What's the last TV DVD/Blu-ray you bought? (1 Viewer)

[BobO'Link]

I'm waiting on S5V2 to order all of them. So I agree with the "hurry up" sentiment.

As for why I don't just order the complete series, before someone asks, that's because it'll be 50-60 bucks more expensive and I figure it's nicer to leave those for the major fans and/or people who like big boxes of stuff.

That's why I purchased those "Value Editions" as they were released (and that they are much less expensive than the complete season sets). I like the standard Amaray cases much, much, better than the digipaks used on the full season "Collector's edition" releases and don't need, or want, the extras those include. I just want the episodes. There's some really cool stuff in that complete series set but it's like all the other "box 'o junk" sets I've purchased over the years. All the "stuff" gets put away after looking at it once and is rarely gotten out again. I don't need any more of that taking up space.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Having read on the grapevine that U.K. DVD company Simply Media is closing down operations and will no longer produce further stock once current inventory sells off, I decided to pull the trigger on a couple of my BBC drama wish list items from the company, via Amazon UK:

I have a few other wants from them, but the above two are the priority ones. Here's a list of their catalogue, in case any of you Brit TV fans have any outstanding wish list items. (Howie, do you have their All Gas & Gaiters release?) If so, I recommend snagging them ASAP.

https://www.simplymedia.tv/trade-catalogue/full-trade-catalogue/

Thanks much for the heads-up on that, Jeff! Since it appears that the clock is ticking on Simply Media's wares, I just availed myself of:

Warship: Series 1 (1973)
Warship: Series 2 (1974)



The Omega Factor: The Complete BBC Series (1979, this also got a Region 1 release 14 years ago, but this R2 set is $7 cheaper than the lowest ebay asking price of the former)

Jet Storm (1959 airline suspense movie, directed by Cy Enfield (Try and Get Me, Hell Drivers, Mysterious Island, Zulu, Sands of the Kalahari), starring Richard Attenborough and Stanley Baker)

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Thanks much for the heads-up on that, Jeff! Since it appears that the clock is ticking on Simply Media's wares, I just availed myself of:
Warship: Series 1 (1973)
Warship: Series 2 (1974)
The Omega Factor: The Complete BBC Series
Jet Storm

You're welcome, Peter! Glad to be of help. Good choices there...Think you'll enjoy Warship - very cool series. Pity Simply were not able to secure the rights for series 3 and 4. The Omega Factor is an interesting, creepy show, too - good call on that one. Never heard of Jet Storm, but it looks intriguing, and that cast is terrific.

 

[BobO'Link]

Doctor Who: The Christopher Eccleston & David Tennant Collection. I figured I had the series that followed these so why not. Plus it was on sale ($18 for the set). That leaves the first "Modern" Doctor and the new woman Doctor for this one. BUT - I'm going to watch these first (plus that first modern series appears to be OOP on DVD and rather expensive).

**EDIT**
Robert corrected my misunderstanding of the "NuWho" ordering...

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Doctor Who: The Christopher Eccleston & David Tennant Collection. I figured I had the series that followed these so why not. Plus it was on sale ($18 for the set). That leaves the first "Modern" Doctor and the new woman Doctor for this one. BUT - I'm going to watch these first (plus that first modern series appears to be OOP on DVD and rather expensive).

...huh?

Eccleston's season was the first season of the modern series. He was only there for a season, so his episodes were thrown in with Tennant's to fill out the set and have everything rereleased.

So if you start with Eccleston, you're starting with the beginning of NuWho.

 

[jcroy]

Over the years I thought about picking up the Eccleston/Tennant era Doctor Who series/season sets.

After doing some research, I've come to the realization it was probably shot in SD pal resolution before the specials in 2008 or 2009. So the bluray versions would just be a dumb 576i -> 1080p upscale.

If I were to waste my cash/time on the Eccleston/Tennant era stuff, I would look for the original UK region 2 dvd versions of these sets in 576i pal resolution.

Since then, I have watched all the Eccleston/Tennant stuff several times already whenever there was a marathon on a scifi channel. I've found that it doesn't have a lot of rewatch value for me. (ie. I usually just watched it passively playing in the background during marathons).

 

[BobO'Link]

...huh?

Eccleston's season was the first season of the modern series. He was only there for a season, so his episodes were thrown in with Tennant's to fill out the set and have everything rereleased.

So if you start with Eccleston, you're starting with the beginning of NuWho.

OK... I'm very new to Who and it all kind of runs together (I did a *lot* of reading to try and figure out where to start and who follows whom)... I was thinking Peter Capaldi was the 1st NuWho (I like that way of putting it) but he's the Twelfth Doctor - *after* Matt Smith. So... like you said, I'm good and don't "need" Capaldi's run unless I like these 3. That's much better than what I was thinking.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

OK... I'm very new to Who and it all kind of runs together (I did a *lot* of reading to try and figure out where to start and who follows whom)... I was thinking Peter Capaldi was the 1st NuWho (I like that way of putting it) but he's the Twelfth Doctor - *after* Matt Smith. So... like you said, I'm good and don't "need" Capaldi's run unless I like these 3. That's much better than what I was thinking.

Yeah, you're starting from the beginning with what you have. You're good.

And honestly, you need those 7 seasons plus specials to enjoy Capaldi. It's a very lore-heavy era. I loved it. He's probably my favorite of the NuWho Doctors. And the show in that era plays out so much better in a... well, not a binge watch, but a dedicated watch than it did for 10 weeks per year over the course of four years.

But that's all for the future.

 

[BobO'Link]

Over the years I thought about picking up the Eccleston/Tennant era Doctor Who series/season sets.

After doing some research, I've come to the realization it was probably shot in SD pal resolution before the specials in 2008 or 2009. So the bluray versions would just be a dumb 576i -> 1080p upscale.

If I were to waste my cash/time on the Eccleston/Tennant era stuff, I would look for the original UK region 2 dvd versions of these sets in 576i pal resolution.

Since then, I have watched all the Eccleston/Tennant stuff several times already whenever there was a marathon on a scifi channel. I've found that it doesn't have a lot of rewatch value for me. (ie. I usually just watched it passively playing in the background during marathons).

I actually cancelled a $15 order of the Tennant complete BR set to pick up the Eccleston/Tennant DVD set for an extra $3. I'm absolutely not worried about it being in SD and feel I got a better value that way. The Eccelston DVD set alone is ~$30 so... I just want to see the series and feel that many newer series look quite good on DVD.

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

Six Million Dollar Man (German Blu-ray).

Excellent so far.

 

[jcroy]

I actually cancelled a $15 order of the Tennant complete BR set to pick up the Eccleston/Tennant DVD set for an extra $3. I'm absolutely not worried about it being in SD and feel I got a better value that way. The Eccelston DVD set alone is ~$30 so... I just want to see the series and feel that many newer series look quite good on DVD.

For the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras (ie. 2010 and later), I would definitely go bluray. From what I've read and watching all the Smith and Capaldi episodes many times over the past decade, it is almost definitely shot in HD resolution from the start.

I assume the current Doctor Who with Jodie Whittaker is also in HD resolution (or higher) from the start.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

For the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras (ie. 2010 and later), I would definitely go bluray. From what I've read and watching all the Smith and Capaldi episodes many times over the past decade, it is almost definitely shot in HD resolution from the start.

I assume the current Doctor Who with Jodie Whittaker is also in HD resolution (or higher) from the start.

Yep.

Plus they went to that stupid 2:1 aspect ratio.

 

[JohnHopper]

________________________________
I just pre-ordered season 20 of Gunsmoke at Amazon.
I'm eager to get that set to complete the cycle.​

 

[jcroy]

Yep.

Plus they went to that stupid 2:1 aspect ratio.

In addition for european produced stuff, there's the issue of whether an HD intrinsic movie/show is filmed in 24 frames-per-second (fps) or 25 fps.

From what I've read of the Matt Smith era series/seasons, some of the UK bluray releases might have been encoded as 1080i-50fps to reflect an intrinsic 25 frames-per-second. If I was a purist and had an HD screen which could play 25 progressive fames per second (via 50 interlaced frames per second), I would certainly look more closely at the UK blurays.


The really dumb way of dealing with 25 frames-per-second intrinsic HD stuff, is slowing it down slightly so that it fits into an american 24 progressive frames-per-second bluray specification. Basically the opposite of the notorious 24fps -> 25fps "pal speedup" for american produced stuff.

A less offensive way of dealing with this 24 vs 25 fps quandary, is doing a pulldown of inserting 25 progressive frames-per-second into 60 interlaced frames-per-second which usually doesn't require a significant slowdown on bluray.

 

[Susan Nunes_329977]

Lawman: The Complete Second Season

 

[JohnHopper]

Lawman: The Complete Second Season

This is the season in which they give Marshal Dan Troop a lady friend who owns a saloon.
At first, Troop doesn't like this business, I mean the saloon run by a lady.​

 

[LeoA]

Just bought the complete series of Green Acres at Deep Discount. Been wanting this one for quite a while.

 

[BobO'Link]

Do yourself a favor and do *not* bother watching the last 2 episodes of S6. Episode 25 is just bad while episode 26 is a very bad back-door pilot with little to do (actually just a quick set up) with the actual series. Those 2 are ranked 5.3 and 5.5 at IMDB. I feel that's being generous.

 

[Tony Bensley]

What was it about the producers of the CBS rural comedies that made them so mind numbingly bad at closing out their series?

 

[BobO'Link]

Most were hit by the "rural purge" and never had a chance at true closure.