High-definition classic porn?

[babycat]

I was wondering if anyone knows of any high-definition classic porn that exists. I realize that porn films from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, were not filmed in high-definition when they were released, but I am aware that many mainstream movies have been converted into high-definition in recent years. I have downloaded some nude clips of actresses from movies that were made as far back as the 1970s that were converted into high-definition. There are some websites online where you can download movie clips of actresses from movies from past decades in high-definition. However, no high-definition classic porn exists as far as I know. I think that high-definition came into existence around ten years ago, so it hasn't been around that long. I really love high-definition video, and have downloaded some modern porn videoclips from sites and the quality is outstanding. My main frustration is not being able to find any porn films and/or videoclips from classic pornstars such as Christy Canyon in high-definition. I realize that her films can be purchased on DVD, but no high-def video of her's exists. I wouldn't mind being able to see other classic pornstars in high-definition video, but none of the older films have been converted into high-defintion like Hollywood films. Does anyone know of a website or some company to contact in order to make a request for conversion of classic porn films to high-definition?

[CARLTON BROWN]

Babycat, this depends on how the original film was made. If it was shot on something like 16mm film that's been carefully stored, it could almost certainly be used to produce an HD video. If it was shot on low-definition video - 80s onwards, there's really not much you can do to improve the original quality of the material. If the quality isn't there in the first place, you can't add it! Upscaling is not the answer. But it would be nice to see some of the early classics, should there be scope to make improvements.

[gloejoe]

A lot of foreign classic porn published by Alpha France can be found in HD or near HD quality online.

[nbwriter]

Dear Contributors,

Babycat's Question: "Is there any classic porn in high definition?"

It's an interesting question (particularly if you're a geeky video editor like myself. I spend too much time optimizing digital video and messing with compression formats, I can tell you...)

Technically, the answer is "no", when you consider only a few japanese companies began producing true HDTV systems in the 1970s. (Sony and the like). These didnt trickle down to the rest of us until the 1980s. However...

... If the porn studio was using 35mm film to make their productions (before 1970) then each frame of that film would have a resolution of 19.4 megapixels.(This is because a 35mm frame of film is equal to 5400 x 3600 pixels). Just so you can understand how "high-def" that is, a standard 720p "HD camera" only displays images with 921,000 pixels, thats less than 1 megapixel!

I suspect most of the bigger porn studios released DVD quality films (usually 720p or even 460p) in the 1980s. In other words, you'll be lucky to find a "classic movie" even in 720p (less than 1 megapixel) from any studio during that era. Before 1980, when analog cameras were still standard equipment, it would depend entirely on the quality of the camera and film stock the producer decided to use.

These days TV manufacturers are moving towards 4K (8.3 megapixels) and even 8K (33.2 megapixels) display systems, known as "Ultra HD". The problem for us mere consumers is that you need both a TV that supports Ultra HD and content that has been produced using high-def cameras to really "feel" the benefits.

Since you mention Christy Canyon, you could probably optimize her film output if it exists in true 720p format. I wont go into the technical details here, unless you get back to me (It takes abit of time to master the software tools needed).

Regards NB.

[Dvder]

An interesting question folks. As you say, wet film stock could, theoretically, be upgraded to an HD format, though having seen the doco produced about restoring The Beatles '60s film 'Help!', it can be hard work for even top-end restorers with top-end source material and top of the range computing power.

Having just spent two days and a few processes before finally getting a reasonably clear and jitter/glitch free enlargement from 520p to 720p from .avi files, I fear that as with Sooty Studios and the many others that embraced electronic video from VHS onward since the 1980s, a lot of classic titles will only be salvageable for the big screen by software methods. If only there were a Hollywood Gloss topcoat filter to apply to cheap,washed out looking video.

[CARLTON BROWN]

Originally Posted by nbwriter

Dear Contributors,

Babycat's Question: "Is there any classic porn in high definition?"

It's an interesting question (particularly if you're a geeky video editor like myself. I spend too much time optimizing digital video and messing with compression formats, I can tell you...)

Technically, the answer is "no", when you consider only a few japanese companies began producing true HDTV systems in the 1970s. (Sony and the like). These didnt trickle down to the rest of us until the 1980s. However...

... If the porn studio was using 35mm film to make their productions (before 1970) then each frame of that film would have a resolution of 19.4 megapixels.(This is because a 35mm frame of film is equal to 5400 x 3600 pixels). Just so you can understand how "high-def" that is, a standard 720p "HD camera" only displays images with 921,000 pixels, thats less than 1 megapixel!

I suspect most of the bigger porn studios released DVD quality films (usually 720p or even 460p) in the 1980s. In other words, you'll be lucky to find a "classic movie" even in 720p (less than 1 megapixel) from any studio during that era. Before 1980, when analog cameras were still standard equipment, it would depend entirely on the quality of the camera and film stock the producer decided to use.

These days TV manufacturers are moving towards 4K (8.3 megapixels) and even 8K (33.2 megapixels) display systems, known as "Ultra HD". The problem for us mere consumers is that you need both a TV that supports Ultra HD and content that has been produced using high-def cameras to really "feel" the benefits.

Since you mention Christy Canyon, you could probably optimize her film output if it exists in true 720p format. I wont go into the technical details here, unless you get back to me (It takes abit of time to master the software tools needed).

Regards NB.

Yes, some good comments above. I guess it depends on what you are willing to accept as HD and obviously anything professionally shot on 35mm will be more than acceptable. Certainly, re-issued 50s movies like Forbidden Planet and North By Northwest look really good on my HD TV.

But I have seen some recent copies of Debbie Does Dallas and Dixie Ray, both from decades ago that look very good and I don't think this will have been originally shot on 35mm - although I can't say.

Aside from that, the only 4K I've seen has been in an electronics store, so this should be interesting for new adult movies, providing the material is worth watching :-)

[escorpiao]

In terms of best image quality the best I've seen has been Private in magazines and some Marc Dorcel movies.

[nbwriter]

Dear Contributors,

I guess it depends on what you are willing to accept as HD

"HD Ready" certification for TVs only came into use in 2004. So, any TV that was purchased after that date will likely be 1080p. Although, technically, anything shot or displayed in 720p (or above) is considered "HD" by the audio-visual industry.

...enlargement from 520p to 720p from .avi files...

AVI format does allow all kinds of video enhancements, but taking the route of enlarging every single pixel via software means utilizes vast amounts of processing power. Even with one of the latest i7 cpus from Intel, to re-encode a clip from 520 to 720p will have your computer grinding through cycles most of the night!

A better route is to find a 720p AVI source (or reformat into AVI with a software tool) then optimize the gamma levels, color saturation, frame fragmentation and header information. The results can be impressive when viewed on a modern 1080p tv.

Just for fun, I took a look at Christy Canyon's studios (since that was Babycat's question) to ascertain if her content has been released in true 720p DVD format.

Here's my findings:

According to IAFD, Christy worked in the porn industry between 1984-2011. She was also prolific, featuring in over 200 titles and working for a diverse number of studios.

In theory, this sits her squarely in the DVD era, so all her content should be "DVD quality" (at least 720p, or 0.9 megapixels)

In acutality... Just a brief review of her VEF forum thread indicates almost all of her videos have been reformatted into something nearing HD quality: 640, 700, 480...

So, the only way to ensure Babycat got his HD content of Christy, would be access to the original DVDs (that were then carefully encoded at a resolution of 1280 x 720 in a stable format (like mp4), then uploaded to one of the better forum sites (like our very own VEF).

Unless there's a generous soul who collected all her original DVDs, then had the tech know-how to encode them correctly, Christy fans could have a long wait to enjoy her in true HD.

Kind Regards, NB

[Dvder]

Originally Posted by nbwriter

Dear Contributors,


AVI format does allow all kinds of video enhancements, but taking the route of enlarging every single pixel via software means utilizes vast amounts of processing power. Even with one of the latest i7 cpus from Intel, to re-encode a clip from 520 to 720p will have your computer grinding through cycles most of the night!

A better route is to find a 720p AVI source (or reformat into AVI with a software tool) then optimize the gamma levels, color saturation, frame fragmentation and header information. The results can be impressive when viewed on a modern 1080p tv.

Kind Regards, NB

Very true NB. And believe me, I tried various routes including full screen frame capture from playback, from what looked OK on screen but still produced ghosting and jitters in the output file. But in the end, what's the point of having 4-core computing power and not using it? So the long way it was.

As it turned out, the 520p sections of the material I had available don't look markedly inferior after processing (to me) on a 28" screen compared to the 720p sections of the mashup. Whether that holds true on a 50" screen, I don't know.

If you're interested (and I'm open to any and all advice regarding better video production) I'll post an FF link to my results once I've sorted out the title timing.

[babycat]

Actually, I have found a few classic HD films in the classic movies forum. However, there are still many of the old films that haven't been converted into HD format. At the time that I started this thread, I had not been able to find any classic porn films in HD. I found some in 1280*720 resolution, which is good enough for me. I did find a couple of hardcore films in 1920*1080 resolution. I noticed that the Taboo films from the 1980s were converted into HD format.