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

[BobO'Link]

The Invisible Man (1975) - BR (all 13 episodes). Amazon reviews say it's not properly formatted (a 4x3 image stretched to 16x9) and the quality isn't that good - but the price was "right" at ~$8 shipped so I felt it was worth a chance, considering the DVDs reportedly have issues as well. Some reviewers say the AR can be corrected - just switch your set to 4x3 - something I do all the time as my equipment's set up so I can watch non-anamorphic WS DVDs using a "fit to width" function which gets the into a viewable format. Because of that I have to switch the sets AR so 4x3 product is actually 4x3 (or sometimes use the "fit to width" for faux WS depending on the show, usually those I'm not a stickler about OAR for, and how it was originally shot - i.e. with extra headroom so that "zoom" doesn't cut off heads, etc.)

**EDIT**
And... those "reviewers" don't have a clue. I've watched the pilot and 2 full episodes and sampled 4 or 5 others. *All* of them are in the proper AR with me setting my TV on 16x9 mode. I can't make the image stretch to fill the screen. So... I don't know what those people saw or how they have their equipment set up but whichever, it's wrong.

I thought there might be an issue with compression artifacts as they put the *entire* 13 episodes on a single disc. That's a longer pilot and 12 hour length shows. However, I saw no issues in the 3 episodes I've watched. Based on the times I've logged there are roughly 11 hours of content on that disc:

Pilot: 1:13:22
Episodes: 48:21, 48:19, with random samples of others in that same range.

I've read you can easily fit over 9 hours of HD video on a 50GB disc. This release seems to prove that's possible. I think it looks pretty good - certainly better than I'd expect a DVD to look. The only issues I noticed are all due to the film stock and it not being restored.

 

[BobO'Link]

In the meantime, get this: https://networkonair.com/all-products/2832-retro-action

I think it gives a good sense of what they're considering upgrading to Blu-ray.

Wow! There are *several* shows in that set I'd consider upgrading to BR should that happen.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

In the meantime, get this: https://networkonair.com/all-products/2832-retro-action

I think it gives a good sense of what they're considering upgrading to Blu-ray.

Wow! There are *several* shows in that set I'd consider upgrading to BR should that happen.

I've had those Retro-Action samplers for several years (though in individual volumes) and they are indeed wonderful. Even a show with such battered, yellowed prints as The Baron spiffed up nicely in HD - no surprise, really, as all of those series were filmed in 35mm and have had their elements held in reasonably decent shape. Of the shows in that set, Network went on to release the following on complete series Blu-Rays:

The Persuaders
Randall & Hopkirk - Deceased
Department S
Man in a Suitcase
The Zoo Gang

Not included on those sets, but also released complete on Blu by Network:

Space: 1999
U.F.O.
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Joe 90


Of the rest, Danger Man is said to be definitely in the works (the Retro-Action sampler contains one half-hour episode and one hour-long episode). It's a big undertaking, so will likely take a long time to come to fruition. I also think both The Saint and The Champions have a very good chance of seeing Blu-Ray releases. The Saint has a ton of episodes, though, so who knows what will happen there. Return of the Saint is also quite possible.

Strange Report was completely remastered for its DVD release, and looks so nice, it is likely waaay down the list for a BD upgrade, though it is a short enough series to make it a possibility. I'd say the chances of Shirley's World, H.G. Well's Invisible Man and The Adventures of Robin Hood are slim to none. Gideon's Way and The Baron are in the most dire need of a visual clean-up, but reportedly The Baron, with more problematic elements and it being a less clamored for series (though it is my own personal number one want, due to its DVD transfers looking so poor), is low priority for Network at this stage. Gideon's Way is highly regarded by many ITC fans, but is in black-and-white, so who knows on that one.

And though it is not ITC, Network announced last year that work has begun in restoring The New Avengers for eventual Blu-Ray release. Whether they will do their own, improved HD version of the original The Avengers (other than the two episodes they included on their Cybernauts Trilogy release) remains to be seen.

According to Jaz Wiseman and Rodney Marshall, two long-time fans and experts on ITC programs who have a terrific podcast, ITC Entertained the World, Network are currently working on some vintage ITC series as we speak. Which series, however, they aren't allowed to say. But Jaz did mention on the ITC Facebook group that we had to keep in mind that 30 episodes were the equivalent of 15 films to remaster, which takes time, so be patient, etc. Therefore, it could be a shorter series than Danger Man that he and Rodney are talking about as in process at Network. The Champions has 30 episodes, for example, and being a well-remembered, cult sci-fi type of show, seems a shoe-in for a release...

Hopefully Network will get most of the heavy hitters out, anyway. They have proven to be fine stewards of the ITC catalog so far, so I remain hopeful for more good news to come.

 

[LeoA]

Considering S6 is when they made the move to CA and the show, IMHO, took a nosedive I'm OK with just those 5 seasons.

My thinking is just like yours. I only wanted the Milwaukee seasons, so this is the perfect set for me. I went through the California seasons several years ago when they were returned to the syndication package after years of not being available. Once was enough for me.

I'd say that less than 5 episodes are worth watching from these final seasons. Perhaps the best examples were a two part episode where Laverne and Shirley don't get a bonus that all the other store employees get, leave a nasty note to their boss at the end of work on Friday, and then have the boss appear at their doorstep to personally apologize for the oversight.

The rest is them breaking into their workplace over the weekend to recover the letter before Monday morning.

 

[Wiseguy]

My thinking is just like yours. I only wanted the Milwaukee seasons, so this is the perfect set for me. I went through the California seasons several years ago when they were returned to the syndication package after years of not being available. Once was enough for me.

I'd say that less than 5 episodes are worth watching from these final seasons. Perhaps the best examples were a two part episode where Laverne and Shirley don't get a bonus that all the other store employees get, leave a nasty note to their boss at the end of work on Friday, and then have the boss appear at their doorstep to personally apologize for the oversight.

The rest is them breaking into their workplace over the weekend to recover the letter before Monday morning.

I remember that one, the Mission: Impossible takeoff.

If I remember correctly, the original TV Guide listing gave no mention that it was a two-parter and I thought the story was moving a little too slowly to end after a half-hour and was still surprised to see 'To Be Continued' at the end.

I theorized that the "original" episode was just a straightforward showing of the mission to retrieve the letter, with, of course, all the comedic things that went wrong (like The Dick Van Dyke Show episode "Obnoxious, Offensive Egomaniac, Etc.")

Then someone got the idea to show how the mission should turn out, which essentially became Part One while the actual mission was Part Two. Don't know if it's true, but that's my theory.

 

[bmasters9]

If I remember correctly, the original TV Guide listing gave no mention that it was a two-parter and I thought the story was moving a little too slowly to end after a half-hour and was still surprised to see 'To Be Continued' at the end.

I think TV Guide did not say two-parter because they didn't expect it to be a two-parter (they thought it would just be a normal episode like many of the others).

 

[ScottRE]

The rest is them breaking into their workplace over the weekend to recover the letter before Monday morning.

How many times has this plot been used in sitcoms? I mean, I never saw this episode, but I know the story. Didn't The Honeymooners, Dick Van Dyke, The Flintstones and The Simpsons use this premise?

 

[Jeff Flugel]

I've had those Retro-Action samplers for several years (though in individual volumes) and they are indeed wonderful. Even a show with such battered, yellowed prints as The Baron spiffed up nicely in HD - no surprise, really, as all of those series were filmed in 35mm and have had their elements held in reasonably decent shape. Of the shows in that set, Network went on to release the following on complete series Blu-Rays:

The Persuaders
Randall & Hopkirk - Deceased
Department S
Man in a Suitcase
The Zoo Gang

Not included on those sets, but also released complete on Blu by Network:

Space: 1999
U.F.O.
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Joe 90

D'oh! Somehow I completely forgot to mention Network's Blu-Ray release of The Prisoner in my previous post. One of their first releases of ITC material on Blu...

 

[ElPaBr]

Just got the Our Miss Brooks release. Crossing my fingers for S2!

 

[BobO'Link]

12 Monkeys - The Complete Series (BR)
Penny Dreadful - S1, S2, S3 (BR)
Continuum - S1 (BR)

 

[jayembee]

About a week ago, I got It's About Time: The Complete Series and Blondie: The Complete 1957 Television Series from ClassicFlix.

 

[Steve Chomicz]

All Blue ray, the Prisoner. the Avengers seasons with glorious Diana Riggs as Mrs Peel, Man from Uncle and Monty python's flying circus Norwegian edition, wanted to relive my teenage years.

 

[jayembee]

When can you get Man from U.N.C.L.E. on Blu-ray? Or are you referring to the movie with Henry Cavill?

 

[JohnHopper]

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I just ordered the two sets of Gunsmoke season 9 because this was the first season with Festus!​

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[BobO'Link]

All Blue ray, the Prisoner. the Avengers seasons with glorious Diana Riggs as Mrs Peel, Man from Uncle and Monty python's flying circus Norwegian edition, wanted to relive my teenage years.

That Monty Python's Flying Circus Norwegian Edition looks glorious! It has a single flaw - they did not see fit to put chapter stops for each skit. There's a single stop about half-way through an episode.

For a rare treat, skip *back* after you start an episode and you'll see the original countdown clock used by "Master Control" to get into the show on time.

 

[BobO'Link]

You Rang M'Lord? - The Complete Boxset Series One - Four (UK R2 release). (reasonable shipping rates from Amazon UK are back)

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Just ordered two more from my Amazon.uk wish list:

Man of the World: Complete Series (UK R2 release -- had to grab this, since I'd been informed the other day that my used copy of The Sentimental Agent, spun off from this show, has shipped):

Espionage: Complete Series (UK R2 release)

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Just ordered two more from my Amazon.uk wish list:

Man of the World: Complete Series (UK R2 release -- had to grab this, since I'd been informed the other day that my used copy of The Sentimental Agent, spun off from this show, has shipped):

Espionage: Complete Series (UK R2 release)

Two more ITC shows, Peter - nice! The backdoor pilot episode for The Sentimental Agent (titled, appropriately enough "The Sentimental Agent") is great...but Man of the World is a cool show in its own right.

 

[jayembee]

Episonage is a definite winner. Aside from the three episodes directed by Michael Powell, it was co-produced by US producer Herb Brodkin, of Playhouse 90, The Defenders, The Nurses, and Coronet Blue fame.

 

[Flashgear]

I can also vouch for Espionage being a first-rate series! I'm reminded here by Peter and Jeff that I need to pick up Man of the World ASAP! Jeff posted some beautiful screen shots taken from the Man of the World pilot over in the 'What did you watch...' thread. The pilot was filmed in color, at Cote d'Azure locales, with the rest of the series being in B+W.

I wish there was a dealer on this side of the Atlantic that stocked a deep catalog of ITC Network shows and R2 movies, as when I order them from Amazon UK or a UK marketplace dealer, it takes forever to ship them to Canada. I think I might have lost a recent order as it is. By the way, just about every order I have recently made with Amazon Prime Canada has been delayed too. With the same messages attending their tracking that I used to get back when the pandemic started.