Editing Babylon 5 (section)

=== Mastering problems ===
While the series was in pre-production, studios were looking at ways for their existing shows to make the transition from the standard [[Aspect ratio (image)#4:3 standard|4:3 aspect ratio]] to the [[widescreen]] formats that would accompany the next generation of televisions. After visiting [[Warner Bros.]], which was stretching the [[Horizontal blanking interval|horizontal interval]] for an episode of ''[[Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman|Lois & Clark]]'', producer John Copeland convinced them to allow ''Babylon 5'' to be shot on [[Super 35|Super 35mm film stock]]. "The idea being that we would [[telecine]] to 4:3 for the original broadcast of the series. But what it also gave us was a negative that had been shot for the new 16×9 widescreen-format televisions that we knew were on the horizon."<ref name="Copeland74">{{cite web |title=Interview with John Copeland: page 4 |last=Copeland |first=John |date=June 4, 2008 |url=http://www.b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_09_3 |publisher=B5Scrolls |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127220927/https://b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_09_3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Quote box |quote=The widescreen conversion thing was executive short sightedness at its finest!!! We offered to do ALL of ''Babylon 5'' in widescreen mode if Warner Bros would buy us a reference monitor so we could check our output (only $5000 at the time). Ken Parkes (the "Business affairs" guy) and Netter (penny wise, but pound foolish) said no! So we did everything so it could be CROPPED to be widescreen! Each blamed the other by the way. Doug Netter said, "Ken Parkes said no". Ken Parkes said, "Doug Netter said no". SHEESH!!! So for $75 an episode they could have had AWESOME near Hi-Def. |source=— Ron Thornton, 2008<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview with Ron Thornton: page 4 |last=Thornton |first=Ron |date=February 10, 2008 |url=http://www.b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_01_6 |publisher=B5Scrolls |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127220927/https://b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_01_6 |url-status=live }}</ref> |align=right |width=40% |salign=right}}

Though the CG scenes, and those containing live action combined with digital elements, could have been created in a suitable widescreen format, a cost-saving decision was taken to produce them in the 4:3 aspect ratio. When those images were prepared for widescreen release, the top and bottom of the images were simply cropped, and the remaining image 'blown up' to match the dimensions of the live action footage, noticeably reducing the image quality.<ref name="Copeland74"/><ref name="Cooper">{{Cite web |url=https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/22/babylon-5-digital-video-quality/ |title='Babylon 5' is great, so why does it look so bad? |last=Cooper |first=Daniel |date=June 22, 2018 |website=Engadget |access-date=September 14, 2019 |archive-date=April 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414002128/https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/22/babylon-5-digital-video-quality/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The scenes containing live action ready to be [[Digital compositing|composited]] with [[matte paintings]], [[Computer animation|CG animation]], etc., were delivered on tape already telecined to the 4:3 aspect-ratio, and contained a high level of [[Film grain|grain]], which resulted in further [[image noise]] being present when enlarged and stretched for widescreen.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview with Ron Thornton: page 5 |last=Thornton |first=Ron |date=February 10, 2008 |url=http://www.b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_01_6 |publisher=B5Scrolls |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127220927/https://b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_01_6 |url-status=live }}</ref>

For the purely live-action scenes, rather than using the film negatives, according to Copeland, "Warners had even forgotten that they had those. They used [[PAL]] versions and converted them to [[NTSC]] for the US market. They actually didn't go back and retransfer the shows."<ref name="Copeland75">{{cite web |title=Interview with John Copeland: page 5 |last=Copeland |first=John |date=June 4, 2008 |url=http://www.b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_09_4 |publisher=B5Scrolls |access-date=February 4, 2019 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127220927/https://b5scrolls.com/#Screen1_09_4 |url-status=live }}</ref> With the resulting [[aliasing]], and the [[progressive scan]] transfer of the video to DVD, this has created a number of visual flaws throughout the widescreen release. In particular, quality has been noted to drop significantly in composite shots.<ref>{{cite web |title=Babylon 5 – The Complete First Season |last=Ordway |first=Holly E. |date=November 5, 2002 |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/4929/babylon-5-the-complete-first-season/ |publisher=DVDTalk.com |access-date=January 12, 2012 |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915222450/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/4929/babylon-5-the-complete-first-season/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/11/babylon-5-the-complete-fourth-season |title=Babylon 5: The Complete Fourth Season |last=Non |first=Sergio |date=February 11, 2004 |publisher=IGN.com |access-date=February 24, 2019 |archive-date=February 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225103302/https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/11/babylon-5-the-complete-fourth-season |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2020 a new remastered version was created (as detailed above)<ref>{{Cite web |title='Babylon 5' gets remastered and is now available to rent or buy online |date=February 3, 2021 |url=https://www.space.com/babylon-5-remastered-streaming-amazon-itunes-hbo-max |publisher=[[Space.com]] |access-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303144314/https://www.space.com/babylon-5-remastered-streaming-amazon-itunes-hbo-max |url-status=live }}</ref> which restored the original picture quality and repaired the damage to the CGI scenes, although this also involved reverting to the original 4:3 aspect ratio. The negatives were scanned at ultra HD quality and then down converted to HD and upscaling programs were used to enhance the CGI to HD at the same time.