JMS: Video releases

[b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu]

Subject: JMS: Video releases
 No.   DATE           FROM
-----+-------------+--------------------------------------------------
+  1: Apr  3, 1996: darcuri at maildrop.srv.ualberta.ca (Cypher)
+  2: Apr  3, 1996: That Faerie Bitch <lily at arh0248.urh.uiuc.edu>
*  3: Apr  3, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: darcuri at maildrop.srv.ualberta.ca (Cypher)
Lines: 12

	I've heard rumours that you and your fellow producers are going 
to start releasing episodes on tape for consumer purchasing.  If this is 
so, may I suggest putting three episodes on each tape (since we all know 
the average VHS tape will hold 6 or more episodes), which would cut down 
on the amount of fans going broke and probably encourage more people to 
buy a complete set.  I would also like to see the episodes in widescreen 
format (which is always better to watch anyway because it gives that 
theatre sensation).
Thanks




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From: That Faerie Bitch <lily at arh0248.urh.uiuc.edu>
Lines: 35

On 3 Apr 1996, Cypher wrote:

> 	I've heard rumours that you and your fellow producers are going 
> to start releasing episodes on tape for consumer purchasing.  If this is 
> so, may I suggest putting three episodes on each tape (since we all know 
> the average VHS tape will hold 6 or more episodes), which would cut down 
> on the amount of fans going broke and probably encourage more people to 
> buy a complete set.  I would also like to see the episodes in widescreen 
> format (which is always better to watch anyway because it gives that 
> theatre sensation).
> Thanks

widescreen?
I doubt it'll happen for the simple reason that it wasn't a movie to 
begin with.
movies are filmed in widescreen because that is the format in which they 
are aired. they get chopped up in the formatting process because they 
were never originally intended to be viewed on a television.
babylon 5, on the other hand, is filmed for television, so why would you 
want to put it in widescreen?


[moderator note:  B5 is indeed filmed in widescreen, with a view towards
eventual release in that format]


Becky
lily at discordia.31337.com
http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~rlehmann

"I have ... a terrible need ... shall I say the word? ... of religion.
 Then I go out at night and paint the stars."
                                -- Vincent van Gogh



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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 18

We're still going back and forth on the video releasing question; there's
movement to do it ourselves, but if we go that route, it means doing only
limited editions since we can't handle huge orders; then there's some
movement on the notion of another video company licensing it from WB,
which means that more can be produced, probably at less cost to people
than a limited edition.  (Which is good.)  So we're still sussing all this
out.

The only problem with putting 3 or 6 episodes on a tape means either
taping at a slower speed, which means a drop in quality, or a larger tape,
which also raises the price and runs into the peril of more tape jams.  

BTW, we recently found out that for sure France is getting the widescreen
versions of the show starting this season, so we're looking into the
notion that whoever does the tapes will use those versions.  But this is
still preliminary.

jms
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