E Unit

Wow, if only it were cheaper. Is this the first time seasons 1-4 have been released on blu ray? No specs yet, but I am definitely interested.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...w_s_dvd_mq3qao

RocShemp

Doctor Who: Series 1-7 Limited Edition Blu-ray Giftset $314.98



I thought everything before the last two specials with Tennant was shot in Standard Def. I fail to see how a BD is worthwhile for anything prior to the last Tennant specials and the Smith seasons.

Adam Tyner

"The Next Doctor" is the only standard-def special. The rest of the specials in that set are in high definition.

However, since PAL is a little higher resolution than NTSC, those standard definition episodes should still look a little bit on Blu-ray than the R1 DVDs.

mattysemo247

I think we need a couple more images in here

RocShemp

Thanks for the clarification.

Still seems like a huge waste of BD's.

Nate Boss

Not necessarily. Some of the WWE footage from the late '90's CAN look pretty freaking good, surprisingly. It depends on if they use a solid upconverting software/program, but the real positive for sets like this is the fact that the DVD releases of many films and TV shows are riddled with chroma fringing and artifacting galore. With more space to play with, there's a chance these sets can breathe a little and therefore not be overly compressed. It's hard to get blood from a turnip, but there have been a few SD upconversions that have been QUITE impressive, if you ask me.

Want this set, very much, but 200-220 or so is my price point.

Supermallet

Any word on if they're releasing seasons 1-4 on Blu-ray without having to buy that big honking box?

Nate Boss

i'd bet 4-6 months after this release we'll see one or two, not all four at once. they don't want us to have the option on buying around the mega-set, as it'd only cost them sales of shit they've already sold us.

ThePhantomGoat

It's rumored that 1-4 are coming as individual releases next year.

Pizza

I don't know if there is any official word but I'd be shocked if they didn't release the sets individually later on. They want to get every penny they can get. It'd be funny if they also tack on an extra disc to the individual releases with special features.

Supermallet

I can wait.

joltman

Part of me hopes that the Blu-rays of seasons 1-4 aren't that great since I just purchased them on PAL earlier this year.

Gizmo

You purchased the DVDs...

BSTNFAN

Right. Which is why he hopes the BDs suck enough that upconverting the PAL DVDs is just as good and he didn't waste his money.

Nate Boss

and since supposedly the set comes in september, suddenly my theory of 4-6 months equalling 2014 Q1 doesn't seem all that far off, particularly as we'll see a quick turnaround on the last XMAS special for Matt Smith, as this series regularly hits home video right after it airs on TV. studios love those tie-ins.

Supermallet

This is out now. Has anyone heard how season 1-4 look?

Superman07

Don't see any review or screen shot comparisons yet, but forum reviews seem to boil down to "better". Somebody felt there were encoding and audio issues, but not substantiated.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread....224234&page=25

joltman

Has anyone compared them to the PAL DVDs yet?

Supermallet

I watched a bit of the season one upconverts. You're not going to be fooled into thinking they're full HD, but they're leaps and bounds above the NTSC DVDs. I haven't seen the PAL discs for comparison. If they get individual releases and are reasonably priced, I'd say they're worth the upgrade.

hanshotfirst1138

I assume the NTSC disc were poorly transferred from their PAL counterparts on the original discs?

Greeco

Has DH a big following in the US?

hanshotfirst1138

It was a cult show for a while, but it's popularity really seems to be taking off here now.

Rocketdog2000

It certainly does now. I'd say it's almost as popular as the top rated US Sci-Fi shows have been in the last three or so years, considering it's not on a major network, and more popular than it has ever been in the States.

It has been slowly gaining in popularity since the 2005 relaunch, but has really taken off since Matt Smith debuted as the Doctor. If you go into most mall based trend and music shops - places like Hot Topic, Spencer's, Newbury Comics, FYE - you will see lots of Doctor Who merchandise.

This happened primarily when BBC America reacquired the rights to airing the show in the US from the Sci-Fy channel. That's when you truly started seeing the merchandise appearing in stores. Now you can find any number of Who related objects - from T-Shirts, calendars, books, pillows, blankets, action figures, glasses, inflatable TARDIS, sonic screwdriver replicas, lunch boxes, pajamas, socks, scarves, etc...etc - in ever growing abundance. I think it's also because Sci-Fi and fantasy in general made a huge return in popularity to TV. With the success of shows like the Battlestar Galactic reboot, Lost, Fringe, True Blood, Game Of Thrones, The Walking Dead and others, this helped, too.

Of course there is also another possible reason. I once asked a group of young women at New York Comic Con why they thought Doctor Who was more popular now than it ever has been, and they all said the same thing. Ever since the relaunch, there have now been "Hot" Doctors. This would also explain why the show is more popular here among female viewers, about 3 to 1 over their male counterparts, than ever before.