Remaster Babylon 5 and make available on Blu-Ray

Babylon 5 is a masterpiece of television storytelling, that just happens to also be science fiction. The characters are deep and broad, and the storyline is engaging. It is a marvellous exploration of the human spirit - often dealing with the future on a more mature and realistic level than it's contemporaries. Although it took a close look at our failings - fear, racism, greed, addiction, betrayal, subjugation, and hubris - it also showed us what we as human beings are capable of: love, compassion, self-sacrifice, cooperation, and redemption. It showed us that understanding is a three-edged sword - your side, their side, and the truth.

Since the first season aired in 1993, Bablyon 5 has gained a large following. This became evident by the unexpectedly-high sales of the original release of the DVD sets. Unfortunately, the series has begun to show it's age. DVDs of the series are not of the quality the viewing public would expect in an age of Blu-Ray and High Definition television. The DVD video look grainy and pixelated, and many scenes look too dark or even muddy. The series creator, J. Michael Strazcynski, fortunately had the foresight to film the entire series in an aspect ratio of 1.65:1 - as he predicted a future where all televisions would be widescreen.

The issues surrounding the lack of quality are largely a result of poor decisions made by Warner Brothers to employ various Digital Video Enhancement techniques, and telecining the CGI images (originally shot in 4:3), composites, and mattes, prior to the final stretch to widescreen. Live action shots were then transferred from PAL video, not the original negatives.

It has also been reported that the files for the CGI shots have been somehow lost for good. This provides an excellent opportunity for Warner Brothers to update these shots from scratch - utilizing the latest technology. Warner Brothers should make a digital transfer of the original negatives of the series, remaster the frames, recreate all CGI, matte, and composite scenes in HD in their proper aspect ratio, and make available for purchase to the public.