Birds of Prey: The Complete Series Announced! (1 Viewer)

[LizH]

Contacting WHV:



Warner Home Video Customer Service

 

[Daryl L]

Thanks. Done. Sorry people but I just can't watch BOP with black borders on all 4 sides. If I could zoom it I would (even if it decreased the PQ) but I can't. :frowning:

 

[troy evans]

Why would you have to do that? You can adjust the material so it fits the screen. I do it all the time. I recently had to do it with my Stingray tv set. I do it with my non-anamorphic sd dvds as well. It's a combination of settings between the tv and the dvd player and you may have to set your resolution to no higher than 480p with an HDMI connection. However, since the image is going to look as good at that setting, given the source, you lose no quality. This is dependent on your tv and dvd player as to how to configure the settings, but, I would be shocked if you didn't have them with current hardware. One tip right off the bat is, if you are watching material that's not 16:9 don't have the player set to that. Set it to 4:3 or 4:3 letterbox. That alone clears up the problem you describe. That's why those settings are on the tvs to begin with. I know the argument is "why should I even have to do that", true? I guess I've been into tv on dvd so long I've seen so many compromises. I understand you guys want to make it different and you and the others who have taken action, bravo. I hope at the release of this some will at least be satisfied with the outcome. Something that's been running through my mind recently, what if all the info we have is wrong and the series is released exactly in a full 16:9 print? All this emotion and frustration would have been for nothing. Wouldn't that be a kick.

 

[Daryl L]

 

[Rick P]

No, not nothing. Let's the studios and PEOPLE WHO CARE know that they have to let the studios that THEY NEED TO DO IT RIGHT.

 

[troy evans]

Wow! I guess you're stuck then. I'm not familar with the Viore plasmas. In fact till you mentioned them I'd never heard of them before. Are they nice? I have a Samsung plasma with 16:9, 4:3, Zoom 1 and Zoom 2 settings. My HD- DVD A20 has a zoom as well. It's one of the colored buttons in the middle of the remote. All I can tell you about the zoom feature on the HD-A20 player is the image gets zoomed slightly outside the viewing area by about an inch on top/bottom and two inches on each side. I lose a little bit of image, but not much. It doesn't get squeezed or stretched at all. Sorry, I made an improper assumption in regards to your gear. So, the best you can do is a stretched widescreen with your set-up?

 

[troy evans]

Rick, I don't think for one minute that the studios care. That this is even coming is some kind of miracle. You've got a great deal of passion for this release and I respect that. It's just been a long road to get this. I want this really, really bad and I'm more grateful that it's finally coming, then, worried about it being absolutely perfect. I am in no way saying that anyone here is wrong for wanting it in 16:9. Given what this show is (cancelled series that didn't even run a whole season) and considering it dropped off the radar for many about a year to two years ago in general, I was happy as shit when they announced it. I haven't been that happy over a release since I found out they were finally releasing La Femme Nikita the series. Maybe I've seen to much tv on dvd come out that my expectations aren't as high anymore. With so much still not released I'm more inclined to just be happy to get it at times. Don't mean to step on anyones feelings and if you've felt offended by anything I've posted believe that was never the intent. I hope when this is all out and done we all can find some contentment in this release. I was happy about the un-aired pilot. That surely put a smile on more than my face around here. The Gotham Girls episodes are a nice throw-in as well. I feel they are giving us a decent release content wise. That's what leads me to believe the transfer may be the best they have. After looking at what the're adding to the set. I will admit one thing does piss me off to this day with current shows of this nature and that's when I don't get a 5.1 surround mix. Smallville sticks out in my mind about that. Every season of Smallville was recorded in 5.1 surround sound and so far on sd dvd the only one released that way is season six. WTF? I'm not even sure what the sound mix on BoP is. It's reported to be mono.....MONO!!! Okay, that's just as bad as the video issue, to me at least. Again, I just don't expect much anymore.

 

[Daryl L]

Yep, my HD-A3 has those colored buttons too. But don't do anything on SD DVD's no matter what resolution output or TV shape I set the A3 on. Only zooms on certain HDDVD's like my Rio Bravo dvd. :frowning:

 

[ChristopherM]

Happy to help. As I said way back on Post 15 of this topic, Birds of Prey was originally broadcast in the UK by CNX as letterboxed widescreen (I still have my VHS recordings, so this is not just from memory).

In other words, CNX did not transmit an anamorphic 16:9 image. However, that is not to say that a 16:9 master did not exist. The very same production company - Tollin/Robbins - was making Smallville at the time and anamorphic masters clearly exist for contemporary seasons of that show.

For the record, CNX was a satellite channel that did not broadcast anything in anamorphic widescreen, although some other channels were already doing so at the time. Widescreen CRT TVs have been on the UK market since around 1990 and had reached a significant percentage of households by 2002/3.

I have not seen Birds of Prey repeated in the UK, anamorphic or otherwise. However, I no longer subscribe to any pay channels, so I may have missed a repeat run somewhere.

 

[LizH]

We have rear box art:

Birds of Prey DVD news: Rear Box Art for Birds of Prey - The Complete Series





Apparently matted 1.33:1 WAS the original broadcast format.

 

[troy evans]

Thanks Liz. Man, the more I see the package art the more I wan't this damn thing. Counting the days.....Yeah Baby!

 

[Pete Battista]

Yup... me too. I can't wait for this set to arrive so I can revisit this series again.

 

[Daryl L]

I don't see the words "matted" or "letterboxed" on the box art so it must be in 4:3 format. As for that being it's "Original Television Exhibition" is inaccurate. It aired in a widescreen letterbox format. It may have produced in 4:3 format but then it aired matted in a widescreen letterbox format. If it's was made and released in 4:3 format I'll buy it. If it was made in 16:9 format and released letterboxed or 4:3 I'll pass.

 

[Patrick Sun]

It appears it is non-anamorphic letterbox for the Birds of Prey boxset. Bummer.

 

[Daryl L]

Boo! Any reviews anywhere yet?

 

[stephen^wilson]

Just recieved my copy of this set today.It is indeed non-anamorphic widescreen

It also contains a disclaimer on the back cover saying that some music has been replaced I read somewhere that ALL the music has been replaced on the series finale,not sure if it means the final 2 episodes,I believe they might have been shown edited together in the U.S.?,but the theme song,I'd start a revolution by Aimee Allen has been replaced on EVERY episode :frowning: I also had a look at the unaired pilot on the last disc and lo and behold,its in anamorphic widescreen

 

[todd s]

They even replaced the theme song??? Glad I kept my original episodes recorded onto dvd.

 

[FrankPitt]

Non-anamorphic widescreen...replaced music...replaced theme tune. That pretty much settles it. I'm passing on this one. Bummer.

 

[LizH]

How is that possible?

It's not due to be released until the 15th.






***sigh***


If nothing else, the show now has the honor of joining "Married With Children" in the "Replaced Theme Song" Circle. :frowning:

 

[stephen^wilson]

Well companies here in the U.K. frequently get stocks of discs in a few weeks before the official U.S. street dates