Warning: ALF Season 1 cut! - Page 10

I too sent e-mails to Lions Gate without a reply from them. I drafted the e-mail similar to the suggestion in this thread:
Dear Sir or Madam,
I recently purchased your ALF: Season 1 DVD set, but I was very disappointed to find that you used the syndication edits of the episodes on the DVDs. I wasn't pleased with this, so I returned the set to the store I purchased it from and received a refund. I also told some friends that were planning on purchasing the set about the edits, and they've decided to spend their money on something else that is unedited. If you could fix the edits on the set by using the broadcast versions of the episodes then I'd happily re-purchase it, and I'd let my friends know it's safe to buy. I've been reading several posts in online forums where people are saying the same thing; they returned their copies, but would buy the set again if it were the unedited episodes. Hopefully this can be corrected because we're worried that poor sales of season 1 will lead you to conclude that there isn't demand for the show on DVD, but that's not the case, we just won't buy edited products. Do you have any plans to rectify the set?
Thanks for listening,

I know Rhino went to great lenghts to find the uncut version of the "My Favorite Martian" pilot episode. They actually listened to members of forums like these. OK the extras are non-existant and has an ordinary menu, but I'd except that for uncut episodes of ALF. I wonder if Rhino would be interested in producing the "Uncut ALF season 1 DVD box set" It has a nice ring, doesn't it.

We constantly see double and triple dipping special editions of many movies, with price tags of $20 - $30, which is what this set costs. Is it too far fetched to expect an "uncut" version of this done by another company?

Rhino really screwed up their Transformers releases, so I'm not sure they'd do a good job. But they probably couldn't do an ALF DVD set anyway.

edited

Not likely.

Well my girlfriend ended up buying ALF. I'm glad she did, because this show is so funny. I know they're the syndicated episodes. Moreover, I told her they were beforehand but in the end we couldn't resist buying it. So far we've easily watched every episode at least twice. Sorry for caving in guys.

Side-note: You know on the end credits, how they show clips from the episode you just watched? Well, on some of them you'll actually see clips from the original unedited episode. So, you'll see some short clips you didn't see in the episode you just watched. Yeah, I know it's because they're syndicated, I was just pointing it out.

That often happens on these shows.

I would think so, based on the history of TV DVDs so far. Only a handful of TV shows in season sets have ever been re-released--Twilight Zone, I Spy, Star Trek, World at War--but all were essentially just repackagings and reconfigurations. Even if extras were added, such as in the case of Star Trek, the actual episodes were unchanged, the same transfers. The upcoming Twilight Zone re-re-release might change that trend, but that's one out of thousands.

The first two seasons of Xena and the first season of Hercules were also released. Panzer/Davis sold bare-bones ones exclusively through their website, then licensed the shows to Anchor Bay, who released them with special features.

I e-mailed Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD fame and asked if he's heard any news from Lions Gate. His reply was:

There is no news. That's what they decided to release and that's all they're going to release.

Gord

I'm guessing they don't intend to post an expalnation for the syndicated releases. So I guess I won't be seeing ALF unless its released on TV again. That's OK. I won't care then if they cut the show to 15 minute episodes because I didn't pay for complete ones.
But when I pay for something I expect to get a little value for money and edited episodes don't cut it. Lions Gate has probably learned a lesson for future releases but it doesn't do us ALF aficionados much good. I've waited this long and I'll keep on waiting. There'll be plenty of uncut season's of TV favourites I can spend the money on.

They already did. They said the syndicated masters were in better condition, allowing for better picture/video quality.

Personally, I'd trade a level of PQ to get the uncut masters, but that's what their reasoning was.

As such, "ALF" remains on the store shelf instead of in my home.

Out of curiosity I sent an e-mail to VSC, the people who brought out ALF-The ALF Files DVD, a Canadian company, wondering what their thoughts would be of producing an uncut season 1 box set of ALF. The 3 one hour specials on the DVD had very good picture quality and I'm pretty certain were uncut. Maybe VSC will see an opportunity here. I hope they send an answer, either a yay or nay, because getting answers from some of these companies is near impossible.

Well, I reckon a month is long enough to wait for a relpy. I've had great fun watching and transferring my 19 episodes from seasons 1 and 2 on to DVD. Yes they're cut by the TV station but I'd get that anyway with the store bought versions.

I've got no doubt if they do release further seasons that the problem will be solved and with a little luck they may even re release season 1 as it should have been.



yeah right.

[img]images/smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I have a question about the ALF Files DVD. I just got this recently, and noticed a glitch on the ending credits of "Tonight, Tonight" at 46:33. There is a breif static sound and some pixelation that lasts about one second. Does anyone else's copy have this glitch? (I don't want to exchange the DVD if they are all like that.)



Thanks.

Well at least I'm not the only one. What do you think of the overall quality and did you detect any syndication or any other cuts?

My Alf Files DVD is the only disc I own that won't play on my JVC. I put it in and am able to watch the first minute or so of each episode and than it starts skipping like crazy as if I were watching in fast-forward (only the picture is jumping all over the place) until it finally just reverts back to the menu screen as if the remainder of the disc was unreadable from my player. I'm not sure if it's my player compatibility or a deffective disc but I purchased the DVD almost a year ago and still haven't been able to watch more than 5-10 minutes of it and that's accounting for maybe 3 minutes of each episode in total, if even...

Not only are the ALF episodes on the Canadian DVD uncut, but they have the NBC "In Stereo Where Available" graphic from the late 80s!

quote:

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there are no cuts whatsoever on the ALF Files DVD! And in my opinion the overall picture quality is slightly better than the ALF Season 1 DVDs.

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That's interesting. I thought Lion's Gate's excuse for using the syndicated versions was better picture quality. So they were lying? What a shock! [img]images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]

For taped shows, syndicated versions would logically have inferior picture quality because of a loss of a generation to make the cuts.



And who supplied Lion's Gate with the tapes anyway? We need to complain to them directly.

Given Lions Gate's excuse (i.e. picture quality), it sounds like they had access to both versions and just made the wrong choice.

I've had 'no problem' when it's come to playing the DVD (except for the small glitch mentioned earlier). I use a fairly old model player as well. Sounds like a disc prob.



It was the logo appearing that made me wonder if perhaps this disc was syndicated. The TV version's I've seen don't have the logo. I didn't detect any cuts myself but I have nothing accurate to compare it with.

Any chance we will see season 1 done uncut? I know its been out for awhile and I haven't heard anything new on the topic.

Yes Jason, I've been wondering the same thing. I'm hoping the furore over season 1 will maybe prompt a release of a double season set of 1 and 2 uncut.
I'm staying hopeful.

If anything, the inclusion of that logo is an indication that it *isn't* the syndicated version. As much as I hate (constant on) bugs, I have to admit, in this case it makes it seem more authentic.

What logo?

NBC used to put an "IN STEREO; WHERE AVAILABLE" logo over the opening credits of series in that era.

Anyone have an actual number of people who refused to buy Alf - Season 1 based on them being the syndicated episodes?

I'm not sure if somebody's already started one, but an online petition might give Lion's Gate an inclination of how many customers refused to purchase Alf - Season 1 based on the fact they're the syndicated episodes.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Seasons 2, 3, and 4, syndicated or not.

Of course, I'd like the full episodes. What fan of the show wouldn't? However, I'm not gonna hold my breath. Instead, I'll take what I can get and enjoy watching Alf - Season 1 and The Alf Files.

I'm not sure but I know they have gotten alot of negative reviews on the net and many probably everyone that has posted in this thread have sent email and/or snail mail to them. I would be curious myself to see how many have refused to buy and also how many have sold too.

Maybe tvshowsondvd can hold a poll on their site.