Dukes of Hazard (Amazon) (1 Viewer)

[John*Wells]

I see the Complete Series was Released in Region 1 November 2017. Are the discs single sided? I bought the individual Seasons when they were released originally on the Flippers ..Again had issues with freezing, Skipping etc

 

[Ron1973]

I believe someone said they were single sided, but I wouldn't be the farm on it.

 

[darkrock17]

All WB TV reissues I believe are in keep cases now.

 

[jeremy223]

The latest release is all single sided. Amazon Prime has the HD version of the episodes which makes going back to the DVDs painful for me. Maybe we'll get blu rays for the 40th anniversary next year.

 

[Bryan^H]

The latest release is all single sided. Amazon Prime has the HD version of the episodes which makes going back to the DVDs painful for me. Maybe we'll get blu rays for the 40th anniversary next year.

But if you are a television purist like me the Prime HD versions aren't an option. The image is cropped...which sucks because it is a beautiful picture.

 

[darkrock17]

From what I've been reading, it sounds like The Dukes along with a lot of other filmed TV series from the 70's and 80's were shot in widescreen, but because HD TV's didn't exist back then, they were cropped to 4X3 to fit.

 

[jeremy223]

The original 4x3 image is definitely cropped and I don't like it, but this is probably the only HD version we'll get. There is a little more image on the sides, but not much. I have a few recordings from the original broadcasts and the DVDs were already cropped. Now they are cropped even more. These are very nice HD transfers though.

 

[Bryan^H]

The original 4x3 image is definitely cropped and I don't like it, but this is probably the only HD version we'll get. There is a little more image on the sides, but not much. I have a few recordings from the original broadcasts and the DVDs were already cropped. Now they are cropped even more. These are very nice HD transfers though.
View attachment 47772

Absolutely. The 16:9 version is gorgeous. And you are right, they wont be released full frame in HD going forward, so it is a "take it or leave it" situation. I can see valid arguments for both sides, but unfortuantely I'm not one to look past a minor details for the bigger picture.

 

[darkrock17]

The original 4x3 image is definitely cropped and I don't like it, but this is probably the only HD version we'll get. There is a little more image on the sides, but not much. I have a few recordings from the original broadcasts and the DVDs were already cropped. Now they are cropped even more. These are very nice HD transfers though.
View attachment 47772

I like the HD screen cap, it pops out at you more than the original. With HD you could crop it to however much you want in order to hide things like cameras or other cars.

 

[BobO'Link]

From what I've been reading, it sounds like The Dukes along with a lot of other filmed TV series from the 70's and 80's were shot in widescreen, but because HD TV's didn't exist back then, they were cropped to 4X3 to fit.

Without doing research on the subject I'd guess they were shot *protected* for WS rather than actually shot WS. The easy way to tell is to use an existing 4:3 image and zoom it to fill the screen. If no heads are cut off or if framing looks OK if any *are* cut off a bit then it's likely they were shot protected for WS, or in pure parlance shot "open matte" style.

My set does a "Wide fit" type zoom (the image is zoomed to the side of the 4:3 image cropping top and bottom equally - you can then adjust the image up/down in the frame to achieve "best" results for cropping). I've used this on lots of 4:3 TV shows just to see if they could be properly presented in WS (basically, lose little to no necessary information in the top or bottom of the screen). Because many of these shows were properly framed (using the "rule of thirds") it's possible to crop them for WS and get acceptable results. Does this mean I like it or that it should be done? Not at all. I'm a purist and want to see things as the producer/director intended them to be seen. However, there are a few series for which I truly don't care that I'll do such a zoom. I did that with Three's Company and was quite surprised at how little the framing was off with poor/excessive cropping.

When it comes right down to it, it's really one of those things that I'd rather control myself. Zoom when the mood hits but primarily watch OAR, as intended. With the tendency these days to force the product into a 16:9 ratio no matter the results it likely won't be possible to control that yourself. But today's consumer is about 4:3 as many people are about BW: If it's not 16:9 (or other WS ratio) and in color they feel like it's a waste of time to view. That means, just like the previous tendency to "pan and scan" WS product we'll now be forced to put up with "altered for WS" product. Sigh... Other than we videophiles, does no one truly "get" it?

 

[Al_D]

Amazon also has the HD versions of Chips for Prime, but they are also cropped. I wish Warner would release complete series Blu-rays of Dukes and Chips.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Amazon also has the HD versions of Chips for Prime, but they are also cropped. I wish Warner would release complete series Blu-rays of Dukes and Chips.

Wonder Woman's also in the same boat, with cropped HD versions available online.

Though WW probably stands a better chance of seeing a Blu thanks to the property being more active than Dukes of CHiPs.