Alias possibly coming to DVD in September '03!!! (1 Viewer)

[David Lambert]

Felicity, Once & Again, Sports Night...

 

[John Simon]

I guess I stand corrected. :b Thanks, David.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Buena Vista seems to take this approach when packaging TV on DVD. I don't mind. It's actually not that much wider when on the shelf.

 

[Joel C]

I just wish they'd use the new thin pack cases. Even six thin packs are skinnier than three double alphas (6mm each, or 3.6cm vs. 4.4cm).

 

[Jon Mercer]

OK now that I'm hoping this site is wrong:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...=&newdeptid=13
Plainly stating fullscreen. Is this a type "o" , are they misinformed, or is there a dual release??

 

[Duncan_N]

Mine's been shipped - I'll let you know soon! Great show.

 

[John Simon]

While it doesn't say if the set is in widescreen or not, the first review is up at an Alias fan site. More of a fan review than anything else, it goes over the features and doesn't mention the audio/visual quality. Head over to The Safe House for a look.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

My season 2 set of Felicity finally arrived. The cover they have to promote Season 3 of ALIAS is pretty damn sweet. Why can't the cover art be as nice?

 

[Joel C]

I also really like that Felicity insert. The S2 concept art I've seen isn't bad either.

That review isn't very satisfying. The reviewer doesn't even mention the Pilot Production Diary, which is supposed to be feature length. And why not talk about seeing the show in widescreen? Oh, well, I'll have the set in two weeks. Or three, since I got it with free Amazon shipping.

 

[JohnAP]

I prefer the "buena vista" method of packaging tv
dvds. They seem to be sturdier and easier to manage than the flimsy cardboard foldouts many series use.

All indications are that this is definitely widescreen, though I wonder why it's still not broadcast that way since that seems to be what all the cool dramas are doing.

Has anyone comented yet on whether or not it contains all the original music?

 

[Jason Seaver]

I wonder why it's still not broadcast that way since that seems to be what all the cool dramas are doing.

I don't think ABC's ever letterboxed a show. NBC does it at the drop of a hat, and the other networks are willing, on occasion (although I don't think CBS has since Feds), but maybe Abrahms just didn't have the clout to ask for it like Wells, Whedon, and Trek have.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I think it's more that ABC is in the dumps in the ratings, and the Powers that Be didn't want to risk alienating any viewer. Sigh, maybe they'll figure it out this season or next

 

[Mark Pfeiffer]

I haven't received the discs yet, but the press notes came today and specifically say 1.78:1, enhanced for 16x9 screens.

 

[John Simon]

The first in-depth review of the Season 1 set is now up at SD-6. It sounds pretty good, and I can't wait.
There are some additional pictures of the packaging on the site's message board.
Oh, and the author of the review posted a summary of the Pilot Production Diary on the message board as well. Here it is:

 

[David Brent]

Great to have an advance review, but if anyone gets hold of this set could they possibly report if the episodes retain the "Previously on Alias..." introductions from the start?

Kind of an essential element on a show as complicated as Alias, I reckon, so here's hoping.

David.

 

[Sven Lorenz]

Kind of an essential element on a show as complicated as Alias, I reckon, so here's hoping.

I've heard that complaint a lot - on the Buffy sets for example - and it always puzzles me.
Is people's attention span really so low that they need to be reminded what happened in the episode they watched 5 minutes ago or a day ago ?
When the episodes are aired on TV it might serve the people who missed an episode - but it's hard to miss an episode if you have them all on your DVD.
Imagine how annoying watching several episodes of 24, for example, would have been if they hadn't cut out all those "Previously on" segments.
Please don't drag Robert Harris into this and make him explain to me that the 'Previously on' segment is an essential part of the episode and removing it would hurt the artistic flow of the episode.
I got enough of that nonsense in the 'Lawrence of Arabia' thread.

 

[David Brent]

Imagine how annoying watching several episodes of 24, for example, would have been if they hadn't cut out all those "Previously on" segments.

Actually, I've gone with the UK R2 releases solely because they do retain the "Previously.." intros. Anyone know if they'll also be cut out of R1 S2?
David

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Actually, I've gone with the UK R2 releases solely because they do retain the "Previously.." intros. Anyone know if they'll also be cut out of R1 S2?

They're not cut out, they don't exist. The R1 Buffys are taken from the final edit masters of the episode for optimum quality. The R2 Buffy are taken from the PAL Broadcast Master, so they have the previously-ons.

 

[David Brent]

They're not cut out, they don't exist. The R1 Buffys are taken from the final edit masters of the episode for optimum quality. The R2 Buffy are taken from the PAL Broadcast Master, so they have the previously-ons.

I didn't mention Buffy - I was referring to the "Previously.." recaps from 24.

Regardless of the explanation for the absence of recaps, my preference is to retain this feature where it exists for DVD releases of any TV series.

David

 

[John Simon]

I completely agree with you on this, David. I introduced a number of friends to 24 this past summer, and it became fairly difficult to remember what had happened last (or where we'd left of) when we would take a week or two between episodes. Likewise with Alias, I think that the "Previously On..." is almost a necessity unless you plan on watching the entire season over a short period of time (which many people don't have the time to do).
And I don't buy at all that the recaps are only for those who've missed an episode. Often on Alias, the recaps highlight scenes from multiple episodes. There were even occasions in the second season when scenes from the first season were revisited.
Perhaps if studios included a chapter stop after the recap, making it easier to skip, we'd all be happy. Just my 0.02