The Avengers Optimum Release - US?

John Johnson · Post by **John Johnson** » Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:24 am

Any word when the season sets might be making their way to the U.S.?

timlamb · Post by **timlamb** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:10 pm

No Kiddng? I honestly think the biggest hold up is the bluray release of these titles. Studio Canal needs to get off thier butt and release these titles on bluray as they were originally supposed to be. Bluray is ridiculously affordable in the US with decent titles as low as $5. DVD is a dwindling market in the US. For the Honor Blackmen episodes dvd is fine due to the limitations of the 405 line format used at the time. Since all the rest was shot on 35mm film anything but 1080p would be a severe waste of the source material available.

John Johnson · Post by **John Johnson** » Mon Aug 08, 2011 3:45 pm

So, that's a no then? LOL

ikbtops · Post by **ikbtops** » Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:06 pm

I've been posting on here for a couple of years hoping to hear some news from those " in the know". Unfortunately most who are, don't really know or seem to care about a U.S. Blu ray release. Now that they've got their new optimum set released for region 2, I'm sure indifference has grown even more. I'm hoping A&E comes around and picks it up like they did 'The Prisoner' ,although it is much more of an undertaking.

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:59 pm

ikbtops wrote:I've been posting on here for a couple of years hoping to hear some news from those " in the know". Unfortunately most who are, don't really know or seem to care about a U.S. Blu ray release. Now that they've got their new optimum set released for region 2, I'm sure indifference has grown even more.

That's rubbish. Utter rubbish.

As someone who has been "in the know" with the UK releases (and is no doubt one of "those" to whom you refer), I can guarantee that I do care about a US release, am not indifferent and am well aware that a Region 2 DVD release is not the be all and end all, even for people like myself in the UK.

However, my desire for a US release (or a Blu-ray release - anywhere!) isn't going to make a jot of difference unless a company in the US thinks the series is a viable proposition. Ditto for Blu-ray releases in Europe.

The best I can advise is for US-based fans to contact companies like A&E, Acorn and others (I'm sure you'll have a better idea of the companies who have cult TV ranges there than I do) and politely suggest that they investigate the possiblity of releasing the series in North America.

Please don't interpret a lack of news as meaning that people supposedly "in the know" don't care.

darren · Post by **darren** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:12 am

ikbtops wrote:I've been posting on here for a couple of years hoping to hear some news from those " in the know". Unfortunately most who are, don't really know or seem to care about a U.S. Blu ray release. Now that they've got their new optimum set released for region 2, I'm sure indifference has grown even more. I'm hoping A&E comes around and picks it up like they did 'The Prisoner' ,although it is much more of an undertaking.

With respect, any release in the US has got preciously little to do with those in the UK, why would they know about it.

Any lack of comment has probably also got a lot to do with the hassle that buying the UK releases has involved with constantly having to send off for replacements. It does sour your enthusiasm.

timlamb · Post by **timlamb** » Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:35 pm

Alan wrote:[However, my desire for a US release (or a Blu-ray release - anywhere!) isn't going to make a jot of difference unless a company in the US thinks the series is a viable proposition. Ditto for Blu-ray releases in Europe.

The best I can advise is for US-based fans to contact companies like A&E, Acorn and others (I'm sure you'll have a better idea of the companies who have cult TV ranges there than I do) and politely suggest that they investigate the possiblity of releasing the series in North America.

Alan, has any country besides the UK and possibly Germany released the remastered series? I just think from a financial perspective it would be to Studio Canal's benefit to really push this product to other markets to get a return of thier investment. What I am saying is they should be making a conserted effort to get this title to markets besides the UK and Germany. My opinion on the lack of a bluray release has nothing to do with viability. It has to do with milking Avengers fans into a double dip. Which will happen.

The original camera negatives were used for the restoration so 576 x 720 will hardly capture the resolution of 35mm film. Neither will 1080 x 1920 as in reality 4K is needed to capture all the information. I don't know the resolution they were scanned in but I do know it wasn't in standard definition. This more than likely was a 2K scan of the OCN and quite frankly the bluray would blow any dvd out of the water. DVD in the states is really dwindilng and new catalog blurays can be had for $9 at walmart. Here's to hoping the blurays come out soon. I will take The Persuaders as well.

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Wed Aug 24, 2011 10:51 pm

The full remastered series has only been released in the UK and Germany, Tim. Series 5 has been released in remastered form in Australia, but the release hasn't been followed up.

Your suggestion that Studio Canal should "really push this product to other markets to get a return of their investment" is a sensible one, but they seem pretty slow to do anything about this, notably when you consider that they have yet to reissue the series in remastered form in their own territory, France.

I think your suggestion of a Blu-ray edition being designed as the second part in a "double dip" is accurate, but I don't think the UK sales of the DVDs have been particularly impressive, so I doubt that the follow-on Blu-rays are now the given that they once were.

If I'm brutally honest, I think we have a long wait ahead of us before we see the series on Blu-ray, anywhere.

MLP* · Post by MLP* » Thu Aug 25, 2011 4:51 am

I held off buying the DVDs in the hope of a Blu-Ray announcement.

When The Hut were flogging the complete series boxes cheap I caved in and bought one.

Which means the likelihood of me buying the series again on any Blu-Ray release is near zero. (There would have to be some pretty spectacular new bonus content - new documentaries or commentaries with Macnee, Rigg, Thorson etc to make me even consider it !)

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 6:33 am

I'm not a Blu ray owner anyway. So to double dip - in my case quadruple dip - isn't an option. I don't love the show that much.

Besides the quality of the DVDs is supposed to be so good would Blu ray enhance it even further? I'm not convinced.