Grrr! DS DVD

[Dean]

I purchased both the DS Special Edition DVD & the new four-pack DS DVD's from Suncoast Video Store - and had no problems playing them on both my PC which has a DVD drive or my Toshiba DVD player.

I would suggest you might want to contact MPI and let the customer service representative know about this problem that you are having.

Just a suggestion.

Dean

[jennifer]

Don't even get me started on the DS DVD set and BEST BUY.  After many years of loyal purchases--and lots money at Best Buy--I severed my relationship with that chain last week because the jerk manager in charge refused to give me a refund on the DS DVDs that would not play on my Samsung 301 player (which I'd bought at the very same store).  I had previously been given refunds from the very same store, despite the policy.  So, I'm going to buy a new DVD player in the next few weeks-- but not at Best buy. . .I'll never even "window-shop" in that store again. . .--and then I'll but my fourth DS MPI set and see if if works on a SONY or PANASONIC DVD player.  BEST BUY has lost this customer--it's a long story about a customer service--due to a manager who has no idea what good customer service is.

RANT. . .VENT. . .STONE THAT MANAGER UNTIL BLEEDS. . .

AHHHHHHHH!

Brian

(Thanks, I need that!)

I hear you Brian how stupid of that person i had the same problems with BLOCKBUSTER last week about their return policys i was 20 minutes late (after 12 noon)
and they charged me an extra 9.00 for late fees for two rentals after trying to reason with them i asked for a pair of scissors and cut my cards up in front of him!
to lose customers over stupid things is a poor way to conduct business!

jennifer

[Bj]

I hear you Brian how stupid of that person i had the same problems with BLOCKBUSTER last week about their return policys i was 20 minutes late (after 12 noon)
and they charged me an extra 9.00 for late fees for two rentals after trying to reason with them i asked for a pair of scissors and cut my cards up in front of him!
to lose customers over stupid things is a poor way to conduct business!

jennifer

Was it the manager who charged you the late fee?  Always talk to the manager.  Anyways, I hope you didn't pay it.  

[victoriawinters]

i purchased my first set of ds dvds from darkshadowsdvd.com.  

however, after being subjected to the worst "live with the stars" ds chat time with john karlen and KLS on said site, i will be buying mine next sets in the series from amazon.com or http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/.  

since the deep discount is charging no shipping, i'll probably get my next set from them.

at $43.19 for either 4 disc set (deep's price), it's a steal and you don't have to deal with the best buy check out line.

[natewatson]

Before I begin, I must state that I am extremely happy that the series has made its way to DVD. I know it is a huge undertaking to release the entire series and we should be glad to have it at all. And I shall buy the entire series on DVD as I already did with the VHS releases. That out of the way, I kinda wanted more from the DVDs. Not more episodes...40 per set is fine. But more bonus features. The interviews are nice, but (having only scanned them) they are rather old, as footage from them showed up on Behind the Scenes tape and that was released close to a decade ago. Maybe 1 episode per disc could have an audio commentary from one of the actors! Or in the future, the first episode that an actor appears in could get an audio commentary from said actor. I also wish there were chapter stops within the episode. Having the entire episode as one chapter stop still will mean a lot of fast forwarding and rewinding vs. a lot of nexts!  
Anyway, I realize that all costs $$ and so is not likely to happen, but it would be nice!
Anyone else have any ideas that they wish the DVDs would incorporate? (that are reasonable!)

PS. This is my very 1st post....so hopefully I did alright!

[ksgemini]

Ideas for the DVD's? Well, first I think MPI has done a great job keeping DS alive...I just purchased the entire series used on video because I didn't want to wait 8 years for all the DVD's.
  So, I guess my first request would be for them to go with the original every 2 month plan instead of quarterly.  Also...they are trying to attract new fans of the show...I think they should add one of their 30 minute compilationson to each set..as a way of showing what can be expected from future ep's...the earlier eps move a bit slow...not a criticism from here... but some of my friends who got a little frustrated with the "Barn has Maggie prisoner" storyline took a second look when I showed them what's coming up...color...Angelique...warlocks...witches...1795...1897" I liked the special tapes MPI did and would like to see them tagged onto the sets
And, yes I wish they could at least get more recent interviews with KLS and John Karlen...however ..I am thankful to MPI and hope these compatibility issues that some people are having can be corrected somehow...

[Bj]

I recently learned from another post that Elizabeth Collins appeared on What's My Line -- that's the kind of stuff I'd like to see as a supplement on the dvd set.  It would be nice if they included parts of their other related tapes (bloopers, best of, scariest moments, etc.) and even their Darkness of Blaisedon -- but I'm not holding my breath.  I'm just happy I can collect the episodes for the first time on dvd.

But I agree there should be chapter stops.  I guess that means they would have to pay someone to come up with meaningful titles...

[Brian]

I wish all of you that have had problems with this DVD compatablity issue would just raise some HELL with the place you bought these disc players and disc's from.

Well, Ringo, here's the exchange I had, via email, with Best Buy:

Store Number: 157
Want Response: Y
Comments: Why do your managers not care about maintaining a positive, happy
customer?  I bought a DVD set ($42.00+ tax) at this store during late
afternoon on Sat., June 29.  The DVD set (4-discs) would not play on the
Samsung DVd player I had bought at the same store last July (2001). I took
the DVD set back on Sunday, June 30 (about 1 pm), and was told I could only
return this defective merchandise for the same title.  Well, the store did
not have another copy of the same title (which was the MPI DVD release of
DARK SHADOWS, FYI).  So I was told I could have a store credit for the same
amount.  As I had been given refunds in the the past-in spite of the store
policy-I asked for the manager, and a fellow named Michael (who was about
25-30 yrs old, short (5'7"?) and with thinning dark hair and a hoop earring
in his left ear) was called to speak with me. He explained the store policy,
and I explained that exceptions had been made in the past.  After several
minutes, I angrily accepted the store credit, and went to find some other
items to purchase.  I found NONE that I wanted, so I went back to customer
service (THE ALL IMPORTANT WORDS) and asked to see the manager.  The same
MICHAEL was summoned.  He asked me why I wanted my money back--and I said
because it IS my money.  He said that once I made the initial purchase, the
money was Best Buy's and the only right I had was to a store credit.  This
clerk's arrogance and tone of voice made me feel as though he suspected I
had copied the DVD and then tried to return it for cash.  THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
NOT THE CASE:  I bought a product which was defective.  I requested a
refund.  I was denied the refund.  I was treated as a common criminal and
your manager did not even care about making sure I was given proper customer
service!!  I'm sad to say that after spending lots of money in Best Buy (on
such items as 2 TVs [25" and 27"], 2 DVD players, 1 VCR, 1 Receiver/Amp, 1
Camcorder, 1 Turntable [about which I had to educate your sales-clerk], 2
headphones, 1 CD writer, 1 scanner, 1 inkjet printer, and multiple CDRs and
DVDs [more than 125 in the last 12 months]) I will no longer shop in your
store.  I will spend a little more money on better customer service and go
to Circuit City, Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.  I hope your sales clerk
Michael continues to alienate loyal customers--as I plan to spread the word
among my many clients that Best Buy has no interest in customer service-=but
only in the bottom line--i.e., DOLLAR!

Even though the store credit I accepted now has about $6.00 left on it (I
went to another Best Buy store in Orlando and found some other merchandise
to buy), I will never again step foot inside a Best Buy, nor buy anything
on-line from Best Buy, unless I receive an apology from Michael the ass
manager.  He truly did not give a hang about the customer--and his
intimation that I would have tried to dupe the store is unacceptable from a
manager in a retail store--especially in today's retail climate.

Thank you for reading this.  I hope for a response.

And here's the response I received a week later:

Thank you for contacting Best Buy Corporate Headquarters regarding your DVD
return and store experience.  I was very sorry to read of the difficulties
you described.  Please allow me to address your concerns.

Please let me begin by apologizing on behalf of Best Buy for any lack of
quality service that was experienced with employees at our East Colonial
store (#157).  It certainly is not our intention to inconvenience, be rude
toward, or serve our customers unsatisfactorily in any way.  Our company
strives to provide customer satisfaction, however, occasionally incidents
may occur that do not reflect our best intentions.  I am truly sorry the
level of service you received from Best Buy failed to adequately meet or
exceed your expectations.  

. . . thank you for alerting us to your experience.  Customer
feedback is our best resource for improving the quality of service we
provide.  Your comments are greatly appreciated and will be forwarded to
management, including the General Manager (GM) of store #157.  It is my
intention to make them aware of service related issues such as this, so that
it will help to improve the level of service provided by our store
employees.  

Despite any misgivings and contrary to what you said, we hope that you will
allow Best Buy another opportunity to serve you.  We value your support and
hope to see you in a Best Buy store again.

Respectfully,

R e x   R a d e r m a c h e r
Enterprise Customer Care      
Best Buy Corporate Headquarters

And here is my most recent response to this message:

Dear Mr. Radermacher,

Thank you for your reply.  As it turns out, I purchased a new DVD player this evening which I hope will address the problems I had with the particular DVD disc set I returned, as well as several other problem discs I own.  I made my purchase at Circuit City, and I was very pleased with the customer service I received at that store.  I plan to purchase the DVD I returned to Best Buy last week directly from the manufacturer via the internet--the manufacturer's price was comparable to Best Buy's price.  The only way I will go back to Best Buy is if I receive a personal apology from the manager in question.  I will be happy to pay a visit to the store to meet with him, in the presence of the general manager, of course, if he would like to offer an apology.  Please have the general manager of the store contact me at. . .  if he/she would like to set up such a meeting.

I'm still awaiting that phone call--and I'm still avoiding Best Buy (meanwhile, I ordered the DVD set from Amazon, which shipped it UPS--and now I have a whole new set of problems as UPS has NEVER made a satisfactory, on-time delivery to me.)

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I kinda wanted more from the DVDs. Not more episodes...40 per set is fine. But more bonus features. The interviews are nice, but (having only scanned them) they are rather old, as footage from them showed up on Behind the Scenes tape and that was released close to a decade ago.

Supposedly the stars have done new interviews that will show up on later DVD releases.

Maybe 1 episode per disc could have an audio commentary from one of the actors! Or in the future, the first episode that an actor appears in could get an audio commentary from said actor.

Now that's a great idea.

I also wish there were chapter stops within the episode. Having the entire episode as one chapter stop still will mean a lot of fast forwarding and rewinding vs. a lot of nexts!  

I suppose they figure that because episodes only last about 20 minutes, putting chapter stops for every act would be a bit excessive.

Anyway, I realize that all costs $$ and so is not likely to happen, but it would be nice!

Like Dean, my DVDs play fine on both my PC's DVD drive and my player (a Panasonic), so I don't really have any complaints there. And the episode transfers are really quite pristine:

DVD versus VHS
(And best of all, no video noise on DVD!)

So, no complaints there either. But I do have two fairly minor issues:

• I honestly dislike the fact that there's no way to bypass playing the menu introduction every time you put a DVD in. Don't get me wrong, I think whoever dreamed up the menu graphics did a good job - love the thunder and lightning, the rolling clouds, and how we pass through the woods to Collinwood:
  
  
  
  
  And I particularly like how we zoom in on the window when we select an episode:
  
  
  
  
  But I've yet to come across a DVD that doesn't let me bypass the menu introduction to go to whatever selection menu I might choose to. And being able to do that would have cost no extra money whatsoever - it would have simply been a matter of writing the code a little differently.
  
  
• And secondly (and no one who knows me is going to be surprised by this complaint at all ), I dislike the fact that Barnabas is the only character whose images cycle on the selection menu:
  
  
  
  
  Granted, Barnabas is probably DS' most popular character. He's certainly its most identifiable. But to ignore the other characters' contributions to these episodes as if they don't exist and to focus solely on Barnabas is myopic at best. Hopefully a broader range of characters will be featured on future releases.

PS. This is my very 1st post....so hopefully I did alright!

You did great! Welcome to the forum.

[Julianka7]

I wish all of you that have had problems with this DVD compatablity issue would just raise some HELL with the place you bought these disc players and disc's from.  This drives me that consumers are having to be jerked around and know so many little details about how to use one of these things, and which kinda thing goes with which kinda thing, or what country it is from, or what color your panties are, and everybodys little thingys thingy!  There should be one standard of thing, and unless the people who are making money off of us hear about it - LOUD- it will continue to burn us all!  

It makes me mad as hell , and I'm not gonna take it!

So there.

RingoRant!

Amen Ringo!!!!
It never entered my head that this could happen.
In the just over 2 years we have had our DVD
player we have rented and bought many DVDs
and they all played fine.

[Julianka7]

Now that M.B. has shown me what I'm missing by
not being able to play the DVDs I feel even worst!
It's not fair I can't play them in my DVD player
I have a question. I was reading in a mag. the
other day about Easter Eggs on DVDs. An Easter
Egg is some little something on the menu screen
of a DVD that contains surprises. Is there an
Easter Egg on the DS DVD?
Brian, I'm going to take my defective DVD back
to Best Buy this weekend. I'm going to file a
complaint about their lousy return policy while
I'm at it.

[Stuart]

There aren't any Easter Eggs on the DVDs... sorry.

Too be honest, I'd rather they didn't try to cram any more material onto the discs than they're doing at the moment.  The odd commentary here and there would be nice, but otherwise I'd prefer the disc space to used to keep the episode quality nice and crisp

The menus are amazing, IMO -- they're just so nicely presented and creepy and the subtle animation and sound effects sets the whole package up so well

I guess that the photo images of Barnabas will be altered to reflect the content of each disc set, so I guess we'll start seeing some new characters on the menus soon -- there really is zip photographically from this era other than 20 billion shots of Jonathan pouting or fanging...

But either way, I'm thrilled with my set -- it really is like watching a new show at times

[mfmdpt]

There should be one standard of thing

That's the whole problem, Ringo -- there isn't any standard recording/encoding format for DVDs. But the industry is aware of the problem, and they're working to come up with that standard. (check out this post I made back in March: Somewhat OT: DVD Recording Standard Stirs Interest)

Not to try to sound pessimistic, but as I mentioned in the post, a standard could also bring with it another problem...

[Bj]

I honestly dislike the fact that there's no way to bypass playing the menu introduction every time you put a DVD in.

Well, it's easy enough with my Panasonic:  right at the FBI warning screen I press "display" on my remote to get the on-screen icon bar, I flip to Title 3 (which is the first episode), then press "menu" and I'm there.

BTW: your dvd vs vhs comparison is a bit misleading because there's usually some bluring when a vcr is in freeze-frame mode; so the difference probably isn't as dramatic as you have presented it.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Well, it's easy enough with my Panasonic:  right at the FBI warning screen I press "display" on my remote to get the on-screen icon bar, I flip to Title 3 (which is the first episode), then press "menu" and I'm there.

Hmmm - I'll have to try that. But, of course, that's merely a work around that we're lucky enough to have access to. Not everyone else's player will have this option. By simply pressing the "menu" button, the vast majority of DVDs will automatically bring you to the selection menu, bypassing the introduction. Or at least that's the case with both my player and my DVD drive's software.

BTW: your dvd vs vhs comparison is a bit misleading because there's usually some bluring when a vcr is in freeze-frame mode; so the difference probably isn't as dramatic as you have presented it.

But the VCR wasn't in freeze-frame mode when I took the screen capture. Both the DVD player and the VCR were playing the pre-Barn introduction. So, the difference is probably more dramatic than you might think.