A Few Words About A few words about...™ Downton Abbey - Season Two -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Escapay]

I did not know that it aired in the UK already I mean season 3.

Series 3 just began this past Sunday, and is scheduled to conclude November 4, hence why the UK's Blu-Ray is coming out November 5.

 

[David Norman]

Steve means he's getting the UK version, which will be region-free (presumably, as S1 and S2 were). A strategy I may also adopt, rather than waiting for the U.S. broadcasts/BD release.
EDIT: Well, maybe S3 won't be Region-Free. The Amazon.uk listing shows it being Region B locked. Could be wrong of course, but definitely different than their S1 and S2 listings. Maybe they decided they don't want us Yanks to get it early.

S1 and S2 were originally listed as Region B pretty much like all UK releases though I forget when they officially changed the coding. Once it's out and Amazon gets enough reports about a disc being region free or the manufacturer officially changes their sheet then Amazon UK sometimes will list a disc REgion Free. It's virtually never easy with them on the region issue.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

My copy of Season 3 shipped earlier this week from Amazon.co.uk. I'll know next week whether or not it is region B locked, and will post here.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Just checked a review on Amazon.co.uk. The set is Region B locked. So I ordered a region mod kit for my Oppo 93. Plug and play.

 

[GlennH]

I also saw those reviews. I'm using an Oppo 83. A region mod kit exists for it as well, but I don't know that I'd get enough use to justify it's purchase price. I'd like to order Downton S3 early, but it isn't crucial. I'll probably just wait now. I'd guess that so many in the USA were ordering these from the U.K. that PBS took notice and urged a stop to the Region-Free policy to protect their investment in U.S. broadcasts and software sales.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I have several region 2 (and beyond) DVD's and now will have one region B blu-ray. Normally region A works for me, but I like having the option to go multi-region.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I just noticed this thread and may be able to contribute a little bit to solving the mystery.
I worked at PBS in the home video department from 2006-2009; I left shortly before the first Downton Abbey became a big hit. While I didn't work specifically on this release, I have worked on previous PBS Masterpiece Theatre releases, and generally the pipeline was the same from release to release. I can tell you that the most likely culprit in all of this has to do with what elements PBS had access to.
The graphic on the packaging that says "Original UK Version" refers to content and not the actual disc, of course. PBS generally tweaks the original broadcast versions - in the UK they're far less sensitive to a bit of salty language or occasional nudity flash than they are here, so generally that stuff is cut out out or obscured in some way. Sometimes the programs are also edited for length, though I can't recall that happening very often. But the real problem was always this: the deliverables received by PBS from the BBC or whatever production partner worked on a particular show. For every UK-sourced project that I worked on, it was impossible to get anywhere near the original master. Most of the overseas material was shot and/or edited at 25fps. What PBS received would typically be either a DigiBeta (back in the SD days) or an HDCam tape of the program, which had been converted to NTSC/30 frames on their end, not ours. We were at least able to get a clone of the master that PBS received before edit, and generally chose to release that as the video version.
But garbage in, garbage out - all of the encoding and recoding and changes in frame rates at various stages in editing and mastering results in an end product that is not as high quality as one would expect from a Blu-ray. The same issues affected our digital downloads - the files we would submit to vendors like iTunes would frequently be rejected because of the frame rate issues from the different conversions and edits. If a show was shot 25fps, they wanted a 25fps master to make their digital file from - and we literally had no access to such a master to provide them. Different post processes were experimented with, we got some waivers from the vendors about quality because they eventually understood they could have it "as is" or not at all.
I can't say with 100% certainty that that's what's going on here, as I didn't work on this release. But it fits the pattern and standard procedures from my time there, and I wouldn't be shocked to learn I was right. Unfortunately (and I say this without wanting to badmouth anyone), some of the people at PBS who have the most control over decisions that affect contracts and arrangements from everything to what should be asked for from the BBC to making the final product, are made at least in part by people who have a limited understanding of things like frame rates, resolutions, interlaced vs. progressive, etc. I was never in a position there where I had the influence that would have been needed to correct these issues, although I was fully aware of them and expressed concern. But it is what it is.
In other words, there is nothing wrong with your TV

 

[Robert Harris]

I just noticed this thread and may be able to contribute a little bit to solving the mystery.
I worked at PBS in the home video department from 2006-2009; I left shortly before the first Downton Abbey became a big hit. While I didn't work specifically on this release, I have worked on previous PBS Masterpiece Theatre releases, and generally the pipeline was the same from release to release. I can tell you that the most likely culprit in all of this has to do with what elements PBS had access to.
The graphic on the packaging that says "Original UK Version" refers to content and not the actual disc, of course. PBS generally tweaks the original broadcast versions - in the UK they're far less sensitive to a bit of salty language or occasional nudity flash than they are here, so generally that stuff is cut out out or obscured in some way. Sometimes the programs are also edited for length, though I can't recall that happening very often. But the real problem was always this: the deliverables received by PBS from the BBC or whatever production partner worked on a particular show. For every UK-sourced project that I worked on, it was impossible to get anywhere near the original master. Most of the overseas material was shot and/or edited at 25fps. What PBS received would typically be either a DigiBeta (back in the SD days) or an HDCam tape of the program, which had been converted to NTSC/30 frames on their end, not ours. We were at least able to get a clone of the master that PBS received before edit, and generally chose to release that as the video version.
But garbage in, garbage out - all of the encoding and recoding and changes in frame rates at various stages in editing and mastering results in an end product that is not as high quality as one would expect from a Blu-ray. The same issues affected our digital downloads - the files we would submit to vendors like iTunes would frequently be rejected because of the frame rate issues from the different conversions and edits. If a show was shot 25fps, they wanted a 25fps master to make their digital file from - and we literally had no access to such a master to provide them. Different post processes were experimented with, we got some waivers from the vendors about quality because they eventually understood they could have it "as is" or not at all.
I can't say with 100% certainty that that's what's going on here, as I didn't work on this release. But it fits the pattern and standard procedures from my time there, and I wouldn't be shocked to learn I was right. Unfortunately (and I say this without wanting to badmouth anyone), some of the people at PBS who have the most control over decisions that affect contracts and arrangements from everything to what should be asked for from the BBC to making the final product, are made at least in part by people who have a limited understanding of things like frame rates, resolutions, interlaced vs. progressive, etc. I was never in a position there where I had the influence that would have been needed to correct these issues, although I was fully aware of them and expressed concern. But it is what it is.
In other words, there is nothing wrong with your TV

Josh,
Thank you for your notes.
Once the problem arose, strangely, far more obvious on S two than one, my discussions with the folks at PBS, they listened, and reworked S 2, which now (in the boxed set) appears to be the same as the UK import.
Whatever they did, they fixed the problem, the quality is now superb. I can't ask more than that of a publisher.
RAH

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Josh,
Thank you for your notes.
Once the problem arose, strangely, far more obvious on S two than one, my discussions with the folks at PBS, they listened, and reworked S 2, which now (in the boxed set) appears to be the same as the UK import.
Whatever they did, they fixed the problem, the quality is now superb. I can't ask more than that of a publisher.
RAH

That's unexpectedly fantastic that they did that!

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I'm watching series 3 now, and will probably pace myself to finish it next weekend. It's great so far.

 

[cb1]

Josh,
Thank you for your notes.
Once the problem arose, strangely, far more obvious on S two than one, my discussions with the folks at PBS, they listened, and reworked S 2, which now (in the boxed set) appears to be the same as the UK import.
Whatever they did, they fixed the problem, the quality is now superb. I can't ask more than that of a publisher.
RAH

I just read this thread after I bought my wife the season 1 & 2 box set, am I reading this right that in this set the issues were fixed?
if so, my wife will be very happy. LOL
Thanks!
CB

 

[Mark-P]

I just got the newer PBS release with both season 1 and 2 together: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HT4FUW
I had waited to get this because of the stutter effects that some people were complaining about. My set seems perfectly okay. I don't know if this new set has been redone or if I'm not affected by it. I can tell you that in this set, the season one episodes are interlaced (1080/60i) and the season two episodes are progressive (1080/24p) so that the second season episodes look much better and have smoother motion.

 

[Donovan O]

I have season 1 and 2 combined in a single box. I believe this is the British version and it is unwatchable due to jerkiness. This is the second package of the disks. Purchased at Best Buy. Do the non-BluRay versions suffer the same problems. Also I three different blue ray players and the problem exists on two of them.

 

[Mark Collins]

The Show returns Sunday Night on PBS before the DVD and BD release. 1 hour specials on the house and a 2 hour episode. Radio spots are running here in Chicago. I am going to record the special. The end of season 2 special was not included as extras on season 2 dvd.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Will PBS be showing the Christmas special? I also ordered that from Amazon.co.uk.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by Steve Tannehill
Will PBS be showing the Christmas special?
I also ordered that from Amazon.co.uk.

They did last year. I don't see why they wouldn't do the same this year.

 

[Mark Collins]

PBS most popular series of all time Downton Abbey so the radio states. Moderator's Note: I have spoilerized some text of this post about events discussed about season 3.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The end was the shock. I never saw that coming.

 

[David Mahlan]

PBS most popular series of all time Downton Abbey so the radio states. The end was the shock. I never saw that coming.

Mark and others who may have already seen it - please be careful when discussing the end of Season 3, as the broadcast of the season has just begun in the US. I accidentally read about "the shock" at the end in an unmarked spoiler on another forum, and it's already coloring the way I'm experiencing the series. Thanks!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Yes. Please be careful about such things. It is not cool to be talking about events in season 3 in a thread about the disc release of season 2. There is probably an on-going thread in the TV Programming forum in the Entertainment section of the HTF for such discussion. The HTF rule of thumb is to use spoilers in such situations...except when it is a thread about the series now airing and the events have already happened. otherwise, it is up to the HTF member to know to avoid such threads if they don't want to be surprised. This avoids the type of problems raised by David in the last post just above. I just purchased seasons 1 & 2 on Blu and am curious to find out what all the Downton Abbey fuss is all about. So I don't yet have a clue as to what might've happened. But such revelations can easily kill the fun for those who are lagging behind in their viewing.

 

[TonyD]

Also quoting someone' possible spoiler while saying please don't post this spoiler.