Question -- DVD Set Opinions

[nicholasm79]

Don't get me wrong in the course of this message, I love having DS on DVD, but one thing has bothered me as I have been watching the show.  Has anyone else noticed that whenever most episodes on the DVD sets get to a commercial or especially at the end of a show where they were behind on time and just used the copyright, they put a very annoying echo on the end of it and it sounds AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL.

I wonder what the DVD mastering company that MPI was using was thinking.  At first, they were cutting the episodes (which MPI stopped), but they're still making it sound very bad in this way.

Again, I'm glad to have DS on DVD, but they could have just left the sound alone, couldn't they?

Sorry for the rant... btw, I'm currently in the 1897 plot 

[loril54]

If you watch the timeing  usually  it is that the show went to wrong. No time to show the credits. Just my thoughts.

[Gothick]

There was a thread on here recently where the topic of sound was discussed.  Apparently the age of the master tapes has resulted in some rather strange phenomena ... such as bleedthrough on the soundtrack, or, in some cases, a pre-echo of the dialogue.  I haven't noticed the echo at the end but I would imagine it has the same explanation--age of the master materials.

G.

[nicholasm79]

No, being in television myself and dealing with old tapes and such, I can assure you this is not bleedthrough.  It is intentionally done.  Here is my best explanation...

When MPI did the VHS masters back in the 1980s and 1990s, they had to cut the episodes very tight in order for them to fit on the tape.  Sometimes, the music at the end of the act would be cut off early and it would go on to the next act quickly.

The mastering company probably used the same sources that MPI did for the VHS releases.  But, in their need to make it sound "polished" and "neat", they put this strange effect on the ends of some acts to make it "sound better"... to the effect that you would keep hearing that echo even after the picture has faded back in for the next act!

And the echo effect would not have been there on the original tapes, there were commercials in between on the original 2" tapes, at least a minute, sometimes two minutes, so I don't think that's the answer.

[Gothick]

Well, I own a few of those DVD sets, but I have to admit that all I've done is watch a few favorite scenes on them... I've just been too busy to sit down and treat myself to watching entire episodes.

I don't know about the tech stuff but I thought that the episodes on the last set I purchased (I think it was vol. 11) were mastered in a way that looked more crisp and more accurately reflecting the fidelity of videotape than the ones in the previous sets (I also own 7 through 10) which had a more clunky digital look to my eyes (this may also reflect my playback equipment however).

We live in an odd age--people obsessing over plasma televisions and portable telephones that will email your social itinerary to Inner Mongolia for the next decade--yet settling for dumped-off versions of music and video files on iPods and YouTube that eliminate vast areas of content.  To quote Miss Victoria Winters, "I just don't understand!"

So, you're keeping all your old VHS tapes, right?

cheers, G.

[nicholasm79]

Well, I don't have many of the VHS releases of the series, but I have thought about bidding on EBay for the whole thing. But, alas, I am a college student, funds are limited, and I'm glad Netflix is around to give me a DS fix.

But, again, I'm just glad to have them on DVD at all.

[B.Collins]

i myself don't have ANY of the VHS tapes. i sure as HELL am NOT going to buy ALL of them. i'd rather have the dvd's. there's JUST TO DAMN MANY of them to buy. ya know? i DO vaugley remember them coming out though.  I juuust wasn't a fan of the show at the time. & that's prolly a good thing cuz the store that sold them sold them for lke between $20 bucks to $25.00! & that's a BIT much for just 5 episodes ya know? anywys, I LOVE the dvd's. i'm really NOT to picky on the echo & i don't really think about the quality. all i know it's by FAR MUCH BETTER than the old tapes i used to have when i taped them off  The Scif-Fi Channel ya know? we had cabe than & the picture & sound was LOUSY! & compare that to the dvd sets. ANY of them the sound is Crisp & Clear!  that's just my 2 cents ya know? 

[Taeylor Collins]

I only have 9 copies and have shelled out around 450.  I got them for 45 bucks cause my brother gets a family discount, he works for Sam Goody.  I can't complain as much, but this is a lot of money for the average person.  I can't imagine paying full price.  That is why I am trying to get them all, he is over his job.  Now the new ones are coming out and I gotta think about those too.

Taeylor

[rainingwolf]

I do have all the vhs  tapes of the collectors edition. Got some used and some new, but the best deal was when mpi decided to put the pre-Barn shows on dvd. A few months before those were made, mpi sold  any pre-Barn tapes for something like $5 each ! I never could have gotten the full set of the pre-Barnabas tapes without that. Wooohooo!

[Willie]

I never noticed any sort of echo effect on the DVD's.  Guess I'm just not paying close enough attention    One thing that is annoying though, with my most recent set (# 21), when you put the disk in you get the new menu (which is quite pretty and nice), however, when you choose an episode, the theme music gets annoyingly loud.  Way louder than the episode when it begins, and it's a real high pitched bit of music, so it really grates on my ears.

[testokes]

I have to say, editing the episodes is somewhat irritating to me.  So far the only thing I caught is the credits AFTER the cast were eliminated in one of the episodes right before Dr. Lang's death.  But taking out Bathia's prompter is virtually criminal!

[Willie Loomis]

i have the whole set.   what disturbes me that i've paid up to 60.00 per set at any given time when i didn't catch them on discount.   also, the packaging is cheap and they sort of ruined the "shelf look" by switching the size of the containers.   also, these days of remastering, they could have given a better product, in my opinion--not cutting out the bloopers, etc, but fixing the visual malfunctions and the sound malfunctions. 

i also did not get my "collectors card" in set two.    i feel the collection is not complete without the card. after all, i've paid over 1,000 for this set.  

[B.Collins]

i didn't get mine either. did you buy it from amazon? i did or did it NOT come with ANY of volume 2's?  & buy vol. too i mean of the 2nd set that actually came out way back in (2002)!

[Luciaphile]

I think I sold off most of my VHS tapes. The only ones left I have are the pre-Barn ones. As the DVDs are being made available, I will probably do the same with the VHS tapes. They take up too much space.

[B.Collins]

I can well imagine. i STILL have a LOT of volumes left to buy of the dvd's.  #4-16, #23, & volumes #2-6 of the "Begining's Set. OR however ya spell it? he he  & i try & get them cheaper than $60 bucks as well. that's a bit too rich for my blood. i think i've only had to buy  like 1 or 2 of them FULL price. i know of One of them & i think that was Volume #1 of the standard set.  & the sound isn't really a bother to me. they are SOO MUCH BETTER than the VHS tapes like i  said that i taped off the 'sci-fi' channel.   i also miss the old "Sci-fi" it was I think a by far a MUCH BETTER channel than. NOT that it's crap NOW it's just NOT as good. cause they took "DS" of the air "MSKT3000" , Friday The 13th"  just to name a few. & etc... etc..etc... anyways,  i actually prefer the NEW case because for one reason i have so far the 1st three sets with the old cases & they just NEVER close right for me. it's a HUGE PAIN in the ass & they also take TOO much space on my shelf as well. soo for me i prefer the NEW Cases. & was THRILLLED when i saw they changed styles. NOW ONLY IF they'd sell the sets in MORE stores & drop the price from $60.00 to let's say $45.00    & That goes the same for "Doctor Who"  the prices are just to damn HIGH ya know? or is this just me?