Thunderbirds: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

 

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I think this is great news, but wonder if the clarity will make the strings so prominent that they will become overly distracting. Thoughts?

Carabimero said:

I think this is great news, but wonder if the clarity will make the strings so prominent that they will become overly distracting. Thoughts?

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You may very well be correct about the wires being overly distracting.


We've seen this before with HD. "Nimoy has a coffee stain on his shirt. Shatner has a zit on his nose, and Deforest Kelley needs a shave."

Carabimero said:

I think this is great news, but wonder if the clarity will make the strings so prominent that they will become overly distracting. Thoughts?

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They are clearly visible on the dvd's so if you didn't find it distracting there I doubt you will now.

That was one of the positive outcomes from ITV cropping the show to 16:9 for their UK Bluray - the strings were usually not visible

I finally got around to ordering my copy and it arrived today. I was really excited by the news as I had been hoping for a long time to see this series in high definition.

I watched the first episode tonight. I did not do an A - B comparison to the DVD. I had watched the series on DVD recently, within a year. Concerns about the wires being more visible is valid, but the wires didn't look any more obvious then on DVD.

What I was really amazed by is the quality of the source material! The quality of he film stock and cameras used must have been top notch back in 1965. There is depth of field in some of the model shots of Tracy Island and I never noticed it before. Or in actuality, I think it's just more clear and obvious.

One of the things I loved as a kid is the model work. Seeing this series again in high definition was terrific. I'm sure Gerry Anderson and the technical crew and puppeteers would never have imagined that some day their work would be under the scrutiny of so many fans in such high resolution on a large screen in home theaters. . I hope the surviving people involved are enjoying this as much as we are. I am really impressed by the quality of the whole effort. The original work done by Meddings and his crew is truly of the highest levels. The camera work is top notch. And the work from done to the source material is also top quality! The color is denser then before, the image quality is clean and free of any defects in the one episode I've screened so far. And the audio quality is also of high caliber. I listened to the 5.1 track and it's clear and quite good fidelity.

I also was taken by the ability to really notice more the detailing of the sets and costumes and the ability to really see the fabrics. Past releases of British series such as The Prisoner and Space: 1999 have been of very high caliber. This release is as good and better in some ways.

Fans will be thrilled! I look forward to screening the next episode. And I'll be listening for the dreaded audio glitch this episode has been suffering from that's on the UK Blu ray release from several years ago.

This release is quite wonderful considering the other releases on blu ray in Japan with the cropped image to make it widescreen and the UK release. I'm quite happy to finally have a copy here in the USA version.

Nelson I just ordered the BD set after reading your comments. The first thing I have double dipped on since Twilight Zone and Star Trek!

Alan, I hope you enjoy the blu-ray as much as I have so far! I think it's a worthy double dip if you are a fan. I look forward to seeing the episode Terror in New York City as I make my way through each episode. FAB!

I've also recently enjoyed revisiting Stingray. I imagine it's not as popular and won't likely see a high definition reissue, but it would be great to see all the Anderson Supermarionation series in high definition. I think Captain Scarlett must have a big following if Anderson tried to revive it. I tried to revisit it recently as well and it was so dark and foreboding, it wasn't as fun to watch. The Thunderbirds and earlier series had a certain charm that make them more fun. As a little kid I loved Fireball XL-5 and Supercar as well. But I haven't been as enthusiastic to rewatch them. I have had the discs for a long while! So I'll have to make the effort after I finish Thunderbirds.

I am curious, and I suspect the Shout Factory reissues of Stingray, Supercar, Fireball XL-5, Captain Scarlett and Joe 90 are simply the same masters as the previous A&E releases?

I, too, was originally hesitant to give in and double dip on this set. After all, I had bought those original bulky 2-dvd volumes as they were released. But I broke down and ordered the blu-ray set. After watching the first 5 minutes, I knew I made the right decision. Great transfers/remastering. Now, I will regift my DVDs to my older brother who actually watched the shows on Saturday morning TV. AND, as a bonus, with the blu-ray set beings so compact in comparison to the DVD boxes, I have lots of extra space on my shelves for more new shows/movies!

Now I just need to order the blu-ray of THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO/THUNDERBIRD 6.

Although I too suspect that we won't see high definition releases of Captain Scarlett and Stingray they are personal favorites while growing up. Man those closing credits on Captain Scarlett were inspiring of such daring do and adventure !


Regards,

As a side note, I noticed that last year Amazon had two CD volumes of the Barry Gray score for the Thunderbirds. I grabbed those. I'll have to see if there are more.

I too must grab the Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 blu Ray. I've never seen them.

Nelson Au said:

I finally got around to ordering my copy and it arrived today. I was really excited by the news as I had been hoping for a long time to see this series in high definition.

I watched the first episode tonight. I did not do an A - B comparison to the DVD. I had watched the series on DVD recently, within a year. Concerns about the wires being more visible is valid, but the wires didn't look any more obvious then on DVD.

What I was really amazed by is the quality of the source material! The quality of he film stock and cameras used must have been top notch back in 1965. There is depth of field in some of the model shots of Tracy Island and I never noticed it before. Or in actuality, I think it's just more clear and obvious.

One of the things I loved as a kid is the model work. Seeing this series again in high definition was terrific. I'm sure Gerry Anderson and the technical crew and puppeteers would never have imagined that some day their work would be under the scrutiny of so many fans in such high resolution on a large screen in home theaters. . I hope the surviving people involved are enjoying this as much as we are. I am really impressed by the quality of the whole effort. The original work done by Meddings and his crew is truly of the highest levels. The camera work is top notch. And the work from done to the source material is also top quality! The color is denser then before, the image quality is clean and free of any defects in the one episode I've screened so far. And the audio quality is also of high caliber. I listened to the 5.1 track and it's clear and quite good fidelity.

I also was taken by the ability to really notice more the detailing of the sets and costumes and the ability to really see the fabrics. Past releases of British series such as The Prisoner and Space: 1999 have been of very high caliber. This release is as good and better in some ways.

Fans will be thrilled! I look forward to screening the next episode. And I'll be listening for the dreaded audio glitch this episode has been suffering from that's on the UK Blu ray release from several years ago.

This release is quite wonderful considering the other releases on blu ray in Japan with the cropped image to make it widescreen and the UK release. I'm quite happy to finally have a copy here in the USA version.

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Don't know which audio glitch you mean on the UK set but compare the end titles of the first episode on the Shout set and the UL ITV set. The Shout end titles have a bad glitch that is not on the UK version although i don't recall if its on both audio tracks - it must be the 5.1 track as the UK set doesn't include mono

SAhmed said:

Although I too suspect that we won't see high definition releases of Captain Scarlett and Stingray they are personal favorites while growing up. Man those closing credits on Captain Scarlett were inspiring of such daring do and adventure !


Regards,

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Most of the Anderson shows get 4 HD episodes in the Supermarionation sets. There are several ways to buy.


http://networkonair.com/shop/search?doit=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=supermarionation

Nelson Au said:

As a side note, I noticed that last year Amazon had two CD volumes of the Barry Gray score for the Thunderbirds. I grabbed those. I'll have to see if there are more.

I too must grab the Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6 blu Ray. I've never seen them.

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If you want the ultimate in Thunderbirds soundtracks you need this one.


http://www.fanderson.org.uk/fansales/fansale.html#CD

I got my Thunderbirds BD set today. So compact! Sadly I won't be able to watch it for a couple of days but look forward to it.

That's great Alan, I'll be curious what you think of the set! I jumped in and watched several so far. It's funny, upon this viewing, I started to think about how Anderson had created a future where mankind is so arrogant to think he can create such fantastic technology and yet it goes wrong from sabotage and or accidents or acts by the Hood. . It's not a knock on the show. It just reminded me of the thinking after the Titanic sank and how that was an example of man's hubris. Of course this is really a fun children's and adult show set in the future with lots of action and adventure. I guess my older self is thinking differently then when I was a little kid enjoying the action.

David, thanks for the links to the fanderson site. I was aware they had a lot of offerings, but I was put off with the idea of joining them in order to make a purchase. I'm not too inclined to collect those box sets if they only have a few episodes from each series in high def.

The music CD sets are nice. But if they were only available on the open market. I can search around. It's not something I'm dying to have, but it's nice. I might join someday. I see some releases from Silva on Amazon. And there's Stand By for Action with tracks from all the Anderson series. Not complete but a nice sampler.

Nelson Au said:

David, thanks for the links to the fanderson site. I was aware they had a lot of offerings, but I was put off with the idea of joining them in order to make a purchase. I'm not too inclined to collect those box sets if they only have a few episodes from each series in high def.

The music CD sets are nice. But if they were only available on the open market. I can search around. It's not something I'm dying to have, but it's nice. I might join someday. I see some releases from Silva on Amazon. And there's Stand By for Action with tracks from all the Anderson series. Not complete but a nice sampler.

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The Filmed in Supermarionation double discer includes the feature length documentary all about the shows but the second disc is an absolute joy.

You can either select to watch the individual HD episodes but if you select Play All it becomes a 4 hour marathon hosted by Lady Penelope and Parker with all new puppet work and dialogue newly recorded by Sylvia Anderson and David Graham who pop up in between each episode to introduce behind the scenes clips , some not widely seen before including a very rare appearance for the full size FAB1 on Blue Peter and all the shows on the Play All version include their original ad break bumpers aswell as lots of the original 60's commercials , mainly for ice cream that featured the casts of the various puppet shows from Supercar onwards.

Even if the complete series of these later shows eventually arrive on Bluray in a few years this double disc set is still very much a worthwhile purchase.


Unfortunately the licencing agreements that allow Fanderson to be able to produce such spectacular cd collections ( and other merchandise) mean they are only allowed to sell to members. They never become generally available. Both of the Space 1999 cd sets from Fanderson include between 2 and 3 times as much music as the discs that go on general sale

That box set with the HD episodes sounds really good. . I recall there was that licensing issue that only made those items at Fanderson. Thanks for the added information and your thoughts on those HD sets.

Nelson Au said:

That box set with the HD episodes sounds really good. . I recall there was that licensing issue that only made those items at Fanderson. Thanks for the added information and your thoughts on those HD sets.

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It was available for around £10 in the recent Network sale. Its only £15 on Amazon at the moment.

US buyers should be aware its a 50i set so you need to have that playback capability

A long time ago I got a book entitled THE COMPLETE BOOK OF THUNDERBIRDS and have never really had time to properly appreciate it. I think it's going to be a great companion to this new BD set.

Oh yeah, the set is region 2 or has material that only plays on a region 2 player. That was another unfortunate factor that gave me pause.

Thanks for the title of that book! I've added to my list. There's also a fun book I have to get called Thunderbirds manual.

http://www.amazon.com/International-Rescue-Thunderbirds-Onwards-Workshop/dp/0857331175

I am going through this book, whetting my appetite. My memory is, the first two episodes are great, the third episode is a fall off. We'll see what I think about this series now. It has been ten years since I watched it. A lot of water under my bridge.


Monday night, Thunderbirds are go!