Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Captain, they didn't tell us, but Star Trek on FOX has been new in a way you've NEVER seen it before.


It's not quite a Kobayashi Maru, but in the mostly no-win scenario that is South African television, neither Fox International Channels Africa (FIC Africa), DStv or StarSat could be bothered to tell viewers (or possibly even knew), so TV with Thinus will:

Star Trek on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 130) is must-watch television because it is basically a brand-new show and has been broadcast in South Africa for the first time, in a way you've never seen it on television before.

Star Trek - the 60s science fiction series which was shown on the SABC's TV1, then on DStv's GO (the former Vuzu), then on FOX Retro (the discontinued TV channel on StarSat when it launched as TopTV) - is now on FOX in a way South African viewers have never seen it - in high definition (HD).

With the high definition version comes new graphics, enhanced special effects and incredible detail and sharpness since FIC Africa is broadcasting the upgraded, remastered version of Star Trek on FOX. Who knew?

Even StarSat subscribers who don't have FOX as an HD channel, or those DStv subscribers who are not DStv Premium subscribers and who don't receive FOX as a HD channel, receive the benefits of a better Star Trek which is different from what they have ever seen it as before,due to the new graphics and new and enhanced special effects.

A few years ago when GO added Star Trek, the remastered episodes of the Gene Roddenberry show was just completed in America. 

In a media enquiry to the M-Net packaged channel before Star Trek started, I asked whether GO secured the ordinary episodes, or would be playing the enhanced episodes. At the time GO didn't know and (no surprise in hindsight) didn't have the enhanced version.

Now, the much better Star Trek has been on South African TV screens at 14:30 on FOX on weekdays (repeats the next day at 08:45).

Sadly, although hailing frequencies are always open, nobody has taken the effort to tell viewers that what they might perceive as an "old" classic show on FOX' TV schedule, is actually sparkling new and definitely worth watching all over again.


And you've never seen Star Trek on television in South Africa like this before.

From Star Trek's classic opening theme (now just looking so much better) to flyby's and shots of the USS Enterprise in space in this original series has all been done over.

The ship seen in space literally got a touch-up and was improved. So every single planet (planets used to be mostly mono-coloured spheres with no detail or definition) and spacial phenomena brimming with incredible detail in updated effects, making it completely modern.

The colours are fantastic, the prints restored, and the enhanced imaging of every Star Trek episode blends in wonderfully with what was originally there - keeping it true to how the episodes looked, just making it all look fresh and better.