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Content
Well, it's Season One. Having watched it many times over the years, I can say that certain episodes (Symbiosis, for instance) do not hold one's attention very well. On the other hand, other episodes (Justice, if you can believe it) really benefit from the HD upgrade, making them more appealing as a whole.
If you are somehow a new fan to the series, I still think you should buy this, with the proviso that things get markedly better even with Season Two, and certainly are totally cooking by Season Three. Season One is still a vital piece of TNG, introducing scads of characters and backstories. And there are still some superb episodes to be found (Encounter at Farpoint, Where No One Has Gone Before, Conspiracy, among others), and plenty of average shows, too.
Video
But these reviews aren't for new fans, are they? The question is - is it worth spending $60 or more to buy something you already own? Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yes!
To start with, overall detail has seen a huge boost, on a comparable or better level with the TOS Blu-Ray set. During facial close-ups, small hairs, pores, beads of sweat, and makeup details are easily visible. Costumes take on a new level of 80s cheesiness, with every crenelation, pleat, sequin, jewel, and bead being crisply defined. Buttons and displays leap off the screen. There is a stable sheen of film grain in most shots, which should make you happy, because it means that we're getting most or all of the detail present on the original negative. Color is another area that is light years ahead of the DVD. The DVD had a mushy, muted color scheme. Here, uniforms are bright, lipstick is ruby red, and spacescapes take on a whole new life.
The two areas of the biggest upgrade are any shots with visual effects in general, and space shots in particular. The way that the show was put together in the 80s, video compositing, led to a huge loss of detail, and the introduction of all sorts of jagged edges and blur. Pieces of 35mm film were essentially run through a VCR and cobbled together at that video resolution (480i). Here, all of the original individual film elements, including live action, visual effects, and model shots, have been rescanned separately and re-composited with modern technology. The result is astounding. Visual effects no longer lead to a degradation of the image. Space shots that were swimming with jagged edges and moire now look as good as current movies and television. The detail on the models is superb - as good as the TOS movies. The happy result is discovering how good many of the effects were, especially on an episode like Farpoint that had the budget to back it up.
Now, some purists will dislike the fact that certain planets have been replaced with CG versions. I think it was a good move, because the planet images in question were really the only "bad" effects on the original, and they would have stuck out like a sore thumb on the Blu-Ray. As with the TOS remastered effects, these planets hew close to the original color schemes and whatever details were in the original. I do wish that the originals were available with an angle switch, but it's really not a huge deal. We're getting the original models and visual effects, just played out over a few new planets here and there. It's not obtrusive and the results always look good.
There are a few episodes (Heart of Glory, Lonely Among Us) that featured many dark scenes, and these don't look great. They still, however, are a big upgrade from the DVD. As a rule, the brighter the episode and the more location shots are featured in it, the more spectacular the show looks. Farpoint and Justice, to my mind, are the real lookers of the set. The average episode presentation is at least as good as any modern HD television show, which is a real treat. And, thank goodness, the episodes are presented in their original 4:3 aspect ratio. Yes, they could have expanded the show out to a 16:9 frame, but the original camera work was composed, framed and matted for 4:3, which means that the extra widescreen space would be filled with lights, boom mics, and hairy union worker @$#-cracks. Do you really want to see those things? Not me.
Audio
Audio is presented in a new 7.1 channel DTS-HD mix. It sounds fine on my 5.1 channel set-up. I am not an audiophile by any means. What I want is an engaging presentation with some low frequency (bass) and surround sounds, but that doesn't drown out the dialogue. This fits the bill as far as I'm concerned. There are some reports of audio sync issues on a few episodes. I didn't notice it myself, but happily, CBS/Paramount is running a free disc replacement program for any users who desire it. Pretty cool if you ask me. Your mileage may vary.
Special Features and Packaging
The "Making Of" and Restoration documentaries would be worth paying ten or fifteen bucks for in a standalone release. That says a lot, I think, about the overall value proposition represented by this set. Both are presented in 1080p widescreen with subtitles. The Making Of doc clocks in at 90 minutes broken into three parts, while the restoration doc runs over twenty minutes on its own. Both are comprehensive and offer looks at things that even the hardest core fans (a class of which I consider myself a member) will not have come across before. The hair and makeup tests were a riot, and I loved seeing some of Andrew Probert's original concept sketches - such as a bi-level bridge with a conference table behind the captain's chair. Also very refreshing is some of the candor present in cast and crew interviews, with many reminiscing not just on the high points, but also the low points of getting Season One off the ground. The restoration doc goes into a very nice level of detail concerning how the original film elements were located and recomposited, what was done to alter certain shots (such as the planets) and why, and it provides copious before and after shots of the two editions.
What really shines through in these special features is the love that the creators and the restoration team had for the material. The whole production just oozes detail-oriented care, and really makes you, the viewer, who has just laid down some serious scratch for the set, feel good about what you've purchased. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of all the original DVD featurettes. So basically, you can sell your old DVDs on Amazon, donate them to an old folks' home, or use them as swank coasters.
The packaging is very similar to the TOS sets. The discs are in a blue plastic case with plastic "pages" holding discs. Irritatingly, the same flaw exists from the TOS sets - the discs do not list episodes on them, and the package insert only lists them on the inside, covered by discs in the case. I flipped mine around so that the episode list shows on the outside.
The package graphics are attractive. Picard, Riker and Data are inset on a Federation logo (no love for the ladies yet, alas), with some red graphics in the background. Presumably, the color scheme will match the DVD progression of colors, which will be nice for those of us who were used to them.
Conclusion
I think this is a must-buy for any fan with an HDTV, personally. The experience is markedly better than DVD, and light years beyond the original airing in the 80s and 90s. It looks better now than it ever has, and it looks comparable to a modern television show. The space shots especially look as good as most big budget movies. When you see the opening title sequence of Farpoint and the first in-episode shot of the Enterprise, you will be sold, I promise you.
The extra features are at a very high level of production and content quality, and lead to what I consider to be a strong value proposition. For the price you're likely to find this at online, you're getting an extremely strong audio-visual experience, with enough new material to really feel like a complete package, even for die-hard fans.
So, and you'll forgive me, if the question is "to buy or not to by," the answer is: make it so!
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Customer reviews
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One Blu-ray Review
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2012
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season OneYear: 1987 | Rating: N/A | Runtime: 19 HR 45 MINAspect Ratio: 1:33.1 | Video Resolution: 1080PAudio: Eng 7.1 DTS-HD MA, 2.0 English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese| Subtitles: English SDH, assorted foreign subtitlesDirector: VariesWriter: VariesStarring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathon Frakes, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn, Levar Burton, and Wil WheatonFilm Rating: 3 out of 5 starsVideo Rating: 4 out of 5 starsAudio Rating: 4 out of 5 starsExtras Rating: 5 out of 5 starsOverall Rating: 4 out of 5 starsI don't think at this point I have to tell anybody how deep my love for Star Trek The Next Generation goes. It was favorite TV show growing up, and remains my favorite TV show of all time to this day. When Paramount and CBS Films announced that TNG would be coming to Blu-ray I was understandably excited that the TV series that played such an important part of my childhood would be remastered not only for lifetime fans to enjoy but also future generations.TNG was shot on film, but all the editing and special effects were done on video. That process locked the video resolution at 480P which back in the 80s and 90s was the industry standard. Fast forward to 2012 and what looked passable on broadcast TV and later of DVD all the sudden looks unwatchable by current standards. To bring TNG into the 21st century Paramount and CBS Films went back to the original film elements and remastered everything from the regular footage, the special effects, and the audio tracks. It was a monumental task involving going through tens of thousands of reels of film bring these twenty-five year old episodes back to life. Simply put, the Star Trek Then Next Generation has never, ever looked or sounded better.The show may look and sound better than it ever has before, but that doesn't solve all of TNG's earlier problems. TNG suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, it had a revolving door of writers, and was often far to campy. Performances range from wooden to laughable and aren't helped by the writing at all. Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner offer up the most Season One highlights, but even they are not immune to some serious early series missteps. Encounter at Farpoint, the series premiere is not a strong entry for the series and the rest of the first season had more downs than ups.Season One highlights include: Where No One Has Gone Before, Datalore, 11001001, Coming of Age, Heart of Glory, and ConspiracySeason One low points include (but are not limited to): The Naked Now, Code of Honor (aka "The Brothers in Space" episode), Justice, and Angel OneFans familiar with TNG will right off the bat notice the improved the improved video quality. The special effects like all the live action footage have been re-scanned from the original negatives. "Revelation" is the first word to come to mind when talking about how TNG looks now versus how it looked before. Colors are vibrant; the red in the Starfleet uniforms now looks how it was always intended. Uniform colors aren't the only improvements; corridors, the sound stages, and ships are all improved. There's a nice (if inconsistent) level of grain that gives TNG a film like appearance that was always missing from the TV/DVD video. The improvement in clarity is also staggering to the point where it can at times show the limits of an 80s TV series.TNG's audio has been remastered in 7.1 DTS-HD MA while the original Dolby Surround track is also supplied. Viewers might not initially hear the improvements to the audio, but that certainly doesn't mean the improvements aren't there. Everything from the hum of the warp drive to the opening of the turbolift doors will immerse the audience in the sounds of the Enterprise. Phasers and photon torpedos rip through the soundstage but never in an overly gimmicky way. Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek theme sounds as eloquent as ever and is indistinguishable from its use in the Star Trek feature films.Season One of TNG has a number of great new special features. One of my favorite features is a simple one that was omitted from the DVD release, episode promos. Before each episode you're able to watch the episode promo, they're great for comparison purposes providing a great look at how bad original broadcasts looked versus how they look now in HD. The 90 minute long 'The Origin of Star Trek: The Next Generation' is split into three thirty minute segments: Inception, Launch, and The Continuing Mission. 'The Origin' documentary is in depth, informative, and even the life long fans will learn something new about TNG. Other special features include a gag reel and four short archival featurettes.Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One isn't any where near the series best, it's actually damn near the bottom. There are some good episodes scattered throughout the season but most of it is merely passable. Where Season One really excels is with the remastered video/audio and the new complement of special features which actually live up to their name. For obvious reasons I won't recommend Season One of TNG to non-Trek fans but if you find yourself sitting down to watch reruns on TV or already own the DVD sets I can't recommend the upgrade to Blu-ray any more highly.
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2012
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