The beginning of the end for classic shows? - Page 5

Jeff Willis · 10-25-2006, 09:29 AM

Gord, Dave....HELP Is it true? We're all seeing the same trend. There might be some hope though, since if I recall, the last 2 years have seen some pretty good release announcements in the 1st quarter, Jan-Mar. That's when "Time Tunnel", "Voyage....Sea", "Rat Patrol" were released, to name a few. Maybe we'll see that again, or maybe Gord and Dave are working on one of those patented "Coming Soon" lists in time for a Christmas present for us HTF'ers

Bill>Moore · 10-25-2006, 10:09 AM

I agree with those who have said that some profit is better than no profit at all. You'd think that getting something would be helpful, but the big picture is always elusive to us simpletons outside the Big Meeting Room.

With Voyage's releases, I'm near the end of getting my long-time Must Have shows. Hopefully I'll get all of that show. Still waiting on word for the remainder of The Partridge Family. Compared to many other collectors though, I've been pretty fortunate in getting the shows I'd like.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but perhaps there's a future in downloads or something. Probably not in the form we'd like to see them, but if the only alternative is never seeing some of these shows again, there may be little choice. Hopefully the studios will see the light and get back to business on these classic releases.

Bob Hug · 10-25-2006, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill>Moore

I'm not sure what the answer is, but perhaps there's a future in downloads or something. Probably not in the form we'd like to see them, but if the only alternative is never seeing some of these shows again, there may be little choice. Hopefully the studios will see the light and get back to business on these classic releases.

Bill, downloads are here. Amazon has their Unbox download program and there are a number of TV shows that they offer, including some that have not yet been released to DVD. For instance, I was surprised to see that they are offering 26 episodes of "Land of the Giants." See:

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sr_no__4...&node=45984011

Dave Scarpa · 10-25-2006, 10:56 AM

I tried one dl frm Amazon there were some issues with playing the version they offer for the portable player, licensing issues, but that was in the early days, so maybe they fixed that, the quality of the firefly ep I dl was excellent , much better than the Itunes DL's they were encoded at 720x352.

Joe Lugoff · 10-25-2006, 06:49 PM

Well, finally, an announcement on tvshowsondvd.com about a show from the 1960s, specifically "The Big Valley."

But, in announcing half of Season Two, we're told:

"It's clear that the first season didn't sell well..."

So that's some evidence that those of us who said the "classic" shows don't sell well might have been right.

Carlos Garcia · 10-25-2006, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hug

Bill, downloads are here. Amazon has their Unbox download program and there are a number of TV shows that they offer, including some that have not yet been released to DVD. For instance, I was surprised to see that they are offering 26 episodes of "Land of the Giants." See:

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sr_no__4...&node=45984011

Interesting. However, does anyone know whether these downloads are for DVD quality, and can we burn these episodes onto DVD for keep? Or is this just a rental and destroy thing?

Bob Gu · 10-25-2006, 08:23 PM

Right now, THE BIG VALLEY, has a DVD sales rank of 2617 at amazon.com. That rank puts THE BIG VALLEY in the TOP 3.3% of DVD titles selling at Amazon. What is the evidence that it is not selling?

Joe Lugoff · 10-25-2006, 11:09 PM

I'm just repeating what TVShowsonDVD said --- they seem to know, but maybe they're wrong.

TravisR · 10-25-2006, 11:11 PM

A sales rank of 2,600 isn't exactly huge. Star Wars: Episode III is at 145 and it's been out for nearly a year. Band Of Brothers has been out for years and it's at 76. Granted those are very popular titles but even an overall small title like One Tree Hill S3 is at 96.

Bob Hug · 10-26-2006, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlos Garcia

Interesting. However, does anyone know whether these downloads are for DVD quality, and can we burn these episodes onto DVD for keep? Or is this just a rental and destroy thing?

Carlos, here's a partial description from Amazon . . .

"Price for each video includes both a DVD-quality video to watch on your PC or TV, and a video file optimized for compatible portable video players."

Further . . .

"Can I make a DVD from my Amazon Unbox downloads?

You can store your downloaded files on a DVD or other removable computer storage device for the purpose of backup in the same format as the original files. However, any DVDs that you burn with Amazon Unbox files will not be readable by a DVD player. You can only view the files using Amazon Unbox installed on the computer that originally received the downloads.."

Right now, Amazon is selling the LOTG episodes for $1.99 each but, as a special trial, they are offering a $1.99 rebate, so you can get one episode at no cost. Check the system specifications though.

michael_ks · 10-26-2006, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Granted those are very popular titles but even an overall small title like One Tree Hill S3 is at 96.

Considering that this is a barely 3 year old soap opera aimed at teenyboppers who will purchase just about any sophomoric entry that features "beautiful people" and that this set was released less than a month ago, I'd say that gooses its sales figures somewhat. "Big Valley" was released back in May, so it's not a completely fair comparison.

Bill>Moore · 10-26-2006, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Hug

Bill, downloads are here. Amazon has their Unbox download program and there are a number of TV shows that they offer, including some that have not yet been released to DVD. For instance, I was surprised to see that they are offering 26 episodes of "Land of the Giants." See:

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sr_no__4...&node=45984011

Thanks for the tip, Bob. Very interesting. I like the idea, but obviously if Amazon goes away, so does your ability to play the eps. Not that I expect Amazon to disappear anytime soon...