Press Release SPHE Press Release: Seinfeld: The Complete Series (4k UHD) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey D]

It isn't stretched.

It's the protected for widescreen version (aka "cropped" from the 35mm film).

Similar to Friends?

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Similar to Friends?

No.

Friends was protected for widescreen, and they just opened up the frame and exposed the information on the sides.

Seinfeld was not protected for widescreen, so while some extra information was available on the sides, they had to go in and crop and chop the tops and bottoms of the frame to make the fake widescreen.

 

[BobO'Link]

It's the protected for widescreen version (aka "cropped" from the 35mm film).

That's not accurate. It was shot and protected for "Safe Title" for 4:3 broadcast airing. A TV show shot on 35mm and protected for "Safe Title" has *just about* enough height to crop such product for 16:9 but you *do* lose a small amount of head room/foot room when compared to the 4:3 version. *IF* the 4:3 product was shot just a bit more loosely (fairly common) you can typically get away with such cropping without losing any critical information. Some shots *will* be framed a bit tight in 16:9 when this is done.

Old tube (CRT) televisions were designed with significant over-scan built-in (5-10%) to hide a variety of picture imperfections due to design, manufacturing, and technology limitations. As these sets aged a variety of other mechanical issues would cause the scanning area to change or grow. The photographer had to frame with these limitations in mind.

Here's a 16:9 frame with the 4:3 "Visible Area" (Overscan area) and the "Safe Area" (Action Safe) shown. Anything you needed to be seen *had* to be inside that "Safe area" and *all* titles had to be inside a "Title Safe" area which was typically another 10% or so inside the "Action Safe" area (labeled Safe Area in this image with the abercap.com text roughly at the very bottom of what would be considered "Title Safe").

As you can see, this significantly reduces the amount of the frame that can be used. It's also why many productions shot *on film* for 4:3 television work well enough when converted to 16:9. You simply drop the top/bottom "Visible Area" spaces, which were rarely, if ever, seen, outside a broadcast studio and leave the "Visible Area" on the sides. You'll actually lose a bit more than the "Visible Area" on the top/bottom but it's usually minimal and rarely an issue. It depends on just how tight the director of photography shot that "Safe Area" portion (some series were shot quite tight).

Here's a side-by-side of a frame showing how much of a 35mm 4:3 product is cropped for 16:9. As you can see, there is a small amount of loss possible at the top and bottom of the image:

That's why many 4:3 programs *generally* look OK when their 35mm master is cropped to fill a 16:9 frame. As long as the photographer framed using the "rule of thirds" you'll get acceptably framed images without the need to adjust the image horizontally. The primary issues come in when the entire "Action Safe" area is used for a title/poster of some type as you *will* lose part of the critical portion of the image. This can also come into play if there's something on the top or bottom of the "Action Safe" area that's significant to the story.

Seinfeld is too old to have been shot with 16:9 in mind (it ended in 1998 when WS was still in talks/development - very few shows shot in 1999-2004 were protecting for 16:9) but *might* have an acceptable 16:9 framing depending on how well it was protected for "safe title."

 

[DanH1972]

Now we need "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" on 4k boxed sets with excellent compression quality. The Blu-ray's were awful in terms of image quality.

 

[bobclampett]

View attachment 236458View attachment 236457

​

​ “…one of the definitive TV sitcoms of all time.” – Variety

​ SEINFELD: THE COMPLETE SERIES

​ View attachment 236480​

​ The Iconic, Hilarious, Beloved, Emmy® Award-Winning, Yada Yada Yada… Show About Nothing Finally Debuts on Blu-ray Disc™ and 4K Ultra HD™ Disc December 17th Celebrating The Series’ 35th Anniversary and 100 Years of Columbia Pictures

​ Please note, review copies are strictly limited and are provided only to authorized media outlets. Email requests will not be accepted.

​ CULVER CITY, Calif. (October 30, 2024) – All of the catchphrases, all of the memorable characters, all of the misunderstandings, all of the unforgettable hilarity of one of the best television shows of all time: SEINFELD: THE COMPLETE SERIES finally comes to Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD Disc on December 17th, just in time for Festivus and other holiday occasions! Packed with all nine seasons of the historically acclaimed series plus hours of insightful special features—from deleted scenes to inside looks to cast & crew commentaries and more—SEINFELD: THE COMPLETE SERIES is presented in two separate editions: a Blu-ray edition featuring a high definition presentation of the series in a 1.78 format, and a limited edition 4K Ultra HD edition featuring the entire series presented in 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range at its original 1.33 aspect ratio. Long-awaited by fans, SEINFELD: THE COMPLETE SERIES is finally making the leap from standard definition discs following an extensive and comprehensive 4K upgrade for the series, and is perfectly timed for the series’ 35th anniversary, as well as to conclude the 100thanniversary of Columbia Pictures. In addition to the physical sets, SEINFELD: THE COMPLETE SERIES is also available for purchase at participating digital retailers.

​ SEINFELD: THE COMPLETE SERIES DISC DETAILS Synopsis: Emmy® Award-winning SEINFELD is one of the most popular shows of all time. Mining his rich comedic resources, Jerry Seinfeld provides a hysterical look at life as a single adult in the '90s. Along with a refreshing cast and top-notch writing, this series quickly revealed itself to be a beloved comedic classic. BLU-RAY EDITION 24 Blu-ray Discs Episodes presented in 1.78:1 High Definition on Blu-ray Disc; English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Audio Special Features include Audio Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Inside Looks and Alternate Versions of Select Episodes 4K ULTRA HD EDITION – the 4K Ultra HD set is a limited edition 24 4K Ultra HD Discs Episodes presented in 1.33:1 at 4K resolution with HDR10; English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Audio Special Features include Audio Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Inside Looks and Alternate Versions of Select Episodes

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

No release in Canada. Kinda like the Sony execs deciding not to release it in California, ya that’s the ticket, what else can we do to limit sales? I know, let’s limit sales to one retailer and jack up the price.

 

[Rob W]

No release in Canada. Kinda like the Sony execs deciding not to release it in California, ya that’s the ticket, what else can we do to limit sales? I know, let’s limit sales to one retailer and jack up the price.

This is not new - there have been a number of catalog titles that have not been released in Canada over the last year or so, including Sony's own recent 3 Stooges box and the entire 'Paramount Presents' line. Doesn't look like I Love Lucy - The Compete Series on blu-ray this week will be a Canadian release either. You'll have to find the few Canadian retailers who stock imports to get them. (Those 'Paramount Presents" titles go for $66 each here in Toronto.)

This tells you just how dire physical media sales are these days. A friend of mine who used to work for a major agrees with me that the requirement for bilingual packaging has probably pushed the cost of preparing them for Canada to the point where the return is not worthwhile based on anticipated sales.

 

[OttoIsHere]

That's not accurate. It was shot and protected for "Safe Title" for 4:3 broadcast airing. A TV show shot on 35mm and protected for "Safe Title" has *just about* enough height to crop such product for 16:9 but you *do* lose a small amount of head room/foot room when compared to the 4:3 version. *IF* the 4:3 product was shot just a bit more loosely (fairly common) you can typically get away with such cropping without losing any critical information. Some shots *will* be framed a bit tight in 16:9 when this is done.

Old tube (CRT) televisions were designed with significant over-scan built-in (5-10%) to hide a variety of picture imperfections due to design, manufacturing, and technology limitations. As these sets aged a variety of other mechanical issues would cause the scanning area to change or grow. The photographer had to frame with these limitations in mind.

Here's a 16:9 frame with the 4:3 "Visible Area" (Overscan area) and the "Safe Area" (Action Safe) shown. Anything you needed to be seen *had* to be inside that "Safe area" and *all* titles had to be inside a "Title Safe" area which was typically another 10% or so inside the "Action Safe" area (labeled Safe Area in this image with the abercap.com text roughly at the very bottom of what would be considered "Title Safe").
View attachment 236725
As you can see, this significantly reduces the amount of the frame that can be used. It's also why many productions shot *on film* for 4:3 television work well enough when converted to 16:9. You simply drop the top/bottom "Visible Area" spaces, which were rarely, if ever, seen, outside a broadcast studio and leave the "Visible Area" on the sides. You'll actually lose a bit more than the "Visible Area" on the top/bottom but it's usually minimal and rarely an issue. It depends on just how tight the director of photography shot that "Safe Area" portion (some series were shot quite tight).

Here's a side-by-side of a frame showing how much of a 35mm 4:3 product is cropped for 16:9. As you can see, there is a small amount of loss possible at the top and bottom of the image:
View attachment 236732View attachment 236725

That's why many 4:3 programs *generally* look OK when their 35mm master is cropped to fill a 16:9 frame. As long as the photographer framed using the "rule of thirds" you'll get acceptably framed images without the need to adjust the image horizontally. The primary issues come in when the entire "Action Safe" area is used for a title/poster of some type as you *will* lose part of the critical portion of the image. This can also come into play if there's something on the top or bottom of the "Action Safe" area that's significant to the story.

Seinfeld is too old to have been shot with 16:9 in mind (it ended in 1998 when WS was still in talks/development - very few shows shot in 1999-2004 were protecting for 16:9) but *might* have an acceptable 16:9 framing depending on how well it was protected for "safe title."

Just wanted to give you a proper "thank you" for your post. . .in this hobby I am very much a consumer first but I'm always looking to learn more, and you did a really wonderful job of explaining this.

I realize at this point in my life I'm going to be an "OAR" guy to the end. . .perhaps it's all those hours I logged in front of cathode ray tubes back in my formative years in the 70's and 80's. I also believe the future is slanted towards the "fake" wide screen but I'll stay in my camp, but I understand there are a lot of modern viewers who want to see a full screen no matter what on their modern monitors and devices and have no nostalgia or exposure to the old 4:3 screens.

 

[OttoIsHere]

I just went on Amazon (where I have the Seinfeld 4K-UHD sitting in my cart) and they've recently raised the price for both sets. In round numbers, the 4K-UHD is now listed at $276 (compared to $250 previously) while the Blu-Ray is now listed at $165.5 (compared to $150 previously).

Not sure what that's all about but just wanted to pass that info along. . .

 

[Alan_H]

The 4K is $225 now.

 

[Worth]

This is not new - there have been a number of catalog titles that have not been released in Canada over the last year or so, including Sony's own recent 3 Stooges box and the entire 'Paramount Presents' line. Doesn't look like I Love Lucy - The Compete Series on blu-ray this week will be a Canadian release either. You'll have to find the few Canadian retailers who stock imports to get them. (Those 'Paramount Presents" titles go for $66 each here in Toronto.)

This tells you just how dire physical media sales are these days. A friend of mine who used to work for a major agrees with me that the requirement for bilingual packaging has probably pushed the cost of preparing them for Canada to the point where the return is not worthwhile based on anticipated sales.

Yes, and it's increasingly pushing me towards just buying the digital versions.

 

[OttoIsHere]

The 4K is $225 now.

Haha yes my cart has updated to show that. The Blu-Ray is now $135. Magical Amazon. . .

 

[Konstantinos]

 

[Robert Crawford]

James Cameron says otherwise.

 

[Alan_H]

Which is which?

 

[OttoIsHere]

Bumping this thread up. . .

Just curious if anybody purchased either one of these sets, and if they can offer any feedback as to how these new sets look?

Personally, I'm more curious about the 4K/Ultra set since it's in the OAR, but I'd also be interested to hear about the Blu-Ray set too (which eliminates those oh so annoying black bars on the side of the screen ). Also, curious if there are any extras on either set that were not on the DVDs (which actually, for the time produced, contained a lot of bonus material).

Any feedback from somebody who has one (or both) of these sets in-hand and has been able to view some episodes would be appreciated!

 

[compson]

I have the 4K set and am a third of the way through season 3. I don’t have much to say except it looks great. I usually don’t watch extras, but I don’t think it has anything new.

 

[TravisR]

Also, curious if there are any extras on either set that were not on the DVDs (which actually, for the time produced, contained a lot of bonus material).

I might have the time to check in about 40 years but in I think the most you can hope for in terms of new features is that the Blu-rays and UHDs now include the DVDs' store exclusive featurettes and the Easter eggs.

 

[Broomy]

I’ve got the Blu-Ray and it appears to be the same transfer from the 4K release but in widescreen (and with the technical limitations of Blu-Ray instead of 4K). Therefore it looks great for the most part.

The biggest shame wit this new release is that they’ve not imported all the extras for the DVDs over. The “big” documentary from each set and the Notes on Nothing being the biggest disappointments to loose.

 

[TravisR]

The biggest shame wit this new release is that they’ve not imported all the extras for the DVDs over. The “big” documentary from each set and the Notes on Nothing being the biggest disappointments to loose.

The show & its presentation are most important and it sucks to lose any special features but it's a real heartbreaker to drop those text commentaries. The amount of detail and info in them (not to mention the Herculean effort that it must have taken to compile them) made them indispensable to the hardcore fan. I wish more TV shows and movies had text commentaries that provided that kind of psychotic attention to detail.

 

[Broomy]

The show & its presentation are most important and it sucks to lose any special features but it's a real heartbreaker to drop those text commentaries. The amount of detail and info in them (not to mention the Herculean effort that it must have taken to compile them) made them indispensable to the hardcore fan. I wish more TV shows and movies had text commentaries that provided that kind of psychotic attention to detail.

I’d love someone to publish them as a book so we can refer back to them as it would be a shame for that information to get lost.