RD Series I – XIII Boxset

[Android 72264Y]

I received the boxset coinciding on my birthday, if anyone has any related questions let me know  

Topic

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

Oh cool, looks great.  Happy birthday.

One thing we all want to know is if the series 3 and 5 discs are correct or do they have the issues the original blu-ray set had which lead to them sending out replacement discs.

[Android 72264Y]

Oh cool, looks great.  Happy birthday.
One thing we all want to know is if the series 3 and 5 discs are correct or do they have the issues the original blu-ray set had which lead to them sending out replacement discs.

Played their respective episodes without issue or glitches. So far, so good.

[Dave]

That’s good to hear.

Do the AA ads include the radio ones, or just the TV ads?

[Stephen R. Fletcher]

Is it ‘Thanks For The Memories’ or ‘Thanks For The Memory’ on the Series II blu-ray menu? 

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

Is it ‘Thanks For The Memories’ or ‘Thanks For The Memory’ on the Series II blu-ray menu? 

Good one 

Oh cool, looks great.  Happy birthday.
One thing we all want to know is if the series 3 and 5 discs are correct or do they have the issues the original blu-ray set had which lead to them sending out replacement discs.

Played their respective episodes without issue or glitches. So far, so good.

ditto. Thanks 

[Android 72264Y]

Is it ‘Thanks For The Memories’ or ‘Thanks For The Memory’ on the Series II blu-ray menu? 

According to the booklet, it’s the latter 

[Android 72264Y]

That’s good to hear.
Do the AA ads include the radio ones, or just the TV ads?

Just the TV ads (20, 50 & 60 sec)

[Dave]

Cheers!

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

General question for everyone. With this boxset can we now start using roman numerals for series 1 and 2, too?

[Warbodog]

General question for everyone. With this boxset can we now start using roman numerals for series 1 and 2, too?

They’ve been used since at least the 1992 videos for consistency and sense, so go crazy.

[Moonlight]

I don’t know if you could even check this, but is Back to Earth still 1080i with a variable framerate?

[Android 72264Y]

I don’t know if you could even check this, but is Back to Earth still 1080i with a variable framerate?

I can’t really say but it should be consistent 

[Flap Jack]

According to the booklet, it’s the latter

I wouldn’t expect the booklet to mirror the mistake, if it wasn’t fixed.

[Ian Symes]

Beaten to the punch by my own forum. Review coming later this week!

[Unrumble]

[Podey]

I’m hoping this comes out on DVD.

[Dave]

I’m hoping this comes out on DVD.

[Warbodog]

[Dave]

[International Debris]

Any idea if this’ll ever be on TV?

[Podey]

What I mean is, I want to financially support a new Dwarf release but don’t have a player for that format.

Also happens I don’t already own everything that’s on it (basically the modern stuff) which is handy. 

[MANI506]

I have the box set and looking forward to getting stuck in. I suppose the big advantage of this set is it literally tells me where to slot in Bodysnatcher and Just The Smegs whereas in the past I’ve made gut decisions. Nothing will ever match the excitement of the initial DVD run (with it’s beautifully designed layouts and booklets).

[Unrumble]

[Flap Jack]

[Moonlight]

Ian’s review should focus exclusively on whether the entire Dave era is now progressive scan and if there are 5.1 mixes on episodes that didn’t have them on the original Blu-ray (X is 5.1 but XI/XII aren’t which is odd).

[si]

Is Beat The Geek in there though?

[MANI506]

I looked on the box and I gather that both series X and Promised Land are 5.1 with the rest being good ol’ stereo (or a version of).

[MANI506]

I’m hoping to hear atmospheric titters from 2012 G&T staff in the rear speakers of X.

[Unrumble]

Atmospheric elbow-titters maybe…

[Dave]

Is Beat The Geek in there though?

No, they’re saving that for the 4K remaster.

[Flap Jack]

Personally I’m expecting absolutely 0 changes to any of the discs compared to when they last released, and hadn’t even considered that they might fix the “Thanks for the Memories” thing until Stephen mentioned it. Prove me wrong, BBC, but I will be shocked if e.g. the Back to Earth disc doesn’t still have the now-quaint Blu-ray set up guide menu option.

[Flap Jack]

Ian’s review should focus exclusively on whether the entire Dave era is
now progressive scan and if there are 5.1 mixes on episodes that didn’t
have them on the original Blu-ray (X is 5.1 but XI/XII aren’t which is
odd).

OK, wait, are you hoping it has been made progressive, or do you want reassurance that it hasn’t? Because my understanding is that interlaced HD is the authentic way to present UK TV on Blu-ray, so it would be odd for them to go out of their way to change it if it’s already in that format.

[Moonlight]

I was assuming Back to Earth being interlaced was just related to how early Blu-rays were generally interlaced due to technical limitations. If that’s the correct format then it’s fine. The fucked up variable framerate that makes it difficult to rip and transcode is the main thing I’m worried about with that specific installment.

[Flap Jack]

Oh yeah, the variable frame rate is definitely weird. I wonder if that made Back to Earth harder to feed into the Smega-Drive than the other series?

But interlaced in general should be OK because Blu-ray players are meant to deinterlace the image for you (unless you tell them not to), so it’s progressive when you watch it.

[MANI506]

Is it ‘Thanks For The Memories’ or ‘Thanks For The Memory’ on the Series II blu-ray menu? 

Thanks For The Memories. First thing I checked.

[Niki Hutchinson]

What are the Menus like Android ? (If they bothered to do any new versions for this release)

[Moonlight]

The fact that the episode title is still wrong suggests they’re the same on I-VIII at least.

[MANI506]

Yes, exactly the same.

[Moonlight]

What about the Dave era discs?

[Meteo]

Looks awesome. And Big.

Pity I don’t do Blu-Ray. Bah. How are the Extras?

[RunawayTrain]

Looks awesome. And Big.

Pity I don’t do Blu-Ray. Bah. How are the Extras?

This is what made it actually click in my head that this is a Blu-Ray set (despite taking the mick out of previous AI cover versions, I now remember). 

If I’m ever in a position to be able to easily play Blu Rays again then yeah I might get this.  Especially as we have a much better TV now since I was last in a position to do so

[Moonlight]

If I’m ever in a position to be able to easily play Blu Rays again

Am I weirdo for finding it strange that anyone doesn’t have this readily available?

[Warbodog]

[Quinn: Clochebusters World Champion]

Am I weirdo for finding it strange that anyone doesn’t have this readily available?

Well I wouldn’t say weirdo, but blu-ray was by no way as ubiquitous as DVD.  People were willing to change over to DVD for a better quality and experience from VHS, and computers started to ship with DVD players, as well as TV-DVD combos, games consoles etc

For blu-ray, unless you specific bought a very expensive blu-ray player (or a PS4) you wouldn’t have an option to play a disc that to most people wasn’t much different than a DVD.

[Rushy]

Same for me. I’ve never touched a Blu-Ray

[Flap Jack]

To me it is a bit weird, at least among those who are fanatic about TV, movies and/or video games, because Blu-rays have been around for over 15 years, the players are much more affordable now (and they’ve been built in to the last 3 PlayStations and the last 2 Xboxes), and Blu-ray is the only way to properly own HD media.

However, consciously I understand that DVD was and is “good enough” quality wise for a lot of people, and that for many who would have switched over eventually, streaming came along and was the next level of “good enough”. Several years after DVD was introduced, VHS was fully dead, but even now DVD is a more popular format than Blu-ray.

[cwickham]

[Rushy]

but even now DVD is a more popular format than Blu-ray.

Cheaper and no more bulky than a Blu-Ray

[MANI506]

I resisted blu ray for years but it was a bit of intrigue for the Trial Of A Timelord Collection in 2019 that persuaded me to make the leap. In most cases DVDs are perfectly cromulant.

[Jonsmad]

I had quite a few vhs box sets. So didn’t need DVD until Red Dwarf 1 came. Which is about the 5th year of DVDs being a thing. Nothing came out that was blu ray exclusive in my needs until the hitch hikers set, which i coveted and eventually got as late as 2020 when I moved in with my future wife who had a player in the house. Since then young ones & blackadder have joined my must have list on the format. But it’s more a format for film and quality buffs, not tv geeks that don’t mind streaming crappy vhs uploads etc, where it’s about seeing and hearing a joke or drama and not the amazement of pixels. I have almost zero vhs now and no player. The conversion of my dvd collection to Blu-ray is both impossible, expensive and mostly pointless. So it’s a select interest for a few other sets or films that might benefit me owning them on the format. Hence not needing to rush to get this dwarf box sets either. But I like it and one day more cheaply I might grab it. 

[Author]

Replies