Star Trek DS9 on Blu-Ray -- Remain Ever Hopeful Thread (1 Viewer)

[Dave Scarpa]

I've never liked the complete series boxes have the one for ENterprise and its a pain to get the Disks out of the further into the seasons you go, so I was able to get a deal that got me the single season sets of DS9 for only a little more than the complete set, But to get even these cases without being smashed or disks loosed and scratched seems near impossible, i've already ordered replacements from 2 vendors. I do like the new single season releases better, may go this route for Voyager as well

 

[Camper]

come on Blu-ray!

 

[Sam Favate]

Does anyone know when the DS9 documentary is being released? I know it's finished and they had several premieres already (in England and LA; maybe NYC?). But no word on when it is coming to blu-ray, except "by the end of the year." Wondering if anyone heard anything more concrete?

 

[Sam Favate]

Shout Factory will distribute the DS9 documentary and is planning a theatrical release.

http://trekcore.com/blog/2019/03/st...cumentary-finds-distributor-in-shout-studios/

This is a big deal. Shout Factory might be the best speciality disc company in the business. I hope this raises the hope of the entire series of DS9 in HD someday. I'm sure Shout would love to release it, but that seems a distant possibility, given how Paramount views it (a cash cow).

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Shout Factory will distribute the DS9 documentary and is planning a theatrical release.

http://trekcore.com/blog/2019/03/st...cumentary-finds-distributor-in-shout-studios/

This is a big deal. Shout Factory might be the best speciality disc company in the business. I hope this raises the hope of the entire series of DS9 in HD someday. I'm sure Shout would love to release it, but that seems a distant possibility, given how Paramount views it (a cash cow).

A cash cow they keep penned up in a cage three sizes too small, and violently milk to exhaustion far too often.

In fact, if Trek was an actual cow, the ASPCA would've had CBS/P arrested for cruelty by now and you'd see commercials about the franchise with a Sarah McLachlan song playing under the video.

 

[TJPC]

I have read that the BBC has a method of upgrading their old video taped seasons of “Doctor Who” to HD. They come out much better than the SD version, if not full HD. Couldn’t the same thing be done with “DS9” and “Voyager”?

 

[The Obsolete Man]

They could, but it would be a waste of money no one would be happy with.

The Doctor Who episodes were videotaped (for the most part). What you see is what you get. There is no original film to go back to so they have to put lipstick on the pig.

With the Treks, they have the original 35mm film the live action was shot on, and the CGI elements are said to exist, it would just take time and a lot of money to redo the episodes in HD.

 

[bmasters9]

I do like the new single season releases better, may go this route for Voyager as well

Is it because the newer version seasonals are in keepcases, as opposed to the two-part plastic monstrosities of before with a book-like case inside each one?

 

[TJPC]

I may be the only one, but I have no problem with those big full run cases. I have them for TNG, Enterprise, and The Twilight Zone. The cases I hate are those single season tear drop plastic monstrosities which were supposed to look like communicators or something.

I want my sets to blend in with everything else on my shelves, not be “unshelvable”. Nor do I want my discs to come in a giant shoe box with a lot of stupid tchotchkes and a statue of a “Gorn”.

 

[BobO'Link]

^You're not the only one. I, too, like those Megapak cases. If I could find where to purchase them I'd get a bunch to transfer other series into them. I also do not care for any "special" packaging. No digipaks either. If you're going to give me "special" packaging then I want the discs in standard cases. That way they'll fit on the shelves and I can store or toss the "box-o-junk" they came with.

 

[John*Wells]

As much as I Want DS9 and Voyager in Blu Ray, wouldn't the license fee That paramount would demand make it cost prohibitive?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I can't imagine CBS/Paramount being willing to license out the show to another distributor under any circumstance. And I really can't imagine a third party distributor having the funds to remaster the show in HD - we're talking millions of dollars for something that won't sell very well. TNG seasons on Blu-ray sold only about 5000 copies, lost money, and that objectively speaking was a more popular show.

The only way I see this happening is if CBS decides to do it not for disc sale profit but to allow the show to remain viable for years to come. At a certain point, audiences will no longer accept standard definition content, and streaming services and cable channels will be unwilling to pay licensing fees to studios for content that their audience won't watch. CBS would be smart to upgrade the shows to HD just to keep them viable for decades to come.

 

[John*Wells]

5000 Copies? Thats a surprise to me considering there are millions of Trekkies out there

 

[TravisR]

5000 Copies? Thats a surprise to me considering there are millions of Trekkies out there

I'd guess that it's because of the price (which is fair given the amount of money that it cost CBS), people moving away from physical media and going to the well too many times.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

That’s the number being reported on the Trek-related podcast that Bill Hunt from Digital Bits was just on that’s brought the topic up. I’ve heard similarly low numbers reported in the past.

TNG first started coming out on Blu-ray in 2012, and each season was priced at over $100 (retail price, sold on release for about $75). The first two seasons are not widely beloved, which was an obstacle to beginning to collect. Also, by that time, the entire series (in standard definition) was available to stream virtually for free on Netflix and Amazon Prime. So you’re asking people to start paying $75 a season, for seven seasons, for something they already had the ability to watch for free without doing anything. Now you can watch the HD versions for free on those services and many others. You can buy the complete series on Blu-ray today for about $100, but many casual viewers already have access to that content on a service they already pay for.

If they had released a complete series set on Day 1, and priced it around $100, it might have been a different story, but even then.... TV on Blu-ray never really took off as a mass market product.

 

[Sam Favate]

Trailer for the documentary, which will be streamed to backers on April 25 and have a theatrical release in May (with blu-ray to follow):

 

[Jason_V]

I almost had a nerd-gasm this morning. I have my ticket. There was never any doubt I'd be going to this.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’m not going to an in person screening but I am signed up for the Blu-ray perk. Can’t wait!

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Thanks for the link to the trailer - looks great! This won't come to any theaters near me, so will have to wait for the Blu-Ray to eventually be available for purchase.

 

[Ethan Riley]

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/0...VrWc_ZPXSHfckbP0sby4-ioqZF8WNOkK-eqITVZdJiCxM


One takes note of the following: "Featuring extensive new interviews with the cast and crew of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as newly remastered HD footage from the television series."

Oh, do tell?