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norw27
Little Wonder
Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Posts: 161
Location: Norwich
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 Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:47 am Post subject: |
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I still have the old Contender sets and the new Series 6 Optimum set and there is no comparison! Yes there have been faults but this series has never looked so good and frankly looking at the old sets now makes me wonder how I ever watched them in the first place! The Contender Tara episodes have cuts and are mostly grubby looking.
The only faults on the Optimum are of course the first disc (The forget-Me-Knot) and the flickering on Legacy of Death which isn't really that annoying. I have noticed that the odd episode does seem to have an odd hue to it - mainly My Wildest Dream which seems a bit "yellowy" to me but honestly these episodes look fabulous! And then of course there are the extras which are fab - The Contender Tara sets have none! |
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Frankymole
Diabolical Mastermind
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 5671
Location: Carmadoc Research Establishment
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| Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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That's all very well, but it's not unreasonable for fans who pay the high prices of these new sets to want them to be fault-free. They look good (barring the Legacy of Death problems) but to get the sound wrong on a whole season seems sloppy and careless quality control-wise.
What "cuts" were there on the Contender season 6 sets?
| cyberrich wrote: | | Franky, what did you think of the contender dvd sets. Did you buy all of the Emma and Tara episodes? Were there any faults with them? I'm not sure whether to buy them off ebay instead of these new sets. There does seem to be a few problems with Optimum's quality control dept, which is a real shame. Thanks, Rich. |
Season 6 are very variable film prints, thanks to Canal+ providing all licensees (not just Contender) with second-rate prints in most instances. They're watchable enough on DVD but not in the same league as the VHS releases, and clearly inferior to the new restored masters (except Legacy of Death and its infamous "variable brightness", obviously). Season 5 (colour Emma) is fine to my eyes, if you just want the episodes and not the new extras. Season 4 (B+W Emma) is very good and doesn't have the crushed blacks so in some ways it could even be superior, but to be honest if I was you I'd rather have the new Optimum sets - if you can get the fixed ones. Probably worth waiting for them to come down in price!
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DiVicenzo
The Big Thinker
Joined: 04 Sep 2008
Posts: 1476
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:28 am Post subject: |
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| DiVicenzo wrote: | Franky - when I sent the above reply from Optimum to Amazon and Play - Amazon have come back to me with the following:
Thank you for contacting Amazon.co.uk with your query
In order to address this query efficiently, we will need to carry out a physical check of the item in our Fulfilment Centre.
I have therefore requested that our inventory of "The Avengers - Series 5 [DVD] [1966]" be examined by a member of our Fulfilment Team.
I will contact you back on or before February 18, 2011 with an update on this query.
We endeavour to complete our research in a timely manner.
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Well, the 'Fulifilment Team' didn't come up trumps I'm afraid - this is what amazon said:
"I have been contacted by our fulfilment center and found the information on the product states "Digitally restored edition", we are unable to determine the version of the item.
I understand that sometimes the amount of information we display can make deciding on an item difficult, unless you already know something about the product. Our editorial staff are constantly working on increasing the information we provide about each item as it becomes available to us.
However, the information listed for this product on our website is all the publisher has passed along to us.
As a next step I would recommend searching for the information you require using one of the Web search engines, such as Google. "
So, it's back to Optimum showing them this reply - we are not getting very far, are we?
Barry
sic friat crustulum |
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norw27
Little Wonder
Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Posts: 161
Location: Norwich
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:39 am Post subject: |
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Obviously I don't mean settle for anything, the faults should not be there! I still haven't bought the Series 5 set yet as I'm waiting to establish whether stores have the new versions, what I was trying to get across was once the problems have been sorted, in my opinion it would be better to opt for the new sets.
There weren't many cuts, I think Fog and Steeds fight with the Butler in Game was cut for some reason. |
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cyberrich
Site Admin
Joined: 05 Sep 2008
Posts: 1331
Location: Midlands, U.K.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:35 am Post subject: |
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| norw27 wrote: | | I don't mean settle for anything |
I have bought many dvd box sets (of 1960s classics) which I have watched without any major quibbles. The one series I couldn't settle for anything less though is my favourite, The Avengers. This is why I have waited, and waited, and waited!  I have every episode on VHS, either bought or taped off the telly, and they are fine to watch. No major problems. Certainly no sound quality issues or flickering, etc. I really hope the complete box set in March irons out all the problems everyone has experienced. In the meantime, what else can I do but continue with the waiting game.  Rich. |
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Dandy Forsdyke
Diabolical Mastermind
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 5279
Location: Camberwick Green
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| Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:50 am Post subject: |
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| cyberrich wrote: | | I really hope the complete box set in March irons out all the problems everyone has experienced. |
May 9 now ...
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MRotten
Winged Avenger
Joined: 14 Oct 2009
Posts: 571
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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| Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Dandy Forsdyke wrote: | | cyberrich wrote: | | I really hope the complete box set in March irons out all the problems everyone has experienced. |
May 9 now ... |
Good. Gives me more time to save up for it. |
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DiVicenzo
The Big Thinker
Joined: 04 Sep 2008
Posts: 1476
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Frankymole
Diabolical Mastermind
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 5671
Location: Carmadoc Research Establishment
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| Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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Good luck Barry - please let us know if moviemail works out!
23 customer reviews at Amazon and only 2.5 stars out of 5 as its average score.
These errors by Canal/Optimum must really be hitting their sales, if a large enough percentage of buyers use online "etailers" and see the crappy reviews.
In the UK there are few shops where you can buy DVD box sets now (HMV?), and the word of mouth isn't good.
Perhaps if they had better communication and didn't ignore some problems (like the Legacy of Death one, and for some time the season 5 audio glitches) the customer response might not be so harsh?
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Cybernowt
Little Wonder
Joined: 06 Jul 2010
Posts: 240
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Frankymole wrote: |
In the UK there are few shops where you can buy DVD box sets now (HMV?), and the word of mouth isn't good. |
And HMV sells them at full rrp.. series 2 was £80 when I saw it!! |
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Dandy Forsdyke
Diabolical Mastermind
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 5279
Location: Camberwick Green
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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The future of HMV is bleak. 60 stores closing down in the UK (some are predicting many more) and disappearing from Canada. News like this won't help.
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DiVicenzo
The Big Thinker
Joined: 04 Sep 2008
Posts: 1476
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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Here's the reply from 'moviemail' - so, I have asked them to clarify that it is indeed 'version 3' they have in writing (email) before I buy:
"Dear Sir
The version of DVD's sold is the Optimum issued replacement versions of Avengers Series 5.
Kind Regards
Matthew Wilding"
And, the beat goes on.....
Barry
sic friat crustulum
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Last edited by DiVicenzo on Sat Feb 26, 2011 12:51 am; edited 5 times in total |
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cyberrich
Site Admin
Joined: 05 Sep 2008
Posts: 1331
Location: Midlands, U.K.
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:37 am Post subject: |
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| Does this mean that series 5 has been amended so that the audio is now at the correct pitch. I still haven't been brave enough to buy any Avengers dvds yet. I'll wait for the complete box set, and I'll be reading all the reviews on here before I buy! Rich. |
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Cybernowt
Little Wonder
Joined: 06 Jul 2010
Posts: 240
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| Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Dandy Forsdyke wrote: | | The future of HMV is bleak. 60 stores closing down in the UK (some are predicting many more) and disappearing from Canada. News like this won't help. |
I saw that one had closed in Nottingham.. but there were three. Didnt go near where the other 2 are/were. |
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DiVicenzo
The Big Thinker
Joined: 04 Sep 2008
Posts: 1476
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| Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 12:52 am Post subject: |
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| DiVicenzo wrote: | Here's the reply from 'moviemail' - so, I have asked them to clarify that it is indeed 'version 3' they have in writing (email) before I buy:
"Dear Sir
The version of DVD's sold is the Optimum issued replacement versions of Avengers Series 5.
Kind Regards
Matthew Wilding"
And, the beat goes on.....
Barry
sic friat crustulum
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Well, it seems moviemail didn't have the version 3 discs - here's a post from DLJ Mann who has kept me up to date on the amazon site:
"Hi Barry,
bad news I'm afraid - discs that moviemail sent me were not the correct ones. I told them what I thought in my feedback. I sent the lot off to Optimum for replacements - fingers crossed."
Barry
sic friat crustulum
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Frankymole
Diabolical Mastermind
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 5671
Location: Carmadoc Research Establishment
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| Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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Amazon currently states (for series 5): "Item Under Review
This product is not currently offered by Amazon.co.uk because a customer recently told us that the item he or she received was not as described. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you may still find this product available from other sellers on this page."
Not sure what the issue is, but presumably non-fixed versions are still being sold.
Series 6 is still on sale though, "Legacy of Death" and "Forget-Me-Knot" faults notwithstanding.
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Frankymole
Diabolical Mastermind
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 5671
Location: Carmadoc Research Establishment
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| Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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Someone on Roobarb's ordered Series 4, 5 and 6 from Cavalcade (the distribution arm of Optimum) on the basis that since they know about the faults now they should not be sending out dud sets any longer. The poster received ALL old versions. The company was happy to give them their money back on return, but that was not the point; they sent them back through the standard route for replacement with the correct discs, but why are Optimum still sending out faulty discs?
It seems clear that Optimum had stock of the "old", un-fixed versions that they're still trying to offload on unsuspecting customers. Some people will not bother to seek replacements, perhaps they'll wrap the sets up as gifts and not spot the errors. I suppose it makes business sense but it smacks heavily of sharp practice. Cavalcade of DVDs no longer show series 5 and 6 for sale, but do have series 4 for only £26, so I'm very tempted to risk a purchase.
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Dandy Forsdyke
Diabolical Mastermind
Joined: 01 Sep 2008
Posts: 5279
Location: Camberwick Green
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| Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:26 am Post subject: |
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It doesn't even make business sense, not in the long run. Once faults like this are noticed customer dissatisfaction and damaged confidence in anything with Optimum's name attached will increase.
I know, once this seemingly never ending saga is over, I'll keep a wide berth of any product with the Optimum imprint.
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Prendergast
Thingumajig
Joined: 04 Sep 2008
Posts: 85
Location: Dark Country House
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| Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Frankly, I regret selling my A&E sets. What a mess. |
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norw27
Little Wonder
Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Posts: 161
Location: Norwich
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| Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:30 am Post subject: |
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I have just received this set through the post and they are all V3 discs.
I ordered through Calvacade on play.com at the bargain price of £25 so I am very happy and I'm now going to start working my way through the episodes - from what I've seen so far they look fabulous! |
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