Buck Rogers In The 25th Century - REGION FREE

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by WilsonBros

You are clearly unfamiliar with Crichton, the C3PO rip-off to Twiki from season 2. It specialised in being indignant to anything its jive-talking counterpart said - mainly because it was so badly built that all they could get it to do was raise its hands to its hips.

Couple it with a doddery Wilfred Hyde-White wandering around in both a cardigan and a daze as he looks for a Werthers' Original and it's all just bloody awful.

Attachment 142934

When I was younger I used to like Crichton, probably just because he was a robot and I loved robots. But when I watched the series on DVD many years ago I realized how awful he was. And yeah, Wilfred Hyde-White was a poor substitute for Tim O'Connor's Dr. Huer in the first series. Also, they did something unspeakable to Twiki's voice in year 2 for a couple episodes of year 2. Thankfully it didn't last long.

I do enjoy both seasons though. Like Space:1999, both seasons are quite different from each other, and though I dislike the Searcher format in season 2, there are still some great episodes (The Guardians and Mark of the Saurian to name a couple). The worst is without doubt Shgoratchx!, which is both unpronounceable and unwatchable.

Overall though it's a fun, colorful show. My girlfriend never saw this show before I introduced it to her and she really enjoys it. She says it's fun and enjoys the colorful costumes and sets. My favorite has got to be Space Vampire. It still creeps me out to this day.

[Bobbyjoe766]

No documentaries or deleted scenes/outtakes? BATTLESTAR GALACTICA got a whole heap of bonus material for it's Blu-ray release.Didn't Larson keep any cut material from this series too?I realise this doesn't have the same following as that show but more effort could have been put into this release.

[mar3o]

Yeah, just like the US DVDs, there seem to be no docs or deleted scenes. I find it hard to believe that this series has no behind-the-scenes footage or deleted scenes, unless they trashed them all, which is hard to believe. Why would they keep all the footage from Galactica but not Buck Rogers? Is it that Universal just doesn't value this series as much?

I want to see this set sell well so other regions hopefully get a release, and I do have my pre-order in from the US. I was starting to think we would never see this on blu-ray, so I'm grabbing it while I can. But it is disappointing to see a limited edition set not even include the theatrical film in HD or at least some behind-the-scenes material. The Lost in Space set that was released last year looks phenomenal and is packed with lots of great extras and over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes effects footage and alternate takes. I'd hate to see fans back away from this set due to lack of extras, but I think this set deserves a bit better for a limited edition release.

The box appears to be pretty big. There's 8 discs so I'm wondering what else is in there. Maybe there's more than they're letting on?

[Bobbyjoe766]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Yeah, just like the US DVDs, there seem to be no docs or deleted scenes. I find it hard to believe that this series has no behind-the-scenes footage or deleted scenes, unless they trashed them all, which is hard to believe. Why would they keep all the footage from Galactica but not Buck Rogers? Is it that Universal just doesn't value this series as much?

I want to see this set sell well so other regions hopefully get a release, and I do have my pre-order in from the US. I was starting to think we would never see this on blu-ray, so I'm grabbing it while I can. But it is disappointing to see a limited edition set not even include the theatrical film in HD or at least some behind-the-scenes material. The Lost in Space set that was released last year looks phenomenal and is packed with lots of great extras and over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes effects footage and alternate takes. I'd hate to see fans back away from this set due to lack of extras, but I think this set deserves a bit better for a limited edition release.

The box appears to be pretty big. There's 8 discs so I'm wondering what else is in there. Maybe there's more than they're letting on?

This is a UNIVERSAL release so don't expect too much effort put into this.Just look at the recent JAWS 2 Blu-ray;same supplements as the DVD from the early 2000's,nothing new added and a static menu screen really says it all.Well i still have my TV recordings of the entire series with the original two-part episode reprises.Between that and the original DVD releases of both seasons,i can ignore this release.

I wish they waited for the 40th anniversary instead and loaded this thing with real supplements instead of this piss-poor effort.

[mar3o]

Yeah, I'm grabbing it hoping that at least it's an upgrade to the DVDs. It should be. But it deserves much better. I don't think it would get any better treatment in any other region, but then you never know. Maybe like Galactica the movie will get a separate HD release?

Then again, remastered has me wondering - the widescreen "remastered" Galactica episodes on the US set looked worse then the older 4:3 versions included in the ultimate box set. By remastering they meant "weird colors, cropping, and DNR". So I'm wondering what this will look like. It's in 4:3 which is promising. And it says they are remastered, but are these the same masters that were used ages ago for the DVDs? Lots of questions and we know very little, with the set just weeks away.

This is a bright, colorful series. I'm hoping they didn't hit it with DNR or mess with the color timing.

[mar3o]

Somebody on another forum contacted Madman about the SD theatrical version, and received a reply from the company. i will post that reply here so others understand the situation:

[Show spoiler]Madman can only work with what elements are available from the studio. Having confirmed and reconfirmed, the Theatrical Version of the pilot was not transferred to HD as per the rest of the series and is only available from Universal in SD. Trust me, if it was there and made available there is no reason we wouldn't include it. This likely explains why the planned stand-alone Italian Blu Ray release was shelved as when sourcing from Universal, the elements were not available. Madman's Blu Ray set will feature the TV Feature-length version [of "Awakening"] which has additional scenes. Having watched the 2 part syndicated version of Awakening side by side with the Feature-length TV version, apart from the TO BE CONTINUED caption and Opening re-cap on Part 2, the only difference in the 2 part version is 1 extra shot from Buck's space ship.

Flight of the War Witch Feature-length episode is also only available in SD from Universal as they only transferred the 2 part version to HD for TV syndication. We were hoping to try and re-cut together the Feature version from the 2 part HD elements, but there are additional scenes and differences between them so it could not be done. Again, if it was available it would be included.

Journey To Oasis is available in both the Feature-length and 2 part syndicated versions. Madman will include both versions on the set as the 2 part version has some scenes presented in a different order.

Madman has tried very hard to present the best set possible, but can only work with what elements are available, so has carefully ensured alternative versions and scenes are included in whatever version there is rather than leave off completely. The blunt fact is the cost to master the Theatrical Version and Flight of the War Witch Feature-version in HD is beyond viable for expected sales, and whilst we'd all love to be able to have the perfect release, reality and business sense sometimes prevents this despite best intentions. It is mandatory for work to go through Universal's own labs and the cost is tens of thousands per episode. A distributor can't swallow those costs when the only way to recoup the expense is from retail sales. Universal can sell the title to TV stations to make that cost back, but for whatever reason when the series was transfered in HD, someone chose to exclude alternative versions, likely based on broadcaster needs and preferences. One has to accept that it's a title Universal were happy to license out to third parties for Blu Ray rather than release themselves - from that it's not hard to draw conclusions as to why.

Happily, every story will be presented in HD as originally broadcast on Television - apart from Flight of the War Witch for reasons stated above.

I hope this provides clear information as to what elements are available and Madman's intentions to release the best most complete set possible.

A promo trailer will be up on You Tube soon and the Blu Ray set will include a double-sided "retro" poster of Buck and Wilma, for some nostalgic fun. The complete series set will be a Limited Edition run.

So as expected, this is simply a matter of Universal not supplying the HD theatrical version to Madman. It was speculated in the other forum that perhaps the original elements for the theatrical film was damaged or destroyed in the Universal fire years ago. That would explain why they only provided the film in SD to madman. Of course that is just speculation. Regarding the highlighted part above, does anybody know if the TV Feature-length version they're including will contain the James Bond-style opening credits, or is it the standard-style TV opening?

I'm still excited about this release, and it looks like Madman considered all their options and did the best they could with the materials they were given.

[mar3o]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtRBNuNkO74

Cool poster and it looks like standard blu-ray cases!

[Bobbyjoe766]

From what little was shown in the Blu-ray trailer,the series looks good in HD.The trailer only showed scenes from the first series,i wonder if as much effort was put into cleaning up season two?

[FatalSpiderbite]

Any idea if this is going to be released in the US? If not, I will definitely have to import it. I love the show.

Twiki is my text tone. Beedee - beedee- beedee

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by FatalSpiderbite

Any idea if this is going to be released in the US? If not, I will definitely have to import it. I love the show.

Twiki is my text tone. Beedee - beedee- beedee

I can't find any info out about a US release. But the packaging is looking pretty nice on this set, with standard cases, and I can't imagine a US release would include any more content than this set, so I'm keeping my pre-order with JB Hi-Fi. It's a pretty good price, too.

I'm wondering if it's going to be region-locked? I do have a region-free player but it's even better if I can play it on my regular player.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by mar3o

This is listed under special features:

"Bonus Theatrical Version of the Pilot episode (in Standard Definition)".

I would think the theatrical film (with the opening James Bond-style theme song) would be presented in HD like the Battlestar Galactica film is on the Galactica set. Could this be a mistake in the listing or is the theatrical film really SD? I'm thrilled to see this getting a blu-ray release but the SD pilot film is disappointing.

EDIT: Just saw billyearle above had the same concern. Shame if the theatrical film is SD. There's no reason it should be since it was a theatrical film before a series.

I also see the special features are quite limited. No documentaries. No deleted scenes. No interviews. No galleries. No marketing materials. No promos. No booklets or printed materials. Quite disappointing in the extras department. Compare this to the Galactica blu-ray sets with hours of deleted scenes for each episode, multiple documentaries, and other goodies. Gil Gerard and Erin Gray both have fond memories of this show, so there is no reason they couldn't have been reached for new interviews. The old DVDs were the same way - no extras. This series deserves some special edition treatment, especially since it's being labeled here as a limited edition.

The Galactica BDs just used the extras created for the DVDs, they didn't include anything new and seeing as no extras were created for the Buck Rogers DVDs it's hardly surprising the BDs are also barebones, would likely cost a lot of money to create new features and it's already a niche product so from a financial point it makes sense.

Originally Posted by FatalSpiderbite

Any idea if this is going to be released in the US? If not, I will definitely have to import it. I love the show.

Twiki is my text tone. Beedee - beedee- beedee

It is possible but all depends on whether a distributor thinks it's worth it, could be months/years or never.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by mar3o

I can't find any info out about a US release. But the packaging is looking pretty nice on this set, with standard cases, and I can't imagine a US release would include any more content than this set, so I'm keeping my pre-order with JB Hi-Fi. It's a pretty good price, too.

I'm wondering if it's going to be region-locked? I do have a region-free player but it's even better if I can play it on my regular player.

I think it's very likely it will be region locked based on previous Madmen releases.

[greenguy]

I don't trust that it will ever be released here in the U.S. so I'm going to place my pre-order. Ordering directly from Madman comes in a bit cheaper at $63.13 vs. JB Hi Fi's $66.18. Unless of course there's some advantage buying through JB than through Madman.

If it is released anywhere else I doubt if any extras will show up. I'd imagine they do exist in Universal's vault, just no one is going to the trouble to dig them up.

Now if Madman would release a package of the 12 Battlestar Galactica telemovies. I'd be happy with just DVD, but Blu-rays would be a wet dream.

[FatalSpiderbite]

I am going to wait on reviews and see what you guys say when it comes out. I see this hitting 50 bucks or less soon after release and that also gives a little time to see if a US release may get announced.

[Wireduck1]

Originally Posted by mar3o

[CENTER

[Show spoiler]]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtRBNuNkO74[/CENTER]

Cool poster and it looks like standard blu-ray cases!

Sold. Placed my order today with JB.

[mar3o]

I wish Universal didn't play these games with regions. I wish they would just let us know if it's getting a US release. You would think they would want us to know because once I buy the Australian set it will be less likely I'll buy it again. If they were smart they would release the same set in the US and let us know in advance. I do like the packaging in the Australian set and some US TV sets have been getting those lousy cardboard sleeves lately. Of course there's always the worry about PAL menus and extras causing player problems. I'm sure the episodes will be 23.976 but for example, my Network Space:1999 year 2 set has the menus and episodes in 23.976 but many (not all) of the extras are in PAL so even though my Panasonic will play the region-locked discs with the menu trick it won't handle PAL content so I have to use my full region-free player for some of the extras. Just something to keep in mind. There are a few extras in this set including textless intros/outros of most of the episodes so framerate is something to keep in mind regarding the extras.

I never ordered directly from madman before. I haven't bought many Australian blu-rays. A few months back I bought Re-Animator and From Beyond from JB Hi-Fi and it took ages for the discs to show up. Seriously - weeks. I don't know if it just took them a long time to get them shipped out, or if the shipping itself took weeks to arrive. I'm wondering if ordering directly from madman will get it quicker. I'm wondering if Madman might put a bit of extra care into the packing too? Does Madman charge right away? JB has a price guarantee and they don't charge until it ships. I'd hate for this set to be traveling in the mail for weeks.

[mar3o]

I noticed the Youtube trailer for the set looks bright and colorful but there's no visible grain. It could just be awful compression on Youtube. Hopefully Universal didn't go crazy with DNR. Their recent 16:9 "remasters" of Galactica look worse than their older 4:3 transfers. From the clips on Youtube the image quality of this set looks much, much better than Galactica, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. There's no reason this show should have excessive grain but I would think we should certainly see a thin layer on the blu-rays.

[billyearle]

While I'm seriously bummed about no HD Theatrical (just the credits in HD would be enough), I'm gonna have to cave and get this. It will still be cool to see the TV pilot in HD, and sounds doubtful if we'll get an HD theatrical. Though I'd gladly double dip for that, even at TT prices, just hope it's a standalone and not having to buy the whole series again.
Still afraid once I pull the trigger, US or UK will release with HD Theatrical...but doesn't sound too likely.
The soundtrack cd for the theatrical is also awesome if you can find it, or the LP.

[Wireduck1]

Originally Posted by mar3o

I never ordered directly from madman before. I haven't bought many Australian blu-rays. A few months back I bought Re-Animator and From Beyond from JB Hi-Fi and it took ages for the discs to show up. Seriously - weeks. I don't know if it just took them a long time to get them shipped out, or if the shipping itself took weeks to arrive. I'm wondering if ordering directly from madman will get it quicker. I'm wondering if Madman might put a bit of extra care into the packing too? Does Madman charge right away? JB has a price guarantee and they don't charge until it ships. I'd hate for this set to be traveling in the mail for weeks.

Regarding shipping times above. It's always interesting seeing how long items take to get to and from various parts of the world.

I'm in Australia and so have found that JB take around 3 days to get to me, Madman directly a few days longer. I haven't found the Madman packaging to be better than JB, but haven't had an issue with JB's padded envelopes.

Blu Rays from the US also take weeks to get to us here, Canada probably a month or more, UK just in a few days.
European countries tend to vary and we find the ones from Italy take an extra few days because all packages have to be sent to the steelbook crushing centre first before leaving port.

[mar3o]

I emailed Madman directly to ask a few questions and here's what I received back:

[Show spoiler]
"You probably know this, though the reason for the SD extras (pilot and feature) is that Universal do not have the remastered versions of this any more. There is the chance that these once existed, though do not any more. What we do know, is that a lot of their masters were destroyed in a 2008 fire at Universal's vault, of course I can't confirm if that is exactly what has occurred here.

The unfortunate truth is that it would cost tens of thousands of dollars for us to remaster these, and Universal have told us they have no plans to remaster this themselves. When weighing the cost of production against the fore-casted sales, it just is not a viable option for us.

This kind of thing isn’t unusual, as with The Rockford Files, which we have released, all the episodes were remastered in HD, but the original feature-length pilot episode was only available in SD (for similar reasons).

The Blu-ray will be locked to region B.
As far as the frame rate episodes, menus and extras are 23.976 fps. The exception is the two (upscaled to HD) SD features - (Pilot Theatrical version & Flight of the War Witch feature-length version) that run at 25fps as that was the source of the SD master file received, and re-encoding to 23.976 fps would have compromised their quality.

Sorry for the wall-of-text email, though I hope the info helps!"

So it will be region-locked to region B, but the good news is the menus and most extras along with the episodes will all be 23.976 which means that hopefully they will play in the Panasonic players with the menu trick. I'll let everyone know after I try it out.

Shame to think the theatrical film may indeed have been destroyed. How does the Galactica theatrical film survive but not Buck Rogers? Maybe it was indeed the famous fire that got it. Still sounds like a great release.