wahlers

Honestly, it can really depend. I will definitely watch through the entire show in widescreen. But I can't say for sure which way I will prefer. Sometimes it may just not work right.

An example of this would be That 70s Show. I watched through the first couple of seasons on Netflix which uses the widescreen copies which mostly open up the sides. However, I was bothered by this composition. So many of the repeated shots & sets of the show involved the kids in groups sitting around the basement couch, or the circle of chairs, etc. where it was pretty clear that the actors were all packed together to fit into a 4:3 frame so now you get lots of empty sets on the sides. It takes away from the claustrophobic and frenetic energy that the tightly packed kids usually created and killed the effect I thought.

It's pretty much the same thing as how sometimes opening up the tops and bottoms of some movies to make them 4:3 did sometimes. It just made the composition look empty and boring and affected the energy of the scenes.

There's such a thing as framing something to fully utilize the given framing. Just look at the 4:3 scenes in The Grand Budapest Hotel for spectacular examples of how to maximize use of the given framing.

However, some directors either don't care or have a vary loose framing and either 4:3 or 1:77 work fine.

I'm excited to watch it again both ways and see what I think.

kefrank

Well said wahlers. I have this same issue when I watch Seinfeld on syndication in 16x9. Most of the time it's fine, but every once in awhile the cropping on the top and bottom is noticeable and takes me out of the show.

slop101

Jesus Christ! I just picked up a 24-episdoe season of X-Files (remastered beautifully for blu) for only $14. I wasn't expecting this to be that cheap, but come the fuck on!

jjcool

Agreed. I would guess that the customer base for the X-Files is larger than the customer base for Freaks and Geeks. Plus, X-Files has a new season out now to drum up interest.

Guru Askew

X-Files has a syndication-ready number of episodes so the restoration costs were almost certainly subsidized by whatever deal they may have with TNT or Sci-Fi or whatever. A library of 200+ episodes is more appealing to streaming services too.

With only 18 Freaks & Geeks can't be aired regularly on television (it airs sporadically on movie channels like Sundance and IFC due to this) and can also be easily knocked out by a binge-viewer with a 1-week Netflix trial membership. Its apples/oranges to say the least.

Shout's Pee-wee's Playhouse set was similarly-expensive and worth it.

slop101

Don't forget all the music clearances needed for F&G which weren't an issue for Files.

wahlers

Having now watched the entire show widescreen from the blu-rays I have to say that I love this version. I don't think I'll watch the 1:33 versions again.

Guru Askew

I've watched about half the eps. Even the cropped pilot looks great in widescreen.

I'll probably watch the OAR version when I get to the commentaries just to test the discs out but this is far from an egregious modification.

JeffTheAlpaca

$74 almost everywhere which is still too high.

mattysemo247

Down to $36.99 on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Freaks-and-Ge...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

EDIT: and with a quick chat on Target.com, $36.24 shipped with Red Card. Discount of $42.80. Sold!

slop101

I don't know if it was an exclusive to Best Buy or not, but I found a blu-ray of just the widescreen episodes, with fewer extras for only $25 at BB a while ago. That was perfect for me, since I already have the 1.33 versions and all extras on DVD.

sb5

The missing Blu Ray does have an extra the Yearbook DVD set didn't have - a new 46 minute interview with Apatow and Feig. Not a huge loss, but it's there.

gryffinmaster

Twitter

OldBoy

Is the Blu-ray set that good? I had the DVD but lost in the purge.

Decker

Already the #1 Best Seller in Comedy on Amazon. Picked up a Blu Ray set to replace my DVDs.

OldBoy

Sold. $43 on Amazon.

DWilson

I got a set from Hamilton Books a while back for $20 but it was the stripped-down Best Buy version (I didn't see that on the cover), so I returned it.

DWilson

YMMV. The blu-ray set contains an extra feature, a 46 min. talk with Feig and Apatow.
For the blu-ray, the show is presented in 4:3 and 16:9 versions, They also went back and made new 4K scans of the original masters.

Gizmo

You said that before, Shout. You lied when you said you “broke the mold”.

tonyc3742

And the yearbook edition that was once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-reprinted. Until it was reprinted, and now easily available on Amazon.

That said, I still bought the blu ray. Even though the show is available on Hulu.

Gizmo

Yep. Shout are fucking liars

Obi-Wanma

Glad bought the Blu-ray set for $24.99 off of Amazon in November of 2019, which was an all time low, and will likely remain so.

andicus

I've been watching the price on the Blu-ray set, but it hasn't moved in ages. Based on the announcement, I've ordered it. I know I'd kick myself when it shot up in price if I waited.

clckworang

I caved and ordered a copy from Best Buy so that I could upgrade my yearbook edition DVDs. Thanks for the heads up.

fujishig

Isn't the Best Buy one stripped down? Or do they sell the "normal" version too?