JeffTheAlpaca

Almost all of the major TV shows are now in HD so how come studios don't release a standard and blu-ray release for every TV show?

30 Rock, Desperate Housewives, Parks & Recreation, CSI Miami, The Mentalist etc just some of the shows not available on Blu-ray

Blu-ray/DVD combos would be expensive probably but I don't see the logic of watching your favorite show in HD on your DVD and then wait until September the following year and you can only get the standard DVD release.

PhantomStranger

The simple answer is they do not sell decently enough to produce a set. The costs to produce them are much greater than a DVD season and studios do not want to sell product that barely breaks even. The major studios have a much higher minimum R.O.I. threshold now on home video products and most shows can't meet that standard anymore.

JeffTheAlpaca

I undersand but Fringe is not a ratings monster and almost all of the seasons are on Blu-ray but maybe SciFi fans buy more dvds/

JimRochester

I bought Chuck on BR and should have gotten the DVD's. The quality is marginal, the first 3 season only have dd5.1 sound, no exclusive extras and I can't bring them with me when i travel because my laptop won't play BR.

Josh-da-man

Universal also didn't release "The Event" and "Caprica" to blu-ray, either.

I suspect that Universal's television blu-ray strategy isn't as aggressive as that of others like Warners (who put out Fringe).

Different studios have different approaches to home video in these days of diminishing sales. Some, like Paramount, are cutting back drastically. Sony is licensing titles out to boutique labels like Twilight Time. Others, like Warners, are more or less soldiering on.

Michael Corvin

TV on DVD was my hot sex. I bought way more tv shows than movies. Needless to say since switching to Blu, my TV buying has nearly dried up. If it's a relatively recent show and it's not on Blu, I don't want it.

I believe that was due to how Chuck was shot, not a commentary on the quality of TV on Blu in general. Chuck was never one of those "WOW" shows in HD when it aired.

Mr. Salty

Yep. "Chuck" was shot on 16mm, not 35, on a very tight budget.

Eric F

FYI: A lot of those shows you mentioned are available on Netflix streaming in 1080p w/DD+ 5.1 surround. Not quite as good as Blu, but not a bad substitute. Shows like 30 Rock and Parks & Rec look quite excellent.

If you have the right player (some newer Pannasonic Blu-Ray players) you can output Netflix streaming in 24p too.

orangerunner

As mentioned above it is probably just not deemed profitable enough to justify releasing them.

For TV shows from the pre-HD era it simply involves way too much work, time and money to go back to the original 16mm or 35mm prints and restore them in HD.

Besides, the old shows were, of course, originally shown in standard def and I think people really don't mind seeing them in their authentic form.

It's not like an old film that was originally shown in glorious 70mm where people want to see that reproduced as best as possible in HD.

I think TV shows will be the first Blu-ray victims because of their shorter length, they are the easiest to stream and download.

The studios aren't hedging their bets on a future for physical media, especially for TV shows.

davidh777

TV on DVD used to be a huge cash cow. Now there are too many different ways to watch shows, new scripted shows are on the wane, and a lot of the older catalog has come out. Add in what others have said about higher costs to produce, and it just doesn't make sense to release BDs. Customers won't pay significantly higher prices for the BDs either. Glee has a high replay value for me, but I bought season 2 on DVD for under $20 and never got the BD. I know it's probably good value per minute compared to a movie, but I'll most likely just rewatch musical numbers than sitting down and rewatching a whole season. And the DVD looks pretty good even if it's not BD quality.

I've heard some studios say they won't relase any Blu TV if it's not action or sci-fi. We've seen that things aren't really that restricted, but it's not far off.

JeffTheAlpaca

Twilight Zone was released on Blu-ray but I don't understand why a black and white show in HD would be something that you really needed to buy?

Heroes another example of a show with poor ratings but all 5 seasons in Blu-ray but they probably falls under the SciFi umbrella and I heard it was more popular outside the U.S

I guess if you want to really see a show with the best picture quality you better watch the initial run on broadcast or cable unless that show is syndicated in HD.

DJariya

As David just pointed out, but the fact is, most people don't want to pay TV on BD prices.

I'm just guessing, but I would say for this forum in particular more than 50% of the posters have no interest in paying $30-50 for a set (depending if it's a network or cable show) when it's initially released. They all wait 6 months to 2 years when the product is old and 50-70% discounts are applied. Why should the studios want to continue to release product that costs more to produce, which noone buys and is eventually sold at a major loss?

I'm probably one of the very few, but I paid $40-45 for all 3 seasons of Fringe, when they initially came out. I also bought the 10th season of Smallville for around $41 a few weeks after it came out. I paid $44 for Hawaii Five-O on BD when it was a Best Buy exclusive. I know most people here are bargain hunters, but if it's a quality program that I like and really utilizes the technology of Hi-Definition, I'm happy to support it.

Michael Corvin

This far into the life cycle how big a difference in cost of manufacturing can there be? We're still talking just burning some discs that are probably pennies on the dollar for the manufacturers at this point.

I think that has more to do with the offering than being cheap though. I want all of Chuck & Fringe on Blu, but they are all still fresh in my mind since the show just ended. I'm not going to rewatch it anytime soon so why pay $45+ just to have it sit on a shelf? I can wait until there's a deal.

On the flip side I don't think people had an issue paying higher prices for Twilight Zone when they came out. It's something that's not recent in everyone's mind and has immediate "play" value.

Adam Tyner

Watch it, and all your questions will be answered. It's absolutely drop-dead gorgeous...a world-class presentation.

Unfortunately, there's a very common misconception that "old" equals "not worth it in HD".

Josh Z

There are also authoring expenses that you've forgotten about.

Shannon Nutt

Which is, of course, the complete opposite of the truth...the old films/TV shows that have been updated look like they were shot yesterday.

As for TV on Blu-ray - I think a lot of people have been afraid to invest (hence the low number of sales) because studios got in the habit of releasing some seasons on Blu-ray and not others, and most buyers want their collections in either one format or the other.

Alan Smithee

I'd never buy anything on DVD instead of Blu-Ray to save money.

JeffTheAlpaca

I own the definitive collection and it still looks good on a blu-ray player but I will probably buy the blu-ray set because I am an addict.

I wonder maybe 10 years from now if there will be a demand for TV shows on Blu-ray (if streaming becomes the norm) and they will be collector's items similar to vinyl where now people are rediscovering it and discover they are better in overall quality compared to MP3s and CDs.

orangerunner

I know there are still expensive license fees for manufacturing Blu-ray discs which is not the case for DVD.

Of course, these fees are diluted when someone is ordering 10,000 + copies and the price gap narrows between the two. As well, there are far fewer plants making Blu-ray discs making competition much less fierce than with the DVD.

I imagine encoding to Blu-ray is much less expensive when the content has already been shot, edited and mastered in HD as opposed to having to clean-up a 35mm print using the original negatives and transfer them to HD.

orangerunner

With Twilight Zone, part of the appeal is the grainy black and white look of the show which lends to the atmosphere of it. Many people may want to watch it how they remember seeing it.

Although I'm sure they have done a stellar job restoring it, it may not be seen as "better" for some purists.

It's like sometimes an original, unrestored antique car with paint flaking off is, in some people's eyes, more valuable than one that has had every nut and bolt replaced.

Moopher

Glad I learned this lesson very early-on!

DJariya

I understand that and I agree with that sentiment. Most of the television shows that I do collect, I wait anywhere from 6 months to 1-year before I finally do pick it up. Yes, they are still fresh in my mind if I'm watching it week to week from September to May, so they would have no immediate replay value.

I'm saying that even the people who aren't watching it during the TV season still aren't willing to pay $40-45 because it's still deemed too expensive for many it's because of the "Bargain" mindset alot of Internet shoppers have. And I know that 15-25% off MSRP during release isn't really a "bargain" I'm not going to name names, but there are several posters in the DVD/BD bargains forum who wouldn't even think about touching a TV on BD show for $40 because of a "price point" they have set for themselves.

davidh777

I think that's what gives HBO shows a certain cachet and "premium" pricing. A lot of people haven't seen the episodes already, and they can justify that they're saving on the price of subscription. Remember Sopranos being $125 for half a season (which was insane by any standard, but anyway...)?

It's possible but it depends a lot on what they're watching it on. And maybe by then 1080p streaming will be commonplace. Hard to say.

mrpeavey

I agree with Adam Tyner. The 24 disc box set of The Twilight Zone on Blu-Ray, in my estimation, is just about the best "world-class" presentation of a television series ever on HD. The shows look fantastic, there are loads of commentary tracks (many episodes have multiple commentaries), isolated scores, and various other extras. Plus, the discs also include the modern day audio drama versions of the shows. Sheer awesomeness!! I would love to see Image Entertainment follow up with a blu-ray edition of Boris Karloff's Thriller.

PhantomStranger

+1

The Twilight Zone on Blu-ray is a sheer marvel to watch. Stunning picture quality that looks like it was filmed yesterday with copious extras.