Doctor Who classic 1963-1989 TV series should be released on the Blu-ray format

[HDTV1080P]

Doctor Who classic 1963-1989 TV series should be released on the Blu-ray format

The Blu-ray format came out in the summer of 2006 and is now slightly over 6 years old. I am disappointed that none of the classic Doctor Who programs from 1963 to 1989 have been released in 1080P or 1080i Blu-ray. It is my understanding that there are many of the Doctor Who programs that were shot on film and then later transferred to PAL videotape format for broadcasting.

So the Doctor Who classic programs that were originally shot on film could receive a 4K or 2K master scan of the original film negative and then transferred to 1080P/24 Blu-ray or 1080I/25 Blu-ray depending on the frame rate of the film stock.

Of course if some of the original Doctor Who classic programs were recorded on native PAL videotape instead of film then those programs would only be standard definition when they are released on the Blu-ray format. A 50GB Blu-ray disc using MPEG-4/AVC can hold several hours worth of NTSC or PAL standard definition programs with an overall better quality compared to the lower bit rate MPEG-2 NTSC and PAL DVD’s.

100% of all the classic Doctor Who programs from 1963-1989 could also receive a lossless audio track. Even if some of the original source material is only PAL standard definition the Doctor Who series would benefit from a lossless audio track that is bit for bit the same as the studio master in terms of audio quality. For example a 1.0 or 2.0 PCM, DTS-HD Master audio, or Dolby TrueHD sound track would be ideal.

Doctor Who fans would be willing to pay an extra $5-$10 over the current price of the DVD versions if the classic 1963-1989 series or certain episodes were released on Blu-ray. If both a HD transfer and lossless audio track was made available then BBC Warner could charge an extra $10 over the 480i DVD release.

Below are a list of Doctor Who DVD’s. Many have a $34.98 list price

(Many of these DVD’s came out in 2012, but there was no Blu-ray versions released)

Doctor Who: The Claws Of Axos - Special Edition (pre-release 11-13-2012)

Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space: Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: The Robots Of Death - Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: Tomb Of The Cybermen - Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: The Caves Of Androzani - Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: Carnival Of Monsters - Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: Resurrection Of The Daleks - Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: The Seeds Of Death - Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: The Three Doctors - Special Edition (2012)

Doctor Who: The Talons Of Weng Chiang - Special Edition (2011)

Doctor Who: Remembrance Of The Daleks (2010)

Doctor Who: The Key To Time - Special Edition (2009)

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors - 25th Anniversary Edition (2008)

I could list many more examples but the above are just a few titles that could have been placed on a 50GB Blu-ray disc using MPEG4/AVC but instead were only released on the DVD format. Some of the Doctor Who Special Editions are on 2 or 3 8.5GB dual layer DVD’s which would easily fit on one 25GB single layer or one 50GB dual layer Blu-ray disc.

[project-blu]

...I would go so broke if they did this. I'm actually kinda thankful they don't. They need to test the waters with SOMETHING eventually on this front, but I think doing so now might steal some of Matt Smith's thunder.

[Super-VHS]

Sorry, it won't happen.

Classic Dr. Who was, for all intents and purposes, shot on really crummy videotape. While its true some of the episodes had select scenes shot on 16mm film (the exteriors), a majority of the franchise was shot on videotape, all the way up until the second of the final David Tennant specials, "Planet of the Dead". (Also, when anything film-based was transfered to video to create the broadcast master, the film was junked.)

The early, early episodes of Dr. Who were shot in black and white 405-line format (that's sub-SD). Episodes made from late, late 1967 on used the 625 PAL format, and were even shot in color but several of those color tapings only exist as black-and-white dupes now because of poor preservation.

As if those caveats weren't enough, some of the tapes don't even exist anymore, at all--color or b&w--because, until 1979, the BBC was all like, "Archival storage, what the eff is that? Preservation? Whatever. Imma just record over this episode of Who for this other show, because, why the heck not, right? Well, I'm done taping over that episode, hey, lets just erase these ones over here, and, I know, we'll throw these other ones out because it costs too much to keep these around." Over 100 episodes of the early serials were lost because of such incompetence.

Only one episode of classic Who would truly benefit from an HD upgrade. Jon Pertwee’s debut story, "Spearhead from Space" was shot on film in its entirety and could conceivably receive an HD/blu-ray release. It's the only one that really needs be considered. Although, honestly, I see Warner/BBC bringing the Tennant/Eccelston episodes to the format before they went back even further, which they won't.

What I mean to say is, basically, there's no chance of classic Who ever happening on BD.

[The Limey]

Sorry, it won't happen.


What I mean to say is, basically, there's no chance of classic Who ever happening on BD.

Actually it already has... The BBC released the classic Dr Who series - The Pyramids of Mars as a tribute to the late Elizabeth Sladen on the of the Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4:
Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 4 (UK) October 31st

http://www.2entertainvideo.co.uk/2ev...t.php?dbID=626

[Doctorossi]

What I mean to say is, basically, there's no chance of classic Who ever happening on BD.

While everything you've described about the show's production is true, this last statement is not. BBC representatives have indicated in the recent past that a Blu-ray release would indeed be considered. Of course, presenting the show in high-definition this way cannot happen (barring "Spearhead from Space"), but the show could still look noticeably better on Blu-ray than DVD (and feature fewer visible compression artifacts, improved color and upscaling) and a Blu-ray release could take up considerably less shelf-space, as well.

[HDTV1080P]

So it sounds like only some episodes were film based. For those episodes a Blu-ray HD transfer would be ideal. There are other benefits to releasing the Doctor Who classic series on Blu-ray. I am running out of shelf space with all the Doctor Who DVD’s that were released. Around 6 dual layer 8.5GB DVD’s can fit on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc using MPEG-2 codec. Around 10 NTSC DVD’s can fit on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc using the MPEG-4/AVC or VC-1 codec. This would be a huge space savings to have between 6 to 10 Doctor Who NTSC images placed on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc (It’s too bad BDXL 128GB Blu-ray discs is not compatible with standalone Blu-ray players).

Also as mentioned before 100% of all the classic Doctor Who series would sound better with a 1.0-2.0 lossless audio track instead of a lossy audio track. The Blu-ray format is ideal for those that want improved audio quality that is bit for bit the same as the studio master.

[Super-VHS]

Actually it already has... The BBC released the classic Dr Who series - The Pyramids of Mars as a tribute to the late Elizabeth Sladen on the of the Sarah Jane Adventures Series 4:
Sarah Jane Adventures - Season 4 (UK) October 31st

Fine, addendum: I doubt the classic Who episodes will get their own releases. As supplements on other discs, okay, that could happen (apparently, has).

I assume the "Pyramid of Mars" episodes are upcoverted and look terrible, or are presented in SD?

[project-blu]

So it sounds like only some episodes were film based. For those episodes a Blu-ray HD transfer would be ideal. There are other benefits to releasing the Doctor Who classic series on Blu-ray. I am running out of shelf space with all the Doctor Who DVD’s that were released. Around 6 dual layer 8.5GB DVD’s can fit on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc using MPEG-2 codec. Around 10 NTSC DVD’s can fit on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc using the MPEG-4/AVC or VC-1 codec. This would be a huge space savings to have between 6 to 10 Doctor Who NTSC images placed on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc (It’s too bad BDXL 128GB Blu-ray discs is not compatible with standalone Blu-ray players).

Also as mentioned before 100% of all the classic Doctor Who series would sound better with a 1.0-2.0 lossless audio track instead of a lossy audio track. The Blu-ray format is ideal for those that want improved audio quality that is bit for bit the same as the studio master.

BUT...how many people associate those Blue Rays with being only a video upgrade, since it's much harder to demo in stores an audio upgrade? if these came to be, they'd fall on, pardon the pun, deaf ears.

[Super-VHS]

While everything you've described about the show's production is true, this last statement is not. BBC representatives have indicated in the recent past that a Blu-ray release would indeed be considered. Of course, presenting the show in high-definition this way cannot happen (barring "Spearhead from Space"), but the show could still look noticeably better on Blu-ray than DVD (and feature fewer visible compression artifacts, improved color and upscaling) and a Blu-ray release could take up considerably less shelf-space, as well.

The real question then is whether or not BBC is interested in also releasing these in the US. I could see the UK getting these, in either upconverted 1080i50 or 625 PAL-on-BD, because Who is the man there. But would BBC/Warner want to do 1080i60 and/or 1080p24 upconverts for the US, where the market is smaller?

[Dr Kain]

Sorry, but this is one thing I will not agree with. I have spent way too much money on getting the DVDs (for example, I have everything from Tom Baker that has been released up to Story No 96) that BD releaes would be a waste of my money unless they were to do full season sets.

[The Limey]

Fine, addendum: I doubt the classic Who episodes will get their own releases. As supplements on other discs, okay, that could happen (apparently, has).

I assume the "Pyramid of Mars" episodes are upcoverted and look terrible, or are presented in SD?

The consensus of people who have seen this on the , is that it would appear to be at best an upscale which does not look much better than the original DVD frankly.

[The_Doctor]

The real question then is whether or not BBC is interested in also releasing these in the US. I could see the UK getting these, in either upconverted 1080i50 or 625 PAL-on-BD, because Who is the man there. But would BBC/Warner want to do 1080i60 and/or 1080p24 upconverts for the US, where the market is smaller?

Strangely in the US we get more Blu UK shows than the UK gets. Lewis, Zen, Midsomer Murders, Endeavor, Poirot.

I don't see the point of up converting a poor picture for blu. Now maybe putting whole seasons on blu, hell yeah that I could get behind. Key To Time on one disc bitches!

[Super-VHS]

Strangely in the US we get more Blu UK shows than the UK gets. Lewis, Zen, Midsomer Murders, Endeavor, Poirot.

With the exception of Zen, all of those air on PBS and are controlled by Acorn Media in the US, so not really comparable to Who.

Acorn is very interested in BD because, well, blu-ray opens up a new revenue stream for them, so of course they're going to pursue it. Releasing British (and Canadian) things on home video is what Acorn does; it's the only way they make money.

Dr. Who is different. Current Who airs on BBC America; I don't even think classic Who is in syndication any more. The franchise--old and new--is controlled/produced by BBC, but released by BBC and 2Entertain through Warner in the US.

Warner and the US arm of BBC/2entertain have shown little interest in things on BD in general. There are several HD-native series that are popular enough to warrant a blu-ray release in other regions--specifically Luther and Wallander--but have no consistent presence on the format in the US. (Of those, only the second series of Wallander, but not the first, is available in Region A).

If they can't consistently put out current, HD-native productions, on the format, I doubt the BBC/Warner US has much interest in releasing ancient upconverted SD content on blu-ray, even for something as "popular" (in cult circles) as classic Who. Right now, anyway.

[MrAngles]

I am running out of shelf space with all the Doctor Who DVD’s that were released. Around 6 dual layer 8.5GB DVD’s can fit on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc using MPEG-2 codec. Around 10 NTSC DVD’s can fit on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc using the MPEG-4/AVC or VC-1 codec. This would be a huge space savings to have between 6 to 10 Doctor Who NTSC images placed on 1 50GB Blu-ray disc (It’s too bad BDXL 128GB Blu-ray discs is not compatible with standalone Blu-ray players).

I used to think this was a good option as wel, but at this point we are way past that. All marketing issues with releasing SD content on Blu-rays aside, we're well into the digital age. If saving space on shelves and having more content on less discs is your goal, there are much better disc-less solutions available, the best being to simply rip the DVDs you already own to a mediaserver, then watch them from anywhere in your house (or outside your house) without having to select discs to pick an episode or take up any space on your shelf. I don't know if any of these episodes are available on Netflix, Amazon or Vudu, but those would also be better options than rebuying the entire series on a smaller collection of discs.

[Dr Kain]

Oh yeah, I would rather they just gave us the Eccelston and Tennant stuff on BD.