Product Details

• Format: Blu-ray, Color, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Castillian, Finnish
• Dubbed: French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Castillian
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: January 31, 2012
• Run Time: 182 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (152 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0064NLQYG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,528 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Welcome to the next generation of Star Trek: The Next Generation, like you’ve never seen or heard it before! For the first time ever, you can experience some of the show’s most important and beloved episodes in glorious 1080p high definition, with true high definition visual effects and digitally remastered 7.1 sound – or with the original audio. You’ll witness new picture detail and depth you haven’t seen before, and enjoy spectacular visual effects that have been painstakingly re-created from the original film elements…not upconverted from videotape! This “Taste Of TNG” is a glimpse of what the upcoming complete season Blu-ray releases of TNG will be like, and will transport you to the next level.

Episodes included are:
- “Encounter At Farpoint” – the groundbreaking pilot that started it all.
- “Sins Of The Father” – Back in the Klingon Empire, Worf faces a charge of treason, and defends his father’s honor.
- “The Inner Light” – Picard lives a lifetime – in an instant – on a long-dead planet, whose inhabitants want only to be remembered.


Audio tracks available on the disc - English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo Surround, French Mono, German Stereo, Castilian Mono, Japanese Mono

Subtitles/Additional Languages - English SDH, French, German, Castilian, Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

141 of 142 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Next Generation Never Looked this Good! January 31, 2012

By BK

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me start by saying Star Trek: The Next Generation has never looked this good! Having seen TNG from the first airing, syndication, and on DVD, I'll say without reservation this is by far the best quality release.

As soon as I started watching Encounter at Farpoint, I couldn't help but stare at the detail. The extra detail is amazing, especially in the effects shots. It's hard to believe that so much was washed out in the lower resolution original. But the new transfer of the film really shines.

The uniforms pop, you can see the detail in the fabric. The Klingon costumes in Sins of the Father really show this. The space aliens in Farpoint look amazing. Until seeing this on Blu-Ray I knew they were both the same color - but they're not! The rebalanced color looks great. It's no longer washed out and it really brings out the details.

The only possible negative I would point out is that you can see some of the imperfections in the makeup. Worf's especially, including some stray hair in one scene. Everyone else has lost their smoothed out unblemished skin, now replaced with a more natural texture. At one point I swear you can see a red mark on Riker's forehead.

One of the most notable things that's fixed is the blue glow on the left side of the screen. They finally removed it!

None of the over smoothing from DNR that happened in the movie releases is present here. The picture quality is truly top notch. If they do the rest of the series this way, this will be by far the definitive version.

I'm also ecstatic that they didn't redo the visual effects in CGI. I still think actual filmed models look more realistic if done well. There's just something that CGI doesn't quite replicate.... For the original series I was hoping they would reshoot the effects scenes with new models, but they took the CGI route and it stands out. Not here! Because they had the original film elements they were able to rescan and re-composite the effects shots and they look wonderful!

The only real hiccup is 13 seconds of missing footage from Sins of the Father. They were unable to locate the original film for a scene where Beverly and Riker talk on the bridge. They had to replaced it with up-converted standard definition video. They did a good job color balancing it and looks good with the rest of the video. Paramount gets credit for not only mention this on the box, but on the menu under the episode selection as well. It's great when a company is upfront about what you're getting. That said, even though I knew it was in the episode and was looking for it, I missed it on my first viewing. I had to look online to find where the scene occurred and watch it again it to notice the difference.

All in all this is a great taste of things to come. As they said the night TNG premiered:
"Tonight, the 24th century begins!" I can't wait for the rest of the seasons to be released on Blu-Ray! Excellent job! Read more ›

173 of 184 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A word to the wise on ratios and HDTV's... February 2, 2012

By Bertie Buggerington

Format:Blu-ray

This is in reply to all the "It's not fair, it doesn't fill my TV... why do I have these black borders at the sides?" people:

The ratio on the Blu-ray discs is the same as it ever was for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Same as it was shot in, same as it was broadcast in, same as it was presented on VHS and the same as it was presented on DVD. Why on earth some people expect Blu-ray to magically alter this situation is beyond me, but you only have to note the two and one star reviews to see they are. The series was filmed in 4:3, a quarter of a century ago, long before anyone envisaged that we'd all have 16:9 widescreen TV's in our homes in the future. "But I could make my Star Trek TNG DVD's play in widescreen", I hear you cry. No, actually you couldn't. What you were doing was stretching or zooming the image to fill your widescreen TV. This is fake widescreen, and something purists never do, but was quite easy to achieve with a standard definition DVD, on a standard definition DVD player, over a standard definition connection. This is HD though, and stretching or faking widescreen is not really an option. "Why?", I hear you cry. Well, HDTV resolutions are either 720p or 1080i/p... 1280x720 or 1920x1080. These are 16:9 'widescreen' resolutions by default. This means that your Blu-ray player HAS to display everything as a 16:9 image. In the case of films and TV shows shot and framed for cinema or 16:9 broadcast, it will fill your widescreen TV. Sometimes with small black borders at the top and bottom if they have chosen to present the original cinematic ratio. Now, when they are presenting a 4:3 image on HD Blu-ray... this same rule applies. It HAS to be displayed as part of a 16:9 frame.... Meaning the 4:3 picture displayed correctly in the middle of the screen, and two black bars, one either side of your TV's screen, which all forms the 16:9 frame. It is pretty much unavoidable.

"But wasn't there more screen information on the 35mm negatives", you may ask. Well Mike Okuda has said in some scenes there was. Not all, but *some*. However, in many of the scenes there was lights stands, bare studio, crew and other equipment in the wider frame. In other words, it was framed *purely* for 4:3 broadcast.

So zooming and pan scanning was the only other alternative. I have ONE DVD set that had this treatment out of the thousands I own. The TV series 'From Earth to the Moon'. This was shot and framed for 4:3 broadcast, and it was released in America in the correct ratio. However, when it released in the UK, for some bizarre reason, they decided to zoom the image out to 16:9. The result is not pretty... you think those black bars at the side of the screen are ugly? You have not seen ugly! From Earth to the Moon in Region 2 DVD is the most claustrophobic and fuzzy mess you will ever witness. There was also a huge public outcry when they recently did this same thing to The World at War documentary series, and people returned their box sets in droves. It literally means that in closely shot scenes, of which there many in Star Trek: TNG, that people's faces are cut off at the eyebrows, and legs are cut off at the knees. Further, it will no longer be true HD as you are zooming the image. Think passport photo blew up to A4 size. In other words, it is FAR too much of a sacrifice to even contemplate for something as cherished as Star Trek. Had they done this to Star Trek, there would have been an outrcry from fans, and they wouldn't be selling too many box sets. Of that I can assure you. Plus, the people charged to see that this franchise is represented the best way it can be, people like Mike and Densise Okuda, who oversaw this restoration, could never sanction such a travesty.

So I can only suggest you try get used to those black borders at the sides, as if you have a fondness for anything filmed for TV from this era or before, that is how your Blu-ray discs will come. It is the same for Star Trek: The Original Series on Blu-ray, seasons 1-3 of Farscape on Blu-ray... anything and everything that was shot for 4:3 broadcast. It is also true of many films, such as It's a Wonderful Life on Blu-ray, and very old films like The Wizard of Oz. All of these come with fixed black borders in HD. It isn't some sinister Big Brother forcing you to watch it a certain way, it is literally the only way they can present 4:3 without totally ruining the composition. The good news is that everyone goes through this stage when they first play 4:3 on their widescreen sets. At first you can't help but be conscious of the offending black bars. However, hand on heart, I never even see them now, and many people will tell you the same. Your brain just cancels them out. It just takes time, and a little appreciation for why this situation happens.

Back to the Star Trek The Next Generation: The Next Level on Blu-ray:

It is superb. There are details no one has ever seen before. This series may have been shot on 35mm film, but it was edited and stored on videotape. Even on DVD we were watching videotape resolution and quality. I believe one popular sci-fi magazine had nicknamed it "Blurry Trek" in a preview from before it was even broadcast. All that is in the past now, or at least it will be when we can buy all seven seasons on Blu-ray. Unlike with Star Trek: TOS Remastered, which I loved, they have not chosen to re-create the special effects scenes in CGI. Instead, they have re-composited the images from the original negatives (a far more lengthy and costly exercise than new CGI). So what we are seeing is the original effects and the original studio models in all their HD glory. Elsewhere, they have lovingly restored every last frame, freeing it of dust and debris. The grain structure is still in tact, meaning no sacrifice in fine detail from the use of DNR filtering. The result is beautiful. Colours and contrast are perfect... rich, deep blacks and vibrantly coloured Starfleet uniforms. One of the biggest let downs for me as regards the DVD sets was that they didn't try and restore the series a little back then. This meant washed out VHS quality colours. Not so here, I'm pleased to report.

The sound is impressive when listening to it in the context of the era it was made. It is not a modern summer blockbuster made with multichannel audio, it was only ever recorded in stereo. So they have fashioned a 7.1 surround sound mix from what they had. With this in mind, I am impressed with both levels and channel separation. Decent speakers will punch the air in all the right places, mark my words.

In summary, it is a huge success. Pre-orders for the complete season sets will be the easiest purchasing decisions I will ever make. Read more ›

65 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing transformation January 20, 2012

By Derrick

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

The original masters for this show, edited on videotape, were so bad, in my opinion, and the transformation into HD by painstakingly piecing together original film elements and when necessary, recreating the CGI, is being handled so well, that the end result to the eyes, is just stunning. For a fan of TNG, this is really a priceless addition to one's library. I'll be purchasing every season to encourage them to do the same thing with Deep Space Nine.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars To Seek Out HD and New Resolutions February 1, 2012

By C. J. Petrosky

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

This TNG Blu-ray is a gorgeous new look at our old friend Star Trek: The Next Generation. I grew up on the series, it was my absolute childhood favorite, and I still love the show. From my old recorded VHS tapes to the DVD boxsets, TNG has long been trapped in a less-than-stellar medium. While the DVDs got the job done, the show was definitely showing its age. Because it was edited on video, many pessimists across the web figured there would never been a genuine HD presentation of TNG.

Thankfully on the approach to its 25th anniversary CBS has begun the massive project of returning to the original film negatives and reconstructing the show in HD. Having now viewed this sampling of their work I can say this project is a great way to honor TNG's legacy and truly worth the re-purchasing of the show. The new HD transfer really makes colors pop, and the fine detail is infinitely better than the old DVDs. Best of all are the original special effects in all their old-school miniature glory!

"Encounter At Farpoint": TNG's first episode, though lacking somewhat in storytelling and some of the performances, finds new life in the HD transfer. The special effects in this episode are gorgeous. The scenes featuring the Enterprise are absolutely striking and far more interesting to me than the most overloaded CGI scene from modern movies. It was a lot of fun seeing the new fine detail presented here, from the fantastic model work done on the Enterprise to the decoration of the individual sets.

Unfortunately you can now see little flaws that might have been missed on the original releases. The first I noticed being bits of fluff on the carpets of the bridge, I guess housekeeping didn't vacuum the carpets before the Enterprise left spacedock!... Data's facial makeup during the holodeck scenes is a bit lacking too (and his stunt double for Wesley's "rescue" is easy to spot). The matte paintings (though revealing of TNG's age) look much better here. You can really appreciate the detail put into them by the scenic artists, kudos to those that created them. The biggest surprise came at the end of the episode, the jellyfish creatures meeting in space looked absolutely fantastic. They are actually beautiful in HD, the detail and color is much improved over the old SD version.

So to summarize, even though Encounter At Farpoint is a somewhat flawed opening to TNG, I appreciate the seeds planted here, eventually growing into an absolutely wonderful show. One thing though, while I am thankful that CBS opted not to replace the effects with CGI or monkey with the show as much as they did on TOS, couldn't they have replaced the man-skirt uniforms with standard outfits? Or maybe gotten rid of Troi's cheerleader costume? ;-)

"Sins of the Father": Ahhh! Wesley's got acne! Yes, with the newfound detail it'll be easier to spot our crew's human imperfections as was the case in this Ten Forward scene. The amusing banquet scene with Kurn was more lively for me on this HD viewing, I can actually identify the food they are eating now. And how about those utensils? I wouldn't be able to stand those forks.

Things get going once Worf and Kurn have their little show down, the Enterprise warps to Qo'noS (still unnamed and known only as the Klingon Homeworld at that time). The matte paintings here look fantastic, brought to life by the flash of lightning and several figures walking amongst the buildings (I never noticed the people in earlier viewings). The Klingon costumes and makeup all look great in this episode as well. Though this episode is somewhat light on special effects, it still looks much better than before. The Klingon culture was really fleshed out in this episode, and this new HD release makes everything look great.

If you've been following the news surrounding this Blu-ray release you've likely heard about the missing film footage of Dr. Crusher arriving on the bridge to deliver news to Commander Riker regarding a second survivor of the Khitomer Massacre. Unfortunately this brief scene does stick out like a sore thumb. One moment we're in crisp HD, the next we're back in 1990 with the old fuzzy footage. Thankfully it's brief, and with any luck they'll find the footage later in the restoration process in time for the forthcoming Season 3 release. I certainly hope these hiccups don't occur often!

"The Inner Light": One of TNG's best episodes! This episode I actually went into nerd-mode and watched in sync with my old Season 5 DVD. I can say that, unfortunate for absolute purists, that some "changes" have been made. First, the opening warp flyby of the Enterprise is somehwhat different (this is easily seen in that different windows are lit up). Upon first watching I thought they substituted a CGI Enterprise but now I'm not so sure. I think it's the physical model of the Enterprise but maybe I'm wrong. The second "big" change was the shot of Picard on the top of the mountain looking down on Ressik. The matte painting is quite a bit different (many of the village buildings, the river, some the grass in the foreground) It' a very close approximation but there are differences. To be honest, this is the shot that inspired me to play the DVD and Blu-ray in sync as I never noticed the people walking around in the original episode. There are people walking around on both the Blu-ray and DVD but the shot of the village is definitely different. Please don't take this as a bashing of the HD project or outcry for changes being made, it's simply an observation and I imagine it was necessary as they reconstructed the episode. Perhaps the original matte-painting elements for the village are gone? On a much more minor note, the framing is a slightly different at times between the SD and HD versions. Sometimes you'll see more of the ceiling here, or more off to the side of the shot there. The changes are ever so minor but sometimes are noticeable if watching both versions simultaneously.

On the positive side of things, this episode benefits from more vivid colors and sharper picture. I found myself noticing all the little decorative touches inside the village, and the better contrast between objects in light and shadow.

So, in closing, to the critics who think this to be a cheap money-grab I say that you couldn't be more wrong. This revitalization of The Next Generation is a nerdy dream come true for me. We'll finally be getting a beautiful new HD release of a wonderful show. Thankfully CBS is doing it right, going back to the film negatives and they are leaving the wonderful old-school special effects in place. This sampler is just a small glimpse of what is to come. And I'm betting the Blu-ray sets will prove to be the ultimate collection of TNG episodes. Hopefully digging through those old film negatives will finally bring us blooper reels and some decent behind-the-scenes documentaries! If you're wondering if you should buy this Blu-ray, I can say with absolutely certainty: Make It So! Read more ›