Retro TV

If you’re like most folks, you hate commercials, and when they come on you either flip the channel or use the time to take a bathroom or snack break. One of the reasons TV show DVDs have become so popular is their lack of commercials. Many sets do come with a trailer advertising upcoming releases, but it’s easily skipped. Well, IBM is hoping to change that. They have filed a patent for a method of making DVDs that lets the manufacturer or studio-not the viewer-decide if the view will see ads or even if the presentation on the DVD (a television show, movie, concert, etc) would be seen free of commercial interruption. A certificate on the DVD would be checked automatically when the disk is inserted into a player.

That’s right folks. This little invention would periodically interrupt the DVD you’re watching to play commercials, just like on TV. I expect that if this type of DVD ever makes it to market, there will be quite a backlash. It’s not surprising that this type of technology is being developed though. DVRs, DVD players, and DVDs themselves have made a sharp dent in ad revenue Anyone who has a DVR will tell you they love the ability to skip past commercials, and any TV fan will tell you the best part of TV show DVDs, present and classic, is their lack of ads and lack of editing to insert them. It’s becoming a real problem for advertisers and now they are beginning to fight back.

Would I buy a show on one of these new commercial cluttered DVDs? I really don’t know. It it was a show I loved and couldn’t get in any other format, probably. Otherwise, probably not. We’re inundated with enough ads everyday as it is. Is it really too much to ask to watch a DVD in ad free piece? Maybe so.

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Remember Christmastime when you were a kid? It seemed like every night a new Christmas special was on. There were the variety type ones-remember Donny and Marie, Perry Como, John Denver and Bob Hope? Back then it seemed everyone had their own special. And then there were the animated ones. Charlie Brown, Frosty, Rudolph, and more. They became beloved traditions for millions of kids (and adults). The Claymation ones from Rankin and Bass are especially treasured. Now they are available on DVD. The first release was last year’s “The Original Christmas Classics” which contained the best of the best:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town
Frosty the Snowman
Frosty Returns
The Little Drummer Boy
Cricket on the Hearth

Along with a CD of all the songs from them: (c’mon, you know you know the words to at least a few!)

1. Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town
2. The First Toymaker to the King
3. Put One Foot in Front of the Other
4. No More Toymakers to the King
5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
6. Jingle Jingle Jingle
7. We’re a Couple of Misfits
8. There’s Always Tomorrow
9. Silver and Gold
10. The Most Wonderful Day of the Year
11. A Holly Jolly Christmas
12. Fame and Fortune

This year brings us “Christmas Television Favorites” Along with the holiday staple “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” this set also includes:

Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
Twas the Night Before Christmas
Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas In July
Year Without A Santa Claus

These sets make great gifts for the kids (or kids at heart) in your life. My husband is 40 and he still watches these every year and sings along!

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Sony has released an official press release for “Barney Miller: The Complete Second Season” due out on January 22. Check it out here. It’s been 4 long years since Season 1 was released and you can bet Barney Miller fans are going to have a very merry Christmas this year!

Fans of “The Love Boat” will be happy to hear that the series is finally coming to DVD. “The Love Boat: Season 1 Volume 1” will sail into stores on March 4th.

Just in time for Christmas, “Mission Impossible: Season 3” will arrive in stores on November 20th.

Survey says..”All Star Family Feud will arrive in stores on January 8th. This special 4 disk set features the casts of The Love Boat, WKRP in Cincinnati, Barney Miller, Eight is Enough, Soap, Dukes of Hazzard, Three’s Company and more completing against each other in the celebrity version of this classic game show.

“Family Ties: The Complete 3rd Season” is due in stores on February 12th. Also due in February are the final seasons of “Dark Shadows” and “Punky Brewster” (February 26th), and “The Fugitive: Season 1 Volume 2” (also on the 26th).

With all these great classic TV DVDs on the way (and more to come), classic television fans have a lot to look forward to. It’s enough to make you think “Writers strike? What writer’s strike?” I know my DVD player is going to get a lot of use! If you have a classic tv fan on your Christmas list, you should have no trouble finding them the perfect gift. Stay tuned for more articles on great holiday gifts for the classic tv fans in your life!

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The wait is finally over. TVShowsonDVD.com is reporting that “Barney Miller: The Complete Second Season” is due in stores this January. This is huge for fans of this classic cop sitcom. Season 1 was released 4 years ago! At the time, Sony announced they felt sales weren’t strong enough to justify further releases. So since then Barney fans have had to make due with worn out videotapes of episodes taped from the shows run on TVLand and/or Columbia House’s collection. Some went so far as to purchase bootleg copies of the series. Now that the show’s DVD releases will resume that will no longer be necessary.

Now if the studios will follow Sony’s lead and do the same, legions of classic TV fans will be doing the happy dance. Releasing a season or two and then stopping is a bad habit many shows have fallen victim to, including Adam-12, Dragnet, and Night Court. Studios claim it’s because of poor sales, but let’s be real. Any fan of any show knows that the first season is rarely the best, and almost all shows get better as they go along and the cast gets comfortable in their roles. Barney Miller did just that. The first season was not bad, but the show changed direction a bit for the following seasons. Barney’s home life was downplayed, cast members left and new ones joined, and the characters matured into rich, three-dimensional characters. I think the same things happen to almost all hit shows. So c’mon studios-give classic shows a chance and don’t judge sales potential by the 1st season only!

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Here’s the latest DVD news about your favorite Retro shows!

First up, TVShowsonDVD.com is reporting that “CHiPs-The Complete Second Season” is due to be released in June of 2008. This was my very favorite show growing up and I am thrilled to see another season on the way. Plans are also in the works for a CHiPs motion picture starring “That 70’s Show”s Wilmer Valderrama as Ponch.

Fans of the 80’s hit Perfect Strangers will be thrilled to hear that “Perfect Strangers-The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons” will be released on February 5th. Can’t wait? Amazon.com has already begun taking preorders!

Also due in February is the release of “Family Ties: The Complete 3rd Season. The release date is set for February 12th. Fans of the show will remember that the third season marked the birth of the youngest Keaton, Andrew.

Rumors are flying around the net regarding the 50’s classic “Father Knows Best”. Word is Shout! Factory is in negotiations with Robert Young’s estate and Sony for the rights to release the series on DVD. Stay tuned!

Fans of the Jack Webb classic, Emergency! will be thrilled to hear that the 4th season is set to be released on January 29th. Emergency! was a groundbreaking show that followed the adventures of two Los Angeles County Paramedics and led the way for shows like ER and Third Watch.

Finally, it appears the much awaited release of “Barney Miller: The Second Season” may finally be on the horizon. The first season was released back in 2004, and fans have been waiting for more ever since! Stay tuned to Retro TV for the latest news on these and other great classic tv show DVDs!

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