More hope for DVD boxed sets?

First the disclaimers:

1) This had nothing directly to do with B5.

2) This has not been officially confirmed, and so far no other stores are accepting pre-orders for this set.

Now, follow this link.

Up until now, Warner Home Video has released only two TV series on DVD - Friends and Southpark. They have released both in "theme packs" ("The Best of Chef", "Mr. Hanky") or "best of" sets. (Southpark was previously in the hands of Rhino, which was producing individual DVDs, but at least releasing them in chronological order.)

So far Deep Discount is the only retailer accepting pre-orders for this title that I've been able to discover. But we all know that Amazon.com was the only dealer taking orders for the first B5 DVD for a long time, evidently because they listed it before they were supposed to.

If this checks out it may indicate that Warner Bros. has finally bought a clue, and that if they go ahead with a B5 episode release that it will most likely take the form of season-by-season boxed sets.

I'm putting this in the B5 section, because it most directly relates to a release of the series, on DVD, but the moderators can feel free to move it.

Regards,

Joe


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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino:
If this checks out it may indicate that Warner Bros. has finally bought a clue, ...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

*Draal mode on* I hope so! *Draal mode off*

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KoshN
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Vorlon Empire

"To Live and Die in Starlight"
pilot movie for "Babylon 5 - The Legend of the Rangers"
January 19, 2002 at 9PM & 11PM EST, January 20, 2002 at 5PM on The Sci-Fi Channel (US).
http://www.scifi.com/b5rangers/

whilst its certainly a hint of better things to come, it should probably be mentioned that various WB shows have already been released as box sets elsewhere - region 2 at the very least.

its always going to be easier (and more economically viable) to release a dvd that has already been mastered somewhere. there is the question of video standards of course but i'm presuming PAL to NTSC (or vice versa) conversion is a *relatively* simple matter.

so whilst encouraging it would have been *more* encouraging if this was a box set that wasn't previously available...

...or am i just being a nit-picking pedantic party pooper?

cheers!



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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>...or am i just being a nit-picking pedantic party pooper?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, now that you mention it...

1) PAL to NTSC conversion (and vice versa) is not really an option. The results are usually not very good. A DVD has to be mastered separately for each standard.

2) Warner Home Video (U.S.) has absolutely nothing to do with whatever Warner Bros. entity releases product on home video in the U.K. - or those that cover the rest of the world, for that matter. Warner Bros. does not operate as a single company, but as a loose confederation of separate organizations. (These are the people, after all, who managed to launch two distinct and competing television networks - PTEN and The WB.)

3) The video markets in the U.S. and the U.K. are completely different. TV series have always sold well in the U.K. on VHS, so it is to be expected that they would also do well on DVD. TV series have generally done horribly on VHS in the U.S. - the success of a few shows like Star Trek only highlights the failure of most others.

That the DVD market is different is something the studios are only slowly learning, and it is by no means clear that the popularity of "cult" and "arc" shows will carry over into more mainstream fare - especially for shows like Friends where reruns are available several times a day in most U.S. TV markets.

Therefore the existance of boxed sets of TV shows in the U.K. is meaningless in terms of what we'll get in the U.S. Friends over there wasn't released by Warner Home Video, and they are the folks we have to deal with. (If the two markets and the two companies were the same, we would have had B5 on VHS after each season, the way you did.)

That makes this possible Friends news very significant on this side of The Pond.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR> That the DVD market is different is something the studios are only slowly learning, and it is by no means clear that the popularity of "cult" and "arc" shows will carry over into more mainstream fare - especially for shows like Friends where reruns are available several times a day in most U.S. TV markets.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That is a very good point. Why buy Friends when its rerun so many times a day? The same logic doesn't always apply to some Sci-Fi shows. Granted, Friends has a larger fan base, but will they spend the $$$ when its rerun all the time? Sci-Fi fans are more dedicated, more hardcore, and often more likely to.

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'I don't believe in the no-win scenario' - JTK

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Why buy Friends when its rerun so many times a day? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, Friends may not be a terribly good example. More than many sitcoms it does have a bit of an "arc" - though not a planned one - in that the characters, relationships, jobs, etc. change over time. And some threads are evidently carried over from one episode to another. (I say this based on the handful of episodes I've actually seen, since I don't follow the show.) Seinfeld would probably be a better example of a "pure" stand-alone series.

Still, in both cases the actual number of fans who would buy the entire series on DVD - especially if there are extras involved - is probably enough to sustain such a release, even if as a percentage the represent only a tiny minority of the total fan-base. It will be interesting to see how Fox does with its first M*A*S*H season boxed set. Again, the sheer size of the audience, the ability to see the episodes uncut (and without a laugh-track), and any extras included may make it very profitable even if nine out of ten fans are content with watching reruns on "free" TV.

In any event, I find the Friends information encouraging, if it proves out. I have long been convinced (for many reasons) that when and if Warner Home Video released B5 on DVD it would be in the form of boxed sets, but they have surprised me - unpleasantly - in the past, so I there has always been that slight, lingering doubt in the back of my mind. The Deep Discount listing eases my mind considerably. But I'll be happier when I see an announcement from Warner Bros. or other sites start taking pre-orders. And I'll never be really sure of things until I hold that first season boxed set in my hands.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR> And I'll never be really sure of things until I hold that first season boxed set in my hands. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Funny, I never pegged you as a collector of Friends DVDs

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'I don't believe in the no-win scenario' - JTK

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Recoil:
That is a very good point. Why buy Friends when its rerun so many times a day? The same logic doesn't always apply to some Sci-Fi shows. Granted, Friends has a larger fan base, but will they spend the $$$ when its rerun all the time? Sci-Fi fans are more dedicated, more hardcore, and often more likely to.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


in fact i'm quite sure that people will spend the $$$ on Friends DVDs despite the fact that its in constant reruns... i speak from experience thanks to my sister who borrowed the first 'best of' set from a friend, watched all the episodes, and then when one of the eps from that set was on tv the following week still watched it much to my annoyance...


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### Hi, I'm a sig virus. Please add me to the end of your signature so I can take over the world.### - caught from Saps @ B5MG

Update:

The Digital Bits, one of the best DVD news sites, reports the following:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>Yep - it's true. We've confirmed that Warner will soon release Friends: The Complete First Season on DVD! We don't have an official street date, but word is April 30th according to a few retailers. We'll post more details as soon as they're available.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

When I wrote editor Bill Hunt to ask if this meant we were any closer to getting Babylon 5 on DVD he answered, "Possibly. Warner has a LOT of TV product coming in 2002, but that's all they'll tell me so far."

So we're about where we've always been - waiting for news. But the odds of getting what we really want have markedly improved in the past few months. A B5 DVD has been released. In the Beginning was presented in glorious anamorphic widescreen. Now Warner Home Video has abandoned old, bad habits and embraced the full-season boxed set. Things are definitely looking up, though I'm still waiting for that (B5 ) first season set.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

Oh, I hope it's true, Joe! Meanwhile, I bought the Twin Peaks Season 1 boxed-set DVD today, & guess what? The two-hour movie that began the series isn't included--just the next 7 episodes. Does anyone know if the pilot-film is out on DVD?

Tammy

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"We're in here! Can anyone hear us?"
"I hear you." [giggle, laugh]
"In here!"
"We are here." [giggle, laugh]
-- Londo and G'Kar in Babylon 5:"Convictions"

Tammy's Station
http://community.webtv.net/gkarfan/TammysStation

It's fine in this forum Joe D.

As to Friends box sets... well, over here in the UK we're up to about season seven as complete box sets. We British don't take these "best of" crappy things. But we do pay much more, so not all good.

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MPAA: Rated R for bad language, crude humor,
language, sexuality/nudity and drug content.

Mmm... season boxed sets. (Action: Drools)

Add some commentary, behind-the-scenes content, deleted scenes, other DVD extras that were conveniently left out of the recent movie set... and my glee will mutate me into a Minbari.

[Edit] Ugh! Have to remember to disable smilies when I insert action symbols.

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"We are all Kosh"

[This message has been edited by KoshNaranek (edited January 17, 2002).]

The only season Boxed Sets I've gotten were The Simpsons Season One, and Stargate SG-1. Here in the states only Season one is out, while in the UK, they're finishing up season 4. I'm having to order a DVD from Amazon.co.uk, so I can find out what happens to them. But it's worth it.

Rommie


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Keeper of Rommie's Quarters
Commanding Officer of Zeta Squadron
Sworn to Protect the GODDESS
Recipient of the Golden Rommie
"You've just started a war. One you're going to lose." Rommie - All Too Human

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, arial">quote:</font><HR>I'm having to order a DVD from Amazon.co.uk, so I can find out what happens to them.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I trust your DVD player is both region-free and PAL-to-NTSC capable.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net

For those that do not know what is meant by 'region' in the context of DVD and/or CVD, our DVD players and our discs are coded with region codes. This enables content owners, such as Warner Brothers, to release content in one region and prevent people in other regions from playing the content. So, if you buy a DVD in the UK, a different region code from the US I believe, your DVD player would not play it.

I don't know if this is a copy right violation or not but on this link, there are instructions on disabling this feature on many different DVD players:

VCD Help

I've never had the need to try this. I haven't read through the entirety of the instructions. I don't know what the risks are. I don't know what the legal aspects of doing this are. If you choose to do something like this, you do so at your own risk.

Eirik

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It never ends; it only changes!

Eirik:

Your link doesn't work. It has "http://" in it twice. When copying and pasting a web address always make sure that the default "http://" is highlighted, so that it will be overwritten when you paste.

Regards,

Joe

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Joseph DeMartino
Sigh Corps
Pat Tallman Division
joseph-demartino@att.net