WKRP...Complete Series Coming Soon! (See Post #109) (1 Viewer)

[Brian Himes]

I just checked and mine has also shipped. The mysteries will soon be solved!

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Apparently, in this day and age, PAL/SECAM/NTSC standards mean nothing, IIRC, due to recent technological inventions center around Blu-Ray and DTV/HDTV.

Sorry, but you are completely wrong. There is still no universal broadcast standard, so differing TV standards are still a way of life for new shows (and older shows produced on NTSC or PAL tape would still be "locked" into their original standards).

Thankfully, 24fps was included in the blu-ray spec for films, so at least in "PAL" countries, they can finally watch films at the correct speed (with the 4% PAL speedup not being needed for BR format).

With shows shot/produced on HD video, however, the same incompatibilities that existed wtih NTSC and PAL are still with us.

You see, the US HD broadcast standard is 1080i/60, meaning 1080 pixels (interlaced) at 60hz. In "PAL regions" (like the UK), the HD standard is 1080i/50. While it's the same number of pixels, they're transmitted at 50hz. Unless someone has a TV and a player that can handle both the 50 and 60hz frame rates, they are incompatible with each other. There are many BBC blu-rays that were imported from the UK (like the Region B releases of Being Human and Planet Earth) that are encoded at 1080i/50, and are therefore incompatible with a large range of US blu-ray players (perhaps most notably, the PS3).

While practically every region outside the USA has full compatibility (50/60hz and 24fps) written into their blu-ray specifications, the US (in their "infinite wisdom") made 50hz compatibility optional, so while some players will convert 50hz content to 60 (to work with US TVs), others will only output it at its native framerate (requiring a 50hz-capable TV) or worse, won't output 50hz content at all. There are whole threads on various A/V forums devoted to which US players are compatible (or not) with 1080i/50 and/or PAL 540i content.

So, yes, the whole PAL/NTSC incompatibility thing is still very much an issue.

 

[Brian Himes]

My set arrived at my local post office at 4:26 am this morning. Sooooo, it should be delivered today. Bummer since I will be at work until after 3pm today. Oh well. If it does indeed arrive today I will start checking it out. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it does arrive today.

 

[Matt.Koz]

My tracking still says shipping label created on 10/2 and no other activity. Dammit. Hoping it just is slow to update. My Vincent Price Collection 2 set took only 2 days from label creation last week so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[JMFabianoRPL]

Yes, the Fox set used the syndicated version of Hoodlum Rock and A Date With Jennifer. I read somewhere (I don't remember where) that the original master tape for Hoodlum Rock was damaged years ago and the only full length version available is at the Museum of Television and Radio. Now this could all be just a big rumor. I certainly hope that it is. This will be one of the very first things that I will check out when I get my set and I will let everyone here know what I find out.

This is like the case of Rhoda's premiere episode, as Fox/Shout claimed to not have a usable version of the CBS quality version with the Mary Tyler Moore cameo and all. But it does exist in the Paley Center (formerly Museum of TV & Radio), from a Viacom print of all things...so it was seen in full in syndication at one point????? I also think the version with MTM has been seen on the nostalgic subchannels like Me-TV?

 

[Brian Himes]

I got mine!!! I'll be back soon with some info. Waaahooo!

 

[Nelson Au]

Well?

 

[Brian Himes]

Sorry, that further information is here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/334984-wkrp-in-cincinnati-the-complete-series-review-see-post-218-for-comprehensive-info/

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Brian, I didn't think to check for a new thread! Appreciate the work so far you've done to review the set.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

WKRP Creator Hugh Wilson dead at 74

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...or-police-academy-director-dies-at-74-1075085

The man created one hell of a show.

 

[MatthewA]

Very sad to hear about that.

It's also unfortunate his next sitcom, Frank's Place, is MIA for the same reasons that got this show butchered for the better part of 20 years. At least 'KRP didn't end up with Paramount.

 

[AndrewCrossett]

Still my favorite sitcom of all time. RIP Hugh Wilson.