Bookhouseboy

After watching the excellent "Slings & Arrows" with the brilliant and sympathetic Paul Gross, I've decided to buy "Due South" on DVD. The problem is that I can't decide which version to buy.

English is not my first language, so I prefer subtitles. The canadian release has subtitles, but the DVD's are double sided with bad PQ quality (supposedly). The UK release don't have subtitles, but has good picture quality.

Amazon.com sells the Ultimate Collection (all 68 episodes on 11 DVD's), which is by far the cheapest way to go, but the PQ is reported to be terrible.

So, which version should I go for?
PQ and SQ is important and subtitles would've been great, but the Ultimate Collection at $33 is tempting.

drmar35mm

I can't speak to a UK version, but I have the first two seasons of the American release. I think the Ultimate Collection is the same, plus Season 3. No subtitles and the picture quality isn't great. But the show is so much fun that I don't mind. Due South isn't as brilliant as Slings & Arrows (which I think is up there with the original UK Office), but like any creation of Paul Haggis (Flags of Our Fathers, Million Dollar Baby, Crash) it's really well done--funny, touching, very human. There are times when just having a good show is worth it, even when it's not the greatest DVD edition. Whichever edition you decide on, I think you'll enjoy the show.

Bookhouseboy

Thanks for your input, and you're right, the quality of the show is more important than the DVD lack of qualities. I remember Due South being broadcasted in Norway in the mid/late-nineties, but I never watched it. I've really fallen in love with Slings & Arrows, it's such a lovely show. Nothing today is compareable, even though there are a lot of great shows out there. I have bnig hopes for "Community", and is waiting for the Blu-ray release.

I'll probably end up buying the Ultimate Collection. I'm hoping for a re-issue or a Blu-ray release, but I don't think that will happen any time soon.

I didn't know Paul Haggis created Due South, that was a very happy surprise. I've liked almost everything he's done, so thanks for the information.

lmwong1977

I have the ultimate collection and its picture/sound quality is not great compared to shows that aired when DS did, but it is not unwatchable like some of the reviews on Amazon make it appear to be. I've read on the fan communities the Canadian set is prone to scratches so you might have to return it several times. A real hassle if you buy it online.

As a Paul Gross fan, I personally would of loved to have gotten the UK complete set as it has extras, but it's aboout 5x the price I paid for the US set and I can see most of the extras on youtube.

As for subtitles, there are fan made transcripts of the show online so if you need some help with what is said, you could read it afterwards. Not as great as subtitles on screen but its something.

I would personally wait to buy it as $33 is almost the full retail price. It's usually around $20 on Amazon. You can sign up for one of those price watching sites and they'll email you when the price drops. I like http://camelcamelcamel.com/

And just for your information, Paul Haggis was only involved in season one (he went to do the short-lived series EZ Streets for CBS instead) and Gross took over as executive producer in season 3 for CTV after CBS dropped the show. It's a great series, heighten reality with lots of jokes about Canada and the US. And really how can you go wrong with a show with a deaf, lip-reading half-wolf named after a Candian Prime Minister?

Bookhouseboy

Thanks for you helpful and thoughtful post, lmwong1977.

$20 for 11 DVD's seems almost too cheap, if you know what I mean, but I'm glad you think it's watchable. Too bad the UK release costs so much more.

I always have subtitles turned on, even when watching movies in my native tongue, because I hate not hearing every line spoken. "Slings & Arrows" didn't have subtitles, so I had to watch a few scenes over again to get the joke or reference. Not a big problem, but I definitely prefer subtitles.

The way you describe the show, it's definitely up my alley. Especially that Prime Minister sounds like a character I would love. Twin Peaks-esque!

PS
Thanks for the link, I didn't know about that site. Seems very functional.

LJG765

I can't vouch for picture quality on the Due South Ultimate set, but I can recommend the series. It's funny, aged fairly well and I agree, who could go wrong with a lip-reading, deaf wolf? It's laugh worthy and good buddy/cop type show.

I own the 3 individual American seasons. PC is ok...the occasional squiggle here or there, but overall, not bad. I can say that the set they're selling now, all in one, does save a lot of space, and I wish I would've waited till it came out.

My two cents...

Bookhouseboy

Your two cents are appreciated.

I'm glad to find love for the show in here. Even if the Ultimate set doesn't sport the best PQ, you get a lot for your money. I'm gonna place an order asap.

Isny

The release that included all of the discs in one large case (ultimate collection) had horrible PQ, it was worse than something you would pirate. Go for anything but that. From what I heard the European releases were the best PQ.

lmwong1977

I did a couple screencaptures from the first 2 episodes - mostly the opening credits and the first few minutes so it's not spoiling any storylines. It's not exactly how it looks on TV since this is from my computer and photobucket compresses it a bit but you can get a general idea how it looks and judge for youself.



The rest are here: http://pbckt.com/sQ.p1B

Bookhouseboy

Thanks a lot for the screen captures, lmwong1977. They're really helpful.

I think the PQ looks okay. The colors doesn't seem washed out and the sharpness looks decent. I'm sure there are some compression artifacts and maybe some edge enhancements, but I won't be watching this show on my 92" screen, so it shouldn't be too bad. I was expecting worse, to be honest.

I also believe a lot of the 90's shows had a kind of natural softness to them. "My So-Called Life" comes to mind as a 90's show that just looks soft compared to todays shows.

I can't wait to watch this show.

Bookhouseboy

Thanks for your input. I'm sure the European releases look better, but they cost many times more than the ultimate set, and I just can't justify that price different. Now, if they had subtitles as well as better PQ, then maybe, but it's only the Canadian release that has subtitles.

Isny

One thing to mention as well, the ultimate collection PQ varies from season to season. From what I remember, it gets worse as the seasons go on, so that above screenshot is only a reflection of the actual episode he took it from.