Robin of Sherwood (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Mayer]

As a young lad, Showtime has this as an original series (although it was truly a BBC show). I don't remember a lot, except that I really liked it and it had a great ending. Doing a little research, I see that the end was actually the S2 end, and there was another season with another actor. I vaguely remember that. It was quite mystical and Celtic. I'd love to see it again.

Apparently, this has a UK release. Any chance it'll see a R1 release?

IMDB link

Ever?
Chuck

 

[Greg S]

Awesome show and I loved it!

The second run actor was Jason Connery as I recall, the first being Michael Praed.

The entire series in NTSC Region can be gotten here (and only here AFAIK)

http://www.networkdvd.co.uk/product....28&PROD_ID=184

I want to order this something terrible but $200 for it is awfully steep!

Greg

 

[WillLon]

I wouldn't wait on a R1 release. It'll likely never happen... (MHO)

I recommend purchasing a multi-region DVD player and the R2 DVD release. DVD player would run you about $90 or so at Target. (There are other worthwhile R2 releases, so this wouldn't necessarily be a new player just for this DVD set.)

The episodes *are* at the correct film speed of 24 frames per second, unlike nearly all R2 PAL film source releases. They also feature excellent surround soundtracks.

It'll cost you $127 post paid from amazon.co.uk, arriving within 7 days of purchase (my experience).

Well worth the money if you're already familar with the show.

Though you'd end up paying about $200 this way, too. ;-)

 

[Ben King]

IMO, Robin Of Sherwood is an excellent show and well worth taking a look at. Pity about the high price of Network's NTSC release though.

 

[Carlo S]

An excellent series it is.

I own the R2 Pal releases.

I think it clearly is the best robin hood series ever made.

Possibly one of the best eps in the series was the 2 parter The Swords of Wayland.

 

[Marko Berg]

Can you elaborate on how this has been achieved for this DVD set? As far as I know it's impossible.

 

[WillLon]

I have no idea how it was achieved. I was surprised and delighted when I realized the sound was indeed at the correct speed. [I'm pitch sensitive when it comes to music.]

The increase in sound pitch from 24 frames to 25 frames per second would be quite noticeable on a show like this as there is plenty of music throughout most scenes.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Was this series shot totally on film? I would've assumed it was like all British TV of the time period: exteriors shot on film, and studio-based scenes shot on videotape.

If that's the case, the videotaped bits would be playing back at the correct rate anyway. PAL speedup only concerns film.

These DVDs were probably mastered from the original PAL broadcast videotapes anyway, so they would play back at the same speed as originally broadcast. These PAL tapes were probably converted to NTSC tapes for broadcast on Showtime (rather than being converted from film elements), so that also could explain why no one notices any speed-up.

It's also possible that the film sections were pitch-corrected, where the soundtrack is tweaked to sound right, although the footage still plays 4% faster. I remember reading in an old DreamWatch Bulletin about the early CIC Video releases of Star Trek The Next Generation and about how they went back and pitch-corrected the episodes either for the re-release or for later volumes. Network are known for doing a lot of restoration work to various titles.

Likely, though, the series was probably just mastered from the original tapes, and Showtimes tapes were probably converted from those rather than film (as that's a lot less expensive and is far more common for TV distribution), so the shows would've played at the same speed all along.

 

[PhilipG]

The explanation is quite simple: the series was shot on film at 25fps!

 

[alan halvorson]

At this moment, Robin of Sherwood is available for 39.99 pounds (actually, 37.11 with shipping after VAT is removed. That's $63.76 US), at Amazon UK. It's listed as Region 0 PAL. I'd get it today before the price goes up.

 

[Greg S]

AGREED. That 2 parter was my introduction to the show when a local video store got that VHS tape in as a rental (MANY, MANY, MANY moons ago) and I was hooked and always wanted to see more. I managed to see Herne's Son and one other VHS tape but that was all that had ever surfaced in my area so I had kinda forgotten about it up until about a year ago when I caught the discussion of the Network Video release.

Glad its available but sorry its so expensive!

Greg

 

[Greg S]

There is an ebay auction for this title right now as well.

$89.95 + $9.95 shipping.

I have emailed the seller to get more details

CLICK HERE

I am hoping this is on the up and up as I would definitely pay $100 for an NTSC version of this set.

Greg

 

[alan halvorson]

Hmmmmmm .... My set is NTSC Region 1. Also #300 of a limited edition of 2500. Cost more than $100, I'm pretty certain. Not for sale though.

That Ebay auction is actually for a 9 disc set, assuming it's the same as mine - one disc of extras. The cover looks exactly like mine except that it has PG in a triangle in the lower left. Mine is blank so be certain that this is the real deal. The box and all discs will say Region 1 NTSC.

Greg: That Ebay listing says the seller has 20 available. On the downside, user id's are kept private, which always makes me suspicious. Since the original run sold out quit a while ago, I wonder if these sets are truly Region 1 NTSC.

 

[Rick P]

I would get the Amazon.uk set for the 39.99 now, it's an exceptional series.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Sounds like a bootleg set, perhaps converted from the PAL originals to NTSC by the seller, not professionally by Network video.

As Rick said, the BBFC "PG" certificate on the jacket artwork seems a dead giveaway that this is a bootleg. The seller probably bought the cheaper PAL set and is making photocopies of the jacket art.

 

[Konstantinos]

Sorry to revive this old thread but I have a question:

As I undestand it since this is a British TV series and the music in the PAL DVDs matches the pitch of the music on the cd, then this was originally shot at 25fps, right?

So, I would like to buy the UK blurays of this series, but I'm confused concerning the frame rate they are in.
Network's site says:

This High Definition title is presented in 50i to preserve the pace and timing of the original UK broadcast.

These discs will work in all UK Blu-ray players, but anyone buying from overseas should check their A/V set-up is compatible before purchasing.

http://networkonair.com/shop/1246-robin-of-sherwood-michael-praed-blu-ray-.html
But a member in the other forum sasys he has the UK blurays and there is no 50i content.
Can a second person here verify that?

Since I don't have a problem playing the various framerates, I hope the Bluray is indeed at 25fps (as Network says) since it's the original.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Sorry to revive this old thread but I have a question:

As I undestand it since this is a British TV series and the music in the PAL DVDs matches the pitch of the music on the cd, then this was originally shot at 25fps, right?

So, I would like to buy the UK blurays of this series, but I'm confused concerning the frame rate they are in.
Network's site says:

http://networkonair.com/shop/1246-robin-of-sherwood-michael-praed-blu-ray-.html
But a member in the other forum sasys he has the UK blurays and there is no 50i content.
Can a second person here verify that?

Since I don't have a problem playing the various framerates, I hope the Bluray is indeed at 25fps (as Network says) since it's the original.

It seems there is conflicting information out there, even from Network themselves (their packaging says 1080pHD on the back, even though 1080p isn't possible with 50hz.

As for how the show was shot...just because it was shot on 16mm, no one should just assume that means it was shot 24fps. It all depends on the production. Lew Grade (ITC) had most of their shows shot only on film and at 24fps, as they were big in international syndication and wanted worldwide compatibility, so all those shows were shown "sped-up" on UK television.

Shows shot on film for a primarily British audience (or film inserts for studio-bound shows, like Doctor Who) were always shot at 25fps, so they would match-up with the 50hz PAL studio material. So those bits of film were not sped-up on UK television. In fact, any such film released on a blu-ray at 24fps would be slowed down if presented that way, rather than sped-up. A perfect example of a UK show slowed-down for blu-ray is the two blu-ray releases for recent Doc Martin seasons. They sound horrible compared to the original broadcasts (and UK DVD releases).

So, if Sherwood was shot at 24fps, then 24p is what we should want on the blu-rays. If it was shot at 24fps, though, 1080i/50 would have been the best presentation (though you could never release it that way in the US thanks to the US's bone-headed incompatibility issues).

 

[Konstantinos]

If it was shot at 24fps, though, 1080i/50 would have been the best presentation (though you could never release it that way in the US thanks to the US's bone-headed incompatibility issues).

You mean 25fps, right?

Still, i'm almost sure it was shot at 25fps since the music on the cd matches the music of the Pal framerate.
Or else, I don't think they would have sped up the music on the cd too and raise its pitch.
Anyway, I may have to contact Network to see what content is indeed in those Blurays.

 

[mark27b]

So, I would like to buy the UK blurays of this series

Don't forget the recent full cast audio drama

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/co...d-uk-knights-of-the-apocalypse-cd-dvd.348873/

 

[AndyMcKinney]

You mean 25fps, right?

Not necessarily. Film shot for theatrical exhibition (and international distribution, such as the ITC television shows, or television in 60hz countries, such as any sho-on-film US show) is traditionally shot at 24. 25fps was typically only done for something intended for British television, so it really depends on what the production team decided to do.

So, until we know what frame-rate it was shot at, we won't know what the 'proper' speed is.