Why the Feb 8th DVD date?

[thomas7g]

I was looking at the original series DVDs. I was thinking of getting a widescreen version to go with my cylon head box.

But the thing says it won't be out till Feb 8th, 2005!

But I know it should be out. :(

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000AFX64/ref=pd_sxp_elt_l1/104-5346002-9404738

:(

[Omega]

That's really confusing. They're showing it with the same cover that the widescreen version I got a year ago at Christmas has!

[kingfish]

I would advise a preorder at the lower price. With the original series rerelease I thought the price would be $62.99 all the time and didn't bother with a preorder. Well the price is now $89.99.

[Charybdis]

Aren't all previous Saga of a Star World releases full screen?? Is this the first wide-screen version that will be released?

[kingfish]

No. The only full screen release is in the box set. This was the other cover:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000IQW0.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


which was supposed widescreen but isn't.

[Gemini1999]

Paul -

That's the one I bought prior to the TOS DVD set.... I was sucked in by the "widescreen" label!

Bryan

[kingfish]

Paul -

That's the one I bought prior to the TOS DVD set.... I was sucked in by the "widescreen" label!

Bryan



I also purchased the DVD for $19.95. I believe that the one being released in february is the same fake widescreen one as we both purchased with a different coverart. http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000AFX64.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[Darrell Lawrence]

I have the early "movie" version with that old cover. It is widescreen.

Mind you, though, that their "wide screen" for the theaters *and* that DVD are actually the top and bottom cut off, not a true wide screen.

[Omega]

I have the early "movie" version with that old cover. It is widescreen.

Mind you, though, that their "wide screen" for the theaters *and* that DVD are actually the top and bottom cut off, not a true wide screen.

I was wondering that. I've had the new "widescreen" version for a year, but never watched it because I got the series at the same time. I was going to check for sure, but it was my suspicion that it had just been made into "widescreen" by matting the top and bottom. But I also figured that may have been what they had done in theaters, since I doubted that much of it was actually shot in widescreen.

Coupled with the mono soundtrack, it's almost but not entirely useless to anyone who owns the series, its one redeeming characteristic being that it moves the story along a little faster if you're looking to fill a movie-length time slot with some TOS. And, I guess the completist in me is a bit glad to have the version that was actually shown in theaters, soft mattes and all.

And, I have a guess as to why they are re-releasing it in February: the version that I got last year is a double-sided disc, and the second side has a little featurette on the making of the PS2 game and on the Scifi miniseries ("Now airing"). My guess is that they're just re-releasing it in February without the second side on it, and maybe with a label.

[Omega]

Mind you, though, that their "wide screen" for the theaters *and* that DVD are actually the top and bottom cut off, not a true wide screen.

For those not familiar, this is actually done for quite a few movies- see http://www.widescreen.org/widescreen_matted.shtml

If you look at the "Fish Called Wanda" example and compare to the BSG movie, you'll see that which is better all depends on what the director intended. The original format is the preferred one, whichever that is (matted widescreen for "Wanda" and fullscreen for BSG).

(Some of you may have heard of a tangentially-related issue recently; there's a class-action suit accusing MGM of fraud with regard to widescreen movies. Some sources have (mis)interpreted the suit as saying that matting, like was done with BSG, is fraudulent, but if you actually read the brief you'll see that they're just claiming that a silly little diagram on the back of MGM's boxes, which shows a 4:3 rectangle and a 16:9 rectangle, and shows them as the same height, is fraudulent because it's actually the width that's the same. Pretty silly if you ask me.)

[Charybdis]

I have been seeing a BSG Widescreen disc at Wal-Mart for several months now. It has the cover of the shiny Cylon on it that was pictured above. Which version is that???

And is there a newer version coming out next week?

[Darrell Lawrence]

That'd be the "widescreen" theatrical release that was re-released at teh time the season DVD's were released.

There is *NO* "widescreen osBG in existance. It is cut off at the top and bottom. Any future, to incluse the Feb 8th version, will be the same as the original "widescreen" release.