Spiderbite

That totally makes sense and I understand that but at the same time, won't the average cost conscious movie buyer look at the possible upgrade and say, "Fuck that. I paid that much for the DVD set and now it is at 7 bucks. I am going to wait until the BD comes down substantially."

morriscroy

I can relate.

Due to psychological "anchoring" type of behavior,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring

I find that I typically wait until the bluray price is less than or equal to the dvd prices I've seen previously.

For example, I picked up the Fringe seasons 1, 2 and 3 bluray sets when they were priced lower than the dvd versions I purchased previously.

Gizmo

Studios. Retailers.

If sales were there future seasons would continue. It's really easy...

bsmith

Sure but remember what it took to get those DVD's to $7 a season. You have to be willing to wait 5+ years for the chance for it to get that low. Those that waited for DVD's to get that low may wait for the BD's to do the same. However, some just can't wait and they will buy when the comfort level meets their need to have it. All releases go done in price over time, we know this, yet many have to have it release day.

bsmith

So are you in personal contact with the studios and retailers, CBS in particular?

Not so easy as that. After 6 months you can't say yet that they won't. In good times CBS may release two seasons of classic TV shows a year. Sometimes only once a year. These releases came out 6 months ago, it is too early to make those statements. When sales aren't high enough initially, CBS has in the past moved on to try another title for a bit an then returned. Some titles have been stalled for two to three years, just to then return with new releases. I have 200+ classic period TV shows on DVD. I have several from CBS. I am used to their pattern for releases. this is nothing unusual.

BD releases of classic titles is new for CBS. I wouldn't expect them to start releasing them in any quantity. I fully expect for them to potentially try new titles next year in place of following up with season 2 of ILL or TAGS.

bsmith

I don't follow those titles. I know they are more recent, in which case they may fall under more of streaming crowd. Or they just may be syndicated in HD or available from Netflix just as easily.

This thread originated based on the three classic TV titles that CBS released on BD. All my responses are related to those in particular.

Spiderbite

I am waiting on a complete series release of CHiPs.

Season one released on dvd 2007
Season two released on dvd 2008
Season three has recently been announced to be released on dvd in March of 2015.

Appears I should have my complete set around 2035! I will be 62 years old and the show will be near 45 years old!

morriscroy

From an outsider's perspective, such long waiting times between releases suggests the company is waiting for enough units to sell, before releasing another season. No point in overloading the warehouses with too much inventory collecting dust.

I suspect the other big factor, is whether the big retail gorillas like Walmart, BestBuy, Target, etc ... are willing to stock such releases.

morriscroy

I would love to see Dynasty released on bluray, but I'm not inclined to believe this will happen. The older Dynasty dvd seasons sets have been bargain bin fodder for several years already. (A few years ago I found and picked up season 2 for $10 from the local dump bins).

According to the CBS syndication bible, seasons 2 to 9 have already been transferred to HD masters.

http://syndicationbible.cbstvd.com/s...ty/dynasty.htm

Gizmo

With physical disc sales dropping each year, studios are more hesitant on releasing anything catalog.

While you seem to think this wait is a good thing, it infact is bad. The longer the wait the less likely a future season will come. Retailers are removing space for discs, not adding. If studios have stopped releasing BDs for shows that are actually still airing, the future is even more dim for classic titles - especially titles that appeal to people who don't typicslly buy new media and are probably close to death.

Feel free to live in your bubble, just know everything else is proving you wrong.

morriscroy

At times I wonder if the recent 60s Batman complete series bluray set, and the upcoming original Battlestar Galactica bluray set, will end up being the final "big" classic tv on bluray catalog releases.

hanshotfirst1138

Very, very likely. You also have to remember the expense of restoring older TV. If newer shows which have existing HD masters aren't getting Blu releases, the chances of older series getting them are even more slim.

morriscroy

Even worse are the 1980's and 1990's tv shows which were edited on videotape which would require an extensive restoration and re-editing from scratch, such as what was done for the HD restoration of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

IIRC, some older tv shows from the 1960's and 1970's were edited on film.

Adam Tyner

I'm really tired of your toxicity on this forum. Tone it down or you're going to be suspended.

GenPion

The future of TV on Blu-ray for catalog titles isn't going to end with the classic Battlestar Galactica and the Batman television series. There have continued to be a reasonable number of high-profile catalog Blu-ray releases for television. Has it been dissapointing that more titles haven't come out? Yes, of course. But I think there are many more releases to be seen.

Just taking into consideration HBO alone, I would be surprised to not find Blu-ray sets forthcoming for the likes of Six Feet Under and The Wire (especially now that we now a HD restoration was done for the latter). Also, The X-Files is pretty much a guaranteed release. The work has been done. It's just a matter of when they will put it out. As it sounds like Fox is considering a new X-Files film to end the Aliens storyline and/or a reboot version of the show, they are likely just delaying release so there can be a promotional tie-in.

morriscroy

Giz is the lovable curmudgeon in chief on several bluray message boards.

My Other Self

Loveable is a bit of a stretch.

morriscroy

If this was back in 2011 or 2012, an X-Files complete series bluray set would have caught my interest. Today, not so much anymore.

At this point, the only complete series bluray set which would immediately catch my attention would be something like "Star Trek: Deep Space 9". (I'm not as interested in Voyager on bluray, even though I still watch Voyager reruns almost every day).

morriscroy

Nah. (Going further offtopic).

Giz is more like "Grog" from the BC comics, or "Captain Caveman".

hanshotfirst1138

Hell, some shows were shot on videotape, like many sitcoms like Boy Meets World. Obviously, they couldn't release them on Blu-ray even if the wanted to. TNG is in the position of having a huge cult fanbase that is willing to pay for an expensive remaster. Frankly, it's amazing that they were willing to put in the amount of work they were, and a major testament to 35mm that the elements could still be scanned to HD. But I digress . Plus, you have to remember that with it and similar shows, you have to consider the FX, which sometimes have to be redone from scratch with CG (Like Babylon 5? Soooooooo not happening.). Obviously, that doesn't preclude it from being possible, but like I said, given that lots of shows (usually shot digitally) with digital masters are being skipped for Blu-ray release (How hard would it be to put a damn HD UV code in there?), the chances of the considerable work and expenses going into it probably aren't likely unless it's a pretty major title.

I'm a little reticent on The Wire. The show was evidently shot on Super 35, but the creators preferred 1.33 and resisted moving to HD because of the aesthetic they established, and there're rumors that the BD release will be 1.78. The X-Files was shot on 35mm too, wasn't it? Also Super 35, I think. Was it edited on videotape as well? Would it be a TNG-type situation to redo the FX and the editing again?

He has a Doctor House avatar, what do you expect .


Why not?

morriscroy

Prior to 2011, I never really watched X-Files at all. (Other than some random episodes).

Several posts on another thread, which goes into why I didn't watch it previously.

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/621...ture-4.html#97

After watching through all seasons of The X-Files once already during 2011 (some episodes more than once), I find that it's not a show that has much rewatch value for me.

With all that being said, I find The Lone Gunmen has more rewatch value for me, than The X-Files and Millennium.

Adam Tyner

Fox has done it for Buffy (I never would've guessed they'd pony up to redo the effects and recut/scan the series in HD), so it's definitely not out of the realm of possibility for a series as popular as The X-Files. Whether or not we'll see either of 'em on Blu-ray, though...

morriscroy

More generally, wonder how many of these hd restorations were originally done for the off-network syndication market. (ie. A bluray release is like a "bonus" if viable?)

hanshotfirst1138

You'd think the collectors would be the predominant market. Are there TV stations chomping at the bit for HD masters of decade-old shows? Does saying that the show will be in HD attract more advertisers or ratings? I would assume the average person just channel surfs across it and watches it. You'd think that if they just sent upscales, stations wouldn't blink much. I would assume that the only people who cared about digital remasters would be more discerning fans. You'd think that doing that kind of restoration would be very expensive, will a station pay more for syndication rights to HD masters?

bsmith

While that would be the case now, I would think that CBS is doing just that, prepping their older catalog for future HD syndication or streaming. At some point you would have to think that broadcasting of SD content will, for the most part go away, and that only HD channels will be around. At that point consumers would probably balk at SD up-converts. Especially, when the up-converts are from very old video transfers. Granted not all content qualifies for being transferred to HD. Interestingly, according to the CBS syndication bible there are a few titles that have already been transferred to HD without even getting complete DVD releases, which makes one wonder if they just don't think the disks sales are there but still want it available for future syndication.

So the question may not be whether a station will pay more for HD content, but will they pay anything or even want to broadcast any SD content down the road. CBS has already transferred to HD quite a bit from their older catalog, so the most significant costs have already been spent.