TOS Remastered Season 1 HD-DVD/DVD On Amazon Pre-Order - $139 $129 [UPDATE: Final Box Art Released]
August 28, 2007
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: TOS Remastered , trackback
It is finally (almost) here. Season One of Star Trek: The Original Series digitally remastered on combo HD-DVD/DVD disk is available for pre-order on Amazon.com (CLICK HERE
UPDATE: Paramount has released interior and exterior box art (see below)
About the Box Set:
- Contains all 29 episodes of the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series (and not the first ’season’ of remastered Trek in syndication)
- Each episode is digitally remastered with new digital effects.
- Presented in 4:3 ratio (including new CGI effects)
- Some special features appear in the ‘pillar boxes’ (see preview video below)
- 10 double sided ‘hybrid’ disks (standard definition DVD on one side and HD-DVD on the other)
- Episodes are in
productionairing order (same as the standard DVD) - Each of the 10 disks contains at least one special feature (such as a documentary, interactive tour or pop up interview)
- All episodes are full length (unlike those aired in syndication)
- Digital effects are same as those aired in syndication
- NOTE: some season 1 episodes in the box set will not have aired in syndication by the time the set is released.
More info: Full TOS-R HD-DVD Details | Interview with Billy Blackburn
UDPATE: Video Preview
UPDATE - Final Box Art: (click to enlarge)
VOTE: Will You Buy?
now that the price has dropped a bit…will you buy the new DVDs? vote in the current poll (right column)
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Comments»
Sorry. I “ain’t paying that much”
Going to wait to see it pop up for sale on eBay.
More palatable - - I’ll agree with that.
Riddle me this - - will “Balance of Terror” and earlier efforts with the first CGI model be redone for this set?
That answer may dictate whether or not I purchase it.
episodes are as aired
I think, for most of us, it’s not so much the cost as compared to what we are getting in terms of product. If TPTB rushed this project to be out for Christmas, and the effects are only half-ass, then why would we nibble now? It wouldn’t be too long before a DEFINITIVE box-set would be available, and even then good luck with THAT being the final massage they give these episodes. It’s like buying a new computer; the moment you jump in and get one, it’s already bordering on obsolete and you wish you had waited. There’s never a perfect time to buy the “ultimate computer” (heh, heh) or final deluxe version of TOS! Decisions, decisions…….
If the original episodes are not made available in the HD format, I won’t be purchasing any more of them… I already have all the episodes twice on DVD, and if the original versions of the episodes are only on the DVD section of this “Hybrid”, then there really is no point.
Anthoney: You say….As aired. Does that mean that DoomsDay Machine will or won’t be on this set? Second season….as aired. A tad bit confusing to some. Please clarify. Thanks
The price is at least in keeping with past sets, but I’m not touching anything labeled HD (or Blu-Ray) until the format wars settle down. I don’t want to be stuck with a box full of “betamax” discs two years down the road…
And it’s disheartening they didn’t re-do the earlier episodes with the later CGI model. I don’t fault CBS-Digital for this, it just smells like greedy sales execs trying to push products to market to support their chosen HD format.
I have added a ‘what’s on the disks’ paragraph to try and explain the details…also there is a link to more details.
$140?
ppppppppplllllllpppppptttt!! >:-P
Me no like
Me no pay
Well all right then. The CGI model hasnt been updated or fixed, so I will not be purchasing this set.
When the Blu Ray versions eventually come out (and you know they will) the effects will probably be replaced with the new CGI Enterprise model, so why bother? I’ve already bought the damned things TWICE on DVD anyway…..and I had all the VHS before that.
#6 This is the first season set. Doomsday will appear on the second season set when it eventually comes out.
I’ve enjoyed most of the new versions, but not enough to pay big money for them in HD.
I already have DVDs of the original episodes, and might purchase them in HD if they were ever made available with this kind of transfer.
My wife would like to get this for me, but we have a kid on the way and I honestly don’t want her spending a combined 400 bucks. (600 if Paramount gets their greedy, evile way.)
…and, Anthony, if we ask you ten more times whether CBS-D will fix their early boo-boos, will you change that for us?
With all of this, I still get the impression this is not the last time we’ll see TOS rejiggered. Maybe the next time, Paramount will spend a buck and really do it all the way. I love CBS-D for getting this far. But, it’s so frustrating to know that they stopped at 85 or 90 %.
Aren’t these available to purchase per XBox users. How much are those?
How do th rest of us get that?
Wow! Instead of charging about 7 times what they’re worth, they’re now charging about 5 times what they’re worth! Sign me up!!!
Oh wait, I’m not a sucker.
You people have to remember that a lot of people worked hard to resrore the episodes. Its not just a button you can press. It is expensive, but I think its worth it.
Have they completely lost their minds?
The effects are half finished on many of those episodes and they expect to charge a kings ransom for them? I just can’t believe what a scam this whole thing has been. I pity the CBS-Digital folks…it’s their work that is being released half finished…it makes them look like a bunch of amateurs.
For God’s sake CBS/ Paramount..whoever, fixed the damned episodes and show the series the respect it deserves. I’m so disgusted.
Can we start a letter writing campaign or petition to get this delayed so CBS D can finish their work? I seriously don’t want this to happen like this. The CBS D guys need to be given some breathing room and shown some respect from their corporate masters.
It’s still a rip off.
Plenty of shows have special effects as good if not better than TOS-R. They don’t rip you off this badly.
Also keep in mind that this is a 40 year old show, that has been released over and over. They don’t have to reshoot scenes and ALL they have to do is the effects. If anything, this DVD set should be relatively cheap.
But they think that Star Trek fans will buy anything that has Star Trek in the title.
#15: “You people have to remember that a lot of people worked hard to resrore the episodes. Its not just a button you can press. It is expensive, but I think its worth it.”
You can bet that the people who did the work won’t be seeing residuals based on units sold, either.
It is not worth the expense of this set. I’ll be glad to watch and enjoy these for free on television, and that’s it.
Things to bear in mind:
Firstly there were 5 season one episodes made before they changed the Enterprise model: Balance of Terror, Miri, Devil in the Dark, City on the Edge of Forever, and Arena…only two of which have a lot of shots of the Enterprise
Now that the price is 138 it isn\’t that bad. , it is about 60 bucks more than the SD versions were when they were first released and with these you are getting the remastered, new effects, new special features and of course HD.
If you do not have an HDTV and you already have the previous DVDs, then these are probably not worth it. But if you have an HD TV, then I think it is worth it.
Remember that even though they have been showing the show in SD in Syndication, CBS work on the show in HD and the whole project is focused on HD. It has been made to see in HD and it looks amazing in HD.
I’m only buying the versions with the original actors.
If the originals were on the disks in HD, I might go for it. As it is, for me, too much for just a few changes.
They are the same episodes I’ve been watching for forty years.
A few minutes of enhanced visuals and a better transfer are only worthwhile if they’re free or relatively inexpensive.
Why can’t they offer us a stand alone disc with the Billy Blackburn home movies? Is that too much to ask for?
There is no way the price is worth it. As has been stated by others, these episodes have been around 40 years. Many of us grew up watching them even if we weren’t around when they first aired.
The DVDs unenhanced at $60 is a massive rip off. The TAS DVDs are a massive ripoff. All Star Trek DVDs are a massive ripoff.
And that will not change until people stop buying them. But this is beyond a massive ripoff. This is a laugher. There is no way to justify ANY $140 DVD season set. No show in history is worth that.
Yep, I’m with Daren and Dennis on this one. If the original, unaltered versions of the episodes were available in high definition, I’d definitely pony up the $140.00. But if all we’re going to get is the altered, CGI-ed versions, there’s just no incentive for me to spend that much money. Either I’ll wait for someone to give them to me as a gift, or I’ll wait a couple of years for the price to come down or pick up a secondhand resale on eBay.
Oh come ON!
What we’re being offered here is an *extremely* modest upgrading of the DVD sets we all already have.
“HD” means actors faces sharpened far beyond what the directors expected viewers would ever see, so zippers and make-up goofs become more noticable.
“Extra features” means about 10 minutes of annoying infomercials - mostly consisting of clips from the episodes themselves with occasional , “I don’t remember that bit” / “I remember that bit” / “Look how young I look” comments from crewmembers who already related every interesting anecdote they could think of from the 1960s a hundred times before.
“New FX” means the alternately impressive / infuriating new shots from CBS-D. I’ve liked a lot of what these hard-working FX teams have done, and they are interesting as reinterpretations - curiosities if you will - but they are not the original shots we remember so well and inevitably they don’t match everything we would have done if we had redone the FX to suit our own tastes *because our imaginations have already filled in the blanks*.
So basically what are the new things on this disc worth to fans of TOS? $30?, $60 maybe. But they have the absolute gaul to charge $140 and $200 retail ?!!!!!!
They are literally laughing all the way to the bank. And anyone thinking it is well worth it - I have a jar of genuine fresh air here that is yours for only $99 plus postage.
The UK amazon have it for a Nov 19th release at £89.99
Still a bit procey to be honest.
Well, the price is more palatable than before, I’ll give them that.
I agree that they should fix the first 5 remastered episodes using the revised Enterprise, and that should be on the DVD.
Another idea might be to release the episodes as a Standard DVD set at a lower price.
No HD features, but the episodes in SD in this way would be a good product at the same price as the un-remastered DVD box sets.
Is it confirmed that they haven’t fixed the first five episodes? Or are they holding them back for this release?
The price doesn’t bother me too much. It’s not that dramatic a markup from the standard dvd boxed sets of the series.
I, however, do not have an HDTV yet, and won’t for at least another year, so I’m just going to wait this one out, and hope either the price goes down or that some clarity in the format war is established.
well i was going to burn my money, i guess this is better.
or maybe i’ll buy food instead.
Let’s face it. The most common way these will end up in your hands is probably via a gift. In those situations, the person buying it doesn’t necessarily consider the “value” per dollar of the physical product. Rather, the joy it will bring the recipient.
CBS is smart. They’ll sell a bunch of these. Especially with the DVD version included.
And I really want to see those 8mm ‘home movies’ of the Original Series days.
This is a reasonable price point.
And when the Blu-Ray versions are produced, then I’ll place my order.
It’s more than just the first five episodes. The effects are continuously all over the place as far as quality and execution are concerned. The CBS D guys were rushed, and they really deserve to give each episode a final once over before being push out the door.
# 34.
Bluray versions won’t be out for at least 18 months.
And by then Blu-Ray will be in rough shape, by my estimate. There only way of getting into most households is through a PS3. And PS3’s are expensive.
HD-DVD players are already affordable and will only get much more so. People purchase affordable things. Put an HD-DVD set-up next to a Blu-Ray setup, play the same movie. Basically, identical. Then tell the customer the price of the players.
Not to mention that Sony proprietary formats (for which they can can, will, and do charge large royalties) never end up winning.
Until the HiDef formats show a winner, I won’t be seeing anything in that format. Even then the prices will have to drop way down. So I don’t foresee myself even jumping into this whole ‘mishegas’ for a couple years at minimum. At that time I will rest easy knowing these discs will be out there and at a lower price or an improved will be around. i am sure they are lovely.
I do resent Paramount thinking us Trekkies have bottomless bags of money, too.
So, don’t hurry on my account.
Here’s the plan. We all pool the money we were going to spend on the DVD’s, we clone Shatner, we give the rest to Cawley on condition he turn the part back over to the Shat and bingo, we have Trek TOS II.
well i just put in my pre-order. We recently got a HD TV and I dont have the original series. I do own most TNG seasons and it will be a harder decisions to buy those on HD…again.
I am surprised by the reaction of people. so what the box costs 60 bucks more than the regular version…did you expect them to charge less? sure it would be nice if it was only 30 bucks more but you are actually getting more.
Well, the great thing about the HD-DVD/DVD combo disks, is that those fans who will pay $140 per season for this, will be able to take those disks and play them in their Blu-Ray players as HD-DVD goes away.
The other positive will be that by December of next year, these DVDs will be going cheap on the fire sale as HD-DVD goes down the dumper, because Paramount, I still ain’t going to buy my 3rd set of TOS episodes for anything more than about $70 or so a season, and I won’t be happy at that price either.
My reaction is: there’s not enough being offered here to be worth 60 bucks more.
#37- I won’t point out which Blu-Ray players are in the pipeline that are going to alter the retail proposition, since you’ve clearly made your decision.
I’ve spent my money and I’m with Blu-Ray, but the particulars of the situation bug me less than the notion that this format war is being conducted over our heads. All the careful research and voting with your dollars can be circumvented by a corporation writing another a big check.
I think the new price is reasonable, given the state of play in Star Trek DVD. That state is a sorry one, and as it’s been said here and in other threads, Paramount has *always* charged Trek fans insulting prices. That is the baseline for comparison, however, and I think the price discussion is over. For the added value, the price delta is appropriate, even if the baseline is absurd.
The QC isssue is clearly a time-to-market decision. They left the old model in because
A: they signed off on those versions for broadcast, so reeling them back for a revamp was always going to be an iffy proposition; and
B: the combo of the holday season, the promotional value of the first run air of these remasters, and the Paramount committment to HD-DVD in the runup to said holiday season guaranteed we weren’t getting anything that didn’t air (not including Season One eps that have yet to air).
Remember, the problem with the first model wasn’t that it was a bad model, but that the detail was too much, so it bogged the system and allowed for less time for tweaking, So simply swapping models and rerendering was never going to be enough to improve the shots in question. They would then have to take that time, which they didn’t have.
I think the new sets look decent, if overly packaged (I’d like to see some stopwatch numbers of time from shrinkwrap to episode playback, heh), and they should be breathtaking in HD, and a relief from those horrid syndication edits.
I’ll rent ‘em, (for the DVD side) but I won’t be spending any money on HD-DVD purchases unless and until they sucessfull destroy Blu-Ray and convince me that my investment is an Edsel. Be awhile before then.
Peace and Long Life.
Too much $
From what I’ve heard it’s the demographics of buyers that drive these price points–contemporary TV shows sell big and so they can be more affordably priced. Older shows sell to a more limited and shrinking demographic, so to be profitable they have to charge more per unit–they’re more collectibles than regular product.
$130 is pricey but weren’t the original prices on the Trek season sets about $109? That’s not much difference. My guess is these will come down in price after they’ve been on shelves a year or so anyway. The blu-ray deal is more vexing–I’m glad these are combo discs, it would be nice to know for sure that we wouldn’t have to rebuy these yet again because HD-DVD didn’t become the final high-def format.
Happy that while they are still a bit much they have come down but dissapointed that they didn’t go back and rework the first few eps. I took the fx reels from the first season eps done before the new model (not including duplicates) and I think it came to about 4 mins, some updated with the new model could be used in the similar old cg model shots.
While I don’t doubt it would take time (as any work on them would) but I would think if they have the scene/movement setup would be saved and only a few ep specific fx (romulan bop, earth orbit in miri…).
True its only a few seconds each for half a dozen eps but I was really hoping to see them given a little more work, guess not. Still looking forward to HD TOS though anyway!
As much as I’d LOVE to see the uncut versions of these remastered eps, it’s still not quite worth the price.
Although frankly I wasn’t itching to buy these anyway for what amounts to a few minutes of new FX. Even if they were movie quality I probably wouldn’t bother.
I actually dont think the pre-order price is that bad. I mean, this is Hi Def stuff we’re talking about.
My problem is that the episodes have been rushed, and are basically unfinished, and yet they’re being put out on DVD. It reminds me of Star Trek The Motion Picture being rushed to theatres before the editing and effects work were completed.
There’s CGI effects that are rough or not done, and other goofs and things that they never got a chance to work on. Why the hell the rush? I understand the rush to get them on TV, but for the DVD set, they should take a bit more time. Go back, do some more stuff that they wanted to the episodes, ect.
Until that happens, I will not be purchasing the Hi Def DVD sets.
>40. RandyYeoman - August 27, 2007
I am surprised by the reaction of people. so what the box costs 60 bucks more than the regular version…did you expect them to charge less? sure it would be nice if it was only 30 bucks more but you are actually getting more.
I’m a bit disappointed that “what we saw is what we get” for these DVD’s. There were a lot of good things, but there were a lot of things that need improvement as well: Phasers and vaporizations in a lot of episodes (and it can be done, see Wink of an Eye), explosions, and add some sweet little details (battle dammage/repair teams all could be improved upon or even added. Computers are advanced enough for little things like that. I know I speak blasphemy to a lot of people, but I would like to see the Enterprise “warp,” the rubber band stretch with streaking stars.
This message is to the suits: If you are going to make a project like restoring Star Trek and giving the effects an update: you have to go all out. Shell out the bucks so the team can do more than just “make our mouth water a little bit.” Let them treat us to steak and lobster. Have them take us to Times Square, not Valley Center Mall. I understand that the guys doing the actual computer work are given their deadline and budget and only have that to work with. I’m saying, up that budget and move back that deadline… BIG TIME. From what I can tell, most TOS fans like the idea of beefed up FX. But these same fans, for the most part, aren’t satisfied with a haphazard vision and approach.
I think most people will agree with me when I say that The Doomsday Machine was VERY well done. (I, myself would only say that since dialogue stated there was a tractor beam, I think you should have added one coming from the planet killer). The Doomsday Machine is what the bar should be at in this project.
Perhaps a lot of this stems from the fact that I am young, (and possibly dumb).
I’ve loyally watched Trek for over three decades, but I’ve never owned a single recording of the show except for one VHS tape of “The Cage” with the restored footage in black-and-white. I never saw the need to own a recording of TOS since I saw every episode dozens of times as a kid watching afternoon reruns.
But now I’ve taken the leap - I’ve pre-ordered the set. And I don’t even own an HD-DVD player, nor does my CRT HDTV reach true 1080i resolution. So why will I fork down the dough? Because the Remastered episodes have finally given me a reason to care about TOS again. The colors are much more vivid. The new effects are enchanting, albeit uneven. The hybrid discs will let me see the episodes unedited and without the fuzziness and weather alerts and what-not that plague the free UHF-over-cable transmission I get at home.
I’m genuinely excited that, once I get the hardware together, I’ll see TOS in a way that was previously impossible. Better color, better resolution, and better effects than even my clearest childhood memories. I look forward to going where no eye has gone before.
#36 - note my sarcasm. ;)
This project is getting to look half-assed. Remember the days when TOS-R was supposed to be a straightforward revamp of the old FX, rather than a messy, half-finished mix of good ideas and good intentions?
How many of us really just wanted CBS-D to tidy up what we already had available and make it a little mor presentable for HD? While new Enterprise shots are nice, I’d have been happy with what amounted to a clean, modern re-compositing of the original shots.
I love that they’ve cleaned up the original episodes’ live action sequences (a terrible failing on the DVDs,) but somewhere along the line, CBS-D or their superiors have overcomplicated the ideas for the new FX and are actually trying too hard on some FX, meaning other bits are confusing and messed up.
I hope the current hiatus allows the team a rethink and consolidation after so much hard work. At the end of this first ’season’ of revamps, the failings are often more prominent than the successes, which is shame, since there have been so many wonderful new elements in this show.
But, for every gorgeous planetary flyby, there’s something else ruined. For example, the Tholians now have ordinary ships, rather than crystalline ones, ruining an iconic image from the original show.
For every CGI shot of the Galactic Barrier, there’s a James R Kirk tombstone or a poor quality image on Gary Mitchell’s screen. For every cool extra detail, like the Gorn blinking, there’s an alien world made look like another planet Earth.
I love the ideas the CBS-D team have come up with. But, higher up, there’s a failure of nerve. In order to get a quick buck, this hardworking team are having to push out incomplete work. If these shows are going to have such a comprehensive revamp, these good people need time to do the job properly!
As it stands, I’d accept a DVD set with cleaned up image and the cleaned-up original FX (although multi-angle/seamless branching for the new FX, similar to the Doctor Who and Alien DVDs would be nice!)
With this p***ing contest between HD-DVD and Bluray going on for another 18 months, I’m not touching any HD discs.
OK, people keep talking about this set being “only” $60 more than the standard set. Leaving aside whether an additional $60 is reasonable, I submit that the $80/season prices are already crazy-high.
I got the first two seasons at $80 each, cringing the whole time because I thought it was an outrageous price to pay for a season of, well, anything. (I skipped S3 since it was weak by comparison.) I’ve avoided TNG/etc. for the same reason: Trek seasons are priced very high compared to other shows.
But $140? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Pass.
Anyone who has already gone BLU RAY was hedging their bets that HD DVD would die. Get over it. We will have both formats for quite some time. I am waiting for the new SAMSUNG Dual Format HD player and others like it. Or maybe in a months time Amazon will list HD DVD and BLU RAY cheaply enough for me to buy 2 format specific machines. Either way, if you are already a HD viewer you will want a machine or machines that play both formats if you want to see HD DISC stuff now.
I will be buying TOS-R because, unlike you lucky lot in the states, Australian HD TV will not broadcast this and Cable is still in SD for some time to come. I’m glad Amazon has dropped the price. Hopefully they will also drop the price of the SAMSUNG unit in their usual way.
I cannot wait. And my HD-DVD is anxiously waiting too… :)
I’ll probably get it.
I live in Ireland, and here, it’s 140 euro anyways if we want to get the special editions of any season of any star trek.
There only that expensive because of their bulky size me thinks.
But, I’m just wondering, has anyone emailed sky or the sci-fi channel to ask if their going to start showing the remastered series?
because if they are, then I’m not buying it.
oh my god ! another Irish star trek , fan , that makes two of us , 3 more and we can form a fan club ! yes ! . and agreed , box sets here in Ireland ( well really the star trek ones ) are just a rip off .
Still way too expensive for only 26 episodes; especially compared to every other TV series released on DVD. The first season of the new Battlestar Galactica is $69.95 MSRP for HD-DVD; probably much less on Amazon. I don’t see how Paramount can justify charging twice as much for a 40 year old show that has been widely available on home video for decades.
I also don’t appreciate the new FX being cropped to 4×3; I much preferred the method employed for the few HD shows on Xbox Live: the original live action was 4×3 and the FX were 16×9. Kind of defeats the purpose of buying an HD-DVD if it has to be always display in a 4×3 pillarbox.
too pricey!!!! More like $60 or so.
No thanks. I’ll stick with the itunes version. I don’t think the shots are worth it. I plan on not buying into HD-DVD or any other HD whatever for a very very long time say 3 years. or when they force everyone over to it. Then I might consider these dvds. until then with the price as it is is not a priority for me.
I do love how clean the live action is.
#59: Good point.
If I can get the new Galactica on DVD for half the price of the Remastered TOS Box set…the priorities of Paramount become crystal clear.
More $$$$$ for the big shots…
If they had allowed CBS-D the time to COMPLETE this project then I would be asking Santa for it this X-Mas!
I already own every episode of every Star Trek series and every Star Trek Movie on DVD. So the only Star Trek I am going to Purchase in the new Movie when it comes out on DVD some time in 2009!
I already own TOS in DVD, but this is an upgrade to a premium version that is worth it to me. Not only does it have the new special FX (even if imperfect), but the new transfers are far superior to the old DVD versions.
I probably wouldn’t pay those prices if they do TNG-R, but TOS is my favorite Star Trek, and this won’t be the first time I willingly pay a premium price for a premium product.
Part of that price can be justified due to more actual material. Yout ger more episodes and each episodes is longer than modern episodes…this could end up close to 50% more show (of course this applies to the standard DVD as well)
I never considered it, but I’m with the guys above. I would also like a version in HD of the series as it has existed since it’s inception included with the remastered episodes.
Sure, I’d like to see the newer versions on my HD plasma, but as with many people, I’ve had all previous versions (and I sold ‘em ahead of the curve and recovered most of the money, too..), and I have the latest version at this present moment.
But really, I’m going to sit this one out, not for the cost, but for the possibility that they eventually will change and add effects and, not insignificantly, because I don’t know what the heck format I should buy. Sure, everyone has all sorts of opinions and logical reasons why one is better then the other, but this format mess tips the scale for me not to buy this as of yet. I mean, it’s not like I don’t already have it.
At this point, maybe I’ll wait until they put out a machine that plays the three basic formats, dvd, hd dvd and blu ray. In the meantime, I’ll limit the gamble and wait a bit.
And as far as the remastered versions, I think they’ve done good work. Is it as I might have hoped for? No, but there’ve been some nice surprises, things done well. It’s not as much as I’d like, but I’m glad they did it.
Now the waiting begins…
At this price point, we expect a perfect product, not a premium one. One of these days they might just get it right!
Who buys this stuff? I have bought, and have been given, a few DVD movies over the years, but I rarely watch them. The Indiana Jones set, Wrath of Khan. But I don’t find it worth the money. Even watching the Quiet Man every St Patrick’s Day gets a bit much. Just rent them, and burn yourself a copy, if you need a copy. Good enough.
It is also good that the series has been remastered little by little. You may not have noticed, but there has been a small, unplanned bonus feature of this new project. It has brought back just a bit of the way we all watched TV when we were kids. Part of the charm of the remastered episodes is actually having to catch them when they air! The anticipation, the excitement, and then talking about it here. OK, so I tivo them. Dammit, I’m a nostalgic, not an insomniac!
As for owning the whole ball of wax, Spock said it best (as usual): “After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.”
After the whole Paramount HD-DVD thing I’m now definitely gonna wait out the format war….man, what a waste of time and money, not to mention massive consumer confusion.
Well, at current exchange rates, this is only gonna cost me less than i payed for seasons 2&3 of TOS here in Canada (the Canadian dollar is very close to being on par with the US dollar). So, in other words, a no brainer since i don’t own season 1.
sorry, needed some editing there. should read it will cost me a little less.
It will be interesting to see how people feel once the sets are out and they see it at a friend’s house on a really nice HD set up. I don’t have an HD DVD player yet, but this is what is getting me in.
It will be very interesting to see how this shakes out. If you go by the responses on this site alone, it really looks like vendors will have many copies of TOS-R Season One sitting on the shelves, going unpurchased.
On the other hand, as we all know, there are a lot of Trek fans out there who MUST HAVE every new item with the Trek name on it, so sales may be more brisk than expected.
As for me, even with the lowered price point, I’ll pass on Season One for now. The way I see it, most retail stores sell used DVDs as well as new product now. About two weeks after Season One hits the shelves, someone will have bought it, burned all the episodes to their computer, then sell the DVDs back to the store. I’ll be able to pick up the “gently used” set for around $70.00 US, saving me half the new purchase price. That sounds like a deal to me.
I can’t wait for these gorgeous new transfers to hit the shelves. The new FX are just gravy. Sure, I already have the other releases…and they look pretty good when I spin them on an upconverting DVD player, but I could really notice the richness of these new transfers, and that was from over the air broadcast TV.
Will I fork over $139 for the pleasure of seeing my favorite TV show of all time piped through my 1080 plasma in glorious high def and 5.1 surround sound?
You bet your bippy I will.
Let me get this straight. You nerds will pay $5000 for a prosthetic Klingon ear and you’re bitching about $139 bucks? You guys live with your parents to boot so you should have plenty of cash.
Are you trying to Egg us on? Well, it ain’t gonna work! We’re too hard boiled! Bwahahahaha……………
I guess I actually agree with DB, SG & DD. There’s just not enough incentive. Hell, I’ve got the videos, the DVD’s and I’m just not paying that much. No way. If there were some major documentarys and added extras and interviews…..etc… Maybe, but not the same ole thing with a few enhanced CG effects, especially when they are taking cues from TAS, that just blows it for me, right there. I’ll wait, just like I do with movies and PC games etc. Buyer beware and believe me I’m aware of how much Paramount wants my money, but wont put the effort in. I mean it’s been fourty freakin years and we don’e even have ACCURATE blueprints!
Let Paramount earn my money, not continually repackage the same thing.
Don’t they think we’re wise to thier BS?
i get the sense that there are a lot of folks who already own the DVDs and dont have HD TVs who are complaining and saying they wont buy it…but this isnt aimed at you
it is for people who have HD TVs. I have one and am thinking of getting it. There really isnt a lot out there and I havent yet picked a side in the ‘war’ but if all trek is going to be hd-dvd then that makes my decision for me. I stopped buying seasons a while ago because I knew HD was coming and didnt want to double dip.
I do feel sorry for all those who have bought all the DVDs and are now going to be face with buying them all over again….but you should have used netflix!
I think they could really sweeten the deal by offering as bonus material: All of the big anniversary specials and movie preview specials, along with all of the “trek news” from entertainment tonight.
I have alot of them taped and wonder if anyone will remember them..
anyways that would bring me closer to the price of the 1st season set.
78 Ensign Toast - Not Quite right. This is a HD DVD Combo Pack so you get DVD on one side of the Disc and HD DVD on the other. So you can play it now and wait for new player that plays everything in the future.
In Australia the Original release of all Treks was at least $129 per season, some retailers sold TNG for 200 bucks! So considering you are getting remastered and original release in one box aset $140 seems rather good, it works out to $70 per format.
NOT. BUYING.
- No seamless branching between original / remastered.
- Earlier remastered FX not polished.
- Price is way too steep for something I’ve already paid twice for (I own all three DVD box sets, plus I paid my television licence fee)
I don’t intend to slight all that nice work those guys at CBS Digital did, but honestly - no seamless branching, no money. New remastered FX should supplement my Star Trek, not replace it.
was my last comment deleted? anthony? werez the love?
62. Mr Regular
“If they had allowed CBS-D the time to COMPLETE this project then I would be asking Santa for it this X-Mas! ”
My thoughts exactly. It’s such a shame they have had to rush this out. The fact they haven’t even bothered to go back and fix the earlier efforts shows CBS digital must really be getting pushed to finished these as quickly as possible. Surely the guys at CBS digital would at the least want to correct those earlier episodes? I thought they said we would never see the old model again. I misunderstood that to mean they would be changing the earlier episodes.
It does appear that this project was just a money making exercise more than anything else after all. I was hoping this project would have more integrity and that the final product would have had more sparkle to it than we are getting. I guess we will have to wait another 40 years for a better result.
If the guys in charge had any sense they would wait for the movie to come out before releasing these DVD, then they would have more time to make them as good as they can be. Also interest in Star Trek will hopefully be more wide spread and more there will be more demand to see the original series again.
I really thought I was going to get these on DVD no matter what the results when I first heard about this project. But seeing how it’s been so rushed, even more than I ever expecting it to be I have now changed my mind. I think I’ll stick to my original DVD’s for now and I’ll wait and see what the next forty years brings. I live in hope that one day I might get to see TOS updated to the highest standard without being rushed in the process.
Just how can the dvd remastering of the original series be any better than the ones released just two years ago?? Klingon bastards!!!
Ensign Toast (78) In the UK, HD-ready TVs are selling very well. Indeed, most people when they come to buy a new TV are buying HD sets. But, right now, people aren’t buying into HD disc formats because of this silly ‘war!’
So you have to face facts. Many of us HDTV owners will be watching upscaled DVDs for possibly years to come. SA-CD and DVD-Audio failed because their war was unnecessarily protracted and, unless something happens in the next six months (like the HD-DVD forum and the Bluray Forum agree to make their players mutually compatible) the HD disk market is likely to to be met with high street apathy!
The HD Trek disks are very much being aimed at the non-HD market. These disks are supposed to help persuade people to take on the new format. Unfortunately, they’re currently pricing themselves out of the market and stoking the fires in a pointless format conflict!
I intended to get these, although I’ve been critical of the uneven, rushed, and undernourished ‘enhancements’ along the way…but the fact that the 5 episodes with the poorer-looking, early ‘Enterprise’ have not been amended with the second, improved ‘Enterprise’ that is now standard across the rest of the episodes, has put me right off the idea… While the cleaned up prints themselves will be great, I am not splashing out once again for a ’substandard’ release…
I will however, splash out on a future ‘improved’ release, if there is one…and a ‘widescreen’ version as well, if it too is given a bit more attention…
Stop complaining ladies. If you don’t want it, don’t buy it.
Simple as that.
#88 John CT
That’s all very well, but if unhappy prospective consumers don’t point out WHY they don’t wish to buy a product, then the producers won’t KNOW why the product isn’t being bought, and then they won’t be able to something about it…
Perhaps if enough people refuse to buy it they’ll stop the digital fiddling.
Then you will all be happy as there will be no new product to complain about, either on DVD or TV
I’m not sure what I’m gonna do. I have an HDTV but I’m pretty happy with the three box sets of TOS I already own. I think that if they had gone 100% with the updated FX for these instead of 70% or whatever (by my estimation), I would be all over this, even at $130 for the set.
89 Cervantes
100% agree with you
The unfortunate thing is…at this price, for what feels like a work-in-progress to most of us, the suits won’t meet their sales expectations. They’ll go back to thinking Star Trek is dead and their desire to push any new projects ahead will be minimized.
Just because we don’t want to be taken advantage of doesn’t mean we don’t want more voyages.
Simply put, because we don’t want to be taken advantage of, we don’t want to take advantage of inferior product!
I WANT CASTING NEWS DAMN IT!!!
# 93.
What’s all this work in progress nonsense people keep going on about? The effects are much improved, even the earlier ones weren’t half bad.
My copy is on order. Can’t wait.
Will the episodes be presented in airdate or production order. I hope the latter!
Doesn’t anyone remember the VHS versions - that were $20 per episode - on crappy VHS??? How could anyone complain about less than $5 per episode - in HD!
And as far as the ‘work in progress’ stuff - sure, they’ve done some things I like and some things I don’t like. So did every other Trek production, but I’m not going to dump on th entire project just because the nacelles aren’t lit correctly in Balance of Terror.
Mine is on order. Can’t wait, too.
PS. Great site!
In the words of Commander Kruge … “Wait … hwaaaaaiiitttt …”
I waited on the original TOS box sets and they came WAY down to 43 or 44 bucks Canadian at Costco. Now they’re blowing out the TNG’s for 50 bucks.
Don’t get suckered into buying stuff the minute it comes out. How many times have you been burned on DVD’s being reissued over and over? The ultimate con in this consumer-driven society is not only making you buy stuff, but ever worse, making you buy the SAME THING OVER AND OVER. Utterly foolish.
Be patient. Wait a year. You’ll thank me later.
Has anybody else here purchased the iTunes first season pass? I was suckered into that one, and they only put up 11 episodes.
I haven’t acted on getting my money back , but I am just wondering if anybody else has, and what were the results.
96 John CT
yes the effects are improved but I think a lot of people are annoyed that there hasn’t been enough time and money put into making this as good as it should have been. Let’s face it, there have been many occasions when some effects that could have been improved, weren’t because of time restrictions placed on CBS digital
I would say CBS digital has produced some fine work in places but some shots haven’t worked and would have benefited from them reviewing the work without any tight deadlines before releasing final version on to DVD.
Plus lot of things I would have liked to see changed like planet surface backdrops, display screen on the bridge and some of the aliens haven’t been attempted. so for me personally overall its been a wasted opportunity and I know I am not alone in thinking that. Just as I am aware that there are some who are ok with it as it is but I am sure the people who are happy as it is wouldn’t complain if they were getting a more complete update.
why dont TOS dvds (and these new ones) have the eps in their PROPER production order like the vhs did?
i.e. The Cage, Where No Man, Corbomite etc
instead of their tx dates - Man Trap, Charlie, Where No Man etc..
its silly
#99
“Doesn’t anyone remember the VHS versions - that were $20 per episode - on crappy VHS??? How could anyone complain about less than $5 per episode - in HD!”
Yeah, way to skip the two prior DVD sets to prop up getting screwed by TPTB. The original 2ep DVD’s were still good enough, as was the previous season sets. And again, we are talking about a 40 year old show, who’s fan base already owns in some form or fashion.
Then when you factor in what newer series are running for…..neither you nor Paramount has any kind of argument. We’re talking about shelling out way over the standard price for season set for maybe a total of twenty minutes (and I’m being very generous here) of new FX.
I held off buying the original season sets for re-mastered. Now the money that I planned to use buying it…….it’s going to B5 sets instead.
And for anyone who wants to point out the “extras”……..here’s the deal, for most people I know, *if* they watch the extras, they never watch them more than once. So I really don’t care what kind of extras are packed in. They should’ve done a set that had just the eps, without the extra crap.
Bottom line, I will wait and watch my originals, until just like the original box sets, the price comes down. I hope they take a serious, serious hit with these to teach them about price gouging fans.
And for those of you talking “OH NOES…IF U DON’T BY….THEY WONTS MAKE MORE TREKX!!!111!1″
Um…..they’ll keep doing new re-mastered Trek regardless of DVD sales because the effort is for TV, HD specifically…..the DVD sales are just over priced icing on the cake. And the movie will continue to get made as well.
101 - Look no farther than these selfsame HD-DVDs. The iTunes downloads were put up before Star Trek became a trophy in the format war. There’s a concept called “scarcity” where you can make more by not selling something than by selling it. Microsoft also has downloads, but as they are the HD-DVD sugardaddy, XBox Live will doubtless fare better.
It’s been made clear that iTunes is dependent on the network delivering the shows to Apple, and a number of shows have been held up by delivery delays, that may not have anything to do with anything other than lazyness.
So it could be nothing, but my money is on scarcity. Look for the first season on iTunes after Xmas. Or get your money if you can.
104- that’s fine.
While I’m enjoying these episodes in the next year or two in beautiful high definition, uncut, with new effects, you will be doing without, waiting for the magic price drop. So save your money and do without. I plan to spend my money and enjoy it now.
Like it was mentioned earlier, roughly $5 for one hour of my favortie TV show of all time, remastered,looking and sounding better than ever before, void of blemishes, with all new effects, is hardly unreasonable.
The taco combo meal I just ate cost more than that.
103 - Yeah for production order! I made a VHS tape over 15 years ago called Star Trek Roots with The Cage, Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Corbomite Maneuver, and Space Seed (yeah, I know, but it’s the roots of Star Trek II). Watching as the cast, uniforms, sets and style all come together is a fascinating way to watch Trek. For the evolution of both the show and the Trek Universe - I have to assume that canon acknowledges that when the black collars were introduced they were turtlenecks that got shorter later, Uhura Spock and Scotty really did start out in gold, etc. I understand the airdates have an authority of thier own, especially for those who were introduced to the show with “The Man Trap” in September ‘66.
OTOH, I’m gratified that “The Enterprise Incident” will air *after* “Elaan of Troyius”, (and “Day of the Dove” for that matter) in remastered’s second “season”, as I think it was criminal to introduce the famed Klingon cruiser as a Romulan ship.
It’s too bad that CBS Paramount didn’t invest more in this project. They did good work, but if they had gone the whole hog, refurbishihg the original model for some beauty shots, making the turnover of the thing at the Smithsonian a big hoopla, hired surviving artists/ producers like Bob Justman to help compose shots and searched their archives for original promos and commercials that have been floating around on VHS for decades, they could have charged $200 and people would have rushed out to buy.
You know, stuff is cheaper in the US
I paid £90 a pop for the TNG and DS9 box sets when they came out in the UK. That was around 4 or 5 years ago. At current rates that is over $180!
They came down to around £50 by the end.
I must be mental
Face it, with an iconic series like this, other than the actors, every aspect of TOS should have been revamped and modified to digital perfection. Anything less is totally unacceptable!
I am an admirer of the work CBS Digital, and believe that the rush to completion is driven by the fact that this IS a commercial enterprise.
The cost of re-doing the visual effects for the original series could be fairly high, and the cost of restoration is included in that.
The basis for the project, I believe, was the move to high-definition for syndication of the series.
Broadcasters were offered both high-definition and standard-definition versions of the series for syndication, since high-def is still not quite the standard.
It is not just the new effects in the remastered version, but also the cleaning up and restoration of the prints, and the re-recodring of the main title theme to take advantage of the 5.1 sound mix that is becomming standard.
When CBS-Digital stated a wish to re-do the first 5 remastered episodes using the revised Enterprise mesh, it was contingent on time, money and resources.
If the execs say no, or tell them to leave it until the end of the project, I hope that Paramount/CBS would produce revised disks for this set, and allow an exchange process for the revised versions.
Another thing they might do, for the budget concius, is to release a HD/SD Fan Collective of the top 10 Remastered Classic Trek episodes.
In reality, not every episode is essential for me to own in remastered form:
- The Enterprise Incident
- The Menagerie (Parts 1 and 2)
- Elaan of Troius
- Amok Time
- City on the Edge of Forever
- Space Seed
- The Ultimate Computer
- The Doomsday Machine
- Journey to Babel
- The Cage
It then comes down to what should be considered “Canon”, the originals, or the remastered versions?
But that’s another post.
I would get the complete series, but I’ll have to wait until Budget allows it.
Not that this means much to some, but the set is now ranked at #179 on Amazon. Yesterday it was in the 1000’s.
#58
“oh my god ! another Irish star trek , fan , that makes two of us , 3 more and we can form a fan club ! yes ! . and agreed , box sets here in Ireland ( well really the star trek ones ) are just a rip off ”
YAY!
I’m not alone!
and i totally agree with you,
though the new slim pack editions are way cheaper.
I was just wondering,
Do you guys think that CBS will split up the formats for the other dvd regions?
yunno 2 different releases.
a Hi-def release, and a DVD release.
that’d make it cheper.
and we could decide which one we want.
?
#113 - It’s possible, but I don’t think so.
It would involve a lot more design and packaging work, and would not meet the goal of supporting HD-DVD as the format of choice.
#111
The nice thing about arguing “canon” in the Remastered Trek is that the biggest debate you’re going to get into is whether Mudd has rings or not.
As opposed to other “special” editions where motivations are changed by making certain characters do things before other characters.
Like I said when they first announced Remastered Trek: “As long as the Gorn doesn’t shoot first.”
I have to say that most of the folks I know (including myself) will not be buying these until and unless the price is lowered to AT LEAST less than $100. Even then, I am hesistant due to the format war (which ended up killing the SACD and DVD-A formats which I am still fuming about…if you were ever able to hear some of your favorite music in one of these formats…well…let’s just say that there is no going back :) ).
And I am pretty bummed that they will not be including the original versions…that is a HUGE mistake IMHO.
Really everyone should simply NOT buy these at all…we do have a pretty good chance here to get the price down for once as I seem to see a pretty high consensus even among really hard core fans that they won’t buy these sets until the price is lowered. If we all exercise a little patience and just not pluck our hard earned $$$ down right away, we can make a difference.
Let’s really unite on this and I think we can do it (get the price down)!
Agreed on waiting out the format war. Netflix is now my movie library and, in a manner of speaking, I own ever consumer DVD (standard, Blu-ray and HD-DVD) available to the public.
And one day, a few years from now, I’ll buy this set used on Amazon for $25.
Lower damnit! Try the same price as the current TOS DVD’s or kiss my ass otherwise.
I think the marketing dept. at Paramount/CBS must have made a slight typo. The price should actually be $39.00. Right??
But if the “rip off” price of $139.00 is accurate, I predict these boxset will be an utter failure in sales, and rightly so. (Not to mention a slap in face to all dedicated TOS fans.)
Not being in any hurry to purchase these TOS-R episodes, I will simply wait a year or more until I can purchase them on Ebay at a fraction of this ridiculous pre-order price.
As #118 said so succinctly…”kiss my ass” Paramount/CBS!
Mike :o
#106
While I’m enjoying these episodes in the next year or two in beautiful high definition, uncut, with new effects, you will be doing without, waiting for the magic price drop.
I subscribe to the notion that you can’t miss what you never had so……I’m okay with that. Enjoy those DVD’s!
My money will be spent on other things that will keep me occupied until the inevitable price drop comes. I still don’t have the original season sets, just a few of my two ep DVD’s. And I’m okay with that…..because I’ve watched these eps since 73….seen ‘em enough to go a few years without watching them before.
I’m not buying these unless they are $59.95, $139 is way to expensive!
#119
“But if the “rip off” price of $139.00 is accurate, I predict these boxset will be an utter failure in sales, and rightly so. ..”
See post #112. Your prediction may need revising.
$ 140 is way too expensive for this set!!! I currently own TOS on regular dvd, and I only paid $30 for each season at a used DVD store. As for the format wars, I’m planing on buying a Blu-ray disc player…..there selling those players more then HDDVD players; I dont want to end up buying a format that is going to die out like what DVDs did to the VHS or what VHS did to Beta. When the release a Blu-ray version(with a cheaper $ tag), I’ll consider it
Actually The price isn’t unfair considering a single HD DVD costs about $25.00 BUT!!!!!!!
The Lord will not be purchasing this set because they didn’t go back and fix the earlier episodes for this release. Especially Balance of Terror which to my mind could have been one of the top three effects laden treats and the only real all out mano e mano space battle of the series. This to me shows a complete lack of respect of the fans overwhelming wishes. Those early CG model episodes were embarassing to watch and stick out like a sore thumb (or orange candy cane pinwheel naccles) While I have mostly loved the effort since the new model debuted (despite the occasional painful to watch ship wobble) there were many things we were promised that never materialized (tweeked backdrops, skys, monitors and going back and fixing the early model work) Time constraints or not this is inexcusable!!!! The aired episodes should have been the proving ground. The eventual HD DVD set release most definatley should have been the production model with the tweaks and kins worked out, Instead we get the kinks. No sale. I’ll wait for the eventual re-re release of the episodes where they go back and further enhance everything they promised to us in the first place. Until then I downloaded gorgeous widescreen versions of Space Seed and Trouble with Tribbles from XBOX Live
#122
I’m sure the “die hard Trek fanatics” are ready to purchase these box sets no matter how ridiculous the price is. They are the ones responsible for the high number of pre-order sales on Amazon.com, but that doesn’t automatically translate into continued good sale numbers after the release. We shall see…
I stand behind my original prediction that after the intial surge in sales, these box sets won’t sell in large quantities until the price comes way, way down.
I’m really not convinced that these sets will ever be really big sellers, even if offered at half the current price. That’s because so many of us have already purchased the three Star Trek TOS season box sets, just a few years ago.
Star Trek TOS has been available on VHS tapes, two episode DVD sets, season box sets and now TOS-R HD box sets. How many times will the average Trek fan purchase the same basic product, over and over again?
Mike :o
Netflix!
Interesting that if you take the letters t and f (which, of course, stand for Trek Forever) out of the word netflix, you get Nelix, the name of the character on Voyager! Coincidence? I think not! I smell conspiracy……nyuk, nyuk, nyuk….
On HD/DVD?!! NO THANKS!
I’ll wait for the BLU-RAY version thank you very much.
Besides, by the time the format wars are over, the entire series should be remastered anyhow… on BLU-RAY!!!
Hey, by the time the format wars are over we’ll probably be on the verge of watching a holographic 3-D version of the show!! Oh, yeah baby!!
Harry, you are awesome. I am guaranteed a laugh when I see that you have posted something. And that’s just the serious stuff.
$139???? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha … good one! Paramount’s been smoking a little too much “LDS.”
#129
I must agree. I think I’ll wait around until the Holographic version comes out. ^_~
The remastered episodes look worse than the originals….>_>
Hey, thanks for the kind feedback THX-1138! Tell me, is your post name a tribute to the ‘71 flick, American Grafitti or Swingers?
Even at this price the set is way too expensive. They also should have redone the fx shots of the old CG-model. And, of course, since HD DVD is always advertised as offering unique interactive features, PIP etc. they should have also included the original version of the show in HD using seamless branching on the DVDs and HD DVDs. This sets makes the impression of being an unfinished product and we all know that this won’t be the last time that they’ll release Star Trek on video. Probably, they will come up with a much better version later on (redone fx - e.g. James R. Kirk tombstone, original fx shots in HD via seamless branching, better sound mix with all newly recorded music not just the main theme etc). So I won’t buy this set and will be waiting for a better release, instead.
# 134
Moan moan moan moan, moan. I can understand the price point being annoying, but the other criticisms frankly make me want to slit my throat and be ashamed to be a fan. Christ. What did Shatner famously say again?
I agree with #124 Lord Garth! Paramount should WANT to put out the best TOS product possible, not just for the old fans, but more as “bait” to lure a whole new fan base in for the next 40 years!!! Get the younger audience “hooked” on the old episodes and you have a “built-in” audience more willing to embrace the new film franchise! Do we have to teach these “suits” everything????
# 134
Shatner: “Get a life!” “It’s just a TV show.”
And he’s right. It’s just a TV show. So why should we pay that much money for an unfinished product when we already have the Original Series on DVD? Why does Paramount think they have to charge prices twice as high for television series than competing companies? Why do they think they have to do the same shit as Lucas by not including the original versions of the series as well. Everybody knows that they will eventually come up with another version as many fans don’t like the idea of the original series becoming unavailable or being limited to PAL/NTSC-resolution. It’s just the same as with Star Wars. And I don’t like what they are doing, that’s just MY opinion. People are entitled to their opinion, and should be allowed to voice their criticism, wouldn’t you agree? At least Paramount should know why so many people won’t buy this release. And yes, “moan moan moan”, I believe consumers should be much more critical and shouln’t accept and buy every piece of shit the companies are trying to sell them. And this is just a rip-off. Wait for another release of the Original Series, it will undoubtedly be of better quality and much less expensive. But if you can’t wait, then just buy this release, fine. It’s uncritical minds like you who actually encourage companies in this kind of release policy. Thank you.
Edit, I mean post
#137
I don’t agree with your unreasonably demanding views, sorry.
I agree that some have reasonable issues and others do not. Just like it wasnt reasonable to expect the TOSR team to hire ILM and fix every live action shot, nor is it reasonable to expect them to sell the thing for less than the regular DVDs
I have updated the article with the newly released final box art…and moved it back up
TOS is my favourite Star Trek series!
Already got all three seasons on DVD so I won’t be buying this one.
Well if they are taking the time to crop the live action shots for broadcast in Japan, that’s the version I’d be waiting for to be released. To watch in HD and have the image jump from widescreen to square for live action and back to widescreen for SFX shots would be more then slightly jarring and I won’t pay the ridiculous sum being asked for something I already own a decent version of.
This whole DVD release has been truly handle in a seriously half-assed fashion by CBS/Paramount. Trek may be their cash cow, but when I can go buy a new season of Eureka, Psych, Stargate SG-1 or even I dream of Jeannie for under $50 bucks for a full season, it just makes me sick.
I don’t need the fancy clear plastic case. Put it in a simply carboard slip case in silm cases and call it good. That ought to drop a few bucks off the price. Keep it simple.
After 40 years, the only thing Paramount has learned is how to gouge the fans and it never ends. Hell, Lucas learned a lot from Paramount in doing the same things with Star Wars. Let’s have 10 different releases for the Star Wars films with no significant differences between any of them. HOOBOY!
If they want me to put down $129 dollars, there better be commentary on every episodes, put up trivia, never before seen shots from the set, and bloopers that have been cleaned up and made pretty as well. I’d sooner put down that kind of money for the entire Thunderbird series, before I’d pay that much for a season of Trek.
Paramount exists to make money. They’ve never hidden this fact. They invested millions of dollars into Star Trek (and took a huge risk at the beginning) because they want to make a lot of money. They invested even more money into TOS-R for exactly the same reason, of making as much money as possible.
The only question is whether or not the product is attractive enough to motivate each of us to buy it. For me, the answer is yes, although I’m sure the price will be too much for some.
In the larger sense, as a fan, I want this to make money for Paramount because I want them to keep investing money in new Star Trek TV shows, movies, and DVDs.
Why are there season 2 and 3 photos in this ad? I clearly see “I, Mudd” and the shot of Kirk in the middle looks like a season 3 photo.
As one who grew up watching the series in its original network run I welcome this HD set with welcome arms! Bring it on baby!
LOL!
They made Kirk’s green shirt yellow! Someone probably pointed out the green and said, “fix that shirt, Kirk wears gold” Heh.
Reminds me of an anecdote from the production of “The Cage:” Vina was in the green makeup and the lab didn’t know it was SciFi so they kept “correcting” the green to normal skintones, and the director had the makeup people darken the green a couple times before they realised what the problem was.
I’ll bet whoever “corrected” the green shirt was proud of thier “geek knowledge that Kirk wears gold. :-P
Meehhhhhh….still not cheap enough! I buy for fitty dollahs! No mo…
Fitty dollah at Wahmaht!
TTM
Think I’ll do a test run via Netflix BEFORE I buy…
when the price has dropped by 1/2 to 2/3 original, of course…
WHOA, check out the video preview on startrek.com. They have stuff from “The Galileo Seven” (this coming seasons stuff0! WAY COOL! I’m excited even if I’ll rent this baby at first. Too spendy to begin with.
Thanks for the tip Jim J, looking pretty cool! With the lower price I may have to go ahead and pre-order it. Not as bad as it was and even though I have allready spent quite a bit on trek dvd’s (have all the seasons, movies and DE/CE’s) I had been planning (before the 217 price came about) about getting these as my first HD-DVD. Got an HD television but hadn’t been in any big hurry toward Blu-ray/HD but a friend gave me a link to a pretty nice deal (or so it seems) on a player so may break down and do it soon.
$60 Paramount? Going once……twice… sorry Paramount I won’t be buying this at this rediculous price!!
Complain away about capitalists using capitalism to rip you off.
I support CBS-D 100%, I like the project, I don’t own The Original Series on DVD yet and I’ve been holding it off until the TOS-R came out. Hell, I don’t have an HDTV or an HD-DVD player either. Crap’s expensive. I wanted the Standard transfers, and hoped there’d be a more modestly priced Standard version of the Remastered episodes. Wide screen, not chopped like in syndication, everything but the definition.
The price’s fairness depends on if you’re rich or poor. Or, rich and thrifty or poor and don’t care about throwing money away … but I buy the current … “not going to kill me” priced DVD sets to support them already. They’ve gotten plenty of my support, and they’ll get plenty more when I finish buying one series and start another.
So just shoplift it to spite Paramount, and applaud CBS-D for working so hard to give you a great “modernized” The Original Series. Don’t complain that it’s not THAT great. Remember, it was free.
Afraid of getting caught? Have a friend do it. Ethically against it like a good Trekkie should be? Ethics work great in the 23rd Century, but food costs money too, back here in 2007.
Instead of them ripping you off, rip them off instead. They have no qualms about doing it to you - they’ve already done it. Some one some where has pre-ordered this thing.
Red Devil, your logic escapes me. What have you been smoking?
This new drug called being broke and still wanting that set.
Is it too idealistic to imagine that Paramount/CBS adopt an “update” philosophy in merchandising (like a software update/upgrade). If people who already own the previous commercial releases should get a price break. This thinking is sort of like paying for a new car in you only need new tires. Wishfull thinking on my part I suppose. I already own the first DVD release-I seriously doubt I’ll shell out another $400.00 on these releases, but I’d be willing to update them for $150.00
Say, Red Devil, I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a quarter-ounce of “being broke” today!
I don’t see the point buying anything 1080i when no doubt 1080p will one day be released.
It’s stupid. We have the screens to watch 1080p now. We have the medium to sell it on. The only reason to hold back is just to sell more videos a few years down the line.
This isn’t a criticism of this particular release, just 1080i in general. Why bother with this lame intermediate stage when we can have a much better picture quality with current technology?
considering that a 2 hour film (even an old catalog title) retails for $30 or $35.00, 29 eps. is like 14 2 hr. films. Think how much that would list for? $300 or more.
Not so pricey when you consider that.
The fact that a photo of Kirk in his alternate green tunic has been ‘color-corrected’ to be yellow, says a lot about the care invested in this early DVD release…