The VHS effect Part 2: The degradation of master tape quality

[Original Raw and Uncut]

A few older members on here claim that way back when Season 2 first aired, episodes didn't have any coloring issues. Season 1 has none of this, since many of you are aware that it's hand painted. However the studio had issues when episodes became electronically colored. People claim that back in the early-00's, Spongebob was banana yellow, and episodes didn't look all dull and degraded. However, the VHS effect is absent in most of season three, and the original recordings of these episodes are all made over 16 years ago. It makes me wonder if the studio started converting episodes using either composite or S-video at them time. I also wonder when they stopped recording episodes on tape. I know that nowadays, they just store episodes files on the computer. Maybe they started storing episodes digitally around season 3, since these episodes are old, but they show no signs of decay. I need a few older SBM members to help. Season 2 has had odd coloring for as far back as I can remember, I remember watching Procrastination in 2008, and it was still extremely pale. People have also claimed that they converted the tapes, when nick went HD, nick went HD around 2009, if I recall. Who here saw season 2 during the early-00's, when did the episodes lose their color.

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

The reason Season 2 episodes look so pale today is because the 2004 DVD boxset had colour problems. Since those have been what people use to go back to the season nowadays, it makes the season as a whole feel older. To me at least, the animation’s not much different to Season 3, which had much better picture quality on its DVD boxset.

 

[FinnDinner]

The reason Season 2 episodes look so pale today is because the 2004 DVD boxset had colour problems. Since those have been what people use to go back to the season nowadays, it makes the season as a whole feel older. To me at least, the animation’s not much different to Season 3, which had much better picture quality on its DVD boxset.

Yeah but doesn't season 2 still look kinda discoloured even on TV? I could've sworn the last episode I saw (The Graveyard Shift) still looked kinda weird, and the only episode that looked off on my DVD was Procrastination/I'm With Stupid.

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

Yeah but doesn't season 2 still look kinda discoloured even on TV? I could've sworn the last episode I saw (The Graveyard Shift) still looked kinda weird, and the only episode that looked off on my DVD was Procrastination/I'm With Stupid.

I’m not in the right position to discuss how the show looks on TV, because my family has a 4K OLED one, and since they don’t specialise in yellow as much as RGB, SpongeBob looks orange no matter what season I watch.

 

[FinnDinner]

I’m not in the right position to discuss how the show looks on TV, because my family has a 4K OLED one, and since they don’t specialise in yellow as much as RGB, SpongeBob looks orange no matter what season I watch.

Oh, welp yeah I think it maybe more coloured for some TVs more than others. If that's the case, only improving the colours of old episodes by Nick would server to help more for others and less for some.

 

[Original Raw and Uncut]

I’m not in the right position to discuss how the show looks on TV, because my family has a 4K OLED one, and since they don’t specialise in yellow as much as RGB, SpongeBob looks orange no matter what season I watch.

I heard that 4K TVs have four color filters instead of three, SDTV and HDTV have RGB, OLED 4K TVs have Red,Green,Blue, and Yellow

 

[EmployeeAMillion]

I heard that 4K TVs have four color filters instead of three, SDTV and HDTV have RGB, OLED 4K TVs have Red,Green,Blue, and Yellow

Maybe not in the PAL region.

 

[Original Raw and Uncut]

Maybe not in the PAL region.

True, but I live in the NTSC, Plus, I have also have a 4K TV, and Spongebob is a normal shade of yellow

 

[LARRY22]

I have already posted this video in the 1st part of the thread, but since this is a part 2, I'll reiterate for people who don't know. A guy called Simply Bob posted a video on YouTube of a clip of "Something Smells" without the audio glitch. The colors look fresh, the quality is decent as well. It's not from a DVD, because those have the audio glitch, so I'm curious where he got this from. This could be an old airing of it, but I'm not sure.

Anyone know where he got this?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4el7DSLqZkc

Here are the 4K Season 1 title cards from the last thread too, for the people who didn't see them. (Which might be the ones from Nick Studios)

 

[LARRY22]

Double-post, lol

I've found a video on YouTube called The SpongeBob History Song, from Just Sponge, and the footage includes a few clips from some of the 1st 100 episodes, I guess for the 9th anniversary? Look at Season 1, aside from the Help Wanted clips, they look clean (Keep in mind that this was before Season 1 was remastered on iTunes or Amazon Prime). Season 2 looks good too, aside from Bubble Buddy and Big Pink Loser, and look at Seasons 4 & 5, there's no sign of degrading quality to be found, and All That Glitters looks normal (Unlike the DVD version).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tolenmiEcNc

 

[Original Raw and Uncut]

Even though seasons 2-3 still use digital ink-and-paint, they look more organic looking than modern spongebob

 

[LARRY22]

Even though seasons 2-3 still use digital ink-and-paint, they look more organic looking than modern spongebob

That's because they drew the images with pencils, on paper, until Pest of the West, when they started using Wacom tablets to draw.

 

[Original Raw and Uncut]

That's because they drew the images with pencils, on paper, until Pest of the West, when they started using Wacom tablets to draw.

Season 4 still looks a lot cleaner than seasons 2-3, season 2 & 3's outlines are faint and have jagged edges, Season 4's outlines are perfectly straight and bold