Tapes Or DVD?

There has been some speculation that the Sci Fi channel may have trimmed a few scenes here and there for extra commercial time, but this accusation has never been verified to my knowledge by someone with an MPI tape. It's more likely the editing was done during the original run, and poorly so as to make it more noticeable.

It's more than speculation.  SciFi does cut into many scenes (rather indiscriminately and often).  Although I'm pleased they are still running the series, I can't bring myself to watch it on SciFi, as I usually end up using language unbecoming a mom...
Maybe I'm just too picky, but I prefer my DS unadulterated.  The MPI tapes are worth the investment.

MrsJ.

Well that a bummer!  I was really thinking about getting cable, but I guess it would be cheaper to do it that way.  Then buy the DVD...

decisions!!

jon

That's a tough decission to make Jon.  

I've been wanting to buy a DVD player but then again, I want to wait until they come out so you can record on them.

I want to buy the box sets with my income tax return.  

I know they cut out parts of the series for commercials.  For every 15 minutes of show they put in as many commercials it seems.  

I know if I buy a DVD player now and get the boxed sets I will glued to the televison every night.  

I guess I shouldn't complain too much, I do get to watch DS on TV ....but I wouldn't be able to here either if we didn't have AT&T Broadband.  DS isn't on our basic or extended channels.  What a scam that is !!!!!!!  

Sci Fi cutting DS episodes isn't just speculation; I've read very well documented statements about this from fans who watch the Sci Fi channel broadcasts AND own the MPI videos. The most extreme case that comes to mind is an episode in the 1969 Leviathan storyline where Sci Fi cut out the entire teaser act, including the beginning voiceover.  

There was another episode where I recall several complaints because they went to a commercial literally in the middle of a scene.

And then there is that ANNOYING logo they insist in putting in the corner!

So, while I'm glad they are running the show (since it helps people who have never seen it get to find out about it), for myself, I have to have my tapes!  I'm so pleased because after years of having them stored in boxes, I got some new shelves and put all of them up in order!  I positively glow with pride every time I go to the shelf to grab a tape.

Another crazed fan,

Steve

I have a VCR and a DVD.  Right now I order VCR tapes because I figure that in a few years we'll be able to tape DVD's from the VCR's.  Second of all...I have so much money in the tapes that I have, it mades me cringe to think of starting all over again

I finally bought a DVD player about a year ago and I am very impressed with the quality of the picture and sound on DVD.  Even programs originally shot on videotape, such as Dan Curtis' DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, look better on DVD than on VHS: no bleeding of colors (red and blue, in particular) and the picture is so much clearer.  Of course, now that I'm in my 40s, the DVD format is the last video format I'll embrace.  D-VHS won't be on my shopping list.

That said, I'll probably start replacing my DS MPI videos little by little. . .

Brian

I've been anxious to jump into this thread for awhile. Here's my pro-DVD rhetoric. I make my living as assistant editor for a DVD review book, so I'm naturally biased.

I've had a DVD player for over 4 years  now and absolutely love it. It's the best thing I ever bought- worth every penny. Videotape can't come close for sharpness, clarity, color etc. - the resolution is literally twice that of VHS. Here's the best parts:

1- Terrific picture quality makes films more involving and closer to what the filmmakers intended.

2- No tracking problems common with VHS. (I've had more problems tracking old tapes on newer VCRs and even worse problems with the MPI tapes  which frequently suffer from crackle and bad tracking as the tapes age.)

3- Extras- The versatility of the format allows anything from multiple versions of the film or TV show, and a plethora of extra capabilities- multiple language tracks, audio commentaries, etc. The standard videotape releases usually have none of this stuff. You may save 1/3 or 1/4 between the VHS and DVD, but you get a lower quality picture and zero extras.

4- Chapter stops- most discs have dozens of chapter stops so you can jump to your favorite scene instantly instead of fast forwarding or rewinding your tapes and in the process wearing them out.

5- Widescreen letterboxed movies are encoded in such a way that they will look 50% sharper when shown on a widescreen TV.

6- Price- DVD players are much cheaper than they were 5 years back. You can get a good quality player for $200. My only advice- don't buy it from a supermarket, and do a little online research. Sometimes it's better to pay a little more to get that extra feature. I opted for the 'zoom' feature on my player and it's one of my favorites. It lets you blow-up an area of the image so you can read that small newspaper headline or highlight a visible crewperson..

  A few people have mentioned they want recordable DVD players, but TV resolution and weak broadcast signals- even in broadband, have never made it very appealing to me.  Widescreen movies would look 75% worse if DVD recorded off of TV than they would on a pre-recorded disc. Plus if you were recorded DS or another of your favorite shows on DVD, you'd be saddled with commercials, unnannounced cuts, station logos and poor transmissions.

There are recordable DVD players, they just cost a ton.

D-VHS is interesting but who wants to record off broadcast TV? The tapes are expensive and will look just as lousy as a TV broadcast. It's an interim format until H-Def DVD comes out, but that won't be for 5-10 more years.

[shadow=red,left,300]Darren--I believe that digital tv is a much higher resolution. If captured with a TiVo and put on DVD-R, the quality is great. Commercials can than be edited out if desired. Do you have the exact details on this?  [/shadow]

Just to avoid reader confusion:  digital cable is NOT HDTV- that's a completely different system.

I don't have the specs for Tivo. But broadcast Tv is supposed to be 480 lines, but that's been slipping a lot lately. Digital doesn't improve on that, it's just supposed to be a clearer signal. I've got digital broadband and I really only notice a difference on premium channels like HBO.

DVD is 500 lines or resolution, HDTV is 1080. VHS is 250 (clunk!)

The 2-inch video master tapes that DS was recorded and broadcast on had 500 lines of resolution and should look near-perfect on DVD.

You can burn your own DVDs with the DVD-R computer system, but then of course you'd have to spend the money for that in addition to the player. Also, DVD-Rs don't play on a lot of machines, including mine! (need to upgrade)

HDTV recorded on a DVD-R should look terrific.

Yeah, I'd put my money on DVD any day...  The quality improvement might not see a major leap to the unindoctrinated, but it really is something -- I've watched some discs taken from videotaped TV shows and it's just astounding the wya you get the whole ambience and clarity of the studio floor... impossible to explain in writing, so it's probably the best qualification for DVD I can manage...

I've also found that DVDs are not as expensive as pre-recorded VHS tapes (overall, of course.)  Join the right mail-order or online club, and you can find a lot of bargains.

BTW, thanks Darren, for the info on resolution.

Brian

A friend made a video for me of some of the episodes of the Judy Garland Show (from 1963) released on DVD.  Even with the transfer in format, these episodes looked fantastic. It's exciting to think that the DS episodes could look this great!

That said, I still think that 60 bucks for 4 weeks of episodes is about 30 bucks too much (and I'm talking retail here!).

It would be interesting to see sales figures a few weeks into the DVD release, but I don't expect MPI to make them available.  We'll know if the DVD series is a success if they keep issuing them.  Staying on schedule would help.

Gothick