James Reader
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2002
- Messages
- 1,465
The issue, if I understand Matthew Furtek's comments correctly is that he cannot understand why American produced television series should be released internationally with many special features.
The answer to this is simply that content is assembled for the international market - overseas and the US. Most of the special features are after all available on all discs in multi-region releases. Of course, some American releases feature additional content, but generally these discs have been released at a later date, probably allowing better scheduling for content provision, or increased budgets based on the success of the overseas sales.
There is also the issue that many of the American television shows are available in other regions before R1 - such as Angel, Futurama, Dark Angel and Buffy.
Of course, all television shows on DVD are based on the successful FOX X-Files sets - R1 TV releases were in a generally poor state until the first X-Files release. There is no doubt in my mind that these complete season sets - which have altered the customer's and studio's perception of how to release TV on DVD - were in turn influenced by the successful UK X-Files VHS complete season boxsets. These boxsets, offering complete seasons on 5 VHS tapes were first released in 1996 or 1997 (if I remember correctly) and similarly altered the way many television seasons were sold on VHS in the UK. So in a way you can thank UK VHS sales for your R1 DVD season sets!
UK programmes come in smaller seasons - for example a typical drama or sit-com only has 6-8 episodes, and therefore complete seasons can be released on 1 or 2 disc sets - it's unlikely that multiple disc complete seasons will ever be released over here for most programmes as they are simply not required. However, in cases where this is possible they have been release - noticeably The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Stingray (all of which incidentally feature supplements transposed onto the later R1 releases)
PS. If anybody is keeping track, another UK television programme with commentaries is Robin of Sherwood (all series)
The answer to this is simply that content is assembled for the international market - overseas and the US. Most of the special features are after all available on all discs in multi-region releases. Of course, some American releases feature additional content, but generally these discs have been released at a later date, probably allowing better scheduling for content provision, or increased budgets based on the success of the overseas sales.
There is also the issue that many of the American television shows are available in other regions before R1 - such as Angel, Futurama, Dark Angel and Buffy.
Of course, all television shows on DVD are based on the successful FOX X-Files sets - R1 TV releases were in a generally poor state until the first X-Files release. There is no doubt in my mind that these complete season sets - which have altered the customer's and studio's perception of how to release TV on DVD - were in turn influenced by the successful UK X-Files VHS complete season boxsets. These boxsets, offering complete seasons on 5 VHS tapes were first released in 1996 or 1997 (if I remember correctly) and similarly altered the way many television seasons were sold on VHS in the UK. So in a way you can thank UK VHS sales for your R1 DVD season sets!
UK programmes come in smaller seasons - for example a typical drama or sit-com only has 6-8 episodes, and therefore complete seasons can be released on 1 or 2 disc sets - it's unlikely that multiple disc complete seasons will ever be released over here for most programmes as they are simply not required. However, in cases where this is possible they have been release - noticeably The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Stingray (all of which incidentally feature supplements transposed onto the later R1 releases)
PS. If anybody is keeping track, another UK television programme with commentaries is Robin of Sherwood (all series)
