The Simpsons DVD (1 Viewer)

[Erwin]

After watching the new Simpsons Season 2, like everyone else, I am asking, "When will we see the next one?" I am not whining, it's just that they are that good. These commentaries are great. In fact, they are more interesting to me than movie commentaries b/c my you get to have a break with each episode only being slightly over 20 minutes. I hope we see the next season by December or sooner....of this year Look at how fast MASH, Friends, and Star Trek are moving. I just hope I am still young when the seasons are complete eventhough I already own them all on tape (but VHS is too trouble; you have to fast forward to the episode and dig through 50 tapes before you find the right episode...it's a mess). I was laughing to myself while looking at my first and second season on DVD which are the equivalent to 2 VHS tapes while they would be 10 tapes for two typical seasons on VHS in SP. That means that all the Simpsons episodes on DVD at this point would only take up the room 13 video tapes compared to 63 video tapes or 140 video tapes if they released them like they were with the best of video tapes.

 

[Ed Faver]

My guess is that the work that goes into cleaning up each episode takes more time than the live action shows. And, boy, are they clean. Also, getting the talent together to do the commentaries must slow down the process, too.

 

[jacob w k]

But at this rate it is going to take years to get all the seasons on dvd :frowning:. Hopefully, the process will take less time as they move on to newer seasons which should be in better shape.

 

[Steven_J_H]

I agree. Paramount is cleaning up TNG really well and spitting them out super fast compared to Fox.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Will people please stop bitching about the speed of releases? Paramount has ONE SHOW which BTW was supposed to ship almost TWO YEARS ago. They've probably had these sets basically in the can before v.1 came out

Fox on the other hand is juggling what by this time next year will be close to _10_ TV series. There is only so much money and time to put these sets together! It takes at least a month to do a 22 epsisode season!

Simpsons got delayed probably because of music rights problems. NOT commentaries. According to Matt Groening they've done commentaries up through season 4!

LIGHTEN UP PLEASE! We all want it fast fast fast, but you can watch about 10 episodes a week in syndication! In some places more!

 

[Richard Harvey]

My problem is I want the entire collection of Treehouse of Horror episodes, and THAT is why I'm dying over their release cycle. Ugh...

Rich

 

[MartEvans]

I'm not sure how valid this is but HMV.co.uk have Season 3 (R2) available on pre-order release date being 2nd December...

 

[jacob w k]

LIGHTEN UP PLEASE! We all want it fast fast fast, but you can watch about 10 episodes a week in syndication! In some places more!

Probably at least 50 episodes here but it is not the same as watching them on dvd.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Probably at least 50 episodes here but it is not the same as watching them on dvd.

Agreed. Having them commercial free, and most importantly without the syndication edits, is wonderful.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

My question is how many songs are actually in the entire season to warrant a music issues problem... I noticed like 3 songs in the entire second season... other than the score, and the opening theme.

 

[Erwin]

"Will people please stop bitching about the speed of releases? Paramount has ONE SHOW which BTW was supposed to ship almost TWO YEARS ago. They've probably had these sets basically in the can before v.1 came out"
I am wanting...not complaining.

"Fox on the other hand is juggling what by this time next year will be close to _10_ TV series. There is only so much money and time to put these sets together! It takes at least a month to do a 22 epsisode season!"

Is that why MASH (FOX) and Friends (WB) both have 2 seasons within a 9 month period?

"Simpsons got delayed probably because of music rights problems. NOT commentaries. According to Matt Groening they've done commentaries up through season 4!"
What's the difference between having music rights when the show was aired and releasing the DVD. Isn't the copyright being used in the same fashion? In the commentaries, they mentioned how they had to straighten out all the copyrights, but this was before the shows were being aired (not released on DVD).


"LIGHTEN UP PLEASE! We all want it fast fast fast, but you can watch about 10 episodes a week in syndication! In some places more!"
No one is in a panic. And we kind of have a little right to be upset (The Simpsons is now going in it's 14th Season). Other shows usually don't even make it through half the length. If the Simpsons were 7 seasons than it wouldn't be such a big deal.

Syndication is nowhere near the same. Up to 5-6 minutes of the show gets cut out and some of the funniest parts are usually the ones taken out.

 

[Greg*go]

I don't think they realized how much everyone was going to love the Simpsons DVDs. In addition to them, I've also seen an extremely high amount of Simpsons merchandise the past couple years. It's just like the first couple seasons when the whole country had the fever. Hopefully season 3 will come out before June '03 (which would follow the current pace).

On another note, the problem with the timing of the releases seems to me that it has to be the A/V cleaning they're doing with the show. (The X-Files is another FOX show that is speeding right along with the DVD releases)

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Is that why MASH (FOX) and Friends (WB) both have 2 seasons within a 9 month period?

All the Fox shows do that

MASH- January/July
Buffy-January/May
X-Files-May/November
Malcom-October/April???

etc etc

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

What's the difference between having music rights when the show was aired and releasing the DVD. Isn't the copyright being used in the same fashion? In the commentaries, they mentioned how they had to straighten out all the copyrights, but this was before the shows were being aired (not released on DVD).

There's a big difference. Being aired on TV is sort of like radio, up to the whims of the syndicates and the networks, not the home viewer. With DVD, you can watch it over and over again, whatever part you want whenever you want. In addition since the concept of both DVDs and season sets didn't exist back then, so the rights grant for such mediums weren't included in the agreements. Modern shows probably won't have such a problem as DVD rights are probably included in the deals.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

many many films are not on DVD because of music rights that were not included in original contracts

Grease has been held up for YEARS
Saturday Night Fever the same

Why do you think when you watch Married w/Children on TV there's all kinds of cheesy generic rock? Rights on the music expired

 

[Matt Giggey]

Simpsons got delayed probably because of music rights problems. NOT commentaries. According to Matt Groening they've done commentaries up through season 4!

I think it might not be the technical aspect of recording commentaries, but what was actually said in some of them.

Knocking Christianity, being very critical of Fox and Rupert Murdoch in a not tounge-in-cheek manner. I'm quite pleased that they were allowed to speak their minds, but perhaps the delay was due to a fight over this (and notice how they have a disclaimer that wasn't there for Season One).

Al Jean was quoted in the Houston Chronicle saying that Season Two would be released in May. I never saw any official announcement for the delay. If it had to do with production, syndication issues, or music rights (the three things most often speculated upon) I'm sure that somebody would have said something about this. But if there was a big fight between creative and the network, it might be kept under wraps.

Just a thought. (Loved the commentaries BTW, but they do spend too much time "watching" the episodes).

 

[Craig_T]

I'm quite pleased that they were allowed to speak their minds, but perhaps the delay was due to a fight over this (and notice how they have a disclaimer that wasn't there for Season One).

I seriously doubt it, and I've seen that same disclaimer on the last 5 DVDs I've purchased now.

 

[Erwin]

"Neither you nor any of us have the right to any Simpsons season releases."
I said the right to be upset, not have the ownership. Don't people get upset when a concert is promised that they want to go to, yet it keeps getting cancelled.
"With DVD, you can watch it over and over again, whatever part you want whenever you want."
Can't you do the same thing when you record a series from your VCR? The quality is not nearly as good, but it can be done.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

"With DVD, you can watch it over and over again, whatever part you want whenever you want."
Can't you do the same thing when you record a series from your VCR? The quality is not nearly as good, but it can be done.

You can tape of radio to but the quality's down too. That's why radio bootlegging is not a worry of the record companies like file sharing is, which has the potential for full quality releases. But the main issue, I'd imagine, is the fact that DVD season sets were never part of the deal to get use the songs. And the fact that DVD provides crystal clear replication may be a factor that delays the clearing up of rights issues.

 

[Erwin]

"Still, I apologize if I came across as jumping down your throat, as it wasn't intended as such."
No need to worry, you were just responding and making a point which makes sense. It's just that we see all of these series being released on DVD at a very fast pace, but the Simpsons just sit there and idle. Not only that, but the Simpsons have alot more of an area to cover than the other shows. The Simpsons is sooo BIG right now that it would be stupid to not have every season out atleast every 4-5 months. Star Trek TNG is supposed to be done by the end of this year and I am just happy with a Simspons Season every 6 months.