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Nothing happening -- time to pay tribute to my DVD Boxed Sets
Very little happened this weekend. Well, I saw a couple of movies, both of which I loved (The Devil's Backbone and Goya's Ghosts). I might review them later, we'll see. Work was so slow I had time to do Tabby's job, because she's lately become too good to do it herself.
I had the funniest medical report though -- the patient was only 6 months old, yet the doctor felt the need to dictate this into the record: "The patient is completely dependent upon his mother and father for transportation to his appointments." Well, unless he's a very remarkable 6-month-old, I suspect he's dependent on them for a damn sight more than THAT. Alternate punchline: Tsk. Six months old and STILL making mommy and daddy drive him everywhere. Kids are taking longer and longer to become independent these days.
So. Thanks to the slow news week in my life, I thought I'd write an entry I've had percolating for a week or two, but put off because a.) it's very image- (and therefore preparation-) intensive, and b.) it will probably be extremely, extremely boring to all but the most desperate for new content from me. But the words won't leave me alone, so without further ado, I give you:
Ask Tery and she'll tell you what a sucker I am for an attractively packaged DVD boxed set. If I'm on the fence about buying a series, the right packaging aesthetic might just tip the scales for me. Conversely, some shows I love so much I'd buy them if they came wrapped in a muddy burlap sack. I present a walking tour of boxed sets I have collected thus far.
Xena: Warrior Princess Seasons 1-6
This is the first boxed set I think I ever bought. And coincidentally my least favorite in terms of packaging. The series hadn't even finished airing when this first went on sale. They're European (region 2 PAL) discs, only available on select websites. I bought these because there was wild speculation about whether the show would even be released on DVD or not -- back in the day before every piece of dreck that gets airtime is transferred to DVD the instant it's cancelled, like "Fear Factor" (to me the least comprehensible DVD release ever planned. How many times do you really want to rewatch people passing cockroaches to each other in their mouths?)
So I ponied up an obscene amount of money for this set. I think each box, comprising only half a season, cost around $40. Not a single bonus feature to be found on any of them, and just look at the sloppiness of the final product: The color schemes make no sense whatsoever, even within a season -- it's like even the DVD distributor didn't know for sure if they'd get to finish the series. They couldn't even get the fire artwork to connect, for heaven's sake. It's like they printed it and then lost the pattern when it came time to make the next one.
This set doesn't even include the director's cut of the finale or the Hercules trilogy of eps that originally introduced Xena, requiring me to buy them separately and book-end them awkwardly on either side. The discs sit in an unwieldy fold-out tray that feels like it might rip free of the box at any moment. The only thing they have in common is the same font and poorly-designed case. I would buy the American release (that even has extras), but having finally collected them all, I sadly have to admit I don't rewatch it as much as I expected to. Perhaps because this obsession was replaced in my heart shortly after with another, even bigger (/foreshadowing).
Monty Python's Flying Circus Megaset
The second set I ever bought. It seemed natural given what a huge Python fan I am, and it is great fun to go back and watch the older shows that I barely remember from the beginning. My only complaint about this packaging is the inefficiency -- as you can see, only one disc sits in each box, which makes it a Megaset indeed, but also makes me deeply resentful of the amount of shelf space it consumes. I sometimes stare at it and contemplate just bootlegging it into a more manageable size and reselling this one. If I ever need a kidney transplant, this will be the first to go.
Arrested Development Seasons 1-2-and a half 3
This is what I mean. If you MUST stick just one disc into a case, use these nice slimline cases that make so much more sense (in A&E's defense, I'm pretty sure these hadn't been invented yet when the Megaset was released). I love the quirky colors and photos of this packaging. The only thing wrong with it is the woefully abbreviated size of season 3 at the end there -- not only the set, but the whole season. In fact the whole show. No, I'm still not over it. Leave me alone.
A timeline of obsession
As sad as it is when the shows I love are cut off in their prime, I am also a big fan of series that can be packaged succinctly and sexily into one compact case. Although I do think the term "complete series" in cases like the live action "Tick" makes it sound much grander, including as it does only nine episodes. The same way networks these days are producing ten episodes of a show and calling it a "complete season." I cry foul.
Almost Complete Sets
Then there are these two. I hope they give us an "Upright Citizens Brigade Season 3" DVD to complete the series (and I hope they figure out where to stick the title to maintain any kind of consistency). As for "The Venture Bros.," it hasn't been cancelled yet, but trust me. I enjoy it, therefore it will only be a matter of time.
South Park Season 1-10+
The problem with being a completionist is I have to keep buying these no matter how many there end up being. Fortunately Comedy Central has a better grasp of consistency than Universal Playback (the "Xena" distributors). Unfortunately they also use the annoying fold-out tray system. Ah well.
Farscape Seasons 1-4 plus The Peacekeeper Wars TV Movie
This is technically what inspired this whole post. I had resisted the urge to buy this series when it was first cancelled, for many years in fact. Until an off-hand comment by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
velmaneuwirth got me thinking about it again. When I went looking for some deals, I realized season one was now out of print, so prices were going up, not down. This of course cinched it for me and I had to have it. It's a good thing I waited, apparently -- from what I read, the first company that released it tried stuffing too many episodes on a disc, resulting in major playback difficulties, and only one in three discs functioning. Had my life taken its usual course, I would've spent all my money on those, and then would have had to buy them again. This set is the result of a re-release, with tons of extras and no technical problems. The other perk is it looks equally appealing from either side (although I don't think that tiny print on the spine is going to get any easier to read as I get older):
Last, but by no means least, the Rolls Royce of DVD packaging (this writing):
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection
I choo-choo-choose you, Chosen Collection
How can "Buffy" fit seven seasons (sorry, 6-1/2) into only 70% of the space of "Farscape's" (and "Monty Python's") four? Note the ultra-compact and user-friendly book style tray. The episodes are all listed in the booklet on top. Super stylish, super sexy, this is the crown jewel of my DVD collection. I would rather lose a kidney than this set. I think every DVD case creator should study this design long and hard before slapping something together that takes up an unnecessary amount of space with mismatched, nonsensical patterns (can you tell how much I hate that "Xena" set yet? And yes, this is the show that made "Xena" seem childish and painfully amateur to me.)
This concludes our walking tour. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed giving it.
I had the funniest medical report though -- the patient was only 6 months old, yet the doctor felt the need to dictate this into the record: "The patient is completely dependent upon his mother and father for transportation to his appointments." Well, unless he's a very remarkable 6-month-old, I suspect he's dependent on them for a damn sight more than THAT. Alternate punchline: Tsk. Six months old and STILL making mommy and daddy drive him everywhere. Kids are taking longer and longer to become independent these days.
So. Thanks to the slow news week in my life, I thought I'd write an entry I've had percolating for a week or two, but put off because a.) it's very image- (and therefore preparation-) intensive, and b.) it will probably be extremely, extremely boring to all but the most desperate for new content from me. But the words won't leave me alone, so without further ado, I give you:
Ode to my DVD Boxed Sets
Ask Tery and she'll tell you what a sucker I am for an attractively packaged DVD boxed set. If I'm on the fence about buying a series, the right packaging aesthetic might just tip the scales for me. Conversely, some shows I love so much I'd buy them if they came wrapped in a muddy burlap sack. I present a walking tour of boxed sets I have collected thus far.
Xena: Warrior Princess Seasons 1-6
This is the first boxed set I think I ever bought. And coincidentally my least favorite in terms of packaging. The series hadn't even finished airing when this first went on sale. They're European (region 2 PAL) discs, only available on select websites. I bought these because there was wild speculation about whether the show would even be released on DVD or not -- back in the day before every piece of dreck that gets airtime is transferred to DVD the instant it's cancelled, like "Fear Factor" (to me the least comprehensible DVD release ever planned. How many times do you really want to rewatch people passing cockroaches to each other in their mouths?)
So I ponied up an obscene amount of money for this set. I think each box, comprising only half a season, cost around $40. Not a single bonus feature to be found on any of them, and just look at the sloppiness of the final product: The color schemes make no sense whatsoever, even within a season -- it's like even the DVD distributor didn't know for sure if they'd get to finish the series. They couldn't even get the fire artwork to connect, for heaven's sake. It's like they printed it and then lost the pattern when it came time to make the next one.
This set doesn't even include the director's cut of the finale or the Hercules trilogy of eps that originally introduced Xena, requiring me to buy them separately and book-end them awkwardly on either side. The discs sit in an unwieldy fold-out tray that feels like it might rip free of the box at any moment. The only thing they have in common is the same font and poorly-designed case. I would buy the American release (that even has extras), but having finally collected them all, I sadly have to admit I don't rewatch it as much as I expected to. Perhaps because this obsession was replaced in my heart shortly after with another, even bigger (/foreshadowing).
Monty Python's Flying Circus Megaset
The second set I ever bought. It seemed natural given what a huge Python fan I am, and it is great fun to go back and watch the older shows that I barely remember from the beginning. My only complaint about this packaging is the inefficiency -- as you can see, only one disc sits in each box, which makes it a Megaset indeed, but also makes me deeply resentful of the amount of shelf space it consumes. I sometimes stare at it and contemplate just bootlegging it into a more manageable size and reselling this one. If I ever need a kidney transplant, this will be the first to go.
Arrested Development Seasons 1-
This is what I mean. If you MUST stick just one disc into a case, use these nice slimline cases that make so much more sense (in A&E's defense, I'm pretty sure these hadn't been invented yet when the Megaset was released). I love the quirky colors and photos of this packaging. The only thing wrong with it is the woefully abbreviated size of season 3 at the end there -- not only the set, but the whole season. In fact the whole show. No, I'm still not over it. Leave me alone.
A timeline of obsession
As sad as it is when the shows I love are cut off in their prime, I am also a big fan of series that can be packaged succinctly and sexily into one compact case. Although I do think the term "complete series" in cases like the live action "Tick" makes it sound much grander, including as it does only nine episodes. The same way networks these days are producing ten episodes of a show and calling it a "complete season." I cry foul.
Almost Complete Sets
Then there are these two. I hope they give us an "Upright Citizens Brigade Season 3" DVD to complete the series (and I hope they figure out where to stick the title to maintain any kind of consistency). As for "The Venture Bros.," it hasn't been cancelled yet, but trust me. I enjoy it, therefore it will only be a matter of time.
South Park Season 1-10+
The problem with being a completionist is I have to keep buying these no matter how many there end up being. Fortunately Comedy Central has a better grasp of consistency than Universal Playback (the "Xena" distributors). Unfortunately they also use the annoying fold-out tray system. Ah well.
Farscape Seasons 1-4 plus The Peacekeeper Wars TV Movie
This is technically what inspired this whole post. I had resisted the urge to buy this series when it was first cancelled, for many years in fact. Until an off-hand comment by
velmaneuwirth got me thinking about it again. When I went looking for some deals, I realized season one was now out of print, so prices were going up, not down. This of course cinched it for me and I had to have it. It's a good thing I waited, apparently -- from what I read, the first company that released it tried stuffing too many episodes on a disc, resulting in major playback difficulties, and only one in three discs functioning. Had my life taken its usual course, I would've spent all my money on those, and then would have had to buy them again. This set is the result of a re-release, with tons of extras and no technical problems. The other perk is it looks equally appealing from either side (although I don't think that tiny print on the spine is going to get any easier to read as I get older):Last, but by no means least, the Rolls Royce of DVD packaging (this writing):
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection
I choo-choo-choose you, Chosen Collection
How can "Buffy" fit seven seasons (sorry, 6-1/2) into only 70% of the space of "Farscape's" (and "Monty Python's") four? Note the ultra-compact and user-friendly book style tray. The episodes are all listed in the booklet on top. Super stylish, super sexy, this is the crown jewel of my DVD collection. I would rather lose a kidney than this set. I think every DVD case creator should study this design long and hard before slapping something together that takes up an unnecessary amount of space with mismatched, nonsensical patterns (can you tell how much I hate that "Xena" set yet? And yes, this is the show that made "Xena" seem childish and painfully amateur to me.)
This concludes our walking tour. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed giving it.
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Buffy (my first DVD set, actually)
Firefly
Arrested Development
South Park
And lol at "I choo-choo-choose you, Chosen Collection." Oh, Ralphie. :D
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Thank god I didn't get THAT into the Simpsons. We might have needed to buy a new house to contain all those boxed sets.
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I enjoyed this tour and knew I'd imspired it somehow with the Farscape thing.
I'm looking across the room at my set now. I'm watching at least 2 eps a day. I get home from work at 5ish, then have 2 hours until my mom's soaps start so if I want to nab the big tv with surround sound I have to watch them in that window. I won't have time to watch them and the commentaries when I'm back at uni so my routine/life right now is work/farscape/catch-up online/have some contact with Jess/sleep. I just watched the Season 2 finale.
Oh, and I agree about the tiny print. I may be younger than you as it is, but I litterally have to put my face 3 inches in front to read the episodes.
I do love it though. Now I just don't know what to do with my complete set of season 1 videos. The packaging was cool at the time. Gold cases and as you collected they joined to make a full picture of Moya.
I need some Farscape icons..
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I'm enjoying it as much as I thought. Season one is starting to become a bit repetitive, but I remember things livening up when they start introducing the other characters (like Chiana and Scorpius and Stark).
Maybe try to resell it? It looks like season 1 is pretty hard to come by from what I've seen.
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And yeah, VHS won't get you much money anymore but it IS a complete set, so I'm thinking I should get SOMETHING for it.
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(Anonymous) 2008-08-06 07:32 pm (UTC)(link)Did I ever show you my own mini 'boxed set' of Xena Eps I put together myself? They were VCR tapes, with shows recorded off the TV, that I made an outer box for and then put a picture of X&G on the spines of the individual boxes and cut them into the four separate tapes. It looked way, WAY better that that XWP release. Although, it has not stood the test of time. So there's that. ;)
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Yes, the one good thing is my discs will last my lifetime, even if the cases don't (though they probably will, given how often they're opened). One day soon I might go through from the beginning and rewatch. Maybe after I've worked my way through "Farscape."
You're free to make a pilgrimage to see my Chosen Collection any time. I've got a shrine set up and everything.
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High Life! I didn't even know The High Life was on DVD.
My TV collection is a decent size (I should keep a record of it too, since I often forget what I have), but being a poor student I can only usually afford season-by-season releases instead of the huge box sets. I have the individual season releases of Buffy through season four, but after that it was just too much effort. You should get that Buffy collection insured or something!
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It is! It's region 0, which means it will play on any player in the world. Mr. Cumming has universal appeal.
All I can say is thank god DVDs weren't around while I was at school. I would've flunked out for sure. I didn't even have a TV the first three years (I think my senior year I finally broke down and got a tiny, 6" black and white).
The completionist in me winces in pain at your seasons 1-4 only.
I'll contact Lloyd's of London immediately!
Impressive collection.
Greg the Bunny? The Tick? Srsly?
What's wrong with the tray system? It makes me feel safer because I've got it into my head that the discs won't break as easily in that casing.
I'm probably going to spend a good deal of my first paycheck buying that Farscape set. I'm sure I've told you it's my new goal in life to copy you exactly and have an ugly child in the Bible belt. In keeping with that, I re-watched the first episode of Farscape last week. It's been so long it was almost like watching it for the first time. I loved it all over again, except I didn't like how the beginning episodes all seemed to skip the exposition and go right to the action. The writers didn't really get into their groove until the middle of the season.
How much was that Buffy set? I didn't know it was so amazing, and so I had resolved not to buy it. I didn't want pay for season one all over again, but now I think it might be worth it. Is the Angel box set similar, do you know? It looks to be from the outside but I've never been close enough to touch one.
Re: Impressive collection.
Love me, love Greg and The Tick. Have you even seen them? Comic gold. If you're serious about being just like me, you'll at least give them a chance.
I have nothing against trays, just the fold-out system where every disc has to be laid out to get to just one. Space-consuming and unnecessary when the technology is clearly available for improvement (see: Chosen Collection).
Probably more of your paycheck than you realize, since it's actually a European set and you need one of them fancy multiregion players to watch it. I have such a mixture of NTSC/PAL discs that I don't make the distinction anymore. But since you're now a productive member of society, and they've become fairly common on eBay (just picked up a hi-def one for $55), I can't recommend getting one enough. So much good stuff available from other countries (and sometimes cheaper) that it's well worth the investment. If you loved DVDs like I do.
I love Zhaan the best. However, not getting too attached as I remember she left the show pretty early on.
Buffy is kind of pricey on Amazon,, there are some better deals on eBay if you don't mind fighting for them. The good news is Buffy is an American set, and if all you own is S1 then I say go for it. The set includes an exclusive disc with tons of extras you can't get anywhere else, interviews, behind-the-scenes stuff, etc.
I can't say anything about Angel, as I've only seen the pilot so far. Blame OFB for not buying the DVDs to loan me (I've just added them to Netflix, so don't blame OFB). Blame my general intolerance for David Boreanaz.
Re: Impressive collection.
Farscape just dropped to the middle of my list. I'll have to start looking at the rest of the stuff I want to see how much of it's actually European, because if there aren't any others I want I'll give that a miss. Unlike you, I don't have to buy EuroDVDs because the movie I want to see isn't coming out in America for 3 more months. ;)
She did? See, I don't remember that at all. It would explain why D'argo and Other Blue Chick ended up together, though.
I'll have to think about it. Not because of the price (Amazon takes $50 off if you buy Buffy and Angel, so that almost evens out) but because I'm beginning to wonder if it's stupid to be hyped up about a box I won't be able to take anywhere.
I'm not exactly the right person to be admonishing you, as I know I've missed some episodes and haven't memorized the dialogue as I have with Buffy, but WTF it's been years and years! Not liking Angel is no excuse: after all most people don't like Buffy either. It's the supporting cast that really shines. Season Four was a mess, though.
Re: Impressive collection.
You think about it. Meanwhile I'll be enjoying the freedom of picking and choosing at will the latest episode I've got a hankering for, and maybe someday going back and watching from the beginning again because I've forgotten how bad the bad ones are.
Since I've noticed my Netflix queue getting kind of short (and since now is the perfect time with Tery gone for 3 weeks), I've added all of Angel. Now hopefully people can leave me alone about it.