SDF finally on BD

[technoblue]

Well, both of you are right.

DHL got the box set to me this morning, a day ahead of schedule.I decided to open everything because the amazon shipping box looked like it had a bumpy ride. Everything inside the amazon box was pristine, though. And this set is sweet. It's taking a lot of energy for me to focus on work again, but there it is---priorities. I need to pay for my stuff. LoL!

[xrentonx]

I tried to tell you guys before, it literally looks like you're watching the cel's projected onto your screen.

...but...but...then I'll be able to see all the flaws too! Don't hurt me, technology!

[technoblue]

This was so worth it. I've seen SDF Macross multiple times in a variety of formats, translated and dubbed, but never with this much detail at home. The faces, the ships, the city, everything is improved in this release. I'm going to wait on subtitles and just watch the episodes as they are and savor them for a while longer.

[isamu]

This was so worth it. I've seen SDF Macross multiple times in a variety of formats, translated and dubbed, but never with this much detail at home. The faces, the ships, the city, everything is improved in this release. I'm going to wait on subtitles and just watch the episodes as they are and savor them for a while longer.

Glad you're enjoying them Techno. I will be buying them as well, eventually. Need the cash first. In the meantime, I wonder if there are any fangroups currently working on a release?

[technoblue]

I haven't heard of a fan release of SDF Macross using the BDs as a source. I do have a copy of the subtitles that Mechinyun linked to on the last page. When I get over the initial "wow" factor, I plan to set up my HTPC so that I can use them.

Some customers think the video has too much grain, I guess? i don't understand that. There are scenes where the video shows its age, but there is only so much you can do before taking away fine details. I agree with everyone here. What we have on blu is the best it will be given the source and the technology.

[big F]

. I agree with everyone here. What we have on blu is the best it will be given the source and the technology.

The next step is to totally re record it from scratch using cgi instead.

[Mr March]

Some customers think the video has too much grain, I guess? i don't understand that. There are scenes where the video shows its age, but there is only so much you can do before taking away fine details. I agree with everyone here. What we have on blu is the best it will be given the source and the technology.

Keep in mind that the majority of modern viewers (most people under 30 years of age) have been raised watching media that is either purely digital (which has no grain) or very high quality film (which has very minimal grain). When faced with an old production that uses standard film grain typical of the era (or using cheaper film stock), some viewers are really bothered. About a year ago I had a conversation with a younger coworker in which he once told me he was irritated by any kind of film grain, even from films that were only 20 years old. It was distracting to him because all his shows (10 years or less) don't have that. He referenced films like Aliens or Predator as films that - when viewed in HD - were distracting to him due to the high level of film grain. He understood that film grain was a reality of shooting on film, but said it nonetheless always "felt" like a flaw on par with bad color timing, bad sound or scratches/dirt.

Also keep in mind that even for older viewers like myself, some of us are being exposed to High Definition only later in life and may be "set in our ways". Because most older viewers have only known their long time favorite shows via inferior formats like Standard Definition DVD or VHS, some may have difficulties transitioning to HD. It's possible many might not even been aware these shows/films were shot on film at all. Hence, film grain appearing in HD might come to them as a shock. And because this new HD appearance is "not like it used to be" to their eyes, they may have issues with that. Other viewers like myself are thrilled to finally see the details we've been missing all these years, warts and all. For people like me it allows us yet another chance to view the show in a way we've not seen before (a "see it again for the first time" kind of thing) and that can really enhance our love for Macross. Some might disagree and that's only natural.

I'm sure many have heard me exclaim my love for high resolution line art when I talk of building material for the Macross Mecha Manual. It probably comes as no surprise that one of the aspects I'm enjoying most about SDF Macross on HD is seeing the sharp, detailed lines of the animated art. In HD, the subtlety of the drawn art can come through in ways I've not seen before. Line thickness - which is something you don't see well in earlier formats - really comes through on blu-ray. It looks gorgeous!

[big F]

I only expect HD when the film or whatever has been actually filmed in HD.

Stuff that was never shot in HD is a bonus if you can get it in HD.

Far too often I hear the younger generation complain about things not being "perfect"

I had a conversation with a coworker who is younger than me. He loves SciFi but wouldn't entertain the original StarTrek films as they were too old fashioned for him...... But he loves 1970's SciFi. Go figure ?

Edited October 23, 2013 by big F

[Mr March]

Film is HD. In point of fact, film is beyond HD. Most film formats have resolutions that are higher than the best digital formats we have now and most of the digital formats coming in the foreseeable future. Albeit many have recently come to consider 4K as "archival quality" for the sake of any pre-1990s media format. Digressing, it has always been the MASS DISTRIBUTION FORMAT that limits what most audiences actually get to see, whether that's been CRT televisions or video tapes or the production format itself.

This is why people that proclaim old shows/movies were "meant to be seen" on VHS, or Laser Disk or similar old home video formats don't know what they are talking about. Old shows/movies were meant for whatever format in which they were created, whether that format was video tape, 35mm film or otherwise (this is of course suspending creator objection to the inherent limitations of whatever format may have been an unfortunate production reality of the era).

SDF Macross was shot on film (35mm maybe?) so that was how it should be seen. Home video format has taken this long to catch up to the inherent resolution of the original, or have we? If the originals are 35mm film, there's still more resolution to be seen beyond 1080p, though I suspect we're likely approaching the point now where the differences between HD formats will be less and less pronounced. Certainly far less than the jump between DVD and Blu-Ray.

[nhyone]

I have three thoughts about grain on digital displays.

1. Film can be very high-res, but ultimately, does higher scan dpi give more details or merely just grain?

2. Grain looks worse on digital displays than on CRTs. Grain on digital displays look unnatural, while CRTs hide them naturally.

3. Anime has v little fine details. IMO, 480p is sufficient to capture all or most details. Sure, there could be very detailed background art, but they are not the focus of the show.

[Renato]

SDF Macross was shot on film (35mm maybe?) so that was how it should be seen.

The opening is in 35mm since it needs to be re-used and have the titles superimposed (which cause degradation); everything else is on 16mm stock, as was standard for the time (cost-cutting measures). If you watch the creditless opening included on the Extras disc, prepare to be well and truly blown away: that thing is clean as a whistle!

The thing I'm wondering is, was Macross 7 shot on 35mm? It looks absolutely spotless, literally. Cowboy Bebop was made four years later and that looks grainy as hell on BD (though differing restoration methods could be in effect).

[Mr March]

nhyone

1. High definition ALWAYS provides more detail, until the point at which digital resolution surpasses the PPI/DPI of the original film source (which 1080 does not achieve). The "amount" of grain can never change, the grain can only be seen more clearly in high definition along with the greater details of the filmed images themselves.

2. CRTs do not hide grain. CRTs are an inferior display format that simply blurs what cannot be displayed correctly due to lack of resolution capability. Which means less grain, less detail, poorer color depth, weaker contrast, etc. And grain is quite natural; that's what film is. AGAIN only people raised-upon or now-acustomed to grainless digital viewing will find film grain "frustrating".

3. Anime (like ANY film, live action or animated) will have as much fine detail as the film source and as was drawn on the cels, which 480p has been clearly incapable of capturing or displaying faithfully. I work with photos and line art on a daily basis and have done so for years. The difference between a scan at 480 DPI and a scan at 1080 DPI cannot be overstated.

I will say this about the move to high definition; it is not without it's faults and everyone has a right to criticize both how it's been done and how it has been sold us consumers. However, it has been my observation that far too many people attempt denial at what high definition achieves because they want an excuse to avoid the repurchase of their obsolete collections of VHS tapes, Laserdisks and DVDs. An invalid excuse used to justify a valid financial reality. However, that doesn't change the exceptional viewing experience HD has given to devout film fans. Many of us have waited our entire lives for a format which finally does justice to our favorite films and recreates the beautiful detail of our beloved classics that until now we have only been able to experience in the theatre.

Renato

Ah, 16mm would explain why some scenes don't look quite as good. Regardless, the appearance is like night and day.

Yes, how the series is transferred from source to blu-ray makes all the difference. There's no shortage of bad transfers out there that give HD a bad name

It's also likely something like Macross 7 had larger of a budget than Cowboy Bebop. So Bebop may be on cheaper film stock than something like Macross 7.

[nhyone]

Sorry to dredge up this old thread, but I would like to ask, does anyone know if the 6 discs containing the TV show is bit-for-bit identical between the RE and LE?

I ripped the first disc of the RE and it has a 0% MD5 match against an online LE source.

(Usually, I can get 99.x% match -- I have never gotten 100% match.)

I always found it ironic that the opening in 35mm film is in a worse quality than the rest of the show in 16mm. For the show, you can use regular denoise to remove the grain (blasphemy, I know ) and some filters to remove the spots / dust. Those don't work on the opening, but recently I found something that does... NLMeans!

[Lavigne]

I don't have both sets to compare, just the LE, but I thought the RE was just the same discs, minus the extras disc. I'd be surprised if the actual episode discs were any different between the two sets.

Just to echo every other positive sentiment in this thread, the LE BD set is a thing of beauty, from the physical package itself, to the actual disc content. Glorious. Macross has never looked this good on home media and it's hard to imagine it looking any better. Costly to acquire now, but emminently worth it if you're really that much into the show.

I used MakeMKV, MKV Splitter and MKVMerge to rip the video to MKV format, cut it into individual episodes, and then merge in the English subs and dub from the ADV DVDs. It requires work on the timings of the merged in tracks but nothing overly onerous.

[Renato]

You'll find that the regular edition has actually gone down in price if you shop around.

I only have the limited edition so I can't help with comparisons with the regular one, unfortunately.

With regards to the 35mm opening sequence, though, the reason it looks so bad is because it comes from the film of the actual episodes. If you go to the bonus material and watch the title-less "clean" version of the openings/endings, you will find that they look absolutely stunning. They are perfect, from colour to contrast; as if you were looking at the cels right in front of you in 1982. If only the whole thing was like that.

Maybe you can splice that into the actual episodes to replace the grainy version?

Edited September 12, 2015 by Renato

[nhyone]

The RE price has been pretty stable on Amazon Japan, according to CamelCamelCamel.

Well, I missed the LE, but that is expected since I only decided to pick it up recently. The cheapest LE used is around the same price as the RE new, but the descriptions (after Google translated) were too gibberish for me to make out the condition.

No problem, 4K UHD is just around the corner.

Previously, I have tried to denoise the opening.

Original:

With light spatial and strong temporal denoise:

The sky remains grainy and the yellow spots remain in the white areas.

With NLMeans denoise:

You can't really tell from a static image, but the sky is smooth, just like the cleaned-up opening, but the white areas become yellowish -- but pretty smooth.

The cleaned-up opening from the bonus disc:

(Note: the images are PNG, hence ~2 MB each.)

Edit: oh no, the images are resized to 900px. They were 1080p.

Edited September 12, 2015 by nhyone

[nhyone]

Another pic. This has been posted before in another thread, but not at this size.

Original

Regular denoise

Which does not work

NLMeans denoise

Which works very well, but the very very fine details are lost. (The star streak)

The clean video

[Paladinrja]

Its still 4:3.. no offence to anyones preferences but I really don't see the point of HD in 4:3. I have the Madman DVD box set for Macross and its pretty damn good. I play it on my PC through MPC-64 and get an amazing picture out of them with no trouble at all. The thing about 4:3 is that its already optimized to the max.

I think that considering its being released in HD at those prices? The least they could do is cut from the original print because 4:3 is not the way these old shows were shot. They were shot, edited and tracked in a much larger format. Truth is during optimization for old 4:3 screens they actually would have chopped the TV edit from the source. They could very easily use that same asset and give us 16:9 in high res and STILL have plenty of screen cut.

Is it really worth the price? I guess there is a lot of content.. but $50 a disc for a standard 4:3 upscale you can do yourself is a bit steep.

[Mr March]

There is an objective and verifiable difference in resolution between DVD and HD, aspect ratio is irrelevant. DVD is 480 lines of resolution, HD is 1080 lines. No upscaling of any DVD release is going to look as good as a genuine HD release from a new HD scan of the original film materials. An aspect ratio can be 5:3, 4:3, 2.40:1, 16:9, 16:10...it doesn't matter and has zero effect on the actual physical lines of resolution in standard definition versus high definition (or even 4 K for that matter).

Now...whether or not an individual Macross fan subjectively feels HD offers enough to justify purchasing the Blu-Ray set is their own personal value judgement. Some may feel a show as old and low-tech as SDF Macross doesn't benefit "enough" from an HD release the same way far more visually accomplished entertainment from the 1980s can. Fair enough.

[Lavigne]

I have the BDs and DVDs.

The only upscales on the BDs are some of the extras.

The episodic PQ on the BDs is emminently superior to the DVDs.

If the DVDs work for you then that's great, of course, but if you want the show in the best possible state then it's the BDs, without question.

4:3 vs 16:9 - as per above.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Lavigne

[Renato]

Its still 4:3.. no offence to anyones preferences but I really don't see the point of HD in 4:3. I have the Madman DVD box set for Macross and its pretty damn good. I play it on my PC through MPC-64 and get an amazing picture out of them with no trouble at all. The thing about 4:3 is that its already optimized to the max.

Define "optimized to the max".

I have the Madman set as well as the Japanese BD release. The difference is night and day. Apart from the obvious difference in resolution (which means that DVD will never be "optimal" for a HD display), those Madman sets are way, way dated and the colour is over-saturated most times. They (and the Animeigo sets) are worthwhile for two extras, though -- the Ishiguro commentary and the pilot film test footage.

[Paladinrja]

Define "optimized to the max".

I have the Madman set as well as the Japanese BD release. The difference is night and day. Apart from the obvious difference in resolution (which means that DVD will never be "optimal" for a HD display), those Madman sets are way, way dated and the colour is over-saturated most times. They (and the Animeigo sets) are worthwhile for two extras, though -- the Ishiguro commentary and the pilot film test footage.

I don't have a problem with the 4:3 original presentation and its not over saturated on my TV. Its crisp and clean. Being animated I am not really sure what HD would actually bring enough to justify $50 a disc. I guess its an individual choice but it needs to be said. I run the disc through my PC which is hooked up to my TV.

There is an objective and verifiable difference in resolution between DVD and HD, aspect ratio is irrelevant. DVD is 480 lines of resolution, HD is 1080 lines. No upscaling of any DVD release is going to look as good as a genuine HD release from a new HD scan of the original film materials. An aspect ratio can be 5:3, 4:3, 2.40:1, 16:9, 16:10...it doesn't matter and has zero effect on the actual physical lines of resolution in standard definition versus high definition (or even 4 K for that matter).

Now...whether or not an individual Macross fan subjectively feels HD offers enough to justify purchasing the Blu-Ray set is their own personal value judgement. Some may feel a show as old and low-tech as SDF Macross doesn't benefit "enough" from an HD release the same way far more visually accomplished entertainment from the 1980s can. Fair enough.

If its cut from the source then yeah, it would definitely benefit from a HD release in 16:9 just for all the stuff that was cut out around the edges. However as you say, its an old series produced before new techniques using computers were even on the cards. I think its fair to put it out there that some thought needs to be given as to whether its actually worth $50 a disc based on that alone.

[Mr March]

Like I said, it all depends upon the individual's perspective. I know it's unpopular to most, but the fact of the matter is that unless you've seen SDF Macross presented in it's original 35mm/16mm, you've been watching a sub-optimal version going all the way back to the first home video format of SDFM in the 1980s. Yes, even blu-ray is a compromised format that doesn't have the resolution necessary to reproduce digitally the true PPI of the original film itself. And we won't have that for many years yet to come, even with 4k on the horizon. The original analog film for much of the entertainment we watch has an "equivalent" resolution far beyond even the digital displays we will be capable of building for the next few decades.

That's why folks like me get really excited when our favorite films are released in the next greatest digital format, because each time we get to see a little more of what is originally on that developed film

Now, SDF Macross on its 16mm, low budget animated film was never meant to look anywhere near something like, say Ridley Scott's Alien shot just 3 years prior. But for now - for right now - the best digital format is still lagging behind to produce a true version of our beloved anime.

[Paladinrja]

Like I said, it all depends upon the individual's perspective. I know it's unpopular to most, but the fact of the matter is that unless you've seen SDF Macross presented in it's original 35mm/16mm, you've been watching a sub-optimal version going all the way back to the first home video format of SDFM in the 1980s. Yes, even blu-ray is a compromised format that doesn't have the resolution necessary to reproduce digitally the true PPI of the original film itself. And we won't have that for many years yet to come, even with 4k on the horizon. The original analog film for much of the entertainment we watch has an "equivalent" resolution far beyond even the digital displays we will be capable of building for the next few decades.

That's why folks like me get really excited when our favorite films are released in the next greatest digital format, because each time we get to see a little more of what is originally on that developed film

Now, SDF Macross on its 16mm, low budget animated film was never meant to look anywhere near something like, say Ridley Scott's Alien shot just 3 years prior. But for now - for right now - the best digital format is still lagging behind to produce a true version of our beloved anime.

Well hang on a second. Don't you think the production team kinda has some idea of what their target presentation is, when producing the show? Pretty sure thats a big consideration for production targets.

Even after the final edit is cut I am pretty sure it goes through post processing to format. So what really is likely to be a HD of that given its still in 4:3? Not a lot right.

[Gubaba]

I've seen it. It's MILES beyond the AnimEigo restoration and the 2007 Bandai DVDs.

[Tochiro]

Like several others here, I own both the Madman DVDs and the Japanese Bluray boxset and can confirm that the Blurays look remarkably clearer. You can almost differentiate the cells on the more detailed episodes.

It's not as good a remaster as, say, the Orguss Blurays, but those obviously came from much much better preserved source material.

Oh and I am watching on a very specifically tuned TV which has individually tweaked settings for BD, gaming, DVD, broadcast etc. I watched both formats on said TV multiple times as well.

Now, whether or not one thinks that the upgrade is worth it to them, especially at Japanese media prices, that's a personal judgement call. In terms of image quality however, there is an undeniable improvement.

For me it was worth it plus I enjoy supporting the franchise.

[nhyone]

I have the Madman DVD box set for Macross and its pretty damn good. I play it on my PC through MPC-64 and get an amazing picture out of them with no trouble at all.

If the Maxman DVDs are the same as the AnimEigo, I'm sorry to say something is wrong. It is edge-enhanced so strongly that I can't bear to watch it on LCD displays.

I think that considering its being released in HD at those prices? The least they could do is cut from the original print because 4:3 is not the way these old shows were shot. They were shot, edited and tracked in a much larger format. Truth is during optimization for old 4:3 screens they actually would have chopped the TV edit from the source. They could very easily use that same asset and give us 16:9 in high res and STILL have plenty of screen cut.

You might have some misunderstanding. The original aspect ratio is 4:3. HD means at least 720p, it does not have to be 16:9.

Is it really worth the price? I guess there is a lot of content.. but $50 a disc for a standard 4:3 upscale you can do yourself is a bit steep.

IMO, the 2008 Bandai remastered DVD is good enough. It is not as crisp as the blu-ray, but Macross is a relatively low-detailed show (as is most TV anime). This is where I disagree with Mr March.

Of course, it was equally expensive and is now OOP.

Update: I just briefly skimmed through AnimEigo epsiode 1 and the EE was visible, but not that obtrusive. It was different from what I remembered a few years ago. But the color is exactly like what others have described -- oversaturated and bluish.

Edited September 17, 2015 by nhyone

[Gubaba]

...for those who didn't buy it.

[Mr March]

Well hang on a second. Don't you think the production team kinda has some idea of what their target presentation is, when producing the show? Pretty sure thats a big consideration for production targets.

Even after the final edit is cut I am pretty sure it goes through post processing to format. So what really is likely to be a HD of that given its still in 4:3? Not a lot right.

Yes, the production was constrained by the mass market media of the era, for both broadcast and home video. Yet it was still made on 35mm/16mm film nonetheless, not Betamax tape (and thank gawd for that!). The state of technology at the time is irrelevant, particualrly now that those constraints no longer exist and thankfully the original was made on film.

And again, the 4:3 aspect ratio makes no difference in digital resolution between SD and HD. It's just an aspect ratio, not resolution nor PPI.

IMO, the 2008 Bandai remastered DVD is good enough. It is not as crisp as the blu-ray, but Macross is a relatively low-detailed show (as is most TV anime). This is where I disagree with Mr March.

Like I said, that's the individual's decision to make about the objective differences between an SD product vs. an HD product. If it were another production, I might even agree with you. But this is Macross and I'm as much an enthusiast about it as one can be. Even though Macross is a very low-budget anime from the 80s, I want the BEST VERSION of that low-budget anime from the 80s.

If Big West allowed it - and I could afford it - I'd purchase a complete 16mm copy of the entire series for myself and project it in my home theatre. So I could always watch the series exactly as it was made, without settling for a VHS, or a laser disk, or a DVD, or a blu-ray...not even settling for a 4k version. But the original - never better and never worse - as it was and will always be. The tragedy is not that the blu-ray isn't "worth it", it's that most of us will never see the original Macross series in it's full 16mm glory. THAT'S why there are those of us who want the best version possible and keep hoping technology will get so good that eventually we'll have the opportunity to see a truly faithful reproduction.

It is a dream that I have

[Paladinrja]

You might have some misunderstanding. The original aspect ratio is 4:3. HD means at least 720p, it does not have to be 16:9.

Actually it may just be that people are leaping to that conclusion because of an overall point I made. I have bought this series many times. I don't see the point in buying it again unless they cut 16:9 from the source. My bad if my wording implied that this was somehow tied to HD.

Afaiac, the madman box set is actually really good and if anyone wants to scale up to HD 4:3 then Handbrake can very easily do this. As had been stated. Its an old anime and rather simple at that. I just think its pause for reconsideration before anyone rushes out to spend another $50 per disc. That said, if one doesn't already own the series, then there is no reason to not buy it. The series has never been cheap.

For me personally? My viewing pane is now 16:9 screen fit and I was always an adopter of the widescreen format as soon as it came out. I like that cinematic feel. If anyone feels the way I do then its a point worth considering.

[JB0]

I'd just like to note the film frames are 4:3. Only way to get a 16:9 release that isn't cropped down from 4:3 is to reassemble the cels and photograph the whole show again. Which ain't happenin'.

[Mr March]

Oh, if that's what you actually meant about the aspect ratio, than that's fine. That wasn't what was coming across in your posts

To add to JB0's reply, SDF Macross was drawn/created in a 4:3 aspect ratio and not for any other format. The animation process is such that there is no extra painting or animated material (at least, not in any significant form) outside that 4:3 frame from which to build a widescreen version. This is not a case like live action film, where widescreen cameras were used to shoot a particular production and then edited for 4:3 after the fact. The best example of that would be HBO's series The Wire, which was a 4:3 show as per the creator's wishes, but was expanded to widescreen for the HD release using footage that was previously cut.

In the case of SDF Macross, Big West would have to draw/animate additional material that doesn't currently exist outside of the 4:3 frame in order to fill a 16:9 frame for a widescreen release. Like JB0 has said, that's is not going to happen. We'd see a completely new animated rebuild of all of SDF Macross animation before we'd see something like that.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Mr March

[Paladinrja]

I'd just like to note the film frames are 4:3. Only way to get a 16:9 release that isn't cropped down from 4:3 is to reassemble the cels and photograph the whole show again. Which ain't happenin'.

If thats the case then so be it. However, its traditional for the source master to be much larger than the cuts. If that is the case then the source could be scaled to anything they want. Which is where Mr March was coming from. I am not sure what kind of finishing there would be post processing but it would be good to see this series in 16:9. That too me, more than simply HD would actually be something to see.

Oh, if that's what you actually meant about the aspect ratio, than that's fine. That wasn't what was coming across in your posts

To add to JB0's reply, SDF Macross was drawn/created in a 4:3 aspect ratio and not for any other format. The animation process is such that there is no extra painting or animated material (at least, not in any significant form) outside that 4:3 frame from which to build a widescreen version. This is not a case like live action film, where widescreen cameras were used to shoot a particular production and then edited for 4:3 after the fact. The best example of that would be HBO's series The Wire, which was a 4:3 show as per the creator's wishes, but was expanded to widescreen for the HD release using footage that was previously cut.

In the case of SDF Macross, Big West would have to draw/animate additional material that doesn't currently exist outside of the 4:3 frame in order to fill a 16:9 frame for a widescreen release. Like JB0 has said, that's is not going to happen. We'd see a completely new animated rebuild of all of SDF Macross animation before we'd see something like that.

Yah, like I said. my bad. If its actually true that the source itself was constrained to 4:3 then I guess yeah, there is no chance of ever seeing it in 16:9.

Edited September 17, 2015 by Paladinrja

[Scyla]

Wouldn't it be funny that they can't cut the series into 16:9 because otherwise they would show the camera/sound crew that filmed SDF:M and the extras that wait for their entrance.

[Renato]

In the case of SDF Macross, Big West would have to draw/animate additional material that doesn't currently exist outside of the 4:3 frame in order to fill a 16:9 frame for a widescreen release. Like JB0 has said, that's is not going to happen. We'd see a completely new animated rebuild of all of SDF Macross animation before we'd see something like that.

As this bleeds into the other hot topic that's going on right now, let me take this opportunity to point out that Big West does not draw/animate anything. It is an advertising agency that only serves as the rights-holder and license-manager for Macross, it doesn't do any hands-on production.