The Avengers DVD Set 4 (Series 5) from Optimum

norw27 · Post by **norw27** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 6:47 pm

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!

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:31 am

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!

DiVicenzo · Post by **DiVicenzo** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:28 am

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.

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

norw27 · Post by **norw27** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 4:39 pm

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.

cyberrich · Post by **cyberrich** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:35 pm

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.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:50 pm

cyberrich wrote:I really hope the complete box set in March irons out all the problems everyone has experienced.

May 9 now ...

MRotten · Post by **MRotten** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:46 pm

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.

DiVicenzo · Post by **DiVicenzo** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:56 pm

It seems that Moviemail.uk have 'version 3' according to some dialogue I have been having with another poster on the amazon website...I have just emailed them myself to double-check...

http://www.moviemail-online.co.uk/film/ ... -Series-5/

Barry
sic friat crustulum

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:47 am

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?

Cybernowt · Post by **Cybernowt** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:03 am

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!!