A Few Words About A few words about...™ Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada TV Series -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Brent Reid]

Aside from the US MPI set, the complete series has also been released by Koch in Germany and Elephant Films in France, so you might want to try one of those. The Spanish BDs from Llamentol (now on BD-R) are much lower quality bootlegs.

 

[J. Casey]

Please note that the MPI set is out of print, but you can find it from many dealers at reasonable prices, some cheaper than MSRP.

 

[Bill McCamy]

The resurrection of this thread reminded me that I had not replaced my DVD versions (the first ones, circa 2002) with Blu-rays. Earlier posts gave me the impression that I should get the Spanish version. However, newer reviews at Spanish Amazon pointed out, as Brent Reid did above, that the Spanish version is now produced on BD-Rs, with lower quality than the original release. Both the French and German releases appear to be region-locked (if Amazon is correct). The big green ITV box appears to be the wiser purchase. It's also at a relatively low price point. After several years of procrastination, I'm glad I was reminded of this set before it was truly out-of-print.

 

[bigshot]

If you can find a used copy of the Spanish version, it's just as good as any other one out there. The only problem with these discs I know of is some missing day for night processing. It's a shame that they cheaped out on this Spanish set now, but I guess it isn't selling like it used to.

 

[Brent Reid]

The Spanish discs are inferior bootlegs; technically they're pirates too, but whatever. The bottom line is they're inferior in every respect to the official product and no one here should be encouraging others to buy them.

For the record, the majority of Spanish and Italian BD boots are now produced on BD-R, increasing the thieves' profit margins even further .

 

[AnthonyClarke]

So it seems the original Spanish release was kosher but the re-release on burned discs is an inferior pirate.
I bought my Spanish set as soon as it appeared, with Granada TV insignia and on pressed discs, and apart from the very minor 'night for day' issue, it views very well indeed. So if a secondhand set of the original issue appears, grab it!

 

[bigshot]

The original Spanish release was fine. It came out before the US release I think. Some folks think everything from Spain is a bootleg, but it isn't true. It's just a smaller market with a different pricing structure and customer base. I'm very happy with my Spanish Sherlock Holmes set. When it was going cheap, a lot of people were buying them up and selling them on eBay. It's worth checking there to see if there are still some available before spending a lot on another version.

I would bet the current Spanish release is legit too. They just couldn't afford a whole pressing run, so they cheaped out. Too bad.

 

[Persianimmortal]

Long time, no post Not back here to post regularly. Out of respect for the forum owners, and a desire not to cause a huge debate, I won't go into the reasons.

In any case, this was my favourite thread here, as this Sherlock Holmes series has become a yearly favourite viewing experience. So when I got alerted that the thread was resurrected, I had to answer the call!

I know this thread has been dormant for a while but I'm earnestly trying to get a few questions answered regarding the Sherlock Holmes Granada series sets answered and have been met only with stony silence on the other forums where matters like this are supposedly discussed. I came across this thread and thought the membership here might be more inclined to at least try and help.

In short, I would like to know the following, which of the sets is free of the following defects? It isn't the MPI Blu-Ray set because I have it but fault-free versions do exist somewhere because I have the downloads to prove it.:

1) In The Three Gables, the picture has an annoying "stutter" or jerking effect throughout. It looks as though frames are being dropped is the best way to describe it. The audio track does not manifest any concomitant deterioration however.

2) In The Red Circle and The Golden Pince-Nez, there are occasional issues with the AV sync.

3) In The Master Blackmailer there are some freakish effects in the audio track. The dialogue is normal but any other background noises e.g., horses trotting, birds taking to the wing at the beginning, etc., have an outlandish almost mechanical quality to them that is as annoying as it is hard to describe.

These are known issues with the MPI BD set like mine. MPI never offered replacements and couldn't now even if they wished to as they no longer retain the licence. I'd like to know if any of the foreign sets are plagued with the defects described above.

Again I would appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.

Most of these questions are already answered in this thread, even as little as a couple of pages ago. But to repeat: the Spanish set definitely has no issues with The Three Gables; the frame pacing is normal. Another member and I did a quick comparison between the US and Spanish sets earlier in this thread.

I've not noticed any of the audio issues you mention with The Red Circle or the The Golden Pince-Nez, nor with The Master Blackmailer - and I've listened to the series at least once using Sennheiser wireless headphones, so I've heard the audio relatively intimately, and would have detected any significant audio deviations.

Aside from the US MPI set, the complete series has also been released by Koch in Germany and Elephant Films in France, so you might want to try one of those. The Spanish BDs from Llamentol (now on BD-R) are much lower quality bootlegs.

I don't know if the original Spanish release from Llamentol, which I and a range of other posters in this thread bought several years ago (on proper pressed BDs) are bootlegs. There certainly wasn't any indication that they were based on the overall quality of the package. But one thing I can emphatically deny is that they are lower quality in terms of video and audio. They are superb, and pending evidence that the original pressing is indeed a pirated product, I'd recommend that people seek out the first release of the Spanish set on ebay or Amazon and grab a copy.

Of course, if it's proven that the first set is unlicensed and thus a bootleg, the right thing to do would be to buy one of the legitimate releases, like the US MPI set. However, maybe someone here who has the time, and more importantly the expertise and contacts, say perhaps the indefatigable RAH, could reach out to MPI and get them to correct the issues raised herein, and have them release a brand new run of their set. I believe it is currently out of print, so this would be the perfect opportunity to release a new, perfected, set, and in the absence of any real competition from the Spanish set, hopefully be rewarded for their efforts.

This series is just too good to be consigned to bootlegs, or have limited availability. I'd be happy to rebuy the set if it's proven that the Spanish set was and is an unlicensed release, and MPI puts out a proper version.

Cheers,
Koroush

 

[Robin9]

Long time, no post Not back here to post regularly. Out of respect for the forum owners, and a desire not to cause a huge debate, I won't go into the reasons.

In any case, this was my favourite thread here, as this Sherlock Holmes series has become a yearly favourite viewing experience. So when I got alerted that the thread was resurrected, I had to answer the call!




Most of these questions are already answered in this thread, even as little as a couple of pages ago. But to repeat: the Spanish set definitely has no issues with The Three Gables; the frame pacing is normal. Another member and I did a quick comparison between the US and Spanish sets earlier in this thread.

I've not noticed any of the audio issues you mention with The Red Circle or the The Golden Pince-Nez, nor with The Master Blackmailer - and I've listened to the series at least once using Sennheiser wireless headphones, so I've heard the audio relatively intimately, and would have detected any significant audio deviations.



I don't know if the original Spanish release from Llamentol, which I and a range of other posters in this thread bought several years ago (on proper pressed BDs) are bootlegs. There certainly wasn't any indication that they were based on the overall quality of the package. But one thing I can emphatically deny is that they are lower quality in terms of video and audio. They are superb, and pending evidence that the original pressing is indeed a pirated product, I'd recommend that people seek out the first release of the Spanish set on ebay or Amazon and grab a copy.

Of course, if it's proven that the first set is unlicensed and thus a bootleg, the right thing to do would be to buy one of the legitimate releases, like the US MPI set. However, maybe someone here who has the time, and more importantly the expertise and contacts, say perhaps the indefatigable RAH, could reach out to MPI and get them to correct the issues raised herein, and have them release a brand new run of their set. I believe it is currently out of print, so this would be the perfect opportunity to release a new, perfected, set, and in the absence of any real competition from the Spanish set, hopefully be rewarded for their efforts.

This series is just too good to be consigned to bootlegs, or have limited availability. I'd be happy to rebuy the set if it's proven that the Spanish set was and is an unlicensed release, and MPI puts out a proper version.

Cheers,
Koroush

Hey! Welcome back. I thought something had happened to you!

 

[Brent Reid]

Round and round and round we go... Supporters of piracy and piracy deniers yet again work overtime to try and muddy the waters.

Fact: Llamentol, who also ripped off the restored Rathbone Holmes series on BD, are outright thieves and have never released anything legitimately licensed from copyright holders – ever.

I've several ways of proving this, not least of which is direct confirmation from ITV, the Brett/Holmes copyright holders, themselves. That was specifically regarding some UK Network-licensed BDs of other ITV programmes pirated by Llamentol. But clearly nothing will convince certain people that bootlegging and piracy even exist. It just beggars belief.

And by the way, everything the likes of Llamentol release is always lower quality than the original product:

• The same amount of programme or film content on fewer (and single-layered, often rewritable) discs, with much higher compression
• Extras: gone
• Lossless audio: gone (always basic, lower-than-usual-bitrate Dolby Digital)
• Decent packaging, booklets, inserts, etc: gone (instead it''ll be superficially pretty but dead basic)

If you care about quality and you've a half decent system, you'll see and hear the difference.
If you don't care about quality, why are you even hanging around this HD forum? Get over to YouTube or simply download all your stolen media. Whatever you do, at least stop lining these thieving b*st*rds' pockets. It's just shameful.

Lastly, for the nth time: Beware of Pirates! How to Avoid Bootleg Blu-rays and DVDs

 

[bigshot]

A cheap release isn't necessarily a bootleg. Spain is a small market. It isn't the same as Germany or the UK. The studios have banks of lawyers in all countries whose job it is to litigate for them. They are perfectly capable of defending their copyrights. In fact, we pay the salaries for those lawyers here in the US in the form of inflated home video prices. If someone gets a region free player and wants to shop around for the best product at the best price, that is perfectly fine. If all they want is a bare bones version with the feature alone at a very low price, that is fine. If they want all the bells and whistles for a Criterion release and they're willing to pay a premium, that's fine.

Our job here in this forum is to help people make an informed choice, not to act as some sort of police force. I recommend the original Spanish release of the Sherlock Holmes series. It's exactly the same as all the other releases at a much reduced price. Since it's out of print, the best source for it would probably be eBay.

 

[Persianimmortal]

Hey! Welcome back. I thought something had happened to you!

Hey there! Nope, nothing's happened to me, just prefer not to post here, but I'm back for a limited time only (*while stocks last) to post in this thread Seriously though, you guys aren't missing anything due to my lack of posting.

Round and round and round we go... Supporters of piracy and piracy deniers yet again work overtime to try and muddy the waters.

Fact: Llamentol, who also ripped off the restored Rathbone Holmes series on BD, are outright thieves and have never released anything legitimately licensed from copyright holders – ever.

I've several ways of proving this, not least of which is direct confirmation from ITV, the Brett/Holmes copyright holders, themselves. That was specifically regarding some UK Network-licensed BDs of other ITV programmes pirated by Llamentol. But clearly nothing will convince certain people that bootlegging and piracy even exist. It just beggars belief.

And by the way, everything the likes of Llamentol release is always lower quality than the original product:

• The same amount of programme or film content on fewer (and single-layered, often rewritable) discs, with much higher compression
• Extras: gone
• Lossless audio: gone (always basic, lower-than-usual-bitrate Dolby Digital)
• Decent packaging, booklets, inserts, etc: gone (instead it''ll be superficially pretty but dead basic)

If you care about quality and you've a half decent system, you'll see and hear the difference.
If you don't care about quality, why are you even hanging around this HD forum? Get over to YouTube or simply download all your stolen media. Whatever you do, at least stop lining these thieving b*st*rds' pockets. It's just shameful.

Lastly, for the nth time: Beware of Pirates! How to Avoid Bootleg Blu-rays and DVDs

Whoa, easy there mate, I'm on your side! I've argued strongly against piracy on this forum in the past. I honestly didn't know if the Spanish Holmes set was a bootleg or not, as it's never been raised in this thread until recently, which is why I asked for evidence. If you've done the due diligence - and it seems like you have - to prove that Llamentol always release bootlegs, then I'm willing to believe you. Of course, it's a little late for me now, since I've had the Spanish set for several years, and by all accounts, even from those who own both the Spanish and the US set, the video and audio quality are not significantly compromised. Indeed, ironically it's the legitimate release that has frame skipping in one episode due to incorrect PAL conversion.

As I noted in my previous post, the right thing to do if the Spanish set is a bootleg is to support the legitimate releases. The problem there is that the main legitimate release in the US is now out of print, and one poster here says that MPI no longer has the license. So I'd suggest to the rights holders, whether directly if they're reading this, or indirectly if someone here with the right contacts can reach them, that now is the perfect time to re-release the set with corrections. Help people to do the right thing by making the necessary minor fixes, then releasing the set in its native English, in a major market like the US or UK, rather than France or Germany, at a reasonable price. I'd be happy to buy such a set without hesitation and bin my Spanish set.

Other legal avenues to see this series include:

Britbox (streaming) - but it's US & Canada only.
iTunes (Download) - but it's in SD not HD and it might be UK only.
Google Play - says it's not available.
Amazon Prime Video - refers people to Britbox.

This series deserves the best presentation, disseminated to the widest possible audience. There's something like 38+ hours of top-notch entertainment in this series, so there's no excuse to knowingly pirate it. By the same token, the rights holders have an opportunity to help reduce piracy by re-releasing the set in HD, in at least one major English-speaking market, at a reasonable price. Let's hope it happens

/EDIT: Forgot to add, if you're interested in trying out the original Sherlock Holmes books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, many of them are now available for free (legally), as they've fallen into the public domain, and by 2023 all of them will be public domain. So, for example, you can download The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ebook on iTunes for free. I highly recommend reading the original stories, they're still very interesting, and the language isn't archaic or overly difficult to follow.

 

[bigshot]

Everything from Spain is a bootleg to him.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Welcome back Koroush
Just a little aside ... my wife Robyn and I just returned home to Australia three weeks ago from a wonderful holiday in Iran (followed by some time in Italy). Wonderful place, with such friendly and hospitable people.
Reason for that mention is that on the tour (Intrepid Travel, only six people for 10 days, with dinner every night in private homes), there was an American woman, a retired pediatrician who had moved with her parents from Iran when she was just 14, and who still spoke perfect Farsi.
With her was one of her sons, named Koroush (named after King Cyrus), a professor of film studies in NY. Strange world, isn't it!

 

[Persianimmortal]

Welcome back Koroush
Just a little aside ... my wife Robyn and I just returned home to Australia three weeks ago from a wonderful holiday in Iran (followed by some time in Italy). Wonderful place, with such friendly and hospitable people.
Reason for that mention is that on the tour (Intrepid Travel, only six people for 10 days, with dinner every night in private homes), there was an American woman, a retired pediatrician who had moved with her parents from Iran when she was just 14, and who still spoke perfect Farsi.
With her was one of her sons, named Koroush (named after King Cyrus), a professor of film studies in NY. Strange world, isn't it!

Hey there Anthony, glad you enjoyed your holiday in Iran! Yes the people can be very friendly, and hopefully you visited the ancient sites like Persepolis. And yes, Koroush is a common name in Iran, after the ancient Persian king Cyrus. It's usually spelled and pronounced differently to mine, typically as Kourosh (koo-rush); my name is the "Australianized" version, spelled Koroush, and pronounced ko-roosh

I came to Australia in 1977, and aside from a brief year back in Iran in 1980, I haven't been back there in 38 years. The main reason is that if I went back when I was younger, I'd be forced into military service, and serving in the military of a religious dictatorship was not something I was going to do; now that I'm 47, I'd simply have to pay a large sum of money to make up for not serving if I went back, so while not ideal, it's more tempting. My dad, who was a diplomat during the Shah's regime, goes back to Iran often without any problems.

Anyway, I'm sure you're happy to return to Australia to the great news that we can no longer buy stuff from some overseas retailers, like Amazon US and UK, due to protectionism under the guise of "GST fairness". It'll make getting decent Blu-ray releases tougher, since many great BD releases are never put out by Australian distributors. It'd be nice if content owners stopped this ridiculously antiquated notion of region-based rights, and it would certainly help reduce piracy.

So back on topic: if the rights holders to this Sherlock Holmes set are listening, please, please, make it more readily available - both digitally and physically - across, at the very least, the main English-speaking countries (technically that includes the US ). And please fix the minor errors in this otherwise superb set.