DVD companies - the pros and the cons - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Dean Winchester · 03-08-2005, 11:47 AM

since TV-DVD's have been around almost 5 years now, we've dealt with every company enough to know patterns that we both like and dislike. What are your take with certain companies?

Sony aka Columbia TriStar
pros: relatively inexpensive DVD's
cons: unless your name is Jerry Seinfeld, it's always up in the air if you're ever going to see another set of a show, who knows if we'll ever see another Diff'rent Strokes DVD. They are so inconsistant. Never listing airdates is okay for some people, but a lot of people like them.

Fox
pros: consistancy. The way they'll put extras on any DVD except for MASH. They were probably the first company to adapt to the slimcases (Family Guy was released in April 2003, are there any titles released prior to that in slimcases?)
cons: the way they treated Mary Tyler Moore fans. Not all shows are going to net the type of sales for the company that Simpsons, Family Guy and Buffy will do for them.

Universal
pros: can't think of any
cons: overpriced DVD's, not crazy about their packaging, also they are well-hated for their refusal to clear music costs for Quantum Leap. Much like Sony, seem very inconsistant with their release schedules.

Paramount
pros: their ability to release seasons at a very fast pace
cons: their DVD's are slightly overpriced (Happy Days and Laverne And Shirley should've been about $10 less), especially how much they charge for Star Trek. They seem to avoid extras as much as they can these days, even though a lot of the shows in their catalog, a lot of people would love commentary for (Taxi? Charmed?).

HBO
pros: can't think of any
cons: grossly overpriced. The concept of doing a mega-S&TC box set after the majority of diehard fans already own every set, and on S&TC, splitting season 6 up to 2 sets so they could make double cost (luckily I got both season 6 sets for around $27 each, so together it was barely a few dollars more than the price of one set). They could certainly slash prices.

Warner
pros: they keep their prices down
cons: not too crazy about their packaging, I guess I am just a geek when it comes to slimcases and don't have too much patience for digipacks these days. Their schedules sometimes don't make sense (2-3 months between Friends sets for several cycles, and then suddenly 7 months between a set, then 4... 9 months between the first two seasons of Wonder Woman then 3 between season 2 and 3)

Buena Vista
pros: they invented "Seperate cases per DVD", which has morphed into slimcases.
cons: their DVD's are way too expensive (Golden Girls reportedly flopped on DVD because people aren't willing to spend $50 on a 20 year old sitcom), they screwed over Once And Again fans as well.

Anchor Bay
pros: they restore DVD's with true love and care, they really focus on participation. They're relatively inexpensive and unlike Sony or Fox, they release DVD's for the fans instead of "is this gonna sell like Seinfeld or The Simpsons?"
cons: the controversy over 21 Jump Street, which retained NONE of the music

vashti1999 · 03-08-2005, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffySlayer79

cons: their DVD's are way too expensive (Golden Girls reportedly flopped on DVD because people aren't willing to spend $50 on a 20 year old sitcom)

What report was that from? When it went on sale Golden Girls was advertised a number of places for under $30.

Dean Winchester · 03-08-2005, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vashti1999

What report was that from? When it went on sale Golden Girls was advertised a number of places for under $30.

my friend Alvin is usually reliable about how well or poorly something fared in sales, he told me that Buena Vista was very disapointed with the sales that The Golden Girls had. It sold well enough to merit a season 2, but it was far from the predicted numbers.

dawsongirl · 03-08-2005, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffySlayer79

Fox
pros: consistancy. The way they'll put extras on any DVD except for MASH. They were probably the first company to adapt to the slimcases (Family Guy was released in April 2003, are there any titles released prior to that in slimcases?)

Universal
pros: can't think of any
cons: overpriced DVD's, not crazy about their packaging, also they are well-hated for their refusal to clear music costs for Quantum Leap. Much like Sony, seem very inconsistant with their release schedules.

I hate the slim cases Fox uses. I can never get the DVD out without practically bending it in half. It's nice they stay in place, but sheesh.

Universal can bite me. Not releasing The Incredible Hulk in season sets sucked and blew. And who knows if Adam-12, Dragnet, or Emergency will ever see the light of day.

boechsner · 03-08-2005, 06:32 PM

Well, in my opinion, Sony and Paramount are the two best. Despite Paramount putting the episodes in airdate order, I have no gripes with either of them.

Paramount is about $10 too much, but I would gladly pay $30 per season of The Brady Bunch. So it just depends.

PZelda · 03-08-2005, 06:59 PM

I remember getting The Golden Girls S1 and Home Improvement S1 at Target on their release week- it was like $30 each.

Quote:

Paramount
pros: their ability to release seasons at a very fast pace
cons: their DVD's are slightly overpriced (Happy Days and Laverne And Shirley should've been about $10 less), especially how much they charge for Star Trek. They seem to avoid extras as much as they can these days, even though a lot of the shows in their catalog, a lot of people would love commentary for (Taxi? Charmed?).

MacGyver S1 is $30 @ Target right now. Can't beat that price for a 6-disc set.

Isn't A&E also a company? Are they associated with Universal or something?

barwars · 03-08-2005, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

Universal can bite me. Not releasing The Incredible Hulk in season sets sucked and blew. And who knows if Adam-12, Dragnet, or Emergency will ever see the light of day.

How ironic.

Season 1 of "Dragnet 1967" will be released on DVD June 7th.
Just announced today, at tvshowsondvd.com

Dean Winchester · 03-08-2005, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsongirl

I hate the slim cases Fox uses. I can never get the DVD out without practically bending it in half. It's nice they stay in place, but sheesh.

I beg to differ with you over this. I am a space-saver, slim cases are so much more convienient for me than the digipacks, especially if there's more than 4 discs to a set. I have the Alien Quadrilogy box set and the thing folds out so far because of 9 discs, I would've much preferred slimcases. Plus, slimcases are easier on the shelf in case you're anal and you organize your DVD's alphabetically like I do (I have everything out of the cardboard cases tho, if you buy something that knocks something down to the next row, slimcases are much easier to deal with than if you have a mega-box set and then a lot of useless space on the side because you can't fit it all.

Plus, I stopped using a folder, so this way is easier for me. It's easier to grab a few slimcases if I wanna watch a few things than to take downstairs bulky digipack box sets

Plus, as a reviewer, Fox is CHEAP when it comes to sending booklets along, but yet the slimcases have everything you need because each disc is customed, whereas Simpsons season 5 didn't have the booklet.

barwars · 03-08-2005, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffySlayer79

Plus, as a reviewer, Fox is CHEAP when it comes to sending booklets along, but yet the slimcases have everything you need because each disc is customed, whereas Simpsons season 5 didn't have the booklet.

Mine did.

PZelda · 03-08-2005, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffySlayer79

I beg to differ with you over this. I am a space-saver, slim cases are so much more convienient for me than the digipacks, especially if there's more than 4 discs to a set. I have the Alien Quadrilogy box set and the thing folds out so far because of 9 discs, I would've much preferred slimcases. Plus, slimcases are easier on the shelf in case you're anal and you organize your DVD's alphabetically like I do (I have everything out of the cardboard cases tho, if you buy something that knocks something down to the next row, slimcases are much easier to deal with than if you have a mega-box set and then a lot of useless space on the side because you can't fit it all.

Plus, I stopped using a folder, so this way is easier for me. It's easier to grab a few slimcases if I wanna watch a few things than to take downstairs bulky digipack box sets

Plus, as a reviewer, Fox is CHEAP when it comes to sending booklets along, but yet the slimcases have everything you need because each disc is customed, whereas Simpsons season 5 didn't have the booklet.

I have a DVD tower, and I alphabetize my DVD's too...I start with the A's on the bottom. A couple of months ago, I ran out of space...I am seriously considering getting slim jewel cases for my DVD's. I need to downsize in the worst way. For now, I have an universal media shelf (the kind that holds CD's/DVD's/VHS) and I've been having to move my VHS tapes to make room...but even so I am cramped there because I have tons of VHS tapes.

barwars · 03-08-2005, 08:30 PM

I really should alphabetize my sets. But then, I'm sort of OCD in that I have to have spinoffs next to the show they came from.... and series with the same actors are next to each other. It's an odd method, but it seems to work.

vashti1999 · 03-08-2005, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barwars

I really should alphabetize my sets. But then, I'm sort of OCD in that I have to have spinoffs next to the show they came from.... and series with the same actors are next to each other. It's an odd method, but it seems to work.

You're kidding.

I never heard of anyone organizing their collection that way. Yes, you really should alphabetize your sets.

On the topic of organizing, I have all my genres of dvds separated. My movie dvds (around 200) are arranged alphabetically in a bookcase. The tv-dvds are in the bigger storage rack. I've got my music video/concert dvds in their own section. Like PZelda, I've run out of space and considered downsizing, but the better solution for me is to buy a larger media storage shelf system. I plan on getting a super huge one so I can have all my dvds and cds together in one place.

On the topic of the thread, there are pros and cons to every company. I'm just glad that the dvd format has been the catalyst of so many shows being released. We may long for better packaging, lower prices and more bonus features, but I'm content with the fact that my favorite shows are being released at all.

dawsongirl · 03-09-2005, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barwars

How ironic.

Season 1 of "Dragnet 1967" will be released on DVD June 7th.
Just announced today, at tvshowsondvd.com

Well I stand corrected. What excellent news! Between this and Quincy, this has been a great DVD day.

dawsongirl · 03-09-2005, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffySlayer79

I beg to differ with you over this. I am a space-saver, slim cases are so much more convienient for me than the digipacks, especially if there's more than 4 discs to a set. I have the Alien Quadrilogy box set and the thing folds out so far because of 9 discs, I would've much preferred slimcases. Plus, slimcases are easier on the shelf in case you're anal and you organize your DVD's alphabetically like I do (I have everything out of the cardboard cases tho, if you buy something that knocks something down to the next row, slimcases are much easier to deal with than if you have a mega-box set and then a lot of useless space on the side because you can't fit it all.

Plus, I stopped using a folder, so this way is easier for me. It's easier to grab a few slimcases if I wanna watch a few things than to take downstairs bulky digipack box sets

Oh, I like the cases, don't get me wrong. I just always have trouble getting the disc out.

Dr. Jazz · 03-09-2005, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vashti1999

On the topic of the thread, there are pros and cons to every company. I'm just glad that the dvd format has been the catalyst of so many shows being released. We may long for better packaging, lower prices and more bonus features, but I'm content with the fact that my favorite shows are being released at all.

That's how I see it. You summed it up perfectly Vash.

03-08-2005, 11:47 AM	#1
Dean Winchester Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Sep 28, 2003 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 14,803	DVD companies - the pros and the cons since TV-DVD's have been around almost 5 years now, we've dealt with every company enough to know patterns that we both like and dislike. What are your take with certain companies? Sony aka Columbia TriStar pros: relatively inexpensive DVD's cons: unless your name is Jerry Seinfeld, it's always up in the air if you're ever going to see another set of a show, who knows if we'll ever see another Diff'rent Strokes DVD. They are so inconsistant. Never listing airdates is okay for some people, but a lot of people like them. Fox pros: consistancy. The way they'll put extras on any DVD except for MASH. They were probably the first company to adapt to the slimcases (Family Guy was released in April 2003, are there any titles released prior to that in slimcases?) cons: the way they treated Mary Tyler Moore fans. Not all shows are going to net the type of sales for the company that Simpsons, Family Guy and Buffy will do for them. Universal pros: can't think of any cons: overpriced DVD's, not crazy about their packaging, also they are well-hated for their refusal to clear music costs for Quantum Leap. Much like Sony, seem very inconsistant with their release schedules. Paramount pros: their ability to release seasons at a very fast pace cons: their DVD's are slightly overpriced (Happy Days and Laverne And Shirley should've been about $10 less), especially how much they charge for Star Trek. They seem to avoid extras as much as they can these days, even though a lot of the shows in their catalog, a lot of people would love commentary for (Taxi? Charmed?). HBO pros: can't think of any cons: grossly overpriced. The concept of doing a mega-S&TC box set after the majority of diehard fans already own every set, and on S&TC, splitting season 6 up to 2 sets so they could make double cost (luckily I got both season 6 sets for around $27 each, so together it was barely a few dollars more than the price of one set). They could certainly slash prices. Warner pros: they keep their prices down cons: not too crazy about their packaging, I guess I am just a geek when it comes to slimcases and don't have too much patience for digipacks these days. Their schedules sometimes don't make sense (2-3 months between Friends sets for several cycles, and then suddenly 7 months between a set, then 4... 9 months between the first two seasons of Wonder Woman then 3 between season 2 and 3) Buena Vista pros: they invented "Seperate cases per DVD", which has morphed into slimcases. cons: their DVD's are way too expensive (Golden Girls reportedly flopped on DVD because people aren't willing to spend $50 on a 20 year old sitcom), they screwed over Once And Again fans as well. Anchor Bay pros: they restore DVD's with true love and care, they really focus on participation. They're relatively inexpensive and unlike Sony or Fox, they release DVD's for the fans instead of "is this gonna sell like Seinfeld or The Simpsons?" cons: the controversy over 21 Jump Street, which retained NONE of the music

03-08-2005, 06:32 PM	#5
boechsner Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI Posts: 2,212	Well, in my opinion, Sony and Paramount are the two best. Despite Paramount putting the episodes in airdate order, I have no gripes with either of them. Paramount is about $10 too much, but I would gladly pay $30 per season of The Brady Bunch. So it just depends.

03-08-2005, 08:30 PM	#11
barwars .. Forum Star Join Date: May 04, 2002 Posts: 13,273	I really should alphabetize my sets. But then, I'm sort of OCD in that I have to have spinoffs next to the show they came from.... and series with the same actors are next to each other. It's an odd method, but it seems to work.