Any rumors about Buffy the Vampire Slayer show coming out on Blu-ray?

[bloomyself]

Originally Posted by lstar337

They'll likely want to get a double dip out of it.

We are more likely to see a first release with minimal special features, followed by some kind of 'Ultimate' or 'Anniversary' edition with a boat load of features.

Lets face it, they will want to be maximising their profit!

I agree that they might possibly do another re-release years down the line, but this here would essentially be their first re-release since 2001ish, so I am betting they will still be doing stuff. FOX never had much faith that a remastering would be that profitable for them, otherwise they would have done one sooner. They probably are counting on needing new features in order for this to sell as well as they'd like. And seeing as how the 20th anniversary is 2ish years down the line, thats probably the soonest we will even be getting a DVD release, anyway, so the timing works out for this to already be an anniversary edition.

I'm pretty sure they will try to add a few new bonus features this time around. We live in a day and age where DVD sales are already dwindling as it is, with media being available over the internet. They know that if they want to market a new set, they would need to load it with new features in order for it to sell.

[theprestige85]

Originally Posted by Buffdale

Yes, the menus made ​​by Warner Bros aren't great. Most of the time they are fixed & simplistic... :/

By the way, what kind of cover art would you like ?

I'd really like something like this :

That's boss cover. I'd love that one. Love the blues and I think that's SMG's definitive Buffy look.

[lstar337]

Originally Posted by Buffdale

Yes, the menus made ​​by Warner Bros aren't great. Most of the time they are fixed & simplistic... :/

By the way, what kind of cover art would you like ?

I'd really like something like this :

Yeah, the blue one is what I would have if given the choice.

[Drewbee87]

Even without a word about a BD release from Fox, I better start saving now...

[theprestige85]

Originally Posted by Drewbee87

Even without a word about a BD release from Fox, I better start saving now...

Good idea. Though if the blu ray has that awful DNR and off colour timing of the 'HD' broadcast, they can count me out. If they fix those, they'll see money. And lots of it too.

[Buffdale]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

Though if the blu ray has that awful DNR and off colour timing of the 'HD' broadcast, they can count me out. If they fix those, they'll see money. And lots of it too.

Same here. Don't count on me if DNR don't disappear, if the 16/9 stay (at least for the 1-7) and if the color/contrast problems remain.

Almost 500 likes ! It's huge for this kind of group (I think) ! :O
https://www.facebook.com/BuffyHD

The fans are really engaged. Fox can make a lot of money if they invest in this remastering.

[Drewbee87]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

Good idea. Though if the blu ray has that awful DNR and off colour timing of the 'HD' broadcast, they can count me out. If they fix those, they'll see money. And lots of it too.

I don't think that will be an issue, they know not to put out something that looks like the PIVOT masters out on Blu-ray. I think they'll do just what WB did with Friends, fix what needs to be fixed before releasing it on Home Video.

[Drewbee87]

Oh, and I don't know about anyone else. But for a Blu-ray release I think it would be awesome if they released a Limited Collectors edition with the case being the Vampyr Book(with hubs, not sleeves lol). And have a standard release for those who just want something that will easily sit with other Blu-ray sets.

[Buffdale]

Originally Posted by Drewbee87

Oh, and I don't know about anyone else. But for a Blu-ray release I think it would be awesome if they released a Limited Collectors edition with the case being the Vampyr Book(with hubs, not sleeves lol). And have a standard release for those who just want something that will easily sit with other Blu-ray sets.

I'd love that !
But with a better quality than the Book of Shadows for "Charmed" (problems with the glue on the discs for exemple)...

[Drewbee87]

Originally Posted by Buffdale

I'd love that !
But with a better quality than the Book of Shadows for "Charmed" (problems with the glue on the discs for exemple)...

I don't own that set myself, and it has a lot to do with the issues it has. Didn't it get released 3 different times? I swear I think I've seen it with sleeves, then sleeves with the discs in plastic to keep them from getting scratched and then one with disc size cut-outs on each page for the discs to sit in. lol I might have even seen a version with plastic hubs on each page.

[Buffdale]

I don't own that set neither, but I have read many comments on this issue.

In France we always had the same (or pretty much). You can see pictures here :
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/customer-med...ery/B002SKMFXU

On one of the pictures, you can see the glue on the DVD. For that price, this kind of thing is really disrespectful.

[Nico Darko]

Don't forget to let Fox know about the new problems. I recommend you thank them for not cropping the last episodes and for fixing the pinkish look.

But they should be aware of the brightness and color issue. It seems that they extracted the episodes from the original film negative, but forgot to redo some of the post-production done at the time (like applying filters). It's obvious that the Buffy/Angel bedroom scene (ep 1x07) is unfinished in HD, someone forgot to apply the "night filter" like they did in 1997. Same for the clown scene in 1x10, I'm guessing the blue filter was added in post-prod to give that dream-like quality, which they forgot to do again for the remaster (or were just lazy). The blue in general needs to be brought back. It's also gone from the class scene where Buffy is taking a test (1x10).

I'm guessing the shadowy scenes suffer from a similar problem, and the constant excessive brightness is not helping.
And if they're not sure what a scene should look like, they shouldn't just assume. Joss Whedon is alive and (very) well, as is the DP, they should ask them !

So please, e-mail them about all that (and be nice ! ) I think that's probably the most useful thing we can do :


http://www.foxstudios.com/request.html

[Buffdale]

Originally Posted by Nico Darko

Don't forget to let Fox know about the new problems. I recommend you thank them for not cropping the last episodes and for fixing the pinkish look.

But they should be aware about the brightness issue.

So please, e-mail them about all that (and be nice ! )[/URL]

I know I make a lot of mistakes. And it annoys me. But this is what I sent yesterday. This is clear enough ? Unfortunately, that was when I thought the DNR was down... So I've been too nice. But I talked about the grain.

"Hello,
My message is about the television broadcast of "Buffy" that took place on September 2nd on Pivot TV channel.
I don't know what changed. If it comes from Pivot or you have made changes. But I admit it's ... Sublime! Thank you very much for listening to us (or pivot). I finally see a high definition that honors the series !
I am very intrigued by the change in "version 16: 9". From the eighth episode, we gain the picture on the four sides ! Previous ones lose horribly height ! I do not know what causes it but ... It's much better that way. I love this version, but the first episodes spoil everything unfortunately.
We are close to perfection. The only problems are the absence of the natural grain (no need to have it in abundance, but just a little) and lighting problems. Some scenes are too light. I think of the scenes in the lair of the Master, the scenes of the second episode when Buffy and Xander are in tunnels, etc.
If those problems are fixed, then this remastering is simply GORGEOUS ! Thank you very much. I was very disappointed last week. I hope that the rendering of the first episodes (1-5) will not be the same on Blu-Ray. You seem to do a very good job. Thank you for giving us this incredible opportunity to rediscover "Buffy the vampire slayer" in HD."

[Drewbee87]

Originally Posted by Buffdale

I don't own that set neither, but I have read many comments on this issue.

In France we always had the same (or pretty much). You can see pictures here :
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/customer-med...ery/B002SKMFXU

On one of the pictures, you can see the glue on the DVD. For that price, this kind of thing is really disrespectful.

Wow, that is bad! Reminds me of the Alias Rambaldi set I own, which I had to order twice. The first one had one of the sleeves un-glued and there were so many scratches and permanent smudges on the discs I couldn't watch half of the series. The second still had scratches & smudges, but not as severe so they played fine. I'm hoping it get released on Blu-ray someday so I can ditch the DVD set. lol

[Drewbee87]

Just sent another Email, this time I copied before sending it. lol Here's what I sent:

I don't know if these emails are having any effect on how these HD Masters look, I'm still not 100% sure if they're coming straight from Fox. But it seems that the most recent episodes that have aired on PIVOT look much better than the first 7. I'm loving that they have been opened up on not only the sides, but a little on the top and bottom of the frame! Much better than the cropping that was going on with the first 7 episodes. It has me wondering if those first 7 episodes can also be done the same way as episodes 8, 9 & 10. There are still issues with the color being too bright in some scenes, to the point where it looks like night is day. Like in the season 1 episode "Angel" where Buffy and Angel are in Buffy's bedroom after getting away from The Three. Also in any scene that takes place in The Masters Layer. And there still seems to be a lot of Digital Noise Reduction. I'd like to finish by saying that if there is a Blu-ray release in the near future, that I hope these issues will be fixed and if possible, both the 1.33:1 & 1.78:1 aspect ratios be made available.

[EricAD]

my question is this: Do you think that Buffy, when it is inevitably released on Blu, will come out slowly over time in season sets (like Star Trek: TNG) or just get a big complete series release like the upcoming Pee-Wee's Playhouse and Batman '66 sets? I'd be willing to wait the two years or so for the 20th Anniversary set if it's the whole series + decent new extras (although my fear is that if they release it in 16x9, Joss won't want to participate, even if it looks good!)

[Nico Darko]

Here's my e-mail to Fox (http://www.foxstudios.com/request.html)

Hi,

I am still unsure if you are behind the Buffy HD remaster currently airing on Pivot, but given the absence of response, I am still assuming you are.
I wanted to thank you in any case, for the improvements made in the last episodes aired. Not only the pinkish look of the first remastered episodes was gone, but the awful cropping stopped with episode 1x08. I don't know if any of these changes happened because of all the negative comments from fans, but it is highly appreciated.

However, those last episodes still suffered from major brightness and color issues. It seems to me that you extracted the episodes from the original film negative, but didn't always go through the post-production done back in 1997. It is quite obvious in the first bedroom scene between Buffy and Angel (episode 1x07) which was shot during the day, but was made to look like a night scene for the original broadcast (adjusting the brightness and colors). The remastered scene is now filled with sunlight and doesn't make any sense. I really hope you can fix that scene and avoid any similar mistakes in the future.

Similarly, episode 1x10 is missing the blue filter which gave a dream-like quality to Xander's scene with the clown. Same for the classroom scene where Buffy takes a test.

A great number of fans is very disappointed to see that almost all the shadows are gone from those HD versions. I'm all for making season 1's picture less obscure, the dvds were obviously too dark. But it shouldn't go as far as destroying the atmosphere of the show. The shadows are part of the style, part of the cinematography. They make the monsters' scenes scarier, the Master's layer more gothic and mysterious, they also help to make the prosthetic/make-up less obvious to the viewer. Removing them like you're doing is really hurting the show.

I'm also finding the colors a little dull, they need to be richer, but that is probably due to the excessive brightness and the contrast issue.

So please, now that the cropping has stopped, I hope you can fix those problems, we will be very grateful is you do.

The absence of film grain is also very sad, I'm guessing it is the result of an overuse of Digital Noise Reduction, but I don't know if you are responsible or if it has to do with Pivot's broadcast quality.

In any case, thank you for the work you're doing.

Best regards.

[noirjunkie]

Can someone with the necessary technical knowledge comment on the feasibility of a blu-ray transfer that would allow for viewing both the original and correct 4x3 AR and the cropped/opened-up 16x9? Would it require two separate files, or could one file per episode be made with an option to display pillars over the widescreen image on either side?

I'll never understand wanting to see something in anything other than its intended, original aspect ratio -- when a film is intentionally shot in widescreen, do you prefer pan-and-scan DVDs? -- but it seems like this could be a workable compromise for those who just have to have their entire widescreen TVs filled with images, boom mikes and set lights included.

[Nico Darko]

I don't really know about the technical possibilities on Blu-ray but I really hope they can offer both aspect ratios without too much difficulty.

Like I said before, it's nice to see the show in true widescreen, some episodes work pretty well in that format, but it still feels wrong, and will always feel wrong (even if they remove the goofs).
I'm all for tv broadcasts in widescreen, it'll help making the show more appealing to the new generation, but the Blu-Ray is how the show will be preserved over time (perhaps for all eternity), it HAS to be in the intended aspect ratio. We should be able to use the Blu-Ray to study episodes like Restless or The Body in school. That means commenting on the directing and the composition. The 16:9 version might look really nice at times, but the framing is still wrong, whereas the show in the original 4:3 is consistent, the composition can be studied, and we are not missing anything. Widescreen might be acceptable for Friends, but so much of Buffy has to do with the visual, it needs to be right.

That's why 4:3 should absolutely be available on Blu-ray. The 16:9 option would make a great special feature, but that's all.

I still have hope that people at Fox can understand that.

[Drewbee87]

I've already said many times that I completely understand why the show is meant to be seen in 4:3, but that's not going to make me change my mind on wanting the show in 16:9. It's just how I prefer to watch the show, and it's not just about "Filling up the screen". IMO, the 16:9 frame works really well for a lot of the final battles. Especially the series finale, seeing the final fight in 16:9 was way more exciting to me than when I watched it in it's OAR when it first aired.