Easy Love: Terror and Spearhead Out on Plastic Disc Now!

[Si Hunt]

I'm dissapointed that the extras for "Terror" make no mention of its archive status. Does anyone read Roobarbs or wherever the RT post now? Do we know what methods they've used to restore the colour? Have they performed chroma dot recovery?

I've a feeling that the silence around the restoration of this story is a suggestion that they're trying to quietly avoid the fact that they've had to do a lesser restoration on this than on Planet: 3 due to financial constraints. That said, I'll be happy if they've combined the 1990's off-air copies with new chroma-dot recovery.

Less happy if for some reason they haven't used CDR due to a fall-out with James Russell and this is a simple combination of the off-airs with the film prints, as per the video release.

Si.

[SiHart]

I've asked over at Roobarbs and will report back if anyone replies.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Nice one Si!

Si.

[Larry]

I'm dissapointed that the extras for "Terror" make no mention of its archive status. Does anyone read Roobarbs or wherever the RT post now? Do we know what methods they've used to restore the colour? Have they performed chroma dot recovery?


Si.

understand the point your making but haven't we already had features on colour restoration on other DVD, releases.

[Si Hunt]

I'm not neccessarily after a feature, but sometimes in the extras they include things like "Restored prints using blah blah technology" but this time there's no word. I just want to know what they've done and what kind of improvement we can expect. It's one of only about five Doctor Who stories where colour film prints don't exist, so it's odd it isn't mentioned somewhere. It would be a selling point to me, and I suspect others, if something new had been tried on the story this time.

Si.

[Lissa]

If they let us know how much work went into Terror of the Autons it might make people a bit less peeved at having to buy Spearhead again just to get it.

[Perry Vale]

Does anyone know how Terror of the Autons has been recolourised? Is it a straight combination of the betamax tapes and film or have they used the chromadot process as well?

No need to use Colour Recovery, the off-air tapes of TotA are very good quality. There's a little bit of chroma banding, but otherwise it's nice.

Hmmm, a rather telling turn of phrase, methinks....

I can just see that as the strapline/selling point, perhaps on one of those red stickers they put on the box, "There's a little bit of chroma banding, but otherwise it's nice"...

[SiHart]

Well it was always the best of the early recolourised stories (and I saw it on a big screen at the NFT at the end of 1992 and it looked rather good then) so hopefully there will be good results. The Silurians was done by this method and it looked rather good didn't it?

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

"No need" to use an additional colour source?

I knew it!

Si.

[SiHart]

The Chroma Dots process is time consuming and produces variable results, so maybe this was the best way? The Terror tapes didn't suffer from the strobing problems that Ambassdors has after all, and is fairly stable.
There's also rumours that they've found a better video tape of the story to use as the colour basis for the recolouristation too, so maybe, just maybe it'll be good Si.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Come on! Give them a chance! It might be good, it just might be... We should get down on our knees and pray, because there's a slim sliver of hope here!

[Si Hunt]

Where did I say it wouldn't be good?

Si.

[SiHart]

You didn't. I was just suggesting that maybe the results will be good anyway, without the chromadots being involved.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Where did I say it wouldn't be good?

I've a feeling that the silence around the restoration of this story is a suggestion that they're trying to quietly avoid the fact that they've had to do a lesser restoration on this than on Planet: 3 due to financial constraints.

I may have misinterpreted these comments!

[Si Hunt]

I think so, yes.

Si.

[Terry Leptil]

I think I heard some years ago that Part 2 of the Unit Family documentary (Part 1 being on the Inferno DVD) would be on the Terror of the Autons release. Has the idea been dropped or was it on a different story release?

[Andrew Curnow]

Having never got round to buying Spearhead on DVD, and having not watched either story in... well, in ages, I'm really looking forward to this set. Having rewatched Inferno recently I can feel a bit of a Pertwee session coming on...

[Larry]

now up for pre-order on Amazon, ..

[Si Hunt]

It's cheaper on Play, where you can pre-order it for £17.99p.

Si.

[P-Bal]

Even cheaper on Sendit at £16.89...

[Antony Cox]

Whatever they've done, it's got to be better than the blurry murk of the original video release, so I'm sure it'll be great!

[SiHart]

Box!



Simon

[Andrew Curnow]

Nice box!

[Perry Vale]

That is a nice box.

A bluray one would look better though.

[Rob McCow]

Do you think they'd actually ever release it on Blu-Ray?

I like that cover quite a bit.