The Official Network Thread

[dumdumbullet]

Originally Posted by mwnn

Find it a bit strange that Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) has made the changeover in front of bigger shows like The Saint.

Randall and Hopkirk is by far the biggest and most popular of the ITC shows and always has been since the repeats of ITC started in the 80's which is why it was the first to get a repeat on BBC2 after the Anderson series.

The Saint may have been bigger in its day but the more interesting B&W episodes haven't been seen on British tv for about 25 years and then it was only on Bravo.
40+ years if we're talking regular tv.
So all that leaves are the dull in comparison colour episodes that ITV4 have run a dozen times in the last decade. Unfortunately by the time the colour episodes were made they had run out of Charteris stories so most were written by the usual ITC writers and so most became interchangeable with the other action man hours. The show lived on the presence of Roger Moore but even he couldn't help some of the weaker stories.

Second to R&H is The Champions which is well over due a Bluray release. Tim Beddows of Network did hint last year that Danger Man was on the cards but he was quite vague and I got the impression that it wasn't the usual process like we've seen with other ITC shows where Network do everything and release them monthly. Like The Saint I think Danger Man might be too large an undertaking for that but I'm sure Danger Man will appear on Blu at some point

[dumdumbullet]

Originally Posted by RossyG

Rumour has it, Danger Man (one-hour series) will be the next ITC action series released by Network. It's been a while since Man in a Suitcase released its last volume, so hopefully it'll be announced soon.

I'd love The Saint but at 118 episodes it's four times the length of most other ITC shows, so I can understand why they've avoided it.

Maybe they could release the film versions of The Fiction Makers and Vendetta For the Saint as tasters.

Those movies are actually the original versions of those stories with the 2 part tv versions created later and with TFM at least one scene was removed for the 2 parter. The opposite way round to how they did with some of the other shows.
Unfortunately as the 2 parters were not the original versions they've not been preserved as well as the features. If you look at the 2 part versions included as bonuses on the Network dvd sets they're in very poor condition.

[dumdumbullet]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

I'm hoping The Secret Service gets the same treatment which Captain Scarlet and Joe 90 got (for a deluxe edition of the last volume of The Secret Service, have it designed like a book). Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense I'd also very much like to see Network release on Blu-ray.

Not sure about The Secret Service. It's quite poor compared to the 2 other shows and while Unwinese is usually given as the reason why Grade scrapped it there are other elements which make it lacklustre in comparison.
I would say more likely to be a single set sold in the usual way.

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense is owned by Fox so a Network release is unlikely. If you look at the UK dvd sets and even the fairly recent German dvd's you can see they've both been forced to use the same Brent Walker Video Masters used for the 80's VHS releases. If that's the best they have it's not a good sign Fox are interested in doing anything with it

[bellyup]

Be wary of the new Network Avengers disc featuring the Cybernauts trilogy.
The booklet states the audio on the 60's episodes have been filtered to improve quality.
If that rates as improving quality it will certainly be easy on my wallet should Network go ahead with new restorations for the 60's series. The sound is muffled and not very good. After there were complaints about TNA audio on a Youtue comparison they came up with some technical reasons why improving the sound may make it sound worse to some ears.
However, the audio on TNA actually sounds great but the 2 episodes from the 60's are dreadful. I hope whoever was in charge of the audio on those isn't let loose with any of the Anderson or ITC restorations. There's been no issues with any of those up to now so I can't understand why this problem should start here.
The audio on the SC boxsets is far from perfect and varies between and often within episodes but it sure as hell beats the rubbish we have here.
Needless to say the picture quality on all 3 is excellent

[chip75]

That sounds a bit worrying.

[RichL]

I've only got Series 5 to hand at the moment so have only been able to do a quick comparison of the two versions of Return of the Cybernauts. The audio does sound different on the new version and I agree that it does possibly sound a tad muffled when compared to the original.

However, in isolation I don't know if it's necessarily "bad" sounding and it's certainly very watchable on my TV (everything's more obvious when listening on headphones at my PC). If I had to pick one or the other then I'd probably go for the original but at this moment in time I don't know if it's a little bit like when they do audio tests on Joe Public playing two tracks side by side and nearly everyone perceives the louder version to sound "better". Actually, a better example in this case might be playing a tape with Dolby B noise reduction off and then switching it on part way through. It can sound muffly in comparison but if you'd played the tape with it on from the start then.... well, hopefully you know what I'm rambling on about.

The New Avengers clip mentioned above probably gives you a fairly good idea of the difference. To be honest, somewhere in the middle of the two might be "best":

"The Avengers: The Cybernauts Trilogy" - Pre-Order now - YouTube

Still, the image quality is certainly a real improvement and the old ads they included are interesting to watch as well. Some famouses make an appearance in a few of them too

[bellyup]

Yes this audio issue is a difficult one. Side by side comparisons between old and new versions make the original one sound better as it sounds like there's more treble and that the audio overall is clearer.
Network reckon by messing about with the original audio they can bring the sound to modern standards which highlights different frequency sounds to the original and makes it sound different.
It could be because its the way its sounded for 50 years but playing the new 60's episodes still sounds bad with dialogue not very clear at all at normal volume.
The YT comparison on TNA didn't do it any favours at all but certainly in isolation the dialogue, the titles and the general music on TNA all sound good to me on the actual disc.
This is one of the risks with the need for people to piss about with older material to try and make it better.
If Network release the 60's shows on Bluray they most definitely won't be day one for me. They were shot on 35mm film so 60's audio should be fine. Unless its damaged there is no need to "improve" it. It is what it is so leave it alone and take this disc as a lesson learnt on how to actually make a Studio Canal release look like the superior one.

The annoying thing is that the audio on the commercials you can view within the episodes if you want is as crisp and clear as it should be. At least Network got rid of that annoying flash near the end of the opening titles of the colour Rigg that SC managed to screw up by "restoring" just one set of opening titles then attaching the mess to every episode

[OceanBlue]

Has anyone got Network's Blu-ray release of Assault? Haven't seen any reviews of it, and wanted to see comments and observations about the transfer etc., before deciding whether to get it (haven't seen any sign yet of a release in the States).

[Dickieduvet]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

Has anyone got Network's Blu-ray release of Assault? Haven't seen any reviews of it, and wanted to see comments and observations about the transfer etc., before deciding whether to get it (haven't seen any sign yet of a release in the States).

It's a great release, excellent PQ. I recommend it

[CouncilSpectre]

Have to say, bravo Network, bravo. The upcoming raft of classic titles is ridiculously good!

[Lea74]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

Has anyone got Network's Blu-ray release of Assault? Haven't seen any reviews of it, and wanted to see comments and observations about the transfer etc., before deciding whether to get it (haven't seen any sign yet of a release in the States).

I also recommend this title, there are many good reviews on amazon for it.
Suzy Kendall is in it so it is worth buying just for that reason lol.
Features a pretty good cast, including Frank Finlay, Lesley-Anne Down, Freddie Jones and Anthony Ainley who played the Master from 80s Doctor Who.

It was a blind buy for me too but glad I bought it, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The only thing about the film I didn't like was the annoying music by Carry On films composer Eric Rogers but apart from that it's a very good 70s British crime thriller.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Dickieduvet

It's a great release, excellent PQ. I recommend it

Originally Posted by Lea74

I also recommend this title, there are many good reviews on amazon for it.
Suzy Kendall is in it so it is worth buying just for that reason lol.
Features a pretty good cast, including Frank Finlay, Lesley-Anne Down, Freddie Jones and Anthony Ainley who played the Master from 80s Doctor Who.

It was a blind buy for me too but glad I bought it, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The only thing about the film I didn't like was the annoying music by Carry On films composer Eric Rogers but apart from that it's a very good 70s British crime thriller.

Thanks both for recommending this Network title. Initially I was definitely going to get it, but then I wondered if this release could be bettered, as what if a release in the States happens and has interviews included?

The last Network title I decided to get was the limited edition final Man in a Suitcase volume. Having a senior moment with how all the volumes fit in the boxset.

[Gorgon]

Received an email today from Network;

- Oh Rosalinda - 11.50 quid
- Angel With A Trumpet - 11.50 quid.

The latter, just ordered. Awesome film.
Considering "Oh, Rosalinda". It seems like a bit of a nock-off of "An American In Paris" which is on my fave list.
Any Good?
It's P&P, so I suspect a resounding yes....

[obri95]

Hey all. Are there any current discount codes for Network? Or any sales coming up at this time of year? Looking to get a few titles but shipping kills it for me. AUD$70+ for four volumes of a series.

[Aclea]

A genuinely great announcement:



https://networkonair.com/all-product...anger-blu-ray-

Green for Danger

Murder!
Weapon or clue?

Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder were one of the most prolific filmmaking partnerships in British cinema history, with a 40-year run of films filled with classics.

Green for Danger was a key release in the oeuvre of Gilliat and Launder, and, for that reason, we’re pleased to introduce you to this wryly humorous thriller in the form of this brand-new, HD transfer.

Sim doesn't enter the film until the second half but he's at the absolute top of his game here (his last line is a gem), there's a great red herring that's so memorable you tend to forget who actually dunnit even if you've seen it before and there's a neat use of black andwhite to hide a clue that might have been more obvious in colour.

[nitin]

Yep, terrific film. Hope it’s a good transfer.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Aclea

A genuinely great announcement:



https://networkonair.com/all-product...anger-blu-ray-



Sim doesn't enter the film until the second half but he's at the absolute top of his game here (his last line is a gem), there's a great red herring that's so memorable you tend to forget who actually dunnit even if you've seen it before and there's a neat use of black andwhite to hide a clue that might have been more obvious in colour.

Fantastic ! Now I can dispense with my DVD of this and upgrade to Blu

[CouncilSpectre]

Loving the stuff Network are putting out. Another one to add to the ‘pick up’ list

[Dallasnorthforty]

Love that film, great stuff from Network.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by Aclea

A genuinely great announcement:



https://networkonair.com/all-product...anger-blu-ray-

It would be nice if they could achieve what they did with Black Narcissus and duplicate the Criterion commentary, but is this the first time this has been available in HD? ITV posted the film to YouTube in ‘1080p’ but it’s clearly an upscale of a poor master.