fake. Cleaner than before, but faker, too. And cleaning up the image is likely to make most of the alien makeup - already a dodgy bet on DVD - look pretty ridiculous. Still, it's nice to see the greedheads at Paramount opting to properly convert this one to HD, even if they aren't springing for new effects. They'll probably do that 5 years after the entire series has come out on Blu-ray, for a "Special 30th Anniversary Edition". Suckas!
-
Press release writer forgot Crosby was a full regular cast member for the entire first season, although not appearing in the last 3 episodes (which is not an unusual number of absences for a supporting regular even if the character was not killed). And Crosby wasn't fired, she quit for the same reason Nichelle Nichols was going to quit: not getting to say much more than "hailing frequencies open".
-
starts screaming about 16:9 and someone else will inevitably say, "Duh, but I though duh show was shot on video; this will be an upconvert."
-
Wish I didn't already have the series on DVD.
-
$135 a season for TNG on DVD... with no commentaries and pretty sorry documentaries. Probably won't put down any money for these... Maybe if they do DS9, but I doubt they'll give the same treatment to DS9.
-
The sampler disc is priced at 15 dollars at Amazon and 7 pounds at Amazon UK.
-
This was official back in september.....
-
The press release just came out TODAY, as another TB'er indicated. I guess you were never taught to read first then talk.
-
that they always want for a Trek series. I'm a fan of Star Trek, but don't have any on DVD because of the ridiculously bloated prices they've always wanted. Somebody thinks Star Trek is fucking art or something, as opposed to a science fiction show that was just as often terrible as it was good. Much of Trek is WAY overrated, mainly by its more ignorant, rabid fans, who refuse to admit Star Trek can do anything wrong.
-
LOL. No. Much of them were. A lot were done in video. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out. But if they were all done on film then there'd be no need for "new technology." Doing HD transfers and composting fx shots is not new.
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 2:50 a.m. CST
"So basically, double the amount of money you spent on the DVDs."
by buggerbugger
Ouch. It only cost me around £10 per season. Admittedly, I didn't buy them until years after they were first released but, fuck it, I'm a patient man.
-
I gurantee within two years of release, you will see first season sets going on sale at Amazon for 60% off for limited periods.
-
it gets old explaining to the youngsters that come over that my VHS star trek aren't books ;-)
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 10:31 a.m. CST
But wait, you buy it all again in a few years when they re-re-release it in 4K.
by v3d
-
Nice to meet a fellow weirdo! I'll take campy seasons 1 and 2 over bland seasons 6 and 7 any day!
-
See the link dated september 28. How is that not an official press release....? http://www.startrek.com/article/the-next-generation-blu-rays-launch-in-2012
-
There's no way in hell I'm gonna pay the expected ridiculous price for this unless it's been converted to widescreen.
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 12:17 p.m. CST
Yes, has to be widescreen or I won't bother downloading the torrent
by ATARI
-
It was never shot for a 16:9 image. Personally I'd rather have something that was true to the original vision of the show, except this time you can actually enjoy the visuals!!
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 1:17 p.m. CST
Converted to widescreen? By what, a fucking magician? I guess they could spend a billion dollars or so to create cgi environments and crew members.
by dahveed1972
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 1:19 p.m. CST
Unless the original foootage was shot widescreen - which it wasnt - releasing a widescreen version isnt gonna happen.
by dahveed1972
-
Now that's a set I would buy! ...if I cared. And delete out Diana Muldar. And those early episodes where emotionless Data was obviously emoting, and doubletaking. And Joe Piscopo. And that entire ozone layer in space episode.
-
Just a lot of work... http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/ent_vs_tng.htm
-
...oh, and Mr. Crusher....SHUT UP.
-
http://trekmovie.com/2011/12/12/star-trek-tng-blu-ray-sample-disc-announced-for-january-31-season-1-later-in-2012/ An official confirmation and a press release are two different things. We all fucking knew it was coming out. This article just provides the -- once again -- official press release.
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 1:50 p.m. CST
and that work would take a huge amount of time and MONEY. Stop whining about it cuz it aint gonna happen.
by dahveed1972
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 1:54 p.m. CST
and that link only proves my point. five minutes of my life wasted. thanks
by dahveed1972
-
Imbecile! It's either a cleaned up digital composite or it's new computer graphics replacing the original effects. Please only accept articles from people with an interest in accuracy.
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 2:42 p.m. CST
but they are my TV free, every fucking day- so pay for them now?
by Michael Lunney
You people are idiots who pay for this
-
But I am interested to see if it looks as good as TOS does, which is fantastic, with the colors jumping out at you. I don't it demands it, but I hope the effects were given an upgrade like TOS or at least so they don't have that Babylon 5, seriously fake and cheap look. The only thing going against TNG were the flimsy looking sets- the carpeted rec room bridge and those piss-awful uniforms from Seasons 1 & 2, arguably the series worst years.
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 6:30 p.m. CST
I vividly remember TOS 25th anniversary in 1991...damn I'm old!
by BoyNamedSue
And I expect to pay a hefty sum for these Blu-Rays, given the painstaking amount of work required!
-
And I'm a happy Trekker!
-
My level of litteracy isn't in question. Official press release or official confirmation... This weeks press release doesn't contain any new information. Therefore, it's old news.
-
Dec. 13, 2011, 11:39 p.m. CST
I can't wait until this is over and they put out "theme" Blu Ray bundles
by Al
Same thing happened after all the Treks were put on DVD, they did 2 or 3 disc "Borg" packs of "Q". Packs. As soon as they put out a "Best of Both Worlds" / "All Good Things" Blu Ray pack, I'm sold! ETA - 2019. Probably.
-
The bean counters at CBS do the smart thing and get the crew back together fr a TV mini series to wrap up the TNG era correctly. Nemesis, though not the disaster that it's painted out to be, was no way to finish TNG and a mini series would be a great way of signing off for the final time. hard to believe it's 18 years since TNG finished and 10 since nemesis, but 99% sure even old Baldy would be up for a four part mini series to finish it all off. Voyager and DS9 cameos, the whole shebang - brilliant!
-
You gotta be shitting me. Why would I want a loss of blown-up image quality and cutting off the top and bottom of the picture as they were meant to be seen. You know, like every movie made before like 1950 that was filmed in a box. Although the corrected aspect "The Shining" was still jarring at first. IT SAYS ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO, WHY IS IT A SQUA...oh. That was the original aspect ratio.
Top Talkbacks
- AICN COMICS PODCAST: The @$$Holes take stabs at MAN OF STEEL, plus a review of Scott Snyder’s SUPERMAN UNCHAINED! -- 113 total posts 106 posts
- Harry's 25th Picks & Peeks of 2013!!! With THINGS TO COME, OCTAMAN, Bette Davis, STOKER, HOWLING, LIFEFORCE & more! -- 317 total posts 97 posts
- Sweet knights of Colombus!! A new trailer for ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES has been unleashed!! -- 91 total posts 91 posts
- WWZ blah-ditty, blah, blah, blah! AICN HORROR’s got a truly unique zombie film you should check out instead called THE BATTERY! -- 86 total posts 81 posts
- PROMETHEUS 2 now has a writer!!! -- 699 total posts 60 posts
- Wanna hear the least annoying sound in the world? Repeat after me: Universal picks up DUMB AND DUMBER TO!! -- 112 total posts 57 posts
-
Jonathan Demme To Direct
AMC’s First Sci-Fi Pilot!! -- 42 total posts 42 posts - Father Geek says MAN OF STEEL is pretty much the best Superhero Movie ever made and I'm not gonna argue! -- 1892 total posts 41 posts
- UPDATED WITH POSTER!! GO BUY SOME LEGOS, KIDS a.k.a. THE LEGO MOVIE stacks up a trailer!! -- 96 total posts 39 posts
- Copernicus On The Science Of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS!! -- 1235 total posts 37 posts