Red Dwarf Series I-VIII Blu-Ray Boxset is Shite

[St_Eddie]

Why not just get the DVDs?

I've already got the whole set on DVD.  However I wouldn't mind upgrading for the minor improvement in image quality.  Also, a couple of my DVD's are scratched to buggery and the price is right (it's pretty darn cheap considering what you get).

[Replies From View]

I've already got the whole set on DVD.  However I wouldn't mind upgrading for the minor improvement in image quality.

Up to you.  I don't think all the problems with the blu-ray will be addressed with the re-release; in the BBC response they only talk about fixing the de-interlacing, not the other issues that have been highlighted.

In addition you're not going to get the full Bodysnatcher content (you'll get the commentaries for the remasters but not the remastered episodes, for example), and the whole package is a bit of a mix-match between blu-rays for the episodes and DVDs for the contents.  The disc count is stupidly high considering the fact it's not HD, and the artwork is shite.

It's none of my business if you have the money to throw away.  I'd just warn against thinking of it as an upgrade - even a minor one.

[St_Eddie]

Up to you.  I don't think all the problems with the blu-ray will be addressed with the re-release; in the BBC response they only talk about fixing the de-interlacing, not the other issues that have been highlighted.

Aye, but people on the Red Dwarf forums have been saying that on the whole, the episodes are a minor improvement in image quality over the DVDs.  That's good enough for me.

In addition you're not going to get the full Bodysnatcher content (you'll get the commentaries for the remasters but not the remastered episodes, for example)...

I've already got the Bodysnatcher collection on DVD, so that doesn't bother me.

It's none of my business if you have the money to throw away.  I'd just warn against thinking of it as an upgrade - even a minor one.

I'm well aware of the issues (I mean, it was me who started this thread) and I won't be getting rid of my DVDs when I upgrade.  However, I would like to have this set as well, given that it's not overly expensive.  I certainly don't have money to throw away, hence why I didn't pre-order it or anything (I can only afford to treat myself to this sort of thing a couple of times a year) but it's something I would like to own at some point down the road because Red Dwarf is one of my favourite sitcoms.

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Just so that it doesn't get lost on the previous page, I'll repost this because I would really care to know, should anyone have any knowledge about it...

The BBC has ackowledged the issue with two of the discs in the boxset and has issued an offical statement...

After a comprehensive review with all our suppliers involved in the manufacturing of this product we have now identified the source of the problem. De-interlacing did occur at tape to digital capture stage with one of the suppliers. This was not part of the Blu-ray authoring process as we originally had reason to believe.

The mastering of this release was a multistage process involving three separate suppliers. We hope you will understand that it would be inappropriate for us to say specifically where this fault occurred as we are remedying this with the company concerned.

We have started the process of recreating the masters and re-authoring these discs which will take approximately six weeks.

Glad I didn't impulse buy this upon release.  Does anyone know how such things work?  If I buy the boxset in a few months time, am I basically guaranteed to be getting a reprinted version?

[JamesTC]

You'd be better off just buying the set and then sending off for a replacement now. You don't need to send the discs or anything, just an email. They only want proof of purchase and address (as with the Doctor Who Season 12 replacement programme). You can send the proof of purchase with name and address to DVDSupport@BBC.com

I think mostly that I will be happy with the set once the replacement discs are in. The first three episodes of Series V look great on this. Holoship in particular really impressed me. Series VI looked okay. Series VII and VIII were nice improvements but Series VII only includes Tikka to Ride Remastered in SD which is fucking stupid.

Series I-IV don't look great for the most part but this is the source material. I'm hoping Series III sees a little improvement with the new disc as that looked like dogshit. That being said, Series III has always looked like dogshit as it was filmed with ancient cameras.

[St_Eddie]

You'd be better off just buying the set and then sending off for a replacement now. You don't need to send the discs or anything, just an email. They only want proof of purchase and address (as with the Doctor Who Season 12 replacement programme). You can send the proof of purchase with name and address to DVDSupport@BBC.com

Well, I won't be able to afford to buy the boxset for a few months anyway, so hopefully I'll be purchasing a corrected version from the outset.  Thanks for the information though.

[JamesTC]

Well, I won't be able to afford to buy the boxset for a few months anyway, so hopefully I'll be purchasing a corrected version from the outset.  Thanks for the information though.

I doubt the replacements will get into available copies for a while. They'll go through all the old stock first. But at least if you buy it when it goes down in price in the next few months, it'll have the replacement discs ready to request when you need them.

Judging by the Doctor Who Season 12 replacement programme, it'll likely be a couple of months before people are receiving the corrected discs (they provided a six-week estimate but I bet it'll take a little bit longer).

[Replies From View]

Why anybody would want that box art anywhere near their home is completely beyond me.

Each to their own.

[JamesTC]

It is a shame as Red Dwarf has a history of some great VHS and DVD covers.

It feels like the era of real care being put into the releases was over with Back to Earth. Back to Earth was released very quickly to ride the curtails of the high ratings yet still managed to have nice cover art and was packed full of bonus features. Even the cheap archive release Just the Smegs had a cover that was lovingly designed to imitate the Smeg Ups and Smeg Outs covers (even if the cover isn't really aesthetically pleasing, at least it tries).

On the subject of the Just the Smegs release, if you haven't read the Ganymede and Titan review of it then it is a fun read.

[St_Eddie]

Why anybody would want that box art anywhere near their home is completely beyond me.

Each to their own.

It's terrible, yes but the box will be on my shelf sideways, like all of my other Blu-Rays, so it's not like I have to look at the terrible artwork every time I glance in the direction of my shelf.  Unless there's some awful fuck up on the spine of the box as well?

[JamesTC]

It's awful, yes but the box will be on my shelf sideways, like all of my other Blu-Rays, so it's not like I have to look at it every time I glance in the direction of my shelf.

I thought that. The spine is shit too though.

[St_Eddie]

The spine is shit too though.

Oh.

[purlieu]

It feels like the era of real care being put into the releases was over with Back to Earth. Back to Earth was released very quickly to ride the curtails of the high ratings yet still managed to have nice cover art and was packed full of bonus features.

The fact that BtE had two making of documentaries and two commentaries on a single DVD was pretty remarkable in context of what's come since.
I admire the decision to do reversible covers for X, XI and XII, so people can have a collection that matches 1-VIII, although the lack of a reversible BtE sleeve, and the fact that the XII reversible cover is a bit off and doesn't quite match the others means it's not up to Doctor Who standards.

I was really hoping to buy this box so I could have the whole lot in BluRay (I'd keep Bodysnatcher for the visual commentaries and text track), but even ignoring the shit cover art, the changes in lighting and over the top contrast effect on the whole thing just makes it an inferior looking version. It's a real shame, as a direct upscale without the colour changes and cropping would have provided a much better product: only really noticeable on the later series, but still true to the original. The original DVDs aren't the best encoding ever, so I can imagine there is a slight improvement with the BluRays, but I'm too used to the dramatic lighting in V and the yellow-brown hue to VI - as examples - to be comfortable watching these new gradients.

[Replies From View]

Thing is, who on earth ever watched Red Dwarf for its sharp picture quality?

This blu-ray release is the very definition of an answer to a non-existent question.

[St_Eddie]

Thing is, who on earth ever watched Red Dwarf for its sharp picture quality?

This blu-ray release is the very definition of an answer to a non-existent question.

I'd say that it most likely exists to sucker in people who are technically ignorant and therefore unaware that Blu-Ray can offer little, if any, improvement to programmes filmed on tape, or perhaps people who missed out on the individual DVD releases and want to buy series I-VIII in a boxset to go with the rest of their Blu-Ray collection, with a ton of bonus material.  Then there's idiots like me who will buy it simply because... reasons.

[JamesTC]

Oh.

Purple brick with three logos slapped on.

[St_Eddie]

Oh, come on.  That looks fine!  Simple and straight to the point.  Lacking in personality, perhaps but it could be a lot worse.  Given GNP's recent track record with such things, I'm just relieved that they managed to spell the title of the show correctly.

[Delete Delete Delete]

The fact the boxset is taller than the blu rays is a mis step for me. Seems like an own goal.

[St_Eddie]

The fact the boxset is taller than the blu rays is a mis step for me. Seems like an own goal.

Own goalpost head.

[Replies From View]

Imagine knowingly having Red Dwarf VIII on multiple formats.

[JamesTC]

Imagine knowingly having Red Dwarf VIII on multiple formats.

Not Pictured: Series VIII VHS Byte 1 and 2.

[Replies From View]

Not Pictured: Series VIII VHS Byte 1 and 2.

I taped them off the telly; I can't imagine why you would buy the tapes.  I bought the DVDs for the extras, but was disappointed in the end by everyone apart from Norm in the documentary thinking series 8 was brilliant.

[St_Eddie]

I bought the DVDs for the extras, but was disappointed in the end by everyone apart from Norm in the documentary thinking series 8 was brilliant.

It wasn't so much the documentary, but rather the commentary.  None the less, it was indeed infuriating.  Every time that Norm would rightfully point out how bad the series was, the other cast members would shut him down.  Red Dwarf VIII isn't merely a bad series of Red Dwarf, it's an appallingly bad comedy series in general.  I'm not lying when I say that its inclusion in the boxset is genuinely a negative to me.  It actually lowers the boxset's worth in my mind.

[Replies From View]

It was the documentary too.  Robert Llewelyn describing the series as "distilled Dwarf", everyone constantly congratulating themselves and each other for their brilliance, just that general feeling of euphoria that they were back at peak form in scenes featuring a shit CGI dinosaur and loads of men pretending to have erections during a basketball game.

All other series documentaries are candid and acknowledge a lack of perfection in interesting ways.  The series 8 one seems to self-consciously whitewash it; fuck knows why.

[purlieu]

Yeah, the cast and crew's feelings on VIII are utterly bizarre. "Distilled Dwarf" is particularly odd, given that the series does away with all the character comedy that made the first five series in particular so great. Even if, somehow, you like the series, it sticks out as totally un-Dwarf like in so many ways.

[St_Eddie]

It was the documentary too.  Robert Llewelyn describing the series as "distilled Dwarf", everyone constantly congratulating themselves and each other for their brilliance, just that general feeling of euphoria that they were back at peak form in scenes featuring a shit CGI dinosaur and loads of men pretending to have erections during a basketball game.

Oh, I'm aware of that.  I was simply pointing out that Norm's disparaging attitude towards the series was mostly heard during the commentary.

[purlieu]

He manages it for about three episodes before getting sick of being told to stop being moany and pretty much goes quiet for the rest of the commentary.
Mind you, being a seven person commentary it's pretty much unlistenable. The Rob & Doug commentaries on the Bodysnatcher collection are absolutely brilliant, what I'd give for more of those.

[JamesTC]

Doug Naylor also does a great commentary on Back to Earth (when he isn't talking about the Red camera).

[St_Eddie]

Doug Naylor also does a great commentary on Back to Earth (when he isn't talking about the Red camera).

I'll never tire of hearing his anecdote about the Australian investor for the Red Dwarf movie.

I wish that Naylor would get off his arse and record some commentaries for the last couple of series of Red Dwarf and upload them online, like he said that he would.

[Replies From View]

I wish that Naylor would get off his arse and record some commentaries for the last couple of series of Red Dwarf and upload them online, like he said that he would.

Why would he bother doing that for free when so many Red Dwarf fans give the impression that we'd all burn money for it in a box-set re-release?

[purlieu]

Doug Naylor also does a great commentary on Back to Earth (when he isn't talking about the Red camera).

That restored my faith in the show. Although BtE was refreshing in that Doug at least remembered how to write for the characters again, it was still a long way from being worth of the show's name, but that commentary really felt like he'd really worked out what made the show magic again, and it boded well for the future. It's always enjoyable to hear somebody talking in depth about something they're really passionate about, and that commentary is exactly that. He'd not done earlier commentaries because he thought nobody would be interesting in hearing them, which is absurd as the only people who listen to commentaries are the sort of nerdy fans who are always interested in hearing about the creative process behind the show. The cast commentaries are fun, but nowhere near as insightful and have little replay value after a couple of listens.