Possible Simpsons R1 DVD Box Set Flaw

I hope I have missed something. I hope that I have been an idiot.

I received my DVD Box set of season 1 today and of course, slammed it in the DVD player immediately. To my horror there is no 'Play All' facility. It seems to watch all episodes on one disc we have to navigate the menu to play each one in turn rather than back to back as obviously all our Simpsons VHS tapes function.

Please don't tell me I now have to convert all these episodes to VCD so I can view them from the bedroom without coming back to the lounge every 23 minutes & 7 seconds.

I'm wrong right? I missed something right? Please help! Potentially very dissapointed by this rather blatant and inconvenient oversight.

Off to spend another 10 minutes combing for the Play All button. Fingers crossed.

There is no play all. Maybe I can program the player but that's hassle, unneccessary hassle since other such compilation DVDs I own do have this basic, standard, essential, assumed, required and hugely appreciated feature.

Gripe 2:-

13 Episodes in season 1 Plus a load of shorts, specials & extras. 3 DVD's how would you arrange them?

Well, I bet anything that what you wouldn't do is this:-

DVD 1 - 6 Episodes DVD 2 - 6 Episodes DVD 3 - 1 Episode?!?

What the hell is going on there? Did some complete and total moron make that decision? I hope the R2 is better so I can get rid of this flawed rubbish but I doubt it. Looks like a downgrade to VCD or DivX will be required to sort this mess out.

Am I the only person who likes to watch Simpsons episodes back to back? My viewing habbits would basically mean I would never put in disc 3 for the one episode. I've waited so long for the complete seasons to come out, we all have, innitially on VHS but that never happened and then on DVD and when they finally, after 10 years deliver what we've all been begging for they fuck it up so stupidly and pointlessly. Idiots.

CLOSEDOWN8 wrote in message news:[email]...

player

Nerds In

"Dark Globe" wrote in message news:[email]...

that

one

What the hell? You think they could fit 13 episodes on a single VHS cassette? They cleaned up the episodes. Putting them on VCD or DivX;-) would be simply disgusting. Sigh.

I'll just quit now and assume you're trolling.

No. Dunno where you got that idea.

4 hours fits on one side of DVD, 11 episodes fits in 4 hours. So WHY did they put 6 on one disc, 6 on the next and 1 on the third? Why not 6 on the first, 7 on the second and specials on the third? Easily done. Plenty of space. Still 3 discs so they can inflate the price a little (as a letter from Matt Groening inside the box shamelessly admits in his usual style) yet far more convenient for us. Or is it just me.

would

There are space limitations...6 episodes is what? like 144 minutes. I doubt there is room for a 7th episode.

The play all option missing is, I agree, a little annoying and there is probably no good reason for it not being included...but the way the episodes are arranged seems likely to be for a very good technical reason. As much as they'd like to accommadate everyone's viewing habits I'm sure...it's not always possible with the current limits of technology.

Kevin

I really don't accept this. I know 4 hours fits on one side because I have other DVD's that accomplish this. I have films longer than 144 mins on one side and lets not forget animation compresses better than film. I'm still irritated. There can be no technical reason for not including the play all.

Kevin Madden wrote in message news:[email]...

DVD's

Well I never said 144 minutes was the absolute limit, but thought perhaps the limit would lie somewhere between there and the time 7 episodes would take up. I was speculating...I don't know for sure. However I'm curious about your 4 hour DVD's. Are they a movie with one audio track? or multiple audio tracks? Because you have to consider that the commentaries are an entirely separate audio track that takes up more space. Plus if there is a Dolby or DTS track separate from the standard stereo track (I don't know the audio specifics of the Simpsons DVD's), now your talking three separate tracks or more...more space. You can't just talk about the amount of video that can fit on a DVD...there are many more things that take up space. And it may...just may be possible that there is a technical reason for not putting that last episode on one of the other CD's rather you want to admit it...or either of knows what it is. I've seen plenty of less than two hour movies on double sided discs with the widescreen (widescreen TV, not letterbox) version on the second side. What would be the reasoning for that if both versions would fit on one side? Your more money argument doesn't hold up for that because they don't charge any more for them than any other one-sided DVD costs.

Just a thought...like I said...I'm just speculating...I'm not trying to pretend to know everything about the production of DVDs.

Kevin

"Dark Globe" wrote in message news:[email]...

The *NON*-region 1 versions I've seen have the episodes arranged like this: DVD 1 - 5 episodes DVD 2 - 5 episodes DVD 3 - 3 episodes

A much better arrangement IMO.

I agree that having no option to "play all" sucks big time, especially since most commercial-free episodes are barely over 20 minutes long. Plus there are probably also DVD authoring studio logos after each episode. People have complained about the lack of animated menus, but I could care less about that sort of crap. I'd much rather have something *useful* like a play-all option.

Stop whining, idiot. No one cares if you're inconvenienced for the five seconds it would take to do this.

__

"You think it looks better on a blurry NTSC TV. The World Trade Center looks better if you spread oil all over your glasses." John Kitchar, forty-one-year-old idiot, showing just what kind of a vile, despicable human being he is.

As far as the "7 episodes" debate goes, yes, it is possible. There are dual layered and single layered discs. I suspect these are single layered discs, which is obviously cheaper. Double layered discs can hold twice the data, such as Captain Tylor or Sorcerer Hunters do, both accomplishing 7 episodes on one disc with subtitle data, extras, trailers, and 2 audio tracks... so yes, it IS possible.

Of course it's possible on a dual layered disc. Whether it's possible on a single layer disc is what I was arguing. I say I don't know...it may not be and that may be why the episodes are arranged with no more than six on a disc. Dark globe is positive that they could have put as many episodes on one disc as they wanted and it's all just a plot to inconvenience him and keep him from watching 7 straight hours of the simpsons without getting his ass off the couch to go change the damn disc.

I'm done with this thread. Goodbye!

Kevin

I never said I wanted to watch 7 hours of Simpsons without getting off my arse. I said that when I put on The Simpsons (a regular occurance) I put it on to watch a few episodes, usually from my bedroom. I have leads that carry video/hifi to the bedroom from the lounge where all the kit is. Anyway, that is irrelevent. With the DVDs this is not possible because of the lack of a play all meaning I have to navigate the menu after each episode finishes and the fact that 1 episode sits alone on a DVD. I'd never put the Simpsons on just to watch one episode, very rarely anyway.

I think the inclusion of a Play All or at least set the disc up so as the first episode ends it plays the second instead of taking you back to the menu would have hurt no-one, cost nothing and benefitted many. The only reason I can think of for not including it is, laziness, oversight or not knowing their audience. I'm sure MOST of the people in this newsgroup would appreciate a Play All.

I also consider making all the discs single layered to save a few pennies is a ridiculous reason to try to justify the crappy layout. I paid �17.99 for the R1, I would have comfortably paid more to have had the job done properly. Especially when you consider the R2 I was supposed to buy (being British) is �34 and apparently mastered the same naff way. Besides, I haven't confirmed if they are or aren't dual layered.

I'm so right on this I can't believe anyone would argue with me.

I already agreed with the play all argument...totally. What I don't agree with is that there isn't a logical reason the discs are laid out the way they are. Of course you keep changing your argument, so I'm not going to continue arguing. My argument was that they probably for some reason couldn't put more than six episodes on a single layer single sided disc. I was not arguing the relative value of using another type of disc to fit more episodes to create a better arangement. I do not know nearly enough about such things to get into a discussion about it.

But you obviously are not able to think objectively about this and you think you are right because you are not capable of understanding any other possible reason for why that might have done it they way they did it. Obviously if it doesn't make sense to your small mind then it must not be logical and anyone who had anything to do with it is an idiot.

How wonderful it must be to be smarter than everyone and be right all the time. I wish I were you.

Kevin

You're all stupid. You're probably also the kind of people who think the latest seasons are also the greatest. Closed minds, Fox can do no wrong.

For the record Kevin, I didn't change my argument you just nit-picked to make your counter stand.

As for buying a remote, I don't understand what your problems are, I just wanted a 'play all' and a sensible layout. BOTH are possible. That's what I said from the start, they were possible, they were easy as other companies have achieved them so they should have implemented them. They didn't, I'm still going to be watching season one off VHS most of the time. I'm irritated by that. Simple.

Poot Rootbeer wrote in message news:[email]...

Since when has menu layout and convenience been more important than whats actually on the disk?

it

carry

that

Have you considered getting an RF remote? That way you could control the player from the bedroom.

LOL well yes that's a solution but the point was I shouldn't need a solution!

I'm not going to get rid of this set, the R2 is no better and it's worth keeping for the commentry alone. I will find a solution of course whether that be stick with my VHS copy when the situation warrents, maybe re-record them on new VHS tapes from the DVD to get better quality. Also as I think I mentioned before I am toying with DivX and VCD, VCD is shite but I'm getting some pretty impressive results from DivX. Like I said anyway, I just wish all this was not neccessary.

Please idiots that might read this, don't bother pointing out how it wouldn't be neccessary if I was wasn't such a fussy whining sod, I can hear you know and could care less what you think. What suits me suits me and the rest of you who have a problem with that can sod off.

Your right on this? Says who? I bought the set last night and this morning I sat down and watched all 13 episodes in a row, caring very little about the fact that I had to pick up the remote every 22 minutes to watch another episode. It's really no big deal. Someone has got to be really lazy to complain about the fact that they have to push a button on a remote control to watch another episode. And I cant stand anyone complaing that the set is expensive. I paid $30 for it and I feel it was worth it. You get 13 episodes that havent been seen uncut and in this condition in over a decade. You get insightful commentary, scripts and even some interesting deleted footage. I think the set is fine the way it is.

Obviously your viewing habbits differ from mine, it will inconvenience me a lot more than 5 seconds. Except it won't because I'll just stick with my old VHS versions of season 1. I don't know what your problem is, they could have kept us both happy at no extra cost or inconvenience. Besides, with that signiature you have no right calling anyone an idiot. Moron.

John Thorenson wrote in message news:[email]...

seconds

looks

human

Anyone who would "stick" to VHS just because the DVD versions don't include a play all feature that would literally take seconds to set up is an unmitigated moron.

They're not required to cater to every last segment of their audience, sorry.

I'm quoting someone else. How dumb are you?

__

"You think it looks better on a blurry NTSC TV. The World Trade Center looks better if you spread oil all over your glasses." John Kitchar, forty-one-year-old idiot, showing just what kind of a vile, despicable human being he is.

include a

unmitigated

Are you blind? Remote controls maybe wonderful but they do not bend round 7 corners to where my DVD player is. My VHS tape doesn't require constant instructions from me so is more desirable.

sorry.

No, this we agree on. My gripe is they could have so easily and didn't.

I realise that. The point was what exactly? You don't like what some arse hole said. Why repeat it?

Hitler said a few things of questionable righteousness too but people don't feel the need to attach them to their emails to inform everyone that they personally do not approve.

I just want to point out that 99.9999% percent of the DVD's viewing audience has the DVD player in the same room as the television. If they were going to worry themselves with such infinitesimal segments of the populace, they should have also included a scratch-and-sniff version of the episodes to appease those viewers who are deaf and blind.

Ice cream man ice cream man!!!!

*running out the door*

We're so sorry that the big baby has such an unusual viewing situation..awwwwww

If you really wanted to undergo a geometrical endeavor, you could set up mirrors so the signal bounces around the corners towards the TV...

bitches.. all of you are bitches.

you should be thanking that mysterious five fingered man in the sky that you even got dvd's as good as this.

~Ben phazerblast.com

The set up should've been:

Disc One:

Ullman Shorts Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire Commentary

Disc Two and Three would contain six episodes each.

Jake

That makes a little more sense but even so, still no good.

Even 4, 4, 5 would have been fine. Just one episode on it's own on a DVD seems silly to me. Certainly inconveniences anyone who wants to watch a few episodes at a time. Everyone else seems to think it's great though.

Jake Lennington wrote in message news:[email]...

Why it's like that on the Sopranos DVD season 1.Then with a behind the scene on the final disc.So it it possible to have 1 episode on 1 disc.

We think its great because it is great. If you think you can do better than make your own fuckin Simpson DVD set!!!!!! Wait, your too lazy to do that.

What are the odds that someone from the Simpson staff is reading this and this moron's comments will be coming out of Comic Boy Guy's mouth in a few months?

[email] (Jake Lennington) wrote in message news:...

And they should have included *all* the Ullman shorts, not just the one.

I'll bet they add a short to each of the next season DVD's. They have to make it seem like a bonus.

in article [email], Mike Harrison at [email] wrote on 9/26/01 3:09 PM:

Bugger! I thought they had included them all, I hadn't got round to checking yet.

SPAMMO wrote in message news:B7D7A27E.A6FA%[email]...

at

In alt.tv.simpsons, on the "Re: Possible Simpsons R1 DVD Box Set Flaw" thread, Mike Harrison wrote:

On Tue, Oct 9, 2001, 3:18am (EDT+4), [email]

Although what production company is TUS? Always thought it was Gracie Films anyway (same company for the Simpsons too).

I'm surprised they would even get that one anyway.

Kinda reminds me of a particular Simpson short that also appeared on the first release of the video for "Say Anything" (I think this was also Gracie Films' related production, too bad they didn't put on one for "Bottle Rockets").

If I had my way, I'd probably try to get the rights to the first season's worth fo the TUS shorts for the first set, and negotiate for the second and/or third seasons for the later boxes. Just seems a little kosher.

Domo Arigatoo to Sayonara!

Dude, shut up. I dont think I'll ever pull out my old VHS copies of these episodes now that I have this set. Even on VHS you still have to forward past commercials to get to another episode. Some people want things to be so easy....

I dont think many people are gonna want to watch all the episodes in a row anyway, so I really don't see the point of a "play all" option. I own DVDs featuring episodes of Tom and Jerry, Powerpuff Girls, South Park and Clerks and I have never once used the "play all" feature. If you have a DVD player then you obviously have the remote control for it. How hard is it to navigate two menus to get to the next episode.

In article , [email] (John Thorenson) writes: