The best, and worst studio for tv dvd releases (1 Viewer)

[Hank Dearborn]

I LOVE being able to blame Fox for anything as they are by far my most despised company. As to the companies scoffing at their black and white catalogues, well I don't think it's fair to just single out Warner and Sony because other than Paramount, they all do it. And I'm also beginning to wonder exactly how many of those classic black and white Sony shows they truly own as opposed to just having syndicated. The Herbert Leonard shows have come from other distributors and even one of his lesser shows like Circus Boy I've heard is being shopped around by his estate, not by Sony. FKB got licensed from his estate and I'm pretty sure the Donna Reed Show is owned by hers. Rin Tin Tin was sold off by them a long time ago. So really, what are we talking about here, Dennis the Menace and Burns and Allen? Not to disparage those two shows but what else are we talking about here? The Hathaways, Our Man Higgins, Shannon, My Sister Eileen, Grindl, Dan Raven, Casey Jones, Two Faces West, Man From Blackhawk, Behind Closed Doors, The Ed Wynn Show, Jungle Jim, Manhunt, Tales of the Texas Rangers, Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers, Tallahassee 7000. Not exactly a list of shows people are tearing down the doors for, although I wouldn't mind seeing a nice set of Tightrope, which is a great show. Warner on the other hand has all of those late 50s, early 60s detective and western shows that people of a certain age all go crazy for. Not to mention a lot of great old MGM shows they acquired when they bought Turner. And what exactly has Universal done with their vast black and white library? 2 season of LITB, 3 of AHP and that's it. No Thriller, Dragnet, M Squad, Mike Hammer, etc. Thankfully they have a good attitude about Timeless putting out many of these shows whose prints, ahem, fell off the back of a truck 2 decades ago. I've had all of those shows for years but it's nice to see them get a general release.

 

[Jon Martin]

I'd argue the favorites.

PARAMOUNT - While they do a good job when a title is released, wasn't there just a thread here about people refusing to buy THE LOVE BOAT because of the cost and the split season?

Many of their titles are way overpriced, when compared to say Warner Brothers. They average $72 for a full season, where Warner is normally $60. I won't even get into the STAR TREK sets.

UNIVERSAL - While SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE is one of my favorite TV sets, have they been forgiven for NORTHERN EXPOSURE with all the replaced music and double sided DVDs? Has anyone had a set of the original BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA that wasn't defective?

Not that each studio doesn't do good work, but the fact that both were named the favorites is questionable.

Both Fox and Warner I've been more happy with, even though Fox has abandoned KING OF THE HILL and other shows.

 

[bmasters9]

When Paramount released "MacGyver" a couple of years ago, sure it didn't have any real extras, and the transfers weren't the best quality, but at least on the first two seasons, they kept the original "Blue Mountain" TV logo that was on the ABC airings-- you've got to give them credit for that. The original "Blue Mtn." logo from the ABC airings counts, at least to me, as a real bonus, even though there might not have been any featurettes, commentary, or the like. The "Blue Mtn." counts as a real bonus to me because a couple of other Paramount series, especially comedies, had the current logo or a recent logo on the end of the episodes on DVD-- "Taxi" and "Cheers" were like that.

 

[Bryan^H]

I watched the original BSG all the way through, and there were no issues.

The Buck Rogers set however, was very problematic!

 

[JoshuaB.]

CBS/Paramount: Lots of vintage TV series with good A/V (Twin Peaks, Wild Wild West, The Fugitive, Star Trek, etc.) and timely volume releases (we don't have to wait a year between season volumes of The Fugitive or The Untouchables). I'm not interested in a lot of their releases, but at least they're trying to cater to vintage TV fans with a variety of dramas and sitcoms. Oh yeah, they dropped Taxi after 3/5 of the series was released.

Universal: They've started a lot of vintage releases, but they either stop after the initial season or they take years before deciding to release further seasons (though they do an exceptional job with cult TV shows like the original Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers). I'm happy about Miami Vice, Rockford Files, Incredible Hulk and Kolchak, but wish they ramped up their Alfred Hitchcock Presents releases and finished Night Gallery and Amazing Stories.

Warner: They've done an excellent job on a few series I've collected--ER, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls--but I'm not interested in a lot of their programs. I also find Warner has higher SRP than a lot of the other studios (especially their DC animated releases)

Fox: Like others have stated, Fox has done a fabulous job with contemporary long-running and short-lived shows (Millennium, X-Files, Tru Calling, Buffy, Dark Angel etc.), but have really botched vintage TV releases. M*A*S*H had good presentation (optional laugh tracks), but they ditched Mary Tyler Moore (twice) and the Bob Newhart Show. Fans of Irwin Allen sci-fi aren't terribly impressed either.

Sony: They have a bad reputation for stalled releases, syndication prints, etc., but I don't believe I've ever bought a TV-on-DVD release from them (scanning the shelves and not seeing anything).

A&E: They get credit with releasing a lot of vintage British shows that I thought would never be released on R1 DVD, as I was able to retire tapes of Space: 1999 and The Prisoner (The Persuaders and Danger Man/Secret Agent were also pleasant but unexpected releases). Expensive multi-volume sets for short-lived series was a bit of an annoyance and they get demerits for failing to release all of The B/W Saint episodes.

Buena Vista: I was able to retire my blotchy My So-Called Life DVD set (and erasing the pain and expense of the "Lunchbox Incident") with a much better presentation.

Acorn Media: I wouldn't mention them, but they get credit for releasing excellent Canadian fare that was either botched by Canadian companies or ignored entirely. Quality releases of Slings and Arrows, Da Vinci's Inquest and the upcoming (and sadly cancelled) Intelligence. I would love to see them release This Is Wonderland, ReGenesis and jPod!

 

[RickER]

I am impressed with the BBC Doctor Who discs, new and old series alike. They are proud of the discs, and the price shows that. But, the extras always sell me even if the episode of the classic show doesnt. The video restoration is also amazing. The US could learn a thing or two from the BBC restoration team! Kudos to Warner for its BBC distribution here in the States.

 

[Bob Hug]

They've also failed to complete single season shows like "The Champions" and "Randall and Hopkirk: Deceased." I have a love/hate attitude towards A&E . . . . . I love their ITC catalog releases for the most part, but hate the overinflated prices they charge. Most of my A&E acquistions have been as a result of closeouts and remainders where I've been able to get some comparatively good deals.

 

[Gary OS]

I think you are correct, Hank. I've been falling into the same old pattern of thought that Sony owns any number of older classics that it seems they actually do not own (as far as distribution rights are concerned). See, a few years ago I was under the impression that they owned a bunch of classic sitcoms that they apparently do not, and I'm still guilty of judging them by that misinformation on my part. So I'll soften my stance on Sony ignoring true iconic classics from their b&w catalog. They apparently don't own "THE DONNA REED SHOW", and that was one of the big ones I kept thinking they owned. So I'm going to relent on them a little.

WB on the other hand, does seem to have a bunch of iconic b&w shows, especially in the western and detective vein. Don't they own all of the following:

77 Sunset Strip
Hawaiian Eye
Bourbon Street Beat
Surfside 6
Cheyenne
Sugarfoot
Bronco
Maverick
Colt .45
The Lawman
The Dakotas
The Alaskans
The F.B.I.

And there are probably others I'm missing. No, not all of those shows are true classics, but enough of them are that they warrant a failing grade for WB as far as their older series being kept locked up in the vault.

And yes, Fox is very poor with their older material. I guess I don't think of them as having as many b&w classics in their library as some of the others. But perhaps that's another misperception on my part.

Gary "I still think Sony is allergic to anything b&w though" O.

 

[mannix]

In my opinion .Paramount is the best studios for dvd releases in in the last
few years they released some great classics exp. mission impossible ,the fugitive ,the untouchables and the streets of san francisco. And in the couple months more classics will be coming and I predict more

And for the worst studios its a three way tie with Universal,Sony and 20th Century Fox they have realeased only one or two seasons of a tv show and have abandoned the rest .universal ,mcloud,kojac,the hardy boys and alias smith and jones exp,sony hart to hart,police woman and fantasy island exp,and 20th century fox NYPD blue and the fall guy exp

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tv programs on dvd wishlist

the 60s
the fugitive,mannix,twelve o'clock high,room 222,batman,it takes a thief,the green hornet,maverick,the fbi,petticoat junction,the untouchables

the 70s
cannon,hart to hart,barnaby jones,angie,kaz,a man called sloane,shazam
harry o,the invisble man,house calls,the amazing spiderman,switch,nanny and
the professor,struck by lightning,trapper john md,kojac,eight is enough,dan
august,police woman,ellery queen,vegas,the streets of san francisco,the six
million dollar man,the bionic woman,the white shadow,longstreet,owen marshall counselor at law,alias smith and jones,project ufo,gemini man

the 80s
harper vallley pta,strike force,the fall guy,matt houston,ladies man,hagen
coach,mr belvedere,making the grade,the wonder years,china beach,the yellow rose

 

[Hank Dearborn]

Adding to your list:

Roaring 20's
The Gallant Men
No Time for Sergeants
Hank
Mr. Roberts
Nichols
Harry O

And of course the shows they got from buying Turner:

Mr. Novak
Dr. Kildare
Cain's Hundred
The Lieutenant
The Eleventh Hour
Sam Benedict
Asphalt Jungle
Thin Man
Man Called Shenendoah
Please Don't Eat the Daisies
Courtship of Eddie's Father
Daktari
Medical Center
Girl From UNCLE
Then Came Bronson

 

[Gary OS]

What?!!! WB owns all those shows too! Oh forget about it then. They get the last place ribbon for sure. Good golly that's a lot of classic material they are sitting on. Far more than Sony, Universal or Fox, IMHO.

Gary "I had no idea they owned all those shows from Turner" O.

 

[RickER]

Guys, i am right their with you on classic TV on DVD. But, some of the titles your wishing the studios would get off their ass and release only ran 1 season 30 years ago! Some i never heard of, much less watched as a kid! Lets be real. If you think Shenandoah or Julia will get a release i have some swap land to sell ya. Both of those at least i know of, and remember watching, but have they been on in 30 years...anywhere? I would like to see the FBI again myself, but no way would it sell, IMO. Once again, its a show that has tanked in syndication, how could it be a big seller, or even a cult seller on DVD? We have a better shot with well remembered, syndicated some place in the US, or cult shows turning up. I am sure that some of these shows you want will show up, but others...well, i wish you luck.

 

[RichieMagoo]

I think as the classic DVD market starts to become saturated (a point which we are on the verge of), the studios will gain interest in slower-selling shows and more obscure shows...as they will be the only venue for expansion in the market. It's just ashame that we have to wait for that pount to fully come...and for the DVD studios to figure out when it has arrived.

Personally, I'd like to see Barnaby Jones and The Courtship Of Eddies Father on DVD!

But I have a new rule: I will no longer buy new titles from a studio, until they complete the entire series of shows that I already own seasons of or that I want...such as Taxi and All In The Family....as I'm awful tired of owning a season or two of each show only to be left hanging for years or for ever.

 

[TravisR]

I understand where you're coming from but that just sells less copies and could make the studio think that there's not a market for that show. Most older shows need all the sales they can get as soon as it's on shelves.

EDIT: forgot a word.

 

[Jeff*H]

I disagree. I think the TV_DVD market will be contracting, not expanding, in the next few years (in fact, I would say it's already happening as most of the 'big shows' have been released), and thus companies faced with diminishing profit margins will eventually abandon the market and focus on other means to monetize their TV libraries (mainly the internet). And I don't see Blu-Ray as an opportunity for TV product other than the most popular selling action/sci-fi oriented titles.

 

[Bryan^H]

I think the tv dvd market became over saturated a few years ago, and that is when the real troubles started. Many of us that collect these sets became backlogged because of the over abundance of series to watch. I'm sure the studios anticipated this, and for that reason either waited way too long to releases further season sets of a show, or put it on hiatus until they feel the market will boom again.
I think you are correct in the thinking there will be another surge in classic tv dvd's, but for now we will have to wait, and see.

 

[LizH]

Does this include "My Mother The Car?"


How about "Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp?"

 

[Regulus]

Looking at my "Wish List" I realised there were more fingers on my hand than there are any Series with 3 or more seasons completed that I am interested in buying. By year's end I anticipate I'll have enough shows collected that at the rate I'm watching them (About 3 1/2 Hours per evening) It will take me more than 3 years to watch episode once! Once the "Wish List is completed most purchases will be only of shows I have not completed because season sets haven't been released yet (Walker, Texas Ranger, JAG, Hawaii Five-O, Mission: Impossible & Smallville). In the meantime I'll have plenty of shows to enjoy, and when I get done watching them there will be another slew of programs to get!