Not only am I'm glad to find this forum, but I'm doubly glad to find this thread.
I've been FUMING about how MGM has completely butchered the DVD release of this mini-series that I love more than words can describe. I was so thrilled to hear that the DVD release was coming, then disapointed that it was not the expanded/uncut version as released by MPI but just the original NBC broadcast versions. Oh well I thought, I guess I can handle watching those extra 20 minutes or so on my old MPI VHS tapes. At least the rest of it will be in perfect DVD quality, so I was definitely still going to buy it.
But then came the death blow. MGM in their infinite wisdom had decided to create FAUX widescreen versions by chopping off the top and bottom of the picture so that the 5% of consumers who have a HDD TV and/or who don't know any better will be able to watch a show that was NEVER INTENDED to be seen in "Widescreen" to be viewed in said format only. As someone pointed out in an earlier message, Warner Bros. did this same STUPID THING with the first season of Kung Fu and I have not bought that set for that very reason. Warner Bros. apparently learned their lesson however and heard fans who HATED this and has released season 2 and 3 in the original fullscreen 4:3 (1.33:1) TV screen ratio, and to quote Barnabas, "as it was meant to be!". Now hopefully they will re-release Season 1 in the same format. Otherwise I will never ever buy that worthless set.
And the same is true with this WORTHLESS DVD release from MGM.
I know some of you want to support the franchise. Well do that by buying the MPI releases and NOT letting the idiots at MGM force feed you crappy releases like this. If they see that people will buy whatever they put out even when it completely destroys something, then we as consumers/fans aren't being taken into consideration and get what we deserve.
I urge everyone to not only boycott this DVD release, but to write, email, and/or call MGM and SONY and tell them how displeased you are about this and how you are NOT going to buy it. That's what I'm gonna do.
Dan