DARK SHADOWS FORUMS

General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '25 I => Current Talk '07 I => Topic started by: Joeytrom on April 01, 2007, 09:30:11 PM

Title: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Joeytrom on April 01, 2007, 09:30:11 PM
Has MPI started to release the 1966-1967 episodes yet?
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Midnite on April 02, 2007, 12:21:47 AM
Re: Dark Shadows Beginning DVD Cover Art, p. 1
I received mine in the mail today. ...
Re: Dark Shadows Beginning DVD Cover Art, p. 4
I received volume two yesterday (3/30). If you haven't yet, it's on the way!

Dom seems to get them first.  ;)
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: DarkShadowyFigure on May 10, 2007, 11:22:56 PM

I have the first two volumes of The Beginning. Does anyone know when vol.3 is to be released?  I didn't see any info on the Dark Shadows Dvd site. 
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: I Ching on May 11, 2007, 11:13:30 PM
I also have the first two volumes.  They were released in January and March, respectively.  The next volume is scheduled for release this month.  There is supposed to be a two-month release cycle, as with the regular series.  If it holds course, Volume 4 will be released in July, Volume 5 in September, and Volume 6 (the final volume) in November.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: rainingwolf on May 12, 2007, 12:52:23 AM
I have the VHS tapes from the "Collectors Edition". They have some extras like commercials on the first episode, shots of cast members goofing off holding the intro boards, etc. Are these in the DVD? Any other things included in the DVD that are not on the tapes? I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to get the DVD even though I have the VHS episodes...? [hippy2]
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: murph on May 12, 2007, 01:41:38 AM
Hi Rainingwolf,

I don't have the early episodes on VHS but I watched the first disc of the early episodes and they each have begun with the intro boards and I know the first episode with the original commercials in on disc 4, which I haven't watched yet.

I hope this helps!

Murph
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: rainingwolf on May 12, 2007, 03:38:16 PM

 Thanks, murph, that does help. Sounds like it will be ok  to stick with the tapes-then I can spend the $$ on collectibles instead!  YAY!
[cheer]
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: keywester3 on May 12, 2007, 04:02:00 PM
I have the first 2 Volumes of DS the begining. I joined MPI's club. I had them on VHS. Episode #8 is missing the last 30 seconds. Where miss hopewell is dictating a letter to her secretary to send to Vicki say a man named WILBER STRAKE was in there asking questions. Hence, why Vicki goes to Burkes Hotel room. I e-mailed MPI and they said they will fix it in the next batch run and replace mine.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Midnite on May 12, 2007, 05:18:24 PM
Welcome to the Forums, keywester3!

Episode #8 is missing the last 30 seconds. Where miss hopewell is dictating a letter to her secretary to send to Vicki say a man named WILBER STRAKE was in there asking questions. Hence, why Vicki goes to Burkes Hotel room. I e-mailed MPI and they said they will fix it in the next batch run and replace mine.

Disc 1 of the 1st Collection also has a cut?!
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Miss_Winthrop on May 12, 2007, 08:07:39 PM
I have the complete collector's series on vhs.  I'm not a hundred per cent sure but I think that all of the episodes have material showing cast members either holding the intro board or standing around waiting for filming to start. 
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: MsCriseyde on May 12, 2007, 08:31:41 PM
TVShowsonDVD.com just posted a news item indicating that the pre-Barnabas episodes will be available from retail sources (as opposed to the current exclusive MPI situation) beginning in late August.

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7311
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: michael c on May 13, 2007, 12:36:23 AM
that's interesting.

i never did get around to joining the dvd club but i would still like to get these episodes.

i'm assuming that mpi will have a table set up at the fest in august.i wonder if they will be available there?perhaps that's where i can pick a few up.
Title: News Regarding the Pre-Barnabas MPI DVDs
Post by: ClaudeNorth on May 13, 2007, 01:22:21 AM
Here's a link to an article at tvshowsondvd.com:

http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7311 (http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7311)
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: keywester3 on May 13, 2007, 05:54:17 AM
If anyone out there has volume 1, would you contact MPI and tell them about episode # 8?  MPI told me I was the only person to noctice this, and I have a hard time believing them that they will redo the first disk just for 1 person.  After you contact them, please come back here and post what they said. Being a true Dark shadows fan, I would like to have that episode restored.     If anyone knows how to copy & paste, I would post the entire dialog that is missing at the end of that episode.  It all by Miss Hopewell.  Does anyone else notice that it was missing? Thanks
 :)
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: murph on May 13, 2007, 04:15:46 PM
MPI's contact info is here:  http://www.mpihomevideo.com/?p=3101
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Mysterious Benefactor on May 13, 2007, 07:04:45 PM
If anyone out there has volume 1, would you contact MPI and tell them about episode # 8? ...  Being a true Dark shadows fan, I would like to have that episode restored.

Yet another cut on the first set of DVD episodes?!

I haven't picked them up yet - and now I'm even more happy that I haven't gotten around to it.

I wonder just how many times they'll ultimately have to redo that set?  Sheesh!  ::)


And welcome to the forum, keywester3! We'll be looking forward to seeing much more from you in the future.  :)
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: I Ching on May 13, 2007, 10:20:54 PM
Here is info from amazon.com concerning their release of "Dark Shadows:  The Beginning" - Volume 1:

Format: NTSC
Region: Unknown. Read more about region encoding and how it may affect you here.
Studio: Mpi Home Video
DVD Release Date: August 28, 2007
Run Time: 890 minutes
Average Customer Review:  based on 1 review. (Write a review.)
ASIN: B000QGDJGK
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,161 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

Is it just a coincidence that the release to retail outlets will be around the time of the Festival?
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: I Ching on May 13, 2007, 10:51:10 PM
If anyone out there has volume 1, would you contact MPI and tell them about episode # 8?  MPI told me I was the only person to noctice this, and I have a hard time believing them that they will redo the first disk just for 1 person.  After you contact them, please come back here and post what they said.

My Volume 1/Disc 1 is also missing that scene from episode 8.  Here is an email I sent to the address listed above for MPI:

Quote
After hearing a report of a problem, I checked Disc 1 of my “Dark Shadows:  The Beginning” Volume 1 set.  On episode 8, the scene with Mrs. Hopewell and her secretary is not on my DVD disc 1.  I understand this to be the last 30 seconds of that episode.  In fact, the only appearance of Mrs. Hopewell on my disc is of her in an earlier telephone conversation with Victoria Winters.  I have checked and verified that Mrs. Hopewell’s secretary was definitely in that episode; however, her scene is missing from episode 8 of my Disc 1.

I appreciate your promptness in correcting the material that was missing on Disc 4.  I trust that you will do the same for Disc 1.

Thank you.

I will let you all know what reply I receive.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Midnite on May 14, 2007, 04:53:27 AM
The TVShowsOnDVD article (there are 2 links to it on the previous page) mentions the 8/28 release dates listed on Amazon (and DVDEmpire as well).
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Jackie on May 14, 2007, 07:16:14 AM
So does www.deepdiscount.com!  http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=16235703  Great news indeed.  ;D
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: I Ching on May 15, 2007, 02:44:15 AM
Here is the prompt response I got from MPI:

Quote
They will be remastering this disc but we don’t have exact date this will be done.  As soon as it is done they will send it out to you.

Thank You

I have always had very good experiences with their customer service!
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: keywester3 on May 15, 2007, 04:43:06 AM
Thank you for letting us know what MPI said. I think anyone who reads this should contact them.  Since they told me I was the only person aware of this, I was leary that they would spend thousands of dollars to re do disk 1 for 30 seconds of footage. The reason I remembered that ending so well, was, (aside from being an elizabeth wilson fan) she starts dictating a letter to her secratary mentioning Wilber Strake. And the timming was really good for the ending music. She finishes the letter as then music ends.  The music starts 3/4 of the way through. I loved that ending and was dissapointed it was not on episode 8.  If enough people contact them, it may get done sooner.   Thank you.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: DLA75 on May 15, 2007, 06:11:15 AM
Will they send replacemet disc 1 to everone who got DS the Beginning Collection from the MPI DS DVD club lie tey did with disc 4 or do we have to request. Thankfully I had picked up The Dark Shadows Collectors series Volume 2 VHS from MPI at the Festival in Hollywood in 2005 (I malied it  and other stuff i had purchased at the fest to my self in New Jesey from a post offrice in Orange county to save space in my luggage) I was abe to find the missing ending of the tape.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Bette on May 15, 2007, 08:22:11 PM
I haven't noticed that anyone has mentioned this yet, so . . .

   I was watching Episode 60 (Collection #2, Disc 3) this morning and between scenes two and three  what did I see but two commercials! I have never seen these episodes before, don't have the VHS series, so I don't know what was included on them, but this was very strange. Nowhere on the box does it indicate that there will be commercials in this  (or any) episode. One was a  Palmolive commercial with a very young Ellen Burstyn and the other was for Colgate.   [idontknow]
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Willie on May 15, 2007, 09:52:05 PM
I'm just amazed that a company can put out a DVD set which must cost them, what?  Many tens-of-thousands if not over 100,000 dollars, and then not pay some guy a few hundred bucks to watch the DVD's and compare them to the video tapes, just to make sure scenes aren't missing or anything.  How much do you suppose it cost them to have new discs manufactured and then mail one to everyone who purchased the set?  And now instead of the manufacturer just running off another order of DVD's they've got to have another disc remastered.

And they were wondering if they'd make any money off these?  Maybe if they did a bare minimum of quality control they might stand a  chance ;D
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Gothick on May 16, 2007, 07:13:59 PM
They dared to cut a Miss Hopewell scene???

Sacrilege!  Ecrasez l'infame!

A very steamed-up

Gothick
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Mysterious Benefactor on May 16, 2007, 07:25:18 PM
I don't know if we should necessarily blame MPI for all these cuts on the first DSB set. Why do I still suspect that a certain someone who was responsible for "tweaking" the DS episodes for the Sci-Fi Channel's runs is also behind this latest bout?  ::)  All in the name of "improvement," of course. ... NOT!  >:(
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Nelson Collins on May 21, 2007, 04:28:19 PM
Strange, I joined the club about when set 2 was coming out and got set one, but only received word that set 2 was just shipped.  I was kind of hoping that I would get the first 2 sets and then be on the same schedule for the rest.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Nelson Collins on May 21, 2007, 04:37:35 PM
I don't know if we should necessarily blame MPI for all these cuts on the first DSB set. Why do I still suspect that a certain someone who was responsible for "tweaking" the DS episodes for the Sci-Fi Channel's runs is also behind this latest bout?  ::)  All in the name of "improvement," of course. ... NOT!  >:(
Are these deliberate cuts, or just dvd authoring errors?
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Mysterious Benefactor on May 22, 2007, 06:38:59 PM
I was kind of hoping that I would get the first 2 sets and then be on the same schedule for the rest.

That's not the way the club works. They've always sent out sets one every two months based on when a person joins. If they handled it otherwise, members could be overwhelmed with the need to pay for every set released up to the point they've joined - and that wouldn't be a good thing for most people.  ;)


Are these deliberate cuts, or just dvd authoring errors?

I only know that, in the case of the Sci-Fi Channel's runs, the cuts and "improvements" were indeed deliberately made.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Willie on May 23, 2007, 02:04:28 PM
I see Amazon and Deep Discount have set 1 available for pre-order August 28th - the day after my birthday  ;D

Hint hint  ;D
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Nelson Collins on August 06, 2007, 03:52:13 AM
Here is the prompt response I got from MPI:

Quote
They will be remastering this disc but we don’t have exact date this will be done.  As soon as it is done they will send it out to you.

I was wondering if you had received the replacement disc yet?
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: I Ching on August 10, 2007, 09:40:43 PM
I received my replacement disc today (Aug. 10).  Back on July 13, MPI emailed me and said that I would have the replacement disc in August.  They were very true to their word.  Julie at MPI is fantastic!
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: I Ching on August 10, 2007, 10:06:57 PM
BTW, the replacement disc containing Episode 8 does in fact contain the final scene with Mrs. Hopewell dictating a letter to Vickie.
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Nelson Collins on August 16, 2007, 03:51:04 AM
Thanks very much for the update!

Hmmm, I had also emailed MPI about the error but have not yet heard from them.  I wonder if the replacements are being sent to everyone who is a member of the club automatically or just those that have asked?
Title: Re: DS: The Beginning DVD
Post by: Devlin66 on September 02, 2007, 01:38:58 PM
the disc 1 that netflix shipped has the hopewell dictation at the end of #8 and i giggled when MS. Hopewell called Ms. Winters new employer Collins-Wood. ;D