Good article on syndicated TVonDVD (Gord Lacey, ALF, Carsey/Werner, etc... (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Jacobson]

I agree 100%. Especially when some of these edited sets actually claim they are "The Complete X Season", or have inflated running times on the box. Or in some extreme cases, the packaging even contains false claims of being "uncut" or "uncensored".

 

[Jon Martin]

Let's call off the mob for a second.

I do agree with him that probably 95% of DVD consumers really DON'T care about editing. Most of them probably don't care about things like whether a disc is anamorphic and widescreen and all of that as well.

The fact is, we who post here are part of that 5% minority. A vocal minority, but the minority still.

Go to a Wal Mart or some mainstream retailer. Most of the people there don't care about syndicated vs broadcast cuts. They buy a DVD just to watch for fun. They don't take it as seriously as we do. Heck, they still buy full screen.

Maybe if they were aware of the issue, they may care more. But most people buying TV on DVD don't go to the internet to look up reviews before buying. They see it on the shelf, think "Hey, I liked that show" and buy it. There is little thought involved.

 

[David Rain]

My guess is that the average TV viewer has no idea what syndicated prints are. So they have no real reason to suspect they're being cheated. They get the box sets and the episodes contain everything they've seen a hundred times in reruns. So they have no reason to be suspicious.

In the case of Roseanne, I think she was probably lied to or simply left out of the loop. She may believe it was a mistake but I certainly don't. All anyone has to do is check the running times on these episodes to know for sure. If normal viewers with nothing but a DVD player can do something so simple then why can't the studios that produced and release these shows do the same thing ?

In some cases, I'm sure cuts are made for a real reason. But in most cases it's not excusable.