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Specials R1 box set confirmed

That's kinda cool/odd/different that Lindsay Duncan is credited before David Tennant on The Waters of Mars.
 
Captain Pike said:
I always thought there would be..
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Same here, however a few weeks back a few sites were describing this more as a "combo pack" -- suggesting it would simply be the 4 sets cellotaped together, sort of like how you can buy things like the complete Mission Impossible with the 7 already-released sets in one box. In other words, with no extra features that hadn't already been included in the individual releases. The fact BBC Video is also releasing the episodes individually -- which is normal for the UK but has never happened in Region 1 -- had also cast an uncertain light on whether they were going to bother to put out a set this time around.

Now that an actual "box set" has been confirmed, that opens the door for there to be additional material included that might not have been in the individual specials releases. For example, David Tennant did some of his great video diaries for Planet of the Dead, yet these weren't included when POTD came out last spring on DVD/Blu-Ray. That said we've yet to actually see a list of the contents, so it could just end up being the 4 sets that we could buy individually for cheaper. Or they could do what they did with Get Smart and indeed have the 4 original sets, plus an extra disc of material unique to the box set collection.

But now that TVShowsonDVD has presented cover art, it increases the chance of this being an actual "proper" box set.

Alex
 
Interesting.... they're releasing the individual set sets as well as a boxed set (made of all the individuals) at the same time.
 
Neroon said:
Interesting.... they're releasing the individual set sets as well as a boxed set (made of all the individuals) at the same time.
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That was the other thing that made me question (and still makes me question) whether this will be the same sort of box set we've become used to. Considering past box sets have been on the pricey side, I'm holding off on pre-ordering it or anything until I find out whether or not it'll be worth it. If it's just a "convenience pack" it might be cheaper to just get the individual Waters of Mars and End of Time releases (I already have Next Doctor and POTD). If it includes extra stuff, then there's no need for me to get the last 2 stories on their own. On the other hand, if the set omits anything -- like Doctor Who at the Proms -- then there'll likewise be no incentive to invest in a set.

Alex
 
"Fantastic"! I only have TND & PotD on tape from when they aired on SPACE, so I'm glad I didn't get the "vanilla" DVDs of either of those.
 
Worf2DS9 said:
"Fantastic"! I only have TND & PotD on tape from when they aired on SPACE, so I'm glad I didn't get the "vanilla" DVDs of either of those.
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To be fair, they weren't really vanilla, as one had Confidential and the other had the Proms concert with the Music of the Spheres mini-episode. That's the item to watch for. If some weird licensing issue arises and the Proms concert isn't included in the box set, folks will need to hunt down the Planet of the Dead DVD or Blu-Ray as that's the only place to see Music of the Spheres.

Alex
 
This is good news! Now I don't have to attempt to borrow my sister's TV for BBC America, I can just wait a month!
 
Yes and no. If all they're doing is upconverting it's unclear how much of an improvement there will be over what a blu ray/dvd player/tv can do. Granted starting with PAL means the original image is slightly better than a DVD, but not much. For The Next Doctor it makes sense since it allows the set to be completed. But will people really people really go out and re-buy the first 4 seasons just for an upconverted PAL image instead of an upconverted DVD image? Doubtfull. I'm not even sure if people who don't own the DVDs could be convinced to pay a price premium. If a single BD disc of The Next Doctor is released then there is a possibility of seeing previous releases, but as long as The Next Doctor on DB is limited to the set, then I wouldn't count on any other upconverted releases.
 
AviTrek said:
Yes and no. If all they're doing is upconverting it's unclear how much of an improvement there will be over what a blu ray/dvd player/tv can do. Granted starting with PAL means the original image is slightly better than a DVD, but not much. For The Next Doctor it makes sense since it allows the set to be completed. But will people really people really go out and re-buy the first 4 seasons just for an upconverted PAL image instead of an upconverted DVD image? Doubtfull. I'm not even sure if people who don't own the DVDs could be convinced to pay a price premium. If a single BD disc of The Next Doctor is released then there is a possibility of seeing previous releases, but as long as The Next Doctor on DB is limited to the set, then I wouldn't count on any other upconverted releases.
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I think the market will decide. The fact most Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible to DVD mean there really isn't much incentive -- or need -- to upconvert. However there are people now -- look around this very board and you'll see them -- who refuse to buy standard DVD anymore, and have stated they will only buy BR releases. So if it gets to the point where sales of not only the first few seasons of the revival but the classic series as well began to plummet as more people take on this attitude, then 2 Entertain/BBC Video will have no choice but to upconvert the older material. (This also goes for other DVD companies, too.)

Also, there have been no guarantees made that Blu-Ray players will ALWAYS play DVD. As I recall, when PS2 came along a big selling point was that it would play all PS1 games. Then PS3 came along and it was supposed to be backwards compatible with all PS2 and all PS1, but it didn't work out that way. And on PCs, you try running older software, or older media like "Real Player 2" and you're out of luck -- the technology won't let you. I've lost some irreplaceable sound files that were encoded in an obsolete version of Real Audio, and when they "upgraded" to newer versions, they no longer played. Everyone has forgotten when DVD players changed standards about a decade ago, rendering many early DVD releases unplayable. Who is to say some upgrade to Blu-Ray won't come along in 2011 that removes backwards compatibility?

I am in full agreement -- unless something is made specifically for high-definition, there's really no NEED to upconvert. I saw a bit of the HD version of Snow White and it just looked like a well-restored DVD print. But if the market has brainwashed itself into only wanting to buy sets with that blue band along the top of the box, or if Blu-Ray doesn't maintain backwards compatibility, then they're going to have to do it if they want to keep selling.

Alex
 
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