The Avengers - Series 5 + 6 replacement discs

[darren]

REVISED STATEMENT FROM OPTIMUM:

AVENGERS SERIES 5 & 6 AUDIO ISSUE

It has come to our attention that the audio of all the Avengers Series 5 episodes and one episode (“THE FORGET-ME-KNOT” on Disc One) of Series 6 carries a pitch level that some people may feel is too high. We recognise that some viewers are dissatisfied with the current audio as it stands and so we have returned to each of the effected episodes and pitch shifted the sound throughout to a lower level that has now addressed the concerns raised.

The revised versions of the episodes will be ready from the beginning of January 2011 and if you wish to replace your current Series 5 discs and Disc One of Series 6 please send the your current discs (separate from the original packaging) with your return address and we will endeavour to return the new versions to you within two weeks from the beginning of January.

Please return your discs to:

The Avengers Series 5/6
Optimum Releasing
50 Marshall Street
London
W1F 9BQ

Many thanks

Optimum Releasing

(Apologies to Darren, but I thought it best to over-write the original statement, so that newcomers to this thread are clear of what to do and see the latest announcement. Alan on behalf of Admin team)

[Prendergast]

Well, that's good. So, I have to order the discs from Amazon UK, take the discs out, send them back to England (at my own expense) and hopefully wait for the replacements.

Ever get deja vu?

Still, cheers for doing the right thing i guess...

[Dandy Forsdyke]

Darren, thanks for passing this info on which I've also read on Roobarb's.

It is such a relief that TPTB have acknowleged that this is an issue and they're doing something about it.

What, with stoney silence from Optimum and then even quarrels on Roobarb's that Avengers fans were now nitpicking, leading to infractions and temp. membership suspensions, I really thought that this was getting out of hand.

Sense has prevailed and I'll be ordering the complete box set + extra disc in the New Year.

[Cybernowt]

What, with stoney silence from Optimum..

Yesss.. that really was unnecessary. Someone should have said something weeks ago - no matter how short a message.

If someone would care to let us know when Amazon's stocks will be 'upgraded', it would be kind, thank you.

[jld21]

What, with stoney silence from Optimum..

If someone would care to let us know when Amazon's stocks will be 'upgraded', it would be kind, thank you.

I agree! I have already bought the set and paid to have it returned for a refund, so I would prefer to wait until I know the stock at Amazon is replacement stock than buy the set again and post it off for replacement discs.

[dissolute]

What, with stoney silence from Optimum...

I'm not sure that's exactly right - Optimum *did* announce they were reviewing the sets, and now they've announced they've remastered the entire set.

I think we should be thankful that Optimum are receptive to community feedback (and it's probably a good thing they're a subsiduary of Canal+ and can afford to).

Don't bite the hand that feeds - Canal+/Optimum have so much to offer us and there may be more up their sleeves (nudge, nudge)

[Alan]

Dissolute is quite right. Optimum made a statement and said there would be a subsequent announcement. There have made that subsequent announcement. Hardly a "stony silence".

Obviously we'd be far happier if these mistakes weren't made in the first place, but this must be a significant operation/expense for Optimum - and they could very easily have decided to ignore the complaints and not correct the discs.

The fact that they have listened and have made the announcements they promised to - and have offered replacements, is to be applauded in a day and age where companies' normal operating procedure is 'put up and shut up'.

[Mr S]

Thank goodness - we need the proper audio to go along with the wonderful picture quality. I know it's annoying that Optimum have made so many mistakes, but at least they're taking the responsibility to fix them.

[davidf]

Wait a minute, they pitch shifted back ?

They didn't need to pitch it back, they needed to use the correct audio in the first place.

We don't want wrongly pitch shifted audio to be electronically corrected... we want the correct audio to be used straight.

All the current audio should just be trown away, and then replaced with correct audio.

Apparently, they corrected the audio that was modified. It's still wrong because it's a modified audio in the first place.

[Frankymole]

What, with stoney silence from Optimum..

If someone would care to let us know when Amazon's stocks will be 'upgraded', it would be kind, thank you.

I agree! I have already bought the set and paid to have it returned for a refund, so I would prefer to wait until I know the stock at Amazon is replacement stock than buy the set again and post it off for replacement discs.

Looks like there will be no choice. They aren't sending fixed sets to retail.

"...some people may feel is too high". So for those who are aware of it, significant postage costs have to be incurred?

It is a shame that what could have been a glorious showcase edition in Britain of this home-grown show is now on the shelves at less than optimum standard.

Interesting that Optimum say "we have returned to the original material and pitch shifted the audio throughout the episodes to a lower level ". I thought it was Canal+ who did the remastering, including sound, but Optimum say they themselves have "pitch shifted" the originals.

The B&W Emma Peel season wasn't pitch-shifted at all, so it had the standard PAL speedup (4%) which the episodes have always been shown with in the UK. Presumably, though, the colour episodes will feature Emma talking 4% lower in pitch than we're used to.