Someone on DVDTalk mentioned that Firefly would be coming to UniversalHD in the near future. I found this odd because 1) I figured Id hear it here first, and 2) Even though Serenity was a Universal Pictures film, Firefly was a FOX property and I assume it still is. This would be incredible news if true, so can anyone verify or debunk?

Doubtful. They never shot the show in HD. They'd be showing it upconverted 480i, and I'm pretty sure UHD is exclusively HD.

The DVDs are widescreen, if that makes a difference.

The DVDs are widescreen, if that makes a difference.Yes? Fox originally broadcast it 480i widescreen.

My son just lent me the DVDs which I will return to him if any chance of HD. But as I read this thread I better start watching the DVDs.

Universal HD sounds like such a great channel. My local cable company, Time Warner, is a major slacker in the HD department. It was aggravating sitting by while Battlestar Galactica was shown in HD. If I miss Firefly now, I'm switching to Dish Network.

Well, my question may have been answered...a UHD commercial just aired on UHD which included Firefly. The commercial wasnt in HD though, if that matters. So maybe its not a matter of if, but when :)

^UHD is one of the few HD channels TWC actually carries...you must be on an even crappier system than I am.

Well, my question may have been answered...a UHD commercial just aired on UHD which included Firefly. The commercial wasnt in HD though, if that matters. So maybe its not a matter of if, but when .:)Firefly is being shown on Sci-Fi which is owned by Universal/NBC, hence the commercial.

As I stated earlier, no HD transfer of Firefly exists and the FX were done low-res, so it would be impossible to show in HD.

As I stated earlier, no HD transfer of Firefly exists and the FX were done low-res, so it would be impossible to show in HD.
Nothing is impossible if you throw enough money at it. An HD transfer could be done on the film, and effects redone in HD if someone with the cash REALLY wanted to see it in HD.

Nothing is impossible if you throw enough money at it. An HD transfer could be done on the film, and effects redone in HD if someone with the cash REALLY wanted to see it in HD.There's just no logical responses to statements like yours other than, "it ain't gonna happen".

I'm hoping this thread gets locked because there is really no where to go with it.

If you want to comment on the series itself, try the Serenity (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=676506) thread over in the DVD forum.

Yes? Fox originally broadcast it 480i widescreen.
Actually (to split hairs), it was broadcast in 480p widescreen-

Actually (to split hairs), it was broadcast in 480p widescreen-No, actually it was 480i upconverted to 480p (or whatever your local affiliate was doing), as all Fox Digital broadcasts were back then.

Firefly is shown in one of the new Universal HD promo loops...

Universal HD sounds like such a great channel. My local cable company, Time Warner, is a major slacker in the HD department. It was aggravating sitting by while Battlestar Galactica was shown in HD. If I miss Firefly now, I'm switching to Dish Network.


Yes, Universal is a great channel only if you want to watch Skulls 3 or L & O every other hour. :)

Firefly is being shown on Sci-Fi which is owned by Universal/NBC, hence the commercial.
Who knows, but it was an ad for Universal HD, NOT for Sci-Fi....and I cant imagine any reason why they would throw in random Sci-Fi only programming into that spot for no good reason. Maybe its all a farce, maybe UHD is going to show non-HD programming, who knows. Regardless, its better than what they are showing now (I love Quantum Leap and Knight Rider, but enough is enough).

Who knows, but it was an ad for Universal HD, NOT for Sci-Fi....and I cant imagine any reason why they would throw in random Sci-Fi only programming into that spot for no good reason.
- UHD does it all the time to promote other Sci-Fi only programs like "The 4400".

There's just no logical responses to statements like yours other than, "it ain't gonna happen".

I'm hoping this thread gets locked because there is really no where to go with it.

The show was shot on film and likely archived to an HD master tape even if the VFX were upconverted. Enterprise and Angel are just two examples of series that were broadcast in HD even though their VFX were rendered in Standard-Def. There was a noticeable drop in picture quality any time a visual effect happened, but the majority of the episode would be HD.

firefly will be on UHD on sunday nights, launches on sept 24

firefly will be on UHD on sunday nights, launches on sept 24Link?

If so, I guess I was wrong. It won't be fully HD, and I doubt it will look all that hot. On top of that we'll get the fake 5.0 surround UHD pumps out.

I wonder who decided this, because Josh himself said we'd never see a HD version of it.

I think I'll stick with the DVD.

Link?

If so, I guess I was wrong. It won't be fully HD, and I doubt it will look all that hot. On top of that we'll get the fake 5.0 surround UHD pumps out.

I wonder who decided this, because Josh himself said we'd never see a HD version of it.

I think I'll stick with the DVD.

It's coming--it's in the UHD promo reel. BTW, it's Joss not Josh.

As mentioned earlier the promo reel for UHD has had the 4400 in it and no sign of that in HD. Where is this 24 Sep Date coming from, I would set the HD DVR right now and make sure I had enough DVHS tapes to archive it if that is true.

nice, I was about to order the DVDs from netflix, but I'd rather watch the HD upconvert.

- UHD does it all the time to promote other Sci-Fi only programs like "The 4400".
In the case of The 4400, I think you meant USA, not SciFi. However, they're owned by Universal, too, and often run ads for SciFi, NBC, etc.

firefly will be on UHD on sunday nights, launches on sept 24

Sunday, September 24th, 700PM and 1130PM
http://www.universalhd.com/Schedule/daily.bravo?start_date=2006-09-24&end_date=2006-09-24

W00T!

Sweet! Thanks for the link ENDContra. I checked this yesterday doing a search for firefly with no luck, too funny! Now I have to go get a stock of DVHS.

In the case of The 4400, I think you meant USA, not SciFi. However, they're owned by Universal, too, and often run ads for SciFi, NBC, etc.
- That's what I meant. ;)

Great news on Firefly!

There's just no logical responses to statements like yours other than, "it ain't gonna happen".

I'm hoping this thread gets locked because there is really no where to go with it.


Well, at least we did not have to start another thread...

This is great news. As I watched each 4x3 episode on Sci-Fi, I could see the cropped framing. I hadn't realized Fox originally aired it 16x9, but that explains why the cropping for 4x3 was so obvious.

This will be fun to watch again.

BSG at 10:30 Sweet!!! :D
Firefly at 11:30 Dude! :D

BSG at 10:30 Sweet!!! :D
Firefly at 11:30 Dude! :D

Sorry for veering the thread off course, but what season of BSG is being aired on UHD?

I'm in the middle of watching S1 on DVD right now, and I've been hesitant to tune in the UHD airings because I thought it would be too far in advance, and spoil it for me.

Sorry for veering the thread off course, but what season of BSG is being aired on UHD?

I'm in the middle of watching S1 on DVD right now, and I've been hesitant to tune in the UHD airings because I thought it would be too far in advance, and spoil it for me.

Right now they're almost at the end of season 1. Season 2 reruns start on Sun, Aug 27th.
http://www.universalhd.com/Schedule/search.bravo?month=2006-12&keyword=Battlestar&start=today

So I wonder how they're going to handle this?

Did they go back and totally redo each episode so that all the frames without effects are in HD and everything else is an SD upconvert?

Right now they're almost at the end of season 1. Season 2 reruns start on Sun, Aug 27th.
http://www.universalhd.com/Schedule/search.bravo?month=2006-12&keyword=Battlestar&start=today

Ah, so it's time for me to start recording these then...I won't have to waste a spot in my Netflix queue and the PQ will be even better.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Well, Andy Ricther was on FOX and that looked really good on HDNet.

oh wow, now I really hate Comcast from dropping UHD after the Olympics...I'd love to see Firefly in faux-HD or whatever....I expect screen-caps to see if its better than the DVDs

I'm also glad to see that Universal/NBC has support for the Firefly universe...unlike the crappiest network on the planet (*cough* Fox *cough* milking the dvd sales and doing nothing to promote the damn show *COUGH*)...Honestly, why doesn't Fox just sell the rights and let the Sci-Fi channel start up Season 2...arg, this crap pisses me off to no end

For what it's worth, I recorded a couple of episodes of Firefly on a Hipix OTA card when it first aired on Fox. I had just received the card when the last two episodes were being broadcast. When I got the Firefly DVDs, I was able to compare. The Fox 480p broadcast was significantly better than the DVD - much sharper and cleaner. The DVD looked soft and washed out in comparison. I'm looking forward to what these eps will look like on UHD. The Battlestar Galactica episodes are several magnitudes better than what's on SciFi.

Honestly, why doesn't Fox just sell the rights and let the Sci-Fi channel start up Season 2...arg, this crap pisses me off to no end

The show would look and feel considerably different if it aired on cable channel Sci-Fi vs. "Big Four" network Fox. That being said, if Joss would agree and could figure out how to do it, they'd have a built-in fan base that would at least rival BSG, I should think and would power their schedule for several years. It's simply amazing what that show has been able to accomplish on a [relatively] miniscule cable budget.

The Fox 480p broadcast was significantly better than the DVD - much sharper and cleaner. The DVD looked soft and washed out in comparison.

I remember the 480p telecast on FOX to be stellar as well, but better than the DVD's? I don't see how...

Were you being serious with your comment archi guy? If so 480p on fox almost always looked better than dvd. DVD is 480i that is converted to 480p and the 480i on the DVD has been filtered to remove interlacing artifact. I forget the exact stats but the actual progressive resolution you get from a dvd is considerbly less than 480p this is why true 480p on fox can look better.

Okay. Not sure I understand everything you said; help a brother out here. Why would the 480i image on the DVD be filtered to reduce interlacing artifacts and the 480i on the FOX broadcast, prior to being deinterlaced and converted to 480p for transmission, not be? Would they both not start with the same source material?

Okay. Not sure I understand everything you said; help a brother out here. Why would the 480i image on the DVD be filtered to reduce interlacing artifacts and the 480i on the FOX broadcast, prior to being deinterlaced and converted to 480p for transmission, not be? Would they both not start with the same source material?

I'm not entirely sure about his argument, but a major reason why the Fox Widescreen presentation would look better than the DVDs is that most DVDs are heavily vertically filtered to reduce twitter on interlaced displays.

Yes that Is what I was trying to point out. When you watch fox 480p widescreen they know it will only be seen on HD sets so that the filtering to the 480p image is not done.

Sports On TV
'Firefly' Gets Hi-Def Makeover
UHD to Premiere Cult Hit in HD
(TV Week HDTV Newsletter) August 3, 2006

The fan base for Joss Whedon's space-Western TV series "Firefly" has grown exponentially since its short-lived 2002 run on Fox. Canceled after 11 episodes due to low ratings, published reports said the series went on to sell more than 300,000 copies when released on DVD the next year.

The sales impressed Universal, which greenlighted Mr. Whedon's feature film spinoff "Serenity." The film was released in 2005 and garnered rave reviews from critics and fans, but only managed to break even at the box office. Even after three years on store shelves, "Firefly" earlier this week ranked 36th in DVD sales on Amazon. The more recently released "Serenity" ranked 64th.

Now the series is being made available in HD. Universal has remastered the show's 35mm print to 1080i high definition for a Sept. 24 debut on UHD, a network spokesperson confirmed.

The unveiling of a widescreen HD version format of a short-lived 2002 series is as unusual as the program's resurrection as a cult hit and theatrical movie. Typically a series is either shot in widescreen high definition and broadcast that way, or shot on video or film in standard 4:3 aspect ratio.

But "Firefly" was shot on film (which can be converted to HD) and in widescreen, two years before Fox started broadcasting HD programming.

According to the "Firefly" DVD commentary, Mr. Whedon (best known as the showrunner for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel") battled with Fox over the widescreen issue. He said he filmed the show's actors on the extreme sides of the frame so Fox would have no choice but to air the show in his preferred format.

It was one of several battles between Mr. Whedon and the network, which aired episodes of the serialized drama out of order and pre-empted the show with sports. But Mr. Whedon's seemingly impractical decision to shoot "Firefly" in widescreen aided the show's DVD sales (collectors prefer that format) which in turn spawned the movie, and now enables a proper HD presentation.

http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=212
..

Will UHD *ever* fix their 5.1 sound issues?

Title - very happily - revised.

Still says nothing about the FX though.

And the sound, well, we'll probably get fake 5.0.

I'll take what I can get. In my household the effort is much appreciated.

Title - very happily - revised.Do we really know that the show was remastered in HD, and not mastered in HD from day one?

Do we really know that the show was remastered in HD, and not mastered in HD from day one?
The article indicates it was shot on film.

Well, Taikong suoyou de xingqiu saijin wo de pigu!!!! UHD finally gets a rerun worth the time to triple dip!!

Also, they finally have an excuse for only showing the first season of a series :D

Also, they finally have an excuse for only showing the first season of a series :D

that's funny

arggggggggg now I really really really want UHD...guess I'm calling Comcast tommorow

Maybe they'll show Serenity at the finish of its run? No? Awww.:(;)

I actually just purchased it on DVD so have mixed feelings about this. I suspect it's a lead-in for a HD-DVD version (that's OK). Battlestar Galactica S1 is coming on HD-DVD as well.

I'll take what I can get. In my household the effort is much appreciated.

D* have decent bitrate on UHD about 12 Mbps. It will be superior to the DVD we have.

There already is an HD-DVD version of "Serenity". It was one of the very first releases.

YES! Now I have to find a boat load of DVHS or SVHS to archive! I've got the DVD set but I have a hard time watching anything that is not HD. I'm one of those who does not watch the new episodes of BSG because I want to see it in HD first.

Now if only the Series3 TiVo would show up on the store shelves, I'd have something worth recording in HD (BSG & Firefly on UHD & ST:Enterprise on HD Net) and something to record it on!
.... it's almost like a dream :p :p :p

OH MY FRIKKEN GAWD!!! *pants* I love the Firefly universe. It was such a refreshing take on a Star Wars style universe.

I'm hoping the Universal HD broadcast is amazing (too bad I won't get to see it), and a subsequent HD DVD release. That would totally bait me to get a HD DVD player.

<Still praying for Firefly Season 2>

The article indicates it was shot on film.Duh. But the film is not the master.

Still praying for Firefly Season 2
With the original cast!
Although they did kill off Wash and Shepherd Book in the Serenity motion picture... :(
.... or did they?? :p

With the original cast!
Although they did kill off Wash and Shepherd Book in the Serenity motion picture... :(
.... or did they?? :p

Joss has said many times....yes they are dead...he won't bring them back except if its in backstory (like Book's backstory which would be killer)

Duh. But the film is not the master.
So you're asking if the master that was used for the TV show when it originally aired was actually in HD? I'll bet it was, I never saw the show on TV but from Whedon's comments it sounds like it had to have been aired in a letterboxed widescreen format, unless FOX had gone to their widescreen format by then. I didn't have a FOX digital station back then so I don't know. By 2002 I think most TV shows were shot to create HD masters although this being a FOX production maybe they didn't. Back then FOX was still in their 480p Widescreen is good enough period weren't they?

Joss has said many times....yes they are dead...he won't bring them back except if its in backstory (like Book's backstory which would be killer)


I wish he'd rethink at least Wash, and Book would need a good backstory done about him. There was so much left untapped about him.

I don't know the loss of Walsh would just increase the edginess of Zoe and make make up for the loss. The loss of his humor would be the big void. Might push the series a little to dark.

I wish he'd rethink at least Wash, and Book would need a good backstory done about him. There was so much left untapped about him.

Rethink? He took a harpoon the size of a ship anchor through the chest. No, I beleive he is quite dead. But I agree that Book's backstory would be great. It is pretty obvious, after the movie at least, that Book was an Operative before he was a Shephard.

Rethink? He took a harpoon the size of a ship anchor through the chest. No, I beleive he is quite dead. But I agree that Book's backstory would be great. It is pretty obvious, after the movie at least, that Book was an Operative before he was a Shephard.

Book was definately a big player in the Alliance. Remember when he was shot and needed medical attention at the Alliance hospital? The Commander took a look at his keycard and acted like the Pope was onboard.

I liked all the characters so much, I really didn't want Wash or Book, or anyone to die.

Maybe Zoe has a little Wash on the way.

If they can ressurect Firefly in HD maybe they'll do HD Stargates too. At least the widescreen eps. Of course the number of SG-1 episodes is an order of magnitude more.

I liked all the characters so much, I really didn't want Wash or Book, or anyone to die.
Well, maybe with Wash out of the way, Mal and Zoë can finally clear out that “sexual tension” thingy once and for all... :D Just kiddin!
Wash would be missed in any new episodes. He was excellent in the “War Stories” episode. Book was a puzzler, we really needed to see many more episodes to figure out his interesting backstory. Shame that Joss killed em both off.... :confused:

Maybe Zoe has a little Wash on the way.

If they can ressurect Firefly in HD maybe they'll do HD Stargates too. At least the widescreen eps. Of course the number of SG-1 episodes is an order of magnitude more.
Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis have been HD the previous 2 seasons at least. SGA has been HD from the start, not 100% sure if they switched to HD on SG1 prior to the 8th season. The problem is that Sci-Fi channel is not HD and the two shows are syndicated to local stations after the season is over on Sci-Fi. Until we get syndicated HD programming, no one in the US can see the 2 shows in HD. I have read that SGA season 1 box set is slated for a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray release (can't remember which format) possibly later this year, if someone HAS to see SGA in HD.

I don't know the status of the earlier seasons of SG1 on Showtime - 35mm film or was it done all on video? Anyone?

I hope they add UnivHD to my Adelphia cable system before Firefly starts so I can see myself how the HD looks. My Adelphia franchise was sold to Comcast, so I figure they will eventually add UHD, but that could be a long ways off.

In the case of The 4400, I think you meant USA, not SciFi. However, they're owned by Universal, too, and often run ads for SciFi, NBC, etc.
USA's Monk used to be on Universal HD. I no longer get it, so i don't know if it still is.

The morning paper said that firefly was shot in widescreen, contrary to Fox's` wishes, and was specifically shot so Fox couldn't reasonably crop it to 4:3. I'm sure that's why the 4:3 crops look so bad.

Why can't this air a network that has descent sound. I don't watch UHD for that reason alone. We need to do an email campaign to get them to do proper 5.1

Firelfy in HD is going to be wonderful. I can't wait. Even though I just bought the dvd's a couple weeks ago.

The 4400 has been shown in HD in Australia.

This is fantastic news !!

Now I gotta get one of those external drives to expand my HD-DVR recording capacity !!

-- Cain

Update: I just got the weeknees box and more than doubled my capacity !!

The morning paper said that firefly was shot in widescreen, contrary to Fox's` wishes, and was specifically shot so Fox couldn't reasonably crop it to 4:3. I'm sure that's why the 4:3 crops look so bad.

I never watched Firefly when it originally aired, but youre saying it aired in 16:9 in regular SD too? If so, why did Sci-Fi air it 4:3? They used to be big on the letterbox thing, showing movies OAR and producing shows that had no HD outlet in widescreen. Is this just another example of Sci-Fis decline into just another crappy cable channel?

I never watched Firefly when it originally aired, but youre saying it aired in 16:9 in regular SD too?(I can't answer that either, but...)

If so, why did Sci-Fi air it 4:3? They used to be big on the letterbox thing, showing movies OAR and producing shows that had no HD outlet in widescreen.They still are. All their original drama series are letterboxed, including the one that premiered a couple weeks ago.

I noticed the bad 4:3 composition in one scene of the Firefly premiere on SciFi, but not really otherwise. I suspect it was not shown letterboxed originally, and SciFi just showed what they could get for SD. But I don't know.

BTW, could the people posting spoilers about the movie please tag them as such?

I never watched Firefly when it originally aired, but youre saying it aired in 16:9 in regular SD too?

Fox was very wishy-washy about it. A couple of episodes were letterboxed, but the majority were cropped.

Rethink? He took a harpoon the size of a ship anchor through the chest. No, I beleive he is quite dead. But I agree that Book's backstory would be great. It is pretty obvious, after the movie at least, that Book was an Operative before he was a Shephard.

Clone him. Have him come back to the crew, create some trust/tension issues between him and Zoe. Did he come back on his own, was he sent back as a plant, etc.

Clone him. Have him come back to the crew, create some trust/tension issues between him and Zoe. Did he come back on his own, was he sent back as a plant, etc.

Joss would never do something so stupid...plus its way too close to the whole clone situation in Star Wars...it would be labeled a rip-off...Joss has said REPEATEDLY, like a hundreds of times, like in every interview, that they are dead and to accept it. The only way we are going to see them again is in a flashback...

I'm not entirely sure about his argument, but a major reason why the Fox Widescreen presentation would look better than the DVDs is that most DVDs are heavily vertically filtered to reduce twitter on interlaced displays.
Also FOX sent 480p at a higher bitrate than you get on DVDs that hold multiple episodes of TV shows. A lot of movies looked better on FOX's "digital widescreen" than the DVDs (Die Hard looked fabulous).

Joss would never do something so stupid...plus its way too close to the whole clone situation in Star Wars...it would be labeled a rip-off...Joss has said REPEATEDLY, like a hundreds of times, like in every interview, that they are dead and to accept it. The only way we are going to see them again is in a flashback...

Well...robots were relatively common in the Buffy-verse...

Are they going to show the complete series including the unaired episodes, and in order? I assume so or they would be morons, but these are TV execs ;). And a couple of the episodes were a bit riske.

Yes, yes. They are going to show the complete series. UHD has shown Scarface Anniversary which was rated "X" by the MPAA and Firefly has not a single swear.

UHD has shown Scarface Anniversary which was rated "X" by the MPAA and Firefly has not a single swear.

Well, not in English, anyway. ;)

Well, not in English, anyway. ;)Something they discussed in the DVD extras was that the Chinese "swearing" wasn't anything that could translate lierally to English. So they'd have sayings like "son of a mongoose" etc, which really doesn't mean anything at all.:D

Something they discussed in the DVD extras was that the Chinese "swearing" wasn't anything that could translate lierally to English. So they'd have sayings like "son of a mongoose" etc, which really doesn't mean anything at all.:D

I'll have you know that I take that as a serious insult to my mongoose! :mad:





:)

SGA has been HD from the start

I have read that SGA season 1 box set is slated for a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray release (can't remember which format) possibly later this year, if someone HAS to see SGA in HD.

Season 2 of SGA was available as a torrent before it aired here on SciFi, much the way BSG season 1.5, I believe, was.

SGA in (near) HD quality made it a lot more engaging for me just as I was beginning to lose interest in the show.

Of course the kibosh was put on that as it was BSG.

Season 2 of SGA was available as a torrent before it aired here on SciFi, much the way BSG season 1.5, I believe, was.

SGA in (near) HD quality made it a lot more engaging for me just as I was beginning to lose interest in the show.

Of course the kibosh was put on that as it was BSG.
SGA is available in HD from The Movie Network on Star Choice(Canadian satco) and it looks spectacular. Their currently about 1/2 through Season 2 with Season 3 starting Sept 11.

WOn't even fake 5.0 be better than the 2.0 on the DVDs?

Cain, clear your private messages please. :o

Wow am I glad I found this forum category. This is amazing news.

WOn't even fake 5.0 be better than the 2.0 on the DVDs?

Cain, clear your private messages please. :oNo.

Some of us prefer to use our receivers to decode DD2.0 to ProLogic II.

UHD is showing an HD commercial for Firefly. Looks great.

Something they discussed in the DVD extras was that the Chinese "swearing" wasn't anything that could translate lierally to English. So they'd have sayings like "son of a mongoose" etc, which really doesn't mean anything at all.:D


"Nee ta ma duh tyen-shia suo-yo duh run doh gai si." = "F*** everyone in the universe to death."



Translates pretty literally to me :) .
http://fireflychinese.home.att.net/episode1.html#se1

http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd9/232691/AVSforum/Firefly.jpg

http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd9/232691/AVSforum/Firefly2.jpg

Man! I hate not having Universal HD as an option with Adelphia here.

im gonna be dvring these and moving them to my computer (and converting to dvr-ms) for longer term storage on media center... atleast until a hd-dvd/bluray is avaliable. did the same with band of brothers.

I was one of those that never saw the orgininal airing on fox but caught it on dvd and was hooked. shame it never got off the ground.

No Universal HD here, even though we're on Time Warner..I'm hoping that they add it at least by the end of the year, and Firefly is rerun a bunch of times on UHD.

Are there any plans to air this anytime besides on sunday nights? I work sunday nights, and it sucks that I wont be able to watch this.

I'll be recording these with the Nextcom R5000 (modded Dish 211 HD tuner), then to HD DVD discs. I do the same for the Battlestar Galactica eps that air on Sunday. Every Monday, I have a new HD DVD of one of the BG eps. It all fits on a single layer DVD+R recordable disc. The bitrate is low enough to fit an entire episode on one disc - costs 25 cents to archive. It plays back on the Toshiba A1 HD DVD player flawlessly.

No.

Some of us prefer to use our receivers to decode DD2.0 to ProLogic II.

I don't understand your issue here. Whenever UHD airs something that's in 2.0, it keeps the signal at 5.1, but the audio only comes out of the front stereo speakers. If you can't force your receiver into Pro Logic when it's receiving a 5.1 signal, this can easily be remedied by using an analog stereo input instead.

I also don't understand what this "5.0" business is all about? I get plenty of subwoofer action when what they're airing is actually in 5.1.

D* have decent bitrate on UHD about 12 Mbps. It will be superior to the DVD we have.

I'm sorry to say that the source (the 1920x1080i video), before DirecTV downconverts it to that 1280x1080i @ 12mbps, is actually running at anywhere between 6-12mbps, and it hardly ever reaches that 12mbps. This proves that DirecTV's downscaling to HDLite on this channel is absolutely pointless... they're increasing the bitrate and decreasing the resolution. The only upside is it blurs some of the macroblocking caused by the source's low bitrate.

I don't get what all the confusion is about over where an HD version of this show might've come from. It was shot on 35mm film. A pristine HD video master of 35mm can be made of anything at any time. Just because Fox presented it digitally in 480i at one time doesn't mean it can't be done in HD at any time. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they mastered it in HD and just transmitted it in widescreen digital. It's not like HD mastering isn't the standard now anyway, and virtually every DVD is made from an HD master anyway. Yeah, the effects are in SD, so the scenes they appear in will be heavily filtered, but that's about the only catch. Hell, this is the network that shows KNIGHT RIDER in HD. We could see the danged Kennedy-Nixon debats in HD if we wanted.

Dan

I'll be recording these with the Nextcom R5000 (modded Dish 211 HD tuner), then to HD DVD discs.

I assume E* is your provider...? How do you dump the signal to your DVD burner?

I assume E* is your provider...? How do you dump the signal to your DVD burner?

He's using the R5000-HD, which directly rips the HD stream to your PC. Then all you do is burn the files to DVD's. Standard DVD players can't play the files since they're HD .ts files, but it's not a bad way to archive. UniversalHD is so low-bitrate you can probably fit several episodes per disc.

Actually, what we're doing is taking the .ts file from the R5000 capture and authoring it to HD DVD format onto regular single and double layer DVD recordables. That way, it plays on any HD DVD player, such as the Toshiba A1. One episode fits onto a single layer disc this way, with about a gig of space left over.

Here's the link on how to do it.

The Official AVS HD DVD Authoring Guide (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705146)

The process, of course, takes a little longer than just dumping the .ts file to a DVD data disc, but it plays in an industry standard player. It's also the same HD quality of the original UHD broadcast.

Yeah, I just can't justify an HD-DVD player yet. I just stream the .TS files to my Xbox 360... much quicker that way too. :)

He's using the R5000-HD, which directly rips the HD stream to your PC.

Via what type of connector? USB2.0? Firewire?

Yeah, I just can't justify an HD-DVD player yet. I just stream the .TS files to my Xbox 360... much quicker that way too. :)

I certainly understand that sentiment, but for me the ability to archive so many movies and shows makes it worth the investment now. I don't have a 360, but I do have a MyHD card, which I use to send the R5000 recordings to my H79 projector. With the shows on HD DVD, though, no computer is needed to play back the recordings, and it frees up hard drive space at the same time.

Via what type of connector? USB2.0? Firewire?

USB2.0. It's a great product, and available for E*, D* and some cable receivers. Google Nextcom R5000 and you'll find a complete list of supported devices.

Just caught the entire Firefly marathon on SciFi. Very good show.

Just saw the Serenity movie too, excellent.

As I stated earlier, no HD transfer of Firefly exists and the FX were done low-res, so it would be impossible to show in HD.

Wow, I am constantly amazed by how many people on this site think they know what they are taking about but really have no clue!

With almost 7000 posts, you'd think you have been around long enough to learn of few things. But, let me help you out here, anything shot on film can be mastered in HD.

Dave

But the special effects weren't filmed. They were computer-generated (CGI I believe they call it). Since the show wasn't intended to air in HD, these effects were only done in SD resolution.

Wow, I am constantly amazed by how many people on this site think they know what they are taking about but really have no clue!

With almost 7000 posts, you'd think you have been around long enough to learn of few things. But, let me help you out here, anything shot on film can be mastered in HD.

DaveListen know it all, if you would have taken the time to actually read the thread, you would have seen I admitted I was wrong long ago, (and not for the reasons you explain).

That does not change the fact that Joss Whedon himself said that no HD CG elements existed, the originals were lost and therefore the show could never be redone in HD.

Now could we just drop it?

Premieres tonight, dont forget!

Premieres tonight, dont forget!
Take note TiVo/D* users....since UHD is being killed this afternoon due to NFL ST, your TiVo season passes are probably going to be screwed up. You may have to set your recording back up this evening.

But the special effects weren't filmed. They were computer-generated (CGI I believe they call it). Since the show wasn't intended to air in HD, these effects were only done in SD resolution.

They can't look any more out of place then the effects in Serenity.

I'm keeping an eye out on my STBs D* and E*.

xylon, could you please post some screencaps (a larger variety perhaps) on another website, if you can't do it here?

Thanks.

I wonder why Serenity didn't do better? A good movie and it seemed to have a decent marketing campaign...

Anyway, glad to hear the series will have additional availability...

I'll post some screenshots as soon as the commercial break begins.

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9896/12nq7.th.jpg (http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=12nq7.jpg)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/3968/11mo0.th.jpg (http://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=11mo0.jpg)

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/2131/8if9.th.jpg (http://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=8if9.jpg)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4171/1oh4.th.jpg (http://img208.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1oh4.jpg)

The pilot ep looks really nice. Now, if Universal Home Video can get the rights back from Fox Home Video and put this series out on HD DVD... :)

I wonder why Serenity didn't do better? A good movie and it seemed to have a decent marketing campaign...

Anyway, glad to hear the series will have additional availability...

Serenity had one of the worst marketing campaigns ever! Instead of presenting it as a quasi-Star Wars type film, what do you see in the trailer - some girl doing kungfu (very badly I might add) and running around). Some of the reaver's chase and the atmosphere battle into the trailers would've gotten more attention.

I was so hoping for Serenity to do well, but had I not known the show before, I never would've seen the movie from the commercials.

The pilot ep looks really nice. Now, if Universal Home Video can get the rights back from Fox Home Video and put this series out on HD DVD... :)

Or better yet, Fox buys the Serenity rights and releases a Firefly complete collection on Blu Ray for me to enjoy on my future PS3. :D

My DVD copy gets chucked out of the window :D
and umm . . . . .


Inara is HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Serenity had one of the worst marketing campaigns ever! Instead of presenting it as a quasi-Star Wars type film, what do you see in the trailer - some girl doing kungfu (very badly I might add) and running around). Some of the reaver's chase and the atmosphere battle into the trailers would've gotten more attention.

I was so hoping for Serenity to do well, but had I not known the show before, I never would've seen the movie from the commercials.

What I remember from the ad was a bit of the chase scene on the planet and a bit of that wacky, humorous, dialog: "Faster. Faster. Faster would be better." :)

No real sense of what the movie is however. Your point is well taken.

My DVD copy gets chucked out of the window :D
and umm . . . . .


Inara is HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I met Morena Baccarin at the Toronto Comic Con last month. She autographed my Firefly copy. And yes, Very hot!!

I thought the fx looked good tonight, whether they were made in HD or not.

I agree with Xylon. Inara is very hot. Not hot enough to make me go to a comic book convention, but friggin hot.

My DVD copy gets chucked out of the window :D
and umm . . . . .


Inara is HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How, their not on discs yet. Though I desperatly wish I knew how to make HD-DVDs out of these. :(

How, their not on discs yet. Though I desperatly wish I knew how to make HD-DVDs out of these. :(

How I wish Adelphia had UHD so I could get some .TS copies of it.

Firefly is one series that would push me to make a decision on HD-DVD or BR.

Take note TiVo/D* users....since UHD is being killed this afternoon due to NFL ST, your TiVo season passes are probably going to be screwed up. You may have to set your recording back up this evening.


damnit. missed the first half hour because of this.

Doubtful. They never shot the show in HD. They'd be showing it upconverted 480i, and I'm pretty sure UHD is exclusively HD.:confused:

Firefly is being shown on Sci-Fi which is owned by Universal/NBC, hence the commercial.

As I stated earlier, no HD transfer of Firefly exists and the FX were done low-res, so it would be impossible to show in HD.:(

There's just no logical responses to statements like yours other than, "it ain't gonna happen".

I'm hoping this thread gets locked because there is really no where to go with it.

If you want to comment on the series itself, try the Serenity (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=676506) thread over in the DVD forum.:mad:

Link?

If so, I guess I was wrong. It won't be fully HD, and I doubt it will look all that hot. On top of that we'll get the fake 5.0 surround UHD pumps out.

I wonder who decided this, because Josh himself said we'd never see a HD version of it.

I think I'll stick with the DVD.:rolleyes:

Serenity had one of the worst marketing campaigns ever! Instead of presenting it as a quasi-Star Wars type film, what do you see in the trailer - some girl doing kungfu (very badly I might add) and running around). Some of the reaver's chase and the atmosphere battle into the trailers would've gotten more attention.

I was so hoping for Serenity to do well, but had I not known the show before, I never would've seen the movie from the commercials.

I agree completely :mad:

i watched my recording and the quality was very good.... better than enterprise on hdnet (which is what i compared it to since they are in the same vein of shows and done around the same time)

How, their not on discs yet. Though I desperatly wish I knew how to make HD-DVDs out of these. :(

No need to be desperate:

The Official AVS Guide to HD DVD Authoring (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705146)

No need to be desperate:

The Official AVS Guide to HD DVD Authoring (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=705146)
Yeah I could figure that out, but the real problem is getting the video off my HD-Tivo, which I'm told must be hacked(something to do with soldering), plus Direct TV broadcast is not the best quality to nab them with. I'd need to find someone with the .ts files.

:confused:

:(

:mad:

:rolleyes:Oh great, another one.

Hey pinhead. Did you bother to go back and read the entire thread (or even my last post) before you bothered to respond?

I caught a little bit of the show and it looked nice. I also finally got around to watching Serenity on HD-DVD which I loved! The PQ on HD-DVD was significantly better than the broadcast quality on HDNET, but then you would expect that. I wish they would release the series on HD-DVD some day.

damnit. missed the first half hour because of this.

Yep it happened to me. We ate late since I had today off. I turned it on expecting to watch it delayed and my season pass didn't get it. :mad: As has been said it looked great (blowing away the DVD) but nothing like the incredible look of the film on HDDVD. Not an up convert, way ,way too much detail.

Art

Take note TiVo/D* users....since UHD is being killed this afternoon due to NFL ST, your TiVo season passes are probably going to be screwed up. You may have to set your recording back up this evening.

This happened to me, but as an experiment I decided to wait and see if it actually worked or not, since I've seen the series already. My recording was set up for the 12:00am showing, and around 10:00pm I checked and it was still in the Todo list. This morning when I didn't see it in the now playing list, I checked the recording history and it said the recorder had experienced "Internal error: 4".

I'll catch the first epsiode on my DVD and make sure my recording next week actually works. :rolleyes:

Take note TiVo/D* users....since UHD is being killed this afternoon due to NFL ST, your TiVo season passes are probably going to be screwed up. You may have to set your recording back up this evening.

Yup. Figured it out 10 minutes after it started. Fortunately I was tuned to UHD for BSG (altough I was in another room).

Even though it had already started I just created a new SP and it started saving the recording from the beginning(phew!).

I didn't see a drastic improvement in the fx scenes but I thought they already looked pretty good on the DVD. The live scenes were noticably better. Even thru D*.

I agree with Xylon. Inara is very hot. Not hot enough to make me go to a comic book convention, but friggin hot.


But hot enough to make me watch STARGATE SG-1 (which I usually don't watch), which she has been appearing on.

Don't worry. For all those that missed this, remember this is UHD. There are only 14 episodes so they are bound to run this ad nauseum.

I didn't see a drastic improvement in the fx scenes but I thought they already looked pretty good on the DVD. The live scenes were noticably better.
That's what I thought. They looked spectactular on the DVDs but it's obvious they just upconverted them to HD. They looked soft and you could see jaggies in some motion. This probably won't be a major deal since the special effects weren't an essential part of the show and everything else looks great.

Don't worry. For all those that missed this, remember this is UHD. There are only 14 episodes so they are bound to run this ad nauseum.

I'm not so sure about that. The BSG re-runs aren't nearly as frequent as Knight Rider or Quantum leap. So far Firefly seems to have the same "one episode twice every Sunday" schedule as BSG, so it's going to be 14 weeks before we see the first episode again.

Firefly is being shown on Sci-Fi which is owned by Universal/NBC, hence the commercial.

As I stated earlier, no HD transfer of Firefly exists and the FX were done low-res, so it would be impossible to show in HD.

There's just no logical responses to statements like yours other than, "it ain't gonna happen".

I'm hoping this thread gets locked because there is really no where to go with it.

If you want to comment on the series itself, try the Serenity (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=676506) thread over in the DVD forum.

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1682/blahvl4.gif

I know you already admitted you were wrong, but this stuff is HILARIOUS. And your attempts to save face are just as funny. http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7043/loltp7.gif You should just take this ribbing like a man and stop getting so upset over being called out.

I wonder why Serenity didn't do better? A good movie and it seemed to have a decent marketing campaign...

The real problem with Serenity's marketing campaign was that it didn't make it clear that you don't need to have seen the show to enjoy the movie. People who saw the trailers thought, "Oh, well I never saw that show, so I'd just be lost if I went to the movie".

http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/1682/blahvl4.gif

I know you already admitted you were wrong, but this stuff is HILARIOUS. And your attempts to save face are just as funny. http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7043/loltp7.gif You should just take this ribbing like a man and stop getting so upset over being called out.Look, I could have gone back and deleted all my earlier posts, but I didn't. I stand behind my earlier posts as they were based on the information that was previously available.

Mock me all you like, but at least I have the courage not to delete my posts and admit I was wrong. You tell me to "take it like a man". Isn't making fun of someone who admits they were wrong a bit childish?

Actually I find the whole direction this thread is taking to be stupid and we're getting completly off topic.

Premieres tonight, dont forget!

Thx for the reminder !! I saw your post last night at 8:45 and ran down there and recorded it !

Back to the remaster.....

Did anyone else notice that text "Six years later" was missing after the opening battle scene? That seems a strange miss. It's kind of important to know that.

-Bret

Back to the remaster.....

Did anyone else notice that text "Six years later" was missing after the opening battle scene? That seems a strange miss. It's kind of important to know that.

-Bret
On the same line, I thought I heard them speak a different language a few times during the episode but, there were no subtitles. Is that how is was when it originally aired or was I hearing things?

On the same line, I thought I heard them speak a different language a few times during the episode but, there were no subtitles. Is that how is was when it originally aired or was I hearing things?They do all their swearing (and only their swearing) in Chinese. It's cute the first couple times, and annoying afterwards. Of course these lines were never subtitled.

Is that Chinese or some contrived language that sounds like it ? In the film much more was spoken in that language that was certainly not swearing.

Art

It is supposed to be Cantonese, as the idea is that toward the end of earth, the only two powers left were USA and China, so everyone knows both languages. The actors have horrible accents for it, so it barely sounds like Cantonese, which actually works since it's 4th or 5th gen taught, and they most likely wouldn't sound right anyway. Funny thing, it suggests Chinese is their 1st language, as most people revert to their native language when swearing.

It's supposed to be Mandarin, although there was a flaw in that at least one of the warnings sounded by the ship were in Cantonese. Though, from my understanding it's sounds nothing like it, of course it's hard to expect them to. Anyways, looked great. I'm slightly worried about the many composited scenes, since the effects, I believe, were not rendered at HD. Still, a good upconvert would still probably look better than my DVDs.

Are you guys sure that the special effects were rendered in SD? They looked HD to me, they looked really quite good in fact. It was the first time seeing the series and I was impressed by PQ and of course the overall story/acting as well.

Are you guys sure that the special effects were rendered in SD? They looked HD to me, they looked really quite good in fact.


Absolutley not. That is 100% not possible. There is NO WAY that any of this is in HD!!!!11!! :)

Oh great, another one.

Hey pinhead. Did you bother to go back and read the entire thread (or even my last post) before you bothered to respond?

listen dude you wanted the thread closed down.....there wouldn't be anymore to read if you had your wish.............that's all i need to know ;)
as far as who's the pinhead here, i'll let the posters be the judge of that. :rolleyes:

But hot enough to make me watch STARGATE SG-1 (which I usually don't watch), which she has been appearing on.

So very true!

Ok, is it just me, or did she gain about 15 pounds between the Firefly TV series and Serenity? She seemed noticeably heavier in Serenity. And then she seems to have lost it again and is back to her previous skinniness in SG-1?

Sort of back on topic:

I've had Comcast the last 2.5 years and have been very happy with PQ, but very dissatisfied with the HD lineup. I have all the locals, plus TNT, ESPN, DiscoveryHD, INHD 1 and 2, HBO, SHO, MAX, and Starz. But no HD NET, no ESPN2, no NFL HD, UHD, Food, HGTV, etc.

Then Time Warner took over as our provider, and they dropped INHD2 and the NFL Network SD completely.

So I'm making the switch to Dish. I'm looking forward to seeing Firefly and BSG in HD.

Anyone else notice that in one scene in which Wash was sitting at the helm steering the ship, there was no control stick? His left hand was in a position as if holding the yoke, and moving like he is steering the ship but there is nothing there. Next time the camera goes back to him, it is there again. I think it was in the second half, after dealing with the Reavers.

Anyone else notice that in one scene in which Wash was sitting at the helm steering the ship, there was no control stick? His left hand was in a position as if holding the yoke, and moving like he is steering the ship but there is nothing there. Next time the camera goes back to him, it is there again. I think it was in the second half, after dealing with the Reavers.

You can see that on the DVDs and they mention it in the commentary, but I swear it looked more obvious this time in HD. I was just staring at his arm, laughing.

-Bret

Is that Chinese or some contrived language that sounds like it ? In the film much more was spoken in that language that was certainly not swearing.

Art

If you want translations:

http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net

Very cool , thanks ! :)

Art

You can see that on the DVDs and they mention it in the commentary, but I swear it looked more obvious this time in HD. I was just staring at his arm, laughing.

-Bret

Wow. I somehow missed it on the DVD. It really jumped out in HD though.

The show looked great! For the most part, the special effects looked great as well. (And yes, it looks like upconverted SD... but using top-notch upconversion.)

I'm not sure if it was done on purpose, but some of the writing on the walls inside Serenity is actually Japanese. (At least I recognized several katakana characters). Weird.

Yes ,unlike the movie where the special effects often appear much sharper than the live characters, here the reverse was true.

Art

I'm not sure if it was done on purpose, but some of the writing on the walls inside Serenity is actually Japanese. (At least I recognized several katakana characters). Weird.Yes, definitely on purpose. In the movie you can really make it out.

Yes, definitely on purpose. In the movie you can really make it out. I'm just surprised that since everyone supposedly speaks either English or Mandarin/Cantonese, why would Japanese writing be on these ships? For anyone who has listened to the DVD commentaries, does anyone mention anything about this?

So does anyone have any word if Firefly will be coming to HD-DVD? :D

I'm sure it will. But when may be a long time off. Wasn't Serenity on Blue Ray?

I'm sure it will. But when may be a long time off. Wasn't Serenity on Blue Ray?

Nope, I'm currently watching Serenity on HD-DVD :)

I'm sure it will. But when may be a long time off. Wasn't Serenity on Blue Ray?

Serenity is a Universal movie and may not be on Blu-ray for a long time, if ever.

I would love an HD-DVD/BD copy of Firefly. Sign me up!

I would love an HD-DVD/BD copy of Firefly. Sign me up!

I've got all 14 of 'em "permanently" stored on my DVR's 500 GB expansion drive. Thank you UHD! Only show I've done, or will do, that to, although I've got a few select episodes of 'BSG' on there too. The "rewatchability" factor of 'Firefly' is quite high.

Are they still playing Firefly in HD??? I'm JUST now getting UHD on May 15th...I was hoping to catch a few

I too was hoping to catch this on UHD. I think we're SOL. I did manage to get one episode on my DVR.

I too was hoping to catch this on UHD. I think we're SOL. I did manage to get one episode on my DVR.
damn...I don't even have it yet...I hope I can catch the end of BSG

I too was hoping to catch this on UHD. I think we're SOL. I did manage to get one episode on my DVR.

I saw on the website that Firefly was coming back in July.
http://www.universalhd.com/Series/

I saw on the website that Firefly was coming back in July.
http://www.universalhd.com/Series/
Thanks for the head's up rebkell.... now I can record the two episodes (Serenity Pt1 &2) I missed last time it aired on UHD.

Out Frak'n Standing. I just watched Serenity in HD for the frist time this morning on HBO and was wondering if UHD would rerun the show because I had missed it the first time around. I'm as giddy as a little girl now finding that it is indeed coming back in July. Thank the Gods.

I've got all 14 of 'em "permanently" stored on my DVR's 500 GB expansion drive. Thank you UHD! Only show I've done, or will do, that to, although I've got a few select episodes of 'BSG' on there too. The "rewatchability" factor of 'Firefly' is quite high.

Were there 14 of them? I only saw till ep13 - you know, the one with the whorehouse firefight with the Marshal..

BTW, for the really curious, Firefly episodes are available online at stage6.divx.com, albeit with out-of-whack audio. That's where I caught up with the series. Now after 13 episodes, it has become one of my favorite shows evar ! Sad that it got canned. Fillion was great as Cap'n Reynolds.

*Tear*.

Were there 14 of them? I only saw till ep13 - you know, the one with the whorehouse firefight with the Marshal..

BTW, for the really curious, Firefly episodes are available online at stage6.divx.com, albeit with out-of-whack audio. That's where I caught up with the series. Now after 13 episodes, it has become one of my favorite shows evar ! Sad that it got canned. Fillion was great as Cap'n Reynolds.

*Tear*.

There was one that didn't air. It's my favorite episode also. It's about a bounty hunter that boards the ship trying to find River.

I've got all 14 of 'em "permanently" stored on my DVR's 500 GB expansion drive. Thank you UHD! Only show I've done, or will do, that to, although I've got a few select episodes of 'BSG' on there too. The "rewatchability" factor of 'Firefly' is quite high.

How did you get an expansion drive?

How did you get an expansion drive?

Went out and bought one (plus enclosure). ;) I have an SA8300 HD-DVR from TWC that has an active SATA port and firmware support (as they all do right now, pre Navigator). Just plug in your drive, the DVR recognizes and formats it, and you're good to go; pretty simple. Big thread on it in the HDTV Recorders Forum.

I saw on the website that Firefly was coming back in July.
July 7th at 9 ET.

Knowing that UHD was showing Firefly is what pushed me over the line to buy an HDTV. Unfortunately, by the time I got the equipment, they'd stopped showing it.

There was one that didn't air. It's my favorite episode also. It's about a bounty hunter that boards the ship trying to find River.

I am certain that I saw that episode on UHD (I had not seen Firefly until it was on UHD).

I am certain that I saw that episode on UHD (I had not seen Firefly until it was on UHD).

I think he meant that it hadn't aired originally on Fox.

yeah after I posted I thought there was good chance that was what he meant.
Ah well...

That was one weird episode though... honestly the series flowed better into the movie without that episode, since in a lot of ways they were so similar.

"Am I a lion?"

There was one that didn't air. It's my favorite episode also. It's about a bounty hunter that boards the ship trying to find River.
Objects in Space aired on Fox on December 13, 2002.

There were three that didn't air on Fox: Trash, The Message, and Heart of Gold.

That's right, Fox didn't air the episode that was a copy of the Magnificent Seven with more prostitutes.

Looks like they are REPLAYING Firefly in HD starting July 28th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! w000t! I saw a ton of advertisements for it today during the BSG Miniseries

Looks like they are REPLAYING Firefly in HD starting July 28th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! w000t! I saw a ton of advertisements for it today during the BSG Miniseries

I believe the first showing starts 7/21

Objects in Space aired on Fox on December 13, 2002.

There were three that didn't air on Fox: Trash, The Message, and Heart of Gold.

That's right, Fox didn't air the episode that was a copy of the Magnificent Seven with more prostitutes.

it's been almost five years.....wow.

I believe the first showing starts 7/21
Not according to the website (http://www.universalhd.com/Firefly/)

Not according to the website (http://www.universalhd.com/Firefly/)
Depends on what page of the site you view (http://www.universalhd.com/app/Schedule/index.php?start_date=2007-07-21)

lol those fracking liars

Confusion reigns... The NBC admins maintain that it really is the 28th and not the 21st and are providing a bunch of banners to prime the pump:

http://www.universalhd.com/images/Banners/firefly_a_300x250.jpg

http://www.universalhd.com/images/Banners/firefly_b_300x250.jpg

http://www.universalhd.com/images/Banners/firefly_c_300x250.jpg

http://www.universalhd.com/images/Banners/firefly_d_300x250.jpg

http://www.universalhd.com/images/Banners/firefly_728x90.jpg

When this airs on UHD, will the audio be DD 5.1 or DD 2.0?

When this airs on UHD, will the audio be DD 5.1 or DD 2.0?

I believe it was previously shown in DD5.1 but not 100% sure. UHD seems to favor DD5.1 on thier programs

I believe it was previously shown in DD5.1 but not 100% sure. UHD seems to favor DD5.1 on thier programs
Yeah, I know that Battlestar Galactica is 5.1. I can hear sound coming out of the center channel. Just wasn't sure if Firefly was the same. :)

Doesn't UHD usually do a fakey 5.1, where they take a 2-channel source and spread it awkwardly to 5 speakers?

I'm pretty sure Firefly's original sound mix was 2-channel only.

Doesn't UHD usually do a fakey 5.1, where they take a 2-channel source and spread it awkwardly to 5 speakers?
The guide says DD 5.1, but only the two front speakers are working in most cases.

I'm pretty sure Firefly's original sound mix was 2-channel only.
I think your right. But, if UHD is showing it in 5.1, I want to pick up a DVR and record the series. Not a fan of 2.0 for movies and television series. :(

The guide says DD 5.1, but only the two front speakers are working in most cases.


I think your right. But, if UHD is showing it in 5.1, I want to pick up a DVR and record the series. Not a fan of 2.0 for movies and television series. :(

You could always record the series on UHD for the HD aspect and then cue up the DVD and sync the true 5.1 audio track to the HD video. Best of both worlds! :)

FIREFLY was not in 5.1 during previous airings, so I doubt it will be this time around.

One for 5.1 (but not 100% sure) and One for 2.0 :D


Anyone else remember what audio format was used the last time it aired? :p

You could always record the series on UHD for the HD aspect and then cue up the DVD and sync the true 5.1 audio track to the HD video. Best of both worlds! :)

The audio on the DVD isn't all that great either. The dialog is 'burnt' all through the set. Which is another reason I would really, REALLY like to see this series released on HD-DVD or BD.

You could always record the series on UHD for the HD aspect and then cue up the DVD and sync the true 5.1 audio track to the HD video. Best of both worlds! :)

The DVD's soundtrack is Dolby Digital 2.0.

It's definitely 2.0. I'm watching Firefly on UniversalHD and the center is not active... :o

Anyone watching this find the picture a bit on the dark side? Even my SD-DVD set looks better than this. What a dissapointment.

What was up with the GIANT "PG-13" sign that took up the top-right quarter of the screen for 30 seconds at the beginning?

Did the first one air already? My guide says the first one (two hour) is airing this weekend, but I thought it was supposedly already on.

Did the first one air already? My guide says the first one (two hour) is airing this weekend, but I thought it was supposedly already on.

The 2 hour pilot episode has already aired. It was shown this past Saturday night at 8:00 pm.

I loved it...great quality...can't stop the signal

I enjoyed it aswell, its in my dvr to record now so I can watch the series.

Grrr... disapointed I missed the first one AGAIN.

Is there any reason why UHD is playing the episodes out of order now? It started so good...now its weird...

Is there any reason why UHD is playing the episodes out of order now? It started so good...now its weird...Universal HD is mostly playing them in the intended order, instead of the original broadcasting order. But for some reason they skipped over "Trash" and "The Message", which should be coming up next week and the week after.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_%28TV_series%29#Broadcast_history

No, actually it was 480i upconverted to 480p (or whatever your local affiliate was doing), as all Fox Digital broadcasts were back then.

Also, consider that as the inital HD Footdragger many early FOX WIDESCREEN shows were mastered to letterboxed SD Digital Betacam
which is to say the master was most likely 480 INTERLACED.

So, to get true HD now they would have to go back and retransfter the film to HD . . . . AND re-do all the effects . . . unless they were done at HD
resolution and there's no info that I know on that.

Ironic that today FOX's commitment to HD is impressive as is the PQ.

-30-

First time watching the film convert now that I have all the HD hours on the S3 - very impressive. It reminds me of why I watch some of the old L&O episodes on TNTHD - an entirely different experience watching this the way it was filmed versus the way it was broadcast. (Granted the plot is more interesting and Jewel whateverherface is a lot more interesting to look at in full detail instead of Briscoe's Brylcream).

^^^ Wow, and I thought I was the only one that fell in love with "Law & Order" all over again (after burning out on SD repeats since '99) now that I can see it in 1080i widescreen on TNT-HD. To its credit this is one of the few shows that TNT doesn't "stretch" to fill the screen; all episodes (even the grainy-as-hell CBS pilot from 1988) are widescreen HD. I can't get enough of the Ben Stone episodes from the first four seasons when TNT-HD airs them in the dead of night, and some of the mid-to-late 1990's episodes look stunning even though they were shot with 4:3 broadcasts in mind.

I had to force myself to watch "Firefly" on Universal HD after years of hearing all the hype about its cult following. The first few episodes were a chore to get through but now I'm really loving it. And to see Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks) turned into a bad-ass galactic bounty hunter in the series finale of "Firefly" just about made my day. If Michael Moriarty had been cast on the same part I would just about come while watching... but Robinette in HD wearing a red space suit will do! :D

I had to force myself to watch "Firefly" on Universal HD after years of hearing all the hype about its cult following. The first few episodes were a chore to get through but now I'm really loving it. And to see Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks) turned into a bad-ass galactic bounty hunter in the series finale of "Firefly" just about made my day. If Michael Moriarty had been cast on the same part I would just about come while watching... but Robinette in HD wearing a red space suit will do! :D

Objects in Space is easily one of the best episodes that was never on TV...seriously, episodes like those make me wonder why people didn't watch or why Fox didn't give it a shot...its just an amazing episode

^^^ Wow, and I thought I was the only one that fell in love with "Law & Order" all over again (after burning out on SD repeats since '99) now that I can see it in 1080i widescreen on TNT-HD. To its credit this is one of the few shows that TNT doesn't "stretch" to fill the screen; all episodes (even the grainy-as-hell CBS pilot from 1988) are widescreen HD. I can't get enough of the Ben Stone episodes from the first four seasons when TNT-HD airs them in the dead of night, and some of the mid-to-late 1990's episodes look stunning even though they were shot with 4:3 broadcasts in mind.

I've heard it claimed that Law & Order's DP during those years composed exclusively for 16:9, and didn't much give a damn what it looked like in 4:3, even though the network wasn't broadcasting it in widescreen. It was the principle of the thing to him.

Firefly is coming back to UHD in March. :p

Firefly is coming back to UHD in March.
:p

*SETS DVR*

Come on...can they really keep re-showing this show? Its not like its making them any money....it was cancelled...JEZZ /sarcasm

Firefly is coming back to UHD in March. :p

WOOT!

I started to record them all on my DVR. I got about a third of them and Universal dropped it. I'll now be able to record them all.

[DREAMER/ON]
Now if SciFi would just bring it back as a regular series.
[DREAMER/OFF]

I thought UHD showed them all. And now we get to see the Doc's crazy little sister on the Sarah Conner Chronicles. I think she's very good on that series, too.

Now if SciFi would just bring it back as a regular series.It wasn't on Sci Fi, it was on Fox, which is why it was canceled.

I thought UHD showed them all. And now we get to see the Doc's crazy little sister on the Sarah Conner Chronicles. I think she's very good on that series, too.

They did...and in the correct order too...The Message is always hard to watch...I hate the ending...its a constant reminder that there is no Firefly after this

There supposedly is another movie in the works though.

There supposedly is another movie in the works though.

I had not heard that and few have browner coats. :eek: Can you reference something?

Season 2 of SGA was available as a torrent before it aired here on SciFi, much the way BSG season 1.5, I believe, was.

SGA in (near) HD quality made it a lot more engaging for me just as I was beginning to lose interest in the show.

Of course the kibosh was put on that as it was BSG.

Mainly because it was already shown for Canada. They were ahead of the US.

I've heard that most of the cast and the producer are amenable to another movie. The "only" problem is getting funding.

It wasn't on Sci Fi, it was on Fox, which is why it was canceled.

I was referring to the fact that sometimes SciFi will buy a failed series and start producing more episodes.

The reason it was cancelled was Fox, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to show the episodes out of order so no one could follow the plot, and then didn't show the episodes at a reliable time (just in case someone could figure it out). Whoever made these decisions should be given an appropriate career change.

I didn't "find" Firefly until UHD started showing them. By the time I started to keep the recordings that run was near its end.

There supposedly is another movie in the works though.

I believe Alan said he would DO another movie, but Joss isn't working on anything...at least according to Whedonesque...he's got Dollhouse to work on for now and there have been no other talks about a sequel

The reason it was cancelled was Fox, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to show the episodes out of order so no one could follow the plot, and then didn't show the episodes at a reliable time (just in case someone could figure it out). Whoever made these decisions should be given an appropriate career change.

Fox aired the episodes out of order because it was desperately trying to pick episodes that people would watch so they could save the series. The show never had a large audience to begin with so Fox felt they had little to lose by cherry picking the best episodes to air in an attempt to get some ratings.

Firefly fans seem to think that the show was an instant ratings smash and Fox ran the show into the ground by airing the episodes out of order. Actually the ratings were always poor. Even the premiere, the best ratings the show ever got, was ranked 66th that week and it was the second lowest rated show on the Fox network. Clearly the network had little audience to lose to begin with. The ratings bottomed out after the third episode in which Fox decided to skip "Shindig" and air "Our Mrs Reynolds" instead, probably because it had more action. They also skipped "Safe" for "Jaynestown" since it was more entertaining and better written. If the show had premiered to a big audience with rave reviews, the network wouldn't have done that.

The show aired on Friday nights all through its run so it's not like they were hiding it from people, although not many shows succeed on Fridays.

The big question is why they didn't air the Magnificent Seven rip off episode. It had lots of action and lots of prostitutes and very little science fiction.

Fox aired the episodes out of order because it was desperately trying to pick episodes that people would watch so they could save the series. The show never had a large audience to begin with so Fox felt they had little to lose by cherry picking the best episodes to air in an attempt to get some ratings.

Firefly fans seem to think that the show was an instant ratings smash and Fox ran the show into the ground by airing the episodes out of order. Actually the ratings were always poor. Even the premiere, the best ratings the show ever got, was ranked 66th that week and it was the second lowest rated show on the Fox network. Clearly the network had little audience to lose to begin with. The ratings bottomed out after the third episode in which Fox decided to skip "Shindig" and air "Our Mrs Reynolds" instead, probably because it had more action. They also skipped "Safe" for "Jaynestown" since it was more entertaining and better written. If the show had premiered to a big audience with rave reviews, the network wouldn't have done that.

The show aired on Friday nights all through its run so it's not like they were hiding it from people, although not many shows succeed on Fridays.

The big question is why they didn't air the Magnificent Seven rip off episode. It had lots of action and lots of prostitutes and very little science fiction.

The big mistake FOX made with 'Firefly', besides not promoting it properly or enough and scheduling it in the Friday "death hour", was in not airing the spectacular pilot "Serenity" first. Instead, they rushed "The Train Job" onto the air before it was even ready, thinking it had more action or something. They needed to properly introduce the characters and get people to care about them right off the bat. Instead, they held the pilot until the very burn-off end. Crazy. "Serenity" had plenty of action.

I do agree that it also just didn't capture enough of an audience in that first airing to begin with. And that is directly because of a piss-poor promotional effort by the Network. I remember seeing very few promos for it during the FOX football games, and those were mishandled, portraying the show as more of a western action show than the smart, clever sci-fi hybrid it actually was.

Hacking "Train Job" into a premiere was a serious mistake. They had to quickly create a poorly-written voice-over introduction explaining the series to everyone before the episode started. A new series should not need a stupid voice over as an introduction. Fox apparently felt the pilot was good enough to sell them on the series but not good enough to air (which they did in the end anyway). They should have given them a budget to fix up the pilot for broadcast which is not an uncommon practice (Bionic Woman was the last one to get that treatment).

Their choice of episodes made no sense in the end. They had "Hearts of Gold" which was well directed, had lots of action and had been produced with a budget. Instead they chose to air "Objects in Space" which was clearly a no-budget bottle episode. I guess at that point they had already decided to cancel Firefly so airing the mediocre episodes would justify their decision.

I think Fox promoted the action and the character-driven plots of the show because the sci-fi elements of the show were weak. Can something be called science fiction if it has no science in it?

For all the reasons mentioned here, I think 'Firefly' is the textbook example of Network suits not "getting" a show and horribly mishandling it. It oughta' be taught in the kind of business schools these guys attend, if any. The passionate following it still has today is a clear indicator that it had the kind of appeal that could have been translated into a successful network run. What a waste.

There are only a dozen episodes so moving everything around due to poor ratings is unexcusable. Nearly every long term, successful series started out slowly. This is something Fox just didn't get.

Formula for a successful show:
Excellent writing. (Firefly had it)
Excellent cast. (Firefly had it)
A story that can be followed. (Firefly had it but the network messed that up).
A story that is exciting. (Firefly had it)
Excellent interaction between the cast. (Firefly had it)
Commitment by the network to develop a following of loyal viewers. (nope)
Marketing commitment. (nope)
Enough episodes, in order, at consistent times, so the viewership can build. (nope)

There are only a dozen episodes so moving everything around due to poor ratings is unexcusable.
What do you mean "moving everything around"? It was on Friday night every time it aired on Fox. Friday = Firefly. Hell, they even sound similar!

Poor ratings excuses everything in television. No ratings, no show.

Nearly every long term, successful series started out slowly. This is something Fox just didn't get.
Nearly every unsuccessful series has started out with better ratings than Firefly so this doesn't prove anything.

Formula for a successful show:
Excellent writing. (Firefly had it)
Excellent cast. (Firefly had it)
A story that can be followed. (Firefly had it but the network messed that up).
A story that is exciting. (Firefly had it)
Excellent interaction between the cast. (Firefly had it)
Commitment by the network to develop a following of loyal viewers. (nope)
Marketing commitment. (nope)
Enough episodes, in order, at consistent times, so the viewership can build. (nope)
A concept that lots of people liked. (nope)
Lots of people watching it. (nope)

For its entire run Firefly was at the bottom of Fox's ratings. It was the lowest rated Fox show for four of those weeks. Fox should have canned it after they aired "Ariel" which was once again the lowest rated Fox program that week. But nope, Fox promoted it during a three week hiatus and it came back with "War Stories", the lowest rated episode of its entire run. Finally even Fox figured out that no one was going to watch this show and canceled it, but they still aired "Objects in Space" (for some reason) as well as the poorly directed under-budgeted two hour pilot. Fox pushed this show for three months and got nothing in return.

I talked to a lot of people about this show when it was on Fox. The most common thing I heard was that they couldn't tell if the show was an attempt at serious science fiction, a parody of science fiction, a parody of a Western, or some mixed up combination of both so they just gave up trying to figure it out. I was stunned that some people who liked the show thought every moment of it was 100% serious, even with episodes like "Jaynestown" that were supposed to be funny. I mean the jokes were as subtle as falling anvils yet they didn't laugh at them.

So.

Is FIREFLY fully RE-MASTERED IN HIGH DEF or just up-converted.

Anyone know FOR SURE?

Or did they do the BABYLON 5 route and re-transfer the
film scenes with no effects to true HIGH DEF but only upconvert and crop the effects shots.

That was not very satisfying.

-30-


-30-

So.

Is FIREFLY fully RE-MASTERED IN HIGH DEF or just up-converted.

Anyone know FOR SURE?
Everything but the CGI scenes was remastered in HD. Unfortunately the CGI scenes were all rendered in SD so they look somewhat soft. It looks like they added some digital fog to some of them (like the train robbery) to give them a sort of dream-like appearance which is a clever way to cover this up (I admit I've done this to photos that I didn't quite get in focus).

Fortunately the CGI already looked fantastic in SD and they don't look any worse upconverted.

The series is available for pre-order on blu-ray at Amazon.com, no release date yet.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018QI5UM?tag=thedigitalbit-20&***********as3&creativeASIN=B0018QI5UM&creative=373489&camp=211189

No sign of the movie yet.