Complete Series sets (1 Viewer)

[Dave Scarpa]

When i look at some of the prices for complete series especially the CBS Set, compared to what i paid for usually half season sets. I'm sad

 

[The Obsolete Man]

When i look at some of the prices for complete series especially the CBS Set, compared to what i paid for usually half season sets. I'm sad

I've been the sucker who paid full price so others can benefit (Every Star Trek series ever), and I've been the one to take advantage of the suckers who bought first (the Perry Mason movies).

It's a give and take that all equals out in the end.

Of course, CBS and their pricing has almost guaranteed I'll never buy one of their season sets new again and wait for the complete collection. They try to suck you dry upfront with outrageous prices, then release complete sets for pennies.

 

[TJPC]

How about sucking you in with a very cheap first season? I bought season 1 of The Walking Dead DVDs for pennies at a Boxing Day sale when it first came out. When I converted to Blu ray, my local second hand disc shop wouldn't buy it at any price, saying that they already were very over stocked, although they were interested in any other season I might have.

Now, and I know this is my personal problem, I buy season after season on blu of a program I really don't like anymore post Negan, just to complete my set. I keep hoping I hear "this is the last season", but of course I never do. People who do not have the collecting bug would of course think I am crazy, and they probably are right!

 

[mayberry66guy]

This is the sad reality for us diehard "tv fanatics." I remember paying $24.95 for four-episode VHS tapes of The Andy Griffith Show, All in the Family, and many others. Then, DVD season sets came along and I paid $19.99 for a full season (30 episodes). And, today, you can buy the full 8 seasons of The Andy Griffith Show for about $70.
Now comes blu-ray and, if you can wait, previous seasons of long-running shows like The Big Bang Theory, can be picked up for less than $10--if you didn't buy them as "new releases" for $30.
I swear I won't ever be duped again. BUT, I know I will. :/

 

[TravisR]

I do my best to not look back on what I paid versus what I would pay today.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I do my best to not look back on what I paid versus what I would pay today.

I generally only look back so I can be a smug dick when people say things like "OMG, $20 per season for a show? That's highway robbery!" And I can whip out the "Yeah, I paid $119.99 per season for Star Trek. $100 for a complete series? That's practically giving 'em away!" card.

 

[BobO'Link]

What annoys me more than the cost savings is that many of these complete series sets or repackages are in much better packaging that is also space saving. Frequently the horrible digipaks have been replaced with multi-disc amaray type packaging. The complete series prices are often almost attractive enough to get me to double-dip just for the improved packaging.

 

[Bob Gu]

What's especially sobering is seeing a complete series set priced at what you paid for one season, originally, and on top of that, is remembering your viewing of the series is still stuck in season four somewhere, and have five already purchased seasons to go.

As an economy move, I tell myself for some shows I'll just make do with what I can find on youtube., even though some of them have come out on DVD. But the lower pricing of some of these short lived shows is very tempting.

 

[jcroy]

I guess I would be an "honorary" member of this "schmucks R us" group too, when it comes to CBS/Paramount dvd sets.



I purchased the first four seasons of Happy Days and all the individual seasons of Numb3rs, when they were around $15-$20 a pop. (IIRC, I might have purchased the first two seasons of Numb3rs when they were $10 a pop).

I purchased the individual season sets of the original Hawaii Five-O, when they were around $15-$20 a pop. (I think I might have paid around $25-$30 a pop for the seasons 9, 11 and 12 season sets). This was before the complete series set was announced.


I also purchased all the individual MacGyver season sets and post-series telefilm dvds when they were around $15-$20 a pop. To add insult to injury, I wasn't aware of the first complete series MacGyver dvd set with the lousy packaging. (ie. I didn't do my homework at the time).

 

[Tony Bensley]

Regarding I LOVE LUCY, ours is a case of the glass being half full, in that we didn't pay full retail price on the individual 6 full seasons. If I recall correctly, we bought each ILL season set at Wal-Mart for $10 a pop, though not all of them at once. This was around 2006-07, before the Complete Series DVD set, which also included "Seasons" 7-9, and a fix for one of the Season 4 episodes, was issued.

On the plus side, when the Mrs put on one of the ILL Season 2 DVDs this morning, I still found the visual quality to be quite satisfactory. Close up, it looked even better to me than the early season "Andy Griffith Show" DVDs, and in my opinion, those aren't too shabby, either!

CHEERS!

 

[jcroy]

What annoys me more than the cost savings is that many of these complete series sets or repackages are in much better packaging that is also space saving. Frequently the horrible digipaks have been replaced with multi-disc amaray type packaging. The complete series prices are often almost attractive enough to get me to double-dip just for the improved packaging.

In regard to CBS/Paramount tv season sets, I think the worst egregious case of this would be something like CSI. Of the CSI season sets I have seen over the years, many of the older pre-2010 sets were done as digibooks where the plastic disc tray "pages" were so badly designed that the discs were difficult to take out of the trays. (The few sets I found at local dollar stores, had this really atrocious packaging + disc tray design).

I got the impression many of these older CSI season sets might not have been re-released in better generic viva multidisc case packaging. As to why exactly, I can only speculate that CBS/Paramount might have manufactured too many copies of these older CSI season sets back during the heydays era of dvd. (ie. The season 1 to season 8 CSI dvd sets were first released over 2003 to 2008, which were the peak heydays of dvd). Even today, the dump bin copies of CSI I see frequently are all still in the older original digibook style packaging.

This is the primary reason why I have not purchased many of the older Gil Grissom era CSI season sets on dvd, other than dollar store fodder. (I don't have many of the Fishburne and Danson era seasons sets either, other than the season 9 bluray).

Currently I have the upcoming CSI complete series set on pre-order. Though I don't know whether I'll end up buying it or just canceling it.

 

[bigshot]

I have a price I think is fair, and I stick to it. If a series I'm interested in gets in the range, I'll buy it. If not, I wait.

 

[jcroy]

I have a price I think is fair, and I stick to it. If a series I'm interested in gets in the range, I'll buy it. If not, I wait.

Nowadays my purchasing strategy is somewhat more nuanced, where I will sound like a complete schmuck on the surface.

In practice what I've found that is quite effective for me, is that if I'm not willing to pay first-day prices for particular dvd/bluray title, then I shouldn't be wasting my time watching that particular title on dvd/bluray. (As paradoxical this may sound).

Through a lot of trial and error over the years, I've found that most heavily discounted dvd/bluray titles I buy typically end up only being watched once or twice (or never) by me. In the end, I suspect it is easier to just watch these particular titles once or twice when they eventually show up on basic cable channels (ie. movies) and/or first-run broadcasts or reruns (ie. tv shows).

So far the few titles I have purchased on the first day, were almost always dvds/blurays which I ended up watching numerous times (such as the recent Star Wars live-action movies).

The last few tv season sets I purchased on the first-day, turned out to be the awful atrocious CSI Cyber. As lousy as the show was, it turned out I ended up watching both the season 1 and season 2 dvd sets numerous times (Some of the CSI Cyber episodes I have watched over a hundred times already, from the dvds). I have no idea why I like watching this show, in spite of how poorly written most of the episodes were.

More generally, I have no idea why this "paradoxical" dvd/bluray purchasing strategy ends up functioning in this manner for me. (All I know is that it significantly cuts down on ocd "impulse buying" for me, which is partially beneficial for my own personal sanity).

 

[bmasters9]

I also purchased all the individual MacGyver season sets and post-series telefilm dvds when they were around $15-$20 a pop. To add insult to injury, I wasn't aware of the first complete series MacGyver dvd set with the lousy packaging. (ie. I didn't do my homework at the time).

I think that the reviews on Amazon for the first version of the O-R ABC MacGyver all-in-one were well-stated, because for all those discs to be packed like that with no protection, scratches were incredibly inevitable even before that release got to a purchaser of it from Amazon or wherever.

 

[jcroy]

Back in mid-2011, if I was aware of the existence of that first MacGyver complete series set with the crappy packaging, most likely I would have purchased that complete series set and not the individual season sets.

It turned out later in 2011, I saw that first MacGyver complete series set at costco for around $60 or $70. This was AFTER I had already purchased all the individual season sets + post-series telefilm dvds.

 

[jcroy]

At this point if I'm going to buy any more CSI dvd sets, it will probably be the low-budget/shelf-friendly version of CSI New York.

IIRC, the first five or six seasons of CSI NY were also released in atrocious digibook style packaging with plastic disc trays which were designed so badly that it was difficult to take the discs out of them. (I found several of them in local dollar stores).

(I don't have any of the later dvd season sets with Sela Ward).

 

[jcroy]

(For clarification).

I should mention that most of the CSI dvd sets I have come across over the years, were the Alliance-Atlantis versions released in canada and overseas.

Apparently Alliance-Atlantis originally had a 50% ownership stake in the CSI franchise with CBS holding the other 50% stake. I don't remember all the particular details, but IIRC Alliance originally had the non-american overseas rights to the CSI franchise.

So most of my experience with really atrocious packaging were these Alliance-Atlantis released versions. I don't know how much more atrocious (or better) were the american CBS/Paramount versions of the CSI dvd sets, other than the seasons 3 and 4 sets of CSI Miami. My copies of the american CBS/Paramount released versions of seasons 3 and 4 of CSI Miami had that same atrocious digibook style packaging with poorly designed disc trays which made the discs difficult to take out.

If you go through my posting history on here, I have complained a lot about Alliance releasing their tv season sets in really atrocious packaging where the discs were difficult to take out of the digibook trays and/or the "clip" style packaging actually warping + scratching the discs. For example in the case of CSI, I have come across some of the 2009 or 2010 Alliance released CSI franchise dvd season sets where it sounded like they used the "clip" style packaging which warps + scratches the discs. (ie. If you slightly shake a dvd set with "clip" style packaging, it makes almost no sound at all if the discs are not loose. In contrast if you slightly shake a dvd set with a viva multidisc case, it makes a slight "sliding" sound).

So overall the original packaging used for the Alliance released versions of the CSI franchise dvd sets, was one disaster after another until around 2011 or 2012.

 

[jcroy]

(For clarification).
....

So overall the original packaging used for the Alliance released versions of the CSI franchise dvd sets, was one disaster after another until around 2011 or 2012.

This is the primary reason why I largely abstained from purchasing dvd season sets from the CSI franchise. Over the years, the few CSI:NY and CSI dvd sets I picked up were the ones I found in dollar stores for $1 (or $2).

(With that being said).

The only exception to this ^ was several years ago, when I decided to pick up the rest of the CSI: Miami dvd season sets.

By sheer luck, it just happened that the Alliance versions of CSI: Miami seasons 1-2 and season 5-10 were all re-released by Eone/Alliance in generic viva multidisc dvd cases. (Also by sheer coincidence, seasons 3 and 4 of CSI: Miami were never re-released by Eone/Alliance in generic viva multidisc dvd cases. I already had the american CBS/Paramount released versions of seasons 3 and 4).

Sometime in early 2013, Eone bought up Alliance. Gradually over the next several years, Eone re-released some of the Alliance catalog titles which were probably going out-of-stock by then.

If I had to guess, back in the day Alliance probably didn't manufacture too many copies of the CSI: Miami season sets, relative to the demand for them. By the time Eone bought up Alliance in 2013, a lot of the old Alliance CSI Miami inventory was probably running out by then, that Eone decided to re-release them in generic viva multidisc cases. (The only Alliance CSI season set I ever saw re-released in generic viva multidisc cases, was season 9. I haven't seen any other Alliance re-released CSI or CSI:NY season sets in generic viva multidisc cases).

More recently, the Eone/Alliance versions of the CSI franchise dvd season sets appear to be going out-of-print. Apparently Eone has been slowly exiting the home video market, where recently they didn't even bother renewing their long term licensing deal with Lionsgate + Summit. (Eone/Alliance/Maple handled Lionsgate and Summit released titles in canada over the past decade or so).

 

[jcroy]

I've been the sucker who paid full price so others can benefit (Every Star Trek series ever), and I've been the one to take advantage of the suckers who bought first (the Perry Mason movies).

I'm definitely more in the latter category, than the former.

I only started buying a lot of dvds/blurays in 2011. Prior to that time, I had very little to no interest in dvd/bluray over the entire 2000s decade.

By the time it was 2011, dump bins filled with good stuff were already widespread. So stuff like $15-$20 (or less) tv season sets were already commonplace.

 

[jcroy]

I swear I won't ever be duped again. BUT, I know I will. :/

I still have a "weakness" for scifi/fantasy/genre type dvds/blurays, and occasionally duped by something which sounds cool in the descipition + reviews. Though when I finally watch it, it turns out to be largely crap. One recent example of this is Z Nation.