Restoring Demeter City: The Secrets Behind Our Space Precinct Blu-Ray
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How do you bring Demeter City to Blu-ray when the finished series survives on standard-definition video? The Space Precinct 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition uses an HD upscale of the surviving video masters. Here is the background to that choice, the work behind it and the extras that revisit the production.
Explore the eight-disc Blu-ray edition for its current price, availability and full contents.
From Space Police to Precinct 88
Space Precinct was Gerry Anderson’s final completed live-action television series, combining human performers, elaborate alien animatronics and miniature effects. Its long development began with the Space Police pilot, produced with Christopher Burr in 1986 and starring Shane Rimmer as Lieutenant Chuck Brogan.
A later promotional pilot, Space Police Reloaded, developed the concept further. The eventual 24-episode series was produced at Pinewood in 1994–95, with Ted Shackelford playing Lieutenant Patrick Brogan. The setting, characters and production techniques had evolved along the way; the Space Police hub explores those earlier incarnations.
Why the restoration used video masters
For the anniversary release, Jamie Anderson explained that the series was photographed on 16mm film but edited on video, combining live action with model work and early computer-generated effects. The completed episodes were consequently held as standard-definition video masters.
The team searched archives and storage facilities in the UK and overseas for the original negatives. Jamie reported that those searches had not located the film elements needed to rebuild the episodes from film. The release therefore used the surviving master tapes as the basis for an AI-assisted HD upscale.
The restoration increased the resolution and refined the image through digital processing. The distinction matters when choosing an edition: this is an HD presentation derived from the original standard-definition video masters.
Watch the original anniversary-release trailer:
More than the episodes
The eight-disc set brings together all 24 episodes with English subtitles and Region ABC compatibility. Its extras include the two-hour I Love This Job documentary, the new Slomo mini-episode Little Lost Robot, test footage for the unmade second series, commentaries and earlier Space Police material.
The physical extras include Richard James’ Welcome to Demeter City booklet, Graham Bleathman’s Police Cruiser cutaway poster and replica Demeter City money. See the complete contents and current buying details.
Keep exploring Demeter City
Watch the nine-minute documentary preview, or enter the Space Precinct hub for official episode routes, the characters, Richard James’ memories and further adventures. The hub’s viewing links replace the weekly upload schedule advertised when this article first appeared.
For production and cast context, see Fanderson’s Space Precinct production guide. Join the Anderson Entertainment newsletter for more archive discoveries and new releases.
3 comments
Can I make a fan made reboot of this
Sadly, I have found issues with disc 4 and disc 8 which both show a flash of pixels which spoil the viewing. AE customer service have blamed this not on the Blu ray transfer being at fault, but a consequence of the quality of the available material. I have seen this kind of pixel fault on other Blu ray discs from other brand-new TV and movie releases which boils down to a bad transfer to disc, and not the quality of the source material. I believe this is something that was missed at the quality control stage. It looks like AE will not send any replacement discs to any affected customers.
Was looking forward to getting this. The picture looks very good. But!! This is the first time I’ve had a problem with lip sync which it has a big problem with. Seen 3 disks up to now and all have the problem. Have to jump forward and backwards then the lip sync is ok for that episode. I looked on the internet and looks like I’m not the only one with the problem. This is a shame.