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TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

#1
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5/11/08 at 9:00pm
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I thought some HTFers would like to know that there is a discussion taking place over at TVShowsonDVD.com/TVGuide.com on the future of TV shows on Blu-ray disc.

I know I've read a number of posts here over the years about concerns about 4:3 programs making the transition to DVD in the first place (remember the Kung Fu: Season 1 debacle?). And I know there have been many opinions on which shows should be among the first brought into the high-def media.

Weekly RoundUpper Emeritus Dave Lambert has begun a blog discussion on the subject of TV on BD. He spotlights a new slate of TV on BD releases that will be hitting shelves in the next few weeks and talks about some of these issues which have been getting kicked-around the HTF for years.

I thought maybe some HTFers would like to pick-up that discussion here...or maybe JOIN IN on Dave's discussion over at TVGuide.com. In his discussion Dave ruminates about shows like Star Trek, CSI, Heroes, Twilight Zone & Dick Van Dyke...and the shows which have already hit BD: Lost, Prison Break, Smallville, etc. Pretty interesting stuff.

Obviously, TV Shows on BD is a phenomena that's just getting started.

[Since the TV Software forum is in the SD-DVD section, I figured this would be the appropriate forum for this post.]

There's Jessie the yodeling cowgirl. Bullseye, he's Woody's horse. Pete the old prospector. And, Woody, the man himself. Of course, it's time for Woody's RoundUp. He's the very best! He's the rootinest, tootinest cowboy in the wild, wild west!

Top Ten Ways to Find Good Deals on DVDs and Blu-ray...
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#2
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5/11/08 at 10:55pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

cleaned up Star Trek The Next Generation would be instantly picked up by me.
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#3
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5/12/08 at 3:22am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

I know there's a rumor about Seinfeld and Friends making it to Blu-ray.
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#4
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5/12/08 at 6:25am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

What these studios need to do is cater their TV on BD releases to the high-def demographic. That means more releases like Prison Break, Lost etc and less Grey's Anatomy. Yes, I know Grey's is a popular show and I admit that I watch it with my wife on a weekly basis but I am not purchasing it or would ever consider to purchase it in Blu-ray format. 1. It has no replay value for me and 2. It is a dialog driven show that will not really benefit from advanced audio.
Now a show like Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles would benefit from a BD release and I am surprised that one was not announced along with the SD DVD release. As far as I know, the Terminator movies are very popular on BD and HD DVD and I see a show like SCC being gobbled up by both fans of the show and fans of the movies that never got around to seeing the show but would now because it's in HD. That would translate into more viewers for season 2.
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#5
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5/12/08 at 9:15am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

I personally think BR should spend all it's energy on movie releases exclusively and leave TV shows to SDVD for the moment. Movies greatly benefit from PQ/AQ much more so than TV shows and Lord knows we could use a lot more title selection in the coming years.
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#6
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5/12/08 at 10:22am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goko
Movies greatly benefit from PQ/AQ much more so than TV shows...
Assuming it's shot on film (yes, I know there's other factors beisdes just that), you're incorrect. Lost: Season Three is one of the best Blu Ray discs that I've ever seen.
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#7
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5/12/08 at 11:06am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR
Assuming it's shot on film (yes, I know there's other factors beisdes just that), you're incorrect. Lost: Season Three is one of the best Blu Ray discs that I've ever seen.
Your missing my point. I would rather watch the chariot racing scene in Ben Hur (before I die) on BR disc than Lost which episodes I've already seen on ABC HD. Give me movies!!!
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#8
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5/12/08 at 12:25pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrettV
cleaned up Star Trek The Next Generation would be instantly picked up by me.

Don't hold your breath. It needs more than just cleaning up to make it to blu-ray.

Doug
"I'm in great shape, for the shape I'm in."
Bob Hope in The Ghostbreakers
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#9
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5/12/08 at 10:56pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

i would love to own certain series on BR, but for the most part it
would be cost prohibitive, i won't be able to afford it.

i picked up lost when it was on sale for under $40.

i see other shows over $60 and thats too much for me.
this is why i have netflix.

season 4 of Lost will list for about $100 and probably sell around $60-$80.
i can pick up a movie here and there for about $20/$25.
tv series will cost too much for me.

shows that air on hbo and F/X are only 12 or 13 epsiodes but the br sets are around $55 for f/x and over or just under $100 for hbo shows.
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#10
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5/13/08 at 6:20am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

FYI. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is up for pre-order on Amazon with no release date.
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#11
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5/13/08 at 6:43am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyD
i would love to own certain series on BR, but for the most part it would be cost prohibitive, i won't be able to afford it.

Other than short-sighted greed, I simply can't understand why the studios refuse to have more realistic pricing for Blu-ray discs, particularly for sets like TV shows.
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#12
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5/13/08 at 6:49am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

It sure is Paul. Good sign. I hope we see an announcement soon. I would surely buy as I stated in my earlier post.
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#13
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5/13/08 at 7:03am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Arnette
FYI. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is up for pre-order on Amazon with no release date.
also only 27.95, better order now before it goes up.

Amazon.com: Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]: Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau: Movies & TV
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#14
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5/13/08 at 7:12am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

I agree on the pricing issue. Although, I understand that BD is going to be sold at a premium, TV on BD is certainly not going to do much until the prices become more reasonable. For example, Lost, the fouth season on BD has an MSRP that's close to $100. It's something like a $30 premium over the MSRP of the SD set. On top of that, the BD won't see nearly the same level of discount upon release as the SD set will at B&Ms. It may look great, but it's still, at least to me (and for probably 99% of the public), not really worth the price, especially as a TV season will probably not be watched nearly as much as a movie. I'm glad I have Lost Season 3 on BD and it looks and sounds great, but like many, the only reason I got it was because Amazon once put it on sale for a great price (but those types of discounts are rare)


STOP HIM! He's supposed to die!
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#15
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5/13/08 at 4:24pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Re: the pricing for TV sets on BD (vs. DVD), Lions Gate has the right idea - they have the same MSRP for the season sets of Weeds and Mad Men for both BD and DVD. Hopefully if sales for those BD sets are pretty high, other studios will take notice and also price BD sets closer to their DVD counterparts (I'm not expecting identical MSRPs, but less than a 30-40% premium would be nice).
Does anyone even click on these "My Collection" links?
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#16
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5/13/08 at 7:12pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

The only show I'm really concerned with seeing on BD is The Shield. The first few seasons (particularly season 2) looked pretty bad on SD, IMO. Come to think of it. Why the hell did the first season look so much better than the 2nd? 3rd was alright and 4 & 5 were good.

Stargate SG-1 would be nice too, but I already have 8 seasons on SD. I can't see replacing it anytime soon. I'd buy 9 and 10 on BD if they're available though. I thought they got an international HD-DVD release or something, actually.
My movie collection

Movies in desperate need of a DVD/BD release!

My twisted, uncensored views on things.
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#17
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5/13/08 at 7:36pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Viper
The only show I'm really concerned with seeing on BD is The Shield.
My only concern with The Shield is if they use the incorrect 1.78 aspect ratio like Sony's new DVD sets are using. Something tells me I better get used to it.
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#18
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7/16/08 at 2:42pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott_J
Re: the pricing for TV sets on BD (vs. DVD), Lions Gate has the right idea - they have the same MSRP for the season sets of Weeds and Mad Men for both BD and DVD. Hopefully if sales for those BD sets are pretty high, other studios will take notice and also price BD sets closer to their DVD counterparts (I'm not expecting identical MSRPs, but less than a 30-40% premium would be nice).

Lionsgate is doing a great job. While not TV, their Rambo BDs are selling at $14.99!

Justice League: Season One is coming in August, but that $59 MSRP is way too high. I'm sure I'll still buy it. Sigh. I can't stand watching SD anymore. I'm spoiled.
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#19
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7/18/08 at 7:51am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Deeb
Justice League: Season One is coming in August, but that $59 MSRP is way too high. I'm sure I'll still buy it. Sigh. I can't stand watching SD anymore. I'm spoiled.

David, I've had mine preordered from the Warner store for months now for $36. Not a great price, granted, but better than what we'll see in B/M's, I'm sure.
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#20
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7/18/08 at 7:57am
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason_V
David, I've had mine preordered from the Warner store for months now for $36. Not a great price, granted, but better than what we'll see in B/M's, I'm sure.



Thanks. Heading there now. That's a fair price for a season set on BD.
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#21
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7/23/08 at 3:11pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Both series of Life On Mars are coming out on BD here in the UK in October.

Given that the show was made on super 16mm this surprises me, but they should still benefit from high bit rate encoding compared to DVD levels.
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#22
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7/23/08 at 3:18pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

According to TV Shows On DVD, Supernatural: Season Three and Chuck: Season One are coming out on November 11. And Torchwood has been pushed back to that date as well.

EDIT: Here's a link to each story
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Chu...-Blu-ray/10121
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sup...3-Bluray/10126
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Tor...ay-Delay/10129
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#23
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7/23/08 at 3:21pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Duncan Harvey
Both series of Life On Mars are coming out on BD here in the UK in October.

Given that the show was made on super 16mm this surprises me, but they should still benefit from high bit rate encoding compared to DVD levels.
Super 16mm shows look noticeably better in hi-def than in SD. "Monk" and "Psych" look better in their USA HD broadcasts than they do on DVD, and I imagine they would be better still on Blu-Ray, although not as good as if they had been shot in 35mm.

Regards,

Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA

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#24
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7/23/08 at 3:58pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

For fans of the older stuff, getting them on DVD is like pulling teeth from a lion. Getting them on DVD done well is like pulling teeth from a lion, attempting to perform a root canal, and applying an anesthetic.

I have no illusions that their plight on BD will be any better. And if they do come out, there's always that aspect ratio question hanging over our heads.

STOP THE MADNESS! STOP THE BUTCHERING AND ABANDONMENT OF TV SHOWS ON DVD!

My DVD List at DVD Aficionado, Now Featuring Blu-Ray

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#25
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7/23/08 at 5:05pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR
According to TV Shows On DVD, Supernatural: Season Three and Chuck: Season One are coming out on November 11.

Count me in for Supernatural: Season 3......I was wondering when Warner was going to put this on Blu-ray. Definitely a favourite on my list of recent TV shows...can't wait.
Recently watched- BSG: Season 4.0[BD], Starship Troopers 3: Marauder[BD], The Happening[BD], Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (IMAX)[BD], An American Werewolf In London[BD]

Currently watching- Heroes: Season 1[BD], Michael Palin: Pole To Pole, Battlestar Galactica[BD], Magnum P.I.: Season 7
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#26
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7/23/08 at 7:50pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

There are a handful of classic shows that would entice me to become a BD owner. PERRY MASON, shot noir style on 35mm, looks superb in SD and I can only imagine it would really shine in BD. TWILIGHT ZONE is another.

For half hour shows, don't shoot me, but BATMAN would seem to be a great candidate with its eye popping colors and graphics. I already own DICK VAN DYKE on SD and wouldn't double dip.

Unfortunately the market for classic TV on BD is likely very, very small and I doubt many would double dip if they already owned the SD versions.
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#27
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7/24/08 at 2:21pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewA
For fans of the older stuff, getting them on DVD is like pulling teeth from a lion. Getting them on DVD done well is like pulling teeth from a lion, attempting to perform a root canal, and applying an anesthetic.

I have no illusions that their plight on BD will be any better. And if they do come out, there's always that aspect ratio question hanging over our heads.

How the aspect ratio of old series will work in our new 16x9 world is going to be interesting to watch.

Will there even be a place for a TV Land type network that shows MASH & Munsters reruns all night? If not, then these classic shows will become "extinct" quickly. Let alone on BD.

However, I do think the very best 4x3 shows will survive & eventually come to BD. Star Trek and Twilight Zone are 2 that would sell well even in 4x3 BD. Batman as someone else mentioned, would too.
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#28
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7/24/08 at 2:51pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Deeb
How the aspect ratio of old series will work in our new 16x9 world is going to be interesting to watch.

However, I do think the very best 4x3 shows will survive & eventually come to BD. Star Trek and Twilight Zone are 2 that would sell well even in 4x3 BD.

Well as owner of season one of Star Trek in HD-DVD, I can tell you that 4x3 shows look great in hi-def. Granted you get the bars on the side (I refuse to stretch the image), but it is a joy to watch. The downside to watching this in hi-def is that you see EVERYTHING... all the make up, wood sets, shabby workmenship, etc. but it is minor compared to the breathtaking picture.

Series shot on film will fare very well.
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#29
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8/6/08 at 7:52pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Southpaw
.
Now a show like Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles would benefit from a BD release and I am surprised that one was not announced along with the SD DVD release. As far as I know, the Terminator movies are very popular on BD and HD DVD and I see a show like SCC being gobbled up by both fans of the show and fans of the movies that never got around to seeing the show but would now because it's in HD. That would translate into more viewers for season 2.
+1

OK
The SD DVD is coming:
DVD Talk Review: Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete First Season
where's the Blu WB?

Movies are: "The Greatest Artform".
HD should be for EVERYONE!

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#30
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8/6/08 at 7:56pm
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Re: TV Shows on Blu-ray. What's ahead?

Shows I'd buy on Blu:

The Twilight Zone (original)
The Outer Limits (original)
The X-files
Twin Peaks
They're round, they're shiny...
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