There is nothing flawed about it. I note that you don't bother to explain how it is flawed. Why is that? Also, I note that you don't answer the question. Should you apologize? If not, why not? You have offended the man, after all. Keep evading. You are making my points for me by doing so.

True, but you seem to be emphasizing dirt and scratches as the biggest problem.

What was the point of me answering the question since you had already answered it?

Of course you should not apologize. It is flawed, because it doesn't relate on any level to anything I've been talking about. There is a far cry from calling a racist a racist and having him get offended and creating admittedly racist cartoons that perpetuate a negative stereotype, as well as perpetuate that same kind of negative thinking in a society that is still geared toward racist attitudes.

You analogy is also flawed because I have never talked about the people who are offended; I have been talking about the people who are purposely doing the offending.

Regardless, I am through talking about it, because this is obviously a group bent on defending racist attitudes and ideals, and you, EPKJ, in particular, are just rather nasty and mean-spirited. I will continue my discussions with others who are capable of having discussions of diverse views and opinions, who can disagree without being a jerk about it. Good day, sir.

Hi David. Yes indeed I do notice not only a bit more dirt and scratches on the DVD, but also a couple of episodes (can't remember which right now) seem to have a bit softer look to the picture than the same episode on laserdisc. Once again, this goes back to the original source material. I hope in the future they look for the best available prints before mastering them, like it appears they did with the laserdiscs.

CP

Now, is it a question of greater acuity creating an enhanced view of flaws? Maybe because the laserdiscs are analog (and I rented that Flintstones set) they didn't have the resolution to show the dirt and scratches as much as the DVD does?

Could it be that the laserdisc used some form of DVNR (Digital Video Noise Reduction) to "erase" the dirt and scratches? DVNR works great for live-acton, but with animation it tends to erase lines from the actual drawings, as illustrated here. I wouldn't be surprised if the DVD's producers decided against using the DVNRed laserdisc masters in favor of slightly dirtier (but ultimately more accurate) versions.

Interesting question. Perhaps since the laserdisc format was always more of a "collector's" format, the producers may have taken greater care with the mastering of these episodes. I know for a fact that the LOST IN SPACE laserdisc I have of the 3 first episodes of the show look far better than the DVD set. This is because they were mastered from original 35mm film masters, and the DVD was mastered from the older 1" video masters done in the late 80s/early 90s that were used to release the show to VHS for Columbia House. Like I said, maybe since the laserdisc format was more of a collector's format, they took greater care in mastering these shows. I'm sure DVD producers are more interested in getting the product out to the public fast, rather than taking great care in how they look. There are of course exceptions, such as digitally remastered sets. Also, as has been noted here before, the DVD format being slightly sharper than laserdisc, any tiny flaw that may have existed in the laserdisc, may be amplified on DVD. This is why DVDs should be mastered with greater care than were laserdiscs. I have seen alot of DVDs (usually Columbia Tri-Star) that show more scratches, dirt, artifacts and other flaws that other companys seem to clean up, so quality also varies from studio to studio.

CP

I also read that when WB did the Looney Toons set, they remastered the color, but left the grain and flaws intact.

Yeah they did, and it shows. While the color of that set looks awesome, and any fan of the Looney Tunes will be more than happy with it, you can see the flaws. I always wondered since the DVD format is digital, why don't they remaster the picture by digitally removing every single dirt and scratch frame by frame, kind of like how you can remove dirt and scratches from a picture that's been scanned, with digital software like Adobe Photoshop. Anyway, I'm sure if they really wanted to make the picture perfect, they could.

CP

I even think the comment was that they didn't want the shorts to look "too good". Cocopugg, you're right, they could extract all the animation, remove the current colors, and treat them like cels to be colored in. I think it'd make them too pristine - I don't mind the flaws 'cause it denotes how old they are.

This has been a fun read.

For the true LD collector, like myself, just looking at the box set is a sight to behold.

The front cover is just hilarious, Fred pinching Barney and that beautiful drawing of them by John Kricfalusi (The creator of that beloved duo "Ren and Stimpy.")

The back of the box is loaded with info and the mock TV Guide (TV TIME as the cover says and this was done by John K. and others) that comes with it is loaded with everything you ever wanted to know about the Flintstones, artists, voice actors, episodes, commercials, etc.

This is one of the best LD box sets ever put out. For the LD collector, this is one of his true treasures.

I used to have a 55" 4x3 analog TV and the LD looked great but now that I've updated to a 65" 16x9, LD is pretty tough to watch. Analog doesn't look to good on a digital screen, especially LD's in color. Some b&w LD's look better than their b&w DVD counterparts.

So, what I'm saying is, the LD box set if far superior than the DVD in what you get, if only for the mock TV Guide...which is priceless!!! IMHO

I'm glad and lucky I have BOTH!!!

The people who created these cartoons never admitted they were racist. So why are you posting that they are "admittedly racist"? You make arguments by lying about facts. You also lie about your opponents by defining them as a "group bent on defending racist views". No one in this thread has defended racism. Your opponents have defended truth. You resort to ad hominem attacks on me because you cannot defend your position. So, I become "nasty and mean-spirited". This is pathetic argumentation. You are the only one behaving poorly.

There's an idea, maybe future sets of the Flintstones can include these cigarette commercials as part of easter eggs on the DVDs!

CP

I just watched the Winston cig commercial...the one with Fred and Barney in the front yard, I couldn't stop laughing!

Didn't the episodes have scenes where Fred and Barney smoked cigars? I am sure those are still intact in the episodes (though I am not for certain, I have not got my season set yet, nor do I recall if any scene was like that in season one).

Having seen all the episodes on the DVD set now, I am convinced the laserdisc prints looked better. Not only do the DVDs show more dirt, and scratches, but there are a couple of episodes that are missing the laughtrack, which the laserdisc has intact. Like I said before, the laserdisc format was made for collectors, so I'm sure alot more care went into the packaging of the set, whereas the DVD market is mostly interested in making a fast buck. It's a shame, because these cartoons are classics and should be treated with a bit more respect, at least I think so.

CP

I was wondering if anyone here has actually copied the Flintstones extras found on the laserdisc, onto DVD? If so, I would be interested in getting a copy for my archives, as I'm starting to doubt many of the extras (especially the Winston cigarette commercials) will ever be put out on DVD.

CP