Rawhide Season 4, V. 1 coming in May (1 Viewer)

[jim_falconer]

And let's not forget the hack job Paramount did with last December's release of "Hawaii Five O - Season 10"....

 

[jdee28]

Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa

CBS/Paramount's New Remastering policy is as follows...screw it. Rawhide Season 4 vol 1 quite frankly looks like Ass.

Compared to season 1-3 I guess they figure the fans are lucky they are just releasing them. Never mind at a split season

premium. This and the last release of Bonanza was disgraceful. Wait until Encore Western shows these they'll look pristine

color me dissapointed in CBS

You mean after waiting 3 years for another Rawhide release, the new season isn't even remastered? Wow.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdee28

You mean after waiting 3 years for another Rawhide release, the new season isn't even remastered? Wow.

I didn't get a chance to put mine into the dvd player last night, but you can bet I'll do so today at lunchtime. I hope these episodes don't look as bad as Dave is making me think they are going to look.


Gary "I can't imagine they'd look all that bad if Encore Western is going to be airing them early next year" O.

 

[Gary OS]

Well, according to the CBS Syndication Bible only Seasons Two & Three have been remastered. And the last update was just last month so I have to assume that the fourth season will look something like the first. And the first season looked OK to me. Don't get me wrong, I want remastered prints because it does make the viewing experience more pleasant. But as long as we aren't talking M-Squad or some of the other early Timeless releases, I'll be fine. Not ecstatic or even happy, but fine.


On that same note, I looked up Perry Mason and it also only shows remastering up through Season Five, so I have to wonder if it will be the same type of quality as this Rawhide release (which I still haven't seen for myself yet).



Gary "the economy is obviously to blame for so much of this - very depressing" O.

 

[jdee28]

I guess the question would be then, why are they charging the same price for episodes that aren't remastered? Shouldn't they lower the price?


Perhaps they feel not many people are going to buy this release, so that they can get away with the high price and the low quality?

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by jdee28

I guess the question would be then, why are they charging the same price for episodes that aren't remastered? Shouldn't they lower the price?


Perhaps they feel not many people are going to buy this release, so that they can get away with the high price and the low quality?

Logically that might make sense, but somehow I don't think they view it that way. I think they consider remastering costs when it comes to deciding whether a release is feasible or not. But as for the purchase price, I think they just go with what they think they can get, regardless of the work that goes into producing it.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smithb

Logically that might make sense, but somehow I don't think they view it that way. I think they consider remastering costs when it comes to deciding whether a release is feasible or not. But as for the purchase price, I think they just go with what they think they can get, regardless of the work that goes into producing it.

Agreed. That's all CBS/P is doing here. They are charging what they think they can get, not how much time/money they did or did not put into the release. Since they've been charging about the same amount for all their split season releases they just figured they'd do it for this one in spite of it apparently not being remastered. It's as simple as that.



Gary "in another hour or so I'll pop in an episode and see what it looks like" O.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Did you ever look at the shows, they are about what Wagon Train From Timeless looks like. Its sad Wagon Train looks great on Encore then terrible on the 16mm dubs we are getting these Rawhide's look like they are from 16mm masters.

 

[jdee28]

If the shows aren't remastered, what was the point of waiting 3 years between seasons? It seemed like part of the rationale for them taking forever were the remasterings.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa

Did you ever look at the shows, they are about what Wagon Train From Timeless looks like. Its sad Wagon Train looks great on Encore then terrible on the 16mm dubs we are getting these Rawhide's look like they are from 16mm masters.

Dave, I did preview almost all the episodes. I think you are exaggerating a bit in terms of them looking bad. While they are not remastered, the only negative is that they aren't as sharp as we have now become accustomed to with CBS/P releases. Would I rather they be remastered? Of course. But they aren't unwatchable or anything. It's just that the picture isn't sharp, especially with distance shots. But they aren't M-Squad bad or anything like that.


I do think your comparison to the Wagon Train Timeless releases is correct. But then again, I'm fine with those sets so maybe it's just a difference in what you and I think is bad, intolerable, or perhaps unacceptable. Again, would I rather see these remastered? Without a doubt. But at the same time I do think these are more than watchable. I didn't see lines or blotches or any "noise" with the video. It just wasn't as crystal clear as remastered episodes are.



Gary "maybe I missed something as I only previewed episodes and haven't watched a whole one yet - too busy today for that, unfortunately" O.

 

[Flashgear]

Originally Posted by Gary OS

Quote:



Dave, I did preview almost all the episodes. I think you are exaggerating a bit in terms of them looking bad. While they are not remastered, the only negative is that they aren't as sharp as we have now become accustomed to with CBS/P releases. Would I rather they be remastered? Of course. But they aren't unwatchable or anything. It's just that the picture isn't sharp, especially with distance shots. But they aren't M-Squad bad or anything like that.


I do think your comparison to the Wagon Train Timeless releases is correct. But then again, I'm fine with those sets so maybe it's just a difference in what you and I think is bad, intolerable, or perhaps unacceptable. Again, would I rather see these remastered? Without a doubt. But at the same time I do think these are more than watchable. I didn't see lines or blotches or any "noise" with the video. It just wasn't as crystal clear as remastered episodes are.



Gary "maybe I missed something as I only previewed episodes and haven't watched a whole one yet - too busy today for that, unfortunately" O.

I certainly appreciate your disappointment with not remastering season 4 for this release, Dave. But I want to also thank Gary for putting my mind more at ease with what I'm still waiting for. I hope the sharpness issue with distance shots that Gary mentions doesn't prevent me from enjoying the blooper ending scene in the episode " The Sendoff" , where a truck is visible in the distance...I've really enjoyed David R. Greenland's recent book about Rawhide and recommend it to fans. A truly great western dramatic series with a genuine authenticity...I sure hope we get the rest of the series too...season 5 has the "Portrait" (John Ireland) and "The Dogfaces", (the great James Whitmore)...two of my absolute favourites in the whole series !

 

[Dave Scarpa]

After watching Season 3 on DVD, these are pretty unwatchable in my book especially for the price I paid, I guess if I was buying a $10 Public Domain release I wouldnt Gripe

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Scarpa


I just have no words for this reaction. We definitely have vastly different standards, I guess. No way would I consider this set even close to unwatchable. I'm very anxious to see how others feel.



Gary "yes, I'm frustrated that the set isn't remastered - but it's more than watchable to me" O.

 

[Neil Brock]

We would all like to see every show in perfect quality from the original 35mm camera negatives with not a single cut or music substitution. And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. The reality of the new economy is that 50-year old TV shows aren't selling very well anymore. The days of seeing those gorgeous CBS remasters are likely over. If they have to do that to get releases out, then we probably won't get anything. As with anything else, the choice is with the individual consumer.

 

[Gary OS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil Brock

We would all like to see every show in perfect quality from the original 35mm camera negatives with not a single cut or music substitution. And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. The reality of the new economy is that 50-year old TV shows aren't selling very well anymore. The days of seeing those gorgeous CBS remasters are likely over. If they have to do that to get releases out, then we probably won't get anything. As with anything else, the choice is with the individual consumer.

Agreed. I'm guessing we'll see the same thing with the upcoming Perry Mason and Gunsmoke releases if the CBS Syndication Bible is truly up to date. Everyone is going to have to make a choice. I know if those shows look as decent as the latest Rawhide release I'll still purchase them. I just don't think the original elements that CBS/P is using look that bad.



Gary "Neil is probably correct on the point that it's this or nothing - holding out for something better is probably futile" O.

 

[Neil Brock]

Got to kind of look at it as a "glass half full" kind of deal. Twenty years ago, you couldn't even find many of these shows. Wagon Train? Route 66? So many shows you either couldn't find airing anywhere and if you did they were either cut, sped up or both. Even if you could find Rawhide airing somewhere, by that point the syndication package was quite reduced. First 2 seasons of Petticoat Junction were impossible to find. Mr. Peepers? Nowhere to be found since it ran in the early 50s. While the golden era of TV on DVD is certainly now over, save for the few goodies which may trickle out, we had a great run and I'm sure many of us have quite enough to watch for decades to come.

 

[Gary OS]

Again, I have to agree fully. The last couple of years, as I saw the slowdown coming, I was anxious for the studios to "make hay while it was still daylight" and I did cringe and get frustrated when favorites were stalled because I knew time was running out on this hobby. But at this point I've learned to look at the proverbial glass as half full instead of half empty. The only thing that really bugs me is that CBS/P went with that stupid split-season model. Had they not done that we'd have seen Perry Mason, Rawhide, The Untouchables, and many other series finished (and all likely remastered) while the economy was still strong. But because of that model, and its consequential slow release pattern, we are now in peril of not seeing some of these shows finished at all, much less finished with remastered prints.



Gary "Smore's was so close to finishing up 'Mr. Peepers' too - it just missed seeing the last season released because of the timing of the economy collapse" O.

 

[Jack P]

I've learned to accept the "half-full" argument for some time now and more so now that my last Grail title, "The FBI" finally got its first DVD representation (and I luck out that the first 16 episodes just happen to have my favorite episodes of the whole nine year run!). Warner Archive I know is going to put out some other titles too at some point that will fill in a few other wants around the edges but truthfully, I have reached a stage where the incompleteness of just two titles still rankle me and neither are CBS/Paramount (Burke's Law, The Big Valley). Even those that have less than I would like like "Barney Miller" at least gave me three years worth of shows that can be sampled in rotation on a decent enough basis and this year alone seeing "Dragnet", "Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea", "The Fugitive", "Emergency!" and "McMillan And Wife" finished did much to make my library seem more truly complete than ever.


"Batman" is the one boot title I have that I am totally satisfied with on all levels and am not overly resentful of the lack of a good version.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Well let me preface this as I'm Watching on a 65" Screen, might be different if I was on Smaller

Originally Posted by Gary OS


I just have no words for this reaction. We definitely have vastly different standards, I guess. No way would I consider this set even close to unwatchable. I'm very anxious to see how others feel.



Gary "yes, I'm frustrated that the set isn't remastered - but it's more than watchable to me" O.

/forum/thread/309867/rawhide-season-4-v-1-coming-in-may/30#post_3820419

 

[Dave Scarpa]

We'll see what Season 4 looks like on Encore and revisit this later