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AndrewKnight
Companion
United Kingdom
175 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Apr 2012 : 15:06:51
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| It's probably a question I should have asked some time ago as the conclusion of classic Doctor Who releases is a mere year away. Does anyone know why our programme, unlike any other series I can think of, has taken such a damn long time to come out on DVD? Other series get released in season box sets, in order. Why with Doctor Who has it been a story here and another one there, one a month for years? Does anyone know how they've chosen the order too - you can't say it's down to demand, as Terror of the Zygons would have been out years ago if that was the case! That's my rant over now. Thanks in advance for any answers... |
A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about... |
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Col
Co-Lord President
United Kingdom
4336 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2012 : 15:15:24
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Because we get a lot more specially shot extras on ours and they make the releases far more worthwhile ( IMHO )
Col |
 When you have seen the ages i have seen.................... |
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sittin9duck
Timelord
United Kingdom
421 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2012 : 15:55:53
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And they can made a lot more money this way. They know use fans are daft enough to buy them. |
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AndrewKnight
Companion
United Kingdom
175 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2012 : 16:59:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Col
Because we get a lot more specially shot extras on ours and they make the releases far more worthwhile ( IMHO )
Col
I disagree, i'd rather just have the stories - 12 or more years is too long to wait just to hear Terrance Dicks trotting out the same old stories over again. I agree with sittin9duck that they're a bunch of rip off merchants. Still doesn't explain the nonsensical release order, not to mention the horsesh*t cover art of Lee Binding... Now I've said my piece. |
A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about... |
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Fudge
Chancellor
United Kingdom
1821 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2012 : 07:12:12
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| I've always been of the opinion that us fans were very fortunate to get such comprehensive releases. They are obviously a labour of love from those who make them. Calling the added content extras is not really doing them justice. We get documentaries, interviews, missing episodes animated, recolourisations, you could just go on and on. And anyway it's not just the extras that take the time, there is also the restoration process that nearly every episode has to go through. Once every story is released on DVD, it will really be the last word on the classic series. 99.9% of existing footage available to watch in its optimum state plus every behind the scenes aspect completely covered. If its the quality that takes the time then I'm more than happy to do so. :-) |
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AndrewKnight
Companion
United Kingdom
175 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2012 : 14:08:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Fudge
I've always been of the opinion that us fans were very fortunate to get such comprehensive releases. They are obviously a labour of love from those who make them. Calling the added content extras is not really doing them justice. We get documentaries, interviews, missing episodes animated, recolourisations, you could just go on and on. And anyway it's not just the extras that take the time, there is also the restoration process that nearly every episode has to go through. Once every story is released on DVD, it will really be the last word on the classic series. 99.9% of existing footage available to watch in its optimum state plus every behind the scenes aspect completely covered. If its the quality that takes the time then I'm more than happy to do so. :-)
OK I'll buy the quality aspect, but I still don't know why they've chosen such a random release pattern. I mean, Delta and the Bannermen out years before Terror of the Zygons?? |
A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about... |
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Dalekfan
Dalek Commander of the Outer Galaxies
United Kingdom
9429 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2012 : 14:41:13
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The randomness of the releases has always struck me as odd. In the days of the video releases they tried to balance out the release schedule by having (where possible) a release for each Doctor in turn, for example.
I can understand that stories like Ambassadors of Death (colour problems) and Ice Warriors (possible reconstruction!) are held back, but sticking The Daemons and Terror of the Zygons near the end of the schedule IMHO is unforgiveable and does smack of marketeering.
I do agree with Col though that each DVD release is clearly a labour of love and worth the wait.
I would like a completely-stripped-back version of each DVD though, so that there's just the story on it, and ideally no convulated lead-in menus. The DVD files releases are part of the way there with that, so for this reason I have been buying my favourite stories from the DVD Files release.
As we reach the end of the run, and as a completist having virtually every release, I am concerned that 2 Entertain may not be able to resist the temptation to change the packaging or somesuch, and release them all again.... |
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Edited by - Dalekfan on 02 Apr 2012 14:42:17 |
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DB 2
Timelord
United Kingdom
448 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2012 : 15:17:15
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| The Revisitations box sets that are being released are a way of making us buy the same dvd's again.There are the extra discs with special features etc but I really am quite happy to watch the first release of each dvd. |
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Daveym
Companion
United Kingdom
101 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2012 : 16:23:16
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quote:
Originally posted by AndrewKnight
It's probably a question I should have asked some time ago as the conclusion of classic Doctor Who releases is a mere year away. Does anyone know why our programme, unlike any other series I can think of, has taken such a damn long time to come out on DVD? Other series get released in season box sets, in order. Why with Doctor Who has it been a story here and another one there, one a month for years? Does anyone know how they've chosen the order too - you can't say it's down to demand, as Terror of the Zygons would have been out years ago if that was the case! That's my rant over now. Thanks in advance for any answers...
I'm grateful they are so spread out - I'm not that rich. I can't afford two, three or four Doctor Who releases per month and a box-set or few to go with it.
Plus it always leaves something to look forward to. Next release might be a classic like Terror of the Autons or alternatly a donkey like Silver Nemesis, I prefer the variety of that.
I've never been under any illusion about the release schedule being due to factors including the sheer time and effort needed to repair and refine 30-40 year old film/video prints and book the various cast and crew for features. It's no great secret that many of the old stories are in a poor state technically and I've even watched some of my VHS copies from the 1980s era and been appalled by how poor the quality of print is with some of the location shot stuff.
I do think many of the prints for the older stories are cleaned up TOO much but I've never stopped marvelling at the time and effort put into these releases, it really is a labour of love for the crew behind them. Around Eight years ago I was going around telling my friends my guess was that in another three or four years the extras on the releases would be pretty much gone, too expensive to produce and the BBC being a buisiness only care about a quick buck.... well obviously I was dead wrong. And thankfully so
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"After travelling with the Doctor for a while, you get swept up in all the weirdness. And then the ordinary stuff starts feeling weird. Believe me!" - Fitz Kreiner. |
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Paul
Cosmic Hobo
United Kingdom
859 Posts |
Posted - 03 Apr 2012 : 13:10:29
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quote:
Originally posted by AndrewKnight
quote:
Originally posted by Col
Because we get a lot more specially shot extras on ours and they make the releases far more worthwhile ( IMHO )
Col
I disagree, i'd rather just have the stories - 12 or more years is too long to wait just to hear Terrance Dicks trotting out the same old stories over again. I agree with sittin9duck that they're a bunch of rip off merchants. Still doesn't explain the nonsensical release order, not to mention the horsesh*t cover art of Lee Binding... Now I've said my piece.
I just can't see how the releases are rip offs in any way, shape or form.
The stories themselves are cleaned up magnificently, and have a wealth of extras that surely have something for every taste (Documentaries, commentaries, info text, deleted scenes, alternate scenes, special editions, etc...). Even if you don't want the extras I think the price is justified for the work that's gone into the main feature. I think some of the boxsets that've been released over the past 4-5 years are a real steal. 'Trial...' is an amazing set.
As for the release schedule, it makes sense to spread the so-called clunkers out so that people are buying DVDs across the life of the range. (Personally I love 'Delta...' and 'Paradise Towers' and would much rather watch them than some of the Pertwee stuff that's been released already). If sales dropped in the last couple of years of the range then maybe they'd stop releasing them. (Yeah, I know it seems unlikely but 2E will want to see a consistent return on their investment across the life of the range).
People seem to forget that 2-Entertain are there to exploit the BBCs back catalogue and make a profit out of it. Looking at the releases of other TV shows that are over 20 years old I think 'Who' is shown a lot of love, and the price you can pick the DVDs up for on release is an absolute bargain. 2E could quite easily have gone down the route of minimal-to-no cleanup of the prints, then bung them out on DVD. I for one am really really glad they didn't. |
Edited by - Paul on 03 Apr 2012 13:21:02 |
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bjblackpool
Companion
United Kingdom
236 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2012 : 12:35:18
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When you look at other genre material (Star Trek in particular comes to mind, as does The Avengers) the quality of both the transfer itself and the extras available can be pretty damn poor in comparison. We have black and white episodes you'd swear were lifted from the original VT, Pertwee episodes recoloured by witchcraft, lost episodes brought to life through animation, commentaries by cast and crew (who we've actually heard of) on every episode (aside from a few on the Lost in Time set), onscreen production subtitles (again, aside from Lost in Time: they were apparently trying to avoid having to charge us for four discs), continuities, clean versions of the titles, footage which didn't make the final edit, contemporary interviews, isolated music tracks...not to mention specially made documentaries (of variable quality and interest) on every conceivable aspect of the show.
We have been humongously spoilt. They've even allowed us to buy them on easy terms, rather than demanding an arm and a leg for a season boxset.
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Dalekfan
Dalek Commander of the Outer Galaxies
United Kingdom
9429 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2012 : 13:21:58
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| I reckon they've made plenty of money out of us though. |
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bjblackpool
Companion
United Kingdom
236 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2012 : 14:15:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Dalekfan
I reckon they've made plenty of money out of us though.
Ooh yeah - but let's face it, we're not exactly your run of the mill buyers! |
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Ian
Chancellor
United Kingdom
1075 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2012 : 08:41:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Dalekfan
I can understand that stories like Ambassadors of Death (colour problems) and Ice Warriors (possible reconstruction!) are held back, but sticking The Daemons and Terror of the Zygons near the end of the schedule IMHO is unforgiveable and does smack of marketeering.
I think they said early on they weren't going to release all the classics first, and save a few for the end. Rather than repeat what happened on VHS
Perhaps I am just used to random. It happened for Target, Video. Big Finish.
I have found with the latter giving me 2-3 new stories each month I dont really watch episodes on DVD. Extras are played ASAP, but Big Finish provides my fandom needs with enough of a fix.
Its very rare for me to watch a classic Dr Who just for the sake of watching it.
I did watch Daemons though. After the extras.
And I have decided I will do the full run when they are out, so dont want to spoil too many in the mean time! |
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AndrewKnight
Companion
United Kingdom
175 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jul 2013 : 18:15:22
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| Just re-read this thread of mine from over a year ago - and still waiting for Terror of the Zygons. And they've left it so long I really don't care any more. So much for strategic releasing. I'll pick it up on eBay when it's a fiver so the BBC don't get my money. |
A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about... |
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Dalekfan
Dalek Commander of the Outer Galaxies
United Kingdom
9429 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2013 : 03:09:04
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I know that one release has to be last, but whoever decided on Zygons wasn't a Who fan and wasn't making a sound commercial business decision IMHO. |
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lawrence85
Obtained a Time Capsule
United Kingdom
50 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2013 : 03:42:19
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What annoys me the most is that there are only a few stories left to be released onto DVD and yet 2 Entertain decide to release new Special Editions of stories which are already available instead, pushing the last few, yet to be released DVD’s, back another year!  |
Lorenzo |
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Richard Bignell
Chancellor
United Kingdom
587 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2013 : 13:07:34
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| It was planned donkey's years ago that Terror of the Zygons would be the last classic series release at the tail end of 2013 - and the Revisitations haven't shifted the timeline at all. |
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AndrewKnight
Companion
United Kingdom
175 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2013 : 16:16:15
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| To be honest, I don't like this story as much as I used to - it's a bit grey and depressing. Shame it wasn't wiped like all that crap from the 60's. |
A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about... |
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Whoviansdelight
Protector of Zygons
Australia
1351 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2013 : 17:04:37
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| OHhhhh Andrew, I hope that comment was in jest.. I have been waiting for Zygons to be released on DVD and got the Time Capsule box set.. I watched it last night and it still is my favourite story of the Bake era.. And I might add, the best realised villian. those costumes were brilliant. The clarity of the DVD was so good.. In a way, I guess I am happy they waited this long.. look at how much the images in the restoration of these classic episodes have improved over the years which is why we seem to be getting the "special editions". |
 Zygons Rule ** Thank you for bringing them back***
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Dalekfan
Dalek Commander of the Outer Galaxies
United Kingdom
9429 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2013 : 03:34:50
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| I see the Special Editions, however good the restoration, as just money spinners. |
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AndrewKnight
Companion
United Kingdom
175 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2013 : 17:53:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Whoviansdelight
OHhhhh Andrew, I hope that comment was in jest.
About 99% of what I post is in jest. It seems I must mend my ways. |
A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about... |
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Dalekfan
Dalek Commander of the Outer Galaxies
United Kingdom
9429 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2013 : 03:33:43
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quote:
Originally posted by AndrewKnight
quote:
Originally posted by Whoviansdelight
OHhhhh Andrew, I hope that comment was in jest.
About 99% of what I post is in jest. It seems I must mend my ways.
Or just use a lot of Smileys mate!!!!  |
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AndrewKnight
Companion
United Kingdom
175 Posts |
Posted - 15 Aug 2013 : 12:12:59
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A cosmos without The Doctor scarcely bears thinking about... |
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