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B5 DVD's?

B5 DVD\'s?

Sorry if this has already been brought up. I don't really have time to go and read other posts these days. But could someone please inform me on what the deal is with the B5 DVD situation? I know that there was talk as to weather or not they would release the series but have they gotten the green light for that yet?

Thanks,
HockeyPlayer47
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by HockeyPlayer47:
<font color=yellow>But could someone please inform me on what the deal is with the B5 DVD situation? I know that there was talk as to weather or not they would release the series but have they gotten the green light for that yet?</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>
As far as I know, the situation is the same as before - i.e. no official announcement, or no official word at all really. Just some rumours that there will be DVDs later in the year - that's it, really.
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kribu:
<font color=yellow>As far as I know, the situation is the same as before - i.e. no official announcement, or no official word at all really. Just some rumours that there will be DVDs later in the year - that's it, really.</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>

*nods* Does anyone know when an official announcement as to this might be imminent ? Just wondering if anyone has any "inside-information" .. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

Guess we`ll have to wait patiently , all of us .. /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

Well, we don't have an official announcement, but we do have a little bit more than the usual anonymous internet rumors.

JMS reported that Warner Bros. was doing preliminary work to prep the episodes for DVD release on the very day that the first DVD was released in the U.S. At that point they were only two or three episodes from finishing this work on S1. Since the DVD had only officially gone on sale a few hours before JMS posted his message, WB could only have made the decision to spend the money on this preliminary work because pre-orders of disc #1 were very good.

Since then The Digital Bits, one of the most-respected DVD news sites on the 'web, has run two stories on the status of the B5 DVDs:

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>1/25/02

Looks like Warner will finally make all you Babylon 5 fans happy, by releasing the complete first season of the series on DVD this fall. We're waiting for more details on this release, but we've been told Warner intends to release a lot of TV product before the year is over. And word is they're happy with sales of the single B5 disc they've released thus far. The B5: Legend of the Rangers fan site's heard something similar, so we'll keep a close eye on the situation.

(c) copyright 2002, The Digital Bits, Inc.<hr></blockquote>

As noted in the story, our own Antony was hearing much the same thing from his, independent, sources at the same time The Bits was talking to Warner Home Video in Burbank.

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>3/5/02

We've got word of more TV product coming on DVD later this year. Bits reader John B. send us proof that Columbia House is offering both Babylon 5 and I Love Lucy as TV series that you can collect on DVD through them. Our sources tell us that more Babylon 5 episodes will be released widely in stores on DVD by Warner later this year. They also tell us that Paramount plans to debut I Love Lucy as well (sometime in the summer). More when we have it...

(c) copyright 2002 The Digital Bits, Inc.<hr></blockquote>

Paramount has since confirmed the release of I Love Lucy, as reported in the story above, and The Bits was one of the first sites with accurate information on the Star Trek: TNG full-season releases. It is clear that Bill Hunt and company have good sources at the studios.

So there is little doubt that the discs are coming, and before the end of the year. Unfortunately, that's all we know at this point. If "this fall" means September, Warner Bros. likely won't officially announce the first set of episodes or the specifications until June or July, when they solicit orders from dealers and distributors. Of course, news may leak to sites like The Bits before then, or they may allow JMS to confirm details ahead of the official announcement.

The Columbia House release will be their usual 2-episodes per disc subscription deal, the same as their VHS releases of various TV series. This is a business model peculiar to CH, and doesn't necessarily reflect Warner Bros. plans for their own retail edition of the show. I believe that they will release the series in full season boxed sets. But I don't know what extras, if any, will be included.

If you'd like to encourage WB to do right by B5, and suggest the kind of presentation (extras, sound format, etc.) that would make it worth your while to buy the discs, drop a letter to Doug Wadleigh at this address:

Mr. Douglas Wadleigh
Vice-President, Marketing and Special Features
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522

Regards,

Joe
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

Thank you very much , Joseph - for that comprehensive reply /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

Has there been any announcements made by Columbia House regarding when they're going to start releasing the Babylon 5 DVDs? I signed up for the series at the very beginning of last month but I haven't gotten any confirmation as to when they're going to start producing/sending out the DVDs or even whether or not I've been enrolled in the club.
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

Columbia House is nortoriously slow and disorganized about this kind of thing. When some people called or e-mailed them several weeks ago for details, their customer service department wasn't even aware that they were offering B5 on DVD, and kept trying to sign people up for the VHS version. Their web site still doesn't list B5 on DVD, although it does show the I Love Lucy discs.

At this point, they may not have a firm release date in mind, and may just be waiting to see how many orders they receive before they actually commit to producing the discs. If the number is too low, they can always send out a letter of apology saying that they won't be offering B5 "at this time." I believe they've done that sort of thing in the past. OTOH they may be trying to avoid the problem they had with the first VHS tape - when they produced far too few of them and shipments were delayed for months while they ramped up production.

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>I signed up for the series at the very beginning of last month but I haven't gotten any confirmation...<hr></blockquote>

Since you've actually signed up, you probably have a better chance of finding out what's going on than the rest of us do. You might try calling CH to find out what the status of your order is. I signed up for the VHS release when they first offered it, and they were so swamped with orders that they lost mine - which I didn't find out until months later. By the time they'd straightened things out the first tape was on back-order (they had grossly underestimated demand.) When my first tape finally arrived it was not the original version of The Gathering, which they had initially carried, but the revised version. (Warner Bros. had switched masters on them while the tape was on back-order.) Since getting the original was the only reason I'd signed up, I immediately quit. I didn't want the show on VHS anyway - I was already lobbying Warner Bros. for a DVD release at that point. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

Regards,

Joe
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

Thanks for the information. Yeah, I remember trying to sign up for the DS9 VHS Club before but was told that it had been discontinued due to low interest(?). I did try contacting Columbia House via e-mail about this issue and asked them if they received my order and they responded with an e-mail(which more or less sounded like a non-specific response) stating that it may take up to 6 weeks to process my application and for me to contact them again after this time if I have not heard from them yet. I have attempted to contact them several times by phone, however it seems like I never get to talk to anybody because I get told by the operator that they are unable to connect me to a CSR and that I would need to contact them via e-mail. It seems like their customer service division is starting to go downhill or they're getting so swamped with orders, etc. that they can't handle any calls, not mine anyway. Well, thanks for responding to my post and I'll fill everybody in on any new information. :)
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by butlerd:
<font color=yellow>Has there been any announcements made by Columbia House regarding when they're going to start releasing the Babylon 5 DVDs? I signed up for the series at the very beginning of last month but I haven't gotten any confirmation as to when they're going to start producing/sending out the DVDs or even whether or not I've been enrolled in the club.</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>

Got a URL for the signup at CH? I'm interested in finding out the details about this release (how many episodes per shipment, and whether it's the 4:3 release like the Laserdiscs, or if it's the Sci-Fi Widescreen release).
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Got a URL for the signup at CH? I'm interested in finding out the details about this release (how many episodes per shipment, and whether it's the 4:3 release like the Laserdiscs, or if it's the Sci-Fi Widescreen release).
<hr></blockquote>

As noted above, none of these details are available - the CH website doesn't even list B5 on DVD as being available, and their customer service reps (if you can even reach one) don't have any information on this release. The website is www.columbiahouse.com, but you won't find much there. Also the only disc they are offering at this point is The Gathering, so it will likely be awhile before information on the episodes is available to CH employees, even after they have information on the first disc.

According to the CH mailing this is going to be their standard subscription release (as also noted above): One disc containing 2 episodes (or one TV movie) shipped every six weeks or so at twenty-something dollars plus shipping. That's over $1,000 for the complete set, probably double what the WB release will cost. Of course, if you want to cherry-pick individual episodes, this might be the way to go.

CH doesn't create its own DVD masters, they take what the studios give them. Therefore I suspect that the episodes will be in widescreen, since WB established the precedent by releasing ItB in 16:9 anamorphic and is likely mastering the episodes the same way. This is also JMS's preference, and WB has followed his wishes in the past. (Withdrawing the original Gathering from CH after the initial inventory of their tape was exhausted, and stopping work on the original version for DVD when JMS objected.)

Regards,

Joe
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

Bad news folks! It looks like Columbia House won't be offering Babylon 5 on DVD after all. I received a new mailing about TV series on video and Babylon 5 was not listed as being available on DVD in this mailing, so I wrote to Columbia House and here is their response:

"Correspondence that was recently sent to you
contained incorrect information regarding the
reinstatement or enrollment in BABYLON 5 DVD.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer this series.
Please accept our apology."

So, it looks we're on our own again, at least until (or if) Warner starts their own release on the series on DVD, which, from what I'm hearing on this board and elsewhere sounds likely fairly soon. Hopefully, they will release the series fairly rapidly like they appear to be doing with the Star Trek:TNG DVD boxed set. Anyway, if you think about it, it's probably better to be able to buy them as boxed season sets (if this is how they ultimately decide to release them, which they most likely will). Going the Columbia House route, it would probably take a long time to get to some of the really good episodes in seasons 3 & 4 if you're only getting 2 episodes every 4-6 weeks. So, it's probably not that big of a tragedy but the thought of owning Babylon 5 episodes, even if it were only 2 at a time was very tantalizing, especially not knowing when an official release of the series is forthcoming.
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

Don't anybody hold their breath cause I won't believe it until I see them and go out to the store and by them until then it's just heresay.
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

For practical reasons, I'm trying not to believe in it too much either, but somehow, I just cling to the 'hearsay', the legend/myth, if you will. It's something that I hope and would like to believe will happen - almost like how some people look to their religion's Second Coming. /ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

So, if waner do release season 1. Dose that mean that we WILL get all five seasons? Or dose it mean that each season must sell well in order for the next season to be released? So we could get stuck with just one season or somthing? Anybody know?
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Does that mean that we WILL get all five seasons? <hr></blockquote>

Well, given that the release is happening on planet Earth, I'd have to say "Not necessarily." There are very few certainties in life. The networks don't promise that each TV show is going to run for 10 years when it debuts, computer companies don't promise that a given model is going to be available forever, and car companies don't promise that your car is going to last thirty years. Nobody "owes" us this kind of promise, nor should we expect a business to continue to release a product that they're losing money on. If I were a shareholder in such a company, I'd be royally pissed off if they did.

Each season will undoubtedly be released based on the sales of the previous season, just as the S1 release was contingent on how well the first movie disc sold. That's the approach Fox has been taking with X-Files.

Granted, Paramount has a very agressive release schedule for ST:TNG, but that is Star Trek, which is the 600 pound gorilla of genre TVs shows. The usual rules don't apply. (Paramount knows that they could sell a dead cat to "X" number of fans if they slapped a Trek logo on it. Hell, millions of people watched Voyager every week, and that pretty much was a dead cat with a Trek logo slapped on it. People even bought their miserable release of ST:TOS, and they know that a lot more people want boxed sets with extras than 2-episode single discs with nada.)

Waiting for the sales figures on each season before going on to the next would simply prudence on the part of WHV. (They didn't cancel the VHS and LD releases because they're mean, nasty people who hate their fans - they cancelled them because the fans stopped buying them.)

However, the DVD situation is going to be significantly different, so I'm confident that if S1 sells, we'll get the entire series. OTOH if enough people sit on their hands and refuse to buy S1, we won't. You're going to have to take a chance if you want the whole series.

1) The DVDs will almost certainly be released in full seasons, in order, so we won't have the bizarre situation we did with the tapes and LDs, which I believe hurt sales even before talk of an eventual DVD release killed them.

2) There is no superior format on the horizon that will make people hesitate to buy the DVDs. (Forget HD-DVD. Despite the hype that is still a laboratory curiosity, not a format, and hardly anyone owns an HDTV set to watch the discs on. Maybe in five or ten years HD-DVD will be something more, but even then it will just be starting to penetrate the market, judging by the rate at which HDTVs are selling and the TV industry is moving towards hi-def programming.)

3) The broad consensus among fans is that S1 is one of the weaker seasons, S2, S3 and S4 are fantastic, and S5 spends too much time on the Telepath arc before building to a strong finish with the last dozen or so episodes. Both S1 and S5 are criticized for having too many stand-alone episodes and not enough arc - S1 as mere "build up", S5 as mere "denoument" S1 and S5 are also the only seasons that were released in their entirety on VHS and LD in the U.S.

That makes them the seasons that the budget concious and the arc fanatics are most likely to skip - and they're more likely to skip S1 than S5 because, whatever their reservations about the Teep Arc, it is the conclusion of the story and contains some great episodes, especially in the second half.

Based on the above analysis, I'd say that S1 will probably sell the fewest copies of any of the seasons. Which means that if it sells enough to justify a release for S2, there is virtually no chance that sales are going to drop off enough to stop the release short of S5. They should keep going up each season with - perhaps - a slight drop-off at S5. (At which point, who cares? It isn't like there are subsequent seasons that depend on S5 sales.)

At worst we're likely to end up with two TV movies and an entire season of the show in DVD quality, on a medium that won't deteriorate, and for far less money than the tapes or LDs would have cost - assuming that sales for S1 are lousy. That's the absolute worst-case scenario if you risk $100 bucks or so buying S1. At best we get the whole series and all the TV movies, plus some extras.

But, again, the more people who "hold out" and want to see the whole series released before they buy any of them, the worse our chances of getting them all. S1 is the only real hurdle. After that, sales should be self-sustaining.

I'm hoping the WHV itself realizes this, and that they'll turn the seasons around a lot faster than Fox has done with X-Files. (In Fox's case the every-six-months schedule is also a function of production capacity and competing projects.) I'm hoping WHV manages a season every three months, which would complete the series in little more than a year. (An every-other-month schedule, ala TNG would be even nicer, but I'm not sure that WHV is that bold, or that confident.)

Regards,

Joe
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

I'm not so certain having seasons come out faster than every six months would be a good thing. Once I get out of college and get a real job a hundred bucks every once in awhile may not be too much to swing but I don't know how much I'd would be as willing in a shorter amount of time. I'm sure I'm not on the margin of people willing to purchase sets either.
 
Re: B5 DVD\'s?

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Once I get out of college and get a real job a hundred bucks every once in awhile may not be too much to swing but I don't know how much I'd would be as willing in a shorter amount of time.<hr></blockquote>

Well, there's no law that says you have to buy each set as it arrives. The first X-Files set was released in May 2000 and you can still buy it, after all. /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif As long as they're still selling, the sets will stay "in print" and that should give each of us time to pick them up at our own pace.

Regards,

Joe
 

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