The Official Network Thread

[OceanBlue]

Decided to get recently (via HMV's website):

[Show spoiler]

[albabe]

Thanx for the help, folks. We just watched the first Supercar episode, and it was pretty cool. Better than I remember. I thought the second season was in color... bummed that it's not. Guess I'll get Fireball after this.

Thanx again<

[TheHistorian]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Obviously things you actually purchase on the likes of Prime Video or iTunes, is yours to keep, even if that content is removed

No, not necessarily. If Amazon loses the rights, you may not have access.

[trobrianders]

Edit: I'll give this question one more go before it disappears for good.

By the way. Grab it while you can.

Made In Britain (Alan Clark, 1982) - YouTube

Anyone know if Alan Clarke's Made in Britain is available on blu-ray outside of the OOP Network Leland set Tales out of School which can't be had for less than £70? I've grabbed the recently uploaded 1080 blu-ray rip off youtube but I'd like a physical media copy.

I'm on record as disliking Tim Roth but his fanatic Trevor is legend and part of the fabric of my teenage years.

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by TheHistorian

No, not necessarily. If Amazon loses the rights, you may not have access.

You're right:

i. Availability of Purchased Digital Content. Purchased Digital Content will generally continue to be available to you for download or streaming from the Service, as applicable, but may become unavailable due to potential content provider licensing restrictions or for other reasons, and Amazon will not be liable to you if Purchased Digital Content becomes unavailable for further download or streaming.

Hoping this is more of a back-covering exercise than something which will definitely happen 100% of the time. Guess it depends on the licensing agreements made and what (if any) restrictions were imposed. Checked my orders and I think the oldest thing I bought on Prime Video is about 5 years old. Still available. For now at least.....!

[chip75]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Hoping this is more of a back-covering exercise than something which will definitely happen 100% of the time. Guess it depends on the licensing agreements made and what (if any) restrictions were imposed. Checked my orders and I think the oldest thing I bought on Prime Video is about 5 years old. Still available. For now at least.....!

Thankfully, there's access to Apps, but I'd love to be able to transfer everything to one provider or another. I don't buy a lot of digital content (and I must have hundreds of digital codes that are in unopened cases), but if I could flick a switch and put it in iTunes I'd be happier.

Like you said it's rare that you lose something, it's more often to get edited or updated if the service doesn't offer downloads.

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by chip75

Thankfully, there's access to Apps, but I'd love to be able to transfer everything to one provider or another. I don't buy a lot of digital content (and I must have hundreds of digital codes that are in unopened cases), but if I could flick a switch and put it in iTunes I'd be happier.

Like you said it's rare that you lose something, it's more often to get edited or updated if the service doesn't offer downloads.

Relatively speaking I don't purchase a whole lot myself. Primarily, where it's not available on blu, or it is but costs a fortune to get a hold of (either because it's OOP, or because it's going to cost considerably more to import).

A lot of stuff I've purchased eventually sees a blu release anyway so I'm not overly bothered about that. The rest, guess I'd better back up while I can....!

[DaniRyder23]

Originally Posted by Lea74

I noticed many of the content that Network released is available on ITVX to stream for free here in the UK.
I see they had Space 1999 (Series 1,2) UFO, The Persuaders, The Saint (colour episodes), The Professionals, The Protectors, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Terrahawks etc.
Many classic British films also available that Network were putting out.
Lots of stuff and in HD and all for free.
I presume there is even more Network titles available to paying subscribers (and AD free) and I guess that more and more stuff that Network had will eventually become available on ITVX in due course.

Obviously we all like collecting our physical media here, but it is a sign of the times and oneday I think it will be the only way of seeing these beloved classics.

ITVX has a great catalogue, but it's hit and miss with the transfers - I'm really glad I pickedup the BDs of Randall and Hopkirk and The Professionals, for example. Plus they didn't have the B&W episodes of The Saint so I grabbed those, and then ended up getting the colour series too even though they are on ITVX...cause I didn't want to own just one half of the set...

UFO and The Prisoner look good, Space 1999 I think are he HD transfers - but the BD set is worth it for the extras in that example.

Department S isn't on there though, which seems odd, but for what it costs it's got a decent range of things to watch...they're just not the best versions in all cases

Originally Posted by exidor

Unfortunately, we're then in the hands of the streamers and their advertisers as to exactly what we're allowed to see. ITVX is streaming Man About The House too but had to give up after a couple of episodes and get the DVD set. The second one I watched had clearly been cut to ribbons and there's two entire episodes missing from the first season.

I noticed that Some Enchanted Evening was missing from Series 1, what was the other one? I didn't notice any cuts in the second episode but maybe I should go back and watch those on the DVD I just bought? Robin's Nest isn't on ITVX either (although I believe that George and Mildred is), nor is the MATH film IIRC.

Originally Posted by DavidRoylance

May I check in? Are the colour Saints or The Protectors in HD on ITVx too?

They're not in HD but they are the best available versions, for what that's worth...I compared the DVD set to the ITVX ones when I got it and (unfortunately) they're not any better. Seems to be better in the earlier episodes though

Originally Posted by Martyghost

I haven't used ITVX but you can bet your bottom dollar that they aren't. If they are listed as HD, they will just be upscales. Apart from Thunderbirds and possibly Space:1999 & The Prisoner (all done 10+ years ago), ITV haven't upgraded any other ITC shows to HD. That is just one of the great losses of Network going under - who is going to remaster these series now?

Yeah it's the same issue with the Network DVDs of those shows (The Saint and Danger Man) - they're the best you're gonna get until/unless someone else remasters them...but they're not great, even if they are "digitally remastered" according to the case. Actually kinda really stung spending so much on SD transfers on old DVDs but I decided at the end of the day - I'd rather have them in SD 5-10 years from now than not at all..

Originally Posted by thebrid

The Professionals looks like a blurry mess on ITVx. Garbage upscale and cropped to 16:9 to boot. The Network blu ray is done right - scanned in HD from film and not cropped.

The Professionals BDs set me back a bit but was totally worth it. It's horrible to think there are people who will be watching it on ITVX with no idea that there exists such a gorgeous restored version on - what will very likely be - an OOP/HTF BD set in the future. These should be the definitive versions, not just something that'll fade into obscurity as years go by...at least Disney+ generally put the best versions of the films available on the service. Amazon Prime do this (for the most part) as well.

Originally Posted by cutback73

I have 3 episodes left on my viewing which started around Easter.
The remaster that was done is lovely, crisp bright colours, clear sound. The very occasional night shots that were actually done at night now look great (e.g. the episode with George Sewell as the escaped convict). Mike Pratt's hair colour is slightly lighter, brownish tints not completely black as it always looked before. And his weather beaten face was made for HD! Plus the clear footage makes his brown leather jacket look much more like something you'd want to show off (it always seemed tatty to me in the old prints, but it's not like that at all really).
Annette Andre has freckles that I've never seen before.
And Kenneth Cope's wig being the wrong way round for the first few episodes is more obvious now too

If only they had included the extras (but I have the DVD set for those).

Randall and Hopkirk was the tough one. Go for the BDs with the HD image, or the DVDs with the bonus features - where the ITVX versions have neither. The DVD costing as much as the BDs meant that buying both wasn't an option, I'm just hoping that maybe one day I can find a secondhand DVD set on eBay or CeX for a decent price once the buzz dies down a little bit...

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Relatively speaking I don't purchase a whole lot myself. Primarily, where it's not available on blu, or it is but costs a fortune to get a hold of (either because it's OOP, or because it's going to cost considerably more to import).

A lot of stuff I've purchased eventually sees a blu release anyway so I'm not overly bothered about that. The rest, guess I'd better back up while I can....!

I did this with New Jack City on iTunes, as HMV said that their Premium Collection version was "discontinued". 2 days after buying it on iTunes the BD showed up on HMV again so I nabbed it for the bonus features, then it went to "sold out" the following day and now does appear to be truly discontinued...meanwhile I've ended up with both a digital and physical copy but both were on sale at the time so no biggy (think I paid just over a tenner for both)

[Modman]

I will pick up the remaining TV movie spin offs on Blu-ray I don't have i.e. Bless This House and Father Dear Father. They are a good half-way house for me, they give me a flavour of the show. I neither have the time or honestly the inclination to work my way through multiple series of shows, its possible I might make a few exceptions and pick up the DVD sets.

[exidor]

Originally Posted by DaniRyder23

I noticed that Some Enchanted Evening was missing from Series 1, what was the other one? I didn't notice any cuts in the second episode but maybe I should go back and watch those on the DVD I just bought? Robin's Nest isn't on ITVX either (although I believe that George and Mildred is), nor is the MATH film IIRC.

I think And Then There Were Two was the other missing one back when I was trying it out but I see it's there now. I haven't double checked with the DVD but episode 2 sets up Robin's nudie lamp and shows Chrissy's mum looking at it without ever paying it off with a punchline, and I'm pretty sure they've cut some lines about the mum being worried about Chrissy dating a black man.

[GreatUncleBaal]

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Hoping this is more of a back-covering exercise than something which will definitely happen 100% of the time. Guess it depends on the licensing agreements made and what (if any) restrictions were imposed. Checked my orders and I think the oldest thing I bought on Prime Video is about 5 years old. Still available. For now at least.....!

Sadly it's not,
I bought quite a few things on amazon a few years back, some has gone completely (Dawn of the dead, Josie & the Pussycats film, few others) and some has gone and returned (Babylon 5)

Also it's the same with music.

I only touch anything digital now if it's the only way to get it, AND it's dirt cheap.

[Rayjg]

Darn, tried ordering Man in a Suitcase Complete set twice and both were cancelled earlier this month. I knew about the first but just found out about the second. Now it's nowhere to be found

[GreatUncleBaal]

Balls, gave in and ordered The Sweeney DVD boxset before it potentially went OOP,
it arrived just now and it has no subtitles (I'm partially deaf).

Really should have checked, but never had them missing with any other Network releases.

[The Hornets]

Originally Posted by GreatUncleBaal

Balls, gave in and ordered The Sweeney DVD boxset before it potentially went OOP,
it arrived just now and it has no subtitles (I'm partially deaf).

Really should have checked, but never had them missing with any other Network releases.

You obviously don’t have many Network titles as on their TV boxsets the vast majority don’t have subtitles, having them is the exception. Only time you can guarantee is if it’s a BBC title as they mandate them. Has been discussed in this thread many times over the years and cost is the reason as many hours to subtitle on a TV show.

With their film releases many are subtitled as it’s then only around 2 hours of content.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Rayjg

Darn, tried ordering Man in a Suitcase Complete set twice and both were cancelled earlier this month. I knew about the first but just found out about the second. Now it's nowhere to be found

I'm still waiting for Volume 4, of the individual releases, to arrive to complete my Man in a Suitcase BD collection. I ordered from Amazon on the 1st of the month & it was supposed to arrive between the 10th & the 16th but I STILL haven't received it. All my order says is the following & I'm not sure what to do.

On the way, but running late

We’re very sorry your delivery is late. We apologise for the inconvenience.

[GreatUncleBaal]

Originally Posted by The Hornets

You obviously don’t have many Network titles as on their TV boxsets the vast majority don’t have subtitles, having them is the exception. Only time you can guarantee is if it’s a BBC title as they mandate them. Has been discussed in this thread many times over the years and cost is the reason as many hours to subtitle on a TV show.

With their film releases many are subtitled as it’s then only around 2 hours of content.

Most of them were later box sets or blu rays, only recently on here so never come across subtitled discussion,
my partial deafness is also recent, so not that long ago it wasn't an issue to me and I wouldn't have payed attention.

[Modman]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

I'm still waiting for Volume 4, of the individual releases, to arrive to complete my Man in a Suitcase BD collection. I ordered from Amazon on the 1st of the month & it was supposed to arrive between the 10th & the 16th but I STILL haven't received it. All my order says is the following & I'm not sure what to do.

Strange, Amazon have one in stock at £10.99 with delivery by the 1st July. Personally, I would contact them and ask what's going on.

Still seems to be stock on eBay at reasonable prices.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Modman

Strange, Amazon have one in stock at £10.99 with delivery by the 1st July. Personally, I would contact them and ask what's going on.

Still seems to be stock on eBay at reasonable prices.

I did buy it form uniqueplace-uk on Amazon & apart from what i said previously it also gave me this:

Contact Schweizer Post

& when I clicked on problem with order I got this:

Due to the Royal Mail strike, your recent orders may be delayed.

The rest of the order (other parts from different sellers) arrived in good time & having just clicked on Package not arrived option in the "Problem with order" bit I got this:

You are not eligible to request a refund
Most packages that are late show up shortly after the estimated delivery date. Please contact the seller and give them up to 48 hours to resolve the issue before returning to this page.

Should I just wait till Monday before contacting the seller?

[Modman]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

I did buy it form uniqueplace-uk on Amazon & apart from what i said previously it also gave me this:



& when I clicked on problem with order I got this:



The rest of the order (other parts from different sellers) arrived in good time & having just clicked on Package not arrived option in the "Problem with order" bit I got this:



Should I just wait till Monday before contacting the seller?

Why wait till Monday its already nearly 2 weeks late, contact the seller now and give them to Monday to respond, get no joy back to Amazon.

I would speak to someone at Amazon, they have reps online.

[The Hornets]

Think they are based in Switzerland and I’ve had grief with them in the past on a Marketplace order. If the delivery is now overdue I would definitely put in a claim for non delivery and refund. Look to buy from a U.K. based seller.