Will DVD Recorders Hurt TV Shows on DVD? (1 Viewer)

[MarkHastings]

Off topic, I was just watching Cybil Shepards old tv show...there was a scene where Alicia Witt answered the door with these tight fitting jeans on. It would have been sweet, but the network threw up this gigantic ad that took up the lower third of the screen, completely covering Alicias...well, back side.

 

[Sean.S]

I've been taping VHS tapes of TV shows for years. Even before DVDs. But, I still tape them. There are many shows that aren't out on DVD and I like to tape first-run episodes so that I can watch them over again. I plan to get a DVD recorder and transfer the collection I have (although w/ more coming out on DVD, there will be less to transfer) to DVD-Rs. I look forward to making Best ofs or maybe even season sets of my own in a year or two. Will that stop me from getting professionally transferred, digitally enhanced, artisticially-packaged box sets that have interviews, trailers, and commentary? Not at all.

 

[todd s]

As you can see I use my dvd recorder to record a lot of tv shows. I also, purchase the shows when released by the studios. The shows I records are ones that I doubt will be released anytime soon on dvd (ie-Strip, Special Unit 2 ,etc). If these shows come out on dvd. I will purchase them for the reasons stated above (no logos,uncut, extras, better quality)

 

[Steve Phillips]

Nice DVD Vault!

 

[Mark To]

I have been collecting videotapes for 25 years and I am transferring to DVD. Between all of the sporting events and 1-season or less shows that I have, I will be busy for years before I have to worry about shows that are commercially released. I buy most 1950s-1970s shows that are put out in season sets. Since there are thousands of shows that are not commercially viable to be released, that is what I am transferring. If its a borderline possibility, I just put it aside and I'll wait and see. I don't collect modern shows so the whole issue of off-air vs pre-recorded is not an issue with me. Once networks went to bugs, crawls and squeezes I stopped bothering.

 

[MaraKM]

todd s those photos made me go all weak in the knees. I think I have a crush on your dvd collection

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Besides, I don't think the pre-recorded VHS market was ever anywhere near as big as the pre-recorded DVD sales phenomena is.

 

[John Berggren]

I would continue to buy TV on DVD for the quality presentations, for anamorphic widescreen, and for the lack of station bugs and crawls.

 

[Mark Kalzer]

There's also the matter that the DVD versions always are uncut. (Well, there is one minor censoring of 'masturbate' I think of one of the Monty Python discs, but that's extremely remote) Matt Greoning rants about this in his intro to the DVD sets all the time, about how the syndication versions cut so much out of the shows. Watching it on DVD is like watching a completely different show to the one we're used to. Also remember that the two hour Star Trek episodes are almost never shown in their original form on broadcast.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I think the real question is are TV shows on DVD hurting TV viewership? (Well, if anything's hurting TV viewership it's really the logos and crap, but they'll probably blame DVD for loss of viewers first) I can't stand to watch anything with a bug on the screen, so I haven't even seen any recent shows except on DVD. I've got a DVD recorder but it doesn't even have an antenna hooked to it!
I still don't get why the people behind the shows don't protest the logos- maybe having their shows issued on DVD after a few months is enough to make up for it?
I've always believed in keeping in the commercials though- they're great to look back on after a few years. I've put a lot of 70's and early-80's stuff onto disc just to be able to watch the commercials, there is some priceless stuff! You can fix the disc to automatically skip over them though, or any other part you don't want to see, yet still keep it on the disc.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

It takes a lot of work to build a complete collection of a show via DVD-R.

Too much work for 90%+ of DVD buyers.

I have a DVD-R recorder that I use for oddball things, but I don't use it for series where I can reasonably expect all episodes to come out on DVD.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

In my case this is definitely true. I am less likely to watch a sindicated episode of a TV show that I already have on DVD. Like if its a first season of Married with Children on, I'll probably take a pass and just watch the DVD. I'm not sure that it hurts the first run network programming all that much because those episodes aren't on DVD before the show airs.

Here's a question, I read about this possibly on TVShowsOnDVD.com or somewhere. Do you guys think that it one day, a TV show will hit on DVD without first airing on broadcast television? In other words, have a studio put together a TV series or some such specifically so it can be released on DVD?

I see this as possibly happening if somehow the show or the characters you were doing this with were already familiar. I don't see a studio putting together a 24 episode first season of a show, that nobody has ever seen and then pumping it out on DVD, hoping to attract enough attention and sales which would essentually all be blind buys (due to the fact it wasn't on TV before hitting DVD) in order to produce a second season.

 

[MarkHastings]

Only if it's produced by Buena Vista (i.e. Disney)

hint hint on the "direct to video" movie releases. Lion King 1 1/2

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

I shouldn't have given them any ideas, but the sad thing is I could totally see them doing this.

 

[todd s]

I can see it happening with short run shows that don't get picked up and have unseen episodes, like Firefly.

 

[MarkHastings]

I record a lot of the stand up comedians (to put to DVD later) and I just ran into the annoying "Dear satellite dish viewers, you may experience loss of signal to the following stations..." So if I ever put that one to DVD, I'd have to endure that annoying scrolling text every time I watched it :frowning:

the same as the typical "A weather advisory has been issued for the tri-state area...", etc.

 

[Deb Walsh]

I've been starting to take my old Beta and VHS tapes and back up the old series that are unlikely to come out on DVD to disc. I'm also recording a number of currently running series directly to disc. Shows like Smallville, Alias, and Angel, which will most likely (as in already scheduled in 2 cases) come on out DVD, I'm just recording to VHS still.

I have DISH Network, so I was among the many who went through 36 hours without CBS - a minor pain, since in most cases, I'm recording programming first to the DVR, then porting it to my DVD recorder to remove commercials and burn to disc. I like the quality I'm getting - and then when I go back and look at one of my precious Beta tapes, I sigh and wish I'd had such good reception back in the day! :>

I don't think having a DVD recorder has slowed down my purchases of TV on DVD. I'm just treating recording off-air a little differently than I did before, and making choices about which machine to record on based on the likelihood of a DVD release in future. But if shows I really like and have recorded to DVD are later released? I'll buy the boxed set.

 

[DouglasRobert]

I don't think DVD recorders will hurt the sale of TV shows on DVD. My reasons would be:

1. Older shows are heavily edited to allow TV stations to air more commercials.

2. I don't like the annoying logos, weather bulletins, the monthly Emergency Broadcast System tests, annoying pop ups during the show advertising another show, intact beginning and ending theme songs.

3. No Commercials.

4. Probably better picture quality than recorded off TV.

5. Extras on DVD.

I could see people record TV shows on DVD's that are not currently being released on DVD, or has been announced on DVD. But why would you record TV shows that are already released on DVD or have been announced? I wouldn't. And until DVD recorders and discs get at the price that VCR's and blank tapes are now, I wouldn't expect much of an impact.

 

[RaymondSteiner]

This season i'm saving Angel and Smallville (and WWE PPV) on DVD's, and i for one will not buy the DVD's, instead i can (and i will) wait for the Blu-Ray Version (When you see HD you won't get back, and i cannot pay twice for the series!)

 

[Don Giro]

I'm currently converting my Simpsons VHS tapes to DVD-R (and editing out commericals) to preserve them for a few years and increase shelf space, but I'm working BACKWARDS, converting recent episodes first, because the later season sets won't be out on DVD for a zillion years.

I will buy the season sets when they are released without hesitation because the picture quality on DVD-R is only barely passable (thanks to cable signals and VHS conversion).

DVD has allowed me to enjoy several TV shows I don't have the time, patience, or dedication to watch/record when they're originally aired, and I don't want to fill my PVR's hard drive with TV episodes. I'd much rather watch the DVD box sets (currently "Buffy," "Alias," "Angel," and "Dark Angel").