Loss of Detail Quality Question

[MrX]

First off I want to say thanks to the people who have created this site, and to all those that have contributed. What you've done preserves the magazines and allows people like myself who don't have the time or the right equipment to enjoy the magazines they already own in a digital format. I noticed while reviewing one of the magazines I downloaded that the quality on it was slightly worse then the ones I made in terms of lost detail and was wondering if anyone could tell me if there are plans to update old scans with higher quality scans where appropriate? Or if one knows why what I am about to show and write about happened?

In order to see what I mean I am going to upload an image showing the difference. First though I will give a text description. Basically there is a background image (full page on left side of open magazine) behind the text that the magazines have which can be barely made out (or not at all) in the scanned versions currently uploaded. Plus it appears as though the color of the text which is clearly a blue/purple color in the magazine for the editors reply text and letter artwork text, where the same text in the scan it looks like it is black.

I don't want to discourage anyone, just wondering if there are plans for better scans, and what might be needed to make that happen.

Here are the ones I made:

Here's what the scanned images for download look like:

If you're wondering how I produced my images read on....What I did was take a large picture frame and remove the picture so I basically had a piece of framed glass. The frame was thick enough to fit a magazine under and then I added some lighting and used a point and shoot camera sitting on a piece of cardboard with a hole cut out and a built in timer to take pictures in perfect focus.

[E-Day]

I'll go ahead and say yes, we would like to replace older scans with higher quality ones. But this might not happen for a long time for several reasons:

• There is a lot of other work that needs to be done on the site itself
  
• There are still a lot of magazines that need to be scanned
  
• Getting a hold of the issues needed for rescanning isn't always easy
  

Ideally, we want to have the best quality scans we can get. And over the years we have found ways to improve them. It now basically comes down to time and access. Since the quality of that scan isn't terrible, it wouldn't be a high priority replacement. But personally, I would like to see the best scans on here, even if that means replacing older ones. But that takes a lot of time and effort; things that are being funneled to other things at the moment.

If someone else has found scans that could use a replacement and they have that issue, they can scan it themselves, and then ask someone else to do the editing and touch-ups. Or they could send the magazine to someone willing to do both (as long as they don't expect it back in cases of perfect bound magazines like Nintendo Power).

[ctophil]

I have found some scans to be in low quality as well. However, I'm just happy to have digital copies of magazines I don't have--stuff that you can't even find on Ebay. I would prefer time and sweat spent on uploading missing issues of Nintendo Power, EGM, and other magazines than re-uploading mags that we already have on the web site.

[E-Day]

Nintendo Power isn't missing any issues under our current rules for cut-off dates .

I wish EGM and GamePro could be filled in. GamePro is only missing a handful of issues.

[MrX]

That's fine. Do whatever you think is best. I personally would like to upload some things this site does not have (last time I checked) like the nintendo power index. I have editions 2 and 3 of the index and its very useful when searching for a specific game and which issues covered it.

I agree that it can be very time consuming to produce, and am very happy for the images already out there. I just wanted to shine some light on the issue so that people investing time and effort to upload magazines don't have their efforts wasted or unnecessarily duplicated.

I'd also like to help maybe even doing the higher quality scans myself, but as it is I looks like I must sell the 60+ issues I own so I don't get evicted. Reviewing how much they are going for on ebay is not encouraging as it seems they are going for like a dollar a magazine which is not really going to be enough. Anyone Interested in buying the issues 26,31,32,40-99 off me for a ridiculous (expensive) price? Perhaps I'll get hired before the month is up, or my landlord will be reasonable. I hate my life right now.